It Could Happen Here

The gang discuss Ed Sheeran dropping Macklemore from his tour over pro Palestine comments, courts blocking new mail-in-ballot requirements, Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, a report detailing tiny metal cages at Alligator Alcatraz, a general strike in Eastern Kurdistan, debate on AI regulation, and the Republican midterm convention.

Sources:
https://rudaw.net/english/categories/middleeast/1079247
https://www.rudaw.net/english/categories/iraq/1079243
https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2099321216683425864?s=20
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28621690-paheivdhsord091426/
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.291053/gov.uscourts.dcd.291053.192.0.pdf
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a305_4g15.pdf
https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2097872390076141726?s=20
https://x.com/USA_Polling/status/2100014172738122001?s=20
https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/2098209805215080868?s=20
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117147749847925768
https://www.foxnews.com/media/homan-confirms-criminal-investigation-involving-ilhan-omar-says-knows-things-going
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099925671795474759?s=20https://www.anthropic.com/threat-intelligence-report-september-2026#conventional-weapons-sep-26
https://x.com/Ibrahym22Nagi/status/2099482678479188145
https://x.com/Bafeltalabani/status/2099810675484668045
https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2099869946423431232
https://media.defense.gov/2026/Sep/09/2003993626/-1/-1/1/OEF_Q3_JUN2026_FINAL_508%20SECURE.PDF
https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2026-09/OIG-26-22-Sep26.pdf
https://x.com/cspan/status/2099878657174941991?s=20
https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-casar-introduce-legislation-to-ban-artificial-superintelligence-and-temporarily-pause-advanced-ai-development/
https://geesemag.com/articles/stop-the-ai-arms-race
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117269745153543631
https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2099597928142688610?s=20
https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2099648450069512426?s=20
https://x.com/linamkhan/status/2099204390548639960?s=20
https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/2098973625252708460?s=20
https://x.com/Jason/status/2098817101628600383?s=20
https://x.com/daniel_koss/status/2099751931400847840?s=20
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/12/anthropics-amodei-proposes-plan-to-slow-the-pace-of-advancing-ai-capabilities.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/14/anthropic-walks-tightrope-to-nasdaq-pushing-slowdown-and-pursuing-ipo.html
https://bsky.app/profile/bishonentype.bsky.social/post/3mvg527c3k22n
https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/why-saudi-arabias-plan-b-for-oil-exports-is-now-under-fire/4335414/
https://www.newarab.com/news/saudi-running-out-oil-export-options-routes-choked
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/07/global-food-prices-three-year-high-heatwaves-wars-crop-costs
https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/did-the-houthis-shoot-down-saudi-arabian-f-15-what-we-know-19991908.htm
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/saudi-arabia-calls-mecca-red-175848059.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/DdXFZLNARm4/
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2026/09/15/irish-acts-aaron-rowe-and-beoga-quit-ed-sheerans-us-tour-in-protest-over-palestine/
https://apnews.com/article/ed-sheeran-responds-macklemore-tour-3fd73815563039bea9b88f5efe745d62
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/49943754/patriots-kraft-says-macklemore-performance-cross-line
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/where-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-150614158.html
https://www.instagram.com/p/DdXFZLNARm4/?stkn=MThsbzc2OWh3d2s5OQ==
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Mia begins a series on the history of the most recent series of uprisings by examining how history moves.

Sources:
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/ch01.htm
https://www.endnotes.org.uk/issues/issue-4/endnotes-a-history-of-separation-preface
https://archive.org/details/blackjacobinstou0000jame
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In this episode Dana El Kurd talks about the debate in DC on what the role of the US has been in the Middle East, and what it should be. She also talks about what’s missing from these discussions.

Sources:
https://www.cfr.org/articles/the-u-s-led-middle-east-order-is-over-the-mecca-agreement-proves-it
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/end-american-middle-east-iran-marc-lynch
http://foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/new-old-middle-east-gause
https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/12/the-re-emergence-of-the-palestine-question-in-world-politics/
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/29/us-decline-world-order-replacement
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Garrison talks with Dr. Kaveh Hoda about the potential risks and benefits of doing outreach to people within the MAHA movement, the partisan makeup of MAHA, and why AOC is privately talking with MAHA influencers.

Sources:
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/28/poll-maha-health-fractures-kennedy-00972253
https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/maha-health-concerns-resonate-broadly-but-lag-behind-health-care-costs-even-for-maha-voters/
https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-health-tracking-poll-maha-and-the-midterms/
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2026/09/05/inside-aocs-maha-outreach-01066409
https://www.youtube.com/live/h6fe9CaVZCI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRgeXPsihXI

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James and journalist Jason Dove Mark explain the roadless rule, national forests, and the Trump administration's attempts to strip protections from tens of thousands of acres of public land.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869
https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/roadless-rule
https://morethanjustparks.com/threatened-public-lands-map/
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