The November stream will take place on Wednesday, 11/6/24 at 8:00 PM EST. Friend of the show Nathan J. Robinson will be joining Max & 99 to discuss his new book (co-authored with Noam Chomsky) and a little thing called the 2024 election.
As a special treat, this stream will be open to all! We hope to catch you there. Use this link to join.
This week in our Members Only Newsletter you missed:
Max Notes on Joe Roganās interview with Trump.
The Tuesday Top Five news articles everyone should be reading.
An original essay from News Beatās Rashed Mian CNN, X & Obama.
And āNot for Nothingā on Jay Johnston, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Hinchcliffe.
So I guess the question isā¦what are you waiting for? Sign up today to become a member and level up to unlock a slew of additional perks!
Max Notes
I do NOT feel good about this. Forget the polls. Itās pretty clear that this is going to be a tight race, which means Republicans are going to claim victory one way or another. No matter the outcome on Tuesday, we have a lot of work to do starting on Wednesday.
Separate conversations with two very close friends this week illustrate how disconnected we all are. My white conservative friend was shaken by a recent discussion he had with a scientist friend who has a deep understanding of climate change. It was the first time anyone my friend trusts was able to explain in plain language and great detail what weāre doing to the planet and what the consequences look like. He said to me, āI know it will still be okay in my lifetime, but things might get really bad in my childrensā lifetimes.ā
Heās voting for Trump because, as he says, āmy wallet.ā
My Black liberal friend told me about a conversation with his son just this past week. For a brief period of time when Obama was elected, he felt a sense of optimism that America was on its way to healing its racist past. That hope has all but faded and he told his son, āIām 56 years old and resigned to the fact that I wonāt see it happen in my lifetime and Iām not even sure it will happen in yours.ā
Heās voting for Harris because, as he says, āwhat choice do I have?ā
Knowing my state of mind of late my wife asked me if there was another place in the world I would prefer to live someday. The answer is no. I love it here. This is my home and I still believe itās worth fighting for. I want nothing more than to unf*ck the republic. But weāre in the Empire Strikes Back phase of this enduring campaign and I think itās about to get a whole lot worse before (or if) it ever gets better, as my liberal friend said. But as my conservative friend has come to realize, we may not have that kind of time.
Other things Iām obsessing overā¦
Unlike Rick Perry, RFK can name the agencies he wants to run (i.e., destroy).
Welp. Hereās our final look at the national polling averages. Itās estimated the half of the votes will be sent in prior to Election Day, though Iām sure the counting process will still be torture. The final consensus data has Harris ahead by less than the normal margin of error, but ahead nonetheless. Of course, itās the swing states that matter most and it will be interesting to see whether there are upsets in places like Texas or North Carolina.
Headlines
A fate worse thanā¦?
The military agency in charge of determining who gets taken from Gaza for medical treatment has been reducing the number of discharges steadily since the war began. More recently it has been rejecting applications of companionsāmothers, fathers, relativesābringing evacuations to a relative standstill. Since the IDF has decimated Gazaās health services infrastructure, the 14,000 wounded Gazans are simply left to suffer and die.
From the article:
āThe UN estimates that some 14,000 patients, including 2,500 children, are currently in urgent need of medical evacuation. But over the past six monthsāsince the Israeli military invaded Rafah and seized control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing on May 7āonly 237 patients have been medically evacuated out of Gaza, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Drop Site News, 127 of them children.ā
Itās actually not that easy to be a real Czar. Thankfully.
RFK Jr. is on record saying that Trump promised to put him in charge of āseveralā agencies under the health and human services umbrella. So heāll run the FDA, USDA, and something like 670 other agencies to make the nation healthier and our food supply safer. According to this Wired article, itās not as easy as one thinks to dismantle the entire regulatory system in this country. But with some time, he can do a lot of damage.
From the article:
āIf chosen to be FDA commissioner, Kennedy would control the agencyās budget and priorities and could have a sizable impact by installing lower-level appointees who are sympathetic to his worldview. While the FDA commissioner does not single-handedly approve or authorize new drugs, Kantner says outside political pressure can certainly influence that process. Kennedy could also appoint members to FDA advisory committees, panels of outside experts that make recommendations to the agency on drug approvals and other regulatory matters.ā
Six justices to rest of country: We run shit around here.
The Supreme Court intervened in a Virginia voter purge case that signals some bad news from the nationās top court. Again. In a 6 to 3 decision, (guess who) the SCOTUS allowed Virginia to uphold a purge of 1,600 voters under the claim that they were potentially non-citizens. Of course, among the purged roll were U.S. citizens. Beyond this nonsense, itās chilling to think the Supreme Court is intervening in election issues prior to the election. Here I thought it was their job to throw the election to Republicans after the fact. Go figure.
From the article:
āVirginia is among several Republican-led states that have announced controversial new initiatives in recent months that purported to remove potential noncitizens but that critics say were overly broad and have also affected eligible citizens.ā
Max and 99 have a Manny-less conversation (Manny on assignment, donāt worry) about the election. Itās a sobering discussion about whatās at stake, talk Democratic missteps along the way and ask whose idea it was to let Steve Bannon out of prison before the election.
āNothingās spookier than the news, but Danny and Derek find their courage. This week: in Israel-Palestine, a new report of the Biden administration ignoring Israeli war crimes, the Knesset votes to ban UNRWA, and yet more ceasefire talks; in Lebanon, Hezbollah names a new leader and a push for a ceasefire there; regarding Iran, the aftermath of the Israeli strikes and reports of an imminent retaliation...ā
āIn this compelling memoir, Douglas Terreson, one of Wall Streetās most influential energy analysts, takes readers on a journey through the high-stakes world of global oil markets and financial powerhouses. From his humble beginnings on offshore oil rigs to making billion-dollar calls that reshaped the energy industry, Terresonās story is one of perseverance, insight, and the courage to challenge the status quo. He reveals the inside story behind his legendary market predictions, including the āEra of the Super-Major,ā the āGolden Age of Refining,ā and āThe Pledge,ā which sent shockwaves through the industry and made fortunes for those who listened. Terresonās career also spans some of the worldās most complex energy privatizations, from Norway to China and even Venezuela. But itās not all smooth sailing-Terresonās contrarian stance during the 2008 financial crisis nearly cost him his career, only to be vindicated in spectacular fashion.ā
Thank you for bringing attention to the crisis in Western North Carolina in your Election Denials episode. As a resident of Asheville I can tell you that the heartbreak from the devastation of Hurricane Helene is still as sharp as it was on day one. A month on and thereās been so much work to do that a lot of folks around here havenāt even had time to process the things weāve seen.
World Central Kitchen These guys have been a godsend. Millions of hot meals delivered around the region to date, and theyāre still here. Canāt say enough good things about WCK.
BeLoved has been the conscience of Asheville for years. Their mission has historically been to give direct aid to unhoused communities, but theyāve stepped up in a big way to help everybody in need...which is everybody.
This is a good fund that offers monies directly to the myriad organizations around WNC that are providing aid. Like I mentioned there are a ton of small rural communities around Asheville that need help too. This a good centralized fund to get them support as well.
The former college organizer and youngest-ever Austin City Council Member, continues to lean on his roots in grassroots activism to shape a bold policy agenda.
āFair Elections Center is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and election reform 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to use litigation and advocacy to remove barriers to registration and voting, particularly those disenfranchising underrepresented and marginalized communities, and to improve election administration.ā
