James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss ongoing blockade of the confirmation of military promotions by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and how his “my way or the highway” approach is so antithetical to the principle of compromise that is baked into the U.S. system by the Constitution  (1:10).  The guys also react to a recent study which suggests that walking can be as good as Viagra for men (44:32).

Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon (AP)

Military families and retired service members lobby to end Tuberville's blockade (CBS News)

Tommy Tuberville Has Taken Another Breathtakingly Bad Stance on Diversity (Vanity Fair)

Sen. Tuberville criticized for remarks on white nationalists: ‘I call them Americans’ (AP)

Senate Republicans erupt in anger over Tuberville’s military freeze (WaPo)

'Lying to America': GOP lawmaker blasts his fellow Republicans, vows he won't seek reelection (USA Today)

There's a Free, Low-Risk Alternative to Viagra, Study Shows (Science Alert)

Sarah Colt’s “The Gilded Age” takes a look at the rapid industrialization and growth, as well as the exploding wealth gap between the capital class and the working class which defined the late nineteenth century in the United States, and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss their takeaways from documentary, which originally aired in 2018 on PBS, including what drove the mass accumulations of wealth, how such wealth can warp society and politics, and how this period may mirror what is happening in the U.S. today.

The Gilded Age (PBS)

The Gilded Age Documentary (Amazon)

The Gilded Age Documentary (iTunes)

The Gilded Age Documentary (YouTube)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the tens of billions in federal child care funds that recently expired and what the role of government should be for something like child care (1:28).  The guys also consider why it always seems like masculinity is under attack (32:29).

Federal childcare funding is about to expire–and it could be terrible for the U.S. economy (Forbes)

Opinion: Federal funding for child care is about to fall off a cliff. Why that’s a disaster (LA Times)

End of federal program funding childcare centers could impact local economy (CBS News Miami)

Column: U.S. policy basically discourages having kids. Now our economy is paying the price (LA Times)

Are We Not Men? (Esquire)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the way many have seemed to want to take sides in an all or nothing way when viewing and discussing the Israel and Hamas war, and how several factors in our society seem to be involved in promoting this approach (1:37).  The guys also react to Robert Sapolsky’s premise in his new book “Determined” that humans actually have no free will (45:29).

Harvard Student Groups Face Intense Backlash for Statement Calling Israel ‘Entirely Responsible’ for Hamas Attack (The Harvard Crimson)

‘Stunned and sickened.’ Wexner Foundation cuts ties with Harvard over ‘tiptoeing’ on Hamas (CNN)

The Anguished Fallout from a Pro-Palestinian Letter at Harvard (The New Yorker)

Top law firm rescinds job offers to Ivy League students over Israel letters (NBC News)

York University threatens to revoke student unions' status over Israel-Hamas statements (CTV News Toronto)

Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict (Reuters)

The Israel-Hamas War Is Drowning X in Disinformation (Wired)

What happens when a group of Fox News viewers watch CNN for a month? (The Guardian)

Stanford scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don’t have free will (LA Times)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the dysfunction in the US House of Representatives following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House that some Republicans seem to be intentionally driving and consider what may be the source of it (1:31).  The guys also react to some recent economic data which shows that Latinos in the us now have an economic output that exceeds that of the nation of India (40:22).

House Republicans are fighting over their next leader. Here’s what you need to know. (Vox)

The GOP Won't Introduce A New Party Platform For 2020. So What Does It Stand For? (NPR - WBUR)

Chaos in Congress points to failures in the U.S. system (WaPo)

Conservative media whips speaker votes for Rep. Jim Jordan (Axios)

Hannity Lashes Out at ‘Snowflake’ Republicans Annoyed By His Aggressive Lobbying For Jim Jordan: ‘I Offer No Apologies For Doing My Job’ (Mediaite)

U.S. Latinos' economic output closing in on Germany (Axios)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the historical context of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas and consider whether after 75+ years of conflict, there is any pathway to an end to this cycle of violence (1:13).  The guys also discuss some recent research into what was happening in the Americas right before Columbus landed (48:44).

Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation (AP News)

Israel pulverises Gaza after Hamas attack as it collects its dead (Reuters)

How Hamas staged Israel lightning assault no-one thought possible (BBC)

The Entire Israeli-Palestine Conflict Explained | Secret Wars Uncovered | War Stories (YouTube)

History of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict (Wikipedia)

What Do You Know About 1491? (The Atlantic) (Apple News Link)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana consider how anger affects one’s ability to think, the types of actors in a society that have an interest in using anger to manipulate others for their own benefit, and whether people could be angrier now than in years past (1:19).  The guys also react to the recent arrest of a suspect for the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur and take a look at the circumstances of the arrest, especially considering how long ago the murder was (44:58).

Anger overwhelms our thinking brain. Here’s how to bring it back online. (WaPo) (Apple News Link)

The age of rage: are we really living in angrier times? (The Guardian)

Anger (Wikipedia)

The Media Needs to Keep You Angry. Don't Feed Into It (Foundation for Economic Education)

Angry Americans: How political rage helps campaigns but hurts democracy (The Conversation)

Why Social Media Makes Us Angrier—and More Extreme (Psychology Today)

The man charged in Tupac Shakur’s 1996 shooting death has long put himself at the crime scene. Here’s what we know about him (CNN)

Why it took 27 years for an arrest in Tupac Shakur’s Las Vegas killing (LA Times)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana react to the corruption allegations against Senator Bob Menendez and discuss whether the type of movie villain style corruption is more of a risk  than the legal corruption that is omnipresent in our political system (1:51).  The guys also comment on some recent publications that investigate how a two-parent household can be beneficial for kids (42:03).

Here are the charges Sen. Bob Menendez is facing (The Hill)

Sen. Bob Menendez and wife indicted on bribery charges; DOJ seizes gold bars and $500,000 (CNN)

The Menendez Scandal Reflects The World That SCOTUS Built (The Lever)

How the Gilded Age’s Top 1 Percent Thrived on Corruption (History Channel)

Sheldon Whitehouse Just Laid Out the Scheme to Control the Federal Courts (Esquire)

Who are the Biggest Donors? (Open Secrets)

Is Single Parenthood the Problem? (The Atlantic) (Apple News Link)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look at the United Auto Workers’ strike and consider whether it, either alone or in the context of the ongoing Hollywood strikes, represent a needed resurgence in union activity (1:15).  The guys also discuss the recent expert recommendations on which exercises and/or equipment in the gym that one should avoid (39:59).

UAW boss says workers shouldn’t accept lower wages so ‘greedy people like Elon Musk can build more rocket ships’ (Yahoo! Finance)

The UAW’s big asks, unusual strike strategy, and what this all means for you (Vox)

Strike Is a High-Stakes Gamble for Autoworkers and the Labor Movement (NY Times)

Aggregated CEO-to-worker compensation ratio for the 350 largest publicly owned companies in the United States from 1965 to 2021 (Statista)

CEO pay has skyrocketed 1,460% since 1978 (Economic Policy Institute)

Writers union will resume strike negotiations with studios this week (CNBC)

Beyond Labor Day: 3 Ways Unions Have Helped American Workers (Time)

Why You Should Skip the Hip Abduction Machine — and These 5 Other Moves (Shape)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana take a look back at the Iran Contra scandal, which despite not seeming to have the notoriety of Watergate or the sizzle of Clinton-Lewinsky, was a pretty big deal and one that illustrated both how the U.S. governmental system can be exploited and the mechanisms in the system that allows it to fight back when lines are crossed (01:13).

The Iran-Contra Affair (PBS)

Iran-Contra Explained: The Wall of Crazy Scandal (YouTube)