IL is joined by Gizmodo writer Tom McKay (@thetomzone), who is on Twitter way more than any brain can handle. He explains Twitter, including his battles with Colonel Kurt Schlichter and whether the site should just be nationalized. We talk about the weird meta movement in media, Roy Moore, and the wave of assault allegations we’re all enjoying so much. Finally, Brian coins The Thirsty Firsters to refer to the nerds who subtweet Trump with bad owns and too much research.

*Brian mentions this Whitest Kids U Know sketch @ minute 29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsWLBOyEv6o

To celebrate the one-year anniversary of DJT-Day, Lenny and Brian set up a March Madness-style bracket filled with answers to one question: Why did Donald Trump get elected president? Everyone has their own answer, and we’ve all spent the last year trying to convince one another from our FEMA labor camps. In this special double episode, Infinity License reminisces about Election Night 2016 before ruthlessly pitting theory against theory to find the one true reason we now have the Insane Clown President.

Play-in Round:

25:00 - Anyone But Hill v. Trump Seemed Like A Good Businessman

28:00 - Sexism v. Anton LaVey-style Hedonism

Round 1:

33:00 - Cult of Personality v. Protest Vote

36:50 - PC Backlash v. Rise of Global Nationalism

48:00 - We’re Racist v. Coming Ecological Disaster

51:50 - People Resist Complexity v. Dems are Out Of Touch

57:30 - Anyone But Hill v. Minorities Didn’t Vote

1:03:30 - America Is A Cultural Wasteland v. The Internet Broke Our Brains

1:13:00 - Procedural Fluke v. Rise of Extremism On The Right

1:19:10 - Sexism v. Social Stability Is Unstable

Elite Eight: 1:26:15

Final Four: 1:37:30

CHAMPIONSHIP: 1:47:00

Photo: Infinity License on Obama’s election night, 11/4/08

To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, which they forgot to mention, the Infinity boiz bring on Charlie Walden (comedian/ activist/ historian/tour guide) to nail some fat grievances to the door. Gentrification gets a big one even though it’s benefited/perpetrated by everyone on the podcast. Knowledgeable NYC-head Charlie breaks down the first De Blasio regime as we look forward to another. Finally, Charlie challenges society to live up to its professed Christian mores while Brian rails against HGTV.

**Please note that this was recorded before the terrorist attack on the west side highway on 10/31/17. There is no commentary on that event.

The Infinity train rolls on with a fun and depressing-ass talk about America’s structural problems. This discussion is like when you start out trying to talk through an argument and end up just making it worse. We prognosticate on the future of the NFL; talk about the funniest thing that could come out of the JFK files; wonder why an American service member was in Niger; and go hard on the imminent demise of our monetary system and the subsequent crumbling of society. Finally, we wrap up by telling Elon Musk to get his ass in electric gear and stop abusing his workforce.

Show notes:

- Helpful article on the US’s involvement in foreign wars:

- This is the NYT article about the machinations of the Federal Reserve, newly unable to control the money supply. Great! https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/business/economy/the-feds-policy-mechanics-retool-for-a-rise-in-interest-rates.html

- The market cap of bitcoin is $96 billion

- Intro / outro: “Make It Wit Chu” by Queens of the Stone Age, Era Vulgaris

Lenny and Brian are joined by Ryan Snow — UVA law student, progressive populist, traveling trombonist, and ardent defender of democracy — to talk about the electoral malfeasance distorting our society.

00:00 - Why democracy is worth defending

16:45 - Ryan’s take on the great electoral seppuku of 2016

25:30 - The history of voter suppression is the history of white supremacy

38:00 - How to argue with people who support voter ID laws

57:15 - Gill v. Whitford v. partisan gerrymandering

1:21:30 - The FEC: An agency designed to not work

1:25:15 - Parting instructions to vote & appreciate existence (in that order)

Music credits:

Intro: "Slow Rider" by Cuddle Magic, Ashes/Axis (Northern Spy Records, 2017)

Outro: "The Arriving" by Kim Anderson, Yarrow (Biophilia Records, forthcoming)

Subscribe on iTunes / Stitcher / Soundcloud if you like what you hear. And remember: Democracy is hard to argue against but essential to stand up for.

Lenny and Brian get a lot off their chest after a frustrating Sunday for the New York Jets. The NFL is making the sport unwatchable by over-legislating ridiculous rules. If you have any takes otherwise you are wrong.

Lauren Isaacs (MPH, LCSW, Smarter than Lenny & Brian) joins the conversation to discuss this Vox article https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/11/16458142/congress-alzheimers-pharmacist

Lenny interviews his friend Beth about her membership in the Girl Scouts and the news about the Boy Scouts allowing girls to join.

The conversation wraps up on the racial politics of emojis. A topic that America needs to hear about in these trying times.

PSA - the naked egg taco at Taco Bell is a gross concept, but if someone buys one for Brian he WILL eat it to prove a point.

Sorry for the late posts everyone! The Infinity License operation is expanding and as a result it's taking longer to produce 'sodes.

We're back! After a short hiatus we have many takes. We have a short tribute to Tom Petty, we discuss the tragedy in Las Vegas, and we have a NATIONALIZED CONVERSATION about athletes taking a knee...a topic that we had to talk about because Adam Silver called for it.

**Please note that we recorded this on Tuesday, October 3rd which was BEFORE Cam Newton said something sexist, so any Cam Newton takes are dated...all others are fre$h**

We're talking about Trump's fun visit to the United Nations. Also we discuss the idea of civilization, is it worth it? We talk about our hero Jefe Besos who is looking for a vacation HQ for Amazon. We wrap the conversation up by talking about whether the American global empire is a good thing and we try our hardest to say the word "hegemony" correctly.

We forgot to shout out our fans in Tajikistan in the episode, but we still love you guys! Also shout out to new listeners in Portugal!

We're back to our old name! After a discussion we decided it'd be best to just keep the original title of the cast, Infinity License. We didn't want to confuse our licensees out there. Especially our loyal Tajikistani listeners!

This week we have our friend Ben on the show. We talk about the Cleveland Indians and their amazing win streak, along with potential NEW names for the Indians. We also discuss the Ta-Nehesi Coates pieces on our "First White President." Finally we wrap up the conversation trying to figure out what the correct and most "woke" take on the whole Ezekiel Elliott situation in the NFL.

Sports heavy 'sode, but a good one even if you aren't a sports head!

We have our first guest this week! John Light is a writer, journalist, and smart person. We talk to him about the state of local journalism, net neutrality, and the FCC. We also talk about the EPA! Regulations! Who needs 'em! Probably the United States.

Hop in the vannnnnn.