The Skeptical Leftist Podcast

Gaza is starving and the aid isn’t getting through. Trump wants to jail the unhoused and pretend it’s compassion. And some tech startup let an AI delete live code, then lied about it with fake test results. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist Follow AnComSciComm: https://twitter.com/AnComSciCommSources:Israel -  Palestinehttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-gunshots-strikes-kill-at-least-25-gaza-some-seeking-aid_n_6884bfe1e4b07c2af0282bfahttps://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/25/mark-carney-israel-gaza-aid-flow-humanitarian-disaster-00476658https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-07-26-2025-8eca83b00e50f1e6d78a0cce877b3b90https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Humanitarian_Foundationhttps://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/gazas-suering-must-stop-keir-starmer-to-tell-trump-mv9mh97pw?region=global https://apnews.com/article/gaza-blockade-activist-ship-seized-24c32eafd80d08a63e5bed8b83d5972fhttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/palestine-state-uk-israel-starmer-emergency-cabinet-meeting-b2798191.htmlTrump’s anti-homeless people executive orderhttps://patch.com/california/across-ca/democrats-advocates-criticize-trumps-executive-order-homelessnesshttps://fox40jackson.com/mississippi-organizations-react-to-president-trumps-executive-order-on-homelessness/US may abandon trade talks with Canada https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46647776/us-may-ditch-trade-negotiations-with-canada-trump-says-havent-really-had-a-lot-of-luck This story has some new developments as the August 1st deadline came and went with Trump saying that he can’t negotiate with Canada because Parliament voted to acknowledge the state of Palestine under various conditions. Here is a video from Rachel Gilmore about ithttps://youtu.be/uwsgjcD4Vj8?si=f4Q_o564VbSiiZ4H Trump, Epstein, and the Search for the Truth That Never Comes https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-turned-down-invitation-epsteins-island-2025-07-28/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein#Legal_issueshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/23/trump-epstein-photoshttps://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/a-timeline-of-the-trump-administrations-shifting-stance-on-releasing-the-epstein-files/news-story/f2f86243a57b86951a0c686e965e011ahttps://archive.is/20250729000705/https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-justice-department-bondi-e7a5e41ba4fa3a88736cc384078c3215https://time.com/7305146/trump-name-epstein-files-republicans-maga-supporters-react/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/7/epstein-no-client-list-died-suicide-justice-department-sayshttps://www.vox.com/politics/2024/1/4/24025802/jeffrey-epstein-list-unsealed-documents-bill-clinton-donald-trumphttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_of_Donald_Trump_and_Jeffrey_EpsteinReplit’s AI Coding Tool Deletes Database and Lies About Ithttps://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46538388/replit-ceo-apologizes-after-ai-coding-tool-wipes-core-database Danish Registry Study Shows Most Mental Illnesses Occur Without Familial Linkshttps://ground.news/article/study-challenges-prejudice-heredity-only-explains-part-of-mental-illness_5b7268?utm_source=mobile-app&utm_medium=newsroom-sharehttps://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-prejudice-heredity-mental-illness.htmlCanadians Say Reconciliation Is Progressing—Poll Suggests Disconnecthttps://www.sasktoday.ca/national-news/most-canadians-think-the-country-is-making-progress-on-reconciliation-poll-10995451Mutual Aid: Help KJ: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kj-with-his-battle-against-a-brain-tumor Oxford Mutual Aid: https://www.oxfordmutualaid.org Indigenous Climate Action: https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com Regina Cathedral Community Fridge: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.comSolidarity is the strategy.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Eric, a blue-collar poet and Indigenous worker living just across the border in North Dakota. He opens up about what it means to struggle under a system that fails working people—from being denied healthcare to watching lawmakers vote against free school lunches.Eric reads his poem Tax Me More for Freedom and shares a heartfelt vision of a better world built on community, care, and solidarity.Support Eric and his family: GoFundMe – Help KJ with his battle against a brain tumor Instagram – @standing348 YouTube – @ericstanding9898 Facebook – facebook.com/eric.roadMy links and support options: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

What if Sam Harris is completely wrong about free will? In this episode, I talk with Damien Marie AtHope about why the hard determinist view doesn’t hold up, and why believing in change is not only possible but necessary. Damien shares his own story of transformation, breaks down the difference between biological pressures and actual control, and gives a crash course in emotional intelligence, axiology, and why therapy works. We’re not robots — we’re just bad at using the will we do have.Links:damienmarieathope.com linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

ICE raids in LA are starting to look more like kidnappings, agents in masks, no ID, no accountability. We break down what’s really going on and how it fits into a system in decline.Also: Mamdani wins in NYC, Bezos’s wedding antics, and the WEF’s dystopian wishlist.Co-host: @ancomscicomm.bsky.socialSupport the show: linktr.ee/skepticalleftist Sourceshttps://thenarwhal.ca/trouble-in-the-headwaters-documentary/?mc_cid=e57e3cde1c&mc_eid=4476f4fb86https://zeteo.com/p/breaking-zohran-mamdani-wins-nyc?r=17zg6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_City_Democratic_mayoral_primaryhttps://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fstory%2F2025-06-24%2Fmasked-immigration-agents-local-law-enforcement-tensionhttps://apnews.com/article/protesters-immigration-raids-masks-ice-trump-c601c5dc55ce4aecb36998ee15b47772https://www.weforum.org/press/2025/06/from-asteroid-mining-to-democratizing-quantum-world-economic-forum-announces-2025-technology-pioneers-leading-new-wave-of-global-innovation/https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2025/06/26/the-march-to-war/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/israel-stocks-currency-shekel-iran-war-conflict-military-economy-outlook-2025-6https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/trumps-war-thinking-israel-controls-u-s-imperialism-would-be-a-mistake/https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/06/michael-hudson-why-america-is-at-war-with-iran.htmlhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/robocup-building-team-robots-will-beat-world-cup-champions-180951713/https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/why-did-canada-just-cave-to-trump-by-scrapping-the-digital-services-tax/https://therealnews.com/why-venetians-want-jeff-bezos-to-choke-on-his-wedding-cakeWatershed Security Fund (British Columbia)https://watershedsecurityfund.ca/Supports Indigenous-led flood resilience and watershed restoration across B.C.KTown for All (Los Angeles)https://www.ktownforall.org/donate Legal aid, groceries, and protest support for unhoused and immigrant residents.Aquí Para la Comunidad / InnerCity Strugglehttps://www.innercitystruggle.org/donate Mutual aid and organizing in Boyle Heights—supporting undocumented families.Mutual Aid LA Network (MALAN)🔗 https://linktr.ee/mutualaidlanetwork Decentralized hub coordinating food, housing, and protest solidarity efforts

Graphic artist and leftist content creator Lucretia McEvil joins me for a deep and honest conversation about escaping the corporate grind, building a media practice rooted in storytelling, and rediscovering revolutionary optimism in a system designed to crush it. We talk about what it means to sell your labor but not your soul, how office life shapes our thinking, and why mutual aid and media are powerful tools for reclaiming collective power. Plus: Zohran Mamdani, class betrayal, and why “they don’t want you to feel free” might be more literal than it sounds.Follow Lucretia:YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@lucretia_macevil Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lucretia.mcevil/ SoundCloud – https://soundcloud.com/mamacakes Patreon – http://patreon.com/lucretiamcevil Support the show:https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

City buses are hitting 40 °C, gig apps still want their cut, and cops keep buying shiny new toys. I connect the dots between a boiling planet, precarious work, and the prison-industrial cash machine—and ask what it’ll take to snap the circuit.Want the 35-minute after-show? Patrons get it: https://patreon.com/SkepticalLeftist Links • socials: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist • Owen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@owenmacdonald7428  | Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/owenmacdonald.bsky.social 

Atlantis wasn’t real—but that hasn’t stopped pseudoarchaeologists from using it to sell myths about lost civilizations and master races. In this episode, Damien Marie AtHope and Marquis join me to explore the true origins of the Atlantis story, the rise of hyperdiffusionism, and why so much of this fantasy is rooted in racism and bad history.Links: – Damien’s site: https://damienmarieathope.com/ – Damien’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DamienAthope – Support the show:http://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 

Governments are spending billions on militaries while cutting housing, healthcare, and climate programs. In this episode, we cover five major stories from June 2025—from mass protests and ICE raids to Canada's ballooning defense budget and the unraveling of the global aid system.🛡 Canada’s military spending bonanzahttps://apnews.com/article/canada-nato-military-spending-carney-5f4f02c5dbf5323b395314d4c383cc15 https://www.instagram.com/p/DKuvPLuyY5U/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link 🚨 LA protests erupt after ICE raidshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2025_Los_Angeles_protests https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-06-14/this-is-why-they-protesthttps://www.removepaywall.com/ 👑 No Kings and the liberal co-option of protest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Kings_protestshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/innocent-bystander-shot-dead-peacekeepers-no-kings-protest-salt-lake-c-rcna213158https://x.com/AnarkYouTube/status/1934653422579359816https://bsky.app/profile/chadloder.bsky.social/post/3lrqmrzrlmk26https://youtu.be/sk6SYnKtcrc?si=NFxbSPH_6rwEFuCG🧳 Spanish hotel workers strike against overtourismhttps://euroweeklynews.com/2025/06/11/tenerife-hotel-strikes-2025-what-tourists-need-to-know-before-friday-check-ins/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/travel/europe-tourism-protests.html https://www.removepaywall.com/🌍 Iran and Israel escalate conflicthttps://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-iran-strike-each-other-new-wave-attacks-2025-06-14/ https://time.com/7293886/iranian-generals-scientists-targets-killed-by-israeli-strikes/⚡ Lightning Round 1: French prison attackshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_French_prison_attacks 🎬 Lightning Round 2: New climate resistance documentaryhttps://extinctionrebellion.uk/2025/06/13/new-film-celebrates-climate-resistance/ 💥 Collapse Watch: The global humanitarian system unravelshttps://www.reuters.com/world/un-cuts-aid-appeal-after-donors-slash-budgets-2025-06-16/ https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/16/send-armed-un-troops-to-protect-aid-convoys-gaza-sudan-or-risk-dystopia-un-rapporteur https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/hunger-crisis-deepens-global-hotspots-famine-risk-rises-un-warns-2025-06-16/ https://www.ft.com/content/6969644f-ca2f-4ca5-a230-cc230d6d8acf https://www.ft.com/content/8230ac2b-9d3d-4d35-9c78-db9665b74236 Mutual Aid:Ktown for All – Grassroots mutual aid and housing justice for unhoused and immigrant communities in Los Angeles. 🔗 https://linktr.ee/ktownforallJail Support LA – Providing bail funds, legal referrals, and direct support for protesters and detained community members. 🔗 https://linktr.ee/jslosangelesImmigrant Defenders Law Center – Free legal defense and advocacy for immigrants facing detention and deportation. 🔗 https://www.immdef.org/Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) – Faith-based organizing for immigrant rights, labor justice, and sanctuary protections. 🔗 https://linktr.ee/cluejusticeDetention Watch Network – National coalition fighting to abolish immigration detention and support community-based alternatives. 🔗 https://www.detentionwatchnetwork.org/Support the show: lintr.ee/skepticalleftist 

In this episode, I talk with Owen MacDonald, leftist YouTuber and political commentator, about the myth of market freedom, why capitalism depends on state violence, and how right-wing media avoids ever engaging with real ideas. We get into the culture war’s empty spectacle, the climate crisis, and how libertarian fantasies fall apart the moment you ask “freedom for who?” It’s a wide-ranging but grounded conversation about power, propaganda, and the lies we’re sold every day.👉 Support the show: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 👉 Follow Owen on YouTube: youtube.com/@owenmacdonald7428 

 Ian Bushfield of the BC Humanist Association joins me to talk about secularism, religious privilege, and the legal fights to keep church and state separate in Canada. We get into prayers at municipal meetings, public funding for religious schools, Christian nationalism, and what it really means to have freedom from religion. We also touch on the rise of religious influence in Western separatist movements and how the law is (or isn’t) protecting marginalized communities.Check out the BC Humanist Association and follow Ian BC Humanist AssociationBC Humanists LinktreeIan on BlueSkySupport the show:https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist patreon.com/skepticalleftist Share this post and tell a friend