Welcome to Without a Country, where we break down the biggest stories in politics, culture, and the internet without the usual filter.

This episode covers a wide range of topics, starting with the LA mayor race and why Spencer Pratt is being taken more seriously than people expected. There’s also a surprising shift from Perez Hilton after a near-death experience that completely changed his perspective.

We get into the situation between Alex Cooper and Alex IRL and what it says about the podcast and influencer space right now. From there, the conversation moves into a New York Times op-ed, the idea of a “liberal Joe Rogan,” and why figures like Hasan Piker keep coming up in media discussions.

There’s also a longer breakdown of Zionism, anti-Zionism, and how the meaning of those terms has evolved, along with how younger generations are viewing Israel and Palestine differently.

Later in the episode, we talk about the SantaCon fraud story and how something that’s supposed to be charitable turned into a major scandal. Then we spend time unpacking the allegations against Eric Swalwell and the larger conversation around power, politics, and sexual misconduct.

The episode wraps up with a deeper look at global conflict, including the situation in the West Bank and what it could mean going forward.

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:30 Show Overview News, Politics, Culture

00:02:50 LA Mayor Race Spencer Pratt vs Karen Bass

00:05:00 Perez Hilton Near-Death and Religious Shift

00:09:50 Alex Cooper vs Alex IRL Drama

00:12:30 Call Her Daddy Industry Tension

00:15:10 NYT Op-Ed Breakdown Ezra Klein

00:17:00 Liberal Joe Rogan Debate

00:21:00 Hasan Piker and Media Hypocrisy

00:26:00 Zionism vs Anti-Zionism Deep Dive

00:32:00 Language, Politics and Online Narratives

00:36:00 Israel, Gaza and Lebanon Discussion

00:39:00 Democrats, Media Strategy and Cancel Culture

00:41:20 Why Conversation Matters More Than Agreement

00:45:00 Cancel Culture Backfiring

00:49:30 Algorithm Clips and Misrepresentation

00:51:00 SantaCon Fraud Scandal NYC

00:54:30 Money Laundering and Arrest Breakdown

00:55:50 Patreon and Show Support

01:00:00 Eric Swalwell Allegations Begin

01:02:00 Power, Politics and Timing of Accusations

01:08:00 Additional Accusers and Misconduct Claims

01:12:00 Workplace Dynamics and Power Imbalance

01:18:00 Believability vs Political Strategy

01:25:00 Sexual Misconduct in Politics

01:35:00 Cultural Patterns and Repeated Behavior

01:45:00 Global Abuse Cases and Survivor Stories

01:48:30 Case Studies and Trauma Impact

02:00:00 Trust, Trauma and Psychological Fallout

02:10:00 Justice System Failures

02:20:00 Gender, Power and Media Commentary

02:35:00 Audience Reflection and Societal Patterns

02:50:00 Political Media and Messaging Frustrations

02:55:00 NYC Politics and Content Strategy

03:00:00 Final Israel and West Bank Discussion

03:01:00 Settler Violence and Long-Term Consequences

03:05:00 Outro and Credits

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Liberal Joe Rogan Op Ed:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/opinion/hasan-piker-democrats.html

ENEMY OF THE STATE: Santacon

https://archive.is/gkNzf

DICTATOR = Christopher Fanguy

Capitalist Pigs, Cuties!

Hello to my newest Capitalist Pig = Xana Rogers

MAIN STORY

Eric Swalwell (and Tony Gonzalez)

https://www.thecut.com/article/all-the-allegations-against-eric-swalwell.html

https://www.archivebuttons.com/articles?article=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/04/eric-swalwell-abuse-allegations-lewd-photos.html#google_vignette

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/15/swalwell-allegations-democrats-california-rise/

Tony Gonzalez'

https://archive.is/QUgSS

Cutie Corner

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/pennsylvania-man-pleads-guilty-creating-and-distributing-animal-crush-videos

GUUUURL

Ticketmaster

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/15/nx-s1-5786715/live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-verdict-monopoly

Trump As Jesus

https://archive.is/snmkZ

Surveillance in America

https://www.npr.org/2026/04/14/nx-s1-5768270/what-to-know-about-section-702-surveillance

Sam Altman

https://archive.is/ClM50

Hungarian election

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/04/13/hungary-election-orban-defeat-message-democrats-00868584

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/world/europe/viktor-orban-peter-magyar-election.html

Israel/Lebanon

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/4/15/headlines/lebanon_and_israel_hold_first_direct_talks_in_more_than_three_decades

FP article actually critical of Israel

https://www.thefp.com/p/israel-has-an-extremism-problem?utm_campaign=260347&utm_source=cross-post&r=3l2hy&utm_medium=email

Sexual Violence by IDF

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/i-wished-death-sexual-violence-israels-prisons-organised-state-policy

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