It’s Hump Day! Sam and Emma speak with Ali Breland, writer at Mother Jones, to discuss his recent piece entitled “A Peter Thiel-Linked Startup Is Courting New York Scenesters and Plotting a Libertarian Paradise.” Then, they’re joined by Harry First, law professor at New York University, to discuss the antitrust case currently at trial against Google. First, they run through updates on the House GOP’s ongoing meltdown, labor updates on the auto world, yesterday’s special elections, the formation of the American Climate Corps, and conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, before watching Brian Kilmeade see red over the chaos within the GOP. Ali Breland then dives right into his work covering (and uncovering) details behind a Peter-Thiel-linked startup attempting to grift its way to popularity via a minor internet Libertarian community, bringing them on board its project to form the “Praxis Society” – a predictable libertarian utopia that will make them lots of real estate money. After briefly walking through the various “big plans” for establishing a real city, Breland walks Sam and Emma through what the society actually does (throw parties and plan Europe trips for a niche, supposedly cool group of right-wing, libertarian rich folks), and why so much of this boils down to Silicon Valley’s reactionary obsession with being so overwhelmingly disliked. Harry First then explores the ongoing anti-trust case against Google, centered on their monopoly as the standard search engine, exploring the players behind the case and why there are so many parallels between this, and the most recent sizable Tech anti-trust case back in the early 2000s against Microsoft. Next, Professor First walks Sam and Emma through what is likely to be the major factors of the case and why it’s likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court, before wrapping up with a discussion on the evolution of the judicial world in recent years.

And in the Fun Half: Sam and Emma discuss the Big Three auto companies tying themselves in knots trying to outmaneuver the UAW, watch Nikki Haley dub herself a union buster, and explore the astonishing move by the senate to… remove the dress code for men. Greg Kelly freaks out over automatic voter registration but can’t figure out how to make it sound bad, Kevin from Lancing walks through the multi-generational history of the UAW and auto unions in Michigan, and Trish from Boston makes a case for acknowledging Marianne Williamson. Jacob from Alabama (of the Valley Labor Report) updates us on some non-Big Three UAW strikes, the GOP’s literal and figurative book burnings continue, and Dusty from North Carolina parses through the state of his state’s politics, plus, your calls and IMs!

Check out Ali’s piece here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/09/praxis-society-city-dryden-brown-peter-thiel/

Find out more about the Google antitrust case here: https://www.businessinsider.com/google-lawsuit-antitrust-case-doj-search-agreements-apple-2023-9