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 bru...
May 05, 2023•54 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Molly 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 …...
May 02, 2023•9 min
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 ...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 8 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Kat 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…...
Apr 25, 2023•7 min
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...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 6 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Sam 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…...
Apr 19, 2023•7 min
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” a...
Apr 14, 2023•1 hr 13 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Chris 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…...
Apr 11, 2023•10 min
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...
Apr 07, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Alex Pearlman, Pearlmania500 on TikTok , joins us to discuss the “RESTRICT Act,” the bipartisan piece of legislation that purportedly will ban TikTok but ultimately has much broader implications. We get into the threats it poses to individual privacy and free speech rights, how the rhetoric around TikTok is ultimately ju…...
Apr 04, 2023•10 min
Ken Klippenstein (still under a lifetime ban from the podcast) joins us today to react to Donald Trump’s felony indictment over his hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. We take a look at some of the funniest reactions from folks on both the left and right, discuss whether Trump will actually be convicted, what this means for Trump’s likely top opponent in the GOP primary Ron DeSantis, and much more.You can follow Ken here: https://twitter.com/kenklippensteinTo become a subscriber (paid intern!...
Mar 31, 2023•58 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Ari Drennen, LGBTQ Program Director at Media Matters for America, joins us to discuss the latest in the anti-trans panic. This time, right-wing talking heads using the Nashville shooting on Monday to further their crusade against trans people and, despite transparently hollow calls in the past to not “politicize” mass shootings, doing exactly that this …...
Mar 29, 2023•10 min
Spencer Ackerman, author of the fabulous book “Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump,” joins us to reflect on the US invasion of Iraq 20 years later. We discuss the way Americans behaved in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and in the run-up to the invasion, taking their anger and fear out on innocent strangers who, in many cases, were not from Afghanistan or Iraq and/or were not Muslim, the xenophobia and racism Americans engage in during times of conflict, the...
Mar 24, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Congressman Ro Khanna joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about the government response to the East Palestine train derailment and his rail safety bill, how Democrats can win back more working class voters, Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, his upcoming fundraiser with David Sacks and what progressives should call for in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.You can find The Insurgents elsewhere on…YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheInsurgents/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thein...
Mar 22, 2023•41 min
Ed Zitron returns to the show to discuss venture capitalists and tech elites congratulating themselves on the Treasury & Federal Reserve taking action to protect Silicon Valley Bank depositors. We get into the self-absorption of the tech and investing class, why they can’t shut up and how tech workers—who are exploited daily by these same people—are the ones who truly would have been hurt had depositors not been covered.You can follow Ed’s Substack here: To become a subscriber (paid intern!)...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Lucas Kunce, candidate for Senate in Missouri who is hoping to unseat Josh Hawley, joins us to talk about the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, the tech and financial elites who spent the weekend demanding a bailout, how the government response to cover all depositors is something working people never experience, and how Jos…...
Mar 14, 2023•16 min
Note: This Sunday night we’re having another subscriber-only live chat over on the Substack app — this time for an Oscars watch party. Become a Paid Intern and join us at 8 pm ET on Sunday night: Frank Cappello, host of the new Lever podcast Movies vs. Capitalism , joins us to talk about the new podcast and how it’s ok to be critical of movies and also enjoy them. We make some Oscar predictions, discuss how Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked to make an address during the awards show (an...
Mar 10, 2023•1 hr 12 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Ryan Broderick, author of the fantastic Garbage Day substack, joins Jordan (Rob is out this week) for a discussion on the ethics of AI, the push for AI personhood, Mr. Beast’s chocolate bar line, fan-inclusion in online social movements, Twitter’s continued service outages and much more.You can follow Ryan here: https://twitter.com/broderickYou can subs…...
Mar 07, 2023•4 min
Bryan Metzger, political reporter for Insider, joins us to discuss what he saw at CPAC this week. The event is largely the Trump show this year, with Ron DeSantis notably absent. We get into the early 2024 jockeying among hopefuls, the election deniers parading around the convention, which vendors are setting up shop and just a general vibe check from the entire thing.You can follow Bryan here: https://twitter.com/metzgovTo become a subscriber (paid intern!) and gain access to an additional epis...
Mar 04, 2023•1 hr 7 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Nikki McCann Ramirez of Rolling Stone joins us to discuss Fox News hosts, network executives and even Rupert Murdoch himself all acknowledging in texts, emails and, in Murdoch’s case, a deposition, that the network aired, parroted and endorsed outright lies about the outcome of the 2020 election. We discuss how the network has shaped American politics, …...
Feb 28, 2023•14 min
We’re now exactly one year into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so Erik Sperling, Executive Director of Just Foreign Policy, joins us to help break down the current state of the conflict. We get into the hawkish rhetoric in Washington continuing to push for more war despite being safely removed from danger, Biden’s trip to Ukraine and how his public comments are at odds with some top Biden officials’ private remarks on the future of this war and we spend some time discussing why there should be...
Feb 24, 2023•1 hr 4 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com John Russell, labor politics writer at The Holler and someone who has been on the ground in East Palestine, Ohio, joins us to discuss the latest developments in the Norfolk Southern train derailment disaster. We get into how liberals keep dismissing the tragedy because of the surrounding area’s voting patterns, we examine the class politics inherent in …...
Feb 21, 2023•12 min
We’re joined again by Dan Evans to discuss the wave of tech companies rushing to release AI chatbot tools and what that means for the future of work. We get into the ethical implications, the risks associated with the technology and how people are already using it in a professional capacity.Then we cover John Fetterman seeking mental health care and the conservative response to something that’s ultimately a good thing. We had a really great conversation about getting mental health care in our ow...
Feb 19, 2023•1 hr 17 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Matthew Cunningham-Cook joins us to discuss The Lever’s superb reporting on the Norfolk Southern train carrying vinyl chloride and other toxic chemicals derailing in East Palestine, Ohio. We get into Norfolk Southern and other rail companies’ efforts over the years to lobby against increased safety measures and upgraded braking systems. Those same compa…...
Feb 14, 2023•10 min
Brennan Murphy joins us on this episode to recap the State of the Union, the Republican antics during the speech and what to make of some of the policies Biden called for. We also discuss the NBA trades before the deadline and whether Australia and New Zealand are the same thing.You can follow Brennan here: https://twitter.com/brenonadeNote: On Sunday night, we’ll be hosting another live chat on the Substack app for our beloved Paid Interns (subscribers) during the Big Game. To join the chat, su...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com NOTE: Tonight on the Substack app we’re hosting a live chat during the State Of The Union for our paid interns (subscribers). To join the chat, subscribers will just need to head to the chat section of the Substack app and join the conversation! The SOTU begins at 9 PM ET tonight. Jules Suzdaltzev, creator of the wildly …...
Feb 07, 2023•11 min
Emma Vigeland of The Majority Report and ESVN (the Emma Sports Vigeland Network) joins us to discuss Ilhan Omar’s removal from the House Foreign Affairs committee by House Republicans. Omar was one of the best voices, if not the best, on the committee and offered a strong anti-imperialist, anti-war perspective. We talk about her time on the committee and the impacts her removal will have.And since Emma is a New York sports die-hard, we get into how the Knicks and Rangers are looking, as well as ...
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com This week, Mr. Beast, the most-subscribed-to individual on YouTube, posted a video where he funded sight-restoration surgeries for 1,000 people. His fans showered him with praise for yet another act of public altruism while critics insisted it ultimately reflected deep cracks in our society. We discuss the role “kindness content” plays in online media, …...
Jan 31, 2023•10 min
Jack Crosbie returns this week to discuss his articles in Rolling Stone ( here & here ) about the effort to stop the development of a sprawling new police training facility or “Cop City” in the heart of Atlanta’s South River Forest. Cop City poses many ecological and community safety risks, but despite overwhelming opposition in city council meetings by members of the community it was greenlit anyway.Jack traveled to Atlanta to spend some time living with activists who reside in the forest t...
Jan 27, 2023•1 hr 19 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.insurgentspod.com Ricky & Eliot from Internet Today join us to discuss the totally absurd and ridiculous M&M’s spokescandy saga, the meltdown from the right over M&M’s going “woke” and how easy it is to manufacture outrage online and what it means for hollow corporate gestures toward very real systemic and societal issues. We also discuss the Steven Crowder/Daily Wire sp…...
Jan 24, 2023•8 min
