Progressive Voices

How are young people pushing back against a potential rollback that could once again block DACA recipients, or Dreamers, and thousands of others from enrolling in Affordable Care Act coverage? And why do advocates call this potential move by the Trump administration extremely dangerous?

To find out, we spoke with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles, the nation’s largest young adult policy and advocacy organization. Kristin leads efforts to elevate the voices of young adults in the political process and expand their access to economic opportunity.

This is the second episode in our two-part series.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

📢 PROOF Congress REFUSES To Do Their Job | Karel Cast Ep. 25-86

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🚨 Congress had one job — and they blew it.

In this explosive episode of The Karel Cast, Karel breaks down how over 129 Democrats joined Republicans to block articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, despite his blatant violations of the law — including launching unauthorized military strikes on Iran.

Only 69 brave lawmakers (including AOC and Bernie Sanders) stood up and said “enough.” So what does this say about Democratic cowardice, accountability, and the future of American democracy?

🧨 Plus: A Democratic Socialist Muslim wins the Democratic Primary for NYC Mayor — a powerful sign of political change or just a blip?

🔥 You follow rules or you’re fired. Why doesn’t Congress?

🎙️ Watch now, get outraged, and stay informed. Like, subscribe, and support the show at patreon.com/reallykarel

📲 Stream on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Spreaker and more.

📺 Follow on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram @reallykarel

🐾 Live from Las Vegas with Karel and Ember, Mon–Thurs at 10:30am PST.

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Hashtags:

#CongressFail, #ImpeachTrump, #KarelCast, #PoliticalCorruption, #Democrats, #BernieSanders, #AOC, #ProgressiveVoices, #AccountabilityNow, #IranStrike, #DJT, #Midterms2025, #BlueCowards, #NYCPolitics, #SocialistMayor, #MuslimCandidates, #DoYourJob, #LGBTQVoices, #NewsCommentary,

Is America Beating the Empathy Out of Us? | Karel Cast Ep. 25-25

Description:

Trump announces a ceasefire that lasts just 12 minutes and then unleashes a profanity-laced rant—why don’t I care? Another promise broken by Trump and his loyalists—why doesn’t it faze me? LGBTQ suicide prevention services are defunded—this should devastate me… but it doesn’t stick. And when record-breaking heat slams the U.S., I don’t even blink.

From absurd headlines to real tragedies, I’m asking the big question: Is America beating the empathy out of us?

In today’s Karel Cast, I dig into why emotional burnout is becoming the norm and whether it’s okay to prioritize your dog, your friends, and your survival over everything else.

Is it apathy? Or is it self-preservation in a country gone mad?

⚡ Watch, like, subscribe and support at patreon.com/reallykarel

🎙️ Stream everywhere: Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Spreaker and more

📺 Catch video clips on TikTok and Instagram @reallykarel

🐾 Broadcasting live Mon–Thurs 10:30am PST from Las Vegas with my girl Ember

#Hashtags:

#KarelCast, #EmotionalBurnout, #EmpathyCrisis, #TrumpNews, #LGBTQRights, #MentalHealthMatters, #ClimateChange, #PoliticalFatigue, #NewsCommentary, #ApathyOrSurvival, #QueerVoices, #ProgressiveMedia, #PodcastLife, #LasVegasLife, #DogDad, #CultureCritic, #LGBTQPodcast, #CurrentEvents, #KarelAndEmber, #NewsFatigue

https://youtube.com/live/LYZ0cRBw5a8

🚨 An Illegitimate President Just Started an Illegal War | Karel Cast Ep. 25-84

This weekend, Donald Trump launched airstrikes against a nation that hasn’t attacked us, hasn’t threatened us, and reportedly has no nuclear capabilities — all without congressional approval, UN support, or public discussion.

🇺🇸 Why? To continue acting as Israel’s proxy, spending $250 million of our taxpayer money to escalate a war no one asked for — and no one fully understands.

And yet, the media barely flinched. No outcry. No protest. Just more war… while the American people foot the bill and wait for the fallout.

🎵 Also in this episode: A personal reflection on self-doubt, creativity, and why so many of us struggle to feel “enough” — even when we are. Especially after recording a new song, I found myself wrestling with that voice. Do you?

This is The Karel Cast — unfiltered, fearless, and unapologetically honest.

📺 Subscribe at youtube.com/reallykarel

💖 Support the show at patreon.com/reallykarel

🎙️ Stream on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, and more

📱 Follow on TikTok & Instagram: @reallykarel

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union.

The two discuss:

1. The Wall Street Journal recently documented the stark disparity between China and America’s military-industrial strength in a series of graphs. The results are downright alarming, especially as geopolitical tensions flare. The data illustrate the urgent need for the United States to take action to revitalize our domestic shipbuilding industry. 

2. With tariffs coming into force,  Made in the USA marketing is surging. U.S. consumers are rejiggering their purchasing habits, as evidenced by a boom in “Made in USA” searches on e-commerce sites, and companies are more than happy to tout their “Made in USA” commitments. (From Modern Retail: “Amazon searches for the phrase shot up to 126,000 from 26,000 in the past 30 days — nearly five times the previous period.”)  

3. The state of our infrastructure and energy grid is dire. It’s a crisis that creates another obstacle to U.S. manufacturing’s renaissance and America’s competitiveness.

4. This time, the China Shock is global in nature. Beijing is flooding the world’s markets with its industrial overcapacity across all categories, and job losses and bankruptcies are trailing the imports.

 

WEBSITE: AmericanManufacturing.org

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@AmericanMfg (where you can watch episode's of AAM's podcast, "The Manufacturing Report")

(If you want to listen to episodes of "The Manufacturing Report," visit AmericanManufacturing.org/Podcast)

X: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA  2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM

BlueSky: @keepitmadeinusa.bsky.social

💊 America’s Obsession With Quick Fixes Is Killing Us | Karel Cast Ep. 25-83

Why do Americans want pills instead of accountability?

From PrEP therapy to weight-loss injections, we’ve become a culture obsessed with instant results and zero responsibility. Safe sex? Too much work. Exercise? Forget it. We want a pharmaceutical solution for everything — even when lifestyle changes could actually solve the problem.

But it doesn’t stop with health.

⚠️ Is the Iran conflict just a distraction from what’s happening in Gaza and Ukraine?

🎬 And what’s with the weekend movie slate? Superman again? Jurassic World again? Why can’t Hollywood tell a new story?

In this fiery episode of The Karel Cast, we break down America’s addiction to the quick fix — in health, politics, and pop culture.

📺 Watch, Subscribe, and Share

💖 Support at patreon.com/reallykarel

🎙️ Streaming everywhere, Mon–Thurs 10:30am PT

📱 TikTok & Instagram: @reallykarel

🔔 youtube.com/reallykarel

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#KarelCast, #QuickFixCulture, #AmericanHealthCrisis, #PrEPDebate, #ObesitySolutions, #OzempicCulture, #SafeSexMatters, #GazaCrisis, #UkraineWar, #IranDistraction, #WagTheDog, #HollywoodRemakes, #SupermanAgain, #JurassicReboot, #ProgressiveVoices, #PoliticalCommentary, #LGBTQPodcast, #LasVegasPodcaster, #DailyNewsPodcast, #TikTokPolitics

https://youtube.com/live/RxcYtiHYZqI

📺 Commercials Reveal Everything Broken in Our Society | Karel Cast Ep. 25-82

Ever sit through streaming commercials and feel something’s… off?

From fast food pushed at midnight to Big Pharma pitching miracle pills with deadly side effects, today’s ads say more about our society than the shows themselves.

Why are we bombarded with:

• 🍔 Food we shouldn’t eat

• 💊 Drugs with horrific side effects

• 🎬 Movies with recycled plots and hollow messages

• 🚗 Cars we can’t afford but are told we need?

Advertising doesn’t just sell products—it shapes culture, values, and even our self-worth. And what it’s telling us? Isn’t good.

Plus: Same region, same headlines. Why I’ve tuned out the never-ending cycle of Middle East conflict.

✨ Time to break free from what they want you to believe.

This is The Karel Cast—where critical thinking isn’t just encouraged, it’s required.

📺 youtube.com/reallykarel

💖 Support the show: patreon.com/reallykarel

📱 TikTok & Instagram: @reallykarel

🎙️ Streaming on all platforms, Mon–Thurs 10:30am PT

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#KarelCast, #MediaCritique, #StreamingAds, #CulturalDecline, #PharmaGreed, #ConsumerCulture, #FastFoodNation, #MiddleEastFatigue, #AdPsychology, #AmericanValues, #PodcastHost, #ProgressiveVoices, #QueerMedia, #SocialCommentary, #CriticalThinking, #YouTubePodcast, #LasVegasPodcaster, #DailyNewsPodcast, #TikTokPolitics, #LGBTQVoices

https://youtube.com/live/XGMrYLDi_IQ

HIS WEEK ON CODE WACK!

As federal officials carry out large-scale, military-style raids and widespread arrests of undocumented immigrants, another fight is quietly brewing — one that could push thousands of people off their health insurance.

More than half a million young people who were brought to the U.S. as children and grew up here could soon lose eligibility for affordable and subsidized health coverage. A new rule proposed by the Trump Administration would once again block DACA recipients from buying Marketplace insurance or receiving financial assistance.

What would this mean for their health, their communities and the widening gap in health and economic equity?

To find out, we spoke with Kristin McGuire, Executive Director of Young Invincibles — the nation’s largest young adult policy and advocacy organization — where she leads the charge to amplify the voices of young adults in the political process.

Check out the Transcript and Show Notes for more!

And please keep Code WACK! on the air with a tax-deductible donation.

🌍 Why the World Feels Like It’s Falling Apart | Karel Cast Ep. 25-81

Genocide in Gaza. War in Ukraine. Trump’s relentless assault on immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. Climate collapse accelerating. Sky-high food prices. Corporate bigotry from brands like Target, the Dodgers, and Home Depot.

It feels like the world is unraveling—but why?

Why do the same crises keep coming back, generation after generation, with no real solutions?

In this powerful episode of The Karel Cast, we break down the root cause of today’s chaos. Spoiler: it’s been with us since the beginning of civilization.a

✊ If you’ve felt overwhelmed, angry, or just plain confused by the state of things—this one’s for you.

🕊️ Watch, Subscribe, and Share

💡 Support at patreon.com/reallykarel

📺 youtube.com/reallykarel

📱 TikTok & Instagram: @reallykarel

⸻

#KarelCast, #MiddleEastCrisis, #GazaGenocide, #UkraineWar, #TrumpHate, #LGBTQRights, #TransRightsAreHumanRights, #ClimateCrisis, #EconomicCollapse, #PoliticalPodcast, #ProgressiveVoices, #QueerCommentary, #BlackAndBrownLivesMatter, #AntiFascist, #CorporateBigotry, #NoJusticeNoPeace, #ActivistVoices, #DailyNewsPodcast, #YouTubeNews, #KarelLive

The guest host for today's show is Brad Bannon. Brad runs Bannon Communications Research, a polling, message development and media firm which helps labor unions, progressive issue groups and Democratic candidates win public affairs and political campaigns. His show, 'Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon,' airs every Monday from 3-4pm ET. 

Brad is first joined by Charlie Cook, Founder of 'the Cook Political Report,' to talk about ten years of Trump in politics.  This includes how he completely changed the Republican party's identity, and what might happen to the GOP once Trump is no longer President.

Then, Kim Scott, Publisher of 'Dem List,' previews the NYC Mayoral primary election.

She also details the upcoming Governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey, which tend to be a bellwether for the following year's midterm elections in Congress.

Kim Scott's 'Demlist' is a free national daily political column, calendar and resource site for Democrats and allies - a unique, central source that connects people to the who, what and where of Democratic events, issues and activism. You can find out more about them at DemList.com and follow them on BlueSky at the handle @demlist.bsky.social.

Brad writes a political column every Sunday for 'The Hill.' 

He's on the National Journal's panel of political insiders and is a national political analyst for WGN TV and Radio in Chicago and KNX Radio in Los Angeles. You can read Brad's columns at www.MuckRack.com/Brad-Bannon. His handle on BlueSky is @bradbannon.bsky.social.