Krystal Kyle & Friends

This week on the pod, we’ve got writer Freddie deBoer joining us for a conversation about the fate of the Bernie movement, the bona fires of progressives in Washington, and the all-important question of how to relate to leftist electeds — especially when they stray from their professed principles.

In this episode, Freddie lays out evidence against AOC as a consistently leftist figure, describing insufficient support for key progressive policies and not enough to show for her years of fundraising and her image as a major figure on the American left. What is her theory of change? And how has it collided with the comparatively conservative agendas of establishment members of her party? If she hasn’t accomplished the things her base expects her to, realistically speaking, is it because she lacks the political will to do so, because that change is hamstrung by her centrist colleagues, or some combination of these things?

We’ll be taking on these important questions and more in this conversation, which you can listen to via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more.

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From conservative media outlets to the campaign trail, there’s nothing the right loves to obsess over more than wokeness. Their claim is that an obsession with political correctness has veered into authoritarianism — and that culturally, intellectually, and politically, we’re all worse off for it. We think it’s worthwhile to open up a debate about whether or not this argument actually holds up. Aren’t powerful Republicans the ones moving to restrict abortions, gay marriages, and a host of other basic rights? When leftists attempt to oppose military aid to Israel or criticize right-wing governments, right-wingers in power quickly lose their concerns about censorship, political targeting, and suppression of free speech. Which side can rightfully be accused of authoritarianism?

That’s the crux of our discussion with YouTubers Adam and Sitch, rejoining the show to talk about wokeness versus anti-wokeness and debate which side has the tendency to censor and repress. You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

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With the return of The Vanguard hosts Zac & Gavin to KK&F, we’re looking at the field of 2024 presidential contenders. The frustrations and letdowns of the Biden presidency — expected, to be fair, from someone who promised wealthy supporters that “nothing will fundamentally change” — have us thinking about what it would mean to have a substantial progressive challenger going toe-to-toe with Biden this election. To that end, we break down Marianne Williamson’s presidential prospects, taking lessons from the Bernie 2020 run in order to map out her potential road to the nomination.

We consider the other challenger who’s emerged in the 2024 Democratic field — Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — and talk through the political miscalculations we see in his campaign for the Democratic nomination. From support of Elon Musk to strong critique of Fauci — a beloved figure among Democrats — RFK Jr.’s political affiliations don’t seem poised to strike a chord with the Dem base he’s meant to appeal to. What will this mean for his campaign? We discuss all of this and more in this week’s episode. Remember that you can listen to this conversation as a podcast on Spotify, Substack, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

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This week, we’ve got an exciting debate with Representative Ro Khanna, who joins the show to share his perspective on Biden’s debt relief plan, progressives’ endorsement of Biden, and much more. Congressman Khanna has emerged as a leading elected critic of the Biden administration’s slow and incremental approach to student debt relief in the wake of a Supreme Court Ruling which struck down their initial efforts. Following the Supreme Court decision, we’ve been tracking Biden’s attempts (and lack thereof) to use executive power to follow through on the promises he made to working people on the campaign trail. How do these attempts measure up?

We also just watched the former vanguard of the elected progressive left, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, endorsing President Biden for reelection. We press Congressman Khanna on why he and the Squad and Senator Sanders all jumped in early to back Biden. Their decision to endorse is not only at odds with the left but at odds with a Democratic base that overwhelmingly says they want a contested primary including debates. Our conversation with Representative Khanna gives us a sense of why he and other progressives in Congress are publicly putting their weight behind the incumbent — and we also share our thoughts on why doing otherwise might be a stronger choice for the progressive movement. You can hear it all here and on major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

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Our guest this week, Dr. Wilson of Debunk the Funk, joins us to address a topic of much debate: Are RFK Jr.’s vaccine claims totally false? As we point out in our discussion this week, while the presidential candidate hasn’t explicitly placed his anti-vaccine rhetoric at the core of his campaign, these ideas have driven his career — and are now front and center in the political discourse surrounding him. We expect certain vaccine conspiracy theories to get more airtime from their connection to a high-profile political figure. So we sat down with Dr. Wilson to get to the (scientific) heart of these conspiracies. What does the scientific evidence point to? Just as interesting: why, if proven untrue, do conspiracies persist?

Our discussion of vaccine conspiracy theories with Dr. Wilson opens up an opportunity to think about political motivations driving polarization around matters of public health — and we think it’s an important one. We’re glad you’re joining us for this conversation. You can listen to it as a podcast episode on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and more.

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Welcome to Episode 130 of KK&F: a can’t-miss debate between your KK&F hosts and libertarian presidential candidate Mike ter Maat. We’ve got an episode that we hope will challenge and interest you with its lively, contrasting opinions on central social and economic issues: on the table are minimum wage, crypto, regulating Wall St and a lot more.

On our minds this week is the strikingly awful suite of decisions handed down from the Supreme Court that will put a tighter financial squeeze on cash-strapped Americans and promote discrimination against LGBT people. We watched as the Biden admin dragged its heels when it came to making good on campaign promises to alleviate student debt — then rolled much of its initial plan back. (A recent post from More Perfect union shares the tuition costs of the Supreme Court justices, adjusted for inflation; John Roberts, who delivered the majority opinion, paid the 1979 equivalent of $337,652 for his Harvard degree.) Now, the Supreme Court has ruled that this plan is unconstitutional, throwing millions of borrowers and their families back into financial stress and uncertainty. A second 6-3 conservative decision backed businesses’ rights to refuse service to LGBT people, identifying the matter as an issue of free speech. Justice Sotomayor’s dissent refers to the decision as “Orwellian thought policing,” keeping an eye to the far-reaching effects it’s expected to have on civil liberties in the years to come.

More on these decisions in the weeks to come. We hope you’ll enjoy this week’s podcast, which you can listen to on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

This week, we are joined by Federalist writer and Counterpoints host Emily Jashinsky to debate the topics of recent anti-trans laws, drag queen story hours, Bud Light boycotts, and more. We also turn to Trump’s indictments and the right’s sudden concern for two-tier systems of justice. We’re grateful to have Emily on as an interlocutor, and we think you’ll find the conversation lively and challenging.

Taking a broader view of political debates, we also talk strategy: when do the drawbacks outweigh the benefits? In conversation with this week’s guest, we lay out our case for a nuanced approach to debate. When it comes to deeply unpopular fringe opinions, for example, spending time and energy in dialogue with opponents feels like a waste: we’re not here to take down Flat Earthers. But when, as Krystal puts it, “the cat’s out of the bag” — when the view we want to refute has a prominent, active base of supporters, and when we believe its impact is widely felt and holds significance for everyday life — we want to confront our adversaries head-on. For our full thoughts, and Emily’s response, check out the episode, which we hope you’ll enjoy. You can listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and more.

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With the insight of our guest, Brad Moss, we dig into the thirty-seven charges of mishandling of classified documents brought against the former president. What particular instances do these charges refer to? What kind of sentence could Trump face, if he is found guilty — and how could this disrupt both the Republican primary and the election itself?

We’ve talked in recent weeks about the match-up between Trump and DeSantis, and what a DeSantis presidency would mean for civil liberties and economic policy. We’re taking a look at the gravity of the charges Trump is facing now, as well as at how they might change our perception of his time in office and how they will shape the coming election.

Listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Substack, Pandora, and other streaming platforms.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest Touré gives us a compelling, fascinating, and insightful account of who made the hip-hop of the 1980s that changed the way we listen to music, who listened to it, who got the profit, and what anti-establishment political speech came out of this music. We think you’ll appreciate Touré’s analysis of capitalism’s role in the production of hip-hop music, a role that fits into a narrative of corporate greed and increasing monopolization.

As a dwindling number of companies bought up all the record labels — generally companies with no interest or non-financial investment in the creative industry — profit became the primary motive and marker of success for many record labels, imposing limitations on musical production and political expression. We see the further development of those limits in the music of our own time — and it’s fascinating to see the road that led us here.

You can listen to this episode as a podcast on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and more.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest this week, FD Signifier, has done incredible deep dives on black conservatism — the media narrative around it, leading figures in this “niche group,” and the reality of political leanings within the black community. According to FD, while every election cycle since Obama’s second term has seen news stories on whether black voters will break away from the Democratic Party and vote Republican, the truth is that black voters tend to be left of the Democratic Party — and those whose conservative viewpoints are showcased on national media are being used to fit a false narrative in favor of conservatism.

We also weigh in on whether we should be more worried by a Trump or a DeSantis presidency, looking at the “creative malevolence” of DeSantis on social issues versus Trump’s massive incompetence and despicable record on those same issues. Together, we evaluate Kyle’s proposal that Trump is the Republicans’ least electable general election candidate — but also that he isn’t necessarily guaranteed to lose to Biden. Find out more by listening to the audio above — you can also find it on Spotify, Pandora, Apple Podcasts, and other streaming platforms.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit krystalkyleandfriends.substack.com/subscribe