Thrilled that our piece on Trump’s shadow central bank crypto scheme premiered Thursday night on the MeidasTouch Network. I’ve had my head down in that one for a while so it’s truly validating and humbling to come up for air and see viewers appreciate our perspective. For anyone looking to learn more and dig into the sourcing for the piece, the corresponding essay can be found on our website. And speaking of the website…
When you’re there you’ll notice some serious upgrades. All thanks to the great and powerful 99 and her merry band of super-developers (you know who you are). Make sure to check out the fresh design along with a new entry to our special series section. We finally compiled our immigration interviews and episodes into one repository for theOver the Borderline: Root Causes of America’s Immigration Crisis series. (Also courtesy of 99.)
Turning to present matters, the theme of the week is how bad corporate media has become. I actually didn’t intend for this to be the newsletter theme, it just sort of happened. The Killer Left Take of the Week (below) is a prime example of how independent media is blowing away the mainstream by—get this—holding powerful people to account and asking hard questions. Imagine that. But we also take aim at the lazy coverage of Trump’s tariff war through the lens of Trump’s fight with Brazil. It’s not about Bolsonaro. Good lord, stop already.
As a cautionary tale, however, check out the Mother Jones piece about Darryl Cooper (below), which exposes the dark and dangerous side of independent media.
As for upcoming essays and episodes, we have a solid slate planned out for what’s left of summer. I’m off to Netroots in New Orleans next week though (I hear Louisiana is lovely this time of year) so there will be a slight interruption. But I’m hoping to learn a lot and make great connections for the future.
If by any chance you’re going, make sure to tackle me in the exhibition hall. Actually, don’t do that. But definitely say hi.
Other things I’m obsessing over…
I love when the Majority Report crew gets the giggles. It’s even better when it’s over the awkward and flailing Andrew Cuomo. Watching Cuomo’s demise is a fun reprieve from the summer heat and awful news, especially when it’s with Sam and Emma.
The algorithm keeps rewarding with this explosive report from Some More News, a recent recipient of the KLTW award and UNFTR favorite. Cody cracked the Epstein case as only he can.
This song is truly an obsession. It’s also a 99 favorite, which gives me tons of street cred.
-Max
Killer Left Take of the Week
KLTW goes to Krystal Ball from Breaking Points and it’s not even close. Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin joined the show to discuss a wide range of issues facing the Democratic Party. Her appearance left most of us wondering what her handler is going to do for a living next. If you want to show a casual news consumer friend the difference between a reputable independent journalist like Krystal Ball and most corporate media hosts, this is exhibit A.
Trump’s arrogance toward Brazil and the LAC is a threat to us all.
Donald Trump recently announced a new round of tariffs including outrageous ones on Brazil that bring the effective tariff rate to 50%. Forget that we have a surplus with Brazil or that they’re one of the biggest economies in Latin America, one of our closest allies historically and the biggest democracy in South America. Trump’s upset that the Lula administration is targeting his friend Jair Bolsonaro, dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics.” Or so he claims. There’s a lot more to this ridiculous and misguided trade war than hurt feelings and bad economics. It’s about Brazil’s leadership of the BRICS+ alliance that threatens to undermine Trump’s plan to personally become the central banker to the world.
Here’s a snippet from the pod:
Max: The recent BRICS+ meeting deepened their alliance precisely because of an increasingly hostile and erratic United States. They’re not just talking about trade anymore—they’re discussing alternative monetary systems that could bypass the dollar entirely. And Lula is the head of it all right now. What’s to stop Mexico and Canada from joining in? Or Singapore? South Africa? Rwanda? At some point if you treat the entire world like shit and only cozy up to dictators like Mohammed bin Salman, Nayib Bukele and Benjamin Netanyahu, you’re going to wind up alone.
Here it comes. “From the same month one year ago, the PCE price index for June increased 2.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 2.8 percent from one year ago.” The only thing I don’t understand is that Fox News and President Trump said “there’s no inflation.” Someone should really look into this. Do you think it has anything to do with the tariffs?
Headlines
Go Ahead, Make My Day. Make All of Our Days.
Tax the rich and they’ll leave! Capital flight endangers state budgets! Don’t drive out our billionaires! Such utter fucking bullshit. Always was, always will be. Imagine uprooting your entire life to avoid paying more in income taxes. How is this a luxury we still defend? Go. Please. Get the fuck out. We’ll help pack you up in one of our Mamdani’s free and fast buses.
From the article:
“These threats are no doubt overblown. In a study by the Fiscal Policy Institute, researchers Emily Eisner and Andrew Perry found that New York State’s millionaire population is actually growing, not shrinking, contradicting the Wall Street South narrative. The researchers examined two major tax increases, the 2017 federal SALT cap and New York’s 2021 millionaire tax. They found no increase in high-earner outmigration following these policies. When wealthy New Yorkers do leave, most of them move to other high-tax states like Connecticut, New Jersey, and California rather than low-tax destinations like Florida.”
Mother Jones provides the perfect counterpoint to the assertion that independent media is inherently superior to traditional outlets. This breakdown of Darryl Cooper is a reminder that media members and critics need to practice media literacy and stay vigilant. As much as the hysterical types and blatant antisemites and racists help normalize hate over time, it’s the subtle purveyors that do more damage.
From the article:
“For fans who do not closely follow Cooper on social media, his far-right sympathies might be harder to discern. On his podcast, he shows empathy for a wide range of historical victims—including Jews. He does not sound like an Alex Jones. One of his greatest talents as a podcaster is coming across like an earnest nerd who just wants to share some indisputable facts.”
Asteroids are smashing against the hull of the ship. Okay. Half a million miles off course. No prob. We’re also out of coffee. If you want to see outright panic in the streets, push coffee prices into the stratosphere and see what happens, Donald. Legions of undercaffeinated (read: angry) addicts (like me) taking to the streets.
From the article:
“Economists like to say that demand for coffee is relatively inelastic — drinkers are so attached to their daily caffeine fix that they keep buying it even when prices increase. As the Trump administration mounts its retaliatory trade agenda, that theory will be put to the test. Coffee growers, as well as the roasters and sellers that purchase them in the U.S., are now facing unforeseen geopolitical and economic challenges. ‘We have not seen tariffs of this magnitude before,’ said David Ortega, a professor of food and economics policy at Michigan State University. ‘There’s no playbook for this.’”
How has the current Trump administration’s crack down on speech changed your own behavior, relationships or way you speak out if at all?
KingMob: Well the only real change it’s had on my behavior/life is that it has changed my relationship with most of my family to a strictly symbolic one. With very few exceptions my entire immediate and extended family are trump supporters...I dont even try to discuss politics with any of them any more, I find my self actively avoiding every family function, and the time we do spend together is largely meaningless small talk.
BriX: Among family, I’ve doubled down on my anti-Trump rhetoric and remind them every day that they voted for Jeffrey Epstein’s best friend. It’s hard not to laugh in their face sometimes when they believe the ridiculous crap that comes out of 47’s mouth. Publicly, it’s a different story.
Detective Steak: It really hasn’t affected how I act or speak. However, I am now slightly scared that I am gonna be swept up by ICE or CBP every time I fly, even though I was born and have lived here my entire life.
WildEyed Bob: If anything, I’m speaking out more. My new favorite pastime is calling out magats I see in the wild. Not to their faces, but loud enough for them to hear.
Resources
Pod Love
“A debate and discussion of: the book; the discourse; the underlying economic and political questions of how we make the affordable housing, green energy, and fast trains we need; and how actual capitalist social relations appear to us in mystified form as ‘supply’ and ‘demand.’”
It’s on backorder but maybe we can convince them to loosen it up. One of my favorite introductions to Socialism. Accessible and thoughtful
“Socialism: Past and Future is prominent thinker and democratic socialist Michael Harrington’s final contribution: a thoughtful, intelligent, and compassionate treatise on the role of socialism both past and present in modern society.”
“Our mission is to open clinics that provide abortion care in underserved communities so that all people can make their own decisions about their health care. Our vision is that all people will have access to health care, including abortions, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay.”
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