The Insurgents

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comIn this episode, recorded before Jordan’s extravagant and unsanctioned Japan vacation, he and our friend Jack Crosbie of Discourse Blog have a conversation about ChatGPT and the future of AI automation, Twitter’s Elon Musk era, the Barstool to Tucker Carlson pipeline and more. There’s also some unfortunate comments about Canadians and Australians that t…

Olga Lexell joins us to talk about the WGA strike, what writers are calling for, how the shifting landscape toward streaming in the entertainment industry has allowed giant companies to further exploit writers for their work and more.At the top, we discuss the tragic death of Jordan Neely, who was killed on the New York subway by a bystander. After his death was caught on film, conservatives justified his death as part of their crusade against people experiencing homelessness. We discuss our brutal policies for people living in the margins of society and the open bloodlust people display in moments like this.Resources:Entertainment Community Fund: https://entertainmentcommunity.org/GoFundMe for Jordan Neely’s Family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jordan-neely-we-love-youTo become a subscriber (paid intern!) to the Insurgents and gain access to an additional episode every week, you can subscribe at TheInsurgents.Substack.com/subscribe:Our latest premium episode with Molly Jong-Fast is available here: https://theinsurgents.substack.com/p/ep-172-a-trip-to-the-swamp-ft-molly#detailsYou can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsurgentspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurgentspod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comMolly Jong-Fast, host of Fast Politics, joins us to recount her trip to DC for White House Correspondents Dinner weekend. She shares some hot goss from the swamp and we get into the criticisms of the event itself and the risks that arise from close proximity between the media and political establishment. We also discuss how, despite self-congratulatory …

Jessica Burbank, host of the new show Funny Money, joins us to break down the debt ceiling debate in Congress. The right is using this as an opportunity to, yet again, try to cut social safety net programs, but of course they have no issue raising the debt ceiling when a Republican is in the White House.We open the show with Rob’s realization that Canadians are not allowed to comment on US politics then follow it up with the news of Jordan’s engagement.To become a subscriber (paid intern!) to the Insurgents and gain access to an additional episode every week, you can subscribe at TheInsurgents.Substack.com/subscribe:Our most recent premium episode with Kat Abughazaleh about Tucker Carlson’s firing is available here: https://theinsurgents.substack.com/p/ep-170-tucker-carlson-fired-ft-kat#detailsYou can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsurgentspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurgentspod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comKat Abughazaleh of Media Matters joins us to discuss Tucker Carlson’s sudden firing. We discuss the impact he had on his viewers, the white nationalist acts of violence he inspired, including mass shootings by perpetrators who mirrored his rhetoric in their manifestos, and more. We speculate (responsibly) about what caused his ouster and who will replac…

Andrew Lawrence of Media Matters joins us to discuss Fox News settling with Dominion at the last minute in its defamation case over the network airing election lies and smearing the voting machine company in the process. The $787 million settlement is the largest defamation settlement in US history, and while the right-wing television network narrowly avoided its top talent taking the stand, we explore how Fox isn’t out of the woods just yet.We also open with some NHL playoffs talk, so if you’re not a hockey fan just skip that part I guess. (You should be though, hockey is great. Go Rangers.)You can follow Andrew here: https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrenceTo become a subscriber (paid intern!) to the Insurgents and gain access to an additional episode every week, you can subscribe here:Our most recent premium episode with Sam Biddle about his story on how the Georgia National Guard using location tracking to recruit high school children is available here:You can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsurgentspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurgentspod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comSam Biddle, technology reporter at The Intercept, joins us to discuss his new story about the Georgia National Guard using location tracking to recruit high school children. We get into the pitfalls and dangers of using an inaccurate method to try to identify and follow young people for purposes of military recruiting, how its an extension of other pred…

LucidFoxx returns to the show this week to discuss Sen. Dianne Feinstein refusing to resign despite being absent for months, missing over 50 votes and holding up the judicial confirmation process. Her supporters and Dem loyalists insist she should be able to resign “on her time” but as this debate plays out, the right is, yet again, using the court system to further chip away at abortion rights.We also discuss the classified documents leak on Discord, “crime” in San Francisco, “anti-woke beer” and much more.Rob also becomes an honorary Ohioan and we discuss plans for the show in 2024.You can follow Lucid here: https://twitter.com/lucidfoxxTo become a subscriber (paid intern!) to the Insurgents and gain access to an additional episode every week, you can subscribe here:Our most recent premium episode with Chris Geidner on Clarence Thomas’ relationship with billionaire Harlan Crow and the right attacking abortion medication in court is available here:You can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsurgentspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurgentspod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.comChris Geidner, writer of LawDork, joins us to discuss ProPublica’s huge story revealing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has secretly accepted luxury trips from a prominent conservative billionaire for nearly 20 years. We explore the ethical implications and potential avenues for accountability. Even more bizarre, the donor (Harlan Crow) is a colle…

Abraham Josephine “Josie” Riesman, author of the New York Times bestseller “Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America” joins us today for a great discussion on how kayfabe, the art of presenting staged acts as authentic, has evolved and spread beyond the world of wrestling and into our politics. Josie explains the concept of neokayfabe and how the WWE has slyly blurred the lines between performance and reality in ways that have crept in broader society. We also learn about the long friendship between WWE chairman McMahon and Donald Trump, and the consequences that friendship has had for the country.You can follow Josie here: https://twitter.com/abrahamjosephYou can pick up a copy of the book here: https://www.ringmasterthebook.com/To become a subscriber (paid intern!) to the Insurgents and gain access to an additional episode every week, you can subscribe here:Our most recent premium episode with Alex Pearlman on Congress trying to ban TikTok and the free speech, censorship and foreign policy implications the bill would have is available here:You can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theinsurgentspod/Twitter: https://twitter.com/insurgentspod This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.insurgentspod.com/subscribe