This week, Nick Girard joins me to dig into another week of manufactured emergencies and systemic collapse. From Trump’s military occupation of DC, to Romana Didulo’s arrest, to the slow-motion disaster of AI harms and ecological breakdown, it’s all crisis all the time. We also talk about capitalism’s state-capitalist mask slipping and the shifting views on socialism in the U.S.

Nick is also sending out his book for free. Just reach out to him on Instagram at @nickdgirard or email me at [email protected] and we’ll get you a copy.

Solidarity is the strategy.

Sources

https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalobserver.com%2F2025%2F09%2F03%2Fnews%2Fai-chatbots-are-changing-online-threat-landscape-ottawa-reviews-legislation 

https://globalnews.ca/news/11391128/saskatchewan-rcmp-richmound-investigation/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/rcmp-richmound-didulo-1.7624038 

https://leaderpost.com/news/sha-declare-queen-of-canadas-compound-a-threat-to-public-safety

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trans-gun-ban-trump-mental-illness-b2820372.html

https://climateandcapitalism.com/2025/09/07/60-of-land-area-is-now-out-of-the-safe-operating-zone/

https://www.commondreams.org/news/we-are-all-dc-tens-of-thousands-march-to-white-house

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/google-antitrust-order-1.7623824

https://apnews.com/article/socialism-socialist-capitalism-big-business-free-enterprise-poll-c052ca687269a2cc075423877b7904e6 

https://www.ft.com/content/db610f93-https://apnews.com/article/socialism-socialist-capitalism-big-business-free-enterprise-poll-c052ca687269a2cc075423877b7904e6d48d-4c49-a394-68aeee0500a6 

• Mutual aid shoutouts or action items
  

• Support KJ’s fight against a brain tumor — donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Eric’s nephew: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kj-with-his-battle-against-a-brain-tumor
  

• Regina Cathedral Community Fridge — volunteer-run, 24/7 mutual aid fridge in Regina; feeding local neighbours every day. Help them here: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/https://linktr.ee/reginacommunityfridge
  

• Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) — offering medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in Gaza and the West Bank: https://www.pcrf.net/donate
  

• Taylor Mcnallie is an activist and organizer from out of Calgary Alberta who has a number of pages to help support others and also she needs help with legal fees after being targeted by the Calgary police for her activism  https://linktr.ee/taylor_mcnallie
  

• SomeRandomG33k gives a lot of their income to people in need so you can either donate to them through streamlabs https://streamlabs.com/somerandomg33k/tip or check out their charity links page https://charitylinks.page/ 

Check out Nick’s book In the Beginning 

Buy Nick’s book in Canada https://a.co/d/bbtJsT4

Buy Nick’s book in the US https://a.co/d/czu4Maw

Nick on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nickdgirard/ 

My links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 

Drew Adamick walks me through what financial survival looks like when the system is built to exploit us. From RRSPs and pensions to credit traps and estate planning, we talk about how to navigate capitalism while still fighting to change it.

Support Drew’s work: https://divergentfp.ca

Find all my links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

Kaytlin Bailey joins me to talk about the panic around sex work and pornography, how stigma shapes our culture, and why sexual freedom is always political. We dig into her work with Old Pros and the fight for decriminalization.

Here are the links to follow Kaytlin and Old Pros

https://oldprosonline.org/

https://www.instagram.com/oldprosonline/

https://x.com/oldprosonline

https://linktr.ee/oldpros

https://www.instagram.com/kaytlinbailey/

And go to my linktree to follow me or support the show

linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

In this episode I dive into the rising tide of authoritarianism and the corporate overreach fueling it. From Canadian soldiers flashing Nazi salutes, to mass surveillance spreading across the UK, to Trump’s threats to deploy the National Guard in Chicago — the pattern is clear. Add in YouTube secretly altering creators’ videos and scraping billions for AI training, and it’s obvious we’re living in the tightening grip of authoritarianism. I also cover Canada finally admitting famine in Gaza, the Air Canada strike over unpaid hours, and the Trump DOJ’s bizarre deportation push.

Sources

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/soldiers-hateful-conduct-nazi-salute-1.7612928

https://www.nacion.com/tecnologia/sistema-de-reconocimiento-facial-masivo-en-tiempo/HNRBX6ESRBF5LMJOWGL2D7US7M/story/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/brandon-johnson-chicago-trump-national-guard_n_68ab93b3e4b0176c52bfa5f7

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-clowns-arent-funny-anymore

https://www.ipolitics.ca/2025/08/25/ottawa-slams-israel-after-official-finding-of-famine-urges-halt-to-escalating-war/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg3ze0yxy0o

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-justice-department-2673919484/ 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/25/kilmar-abrego-garcia-uganda-deportation-trump?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://apnews.com/article/uganda-us-deportations-criticism-692a6cbf61c96ac3ed837b567bf2d72c

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/23/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-00521576

https://apnews.com/article/abrego-garcia-deportation-uganda-ice-2bad172b72c4871bc20bfa221b49b8bd

https://www.axios.com/2025/08/25/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-uganda-pause-judge

https://euroweeklynews.com/2025/08/24/youtube-is-editing-billions-of-users-videos-and-training-ai-without-their-consent

Mutual Aid/Support

• Support KJ’s fight against a brain tumor — donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Eric’s nephew: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kj-with-his-battle-against-a-brain-tumor
  

• Regina Cathedral Community Fridge — volunteer-run, 24/7 mutual aid fridge in Regina; feeding local neighbours every day. Help them here: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/
  

• Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) — offering medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in Gaza and the West Bank: https://www.pcrf.net/donate
  

• https://linktr.ee/taylor_mcnallie Multiple ways to help people across Canada

Also check out https://bsky.app/profile/lefttexascongress.bsky.social 

Support the show Patreon: patreon.com/skepticalleftist Substack: theskepticalleftist.substack.com Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/skepticalleftist Linktree: linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 

Borders divide people and enforce cruelty. In this conversation with Owen McDonald, we look at how the far right exploits immigration panic, how liberals reinforce the same narratives, and how austerity and capitalism depend on scapegoating migrants.

Owen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@owenmacdonald7428 •

Owen on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/owenmacdonald.bsky.social

Find all my links here: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

Nick Girard came back on the show to talk about everything from Russian genocide rhetoric and Canadian arms exports to Gaza, to AI giving deadly advice, to workers fighting back against unpaid labor. It’s another week of capitalism’s most deranged stories, and why solidarity is the only way through.

Nick’s work: In the Beginning

Buy Nick’s book in Canada https://a.co/d/bbtJsT4

Buy Nick’s book in the US https://a.co/d/czu4Maw

Nick on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nickdgirard/ 

My links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist 

Sources + Mutual Aid

Russia/Ukraine

• https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/07/31/russian-state-media-runs-op-ed-titled-no-one-should-remain-alive-in-ukraine 

• https://ria.ru/20250730/ukraina-2032235759.html 

• https://irepod.com/podcast/silicon-curtain/breaking-shocking-russian-article-calls-for-genoci

• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trump-putin-ukraine-alaska-peace-talks-where-when-b2804968.html 

Canada’s continued arms shipments to Israel

• https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/565901/The-controversy-over-Canada-s-rules-on-military-exports-to-Israel-explained

• https://player.captivate.fm/episode/0f272101-9e2c-42b2-863a-e50ec89bb26e 

• https://youtu.be/sIFmhdMTLog?si=mqUxvmL3Eo7NM_Bo 

Journalists murdered in Gaza

• https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/al-jazeera-correspondent-anas-al-sharif-killed-gaza-city-israel-1.7605557

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/10/al-jazeera-journalist-anas-al-sharif-killed-in-israeli-attack-in-gaza-city?taid=68990bdaef705d00017cb1f8

Bad AI Medical Advice

• https://gizmodo.com/man-follows-diet-advice-from-chatgpt-ends-up-with-psychosis-2000640705 

AI Content Used to Spread Hate

• https://globalnews.ca/news/11328903/artificial-intelligence-hate-content-videos/ 

Cuomo Sucks

• https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/cuomo-mamdani-should-move-out-of-rent-stabilized-apartment.html 

Fires Spread Across Europe

• https://apnews.com/article/heatwave-france-red-alert-fires-0041a4f17e22eaa205964ed5c01d6c24 

Air Canada Flight Attendants plan to Strike - (we will cover the updated version of this on Aug 26)

• https://globalnews.ca/news/11329492/air-canada-flight-attendants-pickets-day-of-action/ 

Marjorie Taylor Greene is corrupt as fuck

• https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Fmarjorie-taylor-greene-suffers-outburst-over-report-exposing-massive-wealth-jump%2F 

Mutual Aid and support shout outs

• Support KJ’s fight against a brain tumor — donate to the GoFundMe campaign for Eric’s nephew: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kj-with-his-battle-against-a-brain-tumor
  

• Regina Cathedral Community Fridge — volunteer-run, 24/7 mutual aid fridge in Regina; feeding local neighbours every day. Help them here: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/
  

• The European Heat Aid Great Walk (2025) — a grassroots campaign walking 20 marathons across Austria, Belgium, and Spain in August to provide heat relief and support to people experiencing homelessness. Donate, follow, or participate: https://www.homelessentrepreneur.org/en/solidary-projects/the-great-walk apartmenttherapy.com+6homelessentrepreneur.org+6donorbox.org+6
  

• Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) — offering medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in Gaza and the West Bank: https://www.pcrf.net/donate

Also check out https://bsky.app/profile/lefttexascongress.bsky.social 

 Democrats keep losing the narrative, and it’s costing them real political ground. I talk with writer Osita Nwanevu about why the party struggles to connect, what it would take to inspire voters, and how they could win people back by standing for something.

Find Osita here: https://x.com/ositanwanevu  | https://bsky.app/profile/ositanwanevu.com  | ositanwanevu.com Support my work and find all my links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

In this episode, I talk with Tori Glass about the rise of Christian fascism in the U.S., how evangelicals laid the groundwork for Trumpism decades ago, and how media manipulation, nationalism, and artificial scarcity all play a role in keeping people compliant. We also get into Canada’s role in this mess, some harsh truths about social media, and why it's not enough to gloat when people start changing their minds. We need real compassion, even when it's hard.

Follow Tori:

https://www.instagram.com/gohomebible/ https://www.instagram.com/whitehomework/ https://bsky.app/profile/toriglass.bsky.social

Support my work & get full episodes early: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

Gaza is starving and the aid isn’t getting through. Trump wants to jail the unhoused and pretend it’s compassion. And some tech startup let an AI delete live code, then lied about it with fake test results.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

Follow AnComSciComm: https://twitter.com/AnComSciComm

Sources:Israel -  Palestine

• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/israeli-gunshots-strikes-kill-at-least-25-gaza-some-seeking-aid_n_6884bfe1e4b07c2af0282bfa

• https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/25/mark-carney-israel-gaza-aid-flow-humanitarian-disaster-00476658

• https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-07-26-2025-8eca83b00e50f1e6d78a0cce877b3b90

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Humanitarian_Foundation

• https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/gazas-suering-must-stop-keir-starmer-to-tell-trump-mv9mh97pw?region=global 

• https://apnews.com/article/gaza-blockade-activist-ship-seized-24c32eafd80d08a63e5bed8b83d5972f

• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/palestine-state-uk-israel-starmer-emergency-cabinet-meeting-b2798191.html

Trump’s anti-homeless people executive order

• https://patch.com/california/across-ca/democrats-advocates-criticize-trumps-executive-order-homelessness

• https://fox40jackson.com/mississippi-organizations-react-to-president-trumps-executive-order-on-homelessness/

US may abandon trade talks with Canada 

• https://www.benzinga.com/news/politics/25/07/46647776/us-may-ditch-trade-negotiations-with-canada-trump-says-havent-really-had-a-lot-of-luck 

This story has some new developments as the August 1st deadline came and went with Trump saying that he can’t negotiate with Canada because Parliament voted to acknowledge the state of Palestine under various conditions. Here is a video from Rachel Gilmore about it

• https://youtu.be/uwsgjcD4Vj8?si=f4Q_o564VbSiiZ4H 

Trump, Epstein, and the Search for the Truth That Never Comes

• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-he-turned-down-invitation-epsteins-island-2025-07-28/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein#Legal_issues

• https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/23/trump-epstein-photos

• https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/a-timeline-of-the-trump-administrations-shifting-stance-on-releasing-the-epstein-files/news-story/f2f86243a57b86951a0c686e965e011a

• https://archive.is/20250729000705/https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796

• https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-justice-department-bondi-e7a5e41ba4fa3a88736cc384078c3215

• https://time.com/7305146/trump-name-epstein-files-republicans-maga-supporters-react/

• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/7/epstein-no-client-list-died-suicide-justice-department-says

• https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/1/4/24025802/jeffrey-epstein-list-unsealed-documents-bill-clinton-donald-trump

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship_of_Donald_Trump_and_Jeffrey_Epstein

Replit’s AI Coding Tool Deletes Database and Lies About It

• https://www.benzinga.com/markets/tech/25/07/46538388/replit-ceo-apologizes-after-ai-coding-tool-wipes-core-database 

Danish Registry Study Shows Most Mental Illnesses Occur Without Familial Links

• https://ground.news/article/study-challenges-prejudice-heredity-only-explains-part-of-mental-illness_5b7268?utm_source=mobile-app&utm_medium=newsroom-share

• https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-07-prejudice-heredity-mental-illness.html

Canadians Say Reconciliation Is Progressing—Poll Suggests Disconnect

• https://www.sasktoday.ca/national-news/most-canadians-think-the-country-is-making-progress-on-reconciliation-poll-10995451

Mutual Aid: Help KJ: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kj-with-his-battle-against-a-brain-tumor Oxford Mutual Aid: https://www.oxfordmutualaid.org Indigenous Climate Action: https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com Regina Cathedral Community Fridge: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com

Solidarity is the strategy.

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Eric, a blue-collar poet and Indigenous worker living just across the border in North Dakota. He opens up about what it means to struggle under a system that fails working people—from being denied healthcare to watching lawmakers vote against free school lunches.

Eric reads his poem Tax Me More for Freedom and shares a heartfelt vision of a better world built on community, care, and solidarity.

Support Eric and his family:

GoFundMe – Help KJ with his battle against a brain tumor Instagram – @standing348

YouTube – @ericstanding9898

Facebook – facebook.com/eric.road

My links and support options: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist