https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmF9MHSjCzE
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
In 'Original Sin,' Jake Tapper describes a 'cover-up' of Joe Biden's decline (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)
CNN's Jake Tapper calls his new book a tragedy. Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which Tapper co-authored with Axios' Alex Thompson, describes two Joe Bidens.
"The first one is the one that everybody got to know during his vice presidency," Tapper says. "And the second one was kind of a non-functioning Joe Biden. ... And that non-functioning Biden would rear his head increasingly starting in, like, 2019, 2020. And then, as his term went on, more and more behind the scenes."
The book describes a president who failed to recognize longtime political allies, lost his train of thought in important conversations and forgot important dates, including the death of his son, Beau: "We in the public would see some of it in front of the cameras ... but we had no idea how bad it was," Tapper says.
Tapper says one source described a president that was being propped up by aides: "One person told us that the presidency was, at best, a five-person board with Joe Biden as chairman of the board."
On Sunday, Biden's office issued a statement, revealing that the former president has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone.
"It is very sad what happens to us, if we're lucky enough to get old. Very few of us retain our acuity until our death in our sleep at age 99," Tapper says. "It is the human condition, and that makes it difficult to report on this. But by the same token, we have a right to believe and expect that a president will be sharp and on top of things."
Interview:
"The first one is the one that everybody got to know during his vice presidency," Tapper says. "And the second one was kind of a non-functioning Joe Biden. ... And that non-functioning Biden would rear his head increasingly starting in, like, 2019, 2020. And then, as his term went on, more and more behind the scenes."
The book describes a president who failed to recognize longtime political allies, lost his train of thought in important conversations and forgot important dates, including the death of his son, Beau: "We in the public would see some of it in front of the cameras ... but we had no idea how bad it was," Tapper says.
Tapper says one source described a president that was being propped up by aides: "One person told us that the presidency was, at best, a five-person board with Joe Biden as chairman of the board."
On Sunday, Biden's office issued a statement, revealing that the former president has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone.
"It is very sad what happens to us, if we're lucky enough to get old. Very few of us retain our acuity until our death in our sleep at age 99," Tapper says. "It is the human condition, and that makes it difficult to report on this. But by the same token, we have a right to believe and expect that a president will be sharp and on top of things."
Interview:
Trump vowed to help US farmers. These four say his policies are ‘wreaking havoc’ | Farming | The Guardian
"Three main policies have been impacting us. Number one is the cancellation of USAID. That's about a billion dollars worth of grain that the United States purchases from farmers like me, and they give it to third world nations who are hungry. To kill that program is a disaster. It's morally bankrupt, and it hurts farmers' bottom line.
Another thing that's very pressing is the payment freezes to farmers from the USDA. I was involved in the Climate-Smart practices. We were paid to implement stewardship practices that the USDA has been preaching since the Dust Bowl. The added benefit is these practices combat climate change. That's what the current administration doesn't want anything to do with. …
I try to explain to people, if I were a repair person, and I went to my local grade school and fixed their furnace, and in the meantime, a new school board was elected, I still deserve to be paid. I've signed a contract with the USDA. The full faith and credit of the United States is at risk, because if Uncle Sam will renege on a farmer, they'll renege on anybody.
The third one is the tariff situation. China is and has been our number one export for soybeans; 100% of the soybeans that I grow are exported. During Trump's first administration, half of all the soybeans that China purchased were from the United States. By the end of his first administration, it was down to a quarter. Now Brazil has taken over our role as the number one importer of soybeans into China. From an environmental standpoint, that means more deforestation in the Amazon. Mexico purchases 40% of all the corn in the United States. And he wants to have a trade war with Mexico? Mexico can just as easily buy their grain from Argentina and Brazil…
Russia targets Ukraine with more drone strikes as Trump says Putin has ‘gone crazy’ | Ukraine | The Guardian
The sheer scale of Putin's defiance of Trump following last Monday's call between the two leaders has imploded the US president's ill-defined strategy for ending the war in Ukraine, which Trump had promised to do within 24 hours upon taking office...
Top Republicans threaten to block Trump’s spending bill if national debt is not reduced | US Senate | The Guardian
An analysis by the non-partisan FactCheck.org found that the claim that 1.4 million undocumented migrants were on Medicaid was false. People living in the US without immigration papers are not eligible for the federal program other than to receive emergency medical treatment. 'Fiscally irresponsible': Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' benefits the rich at the expense of the poor
More than 1 million undocumented immigrants are in danger of losing health benefits as a result of Trump's cuts – but this assistance is provided by states and has nothing to do with Medicaid...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/25/trump-beautiful-bill-republicans
Brief: The Gospel of MAHA Apologetics (Conspirituality podcast)
After being confirmed as Secretary of HHS, RFK Jr started installing his cabal of wellness influencers and contrarian doctors across the government's many public health agencies. And that means they have to apologize for their boss.
Derek and Julian listen in on some of the most outrageous takes so far.
Interview:
Monday, May 26, 2025
Utah Study on Trans Youth Care Extremely Inconvenient for Politicians Who Ordered It – Mother Jones
The state's ban on gender-affirming pediatric care "cannot be justified" by science, a two-year review concluded...
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/05/utah-transgender-youth-affirming-care-ban/
Indivisible: the mass movement leading the progressive fight against Trump | US politics | The Guardian
It grew out of a Google Doc, and now has millions of US members – what's the secret of Indivisible's success?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/25/indivisible-donald-trump-progressive-movement
Weekly Roundup: Oklahoma’s Catholic Charter School and Hegseth’s Prayer Service (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Dan discusses recent developments on the separation of church and state, focusing on the Oklahoma Catholic Charter School case and its split decision in the Supreme Court. He also analyzes the implications of Pete Hegseth’s Christian prayer service at the Pentagon, highlighting concerns about religious liberty and the mixing of church and state.
Additionally, the episode examines JD Vance’s criticisms of Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts and addresses ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary. The script also touches on Trump’s claims of white genocide in South Africa and the alleged evidence presented during a meeting with South African President Cyril Rama.
The episode concludes with reflections on populist rhetoric and the role of evidence in shaping perceived truths.
Interview:
Additionally, the episode examines JD Vance’s criticisms of Supreme Court chief Justice John Roberts and addresses ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary. The script also touches on Trump’s claims of white genocide in South Africa and the alleged evidence presented during a meeting with South African President Cyril Rama.
The episode concludes with reflections on populist rhetoric and the role of evidence in shaping perceived truths.
Interview:
Crime is Like a Denny’s (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
The Supreme Court remanded the Alien Enemies Act case back down to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and at least one of the judges isn’t happy about it.
Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador set off a fierce debate among officials in three cabinet agencies, despite agreement there had been a mistake.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Chief of Staff ordered intelligence analysts to edit an assessment with the hope of insulating Trump and Gabbard from being attacked for the administration’s claim that Venezuela’s government controls a criminal gang.
A federal judge found that the Trump Administration violated a court order when it sent a planeload of migrants to war-torn South Sudan, teeing up yet another possible contempt proceeding against the government.
Plus listener questions…
Interview:
Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador set off a fierce debate among officials in three cabinet agencies, despite agreement there had been a mistake.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Chief of Staff ordered intelligence analysts to edit an assessment with the hope of insulating Trump and Gabbard from being attacked for the administration’s claim that Venezuela’s government controls a criminal gang.
A federal judge found that the Trump Administration violated a court order when it sent a planeload of migrants to war-torn South Sudan, teeing up yet another possible contempt proceeding against the government.
Plus listener questions…
Interview:
Quacks, Cancer, and Kangen Water (feat Mallory DeMille) (Conspirituality podcast, Episode #256)
Cancer, as physician and author Siddhartha Mukherjee writes, is the emperor of all maladies. The disease—the over 200 different diseases all falling under this umbrella term—has been with us as long as we’ve been us. If anything is truly ancient, it is the cancer cells that are in all of our bodies, just waiting to be turned on if the conditions are right, or if our genes dictate the inevitability.
Deep in wellness land, cancer is something entirely different. It’s avoidable if you stop consuming seed oils, stop using 5G, stop thinking negative thoughts, and by god, stop taking those jabs that cause all the turbo cancers going around. And with every wellness warning comes a wellness solution. Today our correspondent, Mallory DeMille, returns for a deep dive into the treacherous depths of one of the more insidious grifts: treating cancer with the power of…water.
Interview:
Deep in wellness land, cancer is something entirely different. It’s avoidable if you stop consuming seed oils, stop using 5G, stop thinking negative thoughts, and by god, stop taking those jabs that cause all the turbo cancers going around. And with every wellness warning comes a wellness solution. Today our correspondent, Mallory DeMille, returns for a deep dive into the treacherous depths of one of the more insidious grifts: treating cancer with the power of…water.
Interview:
The Strike That Broke a Supermax Prison (Reveal podcast)
After spending years locked in solitary confinement, a group of California men united to launch the largest prison hunger strike in US history.
At 18, Jack Morris was convicted of murdering a man in South Los Angeles and sent to prison for life. It was 1979, and America was entering the era of mass incarceration, with tough sentencing laws ballooning the criminal justice system. As California’s prison population surged, so did prison violence.
“You learn that in order to survive, you yourself then have to become predatorial,” Morris says. “And then, you then expose somebody else to that, and it’s a vicious cycle.”
When California started aggressively targeting prison gangs, Morris was accused of associating with one of the groups. The punishment was severe: He was sent to a special supermax unit at the state’s highest-security prison, Pelican Bay.
The facility was designed to isolate men deemed the “worst of the worst.” Like Morris, most lived in near-total isolation. No phone calls, no meaningful physical contact with another human, no educational classes, no glimpses of the outside world. The only regular time out of a cell was for a shower and solo exercise in another concrete room.
Decades later, prisoners at Pelican Bay, including Morris, started a dialogue through coded messages and other covert communication. They decided to protest long-term solitary confinement by organizing a hunger strike. It would become the largest in US history and helped push California to implement reforms.
This week on Reveal, we team up with the PBS film The Strike to tell the inside story of a group of men who overcame bitter divisions and harsh conditions to build an improbable prison resistance movement.
Interview:
At 18, Jack Morris was convicted of murdering a man in South Los Angeles and sent to prison for life. It was 1979, and America was entering the era of mass incarceration, with tough sentencing laws ballooning the criminal justice system. As California’s prison population surged, so did prison violence.
“You learn that in order to survive, you yourself then have to become predatorial,” Morris says. “And then, you then expose somebody else to that, and it’s a vicious cycle.”
When California started aggressively targeting prison gangs, Morris was accused of associating with one of the groups. The punishment was severe: He was sent to a special supermax unit at the state’s highest-security prison, Pelican Bay.
The facility was designed to isolate men deemed the “worst of the worst.” Like Morris, most lived in near-total isolation. No phone calls, no meaningful physical contact with another human, no educational classes, no glimpses of the outside world. The only regular time out of a cell was for a shower and solo exercise in another concrete room.
Decades later, prisoners at Pelican Bay, including Morris, started a dialogue through coded messages and other covert communication. They decided to protest long-term solitary confinement by organizing a hunger strike. It would become the largest in US history and helped push California to implement reforms.
This week on Reveal, we team up with the PBS film The Strike to tell the inside story of a group of men who overcame bitter divisions and harsh conditions to build an improbable prison resistance movement.
Interview:
DOGE Is Bringing Back a Deadly Disease (The Atlantic)
Cuts to agencies that protect workers’ lungs are going to result in the resurgence of a preventable illness.
How Trump Exploits Working-Class Pain (Reveal podcast)
Sociologist Arlie Hochschild on how Trump uses economic decline to win over voters and push rural America further to the right.
Arlie Hochschild, an award-winning author and sociologist, has spent years talking with people living in rural parts of the country who have been hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs and shuttered coal mines. They’re the very people President Donald Trump argues will benefit most from his sweeping wave of tariffs and recent executive orders aimed at reviving coal mining in the US. But Hochschild argues that Trump’s policies will only fill an emotional need for those in rural America. She should know.
In 2016, Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land was a must-read for anyone who wanted to better understand the appeal of Trump and his ascent to the White House. She spent time in Louisiana talking with Tea Party supporters about how they believed women, minorities, and immigrants were cutting in line to achieve the American Dream. But in her latest book, Stolen Pride, Hochschild shifted her focus to Pikeville, Kentucky, a small city in Appalachia where coal jobs were leaving, opioids were arriving, and a white supremacist march was being planned. The more she talked to people, the more she saw how Trump played on their shame and pride about their downward mobility and ultimately used that to his political advantage.
“A lot of people in this group have felt that neither political party was offering an answer,” Hochschild says. “And they have turned instead to a kind of charismatic leader.” She argues that the secret to Trump’s charisma among his supporters has to do with “alleviating the shame of that downward mobility.”
On this week’s episode of More To The Story, host Al Letson talks with Hochschild about the long slide of downward mobility in rural America and why she thinks Trump’s policies ultimately won’t benefit his most core supporters.
Interview:
Arlie Hochschild, an award-winning author and sociologist, has spent years talking with people living in rural parts of the country who have been hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs and shuttered coal mines. They’re the very people President Donald Trump argues will benefit most from his sweeping wave of tariffs and recent executive orders aimed at reviving coal mining in the US. But Hochschild argues that Trump’s policies will only fill an emotional need for those in rural America. She should know.
In 2016, Hochschild’s Strangers in Their Own Land was a must-read for anyone who wanted to better understand the appeal of Trump and his ascent to the White House. She spent time in Louisiana talking with Tea Party supporters about how they believed women, minorities, and immigrants were cutting in line to achieve the American Dream. But in her latest book, Stolen Pride, Hochschild shifted her focus to Pikeville, Kentucky, a small city in Appalachia where coal jobs were leaving, opioids were arriving, and a white supremacist march was being planned. The more she talked to people, the more she saw how Trump played on their shame and pride about their downward mobility and ultimately used that to his political advantage.
“A lot of people in this group have felt that neither political party was offering an answer,” Hochschild says. “And they have turned instead to a kind of charismatic leader.” She argues that the secret to Trump’s charisma among his supporters has to do with “alleviating the shame of that downward mobility.”
On this week’s episode of More To The Story, host Al Letson talks with Hochschild about the long slide of downward mobility in rural America and why she thinks Trump’s policies ultimately won’t benefit his most core supporters.
Interview:
Brief: The Cult of Crossfit (Conspirituality podcast)
When cultural and psychological anthropologist Katie Rose Hejtmanek set out to study Crossfit, she knew she had to throw herself into it fully. For seven years, she traveled to “boxes” around the world while committing herself to her local Brooklyn box. What she uncovered was a rabid fan base that deeply values community and a business model that offers a refreshing response to unfettered capitalism—as well as the misogyny, racism, and militarized Christian themes that inform this beloved and despised fitness regimen. She joins Derek to discuss her new book, The Cult of CrossFit: Christianity and the American Exercise Phenomenon.
Interview:
The Dave Ramsey Takedown (Dan McClellan; Data Over Dogma podcast, episode #102)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the big fight! In the red corner: personal finance guru and guy who makes millions by making poorer people feel bad about their debt, Dave "how's your retirement fund looking?" Ramsey. And in the blue corner: with a much lighter pocketbook but much heavier t-shirt collection, Dan "alright let's see it" McClellan.
What could a Bible scholarship show possibly have to say about a personal finance guy, you might ask. Well, Mr. Ramsey styles himself a Christian personal finance guy, and in that capacity makes some pretty interesting claims. So, while we are not qualified to check him on his finance advice, when he veers into our lane, he's fair game. And boy, did that guy veer!
Then, the Deuteronomist abides. There may be some ten dollar words ahead (words that Dan Beecher may or may not be able to pronounce), but don't let that fool you: the Deuteronomistic history is actually fascinating.
Interview:
What could a Bible scholarship show possibly have to say about a personal finance guy, you might ask. Well, Mr. Ramsey styles himself a Christian personal finance guy, and in that capacity makes some pretty interesting claims. So, while we are not qualified to check him on his finance advice, when he veers into our lane, he's fair game. And boy, did that guy veer!
Then, the Deuteronomist abides. There may be some ten dollar words ahead (words that Dan Beecher may or may not be able to pronounce), but don't let that fool you: the Deuteronomistic history is actually fascinating.
Interview:
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Opinion | What Leo XIV can learn about Catholic economics from past popes - The Washington Post
"The bedrock teaching is, however, clear and simple: We have a duty to help the poor, the sick, the weak and the suffering…"
Maga’s era of ‘soft eugenics’: let the weak get sick, help the clever breed | US politics | The Guardian
At the heart of all Trump administration policies is 'soft eugenics' thinking – the idea that if you take away life-saving services, then only the strong will survive...
Trump vowed to help US farmers. These four say his policies are ‘wreaking havoc’ | Farming | The Guardian
"The policies of the Trump administration are wreaking havoc on family farmers. It's been terrible," said John Bartman, a row crop farmer in Illinois. Bartman is owed thousands of dollars for sustainable practices he implemented on his row crop operation as part of the USDA's Climate-Smart program.
And he's not the only one. Other farmers across the country are reporting that the Trump administration's policies have destroyed their markets by ending programs that help farmers sell their produce to local schools and food banks; implementing draconian immigration policies that destabilize the farm labor pool; and generally creating volatility that makes it hard for farmers to plan ahead...
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/23/trump-farmers-policy
Opinion | Democrats can respond to Trump’s budget bill with three C’s - The Washington Post
Trump and the GOP's agenda of corruption, chaos and cruelty should be burnished in the public's mind...
The Obscure French Priest Who Explains Christian Trumpism Like No One Else (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad discusses the ideas of French Jesuit priest John Daniélou, who argued that the Church is best when it builds and sustains Christendom – a Christian civilization where religion is ingrained in culture to reach the masses.
He explores how these concepts explain the rise of what he terms ‘Christian Trumpism’—a form of Christianity more about power and public display than individual commitment.
Brad also touches on this goes against the grain of what most Protestants, especially evangelicals, are taught about a counterculture church filled with true believers – rather than a lukewarm cultural Christianity of indifferent pew-fillers.
Interview:
Pope Bob Vs. Trump World (Conspirituality podcast, episode #258)
The most annoying convert TradCath in the world, JD Vance, whose cherubic face belies all his bootlicking aggression, gets his moment with Pope Bob. Usha stands behind him in a black mantilla. He hands the pontiff an oversized envelope: an invitation from Donald and Melania to a White House dinner. Bob smiles guardedly as he takes it and without looking at it, setting it on his desk. “I’ll read that at some point,” Vance sputters, “of course, of course.”
The scene is set for the Church-State tension of whatever phase of global fascism we’re now entering. These ghouls who jail students, disappear immigrants, and lobby for the Trump Gaza resort, shuffle into the Vatican with hats in hand to meet a fellow American who is nothing like their boss, asking for pats on the head, wondering what kind of alliance they can forge, perhaps through anti-wokeness discourse.
The enigmatic response from Pope Bob sums up where we all are as we read the incense swirls for whether he’s going to keep steering the world’s 1.4B Catholics against the tides of late-stage capitalism and environmental protection, Francis-style.
Interview:
The scene is set for the Church-State tension of whatever phase of global fascism we’re now entering. These ghouls who jail students, disappear immigrants, and lobby for the Trump Gaza resort, shuffle into the Vatican with hats in hand to meet a fellow American who is nothing like their boss, asking for pats on the head, wondering what kind of alliance they can forge, perhaps through anti-wokeness discourse.
The enigmatic response from Pope Bob sums up where we all are as we read the incense swirls for whether he’s going to keep steering the world’s 1.4B Catholics against the tides of late-stage capitalism and environmental protection, Francis-style.
Interview:
She Launched “The Daily Show.” Now She’s Fighting Red State Abortion Bans. (Reveal podcast)
On this week’s “More To The Story,” Lizz Winstead discusses her advocacy group that uses comedy to educate and enrage.
For abortion rights advocate Lizz Winstead, her work has never felt more urgent. But her path to advocacy was a curvy one. She started out as a comedian, first as a stand-up and eventually as the co-creator of The Daily Show, which redefined television by deftly combining comedy and politics.
“I kept getting increasingly unnerved and also frustrated that I was just shelling people with information, even though it was funny, and not giving them a way to fight back,” Winstead says.
Today, Winstead produces the Feminist Buzzkills podcast and is founder of Abortion Access Front. Again, she’s weaving together politics and comedy to educate people about abortion laws and provide resources on independent abortion providers. But this time, she’s also giving them the tools to fight.
“I wanted to combine the effectiveness of using humor to expose hypocrisy and bad actors and then combine that with a call to action,” Winstead says.
Interview:
For abortion rights advocate Lizz Winstead, her work has never felt more urgent. But her path to advocacy was a curvy one. She started out as a comedian, first as a stand-up and eventually as the co-creator of The Daily Show, which redefined television by deftly combining comedy and politics.
“I kept getting increasingly unnerved and also frustrated that I was just shelling people with information, even though it was funny, and not giving them a way to fight back,” Winstead says.
Today, Winstead produces the Feminist Buzzkills podcast and is founder of Abortion Access Front. Again, she’s weaving together politics and comedy to educate people about abortion laws and provide resources on independent abortion providers. But this time, she’s also giving them the tools to fight.
“I wanted to combine the effectiveness of using humor to expose hypocrisy and bad actors and then combine that with a call to action,” Winstead says.
Interview:
Saturday, May 24, 2025
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2025-05-23
Domestic
After an early-morning vote to open debate, the House passed the Republican spending and tax bill this week. Now, it moves to the Senate.
Elsewhere in Washington, President Donald Trump welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for a meeting in the Oval Office where he lectured the visiting leader and made false claims about supposed persecution of white Afrikaner farmers.
As tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S. this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency scrambled to provide aid to those affected despite being weakened by the Trump administration.
Interview:
Despite Gaza being on the edge of famine, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces launched a new offensive in the region that will supposedly bring the entire area under Israeli control.
In his first general audience, Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called for aid to be allowed to enter Gaza.
Elsewhere in Washington, President Donald Trump welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for a meeting in the Oval Office where he lectured the visiting leader and made false claims about supposed persecution of white Afrikaner farmers.
As tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S. this week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency scrambled to provide aid to those affected despite being weakened by the Trump administration.
Interview:
International
The European Union is engaged in a war of words with Israel after the IDF fired warning shots at an E.U. diplomatic delegation visiting the city of Jenin.
And the Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 180 reporters and media workers have been killed covering Israel’s war on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.
Interview:
This doctor calls LGBTQ+ rights ‘satanic’. He could now undo healthcare for millions | US supreme court | The Guardian
Steven Hotze, a Republican donor from Texas, has spent decades fighting against LGBTQ+ rights, with campaigns seeking to roll back protections for people he has deemed "termites", "morally degenerate" and "satanic"…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/supreme-court-case-steven-hotze-hiv-prep
“Love Is…What, Exactly?” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) (It’s in the Code ep 147)
Allie Beth Stuckey and the opponents of “toxic empathy” tell us that the remedy to excessive empathy is love.
But what does this mean? What is “love,” as they understand it? How is it different from emotions like empathy or sympathy? And how does it license practices of abuse and coercion that empower high-control Christianity?
Why, in other words, is their understanding of love so dangerous and damaging?
Check out this week’s episode as Dan explains.
Interview:
Wild Faith (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
This week we honor the life and work of our friend, the Broadway composer Charles Strouse—who died last week at age 96—who wrote “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie” and many other musicals and songs, by hearing some of his music, including “Poor Little Me,” which he co-wrote with FFRF Co-President Dan Barker.
Then, we speak with journalist Talia Lavin, author of the book Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America.
Interview:
The Price to Make Jerry Falwell, Jr. Go Away (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #584)
– Good news! The Supreme Court deadlocked on allowed the first-ever taxpayer-funded religious charter school in Oklahoma. (0:20)
– Liberty University paid Jerry Falwell, Jr. $15 million to make him—and his lawsuits—disappear. (10:45)
– Trump admin drops $37.7M fine against Christian school that lied about tuition. (26:17)
– After a decade, a Florida city has finally given up defending an illegal prayer vigil. (36:50)
– Indicted megachurch pastor Robert Morris abused a kid. Now he’s suing for retirement pay. (53:13)
– Texas Senate passes bill to force Christian date labels (B.C. and A.D.) in public schools. (1:06:37)
– Appeals court: Southwest’s lawyers don’t have to go through right-wing “religious freedom” training. (1:14:35)
Interview:
– Liberty University paid Jerry Falwell, Jr. $15 million to make him—and his lawsuits—disappear. (10:45)
– Trump admin drops $37.7M fine against Christian school that lied about tuition. (26:17)
– After a decade, a Florida city has finally given up defending an illegal prayer vigil. (36:50)
– Indicted megachurch pastor Robert Morris abused a kid. Now he’s suing for retirement pay. (53:13)
– Texas Senate passes bill to force Christian date labels (B.C. and A.D.) in public schools. (1:06:37)
– Appeals court: Southwest’s lawyers don’t have to go through right-wing “religious freedom” training. (1:14:35)
Interview:
U.S. citizen with REAL ID handcuffed in Alabama immigration raid and held before release
A U.S.-born citizen who was wrestled into the dirt, handcuffed and detained in a vehicle as part of an immigration raid had a REAL ID on him that was dismissed as fake, the man's cousin said Friday...
Disarray at Department of Veterans Affairs imperils patient care, internal documents reveal | US military | The Guardian
Unit closures, reduced hours of operation and exam backlogs reported after Trump administration reductions…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/23/veterans-affairs-doge-musk
"Biblical" Marriage
Love and marriage: it's an institute you can't disparage, as the great poet once said. There's a lot of talk these days about marriage. What it is, what it should be, and whether this or that kind of marriage counts as "biblical". So what is a biblical marriage, and perhaps more interestingly, is such a marriage something you would actually want?
But marriage is only one side of the coin. What happens when the relationship doesn't work out to plan? Does the Bible have anything to say about divorce, and if so... is it authoritative?
Interview:
But marriage is only one side of the coin. What happens when the relationship doesn't work out to plan? Does the Bible have anything to say about divorce, and if so... is it authoritative?
Interview:
The Deputies Who Tortured a Mississippi County (Reveal podcast)
A “Goon Squad” of Rankin County sheriff’s deputies spent years brutalizing people until their reign of terror was exposed.
When Andrea Dettore-Murphy first moved to Rankin County, Mississippi, she didn’t believe the stories she heard about how brutal the sheriff’s department could be when pursuing suspected drug crimes.
But in 2018, she learned the hard way that the rumors were true when a group of sheriff’s deputies raided the home of her friend Rick Loveday and beat him relentlessly while she watched.
A few years later, Dettore-Murphy says deputies put her through another haunting incident with her friend Robert Grozier. Dettore-Murphy was just the latest in a long line of people who said they witnessed or experienced torture by a small group of deputies, some of whom called themselves the “Goon Squad.”
For nearly two decades, the deputies roamed Rankin County at night, beating, tasing, and choking suspects in drug crimes until they admitted to buying or selling illegal substances. Their reign of terror continued unabated until 2023, when the deputies were finally exposed.
Interview:
When Andrea Dettore-Murphy first moved to Rankin County, Mississippi, she didn’t believe the stories she heard about how brutal the sheriff’s department could be when pursuing suspected drug crimes.
But in 2018, she learned the hard way that the rumors were true when a group of sheriff’s deputies raided the home of her friend Rick Loveday and beat him relentlessly while she watched.
A few years later, Dettore-Murphy says deputies put her through another haunting incident with her friend Robert Grozier. Dettore-Murphy was just the latest in a long line of people who said they witnessed or experienced torture by a small group of deputies, some of whom called themselves the “Goon Squad.”
For nearly two decades, the deputies roamed Rankin County at night, beating, tasing, and choking suspects in drug crimes until they admitted to buying or selling illegal substances. Their reign of terror continued unabated until 2023, when the deputies were finally exposed.
Interview:
Madness: CIA-funded mind-control experiments and their victims (Beyond All Repair podcast from WBUR)
WBUR's reintroducing you to Endless Thread's 2020 series, "Madness," that unraveled the shocking story of forced brainwashing and the murky history of CIA-funded mind-control experiments.
The latest on Alzheimer's research — and why it might be at risk (Diane Rehm)
Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million.
For years, research into the disease remained underfunded — and patients who received a diagnosis had few options when it came to treatment. But in recent years, that has begun to change.
“There are exciting developments in the research field at each stage of our lives that affect the strength of our brain and the ability of the brain to resist brain challenges,” says George Vradenburg.
Vradenburg is chairman of the non-profit UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which he co-founded in 2010 with his late wife, Trish. He joins Diane for a conversation about his hopes and fears for Alzheimer’s research, and how the Trump administration could change those
Interview:
For years, research into the disease remained underfunded — and patients who received a diagnosis had few options when it came to treatment. But in recent years, that has begun to change.
“There are exciting developments in the research field at each stage of our lives that affect the strength of our brain and the ability of the brain to resist brain challenges,” says George Vradenburg.
Vradenburg is chairman of the non-profit UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which he co-founded in 2010 with his late wife, Trish. He joins Diane for a conversation about his hopes and fears for Alzheimer’s research, and how the Trump administration could change those
Interview:
https://dianerehm.org/shows/2025-03-20/the-latest-on-alzheimers-research-and-why-it-might-be-at-risk
"Witches" exonerated (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
FFRF’s IT Director Scott Knickelbine gives us the inside scoop on the case by Catholic Charities in Wisconsin that is before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to deny workers unemployment insurance based on religious privilege. Then, we talk with Maryland Delegate Heather Bagnall about the bill she introduced to exonerate people accused of witchcraft in 17th-century Maryland, including Moll Dyer, who froze to death after being driven from her home.
Interview:
Friday, May 23, 2025
NRCC tells Republicans to ‘go on offense’ messaging Trump agenda bill
"This bill prevents tax increases to put more money in every American's pocket," the NRCC memo says, adding that it is "protecting Medicaid by removing illegal immigrants and eliminating fraud" and "investing billions of dollars to build the wall and secure the border."
The six-page memo …summarized the strategy in three bullet points: "Go on offense," "Keep the message simple," and "Tie Democrats to tax hikes, handouts for illegal immigrants, and protecting fraud."
"The One Big, Beautiful Bill is more than a messaging opportunity; it's a midterm roadmap," the memo says. It later asserts that rather than a vote for the bill being a liability, Democrats' votes against the bill "just provided us a Midterm sledgehammer."…
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5315007-nrcc-republicans-message-trump-bill/
Key takeaways: RFK Jr’s ‘Maha’ report on chronic disease in children | Robert F Kennedy Jr | The Guardian
Report ignores common dangers to children, focuses on Kennedy's favored topics – and will be forcefully opposed…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/rfk-jr-maha-health-report-explained
Supreme Court deadlocks on allowing faith-based public charter schools - The Washington Post
The outcome was also welcome news for many charter school advocates, who fear that allowing religious charters would upend the legislative and political support for their model in some states. It may only be temporary, however.
Legal and education experts said other religious public charter school cases could eventually also come to the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority has boosted the role of religion in schools and public life in a series of decisions over the last decade...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/22/supreme-court-oklahoma-religious-charter-schools/
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