How Is This Better?

• Can Your Shopping Choices Fight Fascism?

  You may have heard a lot about boycotting this year, especially when talking about Target or Amazon. Organized actions like these have been happening year-round, but are reaching peak intensity now that we’re well within the holiday season. One such boycott, called We Ain’t Buying It, aimed to draw attention to how giant retailers are using our money against our own interests: funding candidates like Trump and policies that endanger our communities, civil rights and economic interests. LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter who helped organize the campaign, joined the podcast this week to talk about what the campaign hoped to achieve, the history of boycotting as a political tool in the US, and why where you spend this holiday season actually matters. You can find Latosha at @mslatoshabrown on IG, and learn more about the boycott at weaintbuyingit.com. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 01:13 We Ain’t Buying It 09:27 How corporations are funding Trump 14:17 Why are boycotts effective? 17:54 Where should people redirect their money? 19:37 Your money talks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Space is Over

  What happens when a president decides America is done with space? This week on How Is This Better?, Akilah Hughes digs into the Trump administration’s unprecedented plans to slash NASA’s budget. Akilah sits down with Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society to unpack how America went from bipartisan support for space exploration to a full-blown dismantling of the country’s most beloved science agency—and why turning over the future of space to billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos is both dangerous and undemocratic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• These Cheap Vertical Videos May End Hollywood (As We Know It)

  Hollywood (as we once knew it) may have collapsed, but a new form of “storytelling” is thriving in the rubble. This week on How Is This Better? Akilah Hughes investigates the rise of clipping—the 30–90 second chunks of movies and TV that Gen Z and Gen Alpha increasingly treat as the entire art form. With The Ankler's newsroom coordinator, Matthew Frank, we dig into how studios, independent clippers, and even teenagers are monetizing sliced-up IP, why these clips rarely convert to actual viewership, and what that means for the survival of traditional shows. Then we look at the next evolution: vertical dramas—60-to-90-second cliffhanger “episodes” produced for TikTok-native audiences, now attracting major investment from companies like Disney. Kill Switch podcast host, Dexter Thomas, walks us through the booming non-union economy around these soap-opera-meets-micro-content series, the surprising demographics powering their success, and why middle-aged women—not teens—are the earliest adopters. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:20 - Clipping 01:23 - Matthew Frank 9:49 - Dexter Thomas 11:28 - Vertical Dramas 17:20 - Who is Watching Micro Dramas? 26:24 - Is It Better? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The Plot to Force Evangelical Christianity on Everyone

  The First Amendment established the separation of church and state in America — but is that principle truly being upheld today? A powerful contingent on the right is working to erase that line entirely, pushing policies that fuse religion and government to advance a Christian nationalist agenda — from efforts to mandate the Ten Commandments in classrooms to reshaping laws around their ideology. This week, host Akilah Hughes is joined by Heather Weaver of the ACLU, professor Matthew Gabriele, and journalist Talia Lavin to unpack the rise of Christian nationalism in American politics and culture — and its deep ties to authoritarianism and the alt-right. This episode is sponsored by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. To learn more and get involved, visit ⁠⁠au.org/COURIER⁠⁠. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Americans United 01:15 How is Christian Nationalism better? 02:35 The history of American separation of church and state 04:32 The start of the American Christian narrative 07:00 What is Christian Nationalism? 09:44 AU 10:14 How has religious extremism crept into our culture? 14:30 Christian Nationalism & Authoritarianism 19:01 The far right, fascism, and more 22:26 Trump’s authoritarian slide 24:36 Priming Christians for fascism 27:49 Christian Nationalism is not better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• How to Run for Office When You’re Not Rich (with Kat Abughazaleh and Zohran Mamdani)

  What does it really take to run for office when you don’t have a billionaire on speed dial? Akilah Hughes talks with Kat Abughazaleh, the journalist-turned-candidate trying to fund and operate her congressional campaign than what is typical in 2025. Akilah also catches up with New York City mayoral candidate, Zohran Mamdani, days before the election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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