It Could Happen Here

During the Civil Rights Era, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was one of the most liberal courts in the United States. It became an ally of the Civil Rights Movement that knocked down Jim Crow laws across the Deep South. But because of a string of appointments by conservative presidents starting with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, it has transformed into one of the country’s most reactionary judicial bodies, with rulings that banned drag shows, endangered nationwide access to the so-called “abortion pill,” and threatened to give domestic abusers access to handguns. This episode looks at how the Fifth Circuit turned into the scariest court in America -- and in particular the career of one extremist judge, James Ho, who one day might end up on the United States Supreme Court. 

Sources: 

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

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Garrison and Robert discuss a trial stemming from a protest and shooting outside an ICE facility in Prairieland Texas, how the government secured convictions, and the possible precedent this case sets.

Sources:
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

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Margaret reads you a story about mushrooms, trash, and coming to terms with an imperfect utopia

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

- Shipping Security in the Strait of Hormuz

- Palestinians Debate Armed Tactics

- Venture Capital: The Monster Fueling Tech Fascism

- The Network State: A Tech Fascist Empire

- Executive Disorder: Bovino Calls It Quits, Prairieland Trial, War on Iran Continues

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:

Shipping Security in the Strait of Hormuz

https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-39.pdf

https://en.mercopress.com/2009/04/26/cruise-ship-melody-fended-off-a-pirate-attack 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/48821900?searchText=&searchUri=&ab_segments=&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa5c02fb4e4aea98208bb9f0b37780d3b&initiator=recommender&seq=1 

https://abcnews.com/Business/International/pirates-attack-us-flagged-maersk-alabama/story?id=9114429 

https://www.ospreyobserver.com/2011/11/riverview-resident-receives-commemorative-knife-after-surviving-pirate-attack/

Palestinians Debate Armed Tactics

Moral Matters in Hard Times - https://www.dohainstitute.org/en/Lists/ACRPS-PDFDocumentLibrary/moral-matters-in-hard-times.pdf

October 2025 poll of Palestinians - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2096%20press%20release%20FINAL%20ENGLISH%2028%20Oct%202025.pdf

Disarmament reporting - https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020639164602200358

Khaled Meshaal interview with Drop Site News - https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hamas-leader-khaled-meshaal-interview-trump-maga-united-states-support-israel-gaza-netanyahu

Reconstruction of Gaza reporting - https://www.dw.com/en/trump-board-of-peace-backers-pledge-5-billion-for-gaza/a-75982195

Aljazeera reporting on Israeli backed gangs in Gaza - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/6/armed-militia-members-are-serving-as-israeli-agents-in-gaza-investigation

Panel interview in Gaza - https://youtu.be/gbG2HxwLHgk?si=im4SHWm6v0g60t75

Venture Capital: The Monster Fueling Tech Fascism / The Network State: A Tech Fascist Empire

https://www.vcinfodocs.com/

Executive Disorder: 

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iran-attack-damage-wipes-out-17-qatars-lng-capacity-three-five-years-qatarenergy-2026-03-19/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-vows-no-more-attacks-by-israel-iran-gas-field-after-it-violently-lashed-2026-03-19/

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/19/strike-on-key-iranian-gas-field-is-a-new-phase-of-the-war-trump-blames-israel-00837052

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/19/why-targeting-kharg-island-could-backfire-on-trump-00834972?nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nname=playbook-pm&nrid=9f5c80e5-432f-4eff-99b5-c830ad9d5d94

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/19/iran-war-live-updates-oil-prices-gas-field-strikes-pentagon-more-funds-trump-news

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/wrapup1-iran-targets-energy-facilities-across-gulf-after-israel-struck-its-key-2026-03-19/

https://apnews.com/article/ships-iran-oil-china-us-trump-hormuz-82a9acb473837f1bf7a821d0c3f95205

https://defector.com/trump-to-world-please-help-me-un-shoot-my-own-leg-off

https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/strait-hormuz-coalition-allies-statement-uk

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/european-nations-japan-to-join-appropriate-efforts-to-open-hormuz-strait

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/joint-statement-strait-hormuz-by-european-nations-japan-2026-03-19/

https://communityforums.atmeta.com/blog/AnnouncementsBlog/updates-to-your-meta-quest-experience-in-2026/1369435

https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2033674470712353192?s=20 

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/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Superseding-Indictment-2.pdf

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2034111241409445916?s=20 

https://x.com/LisaDNews/status/2033996104186970532?s=20 

https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2032460946770202725?s=20 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gregory-bovino-border-patrol-to-retire-sources/ 

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/2033497141306405353?s=20 

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/03/16/exclusive-border-patrol-sector-chief-gregory-bovino-to-retire-after-leading-largest-interior-immigration-operations-in-u-s-history/ 

https://www.cbp.gov/employee-resources/retirement/leo-cbpo/cbpo-retirement 

https://www.cbp.gov/employee-resources/retirement/fers 

https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/justices-will-hear-argument-on-trump-administrations-removal-of-protected-status-for-syrian-and-haitian-nationals/ 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/031626zr1_5h25.pdf 

https://x.com/NotWoofers/status/2033733565838496020?s=20 

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/3/15/fpv-drone-slams-into-us-military-base-in-iraq 

https://hengaw.net/en/reports-and-statistics-1/2026/03/article-8 

https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/03/article-17 

https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2033897242986209689?s=20 

https://x.com/PressSec/status/2033932810709315865

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss Polymarket gamblers harassing journalists to alter news coverage, the antifa terrorism case in Texas, threats to oil and gas infrastructure, 2,500 Marines being sent to the Middle East, and the resignation of Joe Kent.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/iran-attack-damage-wipes-out-17-qatars-lng-capacity-three-five-years-qatarenergy-2026-03-19/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-vows-no-more-attacks-by-israel-iran-gas-field-after-it-violently-lashed-2026-03-19/

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/19/strike-on-key-iranian-gas-field-is-a-new-phase-of-the-war-trump-blames-israel-00837052

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/19/why-targeting-kharg-island-could-backfire-on-trump-00834972?nid=0000015a-dd3e-d536-a37b-dd7fd8af0000&nname=playbook-pm&nrid=9f5c80e5-432f-4eff-99b5-c830ad9d5d94

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/19/iran-war-live-updates-oil-prices-gas-field-strikes-pentagon-more-funds-trump-news

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/wrapup1-iran-targets-energy-facilities-across-gulf-after-israel-struck-its-key-2026-03-19/

https://apnews.com/article/ships-iran-oil-china-us-trump-hormuz-82a9acb473837f1bf7a821d0c3f95205

https://defector.com/trump-to-world-please-help-me-un-shoot-my-own-leg-off

https://www.axios.com/2026/03/19/strait-hormuz-coalition-allies-statement-uk

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/19/european-nations-japan-to-join-appropriate-efforts-to-open-hormuz-strait

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/joint-statement-strait-hormuz-by-european-nations-japan-2026-03-19/

https://communityforums.atmeta.com/blog/AnnouncementsBlog/updates-to-your-meta-quest-experience-in-2026/1369435

https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2033674470712353192?s=20 

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/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Superseding-Indictment-2.pdf

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/2034111241409445916?s=20 

https://x.com/LisaDNews/status/2033996104186970532?s=20 

https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2032460946770202725?s=20 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gregory-bovino-border-patrol-to-retire-sources/ 

https://x.com/wartranslated/status/2033497141306405353?s=20 

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2026/03/16/exclusive-border-patrol-sector-chief-gregory-bovino-to-retire-after-leading-largest-interior-immigration-operations-in-u-s-history/ 

https://www.cbp.gov/employee-resources/retirement/leo-cbpo/cbpo-retirement 

https://www.cbp.gov/employee-resources/retirement/fers 

https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/03/justices-will-hear-argument-on-trump-administrations-removal-of-protected-status-for-syrian-and-haitian-nationals/ 

https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/031626zr1_5h25.pdf 

https://x.com/NotWoofers/status/2033733565838496020?s=20 

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/3/15/fpv-drone-slams-into-us-military-base-in-iraq 

https://hengaw.net/en/reports-and-statistics-1/2026/03/article-8 

https://hengaw.net/en/news/2026/03/article-17 

https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2033897242986209689?s=20 

https://x.com/PressSec/status/2033932810709315865

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia is once again joined by Shanley of vcinfodocs to discuss how the network state is spreading tech fascism worldwide from El Salvador to Saudi Arabia.

Sources:

https://www.vcinfodocs.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia talks with Shanley from the anti-tech fascism resource vcinfodocs about the venture capital firms backing everything from cryptocurrency to drone manufacturers.

https://www.vcinfodocs.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dana El Kurd breaks down the ongoing debate among Palestinians about what should happen in Gaza, whether Hamas should disarm, and the role of armed tactics more generally.

(Please note this episode was recorded prior to the 2026 Iran War)

Sources:

Moral Matters in Hard Times - https://www.dohainstitute.org/en/Lists/ACRPS-PDFDocumentLibrary/moral-matters-in-hard-times.pdf

October 2025 poll of Palestinians - https://www.pcpsr.org/sites/default/files/Poll%2096%20press%20release%20FINAL%20ENGLISH%2028%20Oct%202025.pdf

Disarmament reporting - https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2020639164602200358

Khaled Meshaal interview with Drop Site News - https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/hamas-leader-khaled-meshaal-interview-trump-maga-united-states-support-israel-gaza-netanyahu

Reconstruction of Gaza reporting - https://www.dw.com/en/trump-board-of-peace-backers-pledge-5-billion-for-gaza/a-75982195

Aljazeera reporting on Israeli backed gangs in Gaza - https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/6/armed-militia-members-are-serving-as-israeli-agents-in-gaza-investigation

Panel interview in Gaza - https://youtu.be/gbG2HxwLHgk?si=im4SHWm6v0g60t75

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James and Gare talk about the world of private maritime security, pirates, and the strait of Hormuz.

Sources:

https://www.register-iri.com/wp-content/uploads/MN-2-011-39.pdf

https://en.mercopress.com/2009/04/26/cruise-ship-melody-fended-off-a-pirate-attack 

https://www.jstor.org/stable/48821900?searchText=&searchUri=&ab_segments=&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3Aa5c02fb4e4aea98208bb9f0b37780d3b&initiator=recommender&seq=1 

https://abcnews.com/Business/International/pirates-attack-us-flagged-maersk-alabama/story?id=9114429 

https://www.ospreyobserver.com/2011/11/riverview-resident-receives-commemorative-knife-after-surviving-pirate-attack/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret reads you a story about the magic embeded into the mundane

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.