LeBron James finally scored fewer than 10 points in an NBA game for the first time since 2007, and still proves why his habits, sleep, and discipline may be even more impressive than his 1,297-game streak. We unpack what that kind of consistency really looks like, and contrast it with the short, volatile peak of former NBA star David Thompson.

We then turn to the late Frank Gehry, who died at 96. Many of his most iconic, once-mocked designs, like world-class concert halls, arrived after the age when most people retire. What does his career tell us about creativity, risk-taking, and staying productive into your 70s, 80s, and 90s?

Next up: elite colleges. Nearly 38% of Stanford undergraduates now qualify as “disabled,” with surging ADHD and anxiety diagnoses unlocking extra time, accommodations, and access to performance-enhancing study drugs. Where is the line between legitimate need and system-gaming privilege?

We also examine classroom tech. From school-issued iPads to mandatory ed-tech platforms, a growing body of evidence suggests that more screens in school can mean worse attention, weaker reading comprehension, and declining test scores, despite all the “equity” branding.

Finally, we look at Vanity Fair’s decision to part ways with Olivia Nuzzi after her affair with RFK Jr., the backlash to her book American Canto, and renewed questions about media ethics, power, and access.

Topics in this episode:

Listen, follow, and share if you want daily news filtered through performance, communication, and personal development.

Netflix wants to swallow Hollywood’s crown jewels. In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker:

Chapters:

00:00 – Netflix–Warner Bros–HBO mega-deal

16:04 – Smart garage doors & tech ownership

27:20 – Bitcoin volatility & crypto’s broken promises

43:14 – Matthew Perry, ketamine & cognitive bias

54:27 – Letitia James and the failed re-indictment

01:04:45 – Trump’s boat attacks & war crimes questions

Botox and Ozempic on Zoom calls. Pentagon gag orders on the press. Kim Kardashian versus the California bar exam. Trump’s Ukraine “deal” with Putin. And a Supreme Court case that could give billionaires even more leverage over U.S. elections.

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, TJ walks through five major stories and filters them through communication, media, and personal development:

TJ closes with a trainer Q&A on how to help people understand complex topics fast:

Chapters:

If you enjoy the show, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about media, politics, and how power really works.

A deep-red House district in Tennessee that Donald Trump won by more than twenty points just fell to a single-digit margin in a special election. Is this a red-alert for Republicans, a blue wave for Democrats—or just normal midterm gravity doing its work?

Next, we go to America’s campuses, where artificial intelligence has become the hot new major. From MIT’s “AI and Decision-Making” to UC San Diego’s AI program, universities are racing to rebrand and specialize. We look at what this means for students, traditional computer science and the job market.

In San Francisco, the city files a landmark lawsuit against food companies over ultra-processed products, arguing they knowingly fueled an epidemic of obesity and chronic disease. Is this smart public-health accountability or overreach into personal choice?

We stay in San Francisco to examine Mayor Daniel Lurie’s social-media strategy: a highly produced Instagram and TikTok presence built around small businesses, civic clean-ups and a relentless “Let’s go, San Francisco!” message. Is this a model for modern leadership or a distraction from governing?

Finally, we unpack Donald Trump’s latest tirade in which he calls Somali immigrants “garbage” and targets Rep. Ilhan Omar by name. We explore why this kind of dehumanizing language from the presidency matters and how it can increase support for real-world violence.

Chapters:

Starbucks is forced to pay nearly $39 million in New York City’s largest-ever worker protection settlement after officials say the company shredded baristas’ rights to stable schedules. In Switzerland, voters crush a proposed 50% inheritance tax on fortunes above 50 million francs, sending a loud message about how tightly democracy still hugs billionaires.

In New Jersey, former Governor Jim McGreevey, once driven from office in scandal, asks voters for a second chance as he runs for mayor of Jersey City. On the racetrack, Michael Jordan’s NASCAR team is taking the France family’s empire to federal court in an antitrust showdown that could rewrite who controls stock car racing and who gets paid.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces allegations of possible war crimes after a deadly two-strike boat attack in the Caribbean. Even some Republicans and President Trump himself are now trying to distance themselves from the controversy.

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we explore:

Listen in for a deeper look at who really holds power in 2025, and how communication, narrative, and law shape that power every day.

A deep dive into five major stories shaping politics, technology, and society:

Plus grab bag stories including Steve Bannon’s Epstein ties, Netanyahu’s unprecedented pardon request, and the “gray rock” method for defusing holiday conflict.

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we connect five big stories under one theme: how powerful people and institutions dodge blame while everyone else absorbs the cost.

In our grab-bag segment, we turn to two more under-covered trends: new AP reporting on teenagers’ deep mistrust of the news media, and the growing wave of GOP retirements following Marjorie Taylor Greene’s decision to leave Congress — including what that says about Trump’s “lame duck” status on Capitol Hill.

We close with listener Q&A on PowerPoint and slide design: how to stop inflicting text-heavy decks on audiences and start using visuals that actually reinforce your message.

If you’re listening on Podbean or any podcast app, please follow, rate and review — it genuinely helps more people find the show.

In this episode of Filtered with TJ Walker, we analyze a week of extraordinary political turbulence and public money waste. From LSU paying Brian Kelly $54 million not to coach, to Speaker Mike Johnson admitting he’s overwhelmed and not really in control, to Scott Bessent’s inflation denial, JD Vance’s fading 2028 prospects, Trump’s Russia-friendly Ukraine proposal, and a presidential Thanksgiving meltdown filled with slurs and misinformation.

A full breakdown of accountability, leadership, and the direction of American democracy.

This Thanksgiving, Filtered with TJ Walker steps back from the daily news cycle for a data-driven reality check on the state of the world.

TJ tackles the negativity bias, our tendency to focus on dramatic, recent bad news, and contrasts it with long-term global trends that rarely make headlines. Using data from major international sources, he walks through four massive improvements since 1962:

In the final segment, TJ reflects personally on how his own life has exceeded anything his teenage self in 1979 could have imagined: on-demand media, global information access, smartphones, ride-hailing, and the ability to broadcast and teach to millions from a laptop.

If you want less doomscrolling and more perspective, this episode explains why, by most historical measures, there has never been a better time to be alive, while still recognizing the work left to do.

This special Thanksgiving-week episode of Filtered with TJ Walker covers five big stories through the lens of data, incentives, and communication, rather than partisan spin.

Topics covered:

Plus: Trainer Q&A