Michael Phillips

Michael Phillips, a historian focusing on capital punishment, joins investigative journalist Stephen Monticelli and Reverend Jeff Hood, a priest who has witnessed executions, to delve into the troubling realities of lethal injection. They explore its origins, public perception, and the morbid spectacle of early executions. Hood shares harrowing experiences accompanying condemned men, while the group discusses the high cost and political implications of the death penalty, revealing systemic flaws and moral dilemmas deeply embedded in America's justice system.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.  - Occulture, Technomancy vs Tradition, and the Role of Magick in 2025 - The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Heart Stops Reluctantly - The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: Out of Sight, Out of Mind - The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Quality of Mercy - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #40 You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources: The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Heart Stops Reluctantly Corinna Barrett Lain, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection (New York: New York University Press, 2025.) Michael Phillips and Betsy Friauf, The Purifying Knife: The Troubling History of Eugenics in Texas (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2025.)  Austin Sarat, Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America’s Death Penalty (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014.) The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: Out of Sight, Out of Mind Corinna Barrett Lain, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection (New York: New York University Press, 2025.) Dick Reavis, “Charlie Brooks’ Last Words,” Texas Monthly (February 1983.) The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Quality of Mercy Breanna Ehrlich, “The Last Face Death Row Inmates See,” Rolling Stone, March 29, 2025 (https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/death-row-reverend-jeff-hood-1235305460/) Anand Giridharadas, The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2014.)  Corinna Barrett Lain, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection (New York: New York University Press, 2025.) Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #40 https://www.texasobserver.org/texas-dps-287g-ice-trump-abbott/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71832522/moreno-gonzalez-v-noem-secretary-us-department-of-homeland-security/  https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71875910/1/tangipa-v-newsom/  https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/11/proposition-50-overnight-results/  https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115492361756063244 https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/11/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-strikes-deal-on-economic-and-trade-relations-with-china/ https://archive.vn/rR8Ix https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/522166327/202133199349305758/full https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/trump-tariffs-live-updates-trump-says-china-cant-have-nvidias-top-ai-chips-supreme-court-case-looms-162418765.html https://archive.vn/BFLOe https://archive.vn/uxkws#selection-799.0-808.0 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5588695-abbott-tariffs-new-yorkers-texas-election/ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/04/us/elections/nyc-mayor-results-precinct-map.html  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/zohran-mamdani-victory-speech-transcript https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/trump-tariffs-live-updates-trump-says-china-cant-have-nvidias-top-ai-chips-supreme-court-case-looms-162418765.html https://archive.vn/BFLOe https://archive.vn/uxkws#selection-799.0-808.0 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5588695-abbott-tariffs-new-yorkers-texas-election/ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/04/us/elections/nyc-mayor-results-precinct-map.html  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/05/zohran-mamdani-victory-speech-transcriptSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bridget Todd, a DC resident and host of 'There Are No Girls on the Internet', delves into the federalization of D.C.'s police force, exploring its implications for local governance. Historian Michael Phillips and investigative reporter Stephen Monticelli discuss the troubling legacy of company towns in the U.S., linking them to modern capitalist ventures like those of Elon Musk. They reveal how these towns have historically eroded democracy and workers' rights, raising questions about the future of corporate influence on communities.