Category: WSUM

TMI 09/27/2024 – “How We Win” Contributor Ben Manski on His Part in the Guidebook to Securing Our Future, How the Climate Crisis is Destroying the Insurance Industry as More Disasters Keep Happening, more

You’re heard of the conservative playbook “Project 2025”, a top-down authoritarian guide to how they intend to restructure every aspect of our nation to cement their backwards vision of society – what if there was a book that took the entirely opposite direction? Joining us today, Ben Manski is a contributor to that book, “How We Win: Energizing Strategies, Voters, and Agendas”, a work that gives us as INDIVIDUALS the tools we need to create the progressive world we want to see, a world working for EVERYONE, not just the super-rich. Listen in!

Then, we look at how disasters like Hurricane Helene, driven by climate-crisis-charged rapid intensification, are ruining the ability of the insurance industry to have our backs as we try to recover from losing our homes, health and lives to these ever-increasing calamities. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 27, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Atlanta Brad Raffensperger Brian Kemp Civil RIghts Democracy Disney Documentary Donald Trump Episode Fulton County George DiCaprio Georgia GOP Greg Palast Independent Journalism Inside Out 2 Jim Crow Martin Sheen Pixar Poll Tax Racism Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Rosario Dawson SB 202 union Vigilantes Vote Stealing Voter Suppression Wisconsin WSUM

TMI 09/20/2024 – Greg Palast’s “Vigilantes Inc.” Exposes How YOUR Vote Has Been Stolen, How Disney/Pixar’s Blockbuster Inside Out 2 Robbed Their Unionless Animators, more

On TMI for Friday, 9/20/2024, Greg Palast tells us how his investigations team has busted the most brazen, racist attack on voting rights yet. We’re introduced to a terrible new threat to the right to vote: “Vigilante” challenges by self-appointed vote-fraud hunters – not government officials – who are targeting well over ONE MILLION young voters and voters of color to block the counting of their ballots. They tested the operation out last time in Georgia. The Trump-sponsored group “True the Vote” has gone from 88 vote-challenging vigilantes in 2020 to over 40,000 “volunteers” for 2024 in 43 states! Greg Palast has made this ESSENTIAL documentary free to stream at GregPalast.com – it’s worth watching and sharing if you care about voting.

Then, when you think about Pixar and the wonderful library of entertainment they have created, you don’t often stop to wonder how their workers – animators and such – have fared. In the case of Inside Out 2 – still at theaters and the top-grossing animated film of all time – these folks were not just worked to death in creating so much money for Disney, many of them were let go just before they would have gotten the profit sharing bonuses that would have compensated for the low wages their unionless studio signs them on for. If you ever wanted to know why unions are a good idea, here’s a great example. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 20, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Bell Riots Big Oil Climate Cognition Death Doula Donald Trump Electric Vehicles Episode Homelessness Housing Crisis Kamala Harris Media Presidential Politics Science Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Transgender Transphobia WSUM

TMI 09/13/2024 – Presidential Coverage Shows How Media and Government Both Disregard Climate and Trans Rights, How Deep Space Nine’s Bell Riots Would Fit in Our 2024, Three Science Breakthroughs, more

Watching the media cover the rise of Kamala Harris and her debate with Donald Trump this week shows how blatantly both the enormous issue of the Climate Crisis and the human rights issues surrounding gender are treated to nothing short of journalistic malpractice. We go over the reality of Harris’ climate positions (and the nightmarish alternative) and expose the hamfisted mishandling of her positions on trans rights.

On our first song break, we feature a new piece by Death Doula called “The Witness“, part of their upcoming full length release “Love Spells”, due out October 11, 2024.

Next, we take you on a look back at how a 29 year old episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was highly prescient to the current state of affairs in today’s world, as its characters found themselves in a version of 2024 that bore far too much resemblance to the one we are in now. Finally, we indulge our science geek side and go through three new breakthroughs: one on EV battery recycling, another on scientists learning how to better study a phenomenon that is too fast and small to normally witness which could lead to limitless energy, and finally one on discovering the chemical bindings of memory in the human brain. All this and more on TMI for Friday, September 13, 2024 (Friday the 13th!) – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Anti-trans Attack Ads Brain Soup Congress Conservative Politics Corporate Malfeasance Donald Trump Episode MySchoolBucks School Lunches WSUM

TMI 09/06/2024 – Trump’s Brain Soup is Getting Cold, MySchoolBucks is Stealing Your Kid’s Lunch Money, the GOP Keep Running Losing Anti-trans Attack Ads, more

On today’s episode, we delve into the concerning reality of Donald Trump’s advanced age and growing health issues as he campaigns for a second term in the White House. Next, we expose the exploitative fees levied by MySchoolBucks, a payment processor that’s been profiting excessively from parents simply trying to ensure their children have lunch money. Finally, we discuss the Republican Party’s latest campaign strategy—a deeply transphobic ad campaign targeting Democratic Senators in key swing states—a strategy they cling to despite its history of failure to win at the ballot box. All this and more on TMI with Aldous Tyler for Friday, September 6, 2024—tune in for YOUR cure for the common media.

Episode Food Apartheid Food Desert Jessica Wildfire LGBTQ+ OK Doomer ProPublica Region-Beta Paradox WSUM

TMI 08/30/2024 – Why Things Improve Most When They’re Terrible, ProPublica Examines the Failure to Reclaim Food Deserts, a Federal Judge Rules Trans Teen May Play Soccer in Female Team, more

Jessica Wildfire of OK Doomer wrote a piece this week that lost her more than a few subscribers, which is a shame given that it tells us a very important truth: that we often only improve things when faced with a horrible fate. The Region-Beta Paradox is important to understand, and we use Jessica’s plain-language distillation to get a grip on it.

Then, we head over to look at the national effort to combat food deserts (or as is catching on more lately, food apartheid). ProPublica reported on how the millions poured into founding local grocery stores in the middle of these under-served regions have met with frustrations and failure that can only be explained by understanding how these conditions began in the first place – we go over it all. Finally, we talk about a bright spot: a trans teen was allowed to play with her supportive cisgender teammates on a female soccer team, challenging the hateful ban in favor of community and joy. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 30, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Antitrust Best of TMI Climate disinformation Donald Trump Election Integrity Elon Musk Episode Georgia Google Greg Palast Matt Stoller misinformation Monopoly Plantzma Science Turkey Türkiye WSUM

TMI 08/23/2024 – BEST OF TMI: Musk and Trump Botch the Climate, Palast Alerts Us to Georgia Legalizing Vote Non-certification, Stoller Examines Google’s Search Antitrust Loss, Teens Use Plasma To Boost Crops, more

THIS IS A REBROADCAST OF TMI for 8/16/2024

When men as rich and powerful as Elon Musk and Donald Trump decide to have a conversation and invite the world to listen in, it’s a good idea to check in and see what their vision is for the world we have to share with these reckless giants. On just about every front, it’s not good, and with climate concerns in particular, Bill McKibben noted several especially alarming points to bring to your attention – we spend a moment to share his concerns with you. Then, we take a look at reporting from the inimitable Greg Palast on how Georgia has paved the way to legally refuse to certify election results from its own counties, and that the certification of the 2020 slate of votes by Atlanta’s Fulton County wouldn’t have been certified under this new “quiet coup” technique.

Next, Matt Stoller dives into the recent antitrust loss Google took in court regarding its monopoly on search. This seemingly-trivial decision is going to result in changes to everything we know about online and business practices for decades, so listen in. Finally, we briefly check in with a group of teens who invented a way to use plasma to supercharge seeds and water for tremendous boosts in crop yields virtually anywhere on Earth! All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 23, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Antitrust Climate disinformation Donald Trump Election Integrity Elon Musk Episode Georgia Google Greg Palast Matt Stoller misinformation Monopoly Plantzma Science Turkey Türkiye WSUM

TMI 08/16/2024 – Musk and Trump Botch the Climate, Palast Alerts Us to Georgia Legalizing Vote Non-certification, Stoller Examines Google’s Search Antitrust Loss, Teens Use Plasma To Boost Crops, more

Next, Matt Stoller dives into the recent antitrust loss Google took in court regarding its monopoly on search. This seemingly-trivial decision is going to result in changes to everything we know about online and business practices for decades, so listen in. Finally, we briefly check in with a group of teens who invented a way to use plasma to supercharge seeds and water for tremendous boosts in crop yields virtually anywhere on Earth! All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 16, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Benjamin Netanyahu California Donald Trump Electoral Politics Episode Joe Biden Kamala Harris Peter B. Collins Presidential Politics Tim Walz WSUM

TMI 08/09/2024 – Interview: Peter B. Collins Goes Over the Incoming Attacks on Kamala Harris, This Looks Like a Job for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz!, more

No matter how qualified, how centered, or how well-placed a Democratic candidate may be, you can count on the GOP to bring out every possible angle of attack on them. With much of Vice President Kamala Harris’ political career being based out of California, we bring in local expert Peter B. Collins to run down the list of things we need to steel ourselves for in the coming 88 days. Harris has a history with plenty of good things, and enough difficult things to be attacked with – by going through them now, we can inoculate ourselves to weather them as they come up.

But wait! As her first official decision, Harris has chosen her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – we take a quick look at the impact he will have as a companion on the campaign trail for Harris. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 09, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Big Oil Black Lives Matter BLM Climate Homicide Climate Lawsuits Episode Joe Biden Kamala Harris Lois Parshley Presidential Politics Sonya Massey The Lever Vel Phillips WSUM

TMI 08/02/2024 – Science & Law Merge to Charge Big Oil with Climate Homicide, Harris Causes Rejuvenation in Dem Election Effort, Contrasting Honoring Vel Phillips with the Murder of Sonya Massey, more

On the first TMI of August, we do a deep dive into how mounting death tolls from climate-induced disasters have pushed scientists and lawyers together to hold Big Oil accountable. Lois Parshley’s report in The Lever gives insight into the birth of the idea of “Climate Homicide”, and how advancing the pressure from mere civil cases to criminal ones may finally bring the worst offenders of pollution to heel.

Next, we find confirmation of how Kamala Harris’ ascension into the top of the Democratic presidential ticket took a deflated and flagging campaign operation and completely revitalized it, lighting the flame of enthusiasm that no amount of begging people to back Joe Biden could. Finally, we contrast the unveiling if the well-deserved memorial statue for Vel Phillips with the senseless murder of Sonya Massey, and how we need to be sure to value every life – after all, black lives matter. All this and more on TMI for Friday, August 02, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!

Antitrust Big Oil Big Pharma Climate Climate Lawsuits Cognition Conspiracy theories Democratic Party disinformation Donald Trump Drug Prices Electoral Politics Episode Fracking Jessica Wildfire Joan Hunter Iovino Kamala Harris Mental Health misinformation OK Doomer Presidential Politics Stress WSUM

TMI 07/26/2024 – Untangling Biden Stopping Re-election, A Look at Who Kamala Harris Is, Politically, Joan Hunter Iovino and Jessica Wildfire Provide Separate Insights on the Mental Health Crisis, more

This week on TMI, we get a thorough look at how Joe Biden stepped down from being the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party for President, as well as why. In an era where one incumbent president attempted a fascist coup to stay in office, it is a stark and welcome contrast to see another who will step aside willingly for the greater good.

Next, we take a dive into Kamala Harris’ political background and show what she’s fought for in the environment, monopoly and racial justice arenas. No small amount of what you’ve heard about her may be false. Finally, we have Joan Hunter Iovino and Jessica Wildfire contributing different-yet-compatible perspectives on how the “mental health crisis” we find ourselves in might be a sane reaction to insane times. All this and more on TMI for Friday, July 26, 2024 – listen in for YOUR Cure for the Common Media!