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By Steve Faktor | SteveFaktor.com
4.8
2525 ratings
The podcast currently has 147 episodes available.
Enjoy the world’s greatest nonpartisan debate analysis with surprise ending. Below is the original Twitter/X thread.
I’ll be live-tweeting America’s Great Unburdening below.
Do we need any of these commentators? The world would be better off with Reince Priebus as a goat herder.
Wheel him in!
Something will die during this debate. I believe it will be…specificity.
I love this ABC host facial expression. It’s a leftover news anchor expression from the 1990s.
No audience?? Pussies.
Kamala starts out wobbly but decent answer on housing. Personal story rehearsals working like a charm.
Kamala attacking tariffs, which the Biden administration not only preserved but extended.
Trump still doesn’t understand how tariffs work or who pays them. He’s right that Biden Inc kept his tariffs.
Trump goes into the immigrant stuff. “Taking over towns.” Not sure this much negativity is the best way to go to sway independents.
Kamala’s BS about the Covid era economy is technically correct, but also exacerbated by Biden.
She’s doing better than I expected.
Trump is on shaky ground with Covid stuff because his side doesn’t love the vaccine, shutdowns and other bad calls (keeping Fauci!)
“60 Nobel laureates and 200 former intelligence agents say…” – DNC disinfo machine
Trump’s very weak on tariffs. Here’s the truth:
“Let’s be clear…” “He invited trade wars…(we invited real wars).” – Kamala
She’s quoting tweets. Good prep. Trump better have the same level of detail, but doubt it.
The “Marxist” label doesn’t work as well outside of the internet as Republicans think. Most Americans think Marx was a silent movie star.
Abortion should be moot at a national level now. That’s the angle Trump should take. Because Democrats do not have any viable national proposals that could bring it back nationally and defeat the supreme Court roe decision.
It’s smart to try to link Trump to abortion bans because she gets to claim the high ground as a woman. He is losing this one.
This Project 2025 linkage is Kamala’s “Marxism” – beyond the Internet, Americans think Project 2025 is a PowerPoint that’s due Monday.
Trump’s second try on abortion is better, but net net he won’t get the high ground with independents. He is right Democrats would never get the vote for a roe v Wade law, which Democrats had multiple opportunities to formalize under Obama and CHOSE not to.
She’s doing a job of limiting her circletalk.
“I have been a leader on IVF” haha, he mentioned it once at a rally.
Immigration! Hide your pets!
She’s back to Kamala the Cop. So many identities to manage. She must have a very good notes app.
Ok it’s official, whatever you believe she actually stands for, she is extremely well rehearsed. Her dagger on the insanity of his rallies was great. she really hit him where it hurts, his rallies, eg, ego.
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS THEY’RE EATING THE CATS THEY’RE EATING THE PETS. HOLY SHIT, HE SAID IT. THE MEMES ARE ALIVE!!!!
“Lots of people on television are saying…” Oh God. So stupid. Trump, wtf are you doing? Dumbass.
She’s pulling out all the anti-Trump Republicans at the perfect time, right after the eaten pets.
He’s right about firing people… But he also HIRED THEM!
How would you deport them answer should be, “exactly like Obama did”, but he won’t.
This is where the Democrats lawfare pays off. Painting him as a criminal was the game all along. Will be interesting to see how well it works. I suspect better than many think.
He’s right about the cases weaponization. https://x.com/ideafaktory/status/1710024539243975093
He says so much crazy stuff that there’s infinite ammo. He’s not really using enough ammo of crazy statements she has out there.
Good questions on Kamala’s flip-flops. She stands for nothing.
Trump has been so thoroughly painted as a villain by corporate media that his denials make him sound guiltier, even when he’s correct (about 50% of the time).
Here comes ‘fine people on both sides’… Can he overcome his railroading? It’ll be hard because he says and does so much crazy chaotic stuff that the lies become believable.
He’s right about “bloodbath” but see the above tweet.
My dog is really fascinated by this debate.
Election fuckery is a real issue (no IDs, mail in votes, trying to legalize illegals), but I don’t know how Republicans plan to prove it or fix it if they haven’t thus far. not sure if independents care.
Because of the narratives in the ether, she has many good cards to play. Republicans against Trump, lawsuits, Jan 6th, election denial, etc. She’s executing well.
As much trash as I’ve talked about Kamala…she looks… presidential.
Gaza – Israel. Kamala explainer time. So far, pretty good answer. Except she’s in power NOW and hasn’t done any of this.
She’s really learned to walk the line on Gaza Israel.
True she didn’t meet with Netanyahu for optics reasons.
He’s probably right he’s better for peace. He is not loved or respected, but feared. Which many will accept. Biden’s weakness goaded/invited these wars. I think he’s wrong that she hates Israel. Her beliefs are fluid like our genders.
I’ve underestimated her. She is such a pro at playing this part. When she has to, she’ll study.
It really is striking how much of the oxygen in this debate is burned up talking about Trump and all of his foibles instead of what the vision for helping Americans is. It really is exhausting. And much is self inflicted. The thing that let him win is also his Achilles heel.
“I’ll solve it in 24 hours.” His plan really is just an exit for us and Ukraine will take it on the chin. But that’s likely inevitable no matter when it ends or who’s in power. He’s right about the numbers. This war was so avoidable.
“We have a president that doesn’t know he’s alive.” Trump’s best line of the night.
What anti-laughing gas did they give Kamala? Why isn’t she on this 24/7? Is it deadly?
“Ukraine stands as an independent and free country.” – Kamala
“Quiet please” How isn’t he burying her on Ukraine?? They started two wars on their watch!
She met with Zelensky 5 times?? Was there a McDonald’s ribbon cutting in Odessa?
She’s doing the righteous indignation thing great, even though she has zero principles and flip flopped on every position. She really is an impressive construct. A perfect political vessel. I take everything back. Now I see how she got where she got.
She is very calm, meticulous, righteous, and well rehearsed. Honestly, I’m blown away. She’d win, solely based on this debate.
” I told Abdul… Figure it out, Abdul… We’re leaving, Abdul.” Trump’s new sitcom, “Figure it out, Abdul.”
He really put his foot in his mouth with his black versus Indian comment. There’s no way he can win this. But it really is rich hearing her talking about dividing people by race when all of her fundraisers were…
That was a platitude jumble on race by Kamala. She was right about the Obama birther stuff, but at this point, we’re back at Trump sucking up all the oxygen with Trumpiness. It’s really exhausting.
“She is Biden.” Is a good angle of attack, but not backed by any substance. He’s always surface level and negative. It’s all so petty. Somebody, get me RFK and his bear!!
After “let’s turn the Page”, Bob Seger should have come out.
9 years later, Trump’s “terrific” plan is coming! Trust me. It’s coming all over us. Bottom line if you’re waiting for Trump to give you healthcare, you will die.
Kamala supports…status quo. Only Pfizer and Aetna vote on this, not us.
“access to healthcare” – Kamala. you can “access” it but you can’t afford it. Republicans aren’t giving us any health care or childcare. might take it away. We are on our own.
Climate… “we have invested in…” At existentially dangerous deficits. Jury is still out on the IRA. You can juice supply, but demand has to be there. See: EVs
Closing statements… Kamala… It’s all Democrat boilerplate and platitudes so far. Smart to play it safe. Might be enough to win. Personal story time – as a prosecutor… It’s all fine and competently executed. Overall B+
Trump closing statement…. Why hasn’t she done it? Is a good angle. “We’re a failing nation” is a bad angle. Other countries are watching. This is scorched Earth to only benefit Trump and I fucking DETEST it.
Honestly, after this, I might for for Kamala.
THE END
Then again…
What does the Google Gemini AI debacle reveal about the company, the future of AI, and ourselves? I think you’ll really enjoy this episode.
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As a US immigrant from Soviet Ukraine, watching Tucker Carlson interview Vladimir Putin was a surreal clash of worlds. My impressions of the two men, the Ukraine-Russia War, The West, and America’s future were…unexpected. I think you’ll love this deep, bittersweet, and sometimes funny episode.
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Notice how quickly we went from “We’re just criticizing Israel’s policies!” to celebrating executions of Jews and bombing synagogues. Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack not only exposed Israel’s fragility, but a global network of antisemitism in academia, media, and our very own friendships. The veil has been lifted. We’re in a Roger Waters wet dream, where he can finally slay Jews and stop milking 50-year-old songs. This episode takes on many of the lost narratives the media won’t dare touch, including:
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CNN just fired it’s CEO Chris Licht, who overhauled the network, fired a bunch of people, but failed to revive its rotting corpse. In 2018’s Trump Save The Media, I warned about corporate television’s temporary Trump Bump, then laid out 12 new rules for the future of media (1 & 2), and business strategies to save it. Those held up way better than CNN. So here’s how I’d approach re-imagining the Corporate News Network and dying TV news model.
Let’s face it, network news is dead, especially:
Sure, The Trump Circus is coming to town and the Presidential campaign might give TV news one last Zombie Bump, but at best, it’s a stay of execution. No stale insider, clinging to big offices and fumes of network prestige, can save a model whose best shows are trounced by podcasts of mid-level comedians.
So what now?
The first step is acceptance. News must accept its death and use its waning brand and financial capital to make offers that can’t be refused to podcasters, podcast networks, YouTubers, and other talent who’ve developed large, trusted audiences. Then give them time and resources to build something new.
This means hiring an unconventional leader with a flair for entertainment, instinct for what audiences want, vision, and integrity. This won’t come from a stale insider, but from someone ready to bring these qualities to the news category — and think differently. Could be someone like Tom Segura, a comedian with a sharp business mind, who’s built a podcasting monolith at YMH Studios, who regularly performs to massive international audiences in both English and Spanish. Or, Mr. Beast who’s a YouTube prodigy, with an encyclopedic understanding of media, platforms, and audiences.
To have any chance of innovating, here are 10 principles CNN should consider embracing:
1) Accept platform ubiquity and agnosticism. Be everywhere people stream — podcasts, YouTube, Rumble, Twitter, Substack, Patreon, etc.
2) Find ways to monetize everywhere you are through sponsorships, events, or whatever is native to those platforms.
3) Be transparent about your sponsorships, potential conflicts of interest, and post your contract terms publicly. Maybe even automate ad buys, based on journalistic principles. Make your ad business work like open source code on GitHub – editable and reviewable by anyone. Wikipedia is another model to consider (and build on). Done right, this could be a trust game-changer.
4) Surrender the impulse for corporate content policing, backslapping deals, status games, and political agendas. One way to do that is replace the current opaque system of truth vs. lies with a community fact check system, like Twitter. And address all criticisms on air. But not defensively. Invite your critics on for real dialogue.
5) Make everything interactive. Let fans to nominate guests, choose which ones they want to return, submit questions, and participate in live events where they ask questions the hosts might not. Audiences are smarter and more creative than ever — use it to your advantage.
6) Real conversations should take however long they take. Time boxes and segment lengths are relics of another time and place. Fine for clips, but not for complex issues in a world people are struggling to understand. Consider this interview on Fox News with RFK Jr. The format is unwatchable. The host keeps interrupting and wedging in accusations and assertions before unrelated questions. This is not real conversation. This is why podcasts work and cable news networks are dying. Let people speak and let it take as long as it takes, without hammering your agenda. These networks are earning their obsolescence.
7) End access journalism. Be so good that you don’t have to lube up politicians with softball questions. You’ll have an audience so big and reputation so trusted, they’ll beg to come on and get grilled.
8) Cross-pollinate all the shows. Reward camaraderie with a compensation structure that incentivizes everyone to root for their peers, not their downfall. Same way Joe Rogan changed the L.A. comedy scene from cutthroat and adversarial to one of cross-pollinating guests and ideas across podcasts and social media. Suddenly, comics realized they could have collegial, complementary relationships that grow the comedy pie, instead of fighting for slices of a static one.
9) Embrace meme culture. This is the new world order. Sure, serious news segments shouldn’t be made into a joke, but news commentary? Especially, on issues people can’t directly affect? Don’t be afraid to laugh. Look at how well Gutfeld is doing with that approach. He gets higher ratings than every traditional late night show (another dead format).
10) Last, but not least, don’t forget the news! The only bias news should have is toward truth, not manufacturing outcomes for advertiser or government interests. Like our foreign interventions, propaganda and manipulation, rarely produce desired outcomes. The modern way to do this is to crowdsource journalism, at least the raw initial part. Ask Julian Assange. Hire Julian Assange.
With more inside knowledge of CNN’s inner workings, people, and finances, I might adjust this list. But directionally, it approximates the level of innovation needed to avoid dying penniless on Andersen Cooper’s couch.
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HUGE episode. The ONE TREND that will decide the future of humanity and the balance of power in the next 50 years—is buried deep inside a conspiracy theory whose name we dare not speak. Every untouchable subject gets touched — a lot. Plus, a huge surprise ending, fit for Aristocrats. And killer bonus outtakes. It’s all here. Sit back and enjoy.
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Why the real problem with Bud Light’s Dylan Mulvaney trans influencer campaign is…Hannibal Lecter. This is a good one.
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What do Netflix, Google, ChatGPT, New York Times, and Chipotle have in common? Open hacks. A devious little mind trick that makes us feel special and gets us to buy more. A short but proud episode of The McFuture. Watch it in its full graphic glory on YouTube or read the article on LinkedIn.
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If you thought social media was bad for your mental health, wait till you meet Helen. An episode about surviving Twitter that dares to be free of Elon Musk love or hate. Twitter’s problems are human problems, even above Elon’s pay grade. Fortunately, not mine!
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Bludgeoning all our well-meaning but ill-conceived flavors of socialism — private college, housing & mortgages, crypto, crazy Fed incompetence, and much, much more. You can also watch the video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/cMjTuahie2Q (Be sure to subscribe to the channel!)
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