https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/28/us-iran-war-cost-of-living
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Americans feel pinch of continued Iran war: ‘It’s screwed everything up’
Whether in favor of or against the US-Israel war on Iran, people across the country are left holding the bill and wondering on its purpose…
Senate Democrats announce $40M ground game spend in 10 battlegrounds - Live Updates - POLITICO
The effort, branded as “Win The Senate” and shared first with POLITICO, includes seven states where Democrats are on offense — Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, Alaska, Texas, Iowa and Florida — along with three where the party is playing defense — Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire...
Federal Judges Criticize Trump’s Justice Department for “Unethical” Conduct — ProPublica
ProPublica reviewed hundreds of cases in which judges criticized the actions of federal prosecutors. In many, judges expressed frustration that they can no longer take the government at its word…
https://www.propublica.org/article/justice-department-presumption-of-regularity
Trump administration forced treatment on hunger striker in ICE detention, document reveals
ICE report reviewed by the Guardian discloses a patient was ‘subject to force feeding, hydration or urinary catheterization’, which experts have described as torture…
‘A disaster for America First’: Trump allies fear Netanyahu meeting will pull US deeper into war with Iran - POLITICO
“I think all of President Trump’s most ardent non-‘Israel First’ supporters are furious,” said former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. “Netanyahu has had twice as many visits to the White House in 18 months as Churchill had in all of World War II — with every one of them a disaster for America First.”…
“Netanyahu is going to argue for the essential logic of escalation, which — if Trump is not willing to give the [memorandum of understanding] a chance and if Trump is not willing to walk away from the conflict entirely without a resolution — then I think we probably will escalate, and that’s what we’ve been seeing these last couple of weeks,” Mills said…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/28/trump-netanyahu-allies-worry-iran-01013125
A For-Profit Hospital Slashed Costs. Then a Patient Froze to Death on Its Roof. – Mother Jones
A little-known company grew on promises to save distressed hospitals. Instead, it sunk them into financial chaos...
El-Sayed and Stevens debate aid to Israel, campaign donations in final debate
“I want your tax dollars spent in Michigan to provide schools in Michigan, to build healthcare in Michigan, to build roads in Michigan, and I think that money sent over there to kill kids and women is the worst use of our tax dollars,” he said.
Stevens called El-Sayed “a celebrity candidate” looking to build a podcast audience with no practical experience in governing. Stevens also said she has a track record as a policymaker familiar with manufacturing issues and winning tough races in a swing congressional district...
US airman accused of ‘spree’ of rapes on sleeping women avoided UK courts
In recent weeks the Guardian has reported on the cases of Jacob Wulfson, a US fighter pilot who strangled a British woman in his apartment in Cambridge; Tyrion Davis, an American airman who sexually assaulted a British woman in Brandon, Suffolk; and Hannes Marschalek, a US airman who allegedly exposed himself to a 16-year-old girl and four young women in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, in 2022.
In all the cases, US airmen avoided the British justice system after the local police force chose to cede control of the investigation to American military police...
Why so many American Jews are turning away from Israel
For generations, support for Israel was central to Jewish-American identity. But today, amid accusations that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, a growing generational and political divide is reshaping views in the US Jewish community. Matthew Cassel travels to New York City – the heart of Jewish-American life – to explore how Israel’s wars across multiple fronts are challenging long-held traditions and dividing families...
Trump’s New Ridiculous and Dangerous Red-baiting – Mother Jones
Of course, Trump and his minions are not really talking about communism. They are engaged in a cynical con job, deliberately mislabeling all leftism, such as the politics of Democratic Socialists of America and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as “communist.” Pointing to the electoral wins of Mamdani and other DSAers, they are trying to generate hysteria about communism taking hold—equating socialism with communism and perpetuating a lie. (With his endeavors to force major corporations to hand the US government large ownership interests, Trump himself is striking a socialist stance.)…
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/trump-redbaiting-communism-republicans/
AI sell-off intensifies as investors ditch chip stocks
Investors may also be growing jittery about the “circular funding” at the heart of the AI industry, through which artificial intelligence firms finance one another...
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/28/ai-sell-off-chip-stocks-sk-hynix-samsung
Beshear urges McConnell to provide more info on his health or resign - Live Updates - POLITICO
The administration declared in an interim final rule released last month that a diagnosis, even for a disease as grave as cancer, isn’t enough to claim an exemption from the 80-hour requirement, unless beneficiaries submit additional proof that they physically can’t work. Democratic attorneys general from 25 states and Washington, D.C. plan to argue the rule is both too strict, in not offering blanket exemptions to people with certain diseases, and too vague, in failing to guide states on how to determine who is too sick to work — and will ask the judge to block the stricter medical frailty policy...
The IRS Is Imploding – Mother Jones
“In many years of paying taxes, I’ve never had a problem with the IRS. So, I was surprised to receive a letter dated May 25 informing us that my husband and I owe lots more money than we had paid for our 2025 taxes—and of course interest and fines. After reviewing the somewhat cryptic letter, we realized that we did not, in fact, owe any money. The IRS had simply failed to credit quarterly payments that we’d made on time. Because we had all the bank records, it seemed as if this would be a relatively straightforward problem to fix—until I picked up the phone and called the IRS.
“Two hours on hold later, I gave up. When I tried again a few days later, the outgoing message informed me, “Due to the high call volume, we are unable to answer your call. Please call back later today or tomorrow.” And I was disconnected…”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/the-irs-is-imploding/
Records Reveal How Homeland Security Agents Surveilled ICE Protesters – Mother Jones
“When you are recording information about people’s political activities, you know that that is the first step towards acting on that speech,” Steinbaugh said. “And what the government then does with that information can have a real chilling effect.”
On July 24, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and three legal observers filed a First Amendment lawsuit against DHS, alleging the agency has “adopt[ed] a secret Protester Surveillance Policy enabling its agents to first collect records on Americans engaging in First Amendment exercise and then maintain them in DHS systems, where they can be used to retaliate against those Americans.”…
Fauci expressed disillusionment with ‘rambling, crazy’ Trump in journal
In October 2020, Fauci wrote: “As the [presidential] election nears, the cases increase and surges are inevitable as we enter cooler weather. Trump is on the campaign trail spewing nonsense. He is really out of control. A true embarrassment.” By March 2021, having watched Trump attempt to retain power despite electoral defeat in a way that reminds him “historically of Hitler”, Fauci writes: “He is truly an obnoxious adolescent.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/27/anthony-fauci-trump-covid-journal
Pulte boasts about dramatic ODNI cuts as he nears the end of his time at the agency - POLITICO
Just hours before his successor is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte on Tuesday announced what appear to be sweeping staff reductions at the embattled intelligence coordination hub...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/28/bill-pulte-national-intelligence-cuts-01013404
Nick Adams’ FLAG Charity Spends Very Little on Civics Education, Records Show — ProPublica
Nick Adams’ Foundation for Liberty and American Greatness has brought in millions in donations and helped him land a State Department appointment, but records show there is almost no indication FLAG was spending that money on its stated mission…
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-nick-adams-state-flag-charity-civics-state-department
Obama’s Interior Secretary Goes Off on Trump & Talks His New Book (Find Out podcast)
Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation that quickly turns to life under Trump — the crew and Salazar touch on immigration crackdowns, tariffs on wildfire-stricken countries, and how the sheer volume of Trump-era news drowns out everything else that matters, public lands and conservation included.
From there it gets personal: Salazar talks about his debut book and swaps old stories with Tim about pickup basketball games at the Department of the Interior — including the time he tried to recruit Reggie Love and had to be talked into building Interior's first digital program back when he could barely turn on an iPad.
Interview:
From there it gets personal: Salazar talks about his debut book and swaps old stories with Tim about pickup basketball games at the Department of the Interior — including the time he tried to recruit Reggie Love and had to be talked into building Interior's first digital program back when he could barely turn on an iPad.
Interview:
A cancer diagnosis may not be enough: Trump and Democratic states clash in court over who’s too sick to work - POLITICO
The administration declared in an interim final rule released last month that a diagnosis, even for a disease as grave as cancer, isn’t enough to claim an exemption from the 80-hour requirement, unless beneficiaries submit additional proof that they physically can’t work. Democratic attorneys general from 25 states and Washington, D.C. plan to argue the rule is both too strict, in not offering blanket exemptions to people with certain diseases, and too vague, in failing to guide states on how to determine who is too sick to work — and will ask the judge to block the stricter medical frailty policy...
She’s Charged With Killing Her Twins. The Anti-Vaccine Movement Made Her a Martyr. – Mother Jones
Andrea Shaw is charged with suffocating her toddlers. Children’s Health Defense says it was the vaccines...
Audio tapes appear to show Biden discussing sensitive information with memoir ghostwriter | PBS News
"President Biden's conversations for a book a decade ago that discussed his late son are private, and were provided to the Department of Justice on the express condition they stay that way," said TJ Ducklo. "Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution."…
Atheism Cannot Be Wrong - June 16 (Jon Cohenl Unconvinced on YouTube)
It can't be morally wrong to fail to be convinced by a claim.
Come and discuss this one!
Timestamps (sorry for the delay, I had technical problems)
00:01:24 – Mister Mister – Agnostic theist caller agrees that atheism as a lack of belief cannot be morally wrong, then discusses definitions of belief, epistemic humility, the Old Testament God, and why belief itself should not be punishable.
00:14:56 – Silly Cat – Shares a difficult family and religious background, being labeled atheist/rebellious, panic around family conflict, and emotional frustration with claims that God or the divine is good.
00:18:58 – Not Your Valentine – Agnostic/deity-believing caller from Nigeria cites rituals, blood sacrifices, and rain-stopping claims as evidence for deities; the hosts challenge anecdotal reasoning, correlation, prayer efficacy, and gullibility.
00:26:30 – Heinrich – Asks about causation, the Big Bang, afterlife, agnostic atheism, double-slit experiments, and simulation theory; the hosts clarify that atheism is lack of belief, not a claim to know no God exists.
00:31:51 – Doberman – Christian caller argues from Jesus, Romans 1, nature, design, the devil, and a “reprobate mind”; the hosts challenge his claim that atheists are refusing God and argue that Romans 1 leaves no room for honest nonbelief.
00:58:31 – VA David – Raises an evolutionary-argument-against-naturalism / presuppositional-style challenge about how atheists can trust reason and sense data; the hosts respond with natural selection, pragmatic assumptions, solipsism, certainty, logic, and TAG-style apologetics.
01:29:42 – Vitor Sarano – Noisy TikTok caller argues that God exists beyond space and time, questions the Big Bang and beginning of time, and claims the greatest minds believe in Jesus; the hosts challenge his cosmology and the claim that “outside time” explains anything.
01:41:32 – Steve – Attempted TikTok call fails when Steve does not respond after being brought in.
01:41:56 – JD Tallproof – Practicing Christian asks about the Big Bang, Genesis, God as explanation, free will, hell, and whether God revealing himself would violate choice; the hosts argue that explanatory power is not evidence and that honest nonbelief should not be punishable.
02:04:04 – Big Vaz – Debates whether “atheism cannot be wrong” is just a word game about belief states, then discusses strong versus weak atheism, Christianity, moral culpability, hell, belief as involuntary, and whether people can choose to reject evidence.
02:36:14 – Snowflake – Briefly agrees with the prompt and says they are atheist toward other people’s gods, but the hosts move on quickly because the stream is focused on debate.
02:37:18 – Fro – Mentioned as waiting on the YouTube side, but the stream ends before they are brought in.
02:37:30 – TrueJoy – Christian caller asks what atheism offers compared with Christianity, then debates worldview replacement, hope, morality, moral obligation, nihilism, divine command theory, and whether God’s commands could justify atrocities.
02:54:40 – Jam-M – Seen waiting in the TikTok queue, but the hosts say they cannot take the call because the stream is ending.
00:01:24 – Mister Mister – Agnostic theist caller agrees that atheism as a lack of belief cannot be morally wrong, then discusses definitions of belief, epistemic humility, the Old Testament God, and why belief itself should not be punishable.
00:14:56 – Silly Cat – Shares a difficult family and religious background, being labeled atheist/rebellious, panic around family conflict, and emotional frustration with claims that God or the divine is good.
00:18:58 – Not Your Valentine – Agnostic/deity-believing caller from Nigeria cites rituals, blood sacrifices, and rain-stopping claims as evidence for deities; the hosts challenge anecdotal reasoning, correlation, prayer efficacy, and gullibility.
00:26:30 – Heinrich – Asks about causation, the Big Bang, afterlife, agnostic atheism, double-slit experiments, and simulation theory; the hosts clarify that atheism is lack of belief, not a claim to know no God exists.
00:31:51 – Doberman – Christian caller argues from Jesus, Romans 1, nature, design, the devil, and a “reprobate mind”; the hosts challenge his claim that atheists are refusing God and argue that Romans 1 leaves no room for honest nonbelief.
00:58:31 – VA David – Raises an evolutionary-argument-against-naturalism / presuppositional-style challenge about how atheists can trust reason and sense data; the hosts respond with natural selection, pragmatic assumptions, solipsism, certainty, logic, and TAG-style apologetics.
01:29:42 – Vitor Sarano – Noisy TikTok caller argues that God exists beyond space and time, questions the Big Bang and beginning of time, and claims the greatest minds believe in Jesus; the hosts challenge his cosmology and the claim that “outside time” explains anything.
01:41:32 – Steve – Attempted TikTok call fails when Steve does not respond after being brought in.
01:41:56 – JD Tallproof – Practicing Christian asks about the Big Bang, Genesis, God as explanation, free will, hell, and whether God revealing himself would violate choice; the hosts argue that explanatory power is not evidence and that honest nonbelief should not be punishable.
02:04:04 – Big Vaz – Debates whether “atheism cannot be wrong” is just a word game about belief states, then discusses strong versus weak atheism, Christianity, moral culpability, hell, belief as involuntary, and whether people can choose to reject evidence.
02:36:14 – Snowflake – Briefly agrees with the prompt and says they are atheist toward other people’s gods, but the hosts move on quickly because the stream is focused on debate.
02:37:18 – Fro – Mentioned as waiting on the YouTube side, but the stream ends before they are brought in.
02:37:30 – TrueJoy – Christian caller asks what atheism offers compared with Christianity, then debates worldview replacement, hope, morality, moral obligation, nihilism, divine command theory, and whether God’s commands could justify atrocities.
02:54:40 – Jam-M – Seen waiting in the TikTok queue, but the hosts say they cannot take the call because the stream is ending.
Interview:
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
New Trump Rule Could Exclude U.S. Scientists From Critical Discoveries — ProPublica
“These experiments take decades to build and require sustained, cooperative international investment,” University of Chicago physics professor David W. Miller wrote in a public comment. “The experiments will continue, without American leadership. … The United States will not just fall behind. It will step aside.”…
“The United States built the greatest scientific enterprise in human history on a simple idea: fund the best ideas, chosen by the best experts, and get out of the way,” he said in his public comment. “This proposed rule dismantles that principle entirely, and it does so in ways that will cause immediate, concrete, and in many cases irreversible harm to American science.”
https://www.propublica.org/article/federal-science-grants-russell-vought-omb
UN human rights chief says Israel must end house demolitions and occupation in Lebanon | PBS News
"Demolition of this type raises huge flags about compliance with international humanitarian law," Türk said, describing what has happened as a "wholesale destruction" of civilian homes...
El-Sayed comes under fire for 'ogre on a pike' leaked comment - POLITICO
An El-Sayed campaign spokesperson referred POLITICO back to an earlier statement that the candidate was “speaking metaphorically” about his intention to support a primary against Fetterman, a Pennsylvania senator. Fetterman and El-Sayed have clashed over support for Israel.
The senator, who possesses a towering stature, has been mocked for his physical appearance by political rivals, and the “ogre” moniker partly stems from an attack by Kari Lake, a failed Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate and ally of President Donald Trump...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/27/el-sayed-backlash-leaked-comment-michigan-senate-01012659
Your health care bill is incomprehensible. Congress is stepping in. - POLITICO
Despite the fuzzy math, the fact that the issue has bridged people as far apart as Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has inspired lawmakers to run with it. Sponsors of the bills hope the issue will form the centerpiece of a new law Congress can pass during the lame duck session once the political pressure of the midterms has lifted...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/26/health-care-price-transparency-insurers-hospitals-01011835
Pentagon reports more than 600 Iran war casualties in quiet database update
Figures are source of dispute as US defense department days ago reduced record of troops killed and wounded…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/26/pentagon-iran-war-troop-deaths-casualty-report
How Fossil Fuel Companies Made Us Believe Gas Was Clean – Mother Jones
A new report released by the Center for Climate Integrity, a research and advocacy group, reveals that fossil fuel companies knew as early as the 1960s that branding gas as “clean” was deceptive…
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/natural-gas-methane-pollution-clean-branding-myth/
EPA Ordered—Again—to Release $2.8 Billion in Climate Justice Funds – Mother Jones
The Trump administration’s interpretation of a recent court ruling was “unlawful.”…
Trump administration’s revision of Iran war casualties ‘huge disrespect’, say veterans
“It’s such a huge disrespect for the families,” said Michael E Smith, a retired US rear admiral and the founder of National Security Leaders for America. “To claim that they weren’t killed as a result of the war – oh, it was just overseas operations – is just ludicrous.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/27/trump-administration-iran-war-casualties-veterans
Republicans decry a new Democratic Socialists of America platform as Dem primaries split the party | PBS News
A new platform from a progressive group that's notched several recent primary victories is becoming fodder for Republican attacks, as the GOP looks to frame Democrats as extremists and communists ahead of November's midterm elections…
Monday, July 27, 2026
Audible Gasp (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
The Justice Department had its worst day so far as it was forced to withdraw subpoenas of journalists and their families after a contentious hearing in Manhattan.
The Justice Department is denying it told the FBI to stand down investigating ICE shootings despite a memo saying otherwise.
A US Attorney appointed by the court who was fired by Donadl Trump in under an hour has filed a first of its kind lawsuit challenging his termination.
Jim Jordan - who still hasn’t responded to his subpoena regarding January 6th - has made a criminal referral to the Justice Department for Jack Smith on perjury grounds.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
The Justice Department is denying it told the FBI to stand down investigating ICE shootings despite a memo saying otherwise.
A US Attorney appointed by the court who was fired by Donadl Trump in under an hour has filed a first of its kind lawsuit challenging his termination.
Jim Jordan - who still hasn’t responded to his subpoena regarding January 6th - has made a criminal referral to the Justice Department for Jack Smith on perjury grounds.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
Trump revives old tropes as he pushes warnings of ‘communist menace’
President harks back to red scare of his childhood to attack US left – but will such language resonate beyond Maga base?…
Inside the growing vigilante movement to knock out Flock surveillance cameras
An underground network of privacy activists is disabling or destroying the ubiquitous surveillance devices sprouting up across the US…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/25/flock-surveillance-cameras
Pentagon accused of cover-up over US military casualties in Iran war
The Pentagon is taking a “shameful approach” to releasing information about US casualties in the Iran war, Leon Panetta, a former defence secretary and CIA director, has told the Guardian.
The defence department has not held a press briefing for two and a half months. Officials have faced accusations that they are engaged in a cover-up designed to hide the true cost of Donald Trump’s war of choice in Iran, fearing a public backlash before November’s midterm elections...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/25/pentagon-iran-war-casualties-cover-up
US pauses Iran attacks for second night after Trump advised to halt bombing
Top military officials say campaign has reached its limit of effectiveness and warn of dwindling stocks of munitions…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/26/us-pauses-trump-netanyahu-attacks-on-iran-talks-hormuz
Teachers decry plan for humanoid robot in New York high school
Realbotix has denied ties to the sex doll company, and denied any inferences that the dolls – manufactured by Abyss Creations, a subsidiary of Realbotix – are related to the pilot program. “
The Salamanca teachers’ union as a whole is concerned about the background of the company of Realbotix. We’re very concerned about the security of the software that they’re implementing, and whether or not the data will be stored, how it will be gathered, are the recording capabilities,” said Lacey Pihlblad, president of Salamanca Teachers’ Association and a teacher at the high school…
“The answer to the challenges in education is not more screens, it’s not more algorithms, not more robots. What we need in our schools right now are more caring adults and more human connection,” she said…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/25/new-york-humanoid-robot-teachers-school
Trump ‘border czar’ says ICE officer in Maine killing should not have cleared vetting
Tom Homan comments on officer’s eligibility to serve after reports that agent’s two ex-wives had accused him of abuse…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/26/trump-border-czar-ice-officer-maine-killing-vetting
Pentagon reports more than 600 Iran war casualties in quiet database update
Figures are source of dispute as US defense department days ago reduced record of troops killed and wounded…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/26/pentagon-iran-war-troop-deaths-casualty-report
How Trump could undermine the midterms
“The number one threat facing American elections is the continued lies coming out of the White House,” said the Arizona secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, the official responsible for overseeing the state’s elections.
The president is fighting to persuade Congress to approve legislation, the Save Act, that would allow the US federal government greater control over elections. Trump has also called for the federal government to take direct control of elections in some states, falsely claiming that his defeats there in 2020 were illegitimate…
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/26/trump-undermine-us-midterms
Bystander video shows moment Madison police fatally shoot man
Warning: some viewers may find the following footage distressing. A fatal police shooting that killed 38-year-old Corey Ruiz has sparked massive protests in Madison, Wisconsin. Bystander video shared with the Guardian shows how the shooting unfolded on 22 July...
Venezuela men sue aviation firms who flew them to notorious Salvadorian jail
Exclusive: CSI Aviation and GlobalX accused of violating civil rights as part of Trump immigration crackdown…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/26/lawsuit-csi-aviation-globalx-cecot-deportation
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Weekly Roundup: The Odyssey, Christian Nationalism, and the Invention of “Western Civilization” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Brad Onishi and Dan Miller explore the American right’s furious reaction to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and what the controversy reveals about race, representation, gender, sexuality, and the politics of “Western civilization.” From outrage over Black actors and queer representation in contemporary adaptations to the right’s insistence that certain stories, traditions, and cultural identities belong exclusively to white people, the conversation examines why the boundaries of “the West” are constantly being defended—and who gets pushed outside them.
The discussion then turns to the rise of civilizational populism and its growing influence on the American right. Brad and Dan unpack how appeals to “Western Christian civilization” are being used to unite Christian nationalists, technocrats, billionaires, and authoritarian political actors around a shared vision of cultural hierarchy and social order. They connect the backlash over The Odyssey to Marco Rubio’s foreign policy, the politics of Venezuela, the disputed results of a national civics competition, and the broader question of who gets to represent the future of America.
Interview:
The discussion then turns to the rise of civilizational populism and its growing influence on the American right. Brad and Dan unpack how appeals to “Western Christian civilization” are being used to unite Christian nationalists, technocrats, billionaires, and authoritarian political actors around a shared vision of cultural hierarchy and social order. They connect the backlash over The Odyssey to Marco Rubio’s foreign policy, the politics of Venezuela, the disputed results of a national civics competition, and the broader question of who gets to represent the future of America.
Interview:
'Intelligent Design' on trial (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)
The Trump administration is whitewashing American history in Philadelphia. Federal Judge John E. Jones tells the behind-the-scenes story of the 2005 trial leading to his landmark decision barring “intelligent design” from public school science classes.
Interview:
Tribe Tells Pastor to Get Off Reservation (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podcast #645)
— Arapaho tribe tells pastor to leave reservation after she trashes their sacred traditions. (1:07)
— Mylie Biggs, who believes women shouldn’t vote, is now on the ballot to become an Arizona State Senator. (16:00)
— Hospital rejects Christian pregnancy center’s anti-LGBTQ doctor pledge. (23:12)
— Focus on the Family has advice for estranged parents. An apology isn’t part of it. (40:05)
— Arkansas won a fake “religious liberty” contest. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants praise for it. (59:15)
— An LGBTQ arts venue opened in a former church in Australia. Christians shut it down. (1:11:25)
Interview:
— Mylie Biggs, who believes women shouldn’t vote, is now on the ballot to become an Arizona State Senator. (16:00)
— Hospital rejects Christian pregnancy center’s anti-LGBTQ doctor pledge. (23:12)
— Focus on the Family has advice for estranged parents. An apology isn’t part of it. (40:05)
— Arkansas won a fake “religious liberty” contest. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants praise for it. (59:15)
— An LGBTQ arts venue opened in a former church in Australia. Christians shut it down. (1:11:25)
Interview:
-- or -
Iran, Christian Nationalism, and Holy War: Fissures in Christian MAGAism (Live Recording) (Reign of Error podcast with Sarah Posner)
Brad Onishi hosts a live event panel with Sarah Posner, Dr. Julie Ingersoll, and Dr. Matthew D. Taylor on the religious dimensions of the Iran conflict and its effects on Christian nationalism and MAGA. Posner explains how influential Christian Zionists have long sought U.S. confrontation with Iran, tying it to end-times prophecy, unconditional support for Netanyahu, and Republican foreign policy influence through figures like John Hagee, Paula White, and ambassador Mike Huckabee. Ingersoll contrasts this with postmillennial Christian Reconstructionism linked to Doug Wilson and Pete Hegseth, noting no special theological role for Israel and emerging internal fissures over the war. Taylor describes Iran as a Shiite religious nationalist state and argues religious extremism on both sides amplifies escalation, highlighting NAR “spiritual warfare” against the “Prince of Persia.”
As the discussion unfolds, the panel explores fractures within the religious right, including tensions between evangelicals and far-right Catholics, generational divides among Reconstructionists, and the uncertain political future of figures like J.D. Vance. With attention to media ecosystems, ideological alliances, and the role of key influencers, the episode situates the Iran conflict within a broader struggle over power, identity, and the future of American politics. The result is a nuanced portrait of a movement that is far from monolithic—and whose internal contradictions may prove as consequential as its external ambitions.
Donate to Season 2: https://www.irmce.org/donate
00:00 Welcome and Panel Intro
02:27 Religious Stakes of Iran
05:49 Christian Zionist Playbook
10:05 Reconstructionists and Hegseth
15:01 NAR Spiritual Warfare
20:53 Huckabee and GOP Zionism
25:04 Reconstructionist Bro Culture Split
27:03 Catholic Right and Israel Rift
32:21 Sarah Pushes Back on Fissures
35:24 Catholic Trump Split
36:51 Protestant Infiltration Claims
37:31 Three MAGA Faith Factions
38:28 Post Trump Power Struggle
40:35 Catholics War Theology Gap
42:18 J D Vance 2028 Test
45:56 Billionaire Catholic Network
48:29 Kushner Media Blind Spots
51:27 Russia Israel Prophecy Lens
53:07 Pope Versus Trump Wedge
56:56 Midterms Economic Fallout
01:01:11 Wrap Up And Sign Off
Interview:
As the discussion unfolds, the panel explores fractures within the religious right, including tensions between evangelicals and far-right Catholics, generational divides among Reconstructionists, and the uncertain political future of figures like J.D. Vance. With attention to media ecosystems, ideological alliances, and the role of key influencers, the episode situates the Iran conflict within a broader struggle over power, identity, and the future of American politics. The result is a nuanced portrait of a movement that is far from monolithic—and whose internal contradictions may prove as consequential as its external ambitions.
Donate to Season 2: https://www.irmce.org/donate
00:00 Welcome and Panel Intro
02:27 Religious Stakes of Iran
05:49 Christian Zionist Playbook
10:05 Reconstructionists and Hegseth
15:01 NAR Spiritual Warfare
20:53 Huckabee and GOP Zionism
25:04 Reconstructionist Bro Culture Split
27:03 Catholic Right and Israel Rift
32:21 Sarah Pushes Back on Fissures
35:24 Catholic Trump Split
36:51 Protestant Infiltration Claims
37:31 Three MAGA Faith Factions
38:28 Post Trump Power Struggle
40:35 Catholics War Theology Gap
42:18 J D Vance 2028 Test
45:56 Billionaire Catholic Network
48:29 Kushner Media Blind Spots
51:27 Russia Israel Prophecy Lens
53:07 Pope Versus Trump Wedge
56:56 Midterms Economic Fallout
01:01:11 Wrap Up And Sign Off
Interview:
Can You Lie for Jesus? Joel Webbon Thinks So (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon says the state should seize churches that fly pride flags and auction the buildings to "faithful" churches — then tells politicians who agree with him to keep quiet about it until after they've won office.
This episode we take issue with the whole scheme: it isn't biblical, it isn't American, and it leans on a Hebrew Bible king (Josiah) precisely because the New Testament won't cooperate. But then things get strange, because when you ask whether the Bible actually forbids deception, the answer — right up to God himself — is a whole lot messier than "thou shalt not bear false witness."
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:48 Can You Lie for Jesus?
1:30 Who Is Joel Webbon?
3:43 Josiah's Purge (2 Kings 23)
6:08 Propaganda, Not History
6:39 Depose the Pride-Flag Pastors
7:51 Hide Your Power Levels
9:19 Echoes of Project 2025
10:11 Is It Biblical?
13:08 Kings vs. the New Testament
14:15 No Religious Test for Office
16:25 Is It American?
18:27 Can You Lie for Good?
20:26 Jacob and the Divine Trickster
22:12 When God Lies
23:53 Why Is Lying the Line?
26:02 Is Webbon Consistent?
28:18 Deception in Real Politics
30:38 Wrap-Up
This episode we take issue with the whole scheme: it isn't biblical, it isn't American, and it leans on a Hebrew Bible king (Josiah) precisely because the New Testament won't cooperate. But then things get strange, because when you ask whether the Bible actually forbids deception, the answer — right up to God himself — is a whole lot messier than "thou shalt not bear false witness."
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:48 Can You Lie for Jesus?
1:30 Who Is Joel Webbon?
3:43 Josiah's Purge (2 Kings 23)
6:08 Propaganda, Not History
6:39 Depose the Pride-Flag Pastors
7:51 Hide Your Power Levels
9:19 Echoes of Project 2025
10:11 Is It Biblical?
13:08 Kings vs. the New Testament
14:15 No Religious Test for Office
16:25 Is It American?
18:27 Can You Lie for Good?
20:26 Jacob and the Divine Trickster
22:12 When God Lies
23:53 Why Is Lying the Line?
26:02 Is Webbon Consistent?
28:18 Deception in Real Politics
30:38 Wrap-Up
Interview:
Jesus' Wedding Parable Makes No Sense (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
The parable of the wedding banquet might be the most baffling story Jesus ever told: a king incinerates a city, packs his hall with strangers off the street, then hurls one guest into outer darkness for showing up without the right robe.
This episode, we trace how Matthew, Luke, and the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas each tell the parable differently — and how each version quietly rewrites the villain, from the Jewish people to the merchant class itself. Turns out "many are called, but few are chosen" is attached to a far stranger tale than anyone taught you in Sunday school.
Chapters:
This episode, we trace how Matthew, Luke, and the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas each tell the parable differently — and how each version quietly rewrites the villain, from the Jewish people to the merchant class itself. Turns out "many are called, but few are chosen" is attached to a far stranger tale than anyone taught you in Sunday school.
Chapters:
0:00 Cold Open & ComicsInterview:
0:51 A Terrible Parable
1:43 Reading Matthew 22
4:19 Where It Breaks Down
4:34 Q and the Sources
6:18 The Missing Wedding Robe
8:17 Many Called, Few Chosen
9:14 Decoding the Allegory
10:34 Burning Jerusalem, 70 CE
13:09 What the Robe Means
15:37 Luke's Gentler Version
19:49 The Gospel of Thomas
23:24 Murky Waters
24:08 Support the Show
“What Do We Love When We Love God?” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) It's In the Code 200
How much love is enough? In this episode of It’s In the Code, part of the series “Questions I Wasn’t Supposed to Ask in Church,” we examine one of the most influential teachings in conservative Christianity: that Christians must love God or Jesus more than anyone and anything else. What happens when this teaching becomes an impossible demand? Drawing on a listener’s powerful experience, we explore the connection between the love of God, religious trauma, Christian deconstruction, and the damaging effects that toxic religious teachings can have on relationships with parents, children, partners, and family. For many people leaving high-control religion or evangelical Christianity, questions about how to love God—and whether loving God requires loving other people less—can become central to the process of religious deconstruction.
This episode also explores the history of Christian theology and the influence of Greek philosophy on Christian ideas about God, love, the body, the material world, mortality, and human relationships. Is loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength really the same thing as loving God more than everyone else? Can love of God and love of other people exist in harmony? And what if the things we love most are precisely the things that are finite, temporary, and mortal? This conversation about conservative Christianity, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, Christian deconstruction, and the meaning of love ultimately asks whether we need to rethink both love and God.
Interview:
This episode also explores the history of Christian theology and the influence of Greek philosophy on Christian ideas about God, love, the body, the material world, mortality, and human relationships. Is loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength really the same thing as loving God more than everyone else? Can love of God and love of other people exist in harmony? And what if the things we love most are precisely the things that are finite, temporary, and mortal? This conversation about conservative Christianity, religious trauma, spiritual abuse, Christian deconstruction, and the meaning of love ultimately asks whether we need to rethink both love and God.
Interview:
If They Ever Ran Out of Fear | Powerful Folk Protest Song About Fear, Hope and democracy
One Republican campaign speech after another promises a new crisis, a new enemy, and another reason to be afraid—but what if the fear finally ran out? “If They Ever Ran Out of Fear” is an original contemporary folk protest song that argues today's Republican Party has made fear its most powerful political strategy, replacing hopeful ideas and meaningful solutions with an endless cycle of manufactured threats, scapegoats, and culture-war distractions. Through evocative storytelling, rich vocal harmonies, and an uplifting Americana-inspired sound, the song asks a simple but devastating question: if fear no longer worked, what would they be running on? Created for those who oppose Donald Trump, reject authoritarian politics, and believe America deserves leaders who solve problems instead of exploiting anxiety, “If They Ever Ran Out of Fear” is ultimately a reminder that hope, truth, and democracy become stronger the moment we look beyond the lies—and refuse to let fear decide our future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwtcbQ58OiQ
More than 1 million children lost access to food benefits after Trump bill passed
Analysis finds more than 4 million Americans lost Snap benefits, or food stamps, from July 2025 to March 2026…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/25/food-stamps-children-trump
The Fear of Black Greeks - The Atlantic
But Greece is not as far from Africa as the North American continent is, and the modern construct of race, a pseudoscientific product of the Atlantic slave trade, would not be invented until thousands of years after Homer. Black people are depicted in Greek art. Egypt, Libya, and “Aethiopia” are frequently referenced in ancient writings. As the Black classics scholar Frank Snowden Jr. wrote in the 1970s, at least one of the characters in The Odyssey, Eurybates, is specifically described as “black-skinned and woolly-haired.” As the Stanford classics professor Sarah Derbew notes in her book Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity, Black people are referenced in plays by Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus. They also appear in the writings of Hesiod and Herodotus. One of the lost epic poems is The Aethiopis, in which Memnon, the Aethiopian king and an ally to Troy, plays a major role.
Black people were not as uncommon in the ancient Mediterranean world as Nolan’s critics seem to imagine. But even if they had been, color-blind casting makes sense as an artistic choice for portraying the classics precisely because race as it exists today did not exist when The Odyssey was written. And no contemporary actor can actually claim the same descent as Helen, who hatched from a swan’s egg…
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/odyssey-race/688058/
Wellness is the New Big Pharma [feat Mallory DeMille] (Conspirituality podcast)
The pharmaceutical industry is filled with greedy businessmen getting innocent consumers hooked on their toxic products in order to barely keep them alive. But if you want to actually thrive, an entire array of natural supplements are just a click away.
So goes most every wellness pitch on social media. Mallory DeMille returns to break down the marketing techniques as we dive into the sordid world of supplements and peptide creation, which, in reality, is not dissimilar from pharmaceuticals. In fact, many products use the same manufacturing processes and production plants, as Derek discusses.
In the final segment, Julian revisits Bryan Johnson, the centimillionaire on a quest to live to 200, and what his recent chronic illness diagnosis says about pumping your body filled with experimental drugs.
Interview:
So goes most every wellness pitch on social media. Mallory DeMille returns to break down the marketing techniques as we dive into the sordid world of supplements and peptide creation, which, in reality, is not dissimilar from pharmaceuticals. In fact, many products use the same manufacturing processes and production plants, as Derek discusses.
In the final segment, Julian revisits Bryan Johnson, the centimillionaire on a quest to live to 200, and what his recent chronic illness diagnosis says about pumping your body filled with experimental drugs.
Interview:
Two small American businesses sue Trump administration over new tariffs
The plaintiffs of the latest lawsuit argued that Trump’s actions exceed the authority of Section 301, which should be “targeted, country-specific and practice-specific remedial authority”, unlike the vast duties Trump levied on Thursday night.
They also allege the US trade representative (USTR) “failed to provide a reasoned, record-based explanation for its determinations” and argued that more country-specific findings about forced labor are needed in order for the tariffs to be legally justified...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/24/american-businesses-lawsuit-trump-tariffs
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