Brief: The Ceuta Crisis Great Replacement Conspiracy (Conspirituality podcast)

Last week, around 72,000 migrants flooded from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. What really happened? Was a local girl abducted, never to be seen again? Did the Moroccan border guards step aside (or even collaborate) in an organized operation?

Right-wing politicians and pundits were quick to crank up the moral panic machine. This is what open borders look like! They’re heading for our country next. Donald Trump said it was nothing compared to what would happen in the US if Democrats win the mid-terms.

Then came the conspiracy theories. Was Morocco retaliating against Spain for a recent deal with their enemy, Algeria? Were America and Israel behind it as punishment for Spain’s socialist prime minister being staunchly pro-Palestine and refusing to support the war in Iran?

For a few magical days, right- and left-wing conspiracy theorists spread overlapping versions of the Great Replacement Theory.

Julian dives into the diplomatic complexities, ideological contradictions, and historical twists to make sense of relations between Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Western Sahara, and Israel to ask: are there any good guys or is it colonizers all the way down?
Interview:

https://www.conspirituality.net/episodes/brief-ceuta-crisis-great-replacement-theory

Why the right dominates the man-o-sphere (The Find Out Podcast)

How did the far-right win over a generation of young men? And can progressives win them back?

In this episode of the Find Out Podcast, we sit down with internet veteran and bestselling author Jason Pargin to unpack the rise of the man-o-sphere, the silence of the left on masculinity, and why right-wing influencers keep dominating the online space.

Topics include: 

• Jason's viral article "6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person" 
• The evolution from 4chan to Andrew Tate 
• Masculinity, self-worth, and emotional manipulation 
• Why liberals must learn to tell better stories, not just win arguments 

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/IMOTNxp8SIc?si=5yZFzL15UIkbbTGS

Morbidity and Mortality (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

We celebrate the fact that Pew reports 43 percent of young adults are nonreligious, and that overall the “Nones” (nonreligious) are larger than any religious denomination. 

Mandisa Thomas, founder and president of Black Nonbelievers, tells us about the upcoming Revival of Reason conference in Atlanta. 

Then, we speak with public-health expert Professor Patrick L. Remington, who is on the board of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly about the dangers that religion and the right-wing administration pose to the work of the CDC.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-february-27-2025/

A farm-supply chain vowed to cut DEI roles amid pressure. Outcry followed. (Washington Post)

One of the country’s largest farm-supply retailers announced Thursday that it would cut diversity-focused positions and withdraw its carbon-emissions goals in a response to right-wing pressure that sparked an uproar from other customers and advocacy groups. 

Tractor Supply Company made the changes after fielding criticism from customers about some of its programs, the Tennessee-based business said in a statement. It also vowed to stop submitting data to the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and to no longer sponsor Pride festivals and voting initiatives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/06/30/tractor-supply-diversity-dei-climate/

“Fox’s Insurrection Group Chat.” (Pod Save America podcast)

2021’s Congressional Clusterfu*k barrels to a close as the House reveals new details about the right-wing plot to destroy democracy while the Senate tries to save it with a last-minute attempt to pass voting rights legislation. Then, former Biden Senior Covid Advisor Andy Slavitt joins to talk about how we can prepare for the Omicron wave, and Dan and Jon discuss the media’s role in defending democracy.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-s3rc8-11b7b4ca

Atlantic Monthly Writer Frank Foer Tears Facebook a New One (The Al Franken podcast)

"A friggin’ brilliant excoriation of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg"

Interview: 

https://alfranken.com/listen/atlantic-monthly-writer-frank-foer-tears-facebook-a-new-one

“Humane immigration and salad vaccination.” (Pod Save America podcast)

President Biden tries to unify Democrats around his economic plan, former White House domestic policy director Cecilia Muñoz joins to discuss what the Administration can do about the border and immigration, and Jon and Dan break down this week’s wildest right-wing conspiracy in a new segment called Shit Your Uncle’s Posting.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-xyfra-102aeb41