Hey baddies —
If it feels like everything is happening at once, it’s because it is.
This week’s episode of The A Collective covers what happens when accountability never shows up, information drops with zero guardrails, and the people telling the truth are the ones who get punished.
We’re talking about:
* The release of the Epstein files and why no one seems shocked anymore
* The arrest of four Black journalists while reporting at a Minneapolis church — and what that signals about press freedom
* Why intimidation of independent media should concern everyone
* And how cultural chaos (looking at you, Grammys) becomes a distraction instead of a reckoning
Along the way, we also get into protest culture, political exhaustion, parenting in the middle of all of this, and the strange normalization of behavior that should still horrify us.
And yes — Nicki Minaj makes an appearance. Unfortunately.
This conversation is sharp, uncomfortable at times, and honest — because pretending things are fine isn’t helping anyone.
👇
Watch / listen to the full episode below
Why we called this episode “85 Seconds to Midnight”
The Doomsday Clock doesn’t move for drama — it moves because experts believe we’re closer to global catastrophe than we’ve ever been.
That tension is the backdrop of this entire episode:
political recklessness, media suppression, disinformation, and a collective numbness that allows it all to keep happening.
If it feels heavy, that’s because it is.
BONUS SUBSCRIBER ONLY CONTENT
Gregstradamus, the doomsday clock, and a truly unfortunate Catherine O’Hara mix-up.
This bonus clip is what happens before we officially start recording, when the mics are hot, the brains are half-on, and nobody has decided to be serious yet.
What starts as a conversation about ominous predictions and global anxiety quickly turns into:
* Gregstradamus making the timeline worse
* A doomsday clock spiral
* Trump wanting to “own the sun”
* An accidental declaration that Catherine O’Hara had passed away
* And Stacey asking the only important question: where is Kristi Noem’s husband?
None of this made the main episode.
All of it felt very you had to be there.
So… we made it bonus content……… 💛
Welcome to Riverside Crimes Against Humanity — our weekly collection of unapproved, aggressively timed screenshots captured by Riverside mid-blink, mid-sentence, and mid-existential crisis.
This week’s Riverside highlights include:
multiple mid-blinks, at least one accidental duck face, several hostage-style camera angles, and one screenshot that looks like it was taken during a sneeze. Special shoutout to the frames where we appear both over-lit and under-rested — a true technical achievement. Riverside remains undefeated in the art of bad timing.
A quick thank you
Before you go — thank you for being here.
Whether you’re reading, listening, watching, or sharing, you’re part of a community that values truth, context, and calling things what they are — even when it’s uncomfortable.
That matters more than ever.
We want to hear from you:
👉 What part of this episode made you pause — or made something finally click?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. We read them. We mean that.
We’ll see you soon — with bonus content and whatever fresh chaos the next week brings.
To hear more, visit theacollectivepod.substack.com
