Episode

11/22 ‘Moms For Liberty’ Crumbling; OpenAI Drama Explained w/ Randi Weingarten, Jacob Silverman

November 22, 2023

Happy Hump Day! Emma speaks with Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), to discuss the recent victories pro-public education candidates have had over right wing candidates in the most recent school board races. Then, Emma speaks with AMQuickie co-writer Jacob Silverman to discuss his recent piece in The Nation on Sam Altman’s mysterious departure from OpenAI. And THEN, she’s joined by Jason Myles, co-host of the This Is Revolution podcast, to discuss his recent mini-book release of I Was A Teenage Anarchist. First, Emma runs through updates on the death toll in Gaza climbing over 14k, Israel’s striking of Humanitarian locations provided by the US, Ro Khana’s call for a ceasefire, the growing anti-Palestinian Red Scare in Hollywood, a former Obama Advisor’s harassment of a halal street vendor, organizing for reproductive rights, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, labor action among California educators, and a potential Andrew Cuomo mayoral run, before parsing through the recent announcement of a four-day PAUSE in Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and the Biden Administration’s internal fear of honest journalism about the war. Randi Weingarten then joins, as she quickly runs through the astounding failure of the attempted right-wing takeover of local school boards, with candidates backed by Mom’s for Liberty and the 1776 Project losing 70% of their races, including losing 8/10 in regions where they had seen previous victory, and how these results show what actual parental rights look like. Jacob Silverman then joins, diving right into OpenAI – the largest AI startup in Silicon Valley – Sam Altman – the CEO of said $80 billion startup – and this weekend’s attempted removal of Altman by the board. Silverman walks through Altman’s powerful role among Silicon Valley’s elites, particularly among the cash cows, also touching on OpenAI’s internal conflict between its cautious non-profit elements and its bullish members with grandiose visions, and how the mass funding required in this industry forces the integration of AI, regardless of its quality or moral clarity. After walking through the details of OpenAI’s board’s sudden firing of Altman, and the equally sudden (and successful) revolt against that decision, Silverman touches on the state of the AI tech bubble (particularly in comparison to the Crypto bubble), before briefly wrapping up with the guilty plea of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. Jason Myles helps round out the episode as he and Emma walk through the evolution of his mini-book “I Was A Teenage Anarchist,” and the parallels he sees in the fight between deconstruction and authenticity in the hardcore punk scene of the 1990s and 2000s, and the ongoing internal conflicts of the US’ embryonic left. Myles touches on the additional parallels for the branding of both punk and leftism, before expanding on the need for a solid material and power analysis in pushing for actual material change – particularly within the context of social versus political and legislative progress.

And in the Fun Half, Emma and the MR Crew react to the disgraceful behavior of Stuart Seldowitz, a former State Department staffer caught on video making racist, Islamophobic comments towards one halal cart vendor repeatedly on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. They also take a look at Iraqi-Israeli historian Avi Shlaim’s remarks about the establishment of the Israeli state in the late 40’s, and how the Zionist project precipitated geopolitical and religious conflict in the region. Finally, the MR Crew signs off with a fantastic message ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday from the person everyone needs to hear from before they give thanks: Former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. Plus, your calls & IM’s!

Find out more about the AFT here: https://www.aft.org/

Check out Jacob’s piece here: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/how-sam-altman-ran-afoul-of-the-keepers-of-the-ai-faith/

Find “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” here: https://everyday-analysis.sellfy.store/p/i-was-a-teenage-anarchist-by-jason-myles-print-and-digital-issue-pre-order/

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