It’s Casual Friday! Emma hosts David Griscom, co-host of Left Reckoning, to round up the week in news before she’s joined by a little-known guest star later on. David begins by diving into his recent move to Texas as he and Emma cover the absurdity of the state’s local politics. First, they look to Greg Abbott’s most recent stunt of forcibly shipping migrants off to “blue” cities, copying right off of Ted Cruz’s playbook, and using human props who’ve already been forced on the run for an incredibly pointless boondoggle. Alongside these busses, they look to the bargaining over imports and migration that Abbott has engaged with on the border, despite everything the Constitution says, and the bipartisan backlash he’s received for the severe stoppages along the supply line that resulted from all of his actions. Next, Emma and David discuss the evolution of his Governorship over the last few years, using a continuous State of Emergency from the start of the pandemic to turn his state from a weak governor state to one with him as the pinnacle of authority, before they look to future alternatives as they dive into the ever disheartening campaigning by Beto O’Rourke, and why the guy has decided to alternate between wildly left-wing (taking your guns) and grossly right-wing (supporting Title 42) talking points. They wrap up their interview with an in-depth pathological analysis of “truth lover” Elon Musk, his media manipulation, and how he’s become the king of speculation – since his actual inventions aren’t all that successful. Then, Emma is joined by a fresh-faced and raspy-voiced Sam Seder as he discusses his recent bout of COVID-19 and what being sick is like, before they get into the absurdity of Texas’ unconstitutional disruption of foreign trade, and the digital vs analog elements of coronavirus, whatever that means. Emma also dives into Christian Smalls’ killer appearance with Tucker Carlson, shutting down every misogynistic talking point and keeping the conversation on the importance of fighting for unions and worker solidarity, before briefly touching on Israel’s bombing of mosques in the middle of Ramadan.

And in the Fun Half: Emma takes a call with Nate from Portland on the “People for Portland” group that’s using phrases like “cleaning up garbage” as dog whistles for an attack on the homeless, Will from Indiana discusses the IU grad student strike and wishes Emma a happy early birthday! Mo Brooks discusses the corruption of Washington, and the pay-to-play nature of committee assignments, but interestingly doesn’t discuss any alternatives, Fox & Folks continue their absurd copaganda in the wake of the Brooklyn terror attack. Then Ethan Osborn from Covington, KY discusses his campaign for House District 4, and Ethan Mackey, Missouri State Rep, takes a stand for trans kids everywhere as he takes on the ingrained bigotry he grew up with. Jen Psaki announces the Biden administration’s return to thinking about student debt (thankfully), plus, your calls and IMs!

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