The Secret Teachings with Ryan Gable has aired for over a decade, beginning as a volunteer program at a college radio station in Florida, then moving to CBS, Art Bell's 'Dark Matter Radio', LNM Radio, FringeFM, and finally finding a home on Ground Zero Radio right after Clyde Lewis. Ryan Gable is a veteran radio personality, producer, and author. His broadcast attempts to provide objective analysis of para-politics, pop-conspiracy, para-history, the occult (occulture), the paranormal, symbolism, health, conspiracies, anthropology, theology, and etymology. The show airs M-F on http://groundzero.radio but can be found HERE the next morning to stream for free. Spreaker places ads in the show, so if you would like to get the ad-free version you can subscribe or resubscribe on our wesbsite http:/www.thesecretteachings.info For any questions, please email: rdgable@yahoo.com / TSTradio@protonmail.com

AI-LIEN: I Don't Want to Believe (12/9/25)

The Secret Teachings with Ryan Gable

The Secret Teachings

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Pearl Harbor Anniversary and UFO Threat Narratives: The show opens by connecting the Pearl Harbor anniversary to modern UFO discourse, noting that Luis Elizondo claimed he was investigating UFOs to "prevent another Pearl Harbor." This mirrors the Project for the New American Century's call for a "new Pearl Harbor" before 9/11, and President Bush's description of 9/11 as "the Pearl Harbor of the 21st century," suggesting historical patterns of using threats to justify major policy changes.

The Amnesty Proposal and Its Implications: A growing movement advocated by UFO influencers proposes granting blanket amnesty to anyone involved in alleged UFO cover-ups, including defense contractors and government officials. This would supposedly facilitate disclosure of reverse-engineered alien technology, but raises serious questions about pardoning potential crimes including theft of trillions, murder, and decades of deception without accountability.

The Connection Between UFO Disclosure and AI Development: The timing of increased UFO disclosure narratives coincides suspiciously with rapid advances in artificial intelligence. The host proposes that "alien technology" may actually be AI—something engineers can build but don't fully understand, similar to how reverse engineering works. This could explain why developers describe AI as mysterious and unpredictable.

Pentagon's Admitted UFO Disinformation History: A June 2023 Wall Street Journal report revealed that the Pentagon deliberately created UFO mythology during the Cold War to cover secret projects like the F-117 stealth fighter at Area 51. An Air Force colonel admitted to doctoring photos and spreading false alien stories to protect classified weapons development, establishing a clear precedent for using UFO narratives as cover for military technology.

The 1953 Robertson Panel Report: This CIA document, released in 2001, explicitly outlined plans to use mass media including television, movies, and articles to "debunk" UFOs and reduce public interest. It recommended monitoring UFO groups for "subversive purposes" and warned about their potential influence on mass thinking during widespread sightings, revealing decades-old plans to manipulate public perception of the phenomenon.

AATIP and AARO's Actual Findings: Despite congressional hearings suggesting major revelations, official reports from the Pentagon's UFO programs (AATIP and AARO) found no evidence of extraterrestrial technology. Most sightings were identified as balloons, drones, planets, or sensor glitches. AARO's website explicitly states "No" when asked if they've found evidence of alien technology, contradicting the dramatic claims made in public forums.

The "Threat" Narrative and Social Restructuring: Official documents consistently describe UAPs as a "possible threat" and "potential adversary," using carefully hedged language that requires no proof. This invisible, speculative threat is being used to justify unprecedented international cooperation, rapid AI development to "beat China and Russia," and massive defense spending—paralleling how the COVID pandemic used an invisible threat to justify social reorganization.

Luis Elizondo's Credibility Problems: Elizondo has been caught promoting demonstrably false UFO evidence multiple times. He shared a photo of what he claimed was a 600-1000 foot wide UFO that turned out to be an irrigation circle, a "mothership" photo from Romania that was actually a chandelier or cloud, and made numerous factual errors in his book about the Nimitz, Gimbal, and Go Fast videos that contradict pilot testimony and basic analysis.

To The Stars Academy Financial Scandal: Co-founded by Tom DeLonge in 2017 with Elizondo as a board member, TTSA raised millions promising to develop UFO propulsion systems, metamaterial research, and breakthrough technologies. SEC filings show the money primarily went to board member salaries and marketing rather than research. After four years with no tech demonstrations or breakthroughs, they pivoted to "entertainment only"—exactly like the Corey Goode disclosure scam.

Historical Pattern of UFO Mythology and Cover Stories: The Holloman Air Force Base "UFO landing" footage, still cited in modern documentaries, clearly shows a conventional aircraft with visible wings and landing gear when viewed in higher resolution. This exemplifies the CIA's stated strategy of presenting cases that are "puzzling at first, but later explained" to shape public perception and maintain the mythology for intelligence purposes.

Modern Cold War Parallels: Just as UFO mythology was used during the Cold War to cover advanced weapons development against the Soviet Union, the current UFO narrative emphasizes the need to "beat China and Russia" to alien technology. This is being used to justify a new AI arms race, with figures like Marco Rubio calling for rapid investment, creating a new Cold War framework using the same old tactics.

The Real Purpose Behind Disclosure Theater: Rather than genuine revelation, the UFO disclosure movement appears designed to either: 1) justify granting amnesty to defense contractors and officials for past crimes so they can build dangerous AI weapons, or 2) eventually discredit all UFO research by exposing these false narratives, causing the public to dismiss all legitimate anomalous phenomena. Either outcome serves to maintain control while extracting resources and justifying new technological developments that threaten civil liberties.

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America's Top Paranormal Podcaster interviews the best known names in the paranormal about UFOs, Ghosts, Bigfoot, and everything paranormal! Guests have included Josh Gates, Chip Coffey, George Noory and the biggest names in paranormal studies. This feed reflects the last 90 days of content, The Paranormal Podcast has been in production since 2005 with over 690 episodes. Hosted by Jim Harold.

Is The Paranormal Messing With Us? - The Paranormal Podcast  916

The Paranormal Podcast

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Fourth Wall Phantoms and Fictional Characters Entering Reality: Joshua Cutchin's new book explores the phenomenon of fictional characters appearing to step into our reality. Research shows 63% of authors hear their characters speak while writing, and some report visual hallucinations or sensing their characters in the same physical space. This isn't limited to fringe cases—renowned authors like Dickens and Alice Walker have reported such experiences. Cutchin collected far more accounts than could fit in the book, suggesting this is a pervasive but underreported phenomenon.

The Paranormal as a Pan-Phenomenon: Rather than treating UFOs, ghosts, cryptids, and fairy encounters as separate categories, Cutchin argues these phenomena share remarkable similarities and may be interconnected. He points to specific examples like the ability to control others' sleep—documented in alien abductions, fairy folklore, and Bigfoot encounters. These parallel details suggest a unified phenomenon expressing itself through different cultural filters rather than distinct separate phenomena.

The Trickster Archetype in Paranormal Experiences: Drawing heavily from George P. Hansen's "Trickster in the Paranormal," the discussion explores how paranormal phenomena consistently display trickster characteristics—violating boundaries, transgressing norms, and demonstrating a peculiar sense of humor. The paranormal's tendency to break barriers between reality and fiction aligns perfectly with the trickster's role as a boundary-violating figure, making the connection between trickster mythology and modern paranormal experiences more than coincidental.

The Phenomenon Adapts to Cultural Expectations: UFO manifestations have evolved alongside human culture—from celestial signs and chariots in antiquity to airships at the turn of the century, flying saucers in the 1950s, triangles later, and now drones. Similarly, alien descriptions shifted from blonde "space brothers" to the now-ubiquitous gray aliens. Rather than witnesses simply copying pop culture, Cutchin suggests the phenomenon itself ingests cultural memes and reflects them back, creating a feedback loop between media representation and actual experiences.

The Philip Experiment and Thought Forms: The Philip Experiment demonstrated that a group of researchers created a completely fictional ghost with an elaborate backstory, then received accurate responses about this fictional character during séances. This raises profound questions about whether experiences are generated by collective consciousness, co-created with something external, or involve entities masquerading as our expectations. The parallel to CE5 UFO summoning experiences suggests similar mechanisms may be at work across different paranormal categories.

High Strangeness and the "Too Weird" Problem: Many witnesses experience elements so bizarre they're reluctant to report them—like aliens wearing "I Love New York" t-shirts or encounters with cartoon characters like Gumby appearing as 7-foot tall entities. These details are often set aside by researchers focusing on conventional aspects, but Cutchin argues these outlier experiences may hold crucial insights. The extreme strangeness actually adds credibility since people wouldn't invent details that discredit their own stories.

Retrocausality and Time's Non-Linear Nature: The discussion explores retrocausality—the concept that future events inform past events in a continuous loop rather than a linear cause-and-effect relationship. This reframes precognition not as predicting the future, but as tapping into events that already exist in a "block universe." Personal experiences of seemingly preparing for unknown future needs decades in advance may reflect this temporal interconnection rather than simple coincidence or fate.

Folklore in Superposition: Rather than definitively categorizing experiences as aliens, fairies, ghosts, or other entities, Cutchin proposes accepting them in a state of "superposition"—simultaneously holding multiple interpretations without forcing a single explanation. The example of Jean Hingley's 1979 encounter with gray aliens in spacesuits with fairy wings who discussed spirituality and the dead illustrates why rigid categorization fails to capture the complexity of actual experiences.

The Unknowability Question: Cutchin questions whether we'll ever truly solve these mysteries and suggests that may not be the goal. Rather than seeking capital-D "Disclosure" from authorities, the journey involves developing personal understanding and making meaningful connections across phenomena. The paranormal may function more as an initiation or transformative process that makes us more well-rounded people than as a puzzle with a definitive solution waiting to be discovered.

Creative Expression and Paranormal Manifestation: A fascinating pattern emerges where fictional creations sometimes precede actual sightings. George Adamski's hoaxed UFO photos (made with egg incubators) were later reported by independent witnesses who had no exposure to the original images. Similarly, Ed Walters' Gulf Breeze UFO turned out to be a model, yet others claimed to see identical craft before the hoax was revealed, suggesting reality and fiction interact in unexpected ways.

The Louis Van Der Car Rock Egg Story: This peculiar 1961 case combines multiple paranormal themes: a failed artist who claimed an alien entity named "Jeb" entered his body during a near-death experience after being torpedoed, after which he gained artistic ability. He sold "rock eggs" that supposedly hatched into giant birds only smart people could see—coinciding with actual thunderbird sightings over South Florida. Whether real or not, the story encapsulates themes of NDEs, non-human intelligence, creativity, and the blurring of fact and fiction.

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Three avid book readers discuss, dissect, and disagree. Each week, this book podcast dives into a new subgenre to open your minds to new books! SSS Warning- swears, sex, and spoilers ahead!!! Oh yeah, and a whole lot of laughs.Follow us on Instagram for hilarious bookish content, our Patreon Book Club episodes, and more! @books_n_betches @ez_bakezz @adventuresofkristin @literaryloser_

Ep: 211 - The Betches Talk About "Lovelight Farms" by B.K. Borison

Books N' Betches

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Mixed Reception for "Lovelight Farms": The hosts had vastly different opinions on this Hallmark-style Christmas romance by B.K. Borison. While Erica and Maria both rated it 4 stars, Kristen gave it only 2.5 stars, finding it boring and overly flowery. Kristen declared she prefers Hallmark vibes as movies rather than books, similar to how the other hosts prefer certain genres in different mediums.

The Book's Plot and Setup: "Lovelight Farms" follows Stella, who owns a Christmas tree farm with her best friend Luca. They've been friends for 10 years after meeting outside a hardware store when her mother passed away. To win an Instagram influencer contest and promote her farm, Stella lies about Luca being her romantic partner, forcing them into a fake dating situation while someone mysteriously sabotages the farm.

Fake Dating Trope Criticism: Kristen strongly disliked the fake dating premise, calling the reason for it (impressing a social media influencer) particularly weak and dated. She argued that basing a plot around Instagram influencers feels like it will age poorly, comparing it to how a book about Vine would feel irrelevant now. The hosts discussed how 2 million followers isn't impressive enough to warrant the character's celebrity treatment.

Overly Poetic Sex Scenes: Kristen's biggest complaint was the sex scenes, which she found too flowery and pretentious, describing them as taking "18 pages" to get anywhere. She proclaimed she prefers "down and dirty smut" over poetic descriptions, stating she'd "rather read seven books about tentacle porn" than endure more scenes with excessive romantic poetry. Maria suggested Kristen's introduction to romance through explicit smut has made her unable to appreciate slow-burn intimacy.

Childish Character Behavior: The hosts felt the adult characters acted like teenagers, particularly regarding their communication. Kristen was especially frustrated by the ending when Luca explicitly declares his love for Stella, but she refuses to believe him until she sees a TikTok video of him looking at her lovingly, calling it an absurd resolution to the romantic tension.

The Mama's Boy Discussion: The hosts debated whether there's a line between a man who respects his mother versus being a "mama's boy." They agreed Luca toed that line with his close relationship with his Italian mother. They defined a problematic mama's boy as someone who puts their mother above their partner or can't function independently, rather than simply having a close, respectful relationship.

Positive Elements - The Farm and Side Characters: Despite Kristen's overall disappointment, she appreciated several aspects: the Christmas tree farm setting, the mystery of the sabotage, the cats, and the touching moment when Stella's employees voluntarily took pay cuts to save the struggling business. She found these elements more engaging than the main romance.

Audiobook Narrator Issues: The hosts discussed how the audiobook narration may have contributed to the mixed reception. Maria felt the narrator didn't add enough emotional depth or acting to the dialogue, creating a flat delivery. Kristen, who listened at 2.5x speed, acknowledged that hearing romantic dialogue out loud makes it sound more cringeworthy than reading it on the page.

Ten-Year Romance Believability: Erica praised the book for addressing what both characters did during their 10-year friendship, including dating other people. She noted this is often a weakness in second-chance or long-term pining romances, where authors don't explain why characters waited so long or what they were doing in the interim, making this book's approach feel more realistic.

Upcoming Hiatus and New Series: The hosts announced they're taking their usual holiday break and will return in the new year with what they're calling their "CW series" - reading the first books in the Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, and The 100 series, comparing them to their television adaptations.

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The AI in Business Podcast is for non-technical business leaders who need to find AI opportunities, align AI capabilities with strategy, and deliver ROI.

Each week, Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research CEO Daniel Faggella interviews top AI executives from Fortune 500 firms and unicorn startups - to uncover trends, use-cases, and best practices for practical AI adoption.

Subscribe to Emerj's weekly AI newsletter by downloading our "Beginning with AI" PDF guide: https://emerj.com/beg1

Rethinking Clinical Trials with Faster AI-Driven Decision Making - with Shefali Kakar of Novartis

The AI in Business Podcast

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In Silico Drug Discovery and Molecular Modeling: Advanced computational models now enable pharmaceutical companies to simulate how changes at the molecular level—every carbon, hydrogen, or nitrogen modification—will affect safety, pharmacokinetics, and drug activity before physical testing begins. This capability extends to both small molecules and biologics, where protein engineering can be optimized for factors like duration in the body, making drugs that last a month more commercially viable than those requiring daily administration.

Early-Stage Capital Allocation Through Probability Modeling: Financial decision-making in drug development increasingly relies on probability of success models that integrate multiple data sources to assess market potential, safety profiles, and efficacy predictions. While current models have limitations, they're becoming more sophisticated by incorporating cross-functional insights, potentially reaching a point where phase 3 clinical trials might be replaced by highly accurate predictive modeling in the future.

In Silico Clinical Trials and Risk Assessment: Virtual clinical trials using computational models are emerging as tools for investors and pharmaceutical companies to make more informed decisions before committing to expensive human trials. These simulations help predict outcomes and guide strategic choices about which drug candidates warrant further investment.

Fail Fast Philosophy in Pharmaceuticals: Contrary to the traditional cautious approach, comprehensive data access should enable pharmaceutical companies to identify failures earlier in development, exposing fewer patients to ineffective or harmful treatments. Detecting problems in phase 1 with 20 patients is vastly preferable to discovering issues in phase 3 with thousands of participants.

Data Access and Infrastructure Challenges: The most significant gap in leveraging AI for drug development is access to data and standardized formatting. Companies are currently investing heavily in creating data lakes to consolidate information regardless of format, with plans to standardize it later for meaningful analysis and decision-making.

Learning from Failure Data: Pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions often result in the loss of valuable failure data from discontinued programs. This represents a missed opportunity, as learning from mistakes and unsuccessful molecules could inform future development strategies and prevent repeating the same errors, though this historical failure data remains largely untapped.

Multi-Factorial Model Integration: Success prediction models need greater cross-functional refinement to incorporate diverse perspectives on what makes drugs succeed or fail. As these models become more sophisticated over the next decade, they'll provide increasingly accurate guidance on which drug candidates have the highest probability of market success.

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News, politics, history, culture, and more from Jacobin. Featuring The Dig, Long Reads, Behind the News, Jacobin Radio with Suzi Weissman, and occasional specials.

Behind the News: The Honduran Elections w/ David Adler and Matt Kirkegaard

Jacobin Radio

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Honduran Elections Upended by Trump Intervention: Honduras held elections where the governing left-wing Libre Party candidate Rixie Moncada faced center-right Salvador Nasrallah and right-wing Nasri Asfura. Days before the election, Trump endorsed Asfura and pardoned former president Juan Orlando Hernandez (convicted of trafficking 400 tons of cocaine), causing Asfura and Nasrallah to tie around 40% each while the left candidate lagged far behind. This represented a dramatic reversal for a party that had reduced poverty by 4% and implemented major social programs.

Libre Party's Four-Year Record of Achievements: The Libre Party, led by President Xiomara Castro (wife of democratically elected president Mel Zelaya who was overthrown in a 2009 US-backed coup), governed after 12 years of what was widely considered a narco dictatorship. Despite facing a divided legislature and foreign opposition, they led the region in poverty reduction and implemented massive social programs in housing, education, and infrastructure development.

The Challenge of Maintaining Left-Liberal Coalitions: A regional pattern across Latin America shows left governments typically require coalitions with liberal parties to win. When these coalitions fracture, as happened in Honduras with Nasrallah's Liberal Party breaking away, the left lacks the arithmetic majority to defeat the right, especially in first-past-the-post systems without runoff elections.

Right-Wing Dominance in Social Media Politics: The left is being "outgunned and outmaneuvered" in the TikTokification of politics, with right-wing forces proving more agile and competent at using social media platforms. Traditional 20th century tactics like street mobilizations and rallies are less effective in competing on contemporary electoral terrain, particularly among young voters.

US Imperial Influence Through Multiple Channels: Honduras remains what former president Mel Zelaya called a "democracia tutelada" (tutelage democracy), with the US Southern Command headquarters in the capital, heavy US military presence, and outsized diplomatic influence. Trump threatened tariffs, aid cuts, and invoked the specter of military intervention (referencing the US armada off Venezuela's coast) to influence the election.

The Crypto-Colonial Libertarian Experiment: Under the 2009-2021 National Party government, Honduras sold sovereign territory to California crypto corporations through Zones of Employment and Economic Development (ZEDES), creating libertarian entities like Prospera on Roatan island. When Libre reclaimed this territory, these corporations sued for $11 billion in secret arbitration courts, with Peter Thiel-connected lobbyists appearing before Congress to claim democracy was under threat.

Sudan's Civil War Between Two Military Factions: Sudan's horrific civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Neither force had significant popular support before the war, though the SAF has gained some support as people view the RSF's foreign mercenaries as an invasion. The RSF originated as an auxiliary force that refused to merge with the regular army.

Foreign Powers Fueling Sudan's Conflict: Egypt and Saudi Arabia back the SAF, seeing it as a national force, while the UAE strongly supports the RSF, which aligns with its anti-Islamist ideology and provides access to Sudan's massive gold trade. Other players include Iran, Turkey, Russia, and even Ukraine (which supplied special forces to the SAF). The UAE's involvement fits its broader pattern of power projection across Libya, the Red Sea region, and the Sahel.

Gold Smuggling as Economic Driver: Sudan is one of Africa's biggest gold producers, with both the SAF and RSF functioning as economic machines heavily involved in artisanal gold mining. Notably, both factions sell their gold to the same customer: the United Arab Emirates. This shared economic interest coexists with their military conflict.

Trump's Absence from Sudan Peace Efforts: Despite claiming to have solved eight wars, Trump has been largely absent from Sudan conflict resolution, likely due to his close ties to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, whom he called "a magnificent man." The UAE has pledged over a trillion dollars to the US economy. US involvement appears necessary for peace given that many key players are US allies.

Milwaukee's Sewer Socialism as Historical Model: From 1910 to 1960, Milwaukee was run by socialists for most of 50 years, representing the most powerful socialist movement in US history. The term "sewer socialism" was a pejorative suggesting they only cared about public services, but they were genuine Marxists who saw delivering concrete improvements as necessary for building working-class confidence toward overthrowing capitalism.

Building Mass Socialist Politics Through Pragmatic Radicalism: Milwaukee socialists, led by Victor Berger (who recruited Eugene Debs to socialism), spent 20 years winning over unions before their first mayoral victory. They had one party member per 100 Milwaukee residents (compared to one per 700 in contemporary New York City DSA) and built a comprehensive working-class culture including choirs, sports leagues, carnivals, and saloons.

Electoral Success Required Labor Movement Base: Sewer socialism was primarily a labor movement project that took a political dimension, not an electoralist approach. The socialists led Wisconsin's unions from 1899 onward and ran a joint union-political project, measuring success by whether the working class was getting stronger rather than just by laws passed. By the late 1930s, Milwaukee achieved 60% union density, the highest in the country.

Concrete Achievements in Municipal Governance: The socialists ended endemic corruption, dramatically expanded public services, made housing affordable, built parks and community centers, and crucially made it easier to unionize by neutralizing police intervention in strikes. By 1936, Time magazine acknowledged Milwaukee as probably the best-governed city in America. During WWI, they bought surplus food and clothing and sold it below cost to residents.

Radical Policies Within Municipal Limits: The 1935 Hone-Sell Ordinance allowed the city to close factories that didn't respect workers' rights to unionize and imprison non-compliant bosses. This demonstrated their commitment to using state power to side with workers, pushing the limits of what public opinion and their power allowed, despite constant business and media backlash.

Defeat Came From Right-Wing Backlash, Not Co-optation: The movement's real defeat in 1940 wasn't due to selling out or getting absorbed into the system—they remained radical throughout. Instead, public opinion turned against the left starting in 1938 due to widespread sit-down strikes and perceptions that Roosevelt and socialists were pushing too far. The backlash shows that sometimes movements lose not from wrong policies but because opposition forces are too strong.

Lessons for Contemporary Socialist Mayors: The key lesson from Milwaukee is that passing ambitious reforms requires changing class forces and mass organizing outside the state, not just working within it. The socialists built pressure campaigns to force establishment politicians to pass policies, understanding that politics doesn't stop after election day but must intensify. Contemporary socialist mayors like Zoran Mamdani in New York and Katie Wilson in Seattle will need similar mass movement support to overcome structural obstacles like hostile city councils and state preemption.
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Hugo Rifkind unpacks the the politics of the day - and the stuff that's even more important - with the brightest brains from the Times and Sunday Times. You can listen to Hugo on DAB, smart speaker or app 10am-1pm Monday to Friday. If you like what you hear, then read more at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.thetimes.com/</a><hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Does Rayner Have A Plan For Power?

Politics Unpacked

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Trump's Fragile Peace Deals: Donald Trump's claims of ending multiple wars are proving fragile, with conflicts reigniting despite his announcements. His approach treats diplomacy like real estate deals - once signed, he assumes they stay done - but lacks follow-through. The Russia-Ukraine negotiations remain intractable, with Trump telling different things to each side and getting frustrated when they don't agree. Russia appears to be winning diplomatically under Trump's approach, despite not winning militarily.

Trump's Attacks on Europe: Trump criticized European leaders as "weak" and "politically correct" in a recent interview, calling Europe a "decaying group of nations." The hosts suggest this rhetoric may actually reflect American conservatives' fears about their own country rather than genuine concerns about Europe. The real test will be whether America honors NATO's Article 5 obligations if Russia invades a NATO member state.

Angela Rayner's Employment Rights Frustration: Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner expressed frustration in Parliament over delays to the Employment Rights Bill, blaming "vested interests." The irony is that those vested interests may be within her own government, particularly the Business Secretary. The bill was popular in Labour's manifesto, yet the government has been reluctant to fully embrace and promote it, reflecting their broader communication problems.

Rayner as Potential Prime Minister: Discussion has emerged about Angela Rayner potentially replacing Keir Starmer as Prime Minister if local elections go badly in five months. She's seen as the leading figure on Labour's soft left and has maintained strong support for workers' rights. However, questions remain about whether she has the transformative qualities some supporters attribute to her, and whether enough time has passed since her resignation controversy.

Labour's Communication Failures: The government consistently fails to articulate or take ownership of distinctly Labour policies like the Employment Rights Bill. They could frame current economic pain as necessary foundation-building for more equitable future growth, but instead seem ashamed of their own agenda. This extends to the budget and other policies - they won a large majority but act politically weak.

Liberal Democrats Push for Customs Union: The Lib Dems tabled a motion for a new UK-EU customs union, hoping to embarrass Starmer by getting Labour MPs to vote for it. This is parliamentary gamesmanship since Starmer likely wants such a union but can't publicly support it yet. Brexit is becoming more politically acceptable to discuss as a cause of economic problems, with Europe likely to be a major issue for the government in the coming year.

Great British Railways Launch: The government announced details about the nationalized rail company, featuring a red, white and blue color scheme. While rail nationalization is popular policy, concerns exist about whether it will actually improve service or just transfer problems from private companies to government. Previous nationalizations like Transpennine Express suggest the transition is complex and potentially costly.

Joey Barton's Suspended Sentence: Former footballer Joey Barton received a suspended sentence for offensive social media posts about broadcaster Jeremy Vine and female football pundits. The case highlights how social media companies outsource policing of abusive content to courts rather than managing it themselves. This creates unnecessary burdens on an already backlogged court system when platforms should be responsible for their own spaces.

Cambridge Christmas Market Controversy: Technology company Arm Holdings caused outrage by renting out Cambridge's entire Christmas market for a private corporate event on a Saturday before Christmas, turning away members of the public who had traveled hours to visit. The episode generated terrible PR for the company and exemplified corporate tone-deafness during the holiday season.

The Rise of Novelty Christmas Baubles: Sales of traditional glass baubles have dropped 60% as people increasingly buy novelty decorations like Ozempic needles and champagne bottles. However, research shows Charles Dickens described similarly eccentric Victorian Christmas trees with dolls, watches, guns and witches, suggesting this trend is actually a return to historical tradition rather than modern tackiness.

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He’s a former Secret Service Agent, former NYPD officer, and New York Times best-selling author. Join Dan Bongino each weekday as he tackles the hottest political issues, debunking both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric.

HOT MIC: President Trump Is Fed Up! | Episode 184

The Dan Bongino Show

VINCE

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Jasmine Crockett's Senate Campaign Launch: Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett announced her run for Senate in Texas with a bizarre campaign video consisting primarily of President Trump repeatedly insulting her, calling her "a very low IQ person." The announcement included no substantive message about why voters should support her, featured a rapper who forgot his own lyrics mid-performance, and displayed poor production values with teleprompters visible in frame. The host views this as excellent news for Republicans, as Texas loves Trump and Crockett has previously claimed Hispanic Trump voters have a "slave mentality."

The Blue Slip Crisis Blocking Trump's Prosecutors: President Trump cannot get his U.S. Attorney nominees confirmed due to the "blue slip" tradition—a handshake agreement allowing individual senators to veto judicial and prosecutorial appointments in their states. Democratic senators are using this to block all of Trump's nominees, leaving critical prosecutorial positions unfilled. Alina Habba resigned as acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey after courts ruled her appointment unlawful, taking a new advisory role at DOJ instead.

Republican Senators Obstructing Trump's Agenda: Senate Republicans, particularly Majority Leader John Thune and Judiciary Committee member Chuck Grassley, are refusing to eliminate the blue slip tradition despite it being merely custom, not law or Senate rule. Grassley argues that eliminating it would allow Democrats to run roughshod when they regain power, but the host argues Democrats will do this anyway, making Republicans "suckers" for maintaining the tradition now.

Trump Caught on Hot Mic Expressing Frustration: President Trump was captured on camera in a White House hallway venting frustration about his inability to appoint prosecutors, saying "I can't appoint anybody. Everybody I appoint, the time is expired and then they're in default." He publicly stated Republicans "should be ashamed of themselves" for allowing the blue slip obstruction to continue.

The Accountability Crisis and Statute of Limitations: Nearly a year into Trump's second term, time is running out to prosecute individuals who committed crimes during previous administrations. Without Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorneys who can see cases through to conviction, statutes of limitations are expiring on crimes like James Comey's alleged lying to Congress. Temporary acting attorneys cannot effectively prosecute because they lack the authority and longevity to complete cases.

Trump's Midterm Strategy: Chief of Staff Susie Wiles announced Trump will campaign extensively for the 2026 midterms "like it's 2024 again," directly contradicting the traditional midterm strategy of localizing races. The goal is to mobilize low-propensity voters who turned out for Trump in 2024 by making the midterms a referendum on Trump's agenda rather than trying to distance candidates from the president.

Low-Propensity Voters and the New Republican Coalition: Trump has transformed the Republican Party from a "country club" party into a working-class, racially diverse coalition of low-propensity voters who don't typically vote in midterms. These voters need compelling reasons to show up, particularly feeling that Trump's agenda is on the ballot. The host argues this is the key to achieving historic Republican margins in the midterms.

Additional Republican Senate Obstruction: Beyond the blue slip, Republicans are maintaining the silent filibuster (allowing legislation to die without anyone actually speaking) and refusing to go into official recess, which would allow Trump to make recess appointments. These decisions are seen as Republicans deliberately obstructing Trump's ability to advance his agenda despite controlling both chambers.

Ketanji Brown Jackson's Unconstitutional Argument: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson argued during oral arguments that "independent agencies" should exist outside presidential control, with experts who cannot be fired by the president. She suggested allowing the president to fire agency heads and replace them with "loyalists" who "don't know anything" would not serve citizens' interests. The host characterized this as advocating for an unconstitutional fourth branch of government that voters cannot influence.

Congressional Republicans Must Deliver Results: Republicans in Congress are urged to demonstrate they deserve reelection by delivering on key agenda items: confirming Trump's prosecutors, passing voter integrity legislation, and reforming healthcare by reducing government involvement. The argument is that Trump is succeeding on border security, spending cuts, and peace deals, but Congress must do its part to earn voter support in the midterms.

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In the Market with Janet Parshall, challenges listeners to examine major news stories and issues being debated in the marketplace of ideas and speaks to them with the Word of God.

Hour 2:  Gay Celibacy?

In the Market with Janet Parshall

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Understanding "Gay Celibacy" Language: Joe Dallas challenges the terminology of "gay celibate" and "gay Christian," arguing that these terms create a specialized category that separates believers from the rest of the church body. He contends that celibacy is simply celibacy - there's no need for qualifiers like "heterosexual celibate" or "gay celibate." This language suggests an innate identity rather than recognizing homosexuality as a temptation that, like all temptations, should be referred to in past tense as Paul does in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ("such were some of you").

The Problem with Positive Terminology for Sin: Dallas explains that "gay" is inherently a positive term, and using positive language to describe a sinful tendency suggests making peace with that sin rather than fighting against it. He argues that believers struggling with same-sex attraction should not identify themselves by their temptations any more than someone would say "I'm a lying Christian" or "I'm an adulterous Christian." Our identity should be found solely in Christ, not in our struggles.

Why Churches Are Embracing This Concept: Some pastors and church leaders are adopting "gay celibate" language partly due to wanting to appear "cool," enlightened, and edgy, Dallas suggests. Additionally, many are trying to prove they're not hateful in response to cultural accusations against Christians who teach that homosexuality is sin. This represents the culture infecting Christian thinking, as society increasingly uses specialized labels for every human experience.

Biblical Marriage and Sexual Ethics: Dallas returns to Genesis, explaining that God created marriage as one man and one woman with the directive to be fruitful and multiply. Any sexual activity outside this paradigm - regardless of one's proclivities - is sin according to Scripture. Celibacy is always the right choice for both homosexuals and heterosexuals outside of marriage, period.

The Reality of Temptation and Sanctification: Dallas addresses the misunderstanding that if someone has repented of homosexuality but still experiences temptation, they must not be truly saved. He explains that all believers retain their old nature alongside their new nature until death or Christ's return. Struggling against sin is actually proof of being a Christian - non-believers wouldn't care about resisting. The discomfort of resisting temptation is normal and part of taking up one's cross daily.

Pastoral Equiping Through "The Challenge": Dallas launched a monthly Zoom meeting for pastors to equip them in counseling people dealing with sexuality issues, which has grown from hoped-for 100 participants to over 800 pastors from at least 13 different countries. He created this because too many people were bypassing their local churches for instruction on these matters, and most seminaries haven't adequately trained pastors to handle LGBT-related issues.

Resources for Parents and Families: Dallas offers video courses including "When Someone You Love Is Gay" for parents whose children come out to them, helping them navigate remaining faithful to biblical truth while maintaining their bond with their children. He emphasizes practical advice on what to say and what not to say during this difficult journey.

Celibacy in Modern Culture: In a sex-saturated culture that teaches inevitability of sexual activity from elementary school onward, Dallas emphasizes that Christians must demonstrate that celibacy is entirely possible and that people can live full, vibrant lives without sexual relationships, as Paul and Jesus did. However, he distinguishes between the gift of lifelong celibacy (a calling for the minority) and situational celibacy (for most unmarried people).

Parental Accommodation of Sin: Dallas strongly rebukes Christian parents who accommodate their children's sexual sin by providing condoms or "safe spaces" for sexual activity. He argues this demonstrates a strange relationship with the Bible, which commands that fornication should not even be named among believers. Such accommodation teaches children that when life gets tough, they should find "nice" ways to disobey God rather than maintain holiness.

Teaching Children to Be Different: Dallas shares from his own parenting experience that a foundational lesson for Christian children is understanding that "we are different" - not weird or freakish, but simply following God's Word even when it contradicts what everyone else is doing. He taught this principle to his children long before discussing sexuality, so when those conversations came, the framework was already established.

The Church's Role and Responsibility: Churches need to faithfully teach how to handle feelings that take people outside God's will and how to make decisions based on rational understanding of Scripture rather than feelings. This approach will equip all believers, regardless of what they're struggling with, to lead sanctified lives. The goal isn't to make people happy or be liked, but to faithfully serve Christ.

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Ever notice that we will talk about everything before we talk about money? Sex? No problem. Politics? Bring it on. Money? Totally taboo. But not for long! Nicole Lapin— the only financial expert you don’t need a dictionary to understand, New York Times best-selling author, and host of Money Rehab— is here to rehab your wallet, so you can get your financial life together once and for all. Episodes are just ten minutes-ish... no frills, just bite-sized tips and tricks so you don’t waste any time. And Nicole wants to hear from YOU! Email the money questions you want answered to moneyrehab@moneynewsnetwork.com and Nicole will help–and you could even join Nicole on the show for a one-on-one intervention.

When Renting Makes More Sense Than Buying

Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin

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The "Renting is Throwing Money Away" Myth: Nicole challenges one of the most common personal finance opinions—that renting is throwing money down the drain. She argues this perspective is fundamentally flawed and that renting can actually be a smart financial strategy, not a failure or temporary phase.

The Hidden Costs of Homeownership: While building equity sounds appealing, homeowners face significant expenses they never recoup: closing costs when buying and selling (6-10% of home value), property taxes, homeowners insurance, repairs, maintenance, HOA fees, and crucially, mortgage interest. These costs represent money that's also "thrown away" just like rent.

The Shocking Reality of Mortgage Interest: Using a $500,000 home example with 20% down at current rates, buyers will pay over $400,000 in interest alone—making the true cost closer to $900,000. Interest is front-loaded, meaning after five years you'll have paid $133,000 in interest but only $26,000 toward principal, building very little actual equity despite years of payments.

Stock Market Returns vs. Real Estate Appreciation: Historically, US home prices appreciate around 4.5% annually, while the S&P 500 averages 10% returns. This difference compounds dramatically over time, making stock market investing potentially more lucrative than homeownership for wealth building.

The 30-Year Comparison in Los Angeles: Nicole presents a detailed scenario comparing renting ($3,000/month) versus buying ($5,000/month mortgage). If you rent and invest the $2,000 monthly difference plus the $100,000 down payment over 30 years, you'd have $5.7 million versus $1.9 million in home appreciation—a profit of $4.9 million versus $1 million respectively.

When Buying Does Make Sense: Purchasing a home can be wise if you plan to stay at least 5-7 years, if monthly ownership costs are close to or less than rent, if you're in a market with rapidly rising rents, or if homeownership provides emotional value like stability and control over your space that's worth the financial trade-off.

The Value Renting Provides: Renting isn't wasting money—it's paying for shelter, safety, flexibility, no surprise repair bills, lower insurance premiums, and freedom from property taxes. These benefits free up capital for investing and provide valuable optionality, which is powerful in finance.

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The Raven and Top Lobsta take you on a journey through the conspiratorial, the supernatural and the occult. 

Elijah in a Whirlwind - Matttitude Edition

Nephilim Death Squad

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Bible Study Challenges and Community Tensions: The hosts address multiple conflicts within the Christian conspiracy community, including criticism from Timothy Alberino about "Nephilim podcasters" who say aliens are demons, and discussions about the Telepathy Tapes potentially being CIA-infiltrated. They debate whether other podcasters adequately challenge problematic narratives when interviewing guests.

Biblical Interpretation and Authority: A major discussion centers on 1 John 2:27, which states believers don't need anyone to teach them because the Holy Spirit dwells within. This counters claims by figures like Nick Fuentes that regular people can't interpret the Bible without experts, emphasizing individual access to God's truth through the anointing.

Angels: Power, Authority, and Free Will: An extended theological debate explores the nature of angels, with disagreement about their capabilities and importance. One host argues angels are "automatons" with limited free will who can't create or sing, while Matt defends angels as part of God's family with genuine agency, citing that fallen angels made conscious choices to rebel.

The Nature of the Alien Phenomenon: The hosts clarify their position isn't simply "aliens are demons" but rather that the phenomenon is multifaceted, involving demonic components, physical technology, disembodied Nephilim spirits, and potentially biomechanical constructs operated by spiritual entities. They see modern disclosure efforts as part of an ancient deception—a rebranding of the "old gods."

Elijah's Ministry Begins (2 Kings 1-2): The study covers King Ahaziah falling through a lattice and seeking healing from Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, instead of Israel's God. Elijah prophesies the king's death for this apostasy, demonstrating that covenant people should seek God rather than foreign deities.

Fire from Heaven and Divine Authority: When the king sends soldiers to capture Elijah, the prophet calls down fire from heaven twice, consuming fifty soldiers each time. The third captain humbles himself and is spared. This demonstrates the stark reality of God's kingdom operating with real power, not "puppies and rainbows."

Sons of the Prophets and Spiritual Mentorship: Elijah had established training centers for prophets at Bethel and Jericho, though little is recorded about his interactions with them. Before his departure, he visits these locations, demonstrating the importance of raising up the next generation in prophetic ministry.

Elisha's Double Portion Request: When Elijah offers to grant Elisha a final request, Elisha asks for a double portion of his spirit—the inheritance of a firstborn son. Elijah says this is a "hard thing" but if Elisha sees him taken, it will be granted, emphasizing the importance of spiritual vision and staying close.

The Rapture of Elijah: Elijah is taken to heaven in a whirlwind accompanied by chariots and horses of fire, with Elisha witnessing the event. This demonstrates God's mercy—instead of dying alone in the wilderness as Elijah once desired, he departs with someone calling him "father," showing God's faithful care for His servants.

Elisha Inherits the Mantle: After Elijah is taken, Elisha picks up the fallen mantle and strikes the Jordan River, which parts just as it did for Elijah. The sons of the prophets recognize that "the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha," confirming the transfer of prophetic authority and calling.

Healing Jericho's Waters: Elisha's first miracle involves purifying Jericho's water supply with salt, making it drinkable and ending barrenness. This establishes him as a legitimate prophet continuing Elijah's ministry and symbolizes believers being "salt of the earth" who bring healing.

Bears Maul the Mockers: When young people (possibly young adults rather than small children) mock Elisha saying "go up, bald head," he curses them and two she-bears emerge, killing forty-two of them. This shocking judgment emphasizes the spiritual warfare context and the seriousness of mocking God's anointed.

Dwelling on Christ vs. Dwelling on Darkness: Matt expresses concern about spending too much time focused on paranormal testimonies, alien encounters, and demonic activity, suggesting it can take a spiritual toll. While acknowledging such research helps people understand deception, he emphasizes the importance of keeping one's primary gaze on Christ rather than the enemy's activities.

The Value of Being Present in Crisis: Matt shares a powerful story about being first on the scene of a car accident involving a UPS driver, holding the injured man's head and praying for him until paramedics arrived. This connects to the biblical theme of not dying alone, paralleling how God ensured Elijah didn't die alone despite his earlier desire to do so.

Modern Prophetic Ministry and False Teachers: The discussion asks "where are the Elijahs of God today?" questioning whether true prophetic voices are the ones running seminars and taking money, or if real prophets operate differently. This challenges the modern influencer-driven Christian conference culture.

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DHARMA GLIMPSES is an introduction to The Profound Treasury teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, taught by Judy Lief. In these short, accessible talks, Judy invites listeners to explore the subtleties and delights of the Buddhist path of meditation and insight. She introduces listeners to some of the key ways that mark Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's unique and brilliant exposition of the dharma in the context of contemporary Western society.

Episode 108: Heart of Hearts

Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

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The Buddhist Path as an Active Journey: Despite the common image of the Buddha sitting in still meditation, the Buddhist path is actually dynamic and ever-evolving. It's fundamentally a journey driven by an inner sense of something lost or missing within us—what can be called our "heart of hearts."

The Loss of Innocence and Tender Heart: Many of us carry a kind of grief for something we've become estranged from—a sweet, tender, vulnerable soft spot within ourselves that resembles childhood innocence. Over time, we learn to cover up this part of ourselves, guarding and armoring it because it feels too pure and tender to expose to the world.

The Pain of Armoring and Self-Protection: Rather than completely moving on from this tender core, most people remain deeply affected by it. We develop layers of protection, cynicism, and self-doubt that keep us skimming the surface of life. Ironically, we become most afraid of our own heart of hearts—our own awakened, tender quality.

The Path as Longing and Recognition: The dharma path can be understood as one of recognizing or glimpsing that tender heart, experiencing the pain of being estranged from our core being, and longing to bridge that gap. It's about moving beyond protectionism and paranoia to reconnect with our true nature.

Intelligent Naivete vs. Construction Projects: The spiritual path isn't about returning to vulnerable stupidity, but to an "intelligent naivete"—a deep trust in our heart of hearts while seeing through posturing and pretensions. Much of life resembles a giant construction project where we build stories about who we are, but the dharma path is actually about returning to what's already there, not going somewhere else.
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Democracy Now! is an independent daily TV & radio news program, hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. We provide daily global news headlines, in-depth interviews and investigative reports without any advertisements or government funding. Our programming shines a spotlight on corporate and government abuses of power and lifts up the stories of ordinary people working to make change in extraordinary times. Democracy Now! is live weekdays at 8am ET and available 24/7 through our website and podcasts.

Democracy Now! 2025-12-09 Tuesday

Democracy Now! Audio

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Israeli Military Chief Declares Gaza Partition: Israeli Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told soldiers that the "yellow line" dividing Gaza under Trump's ceasefire plan will become Israel's new border, giving Israel control of more than half of Gaza's territory despite provisions stating Israel would not occupy or annex Gaza. A new Reporters Without Borders report found Israel has killed more journalists in 2025 than any other country for the third consecutive year, with 29 Palestinian journalists among 67 killed worldwide.

Supreme Court Signals Support for Presidential Firing Power: The Supreme Court's conservative majority indicated it may overturn a 90-year precedent limiting presidential power to fire independent government officials, hearing arguments in the case of fired FTC member Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Liberal justices warned this would "destroy the structure of government" and grant the President "massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power."

Trump's Controversial Actions on Media and Immigration: President Trump verbally attacked multiple female journalists, calling them "obnoxious," "stupid," "ugly," and "piggy" when pressed on releasing video footage of Caribbean boat strikes. His administration has pardoned about 100 people convicted of drug-related crimes while claiming to target drug trafficking, including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez who was sentenced to 45 years for cocaine conspiracy.

ICE Enforcement Tactics Draw Condemnation: Federal immigration agents pointed guns at protesters at Augsburg University in Minneapolis after arresting a student without a proper warrant. In Washington state, ICE agents released an attack dog on Wilmer Toledo Martinez, causing severe injuries requiring hospitalization, prompting Senator Patty Murray to condemn the "horrific" treatment. California, Illinois, and New York have created portals for documenting ICE misconduct.

Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery: Days after Netflix announced an $83 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros. assets, Paramount launched a nearly $78 billion hostile takeover bid backed by Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners. President Trump stated he would "be involved" in deciding which merger to approve, raising concerns about conflicts of interest given his son-in-law's financial stake.

Media Consolidation Threatens Industry and Democracy: Critics including Jane Fonda warn that further media consolidation will mean fewer jobs, fewer creative risks, less diversity in storytelling, and reduced bargaining power for unions. Media reform advocates note that previous Warner Bros. mergers (AOL Time Warner, AT&T Time Warner) have been disastrous for workers and audiences, yet another massive consolidation is being pushed forward.

Trump Administration Manipulates Merger Reviews: Media companies are competing for Trump's favor rather than competing in the marketplace, with Paramount's case resting on claims that Trump "likes them better" and promises to control CNN favorably. The head of antitrust enforcement from Trump's first term is now Paramount's top lawyer working to secure approval for the hostile takeover.

National Parks Fee Changes Eliminate MLK and Juneteenth Free Days: The Trump administration ended free admission to national parks on Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth—the only two federal holidays honoring Black history—while adding free admission on Trump's birthday. The Interior Department also announced higher fees for non-U.S. residents as part of "America First entry fee policies."

Advocates Reframe Parks Decision as Opportunity: Despite criticism, some advocates see the policy change as potentially beneficial, arguing it will spark greater conversation about Black history in national parks and motivate people to learn about contributions by people of color throughout the park system. They emphasize that African Americans, Latino Americans, and Asian Americans represent less than 7% of national park visitors combined.

Supporters March 103 Miles for Mumia Abu-Jamal's Medical Care: Activists completed a 12-day march ending at the Pennsylvania prison where Mumia Abu-Jamal is held, demanding medical treatment to prevent permanent vision loss. The 71-year-old imprisoned journalist and former Black Panther has been unable to read or write for months due to cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, with prison healthcare contractor Wellpath limiting specialist care to save money.

Mumia's Case Remains Unresolved After 44 Years: Arrested on December 9, 1981, for the murder of a Philadelphia police officer, Mumia Abu-Jamal has maintained his innocence for over four decades. Evidence discovered in 2019 by Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's office included notes from key witnesses requesting "money owed" from prosecutors, suggesting witness coercion, but no movement has been made to reopen the case despite progressive leadership.

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ESPN Fantasy Football experts Field Yates, Daniel Dopp, Mike Clay and Stephania Bell provide daily strategy, previews, injury reports, and debates around news and notes of the day.

Week 15 Waiver Wire + Bounce Back Candidates | Fantasy Focus 🏈

Fantasy Focus Football

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Philip Rivers Potential Comeback: The 44-year-old retired quarterback may return to the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts after Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear and backup Riley Leonard developed knee soreness. Rivers, who hasn't played in five years and is now a grandfather, represents a desperate measure for a Colts team clinging to playoff hopes at 6-7. The workout has already taken place, with a decision expected soon.

Monday Night Football Recap - Eagles vs. Chargers: Cameron Dicker was the game's highest scorer with 20 fantasy points. Jalen Hurts had a historically bad performance with 0.4 fantasy points, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble - including one play where he threw an interception, recovered it, then fumbled again, losing four fantasy points on a single play. Saquon Barkley had 122 rushing yards and a 52-yard touchdown, showing signs of returning to form with the Eagles' favorable schedule ahead (Raiders, Commanders, Giants).

Jalen Hurts' Rushing Concerns: The analysis reveals troubling trends for Hurts' fantasy value - he's had five or fewer rush attempts in five of his last seven games and hasn't exceeded 35 rushing yards in any recent game. His lack of rushing volume, combined with minimal tush push opportunities, has significantly diminished his fantasy ceiling despite his typically safe floor.

Running Back Waiver Wire Priorities: Blake Corum has emerged as a legitimate option in the Rams backfield, averaging over 10 yards per carry for two straight weeks with 128 yards and two touchdowns last week. The show emphasizes that Kyren Williams and Corum are now operating in a series-based split. Jalen Wright is recommended as a handcuff for Devonta Achane owners, especially with the Monday night game timing providing insurance value.

Quarterback Streaming Options for Week 15: Marcus Mariota (11% rostered) is the top add for Jayden Daniels managers, having scored 23 fantasy points in his last start with three games over 18 points this season. He faces the Giants, who've allowed the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. J.J. McCarthy is recommended against Dallas, which has allowed the most fantasy points to the position.

Playoff Roster Strategy: The hosts emphasize that waiver adds during playoffs aren't just about improving your team - they're also about blocking opponents from accessing valuable resources. Players should consider adding handcuffs and potential breakout candidates to prevent other playoff teams from using them.

Eagles Offense Schedule Upgrade: Philadelphia's remaining schedule offers significant fantasy upside with matchups against the Raiders (Week 15), Commanders twice, and Giants. This favorable stretch could make Saquon Barkley and other Eagles weapons more reliable after several weeks of underperformance.

Saints Defense Playoff Stash: Field Yates recommends adding the Saints defense for their upcoming schedule: Panthers (Week 15), Titans (Week 16), Jets (Week 17), and Falcons (Week 18). After holding their own against Tampa Bay's offense, they face potentially the weakest quarterback slate available down the stretch.

Season-Long vs. Pocket Players Concept: The discussion introduces an important fantasy framework - differentiating between "season-long players" who maintain consistency (like Christian McCaffrey) and "pocket players" who have hot/cold streaks (like Ameika Abuka, Quentin Johnston). Understanding this distinction helps manage expectations and avoid overreacting to short-term trends.

Week 15 Bounce Back Candidates Analysis: Ashton Jeanty remains a low-end RB2 despite last week's dud, as he still commands 17+ touches per game. Patrick Mahomes is harder to trust after finishing near QB30 last week, having zero or one passing touchdown in four of his last five games. Chris Olave should bounce back against Carolina after a weather-impacted game, having seen 28 targets in the three games prior.

Focus Show League Playoff Picture: The six-team playoff field is set with Zach and Trophy Smack earning first-round byes. Eric Moody (5-seed) faces Tyler (4-seed), while Mike Clay's controversial kicker streaming strategy helped him secure the final playoff spot over Field Yates, who lost despite having Patrick Mahomes.

Tight End Streaming Options: Harold Fannin Jr. is recommended for playoff teams needing tight end help, with six games of at least 10 fantasy points this season and a favorable matchup against Chicago in Week 15. The discussion also covers Chris Godwin's viability on Thursday night, with the panel narrowly favoring him over Fannin in a close decision.

Wide Receiver Volatility in Week 14: The top 10 fantasy receivers from Week 14 included unexpected names like Michael Wilson, Ryan Flournoy, Christian Watson, and Tim Patrick - demonstrating that 40% of the week's top performers were players that wouldn't have been drafted. This underscores the importance of staying active on waivers and recognizing emerging opportunities throughout the season.

Breece Hall Concerns for Week 15: Hall faces the Jaguars, who have the NFL's top-ranked run defense and have allowed only one running back to reach 20 fantasy points this season. Combined with the Jets' offensive struggles, Hall is viewed as a risky flex play at best, ranking around RB25 for the week despite his typical volume.

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Matt Harmon and James Koh whip around the NFL and cover the position they know best: Wide receivers. Using the data from Harmon's exclusive Reception Perception charting methodology, the guys give their takes on receivers at every level of the game. Whether it's the biggest stars in the league or new rookies bursting on the scene, you won't get better wideout information anywhere else. Along the way, they'll break down the biggest stories in the NFL and offer up a few big-picture fantasy football thoughts, as well.

[FULL EPISODE] Week 14 Takeaways!

Reception Perception: The Show

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Indianapolis Colts Face Catastrophic Setback with Daniel Jones' Torn Achilles: The Colts' promising 8-2 start has completely unraveled after quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a season-ending torn Achilles injury. This is particularly devastating as Jones was having a career year and finally finding chemistry with coach Shane Steichen. The injury not only ends their playoff hopes (now just 42% probability despite being the 8 seed) but creates massive uncertainty for the franchise's future, as Jones was on a one-year deal and they've already traded away two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner. Sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard will now start, showing some capability in his debut but facing a brutal schedule ahead.

AFC Playoff Picture Undergoes Dramatic Transformation: The traditional AFC powerhouses Kansas City and Baltimore are struggling, potentially missing the playoffs entirely. This represents a welcome change from the usual Mahomes-dominated postseason narrative. Both franchises may have gotten too complacent—Kansas City's offense appears outdated despite Andy Reid's 13 years with the team, and Baltimore's decision to extend Mark Andrews and stand pat on their roster is being questioned. The potential absence of Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow from the playoffs would make Josh Allen the best quarterback remaining.

Brian Thomas Jr.'s Sophomore Slump and Path Forward: After an impressive 1,200-yard rookie season, Brian Thomas Jr. has struggled significantly in year two, dealing with multiple injuries including wrist, shoulder, and ankle issues. His usage has shifted dramatically, with Jacoby Myers now clearly the Jaguars' primary receiver. However, the team is smartly building his confidence by limiting him primarily to vertical routes and outside receiver work—areas where he excels with an 80% success rate versus press coverage. The 2025 season appears to be a lost year, but the coaching staff is positioning him for a potential bounce-back in 2026.

Christian Watson's Remarkable ACL Recovery and Career-Best Performance: Watson is playing the best football of his career just months after tearing his ACL in January, which defied all expectations. He's improved his catch rate from 54% to 66%, increased his yards per game from 43 to 64, and already has five touchdowns since Week 8. Most impressively, he's become an elite slant and in-breaking route runner—previously a weakness—while maintaining his deep threat ability. He hit 21 mph on a catch-and-run play, showing he's regained his explosiveness. The Packers' decision to give him a one-year extension is looking brilliant, and he's clearly established himself as Green Bay's number one receiver.

Green Bay's Wide Receiver Rotation Continues Its Chaotic Ways: The Packers' infamous receiver rotation struck again with Bo Melton—a converting cornerback who barely plays—catching a 45-yard touchdown on just five routes. This came in a game where Dontayvion Wicks ran only three routes despite having a breakout performance the previous week. With Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs, Jayden Reed (returning from IR), rookie Malik Willis, and others all competing for snaps, the rotation remains unpredictable and frustrating for fantasy managers, though the talent level across the room is undeniable.

DJ Moore's Complete Collapse in Chicago's Offense: Despite being the highest-paid skill position player on the Bears, Moore has become an afterthought in Ben Johnson's offense, recording just three targets for negative four yards against Green Bay. Over the last five games, his production has been abysmal (0, 18, two touchdowns against Pittsburgh, 17, and -4 yards). He's being targeted at a rate comparable to minimum-salary players like Mac Hollins and Greg Dortch. The fundamental issue is that Moore isn't a detail-oriented player, which Johnson's offense demands—he's inconsistent with route depths and timing. Moore will almost certainly not be a Bear in 2026.

Luther Burden's Developmental Year in Chicago: Despite Rome Odunze missing time with a stress fracture, the Bears haven't elevated Burden to the number two receiver role, keeping him at around 69% route participation. This suggests the coaching staff views 2025 as a development year for the rookie, allowing him to grow without overwhelming responsibilities. Burden showed promise with four catches for 67 yards (leading the team) when given opportunities, but he's not yet ready to handle the full move-around role that Odunze occupies. The Bears are positioning him to be the clear number two receiver in 2026 after Moore's expected departure.

Rome Odunze Playing Through Stress Fracture Explains Performance Dip: The revelation that Odunze has been playing through a stress fracture in his foot provides crucial context for his inconsistent second-year performance. While he's shown excellence in man coverage situations and has the trust to play all three receiver positions as a sophomore, injuries have clearly impacted his effectiveness, particularly on contested catches and plays requiring physicality. His status as the Bears' true number one receiver when healthy remains intact, and 2026 with Burden and tight end Cade Loveland could form an exciting young core.

Jacksonville's Playoff Push with Trevor Lawrence's Resurgence: Trevor Lawrence delivered one of his best performances of the season against Indianapolis, particularly excelling on aggressive downfield throws. The Jaguars have a 97% playoff probability according to various models, making their postseason appearance nearly certain. Head coach Liam Cohen has smartly adjusted the offense to feature Jacoby Myers as the primary move receiver while simplifying Brian Thomas Jr.'s role, creating a more functional passing attack that plays to each receiver's strengths.

Reception Perception Methodology Validates Elite Receivers Through Press Coverage Success: Receivers who achieve over 90th percentile success rates versus press coverage in their rookie seasons have historically become elite players—a group including CD Lamb, Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase, Tyreek Hill, and others. Brian Thomas Jr. posted an 80.8% success rate (93rd percentile) as a rookie, placing him in this elite company despite his current struggles. This data point reinforces the argument for patience with his development, as the foundational skills that predict long-term success are clearly present.
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Neil Patel and Eric Siu bring you daily ACTIONABLE digital marketing lessons that they've learned through years of being in the trenches. Whether you have a new website or you're an established business, you'll learn the latest SEO, content marketing, social media, email marketing, conversion optimization and general online marketing strategies that work today from people that actually practice marketing and operate businesses.
Approaching 100M downloads with 2,500+ episodes, you're sure to find something that will help you grow faster. Also don't forget to subscribe to our Marketing School YouTube channel to get more marketing goodness.

Founders Must Let The Cake Bake

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

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Letting the Cake Bake - The Importance of Patience in Business Initiatives: Founders need to resist constantly checking on progress and give initiatives time to develop naturally. Just as you can't speed up a pregnancy by impregnating nine women, business results require patience. SEO efforts, for example, take 6-12 months to show results, not 30 days. The key is to set initiatives in motion with dedicated teams, then move focus elsewhere while letting them mature rather than constantly interfering.

Investing in Team Development Through Peer Learning: Creating "key associate forms" where executives meet monthly with more experienced peers in their roles has proven valuable. For around $3,000 per year, team members like CTOs or Chief Revenue Officers can join peer groups of leaders ahead of them, learning through osmosis. This structured peer mentorship accelerates leadership development far beyond what internal training can provide.

The Billionaire Debate and Identifying the Real Enemy: Vilifying billionaires reflects low IQ thinking because it misplaces blame on successful people who haven't actually harmed you. Anyone working for billionaires does so voluntarily in a free market. The real enemy isn't the rich versus the poor, but bad actors at all economic levels - particularly those who use government power to control others rather than allowing people to live in peace. Celebrating success and equal opportunity (not equal outcomes) should be the focus.

Where Vibe Coding Falls Short: Despite powerful AI tools like Gemini 3 enabling easy app creation, vibe coding isn't a replacement for established SaaS solutions. Dharmesh Shah of HubSpot notes that despite their talented team, they've replaced exactly zero internal SaaS applications with vibe-coded alternatives. The issue isn't lack of talent but presence of focus - companies should direct energy toward creating customer value, not rebuilding HR systems, expense tracking, or other commodity tools that already exist.

The Trap of Internal Tool Building: Marketing teams are wasting time vibe coding their own social media management tools when solutions like Sprout Social or Hootsuite already exist. When calculating employee time costs versus subscription fees, buying existing tools is almost always cheaper. Teams spending time on internal development show increased output but decreased revenue impact because they're focused on perceived progress rather than actual customer value creation.

The Virality Strategy Misconception: Young founders like the 21-year-old Cluly founder argue virality is a viable company-building strategy, but this isn't new - it's just the latest format (short-form content). While virality can help companies grow faster and compress time, it doesn't build generational businesses. Examples like Dollar Shave Club aside, sustainable companies require all the fundamental components beyond just viral moments. Virality provides dopamine hits but doesn't equal solid business operations.

Strong Promises Drive Conversions But Increase Churn: Modern AI companies are making bold promises ("cheat on everything," "no coding required") which dramatically increases conversion rates. Adding proof elements like testimonials boosts this further. However, the strategy of attracting broad audiences with big promises leads to exceptionally high churn when expectations aren't met. Only ideal customers stick around, while others churn out - a departure from traditional focused marketing to ideal customer profiles.

Creator Popularity Versus Business Operations: Many creators with large followings and viral content don't actually want to operate real businesses - they're chasing dopamine hits from views and recognition rather than grinding through business building. Having an audience is fundamentally different from solving customer problems and building sustainable operations. The trap is optimizing for fame and validation rather than business fundamentals.

Avoiding Key Man Syndrome and Building Generational Businesses: A business shouldn't rely on one individual's personal brand or presence to grow. While someone like Taylor Swift has a business based on her brand, this creates a short-term enterprise, not a generational one. The goal should be building businesses that can last hundreds of years without depending on any single person - avoiding the key man syndrome that concerns buyers.

The Danger of Chasing Views Over Core Business: When founders get sucked into chasing virality and views, they start doing things for the audience rather than staying true to their core business. This leads to behaviors misaligned with actual business needs. The focus should remain on solving real customer problems, not optimizing for social media metrics or line lengths at conferences.
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News and inspiration from nature’s frontline, featuring inspiring guests and deeper analysis of the global environmental issues explored every day by the Mongabay.com team, from climate change to biodiversity, tropical ecology, wildlife, and more. The show airs every other week.

Former US senator Russ Feingold on the nonpartisan nature of conservation

Mongabay Newscast

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The Campaign for Nature's Mission and 30x30 Goals: Former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold chairs the Global Steering Committee for the Campaign for Nature, a nonprofit advocating for the Convention on Biodiversity's 30x30 initiative—protecting 30% of land and water by 2030. Following a 2019 UN report warning that a million species face extinction, the campaign works to generate public and political support for nature protection, bringing together former political leaders from across the ideological spectrum rather than just scientists and environmentalists.

Building a Bipartisan Coalition of Former Leaders: The Global Steering Committee includes prominent former heads of state like Mary Robinson (former Irish President), Malcolm Turnbull (former Australian Prime Minister), and Lord Goldsmith (former UK environment minister). The group deliberately spans the political spectrum, including Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, and progressives who share a commitment to nature conservation, demonstrating that environmental protection can transcend partisan divisions.

Centering Indigenous Rights in Conservation: The campaign acknowledges the problematic history of conservation displacing indigenous peoples, such as when early national parks in Africa removed native populations. By the 2022 Kunming-Montreal agreement, indigenous involvement became one of three core priorities alongside the 30x30 goal and financing. Indigenous and local communities are now recognized as the people who know best how to preserve nature and are most committed to its protection.

The Critical Funding Gap for Global South Nations: Most biodiversity conservation work needs to happen in global south countries that lack the financial resources to implement protection measures. Feingold emphasizes that many African, Latin American, and Southeast Asian nations don't have trained forestry staff or the infrastructure to maintain natural areas, requiring direct funding from wealthier nations to make 30x30 achievable.

Germany's Legacy Landscapes Fund as a Model: Rather than short-term grants that "die on the vine," Germany's Legacy Landscapes Fund provides a superior funding model with 30-year commitments of one million dollars annually to conservation projects working with indigenous peoples. The campaign advocates for other wealthy nations like Australia, Singapore, UAE, and South Korea to replicate this approach, ensuring sustained, direct funding rather than bureaucratic pledges that never materialize.

Rejecting the False Choice Between People and Nature: Feingold strongly disagrees with Bill Gates's recent assertion that society must choose between funding human welfare or environmental protection. Working with Mary Robinson, who wrote a Mongabay op-ed on this topic, Feingold argues that nature and human wellbeing are inseparable—society depends on healthy ecosystems for food production, pollination, and overall survival. The Democratic Party should not adopt attitudes positioning environmentalism as an obstacle to progress.

The Interconnection of Climate and Nature: While distinct issues, climate change and biodiversity loss are deeply interrelated and typically must be solved together. Feingold sees promise in recent developments, including work plans emerging from COP30 despite concerns about fossil fuel lobbying, and notes that both issues require integrated solutions rather than treating them separately.

Legal Accountability Through International Treaties: The development of international law for nature protection, including potential ecocide laws, can help hold corporations accountable. A major success is the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ), which for the first time establishes legal protections for 75% of ocean waters beyond national jurisdiction. This treaty became binding in January after achieving the required 60 country ratifications, demonstrating how international legal regimes can compel action.

The Disaster of Citizens United and Billionaire Influence: The McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform successfully limited money in politics from 2004-2010, restricting individual contributions to $4,000. However, the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision destroyed over a century of campaign finance law, allowing unlimited corporate spending. Elon Musk's $277 million contribution to Trump's campaign exemplifies how billionaires now control the political system, with devastating consequences for environmental protection and democracy.

Wisconsin's Bipartisan Conservation Heritage: Feingold's connection to nature grew from Wisconsin's conservation tradition, influenced by legendary environmentalist Senator Gaylord Nelson who created Earth Day. Wisconsin historically approached environmental protection through a bipartisan "conservation" ethic, with Republican and Democratic governors competing to designate the most natural areas. Even conservative hunters and fishers understood that preserving nature was essential for their activities.

Nature's Practical Benefits Across Political Divides: Conservation supports agricultural pollination, wildlife populations for hunting and fishing, and rural economies—issues that resonate with conservative constituencies. Feingold learned this as a young state senator meeting with the "hook and bullet crowd" (hunters and Ducks Unlimited members), who were often rural conservatives but strongly supported habitat preservation because their activities depended on it.

Fighting Authoritarianism Through International Nature Coalitions: As authoritarians increasingly coordinate internationally, those committed to democracy must build cross-border relationships to counter them. The Campaign for Nature provides opportunities to establish connections with legislators from over 100 countries, including authoritarian states like Iran, Russia, and Belarus. These relationships around nature protection can extend to fighting authoritarianism on other issues, as the Internet age makes everything interrelated across borders.

Pope Francis's Spiritual Perspective on Nature: Feingold was deeply influenced by Pope Francis's encyclical "Laudato Si," which called nature "our common home" and emphasized that beyond economic considerations, nature is critical for humans to contemplate life's meaning. This spiritual dimension of conservation resonates with Feingold's personal evolution toward seeing nature connection as almost sacred, evidenced by witnessing wildlife restoration in Wisconsin over his lifetime.

Call for Nonpartisan Citizen Action: Feingold urges people to approach conservation as citizens rather than partisans, keeping it separate from divisive political labels and "woke" rhetoric. He believes a presidential candidate making nature protection a campaign centerpiece could unite diverse constituencies, particularly young people. The fundamental human connection to nature transcends ideology and offers potential for bringing Americans together across political divisions.

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WAR ROOM: Pandemic is the first and most comprehensive program to bring the most up to the minute information on the news of the day. Stephen K. Bannon brings medical experts, politicians, business leaders, and those on the front lines for a comprehensive look at the latest news from all and provide their insider insights.

Episode 4984: Trump Calls Out Weakness In Europe; Political Christian Infiltration Of Evangelicals

Bannon`s War Room

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Trump Takes Economic Plan on the Road to Pennsylvania: President Trump is traveling to Pennsylvania's Pocono region to promote his economic agenda in two swing congressional districts. Brian Glenn, traveling with the president on Air Force One, explains this is strategic for the midterms as these districts were won by narrow margins. The president is focusing on combating the double-digit inflation inherited from the Biden administration and promoting his "big beautiful bill" - a supply-side tax cut combined with tariff policies designed to drive capital investment into American manufacturing and restore the U.S. as a manufacturing superpower.

Trump's Combative Interview on European Weakness: In an interview with Dasha Burns, President Trump criticized European leaders as "weak" and dominated by political correctness, specifically calling out immigration policies that have transformed countries like Sweden from one of the safest to unsafe. Trump argued that European leaders should remove people who came illegally and that their ideology is changing due to mass immigration. He particularly criticized London's mayor as a "disaster" and expressed dismay at what has happened to major European cities.

European Leaders Misunderstand Trump's Resolve: Ben Harnwell from Rome explains that European elites fundamentally misunderstand President Trump. While he's personable in meetings, they mistakenly believe this means they can manipulate him into supporting their agenda. They've been shocked to learn Trump is absolutely committed to his America First agenda, particularly regarding Ukraine and national security strategy. Harnwell notes that Trump's message resonates with everyday Europeans because it reflects their lived reality, unlike typical political rhetoric.

The Evangelical Vote Under Threat: Megan Basham warns that evangelicals, while still supporting Trump at 80%, saw voting rates drop 6-8% in 2024 compared to 2016. She describes evangelicals as "the lone bulwark" and "America's most powerful voting bloc," noting that the GOP cannot win without them. Progressive organizations and "compassionate conservative" evangelical leaders have been actively encouraging Christians to sit out elections or vote against their interests, creating a significant concern for the 2026 midterms.

The "Compassionate Conservatism" Infiltration: Basham traces how the Bush administration's "compassionate conservatism" movement, developed by figures like Marvin Olasky (now at Christianity Today), created an avenue for evangelical institutions to become essentially arms of the federal government through the Office of Faith Initiatives. This allowed progressive staffing of evangelical organizations with "think tank Christians" and never-Trumpers, who now argue that America First is "selfish" and that the U.S. government should prioritize global interests over American citizens.

Left-Wing Funding of Pseudo-Evangelical Organizations: Progressive foundations like Tides and Rockefeller are funding pseudo-evangelical initiatives that enter churches telling Christians it's "unchristian to pursue political power." Organizations like the J29 Coalition and Russell Moore's "After Party" are working to convince Christians to vote against their interests or stay home. Basham notes there's little organized pushback against this infiltration, though the evangelical rank-and-file remain more conservative than their leadership.

The Legacy of Dobson, Robertson, and Falwell: Bannon emphasizes that evangelical giants James Dobson, Pat Robertson, and Jerry Falwell were essential to saving America in their time, comparable to Trump's current role. Without these three men awakening America to moral decline, the country wouldn't exist as it does today. Even as a Catholic, Bannon's parents revered these leaders when much of the Catholic Church was becoming progressive and anti-American. Their fight against moral rot established the foundation for today's conservative movement.

The Religious Nature of Anti-Trump Resistance: Dave Brat discusses how mainstream media outlets are turning opposition to Trump into religious fervor, citing New York Times pieces that frame fighting Trump as essential to saving one's soul. He criticizes these outlets for creating a version of Jesus in their own image - a "globalist, socialist" Jesus - while ignoring fundamental Christian theology and the historical connection between Christianity, particularly Protestantism, and the development of democracy, property rights, and rule of law in Western civilization.

Concerns About Mike Johnson's Evangelical Associations: Basham expresses concern about House Speaker Mike Johnson's connections to the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, which she describes as "squishy" and compromised by left-wing foundation money. While not suggesting Johnson agrees with their agenda, she worries about friendship networks and professional relationships that may prevent him from openly addressing organizations working to muddy evangelical political support.

The Midterm Math Requires Evangelical Turnout: The discussion emphasizes that Republican success in the 2026 midterms depends entirely on evangelical turnout. With crucial congressional redistricting decisions and razor-thin margins in key districts, losing 20% evangelical support or seeing continued decreased turnout could be catastrophic. The progressive left understands this strategic reality, which is why they're aggressively targeting the evangelical church with infiltration efforts.

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The 94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara, Jon Ritchie, James Seltzer, and Rhea Hughes every weekday from 6-10am. 

Full Show: Chargers DEFEAT Eagles, Morning Team Reacts to the Loss 🏈

94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie

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Jalen Hurts' Historic Poor Performance: The hosts unanimously agree this was the worst game of Jalen Hurts' career, with five turnovers including becoming the first player in NFL history to record two turnovers on the same play. He finished with a 31.2 passer rating, completing just 21 of 40 passes, and appeared to lack vision, confidence, and proper decision-making throughout the game. His overtime performance showed glimpses of what he's capable of, which made his regular-time struggles even more frustrating.

Coaching Failures and Poor Game Management: The coaching staff receives heavy criticism for not adjusting to Hurts' obvious struggles. With Saquon Barkley averaging strong yards per carry, the Eagles inexplicably threw the ball more than they ran it, particularly in crucial late-game situations. Nick Sirianni's decision to throw twice late in regulation instead of running clock, and his choice to defer in overtime, exemplified poor situational football and game management.

AJ Brown's Lack of Effort and Drops: After weeks of publicly complaining about not getting enough targets, AJ Brown had multiple critical drops, including what would have been touchdowns, and showed minimal effort in blocking. The hosts note that national media figures criticized his "business decisions" and lack of engagement, making his earlier complaints look hypocritical.

Offensive Coordinator Turnover Issues: A major theme is that Jalen Hurts has had a different play-caller almost every year of his career, with only Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore proving successful. Kevin Patullo, another first-time coordinator, appears overmatched. The hosts argue this lack of continuity and inexperienced play-calling is fundamentally broken and won't be fixed mid-season.

Justin Herbert's Gutsy Performance: Playing with a broken hand that required surgery a week prior, Justin Herbert outplayed Hurts by leading his team in rushing (66 yards), making plays with his legs when needed, and showing the kind of grit and effort the hosts felt was missing from Philadelphia's offense. His performance provided a stark contrast to Hurts' conservative, ineffective play.

Defensive Excellence Gets Wasted: The defense played exceptionally well with seven sacks, strong performances from Nakobe Dean, Cooper DeJean, Jordan Davis, and others, holding a good Chargers offense in check. Vic Fangio's defensive game plan and adjustments were praised, but the unit's efforts were completely undermined by the offensive failures.

The Positivity Bunny Controversy: Rhea Hughes strongly criticizes the "positivity bunny" gimmick in the locker room as juvenile and embarrassing for a defending Super Bowl champion, while James Seltzer defends trying anything to spark the team. The debate highlights the desperation and dysfunction within the organization as they search for solutions.

Situational Football and Third Down Failures: The Eagles rank 28th in third-down conversions, a catastrophic drop from 10th last year. The team consistently finds itself in unfavorable down-and-distance situations due to poor play-calling sequencing, such as throwing incomplete on first down, then running into stacked boxes on second down, creating difficult third-and-longs.

Run Game Abandonment Despite Success: Saquon Barkley had just five carries in the second half despite averaging strong yardage, including a 52-yard run. The hosts cite statistics showing the Eagles are 7-0 when running more than they pass and 1-5 when passing more, yet the coaching staff continues to abandon the run game inexplicably.

Lack of Under-Center Plays: Warren Sharp's statistics reveal the Eagles had drastically better results under center (10.2 yards per play) versus shotgun (4.2 yards per play), yet ran only 15 plays under center compared to 51 in shotgun. This suggests either Hurts is uncomfortable under center or the coaching staff won't adjust despite clear statistical evidence.

Identity Crisis and Lost Confidence: Multiple players admitted the team still doesn't know its identity in Week 14, which shocked the broadcast crew. The hosts note this team has regressed dramatically from being second in rushing yards and seventh in points per game last year to 22nd and 19th respectively this year, with no clear plan to fix it.

Seth Joyner's Pessimistic Outlook: Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner expresses little hope the team can turn things around, arguing that if they didn't have answers in 2023's collapse, they won't have them now. He believes the structural problems can only be fixed in the offseason, not mid-season, and questions whether players truly want to play better.

Time of Possession and Clock Management: The Chargers dominated time of possession by about nine minutes due to having 38 rushing attempts versus the Eagles' 25. The hosts criticize the Eagles for not using the clock to their advantage, particularly late in regulation when they could have run out the clock for a game-winning field goal instead of risking throws.

Pre-Snap Penalties and Discipline Issues: Jordan Mailata had multiple costly holding penalties, and the team continues to struggle with pre-snap infractions that have plagued them all season. John Ritchie suggests Mailata, despite his experience, may need remedial coaching on technique, though this frustrates the hosts given his veteran status.

No Faith in Playoff Success: The hosts' Twitter poll shows 86% of fans have no faith the team can turn it around, with both Seltzer and Ritchie agreeing. Despite having a favorable schedule remaining and likely making the playoffs, they express zero confidence in this team winning a playoff game given the offensive dysfunction and lack of solutions from the coaching staff.
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The greatest OG libertarian/anarchist podcast network in the world. On Monday, John Odermatt delivers a powerful mix of inspiration, health and faith to set your mind, body and soul free with "Finding Freedom," Wednesday Brian McWilliams will make you laugh at our broken world while providing the promise of a better future with Mean Age Daydream, and Fridays we have "Meme Wars" with some politics, some comedy and some memes. www.lionsofliberty.com

TLPP: Major League Wood w/ Steve Salerno

Lions of Liberty Network

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Baseball Nostalgia and the Marucci Bat: Steve Salerno shares his deep connection to baseball, discussing his prized Marucci bat (major league quality wood) that he uses daily at the park. He recounts how financial hardship once forced him to sell his bats to pay rent, but he's since been able to repurchase them. For Steve, swinging the bat while wearing his Brooklyn Dodgers hat reconnects him to his youth and his father's gift of baseball.

The Rise of Japanese Baseball Excellence: The conversation explores how Japanese players have become elite in baseball, with Steve noting they approach the game with ritualistic discipline and strong fundamentals. He discusses Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' $750 million player, and how baseball economics have shifted toward teams simply buying championship rosters rather than developing talent through farm systems.

Batting Cages as Spiritual Practice: Steve reveals his longtime habit of visiting batting cages across America, knowing where the best ones are in every major city. He still hits in fast cages at speeds up to 95-100 mph from shortened distances, requiring waivers due to the danger. He shares a harrowing story of nearly being hit by a deflected ball traveling at 100 mph.

Jazz, Pain, and Creative Brilliance: The discussion shifts to jazz music, with Lou discovering Chet Baker through Instagram. Steve explains how jazz and heroin became intertwined, with many brilliant musicians like Baker, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane struggling with addiction. He argues that jazz attracts people who can't function normally in life but channel their pain into extraordinary music, often at the cost of personal relationships and stability.

The Comedy of Tragedy and Moral Boundaries: Lou discusses his 25-year high school reunion coinciding with a classmate's parents being brutally murdered, exploring the comedic mind's tendency to find dark humor in tragic situations. This leads to broader reflections on how comedians and creative people process events differently than "normal" people, similar to George Carlin's approach to taboo subjects.

Cancel Culture and Charlie Kirk Incident: Steve reveals his son was fired from his radio DJ job for making an "inappropriate" comment about the Charlie Kirk shooting on social media, despite the station regularly encouraging controversial content. He notes the irony of being held accountable for off-air speech while the job itself required boundary-pushing behavior, with potential legal issues still pending.

Separating Art from Artist: Lou recounts attending John Leguizamo's play despite disagreeing with the actor's public political statements and having previously criticized him. He was blown away by Leguizamo's performance and the complexity of the character, finding the art actually contradicted Leguizamo's woke public persona. This reinforces his belief in appreciating artistry independent of an artist's politics.

Physical Decline and Aging Athletes: The conversation touches on the difficulty athletes face transitioning to civilian life after retirement, mentioning Derek Jeter and Randy Johnson (who became a photographer). Steve reflects on his own athletic past, having played both baseball and football in college at 6'4" and 250 pounds, and how he still tries to maintain his physical capabilities despite being 75.

Health Scares and Mortality: Steve shares his stroke experience at age 60, which he attributes to an overly aggressive massage therapist damaging his carotid artery. Unlike most stroke victims, he recovered immediately with no lasting effects. He also discusses his wife being bedridden after multiple hospitalizations, transforming his retirement into becoming her primary caregiver.

Hollywood's Drug Culture and Keith Richards' Immortality: When Steve sold a TV movie, he attended Hollywood parties where cocaine was literally served in bowls alongside regular refreshments. This leads to amazement at Keith Richards still being alive despite decades of extreme substance abuse, and Phil Collins' deteriorating health despite never being an athlete.

Marital Advice Through Painful Experience: Steve ends with a devastating personal story about being a jazz musician forced by his fiancée to quit the music scene because she didn't trust the environment. He became a law firm proofreader to please her, only to discover on their wedding rehearsal day that she was sleeping with a coworker. He went through with the marriage anyway, expressing regret about abandoning what he believes was his true calling.

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Bloomberg News Now is a comprehensive audio report on today's top stories. Listen for the latest news, whenever you want it, covering global business stories around the world.

All Eyes on Fed's Next Moves, Maxwell Grand Jury Docs, More

Bloomberg News Now

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Federal Reserve Decision and Rate Cut Outlook: Markets are focused on the Fed's upcoming decision and guidance for 2026, with investors watching for signals about future rate cuts. Wall Street expects a "hawkish cut" scenario where the Fed lowers rates this month but signals a pause afterward, with Chair Jay Powell likely indicating this will be the last "insurance cut" for a while as they wait to assess economic conditions and missing data.

Trump's Pressure on Fed Chair Selection: President Trump has made it clear that immediate interest rate cuts are a litmus test for selecting the next Fed chair, stating he would judge candidates by whether they move to lower rates right away. Trump criticized current Fed Chair Powell as "not a smart person" who "doesn't like Trump," sending a strong signal to potential candidates about his expectations.

Kevin Hassett's Fed Chair Prospects: White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, the frontrunner for the next Fed chair position, stated he sees room for substantially lower rates and would push for Trump's desired rate cuts if appointed, though only if economic data supports such action. He projected positive fiscal surprises of about $600 billion from tariff revenue and supply-side effects from tax cuts.

Ghislaine Maxwell Investigation Materials to be Released: A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department can publicly release investigative materials from the sex trafficking case against Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's longtime confidant. Grand jury transcripts, exhibits, and potentially hundreds or thousands of previously unreleased documents could be made public within 10 days to meet a December 19th deadline.

Labor Market Shows Mixed Signals: Job openings reached a five-month high of 7.7 million in October, barely budging but potentially easing concerns about labor market deterioration. However, private payrolls showed modest growth of 4,700 per week, while ADP previously reported a monthly employment drop of 32,000 for November, indicating ongoing economic uncertainty.

Supreme Court Considers Political Spending Limits: The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on a Republican-led effort to overturn 25-year-old limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates. The Republican Senate Campaign Committee argues current restrictions have promoted the rise of super PACs with unlimited contributions, while they advocate for restoring political parties' relative power in campaign spending.
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