Weekly Roundup: Fauci McCarthyism, Elon's Revenge Porn Lawsuit, Trump Africa AI Scandal (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

On the Weekly Roundup, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller breakdown three stories:

1. The GOP pursuit of Anthony Fauci over COVID era decisions and funding.

2. A new poll that shows 66% of MAGA supporters would continue to push for a candidate accused of sexual assault + Elon Musk's lawsuit against a law that bans nudifying AI.

3. The State Department's humiliating mistake in using an error-filled AI-generated map of Africa.

The thesis: You can't have democracy without shared facts, shared reality, and universal accountability.

(00:00) – Introduction and technological mishaps
(01:03) – The significance of shared facts and democracy
(04:12) – Democracy, truth, and trust: Maria Ressa’s insights
(08:39) – McCarthyism and the obsession with prosecuting Fauci
(12:14) – GOP's distraction tactics: From Fauci to election interference
(14:47) – The decline of literacy and its societal consequences
(19:23) – The post-literate society and the rise of influencers over facts
(22:46) – The crisis of accountability and the patriarchal narrative
(27:00) – Support for scandal-ridden politicians among GOP voters
(35:52) – The monstrous support for domestic abusers in politics
(44:42) – The suppression of free inquiry and Western civilization myths
(50:04) – AI, geography errors, and neglect of global health issues
(52:47) – Musk, deepfakes, and the devaluation of human life
(56:38) – Hope amid chaos: Reflections on political resilience and potential for change

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/-UxLRVkGjh8?si=mPOZJMOJvM-a69Gy

Weekly Update of Politics/Religion/Atheism: Christian Preachers on Airplanes! (VIDEO Podcast Ep. 646) (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podcast #646)

This is a weekly podcast for those who want to WATCH it via YouTube to discuss stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

0:00 Intro
1:20 Nearly half of Gen Z says Trump makes them less likely to attend church.
15:45 Christian preachers are turning airplanes into unwanted worship services.
22:51 Kim Davis still owes $565,000. A new lawsuit says she hid her inheritance to avoid paying it.
30:30 A Trump judge redefined "diversity" to excuse an almost entirely Christian "religious liberty" panel.
40:45 The Justice Dept's new “religious liberty” memo gives Christians more power to discriminate.
50:53 In 2026, atheists make up only 0.066% of the federal prison population.
57:45 New survey suggests Australia's Census may dramatically undercount the non-religious.

Interview: 

• With Jessica: https://youtu.be/9vucQNRyDZo?si=1hNW958keNQD9fI1

• Without Jessica:  https://www.youtube.com/live/7zvVAdtjFBM?si=XkwsTXr14NNTWxKf 

"Why Take Only Some of the Bible Literally?" (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) It's In the Code 201

Dan Miller continues his "Questions You Weren't Supposed to Ask in Church" series with a reflection on why only some biblical commands are to be taken literally, but others are not. The episode is based on an email from a listener named Matt, who writes: “If we as Christians are to love as Jesus loved (e.g., John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend”), then why don’t conservative, 'Bible-believing' Christians, people who say they take the Bible “literally,” that we’re commanded to do everything it directs us to do, etc., not abide by the social demands that seem to be presented in the Bible?"

He offers us a few examples:

 Mark 12:31: “Love your neighbor as yourself”

 James 1:27: “take care of the infants and the widows”

 Hebrews 13:3: “remember those who are in prison”

 Matt 25: 40: “just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

If we say we believe the Bible, follow Jesus’ commands, etc., shouldn’t this mean that should support and participate in a robust range of ministries intended to meet social needs?
Interview: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-in-the-code-201-why-take-only-some-of-the-bible-literally/id1441649707?i=1000779002630

 

Mary L. Trump Takes on Christian Nationalism | Freethought Radio

Psychologist and author Mary L. Trump delivers a powerful critique of the misuse of religion in American politics, arguing that Christian nationalism threatens democracy and that secular Americans must challenge the system that enables it. She also presents FFRF’s Uncommon Nonsense Award to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for his role in promoting Christian nationalism and intertwining religion with government.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/fL3TUkgqgkU?si=5WCKNXyRdY0yg-qA

"Sky evangelist" kicked off flight after scaring crew!

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/KmHa6b1vVJ8

 

Climate crisis poses growing threat to ‘core financial stability’, official at EU's bank warns

Ecosystem services are defined as any benefit that can be drawn from a natural structure or process – for example, water can be used as a raw material, an energy source through hydropower, or for transportation. It is also a habitat for marine life critical for food production, and a basis for recreational services. 

“Nature-related risks can pose material economic and financial risks, including through their impacts on credit risk, growth, inflation and – over the long-term – potential financial instability,” Elderson said...

 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/01/ecb-climate-wildfires-global-economy-stability

 

‘It’s too fast, too big’: speed of climate crisis is devastating crops, say farmers

Drought and extreme heat are killing plants, driving up prices while also making some farms economically unviable…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/31/speed-of-climate-crisis-devastating-crops-say-farmers

 

Climate Conspirituality (Conspirituality podcast #319)

Climate reality keeps colliding with denial, erasure, and rebranding — across media, politics, and religion. Temu conspiritualists weave melted stories about the origins of wildfires, while the high-class guys run meditation-and-regenerative-farming spectacle backed by Exxon money. Julian’s on that angle.

Derek will be telling us about how climate journalism is collapsing faster than the climate itself with mass environment reporting layoffs at NPR, CBS, the Washington Post, and the LA Times. Trump gutted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. EPA webpages have been scrubbed of human-caused warming language.

Are religious institutions doing any better? In 2015, five world religions — Jewish, Catholic, Islamic, Hindu, and Buddhist — independently issued climate statements ahead of the Paris COP21 talks. Matthew looks at how they struggled to challenge the global economies they depend on.
Interview: 

https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/319-climate-conspirituality

Liz Cheney Kept Christian Nationalism Out of the Jan. 6 Final Report

The January 6 Select Committee’s 845-page final report mentioned Christian Nationalism exactly once—in passing—even though the Capitol attack was saturated with Christian flags, public prayers, biblical imagery, Jericho Marchers, and claims that God had chosen Donald Trump to remain president. 

At the time, figures including Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges openly acknowledged the religious ideology behind the attack. Yet the final report largely erased it. 

 Now Congressman Jared Huffman has confirmed to me that Vice Chair Liz Cheney was the reason. 

Cheney refused to support a narrative she believed might unfairly associate ordinary Christians with white supremacy. But refusing to name Christian Nationalism didn’t protect Christianity. It protected a dangerous political movement from scrutiny and left the committee’s account fundamentally incomplete. 

We cannot understand January 6—or prevent the next one—if political leaders refuse to identify the ideology that helped make it possible.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw7HJKsbVwk

 

‘Extremely scary findings’ show climate crisis is supercharging Europe’s wildfire weather

Latest study says global heating has made hot, dry and windy conditions in Spain at least 20 times more likely…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/31/wildfires-extreme-weather-europe-spain-france-climate-crisis-analysis

 

Trump backtracks from promise to let Ukraine build Patriot missiles

The reversal is likely to unsettle Kyiv, which has spent the past year lobbying for both more interceptors and the means to produce its own, amid a global shortage that has been compounded by the volume of Patriot and Tomahawk stock expended in Washington’s confrontation with Iran...

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/31/trump-cabinet-camp-david-ukraine

Does the Bible Actually Condemn Masturbation? (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)

Does the Bible say anything at all about masturbation? Short answer: no — and this episode's Data After Dark digs into why. We take on Onan (not your guy), Matthew 5:30, the "wasting seed" argument, and the crucial difference between ritual impurity and sin, before tracing how a whole lot of Greco-Roman philosophy — not ancient Israelite thought — shaped the shame so many of us grew up with.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
1:01 Data After Dark
1:44 Onan & Genesis 38
3:18 The Levirate Duty
4:16 "Cut Off Your Hand"
6:35 Prohibited Unions
8:36 The Wasted-Seed Argument
9:05 Impurity vs. Sin
12:02 Ancient Ideas About Semen
13:15 "Pearls Before Swine"?
16:05 She Contributes Half
18:41 But... Song of Songs
18:59 Greco-Roman Influence
21:36 Purity as Boundary Marker
24:25 The Verdict

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/-brX_NV8uww?si=D-I_z_oUGEfAslsM

DoJ appears to ignore New Mexico deadline for key Epstein ranch files

“It appears that the administration has been really focused on the management of communications around the Epstein case, rather than acting in a way that demonstrates a commitment to getting to the truth and getting to accountability,” said Torrez. 

Especially frustrating, he told MS Now, was the conduct of the SDNY after the first, Balderas-ordered investigation was shelved. Torrez said: “We stood down that investigation at the explicit request of the southern district of New York, and so to have them fail to honor their agreement and then not give us access to this file is extremely unusual, and it’s complicating our ability to advance this criminal investigation.” 

Blanche “has the authority right now, with the stroke of a pen, to grant us this access, to let us, our investigators and prosecutors, come and take a look at the files, identify co-conspirators, witnesses, corroborating evidence, identify new potential leads,” Torrez added.

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/01/doj-new-mexico-epstein-documents

 

The rank stupidity of Christian nationalism #maklelan3399

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A53Sr8zVFk0

 

The Great Commission and the Grand Annoyance (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)

Jesus tells eleven disciples to go make disciples of all nations, and somehow that became a guy with a guitar in row 14.

This episode, we dig into what the Great Commission actually says in Matthew 28, what "make disciples" meant to a first-century audience, and why the word translated "witness" in Acts 1 is the same word that gives us "martyr."

Along the way: costly signaling, the medieval shortcut of just converting the king, and why celebrity endorsements are doing far more conversion work than anyone at baggage carousel nine.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
1:15 The Great Commission
1:41 Matthew 28, Read Aloud
2:52 All Authority, Daniel 7
3:42 From Commission to Annoyance
4:40 The Airport Evangelist
6:01 Was It Only the Eleven?
7:07 What "Make Disciples" Means
8:27 Convert the King
9:21 Evangelism as Identity Marker
10:33 Costly Signaling
12:03 Performing the Concern
14:28 When Kids Get Hurt
17:50 Witnesses in Acts 1
19:21 The Greek Word Is Martyr
20:13 A Good Example
21:22 Servers, Tracts, and Fake Twenties
23:00 God Gives the Growth
25:15 Does It Actually Work?
26:08 Celebrity Conversions
27:56 If the Dans Turned Heel
30:18 Coexist Versus Convert
31:50 The Official Stance

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/9qV3VRZ9OR8?si=grIjREQPWwyOZJNW

Remembering when it wasn’t windy enough to power our televisions #trump

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EbJEWwwz288

 

Christopher Hitchens' Savage Takedown of Blind Faith #atheism #religion

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QeJf-ewDecQ

 

Bye Bye, Guilt: A Funny Catholic Deconstruction Story

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYuy2e-vtBs