https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/13/david-crowley-wisconsin-governor-election-strategy-01036209
Showing posts sorted by date for query Interview:. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Interview:. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Friday, August 14, 2026
Crowley zeroes in on ‘MAGA extremism’ to rebuild a fractured Wisconsin coalition - POLITICO
“We’re not all going to agree on everything. But I think we agree that the ultimate goal is making sure that we don’t have a MAGA extremist and congressman Tom Tiffany sitting in the governor’s office,” Crowley said in an interview Thursday, adding that the state “has a grand opportunity in putting some level of check on Trump’s agenda” amid the “affordability crisis.”…
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Top House Judiciary Democrat escalates scrutiny of Paramount merger in new letter - Live Updates - POLITICO
In a new letter Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland — the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee — invited Paramount CEO David Ellison to appear for a transcribed interview “to tell Congress and America your story and answer the Committee’s questions about your Donald Trump-enabled shopping spree to consolidate news organizations, movie studios, cable channels and streaming services.”…
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/08/12/congress/raskin-writes-to-ellison-01035234
Can You Be a Bible-Believing Christian and a Socialist? (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Pastor Mark Driscoll says you can't be a Bible-believing Christian and a socialist, and that "thou shalt not steal" settles the question.
This week, we take that argument apart: what the Ten Commandments actually presuppose, what the eighth-century prophets had to say about creditors and land consolidation, and why the economics of the New Testament look nothing like Driscoll's. Ancient Israel and Judah weren't running a capitalist economy or a socialist one, but the text has a great deal to say about who gets protected and who gets ground down.
Interview:
This week, we take that argument apart: what the Ten Commandments actually presuppose, what the eighth-century prophets had to say about creditors and land consolidation, and why the economics of the New Testament look nothing like Driscoll's. Ancient Israel and Judah weren't running a capitalist economy or a socialist one, but the text has a great deal to say about who gets protected and who gets ground down.
Chapters:
0:00 Welcome and Twisted Scripture
0:48 Who Is Mark Driscoll?
1:46 The Claim: No Christian Socialists
2:52 Does Ownership Prove Capitalism?
3:31 What Socialism Actually Means
5:16 Fire Departments and Safety Nets
5:55 Ancient Economies, Modern Categories
6:53 The Generational Wealth Argument
9:28 Sell What You Own
10:07 Prophets Against Predatory Lending
11:44 Writing From Outside of Power
13:10 The Ten Commandments Problem
15:04 The Eighth Century Debt Crisis
17:23 Jubilee, Gleanings, and Deuteronomy
19:25 "Taxation Is Theft"
20:50 Acts 4 and 5: Communalism
21:31 Individual Charity vs Government
24:00 Render Unto Caesar
25:30 Why Churches Aren't Enough
27:31 Wealth for Everybody
28:11 Wrap-Up
Interview:
LIVE DEBATE [Your God is Fiction] 4-22-2026 (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
TIMESTAMPS
10:30 Nick - Call starts with personal testimony and then asking what it would take for Justin to believe
29:10 Tofeas - Caller returns to continue the debate on if Jesus set a timeline in Matthew 16; Caller is a native Greek speaker so we get an Ancient Greek grammar debate
1:03:35 (Tofeas) - Was Jesus the only one who has ascended into Heaven (John 3:13)? What does 666 stand for? Call goes to a personal experience; M’s joins
1:42:30 Paul [Philbro] - God is a necessary thing and must exist; Is the universe eternal? Can God send people powerful delusions? Caller is dropped for lying
2:15:35 Aron [Muslim] - What is the source of the Quran? Caller claims to be a neurologist but is confused about antidepressants; Where does a man’s ’special fluid’ come from? Anatomy lessons with M’s
2:47:00 (Aron) - How does everyone feel about “young” brides? Caller pretzels about something being bad and being allowed
3:07:52 Napoleonsimp49 - Is Psalm 22 a prophecy? How about Genesis 3:15?
3:30:53 Bo - Quick kick for not listening
3:32:20 GT - Troll; We get our free will from mitochondria
3:52:50 Justin - Quantanaut joins; Caller unofficially starts with the Kalam Cosmological Argument; What is the timeline in Matthew? Did Jesus fulfill prophecy in Luke 4?
4:23:05 (Justin) - Does Jesus say to follow the Mosaic Law? Did Jesus actually fulfill any prophecies? Discussion of Christian Nationalism
4:49:15 Some Donkus [Friendly] - Question that ends at the cheat sheet
4:53:33 God’s Sword - Bad faith and a crash out; Christianity is true because it is popular; Are there atheist governments?
5:19:00 Daniel [Deconstructing] - Sara joins; Quantanaut discusses Planck time; Has the universe always existed? The discussion wanders around
5:45:40 Luke - Is God good? Does part of the Euphrates River form an omega?
6:02:25 The Dot Father - Are there atheist civilizations? Are Buddhists atheists?
6:13:50 B_rightness -Cyber joins; Words we use like Good and Evil are a scale because those things exist and “evil” comes from the word “devil”; A dive into the etymology of “Israel” and bad linguistics
6:49:00 Superchats and wrap up
Interview:
10:30 Nick - Call starts with personal testimony and then asking what it would take for Justin to believe
29:10 Tofeas - Caller returns to continue the debate on if Jesus set a timeline in Matthew 16; Caller is a native Greek speaker so we get an Ancient Greek grammar debate
1:03:35 (Tofeas) - Was Jesus the only one who has ascended into Heaven (John 3:13)? What does 666 stand for? Call goes to a personal experience; M’s joins
1:42:30 Paul [Philbro] - God is a necessary thing and must exist; Is the universe eternal? Can God send people powerful delusions? Caller is dropped for lying
2:15:35 Aron [Muslim] - What is the source of the Quran? Caller claims to be a neurologist but is confused about antidepressants; Where does a man’s ’special fluid’ come from? Anatomy lessons with M’s
2:47:00 (Aron) - How does everyone feel about “young” brides? Caller pretzels about something being bad and being allowed
3:07:52 Napoleonsimp49 - Is Psalm 22 a prophecy? How about Genesis 3:15?
3:30:53 Bo - Quick kick for not listening
3:32:20 GT - Troll; We get our free will from mitochondria
3:52:50 Justin - Quantanaut joins; Caller unofficially starts with the Kalam Cosmological Argument; What is the timeline in Matthew? Did Jesus fulfill prophecy in Luke 4?
4:23:05 (Justin) - Does Jesus say to follow the Mosaic Law? Did Jesus actually fulfill any prophecies? Discussion of Christian Nationalism
4:49:15 Some Donkus [Friendly] - Question that ends at the cheat sheet
4:53:33 God’s Sword - Bad faith and a crash out; Christianity is true because it is popular; Are there atheist governments?
5:19:00 Daniel [Deconstructing] - Sara joins; Quantanaut discusses Planck time; Has the universe always existed? The discussion wanders around
5:45:40 Luke - Is God good? Does part of the Euphrates River form an omega?
6:02:25 The Dot Father - Are there atheist civilizations? Are Buddhists atheists?
6:13:50 B_rightness -Cyber joins; Words we use like Good and Evil are a scale because those things exist and “evil” comes from the word “devil”; A dive into the etymology of “Israel” and bad linguistics
6:49:00 Superchats and wrap up
Interview:
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
LIVE DEBATE [Please Explain the Bible to this Atheist] 4-15-2026
Interview:
TIMESTAMPS
47:30 Konstuce - Deuteronomy 23:2; Caller changes topics to defend the Genesis creation story; The dome over the Earth is just a metaphor and Justin is misreading it; Caller slurs
1:32:36 (Konstuce) - Why do we have two different orders of creation? Is there a contradiction in Exodus with the plagues?
2:08:48 nomv53 - Deuteronomy 21:19; In a real Christian country, we should be able to stone people; Caller resorts to preaching
2:28:00 Cody - 2 Kings 2:23-24; Caller immediately goes to meta and crashes out; Should we still follow the Law of Moses?
3:00:10 Luke - Isaiah 9:19-20; Sarah of LeavingFaith joins; Caller is condescending throughout; Caller slurs; What are the Laws of Moses and what is its purpose?
3:24:00 (Luke) - Does the Hebrew Bible say you will go to Hell if you aren’t perfect? Where does caller’s interpretation come from?
3:55:59 (Luke) - How does caller view the Old Testament? Belief vs action
4:29:55 Ephraim - 1 Corinthians 7:13-15 but switches to James 5:14-16; Should prayer heal people? Where did humans come from? Faith vs science
5:04:43 Cameron - Deuteronomy 21:10-14; Do Jesus and Paul agree that we should follow the Mosaic Law? Is the Law forever? Are sacrificing animals necessary for forgiveness?
5:48:00 Benson - Deuteronomy 13:12-15; Was God’s covenant with Israel unjust since it hurt innocent people? What makes up the Law of Moses? Caller defends the taking of war brides; Why does Justin talk so much about the Bible?
6:34:30 Superchats and wrap up
47:30 Konstuce - Deuteronomy 23:2; Caller changes topics to defend the Genesis creation story; The dome over the Earth is just a metaphor and Justin is misreading it; Caller slurs
1:32:36 (Konstuce) - Why do we have two different orders of creation? Is there a contradiction in Exodus with the plagues?
2:08:48 nomv53 - Deuteronomy 21:19; In a real Christian country, we should be able to stone people; Caller resorts to preaching
2:28:00 Cody - 2 Kings 2:23-24; Caller immediately goes to meta and crashes out; Should we still follow the Law of Moses?
3:00:10 Luke - Isaiah 9:19-20; Sarah of LeavingFaith joins; Caller is condescending throughout; Caller slurs; What are the Laws of Moses and what is its purpose?
3:24:00 (Luke) - Does the Hebrew Bible say you will go to Hell if you aren’t perfect? Where does caller’s interpretation come from?
3:55:59 (Luke) - How does caller view the Old Testament? Belief vs action
4:29:55 Ephraim - 1 Corinthians 7:13-15 but switches to James 5:14-16; Should prayer heal people? Where did humans come from? Faith vs science
5:04:43 Cameron - Deuteronomy 21:10-14; Do Jesus and Paul agree that we should follow the Mosaic Law? Is the Law forever? Are sacrificing animals necessary for forgiveness?
5:48:00 Benson - Deuteronomy 13:12-15; Was God’s covenant with Israel unjust since it hurt innocent people? What makes up the Law of Moses? Caller defends the taking of war brides; Why does Justin talk so much about the Bible?
6:34:30 Superchats and wrap up
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
‘We’ve never seen anything like this’: ICE’s detention crackdown swamps the courts - POLITICO
The flood of cases has stretched the judiciary to a breaking point across the country. Thousands of rulings, from hundreds of judges rushing to respond to the individual cases in front of them, have added up to an overwhelming rebuke of Trump’s unprecedented policy.
“The third branch of government is saying no. We’re not going to do it this way,” U.S. District Judge Fred Biery said in an interview…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/10/ice-detentions-trump-administration-01027440
In Michigan Senate race, Mike Rogers falsely ties Abdul El-Sayed to Twitch streamer’s 9/11 comments – PolitiFact
Influencer and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker said “America deserved 9/11” in a 2019 livestream, and later walked back the comment.
Abdul El-Sayed campaigned with Piker in April. El-Sayed said in an interview just before the campaign events that he does not believe 9/11 was justified...
https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/aug/07/mike-rogers/abdul-el-sayed-9-11-hasan-piker-michigan/
Atheism Makes More Sense! - Jun 25 (Jon Cohen, Unconvinced on YouTube)
You know it makes sense!
Gods are silly.
Come and discuss!
Interview:
00:24:17 – Spencer – Attempted call fails because the audio is too distorted to continue, so he is asked to reconnect.
00:24:45 – Foolish Brit – Friendly caller asks the hosts to restate the argument, then discusses evidence, burden of proof, cosmological arguments, the Big Bang, and why “God” should not be inserted into gaps in knowledge.
00:35:45 – Apostle Michael – Christian caller quotes scripture, argues that everyone already knows God through creation and conscience, and accuses atheists of suppressing God; the hosts challenge Romans 1, honest nonbelief, and whether God could provide better evidence.
00:48:06 – Str8outastaray – Asks whether John was ever a believer and whether he admits he does not know God does not exist, then becomes abusive and is quickly dropped.
00:50:28 – Adam – Suggests naming the sun as God, but the hosts say that only re-labels something real and does not address the debate topic.
00:52:46 – Zach – Challenges atheism by treating it as a claim that God does not exist; discussion covers weak atheism, lack of belief, burden of proof, and the coin analogy before the call becomes repetitive.
01:03:34 – Yahuseph88 – Christian caller argues for the God of the Bible through Jesus, prophecy, and creation; the hosts challenge Jesus’s failed apocalyptic predictions, free will, divine knowledge, and whether God explains existence.
01:20:39 – SZP – Suggests God’s existence is 50/50 if it cannot be proven or disproven; discussion covers deism, parsimony, minds without brains, fine-tuning, probability, brute facts, and the Douglas Adams puddle analogy.
01:39:18 – Ramon – First attempt fails because the connection/audio is too poor to continue.
01:40:07 – Lindz Chonco – Christian/theist caller argues from design, order, scripture, Jesus, and moral responsibility; the hosts challenge perfect-design claims, disease, hiddenness, biblical atrocities, hell, and whether love or morality requires God.
02:16:57 – Ramon (return 2) – Returns briefly after the earlier failed attempt, but the exchange is short and the show quickly moves on to the next caller.
02:22:31 – YMW – Argues that atheism reduces reality too much and should leave room for spirituality, imagination, and magic; the hosts defend science, testability, methodological naturalism, and teaching children evidence-based thinking instead of sin and hell.
02:35:50 – Sasi1 – Christian caller asks what happens after death; discussion covers nonexistence, brain-based identity, the soul, art and music, heaven, hell, and whether finite life can still have meaning.
02:50:31 – Truth – Jewish but not religious caller discusses agnostic atheism, Jewish identity, tradition, morality, tribalism, the social value of religion, and whether cultural heritage can be preserved without supernatural belief.
03:08:45 – Brian Williams – Christian caller presents Kalam/contingency-style arguments; discussion covers cosmology, causation, miracles, Bible history, prophecy, Genesis anachronisms, and whether Christianity has better evidence than other miracle claims.
03:44:33 – Stiou – Says the hosts make religious ideas look ridiculous and questions whether atheists claim certainty; discussion clarifies atheism as lack of belief, burden of proof, and criticizing ideas rather than people.
04:25:47 – Magala – Mystic/theist caller argues that temples, ancient sites, Sanskrit, pyramids, cathedrals, yoga, and religious architecture point to gods; the hosts reject the leap from human monuments to divine reality.
04:40:56 – Jen’s Bakey-Cakey – Attempted TikTok call fails because the platform connection does not work, so they are invited to try again.
04:44:14 – Smokey Stoney Texas – Briefly joins as a diehard Christian whose family revolves around Christ, but the call ends before a clear argument or evidence is given.
04:47:02 – Connor – Claims miracles happen every day as evidence for God; the hosts distinguish miracle claims from evidence and move on quickly.
04:49:06 – Ronald the Roofer – Claims to have undeniable proof of God, but instead sings or performs badly and is dropped without a real discussion.
04:51:36 – David – Friendly UK caller agrees atheism makes more sense and starts sharing his background, but is redirected to After Hours because the debate stream is for disagreement.
04:53:18 – Alex – Short unserious/singing-style call with no real argument; the hosts joke about the voice and move on.
04:57:23 – Hamburger Cheeseburger – Appears to be another repeat singing/prank caller and is dropped without discussion.
04:59:30 – JFC / Jiffy Cones – Asks about a future “God is a bedtime story” topic, is redirected to the Friday show, then sings briefly as a humorous example of how to do a joke call well.
05:01:40 – Robert – Attempted call fails when Robert does not respond or cannot be brought in.
05:12:16 – Building Bridges – LDS/Mormon caller argues Christianity and design make sense to him; discussion covers evidence, hearsay, Bible contradictions, God’s responsibility for suffering, the flood, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and LDS theology.
05:50:36 – Eli – Theist caller argues atheism is also a claim and raises agnosticism, first cause, morality, objective ethics, entropy, and the universe; the hosts challenge his definitions and drop the call when it becomes repetitive and interruptive.
06:19:04 – Starweaver – Ex-Christian Norse pagan asks whether belief is a choice; discussion covers doxastic involuntarism, preference versus belief, being convinced, and why people cannot simply choose to believe something unconvincing.
06:34:01 – Charlie – Returns briefly to say he now believes in God but not the Bible’s God as good, and shares that Christian debate rooms became defensive when he raised the problem of evil.
06:38:33 – Kevin – Final regular caller attempt fails because no usable audio or signal comes through.
06:41:48 – Captain Kidd / Jiffy Cones – Brief final call turns into a short play-out song from Jiffy Cones, which the hosts praise before closing the stream.
Gods are silly.
Come and discuss!
Interview:
Timestamps
00:07:31 – Sonder – Presents a presuppositional-style argument for God as the best epistemic theory or eternal mind; the hosts challenge the word games, unclear definitions, and lack of evidence for God.00:24:17 – Spencer – Attempted call fails because the audio is too distorted to continue, so he is asked to reconnect.
00:24:45 – Foolish Brit – Friendly caller asks the hosts to restate the argument, then discusses evidence, burden of proof, cosmological arguments, the Big Bang, and why “God” should not be inserted into gaps in knowledge.
00:35:45 – Apostle Michael – Christian caller quotes scripture, argues that everyone already knows God through creation and conscience, and accuses atheists of suppressing God; the hosts challenge Romans 1, honest nonbelief, and whether God could provide better evidence.
00:48:06 – Str8outastaray – Asks whether John was ever a believer and whether he admits he does not know God does not exist, then becomes abusive and is quickly dropped.
00:50:28 – Adam – Suggests naming the sun as God, but the hosts say that only re-labels something real and does not address the debate topic.
00:52:46 – Zach – Challenges atheism by treating it as a claim that God does not exist; discussion covers weak atheism, lack of belief, burden of proof, and the coin analogy before the call becomes repetitive.
01:03:34 – Yahuseph88 – Christian caller argues for the God of the Bible through Jesus, prophecy, and creation; the hosts challenge Jesus’s failed apocalyptic predictions, free will, divine knowledge, and whether God explains existence.
01:20:39 – SZP – Suggests God’s existence is 50/50 if it cannot be proven or disproven; discussion covers deism, parsimony, minds without brains, fine-tuning, probability, brute facts, and the Douglas Adams puddle analogy.
01:39:18 – Ramon – First attempt fails because the connection/audio is too poor to continue.
01:40:07 – Lindz Chonco – Christian/theist caller argues from design, order, scripture, Jesus, and moral responsibility; the hosts challenge perfect-design claims, disease, hiddenness, biblical atrocities, hell, and whether love or morality requires God.
02:16:57 – Ramon (return 2) – Returns briefly after the earlier failed attempt, but the exchange is short and the show quickly moves on to the next caller.
02:22:31 – YMW – Argues that atheism reduces reality too much and should leave room for spirituality, imagination, and magic; the hosts defend science, testability, methodological naturalism, and teaching children evidence-based thinking instead of sin and hell.
02:35:50 – Sasi1 – Christian caller asks what happens after death; discussion covers nonexistence, brain-based identity, the soul, art and music, heaven, hell, and whether finite life can still have meaning.
02:50:31 – Truth – Jewish but not religious caller discusses agnostic atheism, Jewish identity, tradition, morality, tribalism, the social value of religion, and whether cultural heritage can be preserved without supernatural belief.
03:08:45 – Brian Williams – Christian caller presents Kalam/contingency-style arguments; discussion covers cosmology, causation, miracles, Bible history, prophecy, Genesis anachronisms, and whether Christianity has better evidence than other miracle claims.
03:44:33 – Stiou – Says the hosts make religious ideas look ridiculous and questions whether atheists claim certainty; discussion clarifies atheism as lack of belief, burden of proof, and criticizing ideas rather than people.
04:25:47 – Magala – Mystic/theist caller argues that temples, ancient sites, Sanskrit, pyramids, cathedrals, yoga, and religious architecture point to gods; the hosts reject the leap from human monuments to divine reality.
04:40:56 – Jen’s Bakey-Cakey – Attempted TikTok call fails because the platform connection does not work, so they are invited to try again.
04:44:14 – Smokey Stoney Texas – Briefly joins as a diehard Christian whose family revolves around Christ, but the call ends before a clear argument or evidence is given.
04:47:02 – Connor – Claims miracles happen every day as evidence for God; the hosts distinguish miracle claims from evidence and move on quickly.
04:49:06 – Ronald the Roofer – Claims to have undeniable proof of God, but instead sings or performs badly and is dropped without a real discussion.
04:51:36 – David – Friendly UK caller agrees atheism makes more sense and starts sharing his background, but is redirected to After Hours because the debate stream is for disagreement.
04:53:18 – Alex – Short unserious/singing-style call with no real argument; the hosts joke about the voice and move on.
04:57:23 – Hamburger Cheeseburger – Appears to be another repeat singing/prank caller and is dropped without discussion.
04:59:30 – JFC / Jiffy Cones – Asks about a future “God is a bedtime story” topic, is redirected to the Friday show, then sings briefly as a humorous example of how to do a joke call well.
05:01:40 – Robert – Attempted call fails when Robert does not respond or cannot be brought in.
05:12:16 – Building Bridges – LDS/Mormon caller argues Christianity and design make sense to him; discussion covers evidence, hearsay, Bible contradictions, God’s responsibility for suffering, the flood, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and LDS theology.
05:50:36 – Eli – Theist caller argues atheism is also a claim and raises agnosticism, first cause, morality, objective ethics, entropy, and the universe; the hosts challenge his definitions and drop the call when it becomes repetitive and interruptive.
06:19:04 – Starweaver – Ex-Christian Norse pagan asks whether belief is a choice; discussion covers doxastic involuntarism, preference versus belief, being convinced, and why people cannot simply choose to believe something unconvincing.
06:34:01 – Charlie – Returns briefly to say he now believes in God but not the Bible’s God as good, and shares that Christian debate rooms became defensive when he raised the problem of evil.
06:38:33 – Kevin – Final regular caller attempt fails because no usable audio or signal comes through.
06:41:48 – Captain Kidd / Jiffy Cones – Brief final call turns into a short play-out song from Jiffy Cones, which the hosts praise before closing the stream.
Monday, August 10, 2026
Corruption Confirmed (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
More reflecting pool vandalism charges have been dropped by Jeanine Pirro’s office.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith has accepted an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Todd Blanche has been confirmed by the senate as US Attorney General.
Judge Amit Mehta reluctantly dismisses the seditious conspiracy charges against the Oath Keepers for their role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith has accepted an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Todd Blanche has been confirmed by the senate as US Attorney General.
Judge Amit Mehta reluctantly dismisses the seditious conspiracy charges against the Oath Keepers for their role in the January 6th attack on the Capitol.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
Sunday, August 9, 2026
Weekly Roundup: Abdul El-Sayed and the New Red-Green Scare + Project Esther (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
The Christian Nationalist Red-Green Scare Has Arrived.
In the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi examines how the American Right and MAGA are reacting to Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan by calling him anti-American, communist, socialist, and more. As Brad explains, these rhetorical choices are strategies that correspond to a larger effort by the Trump administration to criminalize dissent. Brad traces the code words used by the American Right against Sayed, Mamdani, and others to NSPM7 and Project Esther.This is about more than one Senate race in Michigan. It’s about who gets to define what counts as “American,” what kinds of political disagreement are considered legitimate, and what happens when the language of political opposition becomes the language of political persecution.
Interview:
The Fauci Files (Conspirituality podcast #320)
During an extraordinary career, Dr. Anthony Fauci led the federal response to HIV-AIDS, SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and Zika. He always advocated funding for pandemic preparedness, vaccine development, immunology and pathogen research. Then came COVID-19, which, unlike outbreaks past, was trapped in a politicized online disinformation and conspiracy-mongering stew.
As he was pushing 80, Fauci rode the dragon of a novel coronavirus pandemic that was leaving piles of bodies in Italy, India, and New York. He served as the interface between scientists, government, and the public, all while learning about the virus in real-time. Like any good public health communicator, he sought to save lives using the best available knowledge. Like any good scientist, he kept an open mind about what was not yet known.
But the pandemic-grievance industry made him the face of a conspiracy theory. Did he cause a catastrophically deadly pandemic, decimate American freedoms, or ruin the economy over a largely harmless flu? Today we discuss the release of his “diaries” and tune into last week's Senate hearings, where crackpots bullied, berated, and slandered the 85-year old public servant.
Interview:
As he was pushing 80, Fauci rode the dragon of a novel coronavirus pandemic that was leaving piles of bodies in Italy, India, and New York. He served as the interface between scientists, government, and the public, all while learning about the virus in real-time. Like any good public health communicator, he sought to save lives using the best available knowledge. Like any good scientist, he kept an open mind about what was not yet known.
But the pandemic-grievance industry made him the face of a conspiracy theory. Did he cause a catastrophically deadly pandemic, decimate American freedoms, or ruin the economy over a largely harmless flu? Today we discuss the release of his “diaries” and tune into last week's Senate hearings, where crackpots bullied, berated, and slandered the 85-year old public servant.
Interview:
Friendly Atheist News Roundup 8/6/2026: Anti-LGBTQ Food Bank Leader Rejects Gay Food (VIDEO Podcast Ep. 647)
0:00 Intro
0:55 Annoying "Sky Evangelist" kicked off airline after scaring everyone with her preaching.
13:03 West Virginia pastor rejects food over LGBTQ support. Now his food bank is empty.
24:46 Missouri Republicans threaten to defund library over books about a rainbow dinosaur and a wig.
34:48 Florida AG threatens to defund Catholic schools unless they loosen vaccination rules.
46:20 Three Texas moms cite "religious freedom" to strike down state's Ten Commandments law.
0:55 Annoying "Sky Evangelist" kicked off airline after scaring everyone with her preaching.
13:03 West Virginia pastor rejects food over LGBTQ support. Now his food bank is empty.
24:46 Missouri Republicans threaten to defund library over books about a rainbow dinosaur and a wig.
34:48 Florida AG threatens to defund Catholic schools unless they loosen vaccination rules.
46:20 Three Texas moms cite "religious freedom" to strike down state's Ten Commandments law.
Interview:
- Without Jessica: https://www.youtube.com/live/jHndS3begSU?si=fpOLaZtWfmtQkhyx
- With Jessica: https://youtu.be/OhU8Gyz2fdE?si=6BWuqDsivi-OLYS8
Congressional Reason! (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
After reporting problems created by — as well as victories against — Christian nationalism, we hear the co-chairs of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., speaking at the third annual Congressional Reason Reception in Washington, D.C., co-sponsored by FFRF.
Interview:
Who Killed Charlie Kirk? (w/Brandy Zadrozny) (Conspirituality podcast)
MS NOW senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny spent 10 months tracking the conspiracy theories that evolved online in the wake of the death of Charlie Kirk. She joins Derek to discuss what her investigation found.
Interview:
“Why Do They Quote the Old Testament?” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) It's In the Code 202
In this episode of It’s In the Code, Dan Miller tackles a question from a Jewish listener that cuts to the heart of Christian theology: if Jesus established a new covenant that fulfilled the Old Testament law, why do so many conservative Christians continue to rely on Old Testament verses to make moral arguments?
Dan explores the New Testament's teaching on grace, the Apostle Paul’s insistence that Christians are no longer bound by the Jewish law, and the complicated relationship Christians have with the Hebrew Bible.
Along the way, he explains why many conservative Christians selectively appeal to Old Testament commandments—especially on issues like sexuality—while disregarding countless other laws they believe no longer apply.
Interview:
Why are people attracted to Christian nationalist lies about American history? (Warren Throckmorton; The Christian Past That Wasn’t: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies podcast)
Author Warren Throckmorton says:
On July 30, 2026, philosopher Scott Coley interviewed me at a book event at Nooks Gallery & Book Shop in Lancaster, PA. The crowd was positive and supportive of The Christian Past That Wasn't and separation of church and state as a principle. Scott covered several of the book's myths and allowed me to expand on the reasons why people are attracted to Christian nationalist stories. We covered just a few of the stories and concluded with a reading about a white man's history. If you have read the book and enjoyed it, this will be a great supplement to that experience.
Interview:
God Vows to Destroy Everything — Then Changes His Mind (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Zephaniah is only three chapters long, and it comes out swinging: God announces plans to sweep every living thing off the face of the earth, and it escalates from there.
This episode, we're going cover to cover through one of the twelve minor prophets: what "the day of the Lord" meant before there was such a thing as eschatology, who exactly the "host of heaven" are, and why "minor" has nothing to do with quality.
Then, after forty verses of unrelenting devastation, the book pivots to "sing aloud, O daughter Zion" — so who tacked on the happy ending, and why?
Chapters:
0:00 Zephaniah, Cover to Cover
1:09 Three Chapters, No Mercy
2:06 What "-iah" Actually Means
3:53 Why "Minor" Prophets?
4:58 Dating It to Josiah
6:22 Later Editors at Work
7:48 Sweeping Away Everything
10:12 Baal, Milcom, and Rooftops
11:43 The Host of Heaven
12:54 Deuteronomy's Divine Council
15:07 The Day of the Lord
17:04 The Book's Three Movements
19:40 Oracles Against the Nations
21:15 Converting the Dead
23:19 No Messiah Here
24:18 Who Added the Happy Ending?
25:34 A Prophecy That Failed
27:51 Nobody Weaponizes Zephaniah
28:57 The Great Horned Omen
30:36 Wrap-Up
This episode, we're going cover to cover through one of the twelve minor prophets: what "the day of the Lord" meant before there was such a thing as eschatology, who exactly the "host of heaven" are, and why "minor" has nothing to do with quality.
Then, after forty verses of unrelenting devastation, the book pivots to "sing aloud, O daughter Zion" — so who tacked on the happy ending, and why?
Chapters:
0:00 Zephaniah, Cover to Cover
1:09 Three Chapters, No Mercy
2:06 What "-iah" Actually Means
3:53 Why "Minor" Prophets?
4:58 Dating It to Josiah
6:22 Later Editors at Work
7:48 Sweeping Away Everything
10:12 Baal, Milcom, and Rooftops
11:43 The Host of Heaven
12:54 Deuteronomy's Divine Council
15:07 The Day of the Lord
17:04 The Book's Three Movements
19:40 Oracles Against the Nations
21:15 Converting the Dead
23:19 No Messiah Here
24:18 Who Added the Happy Ending?
25:34 A Prophecy That Failed
27:51 Nobody Weaponizes Zephaniah
28:57 The Great Horned Omen
30:36 Wrap-Up
Interview:
We've Never Found the Original Bible Manuscripts (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Everybody does textual criticism — including the people who insist it's the devil's work.
This episode we dig into how scholars actually reconstruct the earliest recoverable form of the biblical text: why there's no original manuscript of any biblical book, what a credit-card-sized scrap of John can and can't tell us, and how a single letter in John 1:18 turns a unique Son into a unique God.
Plus, Erasmus back-translating Revelation out of Latin, the verses your Bible quietly dropped, and the paragraph of Samuel that the Dead Sea Scrolls handed back to us.
Chapters:
0:00 Cold open
0:45 This week: textual criticism
1:59 KJV onlyism pushes back
3:11 Truth versus certainty
4:08 The KJV's own textual criticism
5:01 It started with Homer
6:00 The earliest recoverable text
7:17 No originals survive
8:33 The Hebrew Bible gap
10:17 Qumran and Origen's Hexapla
11:50 Erasmus and seven manuscripts
14:03 When it became a science
14:27 The harder reading wins
15:49 John 1:18: Son or God
20:00 The shorter reading rule
21:12 Griesbach, Lachmann, and after
23:40 The 1881 Revised Version
25:33 Verses added later
26:38 Diplomatic versus eclectic
28:48 Haplography and dittography
31:43 A lost paragraph in Samuel
32:52 Conjectural emendations
33:53 Wrap-up and thanks
This episode we dig into how scholars actually reconstruct the earliest recoverable form of the biblical text: why there's no original manuscript of any biblical book, what a credit-card-sized scrap of John can and can't tell us, and how a single letter in John 1:18 turns a unique Son into a unique God.
Plus, Erasmus back-translating Revelation out of Latin, the verses your Bible quietly dropped, and the paragraph of Samuel that the Dead Sea Scrolls handed back to us.
Interview:
0:45 This week: textual criticism
1:59 KJV onlyism pushes back
3:11 Truth versus certainty
4:08 The KJV's own textual criticism
5:01 It started with Homer
6:00 The earliest recoverable text
7:17 No originals survive
8:33 The Hebrew Bible gap
10:17 Qumran and Origen's Hexapla
11:50 Erasmus and seven manuscripts
14:03 When it became a science
14:27 The harder reading wins
15:49 John 1:18: Son or God
20:00 The shorter reading rule
21:12 Griesbach, Lachmann, and after
23:40 The 1881 Revised Version
25:33 Verses added later
26:38 Diplomatic versus eclectic
28:48 Haplography and dittography
31:43 A lost paragraph in Samuel
32:52 Conjectural emendations
33:53 Wrap-up and thanks
Interview:
Saturday, August 8, 2026
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2026-08-07
Domestic
Progressive Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed won his Michigan primary this week, sending a strong message to the Democratic party establishment that backed his opponent.Dr. Anthony Fauci was found in contempt of Congress on Thursday. The vote by the Senate Homeland Security Committee came after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right over 100 times during a recent hearing.
And reports indicate the U.S. missile stockpile is running low. President Trump and the Pentagon have denied the story.
Interview:
International
Illegal settler activity is expanding across the occupied West Bank. And this week Israeli prosecutors charged a Jewish settler over the killing of a Palestinian community leader – the first such indictment in nearly three years.Following a rush of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, the Spanish prime minister is facing criticism from other European Union leaders over his country’s immigration policy.
And Russia is overhauling its military strategy, taking advantage of Ukraine’s current lack of missile interceptors.
Interview:
Friday, August 7, 2026
The Fauci Witch Hunt: Accountability or Political Theater? (Dr. Zachary Rubin; From Bench to Bedside podcast and YouTube, episode #16)
Dr. Anthony Fauci recently invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a contentious Senate hearing about the COVID-19 pandemic. Does that suggest wrongdoing—or has one scientist become a convenient scapegoat for an extraordinarily complex global crisis?
In this episode of From Bench to Bedside, Dr. Melanie Matheu and Dr. Zachary Rubin examine Fauci’s scientific legacy, the mistakes made during the pandemic, and the difference between legitimate criticism and political theater.
We discuss:
• Why no single person controlled America’s pandemic response
• What public-health officials got wrong about masks and messaging
• The vaccine reactions Zach actually encountered in clinical practice
• Fauci’s complicated but consequential role during the HIV/AIDS crisis
• The evidence surrounding a laboratory leak versus natural spillover
• What gain-of-function research actually means
• Why lockdowns were intended to prevent hospitals from collapsing
• How social-media misinformation overwhelmed public-health communication
• What we should be learning before the next pandemic arrives
The COVID-19 response deserves serious, evidence-based scrutiny. But meaningful accountability requires examining the entire system—not blaming every national, state, local, hospital, school, and law-enforcement decision on one person.
*CHAPTERS*
00:00 – We’re back—and there is a lot to discuss
02:24 – Fauci’s Senate testimony and the Fifth Amendment
04:05 – Fauci’s background in science and medicine
06:55 – Pandemic decisions were a team effort
11:18 – The personal and emotional toll of COVID-19
13:38 – COVID vaccine adverse events explained
17:15 – Fauci, HIV/AIDS, and changing scientific evidence
21:10 – Masks, shortages, and failed public messaging
25:55 – The lab-leak hypothesis versus natural spillover
29:08 – What gain-of-function research actually means
33:35 – Why pandemic preparedness still matters
35:18 – Why hospitals overflowed and lockdowns occurred
38:02 – Social-media misinformation and collapsing trust
40:34 – The pandemic’s lasting impact on patients and clinicians
42:25 – What history should remember about the response
43:28 – Cyclospora and upcoming episodes
In this episode of From Bench to Bedside, Dr. Melanie Matheu and Dr. Zachary Rubin examine Fauci’s scientific legacy, the mistakes made during the pandemic, and the difference between legitimate criticism and political theater.
We discuss:
• Why no single person controlled America’s pandemic response
• What public-health officials got wrong about masks and messaging
• The vaccine reactions Zach actually encountered in clinical practice
• Fauci’s complicated but consequential role during the HIV/AIDS crisis
• The evidence surrounding a laboratory leak versus natural spillover
• What gain-of-function research actually means
• Why lockdowns were intended to prevent hospitals from collapsing
• How social-media misinformation overwhelmed public-health communication
• What we should be learning before the next pandemic arrives
The COVID-19 response deserves serious, evidence-based scrutiny. But meaningful accountability requires examining the entire system—not blaming every national, state, local, hospital, school, and law-enforcement decision on one person.
*CHAPTERS*
00:00 – We’re back—and there is a lot to discuss
02:24 – Fauci’s Senate testimony and the Fifth Amendment
04:05 – Fauci’s background in science and medicine
06:55 – Pandemic decisions were a team effort
11:18 – The personal and emotional toll of COVID-19
13:38 – COVID vaccine adverse events explained
17:15 – Fauci, HIV/AIDS, and changing scientific evidence
21:10 – Masks, shortages, and failed public messaging
25:55 – The lab-leak hypothesis versus natural spillover
29:08 – What gain-of-function research actually means
33:35 – Why pandemic preparedness still matters
35:18 – Why hospitals overflowed and lockdowns occurred
38:02 – Social-media misinformation and collapsing trust
40:34 – The pandemic’s lasting impact on patients and clinicians
42:25 – What history should remember about the response
43:28 – Cyclospora and upcoming episodes
Interview:
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