On this edition of Middle Theory, we remember the life and political career of the influential Arizona Senator John McCain, who passed away on August 25, 2018. 

As we say so long to the month of August (and bid welcome back to those who have been "unplugged" for the last several weeks), Micah takes a moment to remind us how bad things could be... and in ancient Rome, that's precisely how things were. Public insults in ancient Rome often were so volatile that they made today's worst interactions on the World Wide Web look like an afternoon with the kids at the neighborhood jungle gym.

Then turning our attention to the news, we look at the bizarre claim that conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was caught with transgender pornography on his phone during a live InfoWars segment, as well as the now resolved "mystery" of a woman filmed outside a Texas home wearing what appeared to be restraints of some kind... and little else. Scandals surrounding the Catholic Church are causing choppy waters for Pope  Francis and the folks at the Vatican, and also, is it true that the FBI was secretly releasing information to the press, which they then exploited as a measure to assist them in obtaining FISA warrants? A North Carolina congressman seems to think so...

Then finally, we turn our attention to the passing of Arizona senator and political "maverick" John McCain, whose legacy was both respected by both political parties, and at times unpredictable. In his final act before the nation, McCain's funeral was planned carefully with a message of unity in times of political divisiveness... and with strong anti-Trump overtones. We examine this, and the broader influence McCain had on American politics.

A special thank you to those who donated this week:

* RUNE

* SteveDave

* James Malone 

* Grimerica

* Jill Ellis

* Chris Beggio

* John Lipartito 

* Jessica Zuccarello

* Charles Tucker

* Mark Hankins II

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Finally, here are links to stories addressed on this week's program:

* ROMAN TROLLOSSEUM: Online insults nothing compared to public slander in ancient Rome

* IS AJ TAKEN WITH TRANS STARS? Jones appeared to have Marissa Minx video in the browser on his phone during live broadcast

* SOLVED,