In this new weekly series, the gang get together to speed run the first two weeks of Trump’s second term, his deluge of executive orders, and what they mean on the ground.

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Mia and Gare talk with Starbucks Workers United about their fight to secure gender affirming healthcare through unionizing and how you can too. 

Solidarity Pledge:  https://crm.broadstripes.com/ctf/SJID0H 

Sources:
https://sbworkersunited.org/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-sign-orders-ending-diversity-programs-proclaiming-there-are-only-two-sexes-2025-01-20/

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-orders-end-federal-support-gender-affirming-care-minors-2025-01-28/

https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/bill-would-block-insurance-companies-that-cover-gender-affirming-care-from-contracting-with-tenncare/

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/24/nx-s1-5238169/starbucks-strike-christmas

https://www.them.us/story/starbucks-threatens-to-take-away-trans-rights-at-stores-that-unionize

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Margaret talks with former prisoner Eric King about conditions for trans people in prison, what the new policies can mean, and how you can help advocate for people on the inside.

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Since before the fall of the Alamo, Texas has served as an incubator for unhinged conspiracy theories about the motives behind the Texas Revolution, feared rebellions by the enslaved, Mexican plans to retake Texas, the supposed plot by Franklin Roosevelt to impose communism in the United States, why water is being fluoridated, who killed Kennedy, and the various fever dreams of the QAnon movement. In this episode, we explore what makes Texans, and Americans in general, particularly susceptible to conspiracy theories and what emotional comfort these ideas give believers.

Sources:

Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America https://www.ucpress.edu/books/a-culture-of-conspiracy/paper 

Mark Fenster, Conspiracy Theories: Secrecy and Power in American Culture   https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816654949/conspiracy-theories/ 

Edward H. Miller, Nut Country: Right-Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo19197692.html

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Mia talks with Bad Mouth, a letter carrier and organizer, and Tommy Espinoza, a former union steward, about the new awful Post Office union contract and the campaign to privatize the Post Office through sabotaging service.

Sources:

https://www.nalc.org

https://www.fightingnalc.com

https://concernedlettercarriers.com

https://www.nalc.org/member-benefits/nalc-disaster-relief-foundation 

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Margaret from the future describes the terrifying battle of ogre hill.

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

1. The Lost Post Office Union Episode

2. The Age of Cowards and What Happens Next

3. How to Evacuate Your Home

4. A Firsthand Account of the Inauguration & Trump's First Days

5. About That Nazi Salute

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:

The Age of Cowards and What Happens Next

https://emilygorcenski.com/

How to Evacuate Your Home

https://www.fire.ca.gov/prepare/get-ready-to-go

https://www.liveliketheworldisdying.com/

About That Nazi Salute

https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-politics-brasilia-united-states-government-florida-state-29fad1e6c79a5737641932c939021e62

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/ch01.htm

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/the-invisible-committe-to-our-friends

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Mia discusses Elon Musk's Nazi salute, why everything feels like this, and how to get out.

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-politics-brasilia-united-states-government-florida-state-29fad1e6c79a5737641932c939021e62

https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1852/18th-brumaire/ch01.htm

https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/debord/society.htm

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/the-invisible-committe-to-our-friends

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Robert and Gare sit down with D.C. resident, Bridget Todd to discuss her experiences at the inauguration, the return of the Proud Boys, and what it all means for everyone in and out of the District.

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James is joined by Margaret Killjoy to talk about evacuating from wildfires and what to put in your go bag. 

You can hear Margaret and James talk about prepper stuff more on the Live Like The World is Dying podcast: https://www.liveliketheworldisdying.com/

Sources:

https://www.fire.ca.gov/prepare/get-ready-to-go

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