The Biskeptical Podcast

Today we’re going to take a break from Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation and the rest of all the horrible stuff happening right now, and instead talking about Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Tennessee Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper. Will T. Swift help usher the blue wave next month? Do celebrity endorsements in general help elections? Let’s find out!

Links:
The Long, Frustrating Road To Taylor Swift’s Political Endgame: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/taylor-swift-political-beliefs-democrats-endorsement_us_5bbb7d04e4b01470d053b611
What led Taylor Swift to post her political Instagram message?: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/what-led-taylor-swift-to-post-her-political-instagram-message/2018/10/08/c53608de-cb26-11e8-920f-dd52e1ae4570_story.html?utm_term=.afe512c2049d
Tennessee Voting Experts Say Taylor Swift Might Actually Turn Their State Blue: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/d3qk77/tennessee-voting-experts-say-taylor-swift-might-actually-turn-their-state-blue?utm_medium=vicenewsfacebook
Barack Obama endorses Ben Jealous as governor of Maryland, which has never had a black chief executive: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/barack-obama-endorses-ben-jealous-as-governor-of-maryland-which-has-never-had-a-black-chief-executive/2018/10/01/c04858ec-c59d-11e8-b2b5-79270f9cce17_story.html?utm_term=.5c46532de08d
Gov. Larry Hogan leads Democrat Ben Jealous by 20 points, Post-U. Md. poll finds: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/gov-larry-hogan-leads-democrat-ben-jealous-by-20-points-post-u-md-poll-finds/2018/10/09/c1d23f40-cb40-11e8-a360-85875bac0b1f_story.html?utm_term=.d152298ef166
US election: what impact do celebrity endorsements really have?: https://theconversation.com/us-election-what-impact-do-celebrity-endorsements-really-have-66204
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Today on the show, we talk about the sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and the shitshow that was Thursday’s hearing. We’ll also have a conversation about #WhyIDidntReport, false allegations, and why this kind of behavior shouldn’t be considered standard male behavior. Needless to say this episode needs all the trigger warnings!

Links:
#WhyIDidntReport: Survivors of Sexual Assault Share Their Stories After Trump Tweet: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/us/why-i-didnt-report-assault-stories.html
Mark Judge, conservative writer at the center of the Kavanaugh sexual assault allegations, is a contributor at the locally run Splice Today: https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/mark-judge-conservative-writer-at-the-center-of-the-kavanaugh-sexual-assault-allegations-is-a-contributor-at-the-locally-run-splice-today/
I’ve studied false rape claims. The accusation against Kavanaugh doesn’t fit the profile: https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/9/18/17874504/kavanaugh-assault-allegation-christine-blasey-ford
Men Are More Afraid Than Ever: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/09/brett-kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford-assault-me-too.html
Boys will be boys? Why #AllMen should be offended by the latest Kavanaugh defenders: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/boys-will-be-boys-why-allmen-should-be-offended-by-the-latest-kavanaugh-defenders/2018/09/20/a3524230-bc41-11e8-be70-52bd11fe18af_story.html?utm_term=.b1fea66f9f32
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Today on the show, we spend another hour about the latest crazy shit surrounding the Trump administration. This time, it’s all about Michael Cohen’s plea bargain, all the people close to Trump that have been granted immunity in the investigation, and whether or not any of this will have any effect on Trump’s presidency. We also talk about the recent passing of Sen. John McCain, but it’s less about his legacy and more about how Trump’s beef with him continues even after death. Seriously, with Trump as the president, we’ll never run out of material for this show!

Links:
•Michael Cohen Says He Arranged Payments to Women at Trump’s Direction: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/nyregion/michael-cohen-plea-deal-trump.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage
•Donald Trump talks like a mob boss — and reminds us he has no idea what he’s doing: https://www.vox.com/2018/8/23/17772990/trump-fox-and-friends-transcript
•AP: National Enquirer had safe with damaging Trump stories: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/ap-national-enquirer-kept-safe-with-damaging-trump-stories/2018/08/24/ce0a2530-a763-11e8-ad6f-080770dcddc2_story.html?utm_term=.62b5eb3cb49e
•Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg, who allegedly helped arrange hush-money reimbursement to Cohen, receives immunity: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-organization-executive-allen-weisselberg-who-allegedly-helped-arrange-hush-money-reimbursement-to-cohen-granted-immunity/2018/08/24/404ebdf2-a7b1-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?utm_term=.1b6c2065c38a
•Trump rejected plans for a White House statement praising McCain: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-rejected-plans-for-a-white-house-statement-praising-mccain/2018/08/26/0d0478e4-a967-11e8-8f4b-aee063e14538_story.html?utm_term=.62bf41adac00
•President Trump will not attend John McCain’s funeral, family spokesman says: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-trump-will-not-attend-john-mccains-funeral-family-spokesman-says/2018/08/27/ac778dd8-aa1d-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html?utm_term=.8e9a6869a3a8
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Today on the show, we talk about the latest drama involving Omarosa and Trump. We talk about the tapes, the tweets, and how this is the new normal. We also talk about the recent Pennsylvania report about the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal because holy shit, there’s a lot to unpack here!

Links:
•Omarosa has jumped back into the middle of Trump White House drama: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/13/17683710/omarosa-recording-john-kelly-today-interview-book-unhinged
•Report: Trump Wanted To Be Sworn In Using ‘Art Of The Deal’ Instead Of The Bible: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2018/08/report-trump-wanted-to-be-sworn-in-using-art-of-the-deal-instead-of-the-bible/
•Trump Calls Omarosa a Dog on Twitter: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1029329583672307712
•More than 300 accused priests listed in Pennsylvania report on Catholic Church sex abuse: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2018/08/14/pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-on-sex-abuse-in-catholic-church-will-list-hundreds-of-accused-predator-priests/?utm_term=.1aa7c31f5e63
•Here Are the Worst Abuses by Catholic Priests from the PA Grand Jury’s Report: http://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2018/08/15/here-are-the-worst-abuses-by-catholic-priests-from-the-pa-grand-jurys-report/
•Why the Explosive Report on Catholic Church Abuse Is Unlikely to Yield Criminal Charges: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/us/pennsylvania-sex-abuse-statute-of-limitations.html
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Today on the show, we talk about some of the news stories from this past week, including the recent announcement of the Religious Liberty Task Force, the Paul Manafort trial, the most recent Facebook scandal involving election meddlers, and whether or not collusion is a crime. Needless to say, since it’s been a while since our last episode, we have a lot to say!

Links:
•Sessions announces 'religious liberty task force': http://thehill.com/regulation/administration/399482-sessions-announces-religious-liberty-task-force
•Jeff Sessions announces a religious liberty task force to combat “dangerous” secularism: https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/7/31/17631110/jeff-sessions-religious-liberty-task-force-memo-christian-nationalism
•Why Jeff Sessions thinks Christians are under siege in America: https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/8/1/17638706/religious-liberty-sessions-task-force-masterpiece-scalia-constitution
•Trump Administration Defends Violence Against LGBT In Africa As ‘Religious Freedom’: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2018/07/trump-administration-defends-violence-against-lgbt-in-africa-as-religious-freedom/
•Manafort jury hears of lavish spending on luxury clothes: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/manafort-jury-hears-of-lavish-spending-on-luxury-clothes/2018/08/01/785b230a-95c5-11e8-a679-b09212fb69c2_story.html?utm_term=.45b217c694de
•Facebook has detected a coordinated effort to influence US politics ahead of the 2018 midterm elections: https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-coordinated-effort-influence-2018-us-midterm-elections-2018-7
•Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani says collusion with Russia is not a crime: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-lawyer-rudy-giuliani-says-collusion-russia-not-crime-n895766?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma
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Morgan was unavailable for this episode, so today we have Nick Little from CFI joining us to take a look at Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s latest nominee for Supreme Court Justice. We’re going to take a look at his case history, and what that might mean for church-state separation, Roe v. Wade, and LGBTQ rights. Spoiler alert: It's not a pretty picture!

Links:
•Donald Trump Releases List of Possible Supreme Court Picks: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/19/us/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-nominees.html
•Kavanaugh record suggests he would favor religious interests in school debates: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/kavanaugh-record-suggests-he-would-favor-religious-interests-in-school-debates/2018/07/10/a805323c-8475-11e8-8f6c-46cb43e3f306_story.html?utm_term=.b18c0b6941fd
•CFI’s Statement on Kavanaugh: https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/kavanaugh-wrong-for-supreme-court/
•3 ways Trump’s Supreme Court pick could transform U.S. labor law: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/07/10/ways-trumps-supreme-court-pick-could-transform-us-labor-law/?utm_term=.24dba81c3a64
•Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court Pick, Is Probably the End of Abortion Rights and Same-Sex Marriage: https://www.thedailybeast.com/brett-kavanaugh-trumps-supreme-court-pick-is-probably-the-end-of-abortion-rights-and-same-sex-marriage
•Brett Kavanaugh likely gives the Supreme Court the votes to overturn Roe. Here’s how they’d do it: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/10/17551644/brett-kavanaugh-roe-wade-abortion-trump
•Bret Stephens – Just Confirm Kavanaugh: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/opinion/kavanaugh-supreme-court-confirm.html?action=click&contentCollection=opinion®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=sectionfront
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On today's episode, we’ll talk about everything going on with the border crisis. We’ll go over the facts about zero tolerance, how the Trump administration justifies it with religion, and, yes, the jacket.

Links:
•The facts about Trump’s policy of separating families at the border: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/06/19/the-facts-about-trumps-policy-of-separating-families-at-the-border/?utm_term=.e93f8c75916d
•Flores agreement: Trump’s executive order to end family separation might run afoul of a 1997 court ruling: https://www.vox.com/2018/6/20/17484546/executive-order-family-separation-flores-settlement-agreement-immigration
•How, Exactly, Does This Travel Ban Keep Us Safe, Mr. President?: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/opinion/trump-travel-ban-terrorism.html
•Sessions’s Use of Bible Passage to Defend Immigration Policy Draws Fire: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/us/sessions-bible-verse-romans.html
•Melania Trump doubles-down with "I really don't care" jacket: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/melania-trump-jacket-i-really-dont-care-do-u-raises-eyebrows-for-edgy-message/
•‘Womp Womp’: Corey Lewandowski Mocks Child With Down Syndrome Separated From Mother: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/business/media/corey-lewandowski-womp-womp-down-syndrome.html
•The House GOP says their new bill bans separating families at the border. That’s a lie: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/6/15/17467490/children-separated-parents-bill-congress
•The Trauma Of Family Separation Will Haunt Children For Decades: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-carnes-family-separation-trauma_us_5b2bf535e4b00295f15a96b2
•Foundation Beyond Belief humanitarian aid fundraiser: https://foundationbeyondbelief.org/civicrm/?page=CiviCRM&q=civicrm/contribute/transact&reset=1&id=16
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Today on the show, we talk about last week’s SCOTUS ruling in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, find out what exactly happened, and what it might mean for future civil rights cases. We also talk about the North Korea summit, all the wackiness that went down, and whether or not any progress will be made.

Links:
•In Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Decides In Favor Of Baker Over Same-Sex Couple: https://www.npr.org/2018/06/04/605003519/supreme-court-decides-in-favor-of-baker-over-same-sex-couple-in-cake-shop-case?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social
•South Dakota GOP Lawmaker: Business Owners Shouldn’t Have to Serve Black People: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2018/06/06/south-dakota-gop-lawmaker-business-owners-shouldnt-have-to-serve-black-people/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&mc_cid=b25965c249&mc_eid=7bd263b041
•Store Owner Posts ‘No Gays Allowed’ Sign After Cake Decision: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2018/06/store-owner-posts-no-gays-allowed-sign-after-cake-decision/
•The Eight Weirdest Moments of a Very Weird Summit: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/06/singapore-summit-kim-jong-un/562625/
•Kim Jong-un Isn’t Tough. North Koreans Are: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/opinion/kim-jong-un-trump-north-korea.html
•Trump and Kim Jong Un just struck a deal. Here’s what it means and what comes next: https://www.vox.com/world/2018/6/12/17442784/trump-kim-jong-un-north-korea-summit-narang
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Today’s episode is a news roundup episode featuring stories that can be best described as hot messes. We’ll talk about Elon Musk’s war against the media, Roseanne Bar’s racist tweets, and why Starbucks’ racial sensitivity training might not work.

Links:
•ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’ after its star, Roseanne Barr, went on a vitriolic and racist Twitter rant: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2018/05/29/roseanne-went-on-a-vitriolic-and-racially-charged-twitter-rampage-now-shes-apologizing/?utm_term=.9cb977f0c02d
•Pravda: Elon Musk’s solution for punishing journalists: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/05/24/pravda-elon-musks-solution-for-punishing-journalists/?utm_term=.b72f5fd0dfb8
•White House defends FEMA after study finds Hurricane Maria killed 5,000 in Puerto Rico: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/30/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-death-toll-white-house/656252002/
•Southern Baptist Leader Removed Over Remarks On Rape, Abuse Of Women: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/23/613604818/head-of-southern-baptist-seminary-removed-over-remarks-on-rape-abuse-of-women
•Companies like Starbucks love anti-bias training. But it doesn’t work — and may backfire: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/4/19/17251752/philadelphia-starbucks-arrest-racial-bias-training
•Eric Greitens, Governor of Missouri, Resigns Amid Scandal: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/29/us/eric-greitens-resigns.html
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Today on the show, we’ll talk about the US recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the violence in Gaza this past Monday. We’ll talk about why the US’ decision is so controversial, what the international response has been to the bloodshed, and if there are any solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Links:
•The controversial US Jerusalem embassy opening, explained: https://www.vox.com/2018/5/14/17340798/jerusalem-embassy-israel-palestinians-us-trump
•Everything You Need To Know About The “Vile Massacre” On The Gaza Border: https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/xwmzmd/gaza-border-israel-embassy-move-troops-palestinians
•Hamas leader says 50 Gazans killed were members of group: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hamas-leader-says-50-gazans-killed-were-members-of-group/
•The Real Dispute Driving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/israel-palestine-embassy-legitimacy/560291/?utm_source=twb
•For many evangelicals, Jerusalem is about prophecy, not politics: https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/08/opinions/jerusalem-israel-evangelicals-end-times-butler-bass-opinion/index.html
•How Palestinian youth would solve the conflict with Israel: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/palestinian-youth-solve-conflict-israel-180513082211016.html
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