It Could Happen Here

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. 

• How to Rob a City: NBA Billionaire Edition 

• How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 2

• Sophie Cunningham's Transphobic WNBA Panic 

• DHS Surveillance and Infiltration of ICE Protests in Minnesota 

• Executive Disorder: Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Canadian Trade War, Record High ICE Detentions 

You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!

Sources/Links:

How to Rob a City: NBA Billionaire Edition 

• https://www.forbes.com/profile/thomas-dundon/
• https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-nbas-newest-cheapest-owner-shows-how-billionaires-ruin-sports
• https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/03/tom-dundon-blazers-subprime-loan/
• https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/investment-riches-built-on-auto-loans-to-poor/#:~:text=Ms.,the%20loan%20with%20her%20daughter
• https://www.youtube.com/live/UD8erzI72Fg
• https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/shadow-bank-blue-owl-caps-021700097.html
• https://wealth.blueowl.com/solutions/investment-strategy-real-assets-digital-infrastructure
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-04/blue-owl-fund-sells-warehouse-to-dhs-for-ice-mega-jail
• https://youtu.be/3BqOjrFFNK0
• https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.14.3.95
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12572
• https://belkcollegeofbusiness.charlotte.edu/economic-working-papers/wp-content/uploads/sites/850/2012/10/wp2016-014.pdf
• https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/economics-hosting-olympic-games
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24131508_Mega-Events_The_effect_of_the_world's_biggest_sporting_events_on_local_regional_and_national_economies
• https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
• https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
• https://media.clemson.edu/economics/data/sports/Stadiums%20and%20Econ%20Impact/Matheson-2019-Journal_of_Policy_Analysis_and_Management.pdf
• https://www.blazersedge.com/trail-blazers-analysis/114957/portland-moda-center-portland-trail-blazers-arena-revenue-debate-sports-teams-city-revenue-taxes-deal
• https://www.kjzz.org/business/2026-05-10/diversification-matters-glendale-says-desert-diamond-arena-is-thriving-post-hockey
• https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/oakland-arena-coliseum-record-best-fiscal-year-of-all-time-after-sold-out-bad-bunny-k-pop-concerts/
• https://oaklandside.org/2026/06/16/how-hot-is-the-oakland-arena-a-second-bidder-has-emerged-to-buy-it/
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/keyarena-turns-a-bigger-profit-than-it-ever-did-with-the-sonics/
• https://journalistsresource.org/economics/sports-stadium-public-financing/
• https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/07/03/smith-entertainment-group-estimates-spending-525-million-remodeling-delta-center/
• https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/20/trail-blazers-moda-center-portland-basketball-sports/
• https://www.ripcitynotripoff.com
• https://weareripcity.org/#supporters
• https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/16/portland-councilors-release-draft-term-sheet-as-business-coalition-presses-for-public-moda-center-funding/
• https://multnomah.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php
• https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7145153/2026/03/25/nba-expansion-seattle-las-vegas/

How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 2

• How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

• Colonial Crucible: Empire in the Making of the Modern American State edited by Alfred W. McCoy and Francisco A. Scarano

• The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture by Amy Kaplan

• https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/ 

• https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/ 

• https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian 

• https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html 

• https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d 

• https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html 

• https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html

• https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547 

• https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ 

• https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d 

• https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml 

• https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735 

• https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association 

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement 

• https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/ 

• https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf 

• https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory
•  https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg

• Las carpetas: persecución política y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico by Ramón Bosque Pérez y Javier Colón Morera

• Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 by Harry Franqui-Rivera

Sophie Cunningham's Transphobic WNBA Panic 

• https://www.thefrankiedlc.news/
• @thefrankiedlc
• @bugsmaytrix.bsky.social
• https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-everything-is-wrestling-336405745/

DHS Surveillance and Infiltration of ICE Protests in Minnesota 

• https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/united-states-v-sant/ 
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.0_6.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.3_3.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.5_5.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.7_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.10_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.8_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.9_5.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.12_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.11_5.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.21_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.22_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.23_4.pdf
• https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.24_4.pdf
• https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1446251/dl
• inline=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3DhFnngDY

Executive Disorder: Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Canadian Trade War, Record High ICE Detentions 

• https://pridesource.com/article/dolly-parton-tribute
• https://people.com/dolly-parton-says-she-loves-and-does-not-judge-the-lgbtq-community-8386722
  https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/designation-of-autistici-inventati-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist/
• https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0616/
  https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/08/18/usda-acts-remove-roadless-rule-restrictions-exacerbate-rising-wildfire-risk 
• https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless
  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/22/us-canada-trade-deal-01046788 
• https://www.npr.org/2026/08/24/nx-s1-5942971/u-s-treasury-launches-economic-d-day-against-iran-as-war-drags-on 
• https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/6048370-scott-bessent-trump-administration-slow-roll-iran-war-sanctions/ 
• https://newrepublic.com/post/214646/trump-worker-visa-fees-immigration 
• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/world/canada/trump-carney-trade-war-tariffs.html 
• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxvj1zd4qjo 
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/iran-vows-retaliation-u-widens-115405636.html 
• https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-drought-disaster-usda-farmers-water-b4fe620ecbb2272576e79d140f0180dd 
• https://www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsalias/washington-dc/notas/agricultura-federal-declara-una-emergencia-en-26-municipios-de-puerto-rico-a-causa-de-la-sequia/
  https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-prosecutors-helping-ice/  
• https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-trust-act-violations-immigrants-deported/ 
• https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Safer-Communities/Resources-for-Law-Enforcement/Law-Enforcement-and-Immigration/ 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1X9shmR24 
• https://x.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/2092303479054225809?s=20 
• https://deportationdata.org/news/2026-08-24-ICE-release.html 
• https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/251258.P.pdf 
• https://app.deportationdata.org/?agency=ice&dataset=detention-stays&tab=chart&s=eJxVyDEKhEAMQNG7_HqEWRd2IZcJKoOKTCIabcS7W_vKd3Ei38QeXSAMflho777MtpOIuRaE6hYTibE4gqq5FVUS47a-o64IbW5_Tf43-cP9AO8gHXk 
• https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2026-08/OIG-26-23-Aug26.pdf 
• https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-17238.pdf 
• https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf 
• https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/26/trump-usps-mail-voting-rule-lawsuit-states-supreme-court.html 
• https://archive.is/20260818151459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/18/pentagon-evaluating-smaller-us-military-presence-persian-gulf-after-iran-war/#selection-1117.0-1121.36
• https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-08-21/bahrain-evacuation-military-families-navy-22618186.html
• https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-21/stars-and-stripes-publisher-editor-reporter-separated-22620671.html 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss the death of Dolly Parton, a drought in Puerto Rico, SCOTUS allowing Trump to implement his executive order on mail-in voting, trade negotiations falling apart with Canada, how police are circumventing sanctuary policies, and the chaotic evacuation of a U.S. base in Bahrain. 

Sources:
https://pridesource.com/article/dolly-parton-tribute

https://people.com/dolly-parton-says-she-loves-and-does-not-judge-the-lgbtq-community-8386722
https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/designation-of-autistici-inventati-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist/

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0616/
https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/08/18/usda-acts-remove-roadless-rule-restrictions-exacerbate-rising-wildfire-risk 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/22/us-canada-trade-deal-01046788 

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/24/nx-s1-5942971/u-s-treasury-launches-economic-d-day-against-iran-as-war-drags-on 

https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/6048370-scott-bessent-trump-administration-slow-roll-iran-war-sanctions/ 

https://newrepublic.com/post/214646/trump-worker-visa-fees-immigration 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/world/canada/trump-carney-trade-war-tariffs.html 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxvj1zd4qjo 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/iran-vows-retaliation-u-widens-115405636.html 

https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-drought-disaster-usda-farmers-water-b4fe620ecbb2272576e79d140f0180dd 

https://www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsalias/washington-dc/notas/agricultura-federal-declara-una-emergencia-en-26-municipios-de-puerto-rico-a-causa-de-la-sequia/
https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-prosecutors-helping-ice/  

https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-trust-act-violations-immigrants-deported/ 

https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Safer-Communities/Resources-for-Law-Enforcement/Law-Enforcement-and-Immigration/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1X9shmR24 

https://x.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/2092303479054225809?s=20 

https://deportationdata.org/news/2026-08-24-ICE-release.html 

https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/251258.P.pdf 

https://app.deportationdata.org/?agency=ice&dataset=detention-stays&tab=chart&s=eJxVyDEKhEAMQNG7_HqEWRd2IZcJKoOKTCIabcS7W_vKd3Ei38QeXSAMflho777MtpOIuRaE6hYTibE4gqq5FVUS47a-o64IbW5_Tf43-cP9AO8gHXk 

https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2026-08/OIG-26-23-Aug26.pdf 

https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-17238.pdf 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/26/trump-usps-mail-voting-rule-lawsuit-states-supreme-court.html 

https://archive.is/20260818151459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/18/pentagon-evaluating-smaller-us-military-presence-persian-gulf-after-iran-war/#selection-1117.0-1121.36
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-08-21/bahrain-evacuation-military-families-navy-22618186.html
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-21/stars-and-stripes-publisher-editor-reporter-separated-22620671.html 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garrison outlines what we know about how DHS investigated anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis and new discovery documents revealing Homeland Security Investigations reports on financial probes of activist groups and labor unions.

Sources:

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/united-states-v-sant/ 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.0_6.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.3_3.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.5_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.7_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.10_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.8_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.9_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.12_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.11_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.21_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.22_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.23_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.24_4.pdf
https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1446251/dl?inline=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3DhFnngDY

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia talks with trans sports journalist Frankie de la Cruz and former trans college athlete Bugsmaytrix about WNBA bit player Sophie Cunningham's pivot to transphobia and the right's war on trans people.

Links:

https://www.thefrankiedlc.news/

@thefrankiedlc

+

@bugsmaytrix.bsky.social 

 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-everything-is-wrestling-336405745/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist Carlos Berríos Polanco talks with James about how the United States acquired its inhabited overseas colonies, why the constitution doesn't fully apply there, and what it means as Trump says he wants to add new territories or states. 

• How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

• Colonial Crucible: Empire in the Making of the Modern American State edited by Alfred W. McCoy and Francisco A. Scarano

• The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture by Amy Kaplan

• https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/ 

• https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/ 

• https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian 

• https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html 

• https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d 

• https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/ 

• https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html 

• https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html

• https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547 

• https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ 

• https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d 

• https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml 

• https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735 

• https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association 

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement 

• https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/ 

• https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf 

• https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/
• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory
•  https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz
• https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg

• Las carpetas: persecución política y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico by Ramón Bosque Pérez y Javier Colón Morera

• Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 by Harry Franqui-Rivera

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weeks after more than 600 houses in Spokane burned, James talks to community members about how people prepared, cared for each other, and worried about migration enforcement during the fire evacuations.

Sources:

Aldo Leopold- A Sand County Almanac

 https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBqjR6RdzJ/

Donation Links:

Spokane Immigrants Rights Coalition: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/sirc-community-fund 
Spectrum running the Rainbow Relief Fund: https://spectrumcenterspokane.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate 
Colville Fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cedar-fund-wildfire-recovery-campaign 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigative Journalist Kevin Foster discusses the bad economics of public investments in sports and how billionaires will try to rob your city

Sources:

• https://www.forbes.com/profile/thomas-dundon/
• https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-nbas-newest-cheapest-owner-shows-how-billionaires-ruin-sports
• https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/03/tom-dundon-blazers-subprime-loan/
• https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/investment-riches-built-on-auto-loans-to-poor/#:~:text=Ms.,the%20loan%20with%20her%20daughter
• https://www.youtube.com/live/UD8erzI72Fg
• https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/shadow-bank-blue-owl-caps-021700097.html
• https://wealth.blueowl.com/solutions/investment-strategy-real-assets-digital-infrastructure
• https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-04/blue-owl-fund-sells-warehouse-to-dhs-for-ice-mega-jail
• https://youtu.be/3BqOjrFFNK0
• https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.14.3.95
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12572
• https://belkcollegeofbusiness.charlotte.edu/economic-working-papers/wp-content/uploads/sites/850/2012/10/wp2016-014.pdf
• https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/economics-hosting-olympic-games
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24131508_Mega-Events_The_effect_of_the_world's_biggest_sporting_events_on_local_regional_and_national_economies
• https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
• https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
• https://media.clemson.edu/economics/data/sports/Stadiums%20and%20Econ%20Impact/Matheson-2019-Journal_of_Policy_Analysis_and_Management.pdf
• https://www.blazersedge.com/trail-blazers-analysis/114957/portland-moda-center-portland-trail-blazers-arena-revenue-debate-sports-teams-city-revenue-taxes-deal
• https://www.kjzz.org/business/2026-05-10/diversification-matters-glendale-says-desert-diamond-arena-is-thriving-post-hockey
• https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/oakland-arena-coliseum-record-best-fiscal-year-of-all-time-after-sold-out-bad-bunny-k-pop-concerts/
• https://oaklandside.org/2026/06/16/how-hot-is-the-oakland-arena-a-second-bidder-has-emerged-to-buy-it/
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/keyarena-turns-a-bigger-profit-than-it-ever-did-with-the-sonics/
• https://journalistsresource.org/economics/sports-stadium-public-financing/
• https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/07/03/smith-entertainment-group-estimates-spending-525-million-remodeling-delta-center/
• https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/20/trail-blazers-moda-center-portland-basketball-sports/
• https://www.ripcitynotripoff.com
• https://weareripcity.org/#supporters
• https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/16/portland-councilors-release-draft-term-sheet-as-business-coalition-presses-for-public-moda-center-funding/
• https://multnomah.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php
• https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7145153/2026/03/25/nba-expansion-seattle-las-vegas/

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Margaret reads a story about a strange visitor by a civil rights activist and writer

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All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. 

• How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 1

• The Dangers of Silica ft. Kim Kelly

• How AI Companies are Monetizing Intimacy, Ft. Bridget Todd

• Fighting for Incarcerated Workers

• Executive Disorder: Iran Ceasefire Expires, Corrupt Military Contractors, Florida Election 

You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!

Sources/Links:

How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 1

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23780231241274187

https://fortune.com/2026/07/27/hormuz-fertilizer-guano-islands-act-fertilizer-empire/ 

https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/navassa-island-the-uss-160-year-forgotten-tragedy

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-09-26/almost-half-of-americans-dont-know-puerto-ricans-are-us-citizens-poll 

https://www.doi.gov/oia/islands/politicatypes 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement 

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/ 

https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ 

https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d 

https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/how-us-controls-iraqs-oil-revenues-2026-01-23/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html 

https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d 

https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/ 

https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547

https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheets-View/Article/4463352/154-the-longe
st-blackout-in-us-history-hurricane-maria/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-was-serious-about-trading-hurricane-stricken-puert
o-rico-greenland-n1237336

https://www.democracynow.org/2001/8/3/as_navy_pounds_vieques_with_largest
“Nationals” but not “Citizens”

https://www.aclu.org/news/voting-rights/nationals-but-not-citizens-how-the-u-s-denies-citizenship
-to-american-samoans

How AI Companies are Monetizing Intimacy, Ft. Bridget Todd

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Love-at-First-Prompt/Bridget-Todd/9781668179826 

Fighting for Incarcerated Workers

https://audrasrealthoughts.wordpress.com/

https://incarceratedworkers.org

https://www.instagram.com/incarceratedworkers/

https://www.jailhouselawyersspeak.com/new-page

Executive Disorder: Iran Ceasefire Expires, Corrupt Military Contractors, Florida Election 

https://x.com/CBPCommissioner/status/2089395143136731579?s=20
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/19/korea-KOSPI-Korea-Stock-Index-fell-six-percent-steep-losses-chipmakers/2411787132055/

https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/shares-fall-asia-kospi-57-oil-prices-jump-135759997
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2089911556301550045?s=20 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.3_3.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.8_2.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.6_3.pdf
https://archive.ph/ZF3Y0#selection-4307.0-4307.372
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/212/united-states-v-sant/
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117119807819944656 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-confirms-irgc-backchannel-calls-irans-white-flag-surrender 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/vessel-struck-by-unknown-projectile-strait-hormuz-crew-casualty-reported-ukmto-2026-08-18/ 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/18/no-talks-with-iran-says-trump-as-us-president-stews-over-hormuz-deal 

https://x.com/UK_MTO/status/2089719923295556095?s=20 

https://x.com/UK_MTO 

https://x.com/RudawEnglish/status/2089263666742931732?s=20
https://www.propublica.org/article/general-dynamics-artillery-factory-failed
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/11/30/General-Dynamics-Corps-alleged-proposal-to-sell-a-wrench/2171439016400/
https://time.com/archive/6710343/general-dynamics-under-fire/

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/us-iran-war-trump-hormuz-trump-ceasefire-expires-extension-.html
https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/us-iran-economic-strain-strait-of-hormuz-conflict/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/business/strait-of-hormuz-ship-attack.html
https://archive.is/f4Ei8#selection-4447.0-4447.264
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/selling-grips-bond-markets-us-japan-inflation-fiscal-worries-take-hold-2026-08-18/
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/treasury-announces-upscaled-buyback-operation-for-longer-term-debt-sending-yields-lower.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/bond-market-warning-yields-hit-2007-record-2026-8
https://angienixon.com/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-special-elections/florida-senate-results#democratic-primary https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/florida-democratic-senate-primary-results.html
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/2087282981593387046?s=20
https://x.com/genzforchange/status/2088252309243297868
https://x.com/genzforchange/status/2088037851086614842?s=20
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/08/15/democratic-socialists-progressives-tout-momentum-in-south-florida-skeptics-say-its-a-myth/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss a DHS investigation into Minnesota labor unions part of an alleged anti-ICE conspiracy, military detention near National Defense Areas at the border, the USS Lincoln, why a General Dynamics factory can't make artillery shells, what’s up with the bond market, and Angie Nixon winning the senate nomination in Florida. 

Sources: 

https://x.com/CBPCommissioner/status/2089395143136731579?s=20
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/08/19/korea-KOSPI-Korea-Stock-Index-fell-six-percent-steep-losses-chipmakers/2411787132055/

https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/shares-fall-asia-kospi-57-oil-prices-jump-135759997
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2089911556301550045?s=20 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.3_3.pdf

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.8_2.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.6_3.pdf
https://archive.ph/ZF3Y0#selection-4307.0-4307.372
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/212/united-states-v-sant/
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117119807819944656 

https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-confirms-irgc-backchannel-calls-irans-white-flag-surrender 

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/vessel-struck-by-unknown-projectile-strait-hormuz-crew-casualty-reported-ukmto-2026-08-18/ 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/18/no-talks-with-iran-says-trump-as-us-president-stews-over-hormuz-deal 

https://x.com/UK_MTO/status/2089719923295556095?s=20 

https://x.com/UK_MTO 

https://x.com/RudawEnglish/status/2089263666742931732?s=20
https://www.propublica.org/article/general-dynamics-artillery-factory-failed
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/11/30/General-Dynamics-Corps-alleged-proposal-to-sell-a-wrench/2171439016400/
https://time.com/archive/6710343/general-dynamics-under-fire/

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/18/us-iran-war-trump-hormuz-trump-ceasefire-expires-extension-.html
https://www.newsnationnow.com/world/us-iran-economic-strain-strait-of-hormuz-conflict/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/business/strait-of-hormuz-ship-attack.html
https://archive.is/f4Ei8#selection-4447.0-4447.264
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/selling-grips-bond-markets-us-japan-inflation-fiscal-worries-take-hold-2026-08-18/
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/treasury-announces-upscaled-buyback-operation-for-longer-term-debt-sending-yields-lower.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/bond-market-warning-yields-hit-2007-record-2026-8
https://angienixon.com/ https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-primary-special-elections/florida-senate-results#democratic-primary https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/politics/florida-democratic-senate-primary-results.html
https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/2087282981593387046?s=20
https://x.com/genzforchange/status/2088252309243297868
https://x.com/genzforchange/status/2088037851086614842?s=20
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/08/15/democratic-socialists-progressives-tout-momentum-in-south-florida-skeptics-say-its-a-myth/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.