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We are BACK for 2023! As we begin our observation of Black History Month, we discuss the story of Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells. We also catch up on the million headlines and stories from when we were gone. If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• WTF is going on with George Santos
• Illiminaughtii video on George Santos
• What we know about the killing of Tyre Nichols
• Initial Police Report on Tyre Nichols Arrest Is Contradicted by Videos
• 3 Memphis EMTs fired for their response to the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols
• Republican Party of Wisconsin: Complaint filed with Wisconsin Judicial Commission over Janet Protasiewicz for judicial conduct violations in her campaign
• Janet Protasiewicz leads fundraising for state Supreme Court; Jennifer Dorow has strong start
• Donald Trump vows war on the transgender if he is elected President
• Tucker Carlson Rips Menthol Cigarette Bans, Says Nicotine 'Frees Your Mind'
• Fox accused Xbox of going “woke” due to new power saving mode
• Significant Research Advances Enabled by HeLa Cells
• Henrietta Lacks' hometown will build statue of her where Robert E. Lee sculpture once stood
• Using my family's dark history to teach about vaccines
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Book)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO Movie)

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This week, we take a close look at the results, some still ongoing, of the 2022 midterm elections. We also talk about conservatives continuing to ban books, Elon Musk tanking Twitter, and more! If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• More conservative book banning in Wisconsin schools
• Elon Musk tanking Twitter harder than the Packers 2022 season
• Musk discusses putting all of Twitter behind a paywall
• A “verified” Kari Lake account gained traction after tweeting she conceded
• Nintendo of America account posted Mario flipping the bird on the day of a big Nintendo Direct event
• Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly’s stock dropped after an impersonator tweeted that “insulin is free now”
• Impersonating accounts was previously against the Twitter TOS, but Musk has professed support of the practice saying “comedy is now legal on Twitter”
• U.S. judge strikes down Biden's student debt relief plan
• Pokemon's Ash Ketchum wins world championship
• Waukesha County judge won't order military absentee ballots to be set aside
• Election officials combat voter intimidation across U.S. as extremist groups post armed militia at some polls
• Voting machine problems in Arizona seized on by Trump, election deniers
• NBC Exit Polls 2022
• How different groups voted according to exit polls and AP VoteCast

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On this episode, with the onslaught of Republican attack ads surrounding cash bail, we take a look at what cash bail is and how critics of it want to reform the system. If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Muskego-Norway School District 2022 Annual Meeting
• House progressives press Biden to engage in direct talks with Russia on Ukraine
• Wisconsin reports widest score gap between Black and white students in nation
• Musk begins his Twitter ownership with firings, declares the 'bird is freed'
• AB 981
• Politifact Article on Barnes' Bail Reform
• The bail bonds industry in the US is estimated to be worth $2.4 billion annually
• ACLU: Bail Reform
• According to a 2015 Report by the Vera Institute of Justice
• The cost of this detainment is $13.6 billion annually according to the Prison Policy Initiative
• The New Yorker: Before the Law
• BAILING ON A BROKEN CASH BAIL SYSTEM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CASH BAIL REFORM IN NORTH CAROLINA, KENTUCKY, AND CALIFORNIA
• Supporting Individual Agency in the Pretrial Release Process
• Bail Reform Takes Flight in Philly
• Report: Bail reforms could save Ohio taxpayers $67 million a year

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This week, we watched the only Wisconsin gubernatorial debate between Tony Evers and Tim Michels so you don't to. We also discuss the latest January 6th Committee updates, Herschel Walker's prop badge, British lettuce, and more!

• Jan. 6 panel officially subpoenas Trump
• Steve Bannon sentenced to 4 months in prison for flouting House Jan. 6 panel
• Walker reprimanded for using 'prop' badge during Georgia Senate debate
• 2023 NEA Big Read selection from Kenosha “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi challenged by Kenosha county board supervisor Tim Stocker for being “too graphic and controversial”
• Liz Truss resigns as Britain’s Prime Minister after disastrous six-week tenure
• Wisconsin Gubernatorial Debate
• Unfair Sales Act
• Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission
• Only 27 cases of voter fraud were found in the 2020 election, about 0.0008% of the 3.3 million ballots cast.

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On this episode, we find out how dumb Ron Johnson really is as we review the latest Senate midterm debates. We also discuss the latest updates to the Brett Favre scandal, the January 6th Committee hearing, and more! If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Brett Favre says he did nothing wrong in Mississippi welfare case
• Brett Favre says he has been “unjustly smeared by the media”
• Tulsi Gabbard officially leaves the Democratic Party
• Tulsi Gabbard Tells Joe Rogan Why She 'Left' The Left
• Alex Jones must pay Sandy Hook families nearly $1 billion for hoax claims, jury says
• The January 6th Committee held another hearing yesterday
• Supreme Court denies Trump request to have special master review documents seized from Mar-A-Lago
• When and Where to Watch Key Debates in the Midterm Elections
• Johnson vs. Barnes Debate 1
• Barnes vs. Johnson Debate 2

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This week, we dive deep into the onslaught of political ads you may have been enduring the last few weeks to discuss how and why they work. If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• The story of the praying Bremerton coach keeps getting more surreal
• Arrowhead students must have parental permission to use different names and pronouns at school, new policy says
• Hypocrite Herschel Walker pays for girlfriend’s abortion
• Son Christian blows up Dad’s campaign, calls him a violent liar
• GOP lead WI Assembly and Senate gavel out of special session to discuss state amendment on abortion law in under a minute.
• Biden overhauls U.S. policy on marijuana, pardons prior federal offenses
• Gallup’s Most Important Problem
• Supporters of Mandela Barnes accuse Republicans of airing racist ads in Senate race with Ron Johnson
• Barnes Attack Ad - WI: Waukesha
• Willie Horton ad
• Fetterman for Freeing Murderers ad
• Barnes Violent Crime Attack Ad
• SLF: “Judgement” ad
• Ron DeSantis “Results” ad
• Call Now ad
• Top Gov Ron DeSantis
• Ron DeSantis has released an ad indoctrinating his children into Trumpism
• Linda Paulson for Utah Senate Rap

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On this episode, we look at how Republican governors are using asylum seekers as political pawns and the racist history behind their strategy. We also discuss the latest updates on the Respect for Marriage Act, Lindsey Graham's abortion ban, and how Brett Favre stole millions from welfare funds. If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Graham introduces bill to ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks
• Senate won’t vote on same-sex marriage bill until after election
• Jackson, MS under boil water order for over 40 days
• Texts show former governor Phil Bryant worked with Brett Favre to funnel over $5 million in welfare funds to build a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi where Favre’s daughter attended, part of a $77 million scheme to defraud the welfare system
• 'My Pillow Guy' Mike Lindell Claims The FBI Trapped Him At A Hardee's Drive-Thru
• FL Gov Ron DeSantis engaging in human trafficking for political gain
• Florida Legislature appropriated $12 million to implement a program to facilitate the transport of undocumented immigrants from the state
• Migrants stranded in Martha’s Vineyard say they were lied to
• Greg Abbott sends two buses of migrants to Kamala Harris’ D.C. residence after she called border “secure”
• Abbot’s Announcement
• Illinois governor, Chicago mayor blasted for 'hypocrisy' after sending migrants bussed from Texas to suburbs
• The Cruel Story Behind The 'Reverse Freedom Rides'
• "A Cheap Trafficking in Human Misery": The Reverse Freedom Rides of 1962
• 1963 Reverse Freedom Ride Article
• What did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis say about relocating migrants? Watch for yourself
• Cato Institute article from 9/23/21 Biden’s Border Policy Is Not “Open Borders”

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On this episode, we look back at one of the most influential cultural events in internet history that you may have never heard of, Gamergate. We also discuss Biden's speech about MAGA Republicans,  the Alaskan special election, and more! If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Joe Rogan on lessons learned from pandemic: ‘Vote Republican’
• US life expectancy drops for second consecutive year
• Peltola beats Palin, wins Alaska House special election
• Neither Begich or Palin drop out of November general election
• Judge orders “Cowboys for Trump” founder Couy Griffin removed from office
• Anti-Defamation League analysis of leaked Oath Keepers membership reveals politicians, law enforcement and military members who belong to the group
• Schumer announces Marriage Equality vote “in the coming weeks”
• Ron Johnson reveals he lied about support previously to “get media off of his back”
• Biden Call Out MAGA Republicans in Speech
• What we still haven’t learned from Gamergate
• The sexist crusade to destroy game developer Zoe Quinn
• “I realized Milo could connect with these kids right away. You can activate that army. They come in through Gamergate or whatever and then get turned onto politics and Trump."
• It’s About Ethics in Games Journalism? Gamergaters and Geek Masculinity
• Who Are GamerGate? A Descriptive Study of Individuals Involved in the GamerGate Controversy
• AMERICAN RASPUTIN
• The Making of a YouTube Radical
• YouTube's 'alternative influence network' breeds rightwing radicalisation, report finds

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On this episode, we look back to the infamous Citizens United decision that dramatically changed campaign finance law over the last decade. We also discuss Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, the Mar-a-Lago affidavit, and more! If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Biden announces student loan relief for borrowers making less than $125,000 after months of intense internal debate
• The Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan Explained
• Texas schools are required to put up posters of the national motto 'In God We Trust,' and critics say the law imposes religion on children
• Atheist to send Texas schools ‘In God We Trust’ signs written in Arabic
• AP Stylebook says journalists should refer to ships as “it,” conservatives LOSE THEIR MINDS
• Court unseals redacted version of affidavit used to issue Mar-A-Lago search warrant
• FEC Clears 'Fahrenheit 9/11'
• Citizens United v. FEC
• More money, less transparency: A decade under Citizens United
• Conservative dark-money group receives $1.6 billion donation
• A mole hunt, a secret website and Peter Thiel's big risk: How J.D. Vance won his primary

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On this episode, we discuss When the Emperor Was Divine, a book recently rejected by a local Wisconsin school board for having the wrong "perspective" on Japanese-American internment camps... we wish we were kidding. If you like our podcast, make sure to leave a 5-star review!  Useful links from the episode:

• Wyoming Primary Results
• Liz Cheney is considering a presidential run to stop Trump after losing her House seat
• Alaska Primary Results
• US library defunded after refusing to censor LGBTQ authors: ‘We will not ban the books’
• Residents raise almost $100,000 for Michigan library defunded over LGBTQ books
• A Texas school district is removing and reviewing dozens of challenged books, including the Bible and an Anne Frank adaptation
• Muskego-Norway school district’s Educational Services Committee rejects book recommendation for 10th grade accelerated English class
• Notes taken at the June 13th meeting
• Muskego educators stopped from teaching book about WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans
• Wisconsinites rally around book rejected by Muskego board for focus on Japanese experience
• Anti-Asian racism and discrimination was of course prevalent before the bombing of Pearl Harbor
• Munson Report
• The case for internment following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
• Executive Order 9066
• Relocation Centers/Concentration Camps run by the War Relocation Authority