Chapo Trap House

Discussions on the Academy Awards winners and losers, State of the Union reactions, challenges faced by Zionists on dating apps, humor about Hebrew school bomb threats and royal family shenanigans, political contradictions, dark speculations about Joe Biden's health, and navigating political divides in dating.

Will and Hesse review the top films of 2023 in this special Movie Mindset Oscars Preview. We go through the major Best Picture nominees, give our takes on each, and give our picks for winners in the major categories, plus some discussion of notable snubs. Also, a little preview of Movie Mindset Season 2, launching April 24th. We’ll have a blog post with a full official Season 2 schedule (plus where to stream/watch/consume options for each film) up sometime next week.

Organizers Layla Elabed and Waleed Shahid join us to discuss their recent successes with the movement to vote uncommitted against Joe Biden in the ongoing democratic primaries. They lay out their goals, how they’ve been organizing, what they feel they’ve achieved so far, and what they hope to accomplish going into the Democratic convention. If you’d like to know more or learn how to get involved, go to: https://www.listentomichigan.com/

Contributing editor for the New Republic and columnist for The Guardian Osita Nwanevu returns to the show. We look at a new New Yorker piece on Joe Biden’s last campaign, and the president’s defiant refusal to change gears, adjust policies, or really do anything to address rather dismal polling ahead of the election. Then, switching to the republicans, we look at the increasingly weird and anti-social tact of American conservatism and ask: can the modern right be assimilated into American culture? Find Osita’s newsletter here: https://www.ositanwanevu.com/ And check out the Flaming Hydra collective (featuring a lot of great writers & friends of the show) here: https://flaminghydra.com/

Filmmakers Christian Hansen and Zachary Treitz discuss the mysterious case of journalist Danny Casolaro's death, touching on spy software, the CIA, Native American Reservations, the mob, Iran-Contra, rail guns, and more. The narrative explores connections between the Wackenhut Corporation, the Cabazon band of Mission Indians, Earl Brian, Reagan's inner circle, and the Octopus network, revealing a web of conspiracy and intrigue.

Alex joins us once again to look at the news of the day, starting with a more serious look at the recent self-immolation in protest of U.S. Airman Aaron Bushnell. After that some lighter fare, with some stories of the bad Biden dog, Elizabeth Warren smoking weed with Ed Markey, and an article chronicling Biden’s stroke game going back to the 70’s. Finally, we read the big new piece on Bari Weiss’ University of Austin and its “Forbidden Courses”. Check out Fortune Kit here or wherever you get pods: https://soundcloud.com/fortune-kit And the FYM podcast here or wherever you get pods: https://chapofym.podbean.com/

Friend of the show & tech journalist Ed Zitron stops by to check in on the state of the internet. Have they cracked AI video yet? Does the VisionPro herald an en-goggled future? Just how stupid is Elon Musk, actually? We explore the end of the era of techno optimism and as our most advanced internet tech seems to aid less and abuse more. Subscribe to the Better Offline podcast here: https://www.betteroffline.com/ Find Ed’s newsletter here: https://www.wheresyoured.at/tag/newsletter/

We give our annual post-Super Bowl report rating the spectacle and the ads, including the increasing, and increasingly funny, conservative opposition to the whole idea of “football”. Plus, a review of a tough week for Joe Biden, including a new round of trepidation about his age and fitness. Finally, we look at an amazing profile of Bill Ackman, a man who manages to be such an intense Wife Guy he’s ruined his wife’s life.

Today, executive director of the Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah joins us to discuss the war in Palestine. We cover recent attempts to delegitimize and destroy UNRWA, atrocity propaganda, evolving capabilities of Palestinian resistance, changing attitudes towards Israel in the U.S., and the life, career and death of Palestinian author Refaat Alareer. Find the Electronic Intifada here: https://electronicintifada.net/ And on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheElectronicIntifada You can find Gaza Writes Back, the short story collection edited by Refaat Alareer, here: https://justworldbooks.com/books-by-title/gaza-writes-back/

Caleb, Patrick, and Cameron of Pod About List discuss light news topics such as mandatory potty training, a Chinese spy bird, dick biting, and the international crisis of cousins. They also talk about childhood memories of Flubber, extreme body modifications, combat sports strategy, and the importance of maintaining strong connections with cousins.