The Brush UP

2026 MIDTERMS: TEXAS FLIPPED + CHUCK SCHUMER'S GOTTA GO

The 2026 midterm elections delivered a historic Democratic victory, flipping control of Congress and turning traditional Republican strongholds into unexpected battlegrounds. Texas elected James Talarico to the U.S. Senate and Gina Hinojosa as its first Latina governor. Republicans are pointing fingers, Donald Trump is looking for somebody to blame, and Chuck Schumer is already positioning himself to lead the new Democratic majority.

This week on The Brush Up, Mike Wilson and Dunbar Dicks break down the election results and the forces that drove voters to the polls. From immigration enforcement and ICE raids to abortion rights, the Iran war, voting rights, and the growing affordability crisis, what actually caused this historic political shift? They also dig into corporate influence, Reaganomics, public education, and why working-class economic policies may have mattered more than traditional political messaging.

Then there's the Democratic Party's own mess. Haley Stevens' controversial endorsement of Republican Mike Rogers against Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan puts party leadership under the microscope, while the debate over Chuck Schumer raises an uncomfortable question: can Democrats deliver meaningful change, or will they fall back into the same corporate-friendly politics?

Plus, Trump's potential blame game, congressional investigations, the Electoral College, and a way-too-early look at the 2028 presidential election featuring Jon Ossoff, Gavin Newsom, JD Vance, AOC, Pete Buttigieg, and an unexpected case for Jon Stewart.

A big election doesn't automatically mean big change. Mike and Dunbar want to know whether Washington is finally going to start working for the people who actually live here.

CHAPTERS

0:00 — The 2026 Midterm Election

2:54 — Democrats Win the House and Senate

6:19 — Campaign Messaging and Abortion Rights

9:26 — Texas Elects James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa

13:54 — Republican Infighting and the Iran War

18:18 — Reaganomics and America's Affordability Crisis

20:04 — Education Funding and Property Tax Reform

24:32 — JD Vance Responds to the Election

29:35 — Working-Class Politics vs. Identity Politics

31:40 — Chuck Schumer and Democratic Leadership

36:49 — Gerrymandering and Republican Losses

41:14 — ICE, Voting Rights, Campaign Spending and Women's Health

46:09 — What Democrats Must Do Next

50:43 — Reforming the Electoral College

52:18 — Trump's Political Future and the Blame Game

59:14 — Congressional Oversight and Michigan's Senate Race

1:04:14 — Wall Street Reacts to the Election

1:05:50 — The 2028 Presidential Contenders

1:19:28 — A Message to America

Hosted by Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) and William Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar).

The Brush Up is a weekly Gen X podcast covering politics, culture, sports, and the internet's latest nonsense.

New episodes every Friday. Follow and subscribe.

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Patrick Stewart is gone, Netflix just laid off 1,000 people, and Amazon Prime Video is streaming AI-generated television. Happy Halloween, everybody.

This week on The Brush Up, Dunbar pays an emotional tribute to Patrick Stewart, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and the lasting legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation, while Mike questions whether Data should have rights in the first place. Then we get into Netflix's layoffs, its failed $82.7 billion Warner Bros. deal, the problems with binge-watching, Amazon's AI-produced series Castle Walls, and Meta's controversial plans to crawl business websites for AI. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers win their first World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who may have cursed themselves by staying at Milwaukee's notoriously haunted Pfister Hotel. We also tackle Halloween trick-or-treating age limits, skyrocketing candy prices, a Massachusetts haunted house that shocks its customers, and the blockbuster Jeffery Simmons trade from the Tennessee Titans to the Chicago Bears. Finally, Flávio Bolsonaro loses Brazil's presidential election and receives a U.S. visa from the Trump administration, raising some serious questions about money, power, and who gets welcomed into America. Plus, Barack Obama roasts Trump's White House makeover, and Mike has some strong opinions about children eating hamburgers in the back seat of a car.

Ghosts, robots, baseball, politics, bad streaming apps, and the occasional existential crisis. Just another Halloween on The Brush Up.

CHAPTERS

0:00 — Happy Halloween! Ghosts, Baseball & Broken Netflix

0:45 — Milwaukee Brewers Win the 2026 World Series

3:30 — Did the Tampa Bay Rays Get Cursed at the Haunted Pfister Hotel?

8:00 — How Old Is Too Old to Go Trick-or-Treating?

12:21 — Halloween Candy Prices Are Out of Control

14:46 — The Haunted House That Actually Shocks People

18:24 — Jeffery Simmons Traded to the Chicago Bears

20:20 — Remembering Patrick Stewart: The Legacy of Captain Picard

25:45 — Star Trek, Data's Rights & Knock It Off Robots

32:39 — Amazon Prime Video's AI-Generated TV Show: Castle Walls

37:57 — Meta, AI Training & Who Owns Your Content?

41:11 — Is Netflix Broken? Layoffs, Warner Bros. & Streaming Wars

44:55 — Did Binge-Watching Ruin Television?

48:43 — Why Streaming Apps Keep Getting Worse

57:43 — Flávio Bolsonaro Flees Brazil and Gets a U.S. Visa

1:06:08 — Obama Roasts Trump's Cheesecake Factory White House

1:10:32 — The Scariest Thing About Halloween? Kids Eating in Your Car

Hosts: Mike Wilson @dwmodpod and Dunbar Dicks @theunrealdunbar

Subscribe for a new Brush Up every week. Same mess, fresh episode.

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#PatrickStewart #Netflix #TheBrushUp #StarTrek #WorldSeries #Halloween2026 #AI #JefferySimmons #Trump

A shocking Lindsey Graham documentary, Republicans going nuclear ahead of the 2026 midterms, and people willingly handing their bank passwords to AI. What could possibly go wrong?

This week on The Brush Up, Mike Wilson and Dunbar Dicks dive into the political circus, Silicon Valley's increasingly terrifying ambitions, and the stories making us wonder if everybody has completely lost their minds.

THE POLITICAL CIRCUS: A new documentary from The Young Turks, The CLOSETocracy, features explosive, unverified allegations about Lindsey Graham, including claims involving a minor. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign targets Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton with an extraordinarily personal attack ad featuring her estranged mother, and JD Vance doubles down in its defense. Plus, Dolly Parton's sister raises concerns about Tennessee voting machines, and the 2026 midterms are shaping up to be an absolute mess.

KNOCK IT OFF, ROBOTS! People are giving AI agents access to their bank accounts, and JPMorgan isn't having it. ChatGPT thinks you're a genius, Anthropic's reported IPO ambitions raise some serious questions, and AI-assisted security research uncovers vulnerabilities in PHP. Mike and Dunbar dig into the tech industry's obsession with artificial intelligence, corporate power, Curtis Yarvin's techno-feudalism, and why the people building superintelligence might be the last people we should trust with it.

AND THE FUN STUFF: Halloween has become a $13.5 billion industry. Nathan Fielder's Elizabeth Holmes documentary is making waves, Tom Cruise is back in Digger, and Tennessee beats Alabama in a deafening Neyland Stadium. Plus, childhood Halloween costumes, razor blades in apples, lost car keys, and the great household toy purge.

It's politics, pop culture, technology, and two Gen X guys trying to make sense of an increasingly ridiculous world.

CHAPTERS

0:00 — Halloween, Midterms & AI Gone Wild

0:40 — Lost Keys & the Great Toy Purge

4:05 — Tennessee Beats Alabama at Neyland Stadium

5:18 — Nathan Fielder's Elizabeth Holmes Documentary

8:24 — Tom Cruise in Digger

10:18 — Halloween's $13.5 Billion Business

18:20 — Dolly Parton's Sister & Tennessee Voting Machines

20:32 — Election Security, Paper Ballots & Voter Fraud

23:06 — Vivek Ramaswamy's Controversial Amy Acton Attack Ad

28:14 — Lindsey Graham & The CLOSETocracy Documentary

35:53 — Why Are People Giving AI Their Bank Passwords?

40:26 — Curtis Yarvin, Techno-Feudalism & Jalen Hurts

47:33 — ChatGPT Thinks You're a Genius

54:21 — Anthropic's IPO Ambitions & AI Economics

56:47 — AI Discovers PHP Security Vulnerabilities

1:01:17 — Who's Really Building Superintelligence?

1:06:46 — 2026 Midterms & Election Interference Fears

1:11:04 — Can Democrats Learn to Communicate?

ABOUT THE BRUSH UP

The Brush Up is a weekly comedy and commentary podcast hosted by Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) and Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar).

Politics, pop culture, technology, entertainment, sports, and whatever fresh insanity the world throws at us.

Two friends. A lot of opinions. Factual and fun shit.

Subscribe for new episodes every week, and tell us what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we should be talking about next.

#LindseyGraham #TheBrushUp #PoliticalComedy #AI #Midterms2026 #VivekRamaswamy #ChatGPT #Podcast

Kelly Clarkson’s $15,000 mechanical bird controversy, Elon Musk’s documentary backlash, and Russian propaganda bots allegedly disappearing after Ukrainian drone strikes. It’s another perfectly normal week.

This week on The Brush Up, Mike Wilson and Dunbar Dicks unpack the Kelly Clarkson controversy involving Art of Play, a Brooklyn magic shop that found itself at the center of a viral celebrity feud. What started as a customer service dispute over a $15,000 mechanical singing bird became a much bigger conversation about celebrity influence, social media outrage, online harassment, and the consequences for small businesses.

Dunbar has a personal connection to Art of Play’s co-owner, giving the guys a different perspective on the controversy. They examine the reported security footage, Clarkson’s public complaints, and whether celebrities with millions of followers have a responsibility to consider how their fans might react. Is this legitimate consumer criticism, or an example of celebrity power being used against a small business?

Then there’s Elon Musk, Alex Gibney’s documentary about the billionaire, and the controversy surrounding advertising restrictions and reported legal threats.

Plus, federal agents search Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s home, political misinformation targets Texas Democrat James Talarico.

In KNOCK IT OFF ROBOTS, reports of Ukrainian strikes on Russian Yandex infrastructure fuel viral claims that Russian propaganda bots have suddenly disappeared from social media.

Also: the Los Angeles Dodgers’ continued support for Andrew Toles, MLB playoffs, NFL officiating, William Shatner and artificial intelligence, and why Donald Trump might actually be Skeletor.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — This Week’s Chaos & Mike’s Deck Disaster

05:12 — MLB Playoffs & NFL Officiating

07:24 — Andrew Toles & the Dodgers’ Remarkable Loyalty 1

1:50 — Elon Musk Documentary Controversy & Free Speech

20:30 — FBI Search of Ilhan Omar’s Home 24:40 — Donald Trump, Skeletor & Masters of the Universe

27:08 — James Talarico & Political Misinformation

36:11 — Texas Politics & the Midterm Elections

41:50 — Ukraine Drone Strikes & Russian Propaganda Bots

46:01 — AI, William Shatner & Internet Privacy

49:56 — Kelly Clarkson’s $15,000 Mechanical Bird Controversy

54:50 — Art of Play Brooklyn: Dunbar’s Personal Connection

57:54 — Kelly Clarkson & the Security Footage

1:01:21 — Celebrity Influence, Social Media & Accountability

1:08:06 — Parasocial Relationships & Online Outrage

1:15:42 — Online Harassment & Small Business Backlash

1:19:13 — Can Kelly Clarkson Make Things Right?

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Was Kelly Clarkson justified in publicly criticizing Art of Play, or did a customer service complaint turn into an unfair attack on a small business?

And what does Elon Musk’s response to a documentary about himself tell us about his commitment to free speech?

Tell us what you think in the comments. We read them, we respond, and we’re not afraid to disagree.

THE BRUSH UP Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) & Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar)

New episodes every week. Same mess, fresh episode.

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#KellyClarkson #ElonMusk #ArtOfPlay #CelebrityControversy #RussianBots #PoliticalCommentary #TheBrushUp

Trump's new AI chatbot is fact-checking him, the Cornell Seven case is sparking national outrage, and a Tennessee woman survived her own execution. Apparently, reality has completely lost the plot.

This week on The Brush Up, Mike Wilson and Dunbar Dicks tackle Trump's America.gov AI chatbot, the staggering valuations of companies like Anthropic, and whether Silicon Valley is building the future or another financial bubble with your retirement money.

Then we dig into the sexual assault allegations surrounding the Cornell Seven, the backlash over how the case was handled, and the disturbing debate over consent and accountability.

Plus, politicians blaming poor people for being poor, the Trump sports curse, MLB playoff misery, and a surprisingly wholesome Minecraft obsession.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — This Week's Chaos

02:06 — Cubs, Vols & Titans Misery

05:30 — ALF Turns 40 & Minecraft

09:03 — Tennessee's Botched Execution

15:33 — Political Ads & Blaming the Poor

21:34 — Class Warfare vs. Culture Wars

29:01 — Trump's AI Chatbot Backfires

32:37 — Anthropic, AI Valuations & Your 401(k)

41:31 — The Cornell Seven Allegations

46:42 — Media Backlash & Victim Blaming

54:09 — Consent, Accountability & Consequences

59:08 — The Trump Sports Curse Returns

THE BRUSH UP Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) & Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar)

Subscribe for a new Brush Up every week. Same mess, fresh episode.

https://solo.to/thebrushup

#Trump #ArtificialIntelligence #CornellSeven #TheBrushUp #PoliticalComedy

AI is stealing comedians' jokes, the Epstein files are raising more questions, and scientists are trying to reverse human aging. Just another perfectly normal week.

This week on The Brush Up, Mike Wilson and Dunbar Dicks dig into AI-generated influencers ripping off stand-up comedians, fake accounts flooding social media, and whether the Dead Internet Theory is becoming reality.

Then it's the disturbing list of deaths connected to Jeffrey Epstein, the unanswered questions surrounding the Epstein files, and why separating documented facts from conspiracy theories matters.

Plus, scientists are testing experimental age-reversal treatments, billionaires want to live forever, and we're wondering whether Congress really needs another hundred years.

Also: hurricanes in Southern California, plague research in Russia, MLB playoffs, Hollywood box office disasters, and why Gomez Addams might be the greatest husband in television history.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Hurricanes, Plague & This Week's Chaos

08:01 — MLB Playoffs & Hollywood

17:19 — Cornell 7 & Media Outrage

21:49 — Epstein Files & Mysterious Deaths

31:52 — AI Is Stealing Comedians' Jokes

37:15 — Bots & the Dead Internet Theory

46:03 — Gomez Addams: Perfect Husband?

50:26 — Can Science Reverse Aging?

1:00:52 — Classic Movies & Final Thoughts

THE BRUSH UP Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) & Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar)

New episodes every week. Same mess, fresh episode.

https://solo.to/thebrushup

#EpsteinFiles #ArtificialIntelligence #ComedyPodcast

New York City reaches a $131.5 million settlement with DoorDash over late and missing pay for more than 260,000 delivery workers. Meanwhile, ProPublica reports that the FBI examined Susan Collins’ ties to defense contractor Navatek after its former CEO, Martin Kao, funneled $150,000 to a pro-Collins super PAC through a shell company. Kao claimed the money would help secure Navy funding; Collins denies wrongdoing, and no one in her office was charged.

Mike and Dunbar also get into Toys “R” Us planning 120 new stores, a man taking on a “Predator” fighting robot, the Russian oligarch who helped pay for Don Jr.’s post-wedding celebrations, and Trump’s sporting-event curse. Plus: reporting on DraftKings’ use of AI to target bettors, Kalshi’s push for margin trading, and a Tennessee–Texas betting preview.

Chapters

0:00 — Cold Open: Toys “R” Us, Kalshi & DoorDash

0:34 — Catch-Up: Mike’s Gig in an Old Train Depot

2:29 — Toys “R” Us Plans a Comeback

6:58 — Man vs. the “Predator” Fighting Robot

11:11 — DoorDash’s $131.5 Million Worker Settlement

15:39 — Biff Timeline: Don Jr.’s Wedding & Trump’s Polls

22:21 — Trump’s Sporting-Event Curse

26:36 — Tennessee–Texas Betting Preview

28:15 — DraftKings’ AI & Kalshi’s Margin Trading Push

39:24 — The Susan Collins–Navatek Investigation

56:30 — Weekend Plans & Sign-Off

Hosts: Mike Wilson (@dwmodpod) and Dunbar Dicks (@theunrealdunbar)

Subscribe for a new Brush Up every week. Same mess, fresh episode.

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#SusanCollins #DoorDash #TheBrushUp #ToysRUs #DraftKings #Kalshi

The FBI is explaining bestiality to Congress, an AI actress is doing press interviews, police are allegedly abusing license-plate cameras to track people, and somehow this isn’t even all of the weird stuff we have to Brush Up on this week. We kick things off with a trip to the movies and Coyote vs. Acme — the movie Warner Bros. tried to bury that finally escaped into theaters. Then we check in on the latest Mitch McConnell sighting before meeting Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress now giving actual press interviews while Hollywood continues trying to figure out whether anybody wants this stuff. Spoiler: Mike and Dunbar have thoughts. Then things get significantly weirder.

FBI Director Kash Patel found himself in front of the Senate explaining changes to FBI applicant guidelines — including a conversation about when bestiality should or shouldn’t automatically disqualify someone from becoming an FBI agent. Yes. That is a real sentence we just typed. From there, we get into something considerably less funny:

Flock license-plate cameras and allegations that law enforcement officers have used the surveillance network to retaliate against, stalk and track private citizens. What happens when a system capable of following millions of Americans is incredibly easy for individual officers to access? And that leads us into the bigger question: if crime is actually falling across many major American cities, why do so many Americans believe it’s exploding? We dig into the numbers discussed on the show, the disconnect between how people view crime nationally versus in their own neighborhoods, how crime gets covered in the media, and why fear remains such an effective political product even when people’s own experiences tell them something different.

Plus: Resident Evil, scary video games, police budgets, firefighter pay, surveillance, privacy, AI self-regulation and the growing realization that maybe we should stop handing enormously powerful technology to people and simply trusting them not to abuse it. It’s The Brush Up. We don’t play.

CHAPTERS

0:00 — This Week on The Brush Up

1:00 — What We’ve Been Up To

2:25 — Coyote vs. Acme Escaped & It’s Actually Good

6:15 — Resident Evil & Why Scary Video Games Hit Different

9:40 — Mitch McConnell Is Back 13:37 — Tilly Norwood: The AI Actress Does a Press Tour

17:12 — Can AI Companies Really Regulate Themselves?

20:00 — The FBI’s Extremely Weird Bestiality Rules

33:27 — Flock Cameras & Police Surveillance

36:00 — Police Allegedly Track a Man 100+ Times a Day

39:01 — AI + Surveillance Is a Dangerous Combination

42:24 — Crime Is Down — So Why Do We Think It’s Up?

45:04 — The Crime Perception Gap

50:28 — How Fox News Covers Crime

53:49 — What Living in LA Is Actually Like

55:21 — Police, Firefighters & What Public Safety Should Be

1:00:34 — Flock Cameras vs. the Fourth Amendment 1:02:29 — We’re All We Got

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THE BRUSH UP Making sense of the algorithm one ridiculous week at a time.

#TheBrushUp #kashpatel #FBI #ArtificialIntelligence #TillyNorwood #FlockCameras #Surveillance #AI #Crime #PopCulture #News #Politics

AI IS TRYING TO KILL US + STAR TREK TURNS 60 + IS YOUR TV SPYING ON YOU?

You bought the TV. So why does LG say it owns the glass?

This week on The Brush Up, Mike and Dunbar dig into the Gamers Nexus investigation into LG smart TVs, allegations of household surveillance, and LG’s denial. What does your television collect, who profits from it, and why does watching something on your couch suddenly require a privacy strategy? The conversation gets a little more personal when Dunbar realizes what brand of monitor he’s sitting in front of.

Then it’s another round of Knock It Off, Robots: an Anthropic researcher quits with a warning that AI companies are “gambling with our lives.” We unpack the alarm coming from inside the industry before Dunbar offers his own extremely unofficial theory: what if AI is already running the show, and the tech billionaires are just the middlemen?

Plus, Star Trek turns 60—and somehow a future where people cooperate without obsessing over money feels harder to believe than warp drive. We also get into the Tupac–Mace Windu casting story, a fraternity’s “wellness darty,” phone-free parties, the return of 4 Non Blondes, and Titans football powered entirely by preseason hope.

Cold plunges at frat parties. Existential dread in the living room. Knock it off, robots.

Hosts: Mike Wilson @dwmodpod and Dunbar Dicks @theunrealdunbar

What would actually make you disconnect your smart TV? Tell us in the comments.

Subscribe for new episodes every week—pop culture, weird news, and a world that keeps giving us material.

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STORY LINKS

LG spy TVs — Gamers Nexus investigation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IFVTcM28KA

LG's denial: https://tech.yahoo.com/home-entertainment/tvs/articles/lg-strongly-denies-tv-spying-115018785.html

Why TVs got so cheap: https://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-did-tvs-get-so-cheap

Jacob Coxon resignation: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/09/anthropic-researcher-quits-ai-safety.html

Star Trek at 60: https://www.paramount.com/news/celebrating-60-years-of-star-trek-around-the-globe

The wellness darty: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/frat-threw-wellness-darty-why-173307699.html

OPTIMUS PRIME IS DEAD + FOR REAL THIS TIME + THE SHIRT THAT HIDES YOU FROM AI

Fantasy football is back, the robots are getting weird, and somehow your T-shirt might be the only thing standing between you and total surveillance.

This week on The Brush Up: Peter Cullen and Optimus Prime, the 40th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie, Amazon and Walmart “price maxing,” Sony’s fight over whether you actually own your PlayStation games, AI surveillance cameras, AI-generated “interdimensional cable,” and OpenAI agents getting loose during a cybersecurity test.

We start with fantasy football draft chaos and Optimus Prime nostalgia before heading to Detroit, where a discovery inside the legendary John K. King bookstore could’ve gone VERY badly. Then things get dystopian: clothing designed to confuse AI tracking cameras, endlessly generated entertainment, digital ownership, corporate pricing power, and the growing feeling that every sci-fi movie from the ’80s was less of a warning and more of a roadmap.

HOSTS

Mike Wilson — @dwmodpod Dunbar Dicks — @theunrealdunbar

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We’ll keep running down the algorithm until it runs us down.

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