It Could Happen Here

The gang discuss Trump threatening to bomb desalination plants in Iran, an executive order to create a State Citizenship List and restrict mail in voting, misinformation about an anti-trans bill in Kentucky, and a bombing plot targeting a pro-Palestinian activist. Plus, updates on tariffs and immigration. 

Cool Zone is nominated for 3 Webby Awards! Submit your votes by April 16th!

Behind the Bastards - https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/features/experimental-innovation 

It Could Happen Here - https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/limited-series-specials/news-politics 

Migrating to America - https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/limited-series-specials/documentary 

Sources:

https://open.substack.com/pub/shatterzone/p/the-trans-panic-clickbait-economy?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/memorandum-for-the-secretary-of-homeland-security-and-the-director-of-the-office-of-management-and-budget/ 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/27/todd-lyons-ice-stress-hospital-00848458 

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/27/trump-texas-senate-endorsement-00847967 

https://ktla.com/news/california/u-s-marine-in-california-accused-of-stealing-selling-missile-systems-in-arizona/ 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-az/pr/gun-store-owner-indicted-conspiracy-and-attempting-provide-material-support-designated 

https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/032526_gun_store_terrorism/southern-az-gun-dealer-hit-with-terrorism-charges-selling-50-cal-rifle-machine-guns-atf-sting/ 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70993525/77/african-communities-together-v-lyons/ 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70993525/78/african-communities-together-v-lyons/ 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.646893/gov.uscourts.nysd.646893.77.1_1.pdf 

https://www.patreon.com/posts/129696965?utm_campaign=postshare_creator 

https://www.mofa.gov.mm/en/receiving-those-deported-from-overseas-with-open-arms-21-3-2025/ 

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116317880658472708

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-889231 

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uae-officials-deny-israeli-reports-strike-inside-iran 

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/world/middleeast/iran-strikes-infrastructure-industry.htm

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/30/middleeast/us-air-force-awacs-jet-destroyed-saudi-arabia-intl-hnk-ml 

https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/marshall-islands-declared-a-state-of-economic-emergency-amid-global-criss 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/ 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.280953/gov.uscourts.dcd.280953.81.0_4.pdf 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/media/1432851/dl?inline

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/land-olakes-woman-charged-assisting-after-fact-and-evidence-tampering-related-attempt 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2026/03/31/tampa-macdill-air-force-base-bomb-threat-a
nn-mary-zheng/ 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1433011/dl?inline 

https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2037640720375316583

https://queerkentucky.com/kentucky-trans-teachers-hb-759-fact-check/ 

https://x.com/whooith/status/2039021995267141814?s=20

https://www.wearequeeraf.com/pinknews-to-move-to-a-reporter-free-newsroom-with-its-journalists-facing-redundancy/

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/03/31/idaho-governor-signs-bill-to-criminalize-trans-people-using-bathrooms-that-align-with-their-identity/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robert sits down to explain how Iran has responded to the U.S. invasion, and how the odds of a military disaster have become almost a guarantee.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Molly interviews Michael Edison Hayden about his new book, Strange People on the Hill: How Extremism Tore Apart a Small Town. The book is an intimate portrait of what happened in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia after a white nationalist group moved into the castle on the hill.
Preorder the book now or buy it anywhere books are sold when it comes out on April 7, 2026

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/michael-edison-hayden/strange-people-on-the-hill/9781645030607/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James talks to Marian about how the left discourse about the US kidnapping of Maduro has silenced Venezuelan leftists and how the anti Maduro Venezuelan left is navigating the US intervention.

https://www.instagram.com/e.m.arian 

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Garrison investigates a series of frightening claims: that ICE can detain people for ‘looking trans,’ the creation of a transgender public registry, and that an adult gender-affirming healthcare ban is imminent.

Sources:

https://transitics.substack.com/p/trump-administration-opens-the-door 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/11/2026-04737/visas-enhancing-vetting-and-combatting-fraud-in-the-diversity-immigrant-visa-program 

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/ 

https://rachelnorfolk.me/sites/default/files/2025-02/25_State_11402.pdf
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20250402-RecognizingMaleAndFemaleSexes.pdf

https://iptp-production.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/2025.2.24_DOS_Guidance_for_Visa_Adjudicators_EO_14201_22Keeping_Men_Out_of_Wom_VhPai1S.pdf

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/administrative-processing-information.html 

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:8%20section:1182%20edition:prelim)%20OR%20(granuleid:USC-prelim-title8-section1182)&f=treesort&num=0&edition=prelim 

https://fam.state.gov/fam/09FAM/09FAM030209.html 

https://bsky.app/profile/progesteronipizza.bsky.social/post/3m5w6wnkyhc2u 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/25a169_5h25.pdf

https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/transgender-kansans-challenge-state-law-invalidating-their-drivers-licenses-and-allowing-them-to-be-sued-for-using-public-restrooms 

https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/sb244_03_0000.pdf 

https://www.tiktok.com/@transitics/video/7616520936925285662

https://bsky.app/profile/firestorm.coop/post/3mgwxdih3x222 

https://www.tiktok.com/@e_c_lider/video/7616688370462231830 

https://www.vera.org/news/ice-is-excluding-data-on-transgender-people-in-detention

https://www.them.us/story/alice-correia-barbosa-ice-arrest-brazil-trans

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/18/trump-mexico-deportation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deportations_of_U.S._citizens_in_the_second_Trump_administration#

https://www.congress.gov/119/meeting/house/118180/documents/HMKP-119-JU00-20250430-SD003.pdf

https://19thnews.org/2025/12/trump-administration-plans-to-end-prison-rape-protections-for-trans-and-intersex-people-memo-says/

https://theneedlenews.com/2026/03/anti-trans-hate-groups-petitioning-fda-for-registry-of-trans-women-crackdown-on-transition-newly-revealed-document-shows/

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/27871234-fda-2025-p-7321-0001-attachment-public-fda/?ref=theneedlenews.com

https://bsky.app/profile/angelic.style/post/3mgv3hjepvs2p

https://bsky.app/profile/tinylesbianrobot.itch.io/post/3mgvbihtidu2m

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4865109/#:~:text=Only%20346%20(18%25)%20of,Risk%20Evaluation%20and%20Mitigation%20Strategy

https://www.thepinknews.com/2026/03/19/tennessee-gop-advances-bill-that-would-create-public-list-of-trans-residents/?utm_content=1773928472&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

https://trackbill.com/bill/tennessee-house-bill-754-an-act-to-amend-tennessee-code-annotated-title-1-title-4-title-33-title-56-title-63-title-68-and-title-71-relative-to-health-care/2644177/

https://x.com/popbase/status/2034737772792041622?s=46

https://transitics.substack.com/p/tennessee-republicans-advance-bill

https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/legaldocs/movaokabwva/USA_HEALTH_TRANSGENDER_WESTVIRGINIA.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/19/us/rfk-jr-transgender-care-ruling.html

https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/4th-circuit-rules-that-states-can

https://bsky.app/profile/davidforbes.bsky.social/post/3mgv5httwss26

https://glaad.org/new-york-times-sign-on-letter-from-lgtbq-allied-leaders-and-organizations

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/fbi-readies-new-war-on-trans-people

https://gnet-research.org/2025/07/18/meaning-through-its-opposite-significance-quest-theory-and-nihilistic-violent-extremism/

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/what-are-nihilist-violent-extremists 

https://x.com/ItsYourGov/status/1968802472111083949?s=20

https://oversight-project.revv.co/urge-the-fbi-to-designate-transgender-terrorism

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOykLZJDS2h/

https://www.tiktok.com/@genericartdad/video/7554381061128473886

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Margaret reads you a story about climate refugees, ancestors, and giant spider robots that weave webs of glass

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

- Prairieland and Antifa Terrorism

- The Scariest Court in America feat. Steven Monacelli & Dr. Michael Phillips

- Israel’s Attack on Lebanon

- Shadow Banking: The Once and Future Economic Apocalypse

- Executive Disorder: ICE at Airports, New DHS Secretary, Iran Negotiations

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!

http://apple.co/coolerzone

Sources/Links:

Prairieland and Antifa Terrorism

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.410488/gov.uscourts.txnd.410488.367.0.pdf 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.410488/gov.uscourts.txnd.410488.366.0.pdf

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/antifa-cell-members-convicted-prairieland-ice-detention-center-shooting

https://www.nacdl.org/getattachment/f536e696-072c-4982-bc47-d2dc7f42f766/gov-uscourts-txnd-411041-89-0_1.pdf

https://prairielanddefendants.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Superseding-Indictment-2.pdf

https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2026-03-03/prairieland-ice-detention-center-shooting-trial-defendants-self-defense-third-party-defense-theory-judge-mark-pittman

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/march-3rd-federal-trial-day-7/

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/march-6th-federal-trial-day-10/

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/march-10-federal-trial-day-12/

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/march-10-federal-trial-day-12/#kyle-shideler-prosecutions-antifa-expert-redirect

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/february-26-federal-trial-day-5/

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/february-27th-federal-trial-day-6/

https://prairielanddefendants.com/court-notes/march-9th-federal-trial-day-11/

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R41333

https://www.keranews.org/criminal-justice/2026-03-10/dario-sanchez-prairieland-ice-shooting

The Scariest Court in America feat. Steven Monacelli & Dr. Michael Phillips

Jack Bass,  “John Minor Wisdom, Appeals Court Judge Who Helped to End Segregation, Dies at 93,” New York Times, May 16, 1999, https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/16/us/john-minor-wisdom-appeals-court-judge-who-helped-to-end-segregation-dies.html

Jonathan Entin, “The Surprising History of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals,” Governing, January 23, 2024, https://www.governing.com/policy/the-surprising-history-of-the-5th-circuit-court-of-appeals.

Eleanor Klibanoff,  “Again and again, U.S. Supreme Court slaps down 5th Circuit,” The Texas Tribune, July 3, 2024, https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/supreme-court-5th-circuit-court-rulings-texas-overturned/

Mattathias Schwartz, “This Federal Judge Is the ‘Tip of the Spear’ of Trump-Era Conservatism,” New York Times, August 9, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/us/judge-ho-trump-border.html

Israel’s Attack on Lebanon

Lebanese news source Megaphone news – https://megaphone.news

Elia at +972mag - https://www.972mag.com/israels-renewed-war-on-lebanon-is-about-more-than-just-hezbollah/

Death toll and displacement numbers in Lebanon - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/22/hezbollah-attack-kills-one-in-north-israel-as-assault-on-lebanon-continues

Nathan Brown on “Israel’s Forever Wars” - https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2026/03/dominance-degradation-and-debilitation

Land for peace concept - https://archive.unescwa.org/land-peace-principle

Foundation for Defense of Democracy on “Peace for Land” - https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/01/23/peace-for-land-not-land-for-peace/

The book Beware of Small States - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-hirst/beware-of-small-states/9780786744411/?lens=bold-type-books

The Fire These Times podcast - https://thefirethesetimes.com/

Shadow Banking: The Once and Future Economic Apocalypse

https://www.fsb.org/work-of-the-fsb/financial-innovation-and-structural-change/non-bank-financial-intermediation/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/shadow-banking-is-now-a-52-trillion-industry-and-posing-risks.html

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7992100/

https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2013/06/basics.htm

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/inside-the-cdo-market-that-catalyzed-the-financial-crisis

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48512#ifn146

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26153238

https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/economists/adrian/1306adri_map.pdf

https://tellerwindow.newyorkfed.org/2025/10/17/nbfis-in-focus-the-basics-of-private-credit/

https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/bank-lending-to-private-credit-size-characteristics-and-financial-stability-implications-20250523.html

https://libcom.org/article/debt-first-5000-years-david-graeber

Executive Disorder: ICE at Airports, New DHS Secretary, Iran Negotiations

https://x.com/Holden_Culotta/status/2034419794099777620?s=20

https://www.semafor.com/article/03/18/2026/fbi-investigates-national-security-aide-who-resigned-over-war

https://abcnews.com/Politics/pentagon-plans-national-guard-dc-2029-2-us/story?id=131234530

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/openai-shutting-down-sora-ai-video-app-1236546187/

https://x.com/cspan/status/2036514340896121179?s=20

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036105325326016658?s=20

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036083777164775452

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036253584090685709?s=20

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5799345-ice-deployment-tsa-criticism/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html

https://punchbowl.news/archive/32326-am/

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116275668825285445

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036511652275703864?s=20

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/gregory-bovino-border-patrol.html

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2031414203920077123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Fh_K2gxDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fW9E2zneDg

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/18/politics/mullin-confirmation-hearing-senate-paul-dhs

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036510924173963558?s=20

https://archive.ph/SmBos

https://archive.vn/Xg3zP#selection-717.162-717.174 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/iran-war-us-trump.html 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/trump-iran-war-power-plants-energy-infrastructure-middle-east.html 

https://time.com/article/2026/03/25/trump-peace-proposal-us-iran-war-israel-pakistan/ 

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indias-reliance-buys-5-million-barrels-iranian-oil-after-us-waiver-sources-say-2026-03-24/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1450zj6n48o 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrzr9ynpn1o 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/oil-prices-trump-iran-strait-of-hormuz-wti-crude-middle-east-lng-gas.html 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-gets-daily-video-montage-briefing-iran-war-rcna263912 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thai-tanker-strait-hormuz-iran-6015671

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss Trump’s deployment of ICE to more than a dozen airports, OpenAI shutting down its AI generated video app, continuing negotiations with Iran to end the war, and DHS Sec Mullin’s comments during confirmation hearings.

Sources:

https://x.com/Holden_Culotta/status/2034419794099777620?s=20

https://www.semafor.com/article/03/18/2026/fbi-investigates-national-security-aide-who-resigned-over-war

https://abcnews.com/Politics/pentagon-plans-national-guard-dc-2029-2-us/story?id=131234530

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/openai-shutting-down-sora-ai-video-app-1236546187/

https://x.com/cspan/status/2036514340896121179?s=20

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036105325326016658?s=20

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036083777164775452

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036253584090685709?s=20

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5799345-ice-deployment-tsa-criticism/

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/tsa-data-ice-deportation-san-francisco-airport.html

https://punchbowl.news/archive/32326-am/

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116275668825285445

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036511652275703864?s=20

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/us/gregory-bovino-border-patrol.html

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2031414203920077123

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Fh_K2gxDA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fW9E2zneDg

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/18/politics/mullin-confirmation-hearing-senate-paul-dhs

https://x.com/atrupar/status/2036510924173963558?s=20

https://archive.ph/SmBos

https://archive.vn/Xg3zP#selection-717.162-717.174 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/25/iran-war-us-trump.html 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/trump-iran-war-power-plants-energy-infrastructure-middle-east.html 

https://time.com/article/2026/03/25/trump-peace-proposal-us-iran-war-israel-pakistan/ 

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/indias-reliance-buys-5-million-barrels-iranian-oil-after-us-waiver-sources-say-2026-03-24/ 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1450zj6n48o 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrzr9ynpn1o 

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/oil-prices-trump-iran-strait-of-hormuz-wti-crude-middle-east-lng-gas.html 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-gets-daily-video-montage-briefing-iran-war-rcna263912 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thai-tanker-strait-hormuz-iran-6015671

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia teaches Molly what shadow banking is, how it caused the 2008 financial collapse, and how they’re threatening to do it all again

Sources:

https://www.fsb.org/work-of-the-fsb/financial-innovation-and-structural-change/non-bank-financial-intermediation/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/11/shadow-banking-is-now-a-52-trillion-industry-and-posing-risks.html

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7992100/

https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2013/06/basics.htm

https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/inside-the-cdo-market-that-catalyzed-the-financial-crisis

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48512#ifn146

https://www.jstor.org/stable/26153238

https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/economists/adrian/1306adri_map.pdf

https://tellerwindow.newyorkfed.org/2025/10/17/nbfis-in-focus-the-basics-of-private-credit/

https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/bank-lending-to-private-credit-size-characteristics-and-financial-stability-implications-20250523.html

https://libcom.org/article/debt-first-5000-years-david-graeber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dana El Kurd speaks to Elia Ayoub, UK-based Lebanese-Palestinian historian, anti-authoritarian writer, and host of The Fire These Times. They talk about Israel’s attacks on Lebanon in recent weeks, what this means for the Lebanese people, the impact on Hezbollah, and broader implications for the world.   

Sources:

Lebanese news source Megaphone news – https://megaphone.news

Elia at +972mag - https://www.972mag.com/israels-renewed-war-on-lebanon-is-about-more-than-just-hezbollah/

Death toll and displacement numbers in Lebanon - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/22/hezbollah-attack-kills-one-in-north-israel-as-assault-on-lebanon-continues

Nathan Brown on “Israel’s Forever Wars” - https://carnegieendowment.org/middle-east/diwan/2026/03/dominance-degradation-and-debilitation

Land for peace concept - https://archive.unescwa.org/land-peace-principle

Foundation for Defense of Democracy on “Peace for Land” - https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2026/01/23/peace-for-land-not-land-for-peace/

The book Beware of Small States - https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/david-hirst/beware-of-small-states/9780786744411/?lens=bold-type-books

The Fire These Times podcast - https://thefirethesetimes.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.