Mini Show #21: 700K Subs, Akaash Singh, Student Debt, Substack, Amazon Workers, Rogan vs White House, & More!
Feb 5, 2022
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Comedian Akaash Singh joins the hosts to discuss his standup special and thoughts on victimhood. Other topics include Biden's appeal on bankruptcy ruling, the censorship of Joe Rogan, Amazon's worker intimidation, and the decrease in unionization.
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Amazon of illegally surveilling and threatening workers at their Staten Island warehouse who are trying to unionize.
Jen Psaki expressed a desire for more action from Spotify to combat misinformation and called on all major tech platforms to do more to call out and combat misinformation.
Deep dives
NLRB accuses Amazon of threatening and surveilling warehouse workers
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has accused Amazon of illegally surveilling and threatening workers at their Staten Island warehouse who are trying to unionize. The NLRB wants Amazon to inform workers of their right to organize. The complaint alleges that Amazon broke the law by interrogating employees about their organizing activities, calling union organizers thugs, and threatening employees by suggesting it would be futile to select the union as their bargaining representative. Amazon denies any wrongdoing but the NLRB's complaint comes as the Amazon labor union has collected enough signatures to trigger a union election at the Staten Island warehouse.
Jen Psaki comments on Spotify's labeling of Joe Rogan's podcast
During a White House press briefing, Jen Psaki commented on Spotify's labeling of Joe Rogan's podcast episodes related to COVID-19 and the vaccine. While Psaki sees the labeling as a positive step, she called on all major tech platforms, including Spotify, to do more to call out and combat misinformation. Psaki emphasized the importance of accurate information and reiterated statistics on hospitalization and mortality rates for unvaccinated individuals. However, her comments were criticized, suggesting that the focus on podcast labeling was a distraction from other pressing issues, such as the climate crisis and inflation.
The pushback against Spotify's handling of Joe Rogan continues
The controversy surrounding Spotify and Joe Rogan has reached the White House press briefing room, where Jen Psaki expressed a desire for more action from the company to combat misinformation. This comes as the National Labor Relations Board accuses Amazon of threatening and surveilling workers attempting to unionize at their Staten Island warehouse. The Amazon labor union has successfully triggered a union election in response to the company's alleged illegal tactics. The discussions around Spotify and Amazon's actions highlight ongoing debates about worker rights and misinformation in the digital age.
The role of tech companies in combatting misinformation
The discussion of tech companies' responsibility in combating misinformation continues, as Jen Psaki calls for more action from Spotify on labeling episodes of Joe Rogan's podcast. Psaki cites the Surgeon General's statements and emphasizes that accurate information on COVID-19 should be shared to ensure the well-being of the American people. However, critics argue that the focus on podcast labeling is a distraction from other pressing issues, and that politicians and platforms should focus on providing accurate information while avoiding censorship.
Krystal and Saagar talk about getting to 700K subscribers, Akaash Singh's standup special, Biden's moves on student debt, backlash to substack, Amazon intimidating workers, the White House calling for censorship of Rogan, and more!