Episodes
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for October 20, 2021
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
Welcome to another episode of The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko. Cyril is a progressive columnist for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer.
On today's show, we talk about Cyril's latest column, “Right-wing 'media' triggers misinformed right-wing rage." We'll also check in on his newest entry in his newsletter, “Domestic Extremism Edition! Reopen Bucks Member: Masks Are 'Satanic Ritual,' 'Patriot' Movement Recruits Police in PA & Beyond, Oath Keeper Cops & Soldiers Across the U.S., And More!,” which amounts to a review of the crazy in Bucks County and the deep influence right-wing militias have sought out in police departments and the military.
Make sure to subscribe to Cyril's newsletter right here: https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com/
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Monday Oct 18, 2021
Tonight I welcome Jordan Hopkins back to the show. Hopkins is a writer, editor, and independent, investigative journalist based in Philadelphia. He's been covering the slimy money trail left behind the right-wing extremist slugs infecting our social and political networks. Listeners of the show will remember that the last time Jordan was on the show, we talked about his article, “A Party of Grifters” unpacking the grift at the core of the emerging Patriot Party and the rise of extremism in PA more broadly.
Jordan has followed the dark money trail once again, exposing the influence that right-wing extremist billionaires are having on local school districts. His article featured in Unicorn Riot last week, “School Board Disruptions Escalate, Funded by Conservative Dark Money,” will be the focus on our show tonight.
You can check out all his great reporting at https://www.ItsAlienMuse.com and you can follow him on Twitter @jhop_phl.
After our break, we’ll be taking your calls and comments and I’ll give you some closing thoughts. If you want to call into the show, you should join the show on Riverside.fm. Details for how to join are in tonight’s chat.
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
In what has become a ping-ponging of women’s Constitutionally protected right to an abortion, the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Texas law banning almost all abortions. The decision puts the case on a direct pathway back to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema say they are ready to tank Biden’s Build Back Better plan on the grounds that it’s too hard on fossil fuel corporations; that it expands Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing coverage; that it provides for tuition-free community college; and, generally, that everything isn’t means tested. At least that’s what Manchin laid out. Sinema seems just pissed that HER piece of legislation, the bi-partisan fossil fuel infrastructure bill, is not getting voted on first.
10,000 UAW workers went on strike against John Deere. The strike comes after workers rejected a tentative agreement by about 90% on Sunday. Workers say the two-tier employee system which would hurt newly hired workers was a non-starter. Now that’s some solidarity for ya.
60,000 IATSE, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, workers will begin a strike on Monday if no significant agreement is reached. 98% of IATSE members voted in favor of a strike over issues of an increased minimum wage, humane working hours, and fair pay for work on streaming programming.
These job actions join the 1,400 workers at Kellogg’s plants who went on strike on October 5 and close to 30,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente in California and Oregon have overwhelmingly passed their strike authorization.
#Striketober anyone?
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro launched his 2022 gubernatorial campaign in Pittsburgh and Montgomery County this week. The Attorney General has essentially clearled the field of any challengers by gaining the endorsements of progressives and moderate Democrats throughout the Commonwealth.
Ashley Ehasz becomes the first Democrat to throw their hat in the ring to try to unseat Brian Fitzpatrick in the PA01. Ehasz is an army vet who’s campaign launch video focused on her anger that the American Dream is out of reach for so many. Her campaign announcement has spurred critical discussion about the political future of Bucks County and the whole of the #PA01.
Sean Parnell, the Trump endorsed candidate for US Senate, went to court to try and place a “sweeping gag order” against his ex-wife. Parnell’s wife filed two PFA’s against Sean Parnell in 2017 and 2018. Some are saying that this can be a liability for his campaign.
Scott Wagner was in the news again this week. On the third anniversary of his epic meltdown underneath a billboard on the side of a highway, Wagner stated that he will pledge $1.5 million to a PAC supporting Jeff Bartos if Bartos gets through the primary.
The Lincoln Project put Pennsylvania’s right-wing billionaire Jeffrey Yass on blast this week. The group put together a 30 second ad detailing how Yass uses his money and a web of political action committees to spread disinformation to Pennsylvania’s voters. The group also highlighted a campaign finance complaint filed by Pennsylvania Spotlight & asked viewers to call Attorney General Josh Shapiro and demand action from the complaint.
KU Activists are holding a protest on Tuesday, October 19 from 10:30 - noon at the Alumni Plaza to advocate for the rights of disabled students, faculty, and staff. We all deserve an environment that is safe for us. Look for posters around campus soon!
Yes, Captain Kirk got to go to space. Well, the edge of space at least. William Shatner joined three other passengers on Blue Origin’s second rich people joy ride into suborbital space on Wednesday.
Gotta love the Dungeon Run.
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Monday Oct 11, 2021
Tonight, I welcome Jamie Davis and Cyndi Shain to the show. Davis and Shain are candidates for the Palisades School District School Board. The Palisades School District has become a hotbed of controversy as the right-wing extremism that has reared its ugly head throughout Bucks County has infected this district as well. We'll get into the controversies and why it is essential to elect Jamie Davis and Cyndi Shain.
Jamie Davis was born in the South Bronx, NYC and raised in suburban NJ. She was adopted at a young age by amazing parents, who are both educators.
Jamie has worked with children of all ages as a caregiver and teacher for 13 years. Recently, she changed careers and now enjoys working with people in a corporate environment. She is passionate about being a positive role model and an advocate in her community. She is also the parent of a Palisades Pirate
Cyndi Shain holds a master’s degree in education from Lehigh University. She has spent the last 25 years as an educator, mostly teaching in private schools, and currently works for a charter school outside of Allentown. Her son is a 2020 graduate of Palisades and currently attends Northampton Community College.
You can get involved by getting in contact with the candidates:
- Jamie Davis: davisforpalisades@gmail.com
- Cyndi Shain: shainforpalisades@gmail.com
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 2, 2021
OCTOBER 18, 2021 IS THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER BEFORE THE NOVEMBER 2, 2021 ELECTION
- Register here: Voter Registration Application
- Request mail-in ballot: Deadline to request mail-in ballot is October 26, 2021 @ 5pm. Applications must be RECEIVED by your County Election Board by that date and time.
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Friday Oct 08, 2021
Hundreds of Bans Off Our Bodies rallies were held across Pennsylvania and the United States last Saturday. The demonstrations brought out hundreds of thousands of people supporting access to abortion and reproductive healthcare.
The Senate Judiciary Committee releases a report saying we were much closer to a serious Constitutional crisis than we thought...and we already thought we were pretty close. And, of course, some PA regulars are in the cross hairs.
The House January 6 Commission says it will start issuing criminal subpoenas
The Pandora Papers dropped, exposing how world leaders, celebrities, and the uber rich are using U.S. tax havens and real estate to park their riches out of the reach of taxation and public scrutiny. As described in The Washington Post, “The investigation identified 206 U.S.-based trusts linked to 41 countries. Nearly 30 of the trusts held assets connected to people or companies accused of fraud, bribery or human rights abuses in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.”
Bernie Sanders is pretty much done with coddling Joe Manchin.
Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus all go down the day after Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee turned whistleblower appeared on 60 Minutes and spilled the beans on Facebook ignoring its own research that its platform was causing real-world damage to democracy and well-being.
The American Prospect lays out - again - how Biden can use executive actions to take decisive action on climate. So, what’s it going to be, Biden? The climate or Joe Manchin’s Foo Foos.
And a great piece in In These Times, discusses a new report from Democratic Party consultants that shows evidence that the fate of the Democratic Party is intimately tied to the decline of union power. Pointing to the fact that the Democratic Party and the labor movement itself needs to throw everything it has into new organizing.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed 48 criminal charges against Energy Transfer Partners for environmental damage and contamination from the Mariner East Pipeline.
March on Harrisburg rained on Jake Corman’s fundraising golf outing at Toftrees resort near Penn State. Wealthy donors paid between $500 - $10,000 to bend Corman’s ear on the back 9. Activists lined the trail between the 10th and 11th hole, attempting to engage donors and holding signs that read “Senator Corman - Meet with Voters Not with Donors;” “Lawmaker Bribery: Par for the Course;” and “The Gift Ban Should be a Gimme.” Activists took this latest action after Senate Pro Tempore Jake Corman refused to bring Gift Ban legislation up for a vote.
School Board craziness continues.
I continue to dodge COVID.
Mikey Stacks is Back trying to get a hold of his old senate seat. Stack’s old senate seat went to John Sabatina - a Stack protege - when Mike Stack became Lt Gov. Senator Sabatina is leaving the Pennsylvania Senate for a Philadelphia court seat. Sabatina was picked as a replacement democratic nominee when the original nominee dropped out of the race. Philly politics at its finest.
Captain Kirk is going to get a shot to go to space...or a part of space at least. That’s right, William Shatner is getting a ride on the next Blue Origin scheduled for Tuesday, October 12. At 90 years old, he’ll be the oldest person to go to space.
Special shout out to Matthew Biniek for the nice cache of Half-Orc Pumpkin Ale, homebrewed by Biniek BioTech Brews.
And, Happy Birthday to my son who becomes a teenager this weekend! Love ya, Rowan!
Thursday Oct 07, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for October 6, 2021
Thursday Oct 07, 2021
Thursday Oct 07, 2021
On this week’s show…We’re going to dig into Cyril’s latest column, “Bucks County Youth Must Rise Up to Defend Education.” In that column, Cyril interviewed Edha Gupta, a Central York High School activist who helped lead organizing efforts to overturn a ban on a list of books confronting racism written by people of color. Cyril sees lessons in those students’ organizing efforts for battles being fought right here in Bucks County and across the Commonwealth. We’ll also take a peek at what’s happening in his newsletter and what he’s got cooking for his next column.
You should also sign up for Cyril’s newsletter on Substack: https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com/
You can help support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/rcpress. Your support has helped make today’s show possible.
You can also help out the show by heading over to our YouTube channel - if you are not there already - and smash that subscribe button, like the stream for this show, and hit that notification bell so you’ll know every time we go live.
And make sure to join our Discord Server to continue the conversation all week long. Just click on the link in today’s show notes: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
A special shout out to Jonathan Mann who wrote our intro song, “There Are No People in the Future.” Check out all is great stuff on his YouTube page and follow him on Twitter @songadaymann
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
*** UPDATE ***
*** Unfortunately, Jordan was unable to join us for tonight's show. I provided an overview of Jordan's article and some of the political history around his piece. Hopefully, we'll be able to get him back on the show at a later date. My apologies for everyone who shared out the show promo over the past several days and were looking forward to tonight. We'll do our best to get him back on the show at a later date. ***
Tonight I welcome Jordan Hopkins back to the show. Hopkins is a writer, editor, and independent, investigative journalist based in Philadelphia. He's been covering the slimy money trail left behind the right-wing extremist slugs infecting our social and political networks.
Listeners of the show will remember that the last time Jordan was on the show, we talked about his article, “A Party of Grifters” unpacking the grift at the core of the emerging Patriot Party and the rise of extremism in PA more broadly. Jordan has followed the dark money trail once again, exposing the influence that right-wing extremist billionaires are having on local school districts.
His article featured in Unicorn Riot last week, “School Board Disruptions Escalate, Funded by Conservative Dark Money,” will be the focus on our show tonight.
You can check out all his great reporting at https://www.itsalienmuse.com and you can follow him on Twitter @jhop_phl.
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Friday Oct 01, 2021
Progressives hold the line, forcing Nancy Pelosi to postpone a vote on the $1 trillion Kyrsten Sinima promoted the “bi-partisan” (aka the fossil fuel) infrastructure bill.
Meanwhile, Joe Manchin says he won’t support a reconciliation bill larger than $1.5 trillion - $2 trillion less than the compromise package and $4.5trillion less than the original package.
Some West Virginia kayactivists paddle up to Joe Manchin’s yacht, ask him better questions than most of the beltway media, and get more from him that any cable news show.
Writing in his newsletter The Daily Poster, David Sirota reported Thursday that: Joe Manchin backed a huge bank bailout for Wall Street execs almost 13 years ago to the day. That’s just rich as he deridedan "entitlement mentality" as a reason to kill the reconciliation bill that would help millions of people struggling to survive. The Wall St execs then bankrolled him.
Greta Thunberg chastises world leaders about their climate change “blah, blah, blah,” over the past several decades; she calls for immediate, decisive action.
FEMA is removing subsidies for flood insurance as claims are expected to rise significantly due to the effects of climate change. Insurance premiums are expected to rise 18% per year for at least the next 20 years, particularly in areas already prone to flood.
Twenty-three species have been removed from the endangered species list. But this is not good news. They are being removed because they have been declared extinct. In the 50 years since the passages of the Endangered Species Act. Until Wednesday’s announcement, only 11 species have been removed from the list - until today, that is.
Are you ready for some serious snail mail? “Beginning Friday, the U.S. Postal Service will start to "implement new service standards" for first class mail and periodicals — slowing its target delivery time by about 30%,” USPS spokesperson Kim Frum told NPR.
Back in the day there were the “sewer socialists;” today, “sidewalk socialists” are making the theoretical question about what it would mean to govern as a socialist into a very practical one. Rebecca Burns of In These Times has a great article on the victories of India Walton in the Buffalo Democratic Mayoral primary and over 60 DSA-backed candidates who have been elected to local office from Denver to Chicago to Knoxville, TN.
Supreme Court Justice and all-around horrible human being, Brett Kavanaugh, tests positive for COVID-19 just a few days before the new term begins. Before you have to google it, yes, he’s been vaccinated. Just didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.
Pennsylvania House Republicans shoot down their own school voucher bill. They were planning on giving vouchers to parents of students who didn’t want to wear masks and let them go to school districts or private schools that do not have masking requirements.
House Republicans advanced their voter suppression agenda once again. They voted House Bill 1800 out of committee and a series of constitutional amendments that would politicize the Secretary of State’s office, mandate voter ID, establish election audits and more.
About 3,000 people showed up in Harrisburg for a maskless, superspreader Pro-Life rally. Sean didn’t want to get close to that thing even with his zoom lens.
Tomorrow, Women’s Marches are happening around the country tomorrow including right here in the Commonwealth. Rallies will take place in Harrisburg @ 11 am. You can look for a rally times and locations near you by going to https://map.womensmarch.com/.
Cyril Mychalejko - Central York High School students light a path for student uprisings in Bucks County and across the Commonwealth.
Happy Birthday to NASA. Yes, on this day in 1958 the legendary space agency was born! On Oct. 1, 1958, NASA was born!
The FAA is investigating Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin about safety measures after an explosive letter published by a group of 21 employees blue the whistle on the company’s move to cut safety corners, pressuring employees to works long hours, in a rush to try and gain government contracts and compete with SpaceX. The letter also alleges that there is a toxic working environment at the company, especially for women.
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Out d‘Coup LIVE for Monday, September 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
On today’s show, we've got another round of open phones. From Bucks County, to Harrisburg, to Washington, the challenges we face just don't stop. What's on your mind? What's at the top of your agenda? We're taking your comments on YouTube.
Tonight we're talking about refusal to work, bread and roses, journalism fails, Biden's faltering agenda, and D&D!
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
Friday Sep 24, 2021
Friday Sep 24, 2021
Happy 10 year anniversary to Occupy Wall Street! We’ll be reflecting on that.
Here comes the subpoenas! The House Select committee on the January 6 insurrection issued subpoenas to several former Trump officials including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former social media director Dan Scavino and Kashyap Patel, who was chief of staff to Trump's defense secretary.
The CDC gave the green light for the Pfizer COVID booster shot for at-risk individuals. The third dose of the vaccine will be available for individuals over 65 and for adults who are at heightened risk of severe illness.
Guess who’s writing our climate policy. I’ll give you a hint. West Virginia & coal. Yup, you guessed it, Senator Joe Manchin is the chair of the Senate Committe on Energy and Natural Resources, Manchin will have an oversized influence on the shape of any climate policy that emerges from the Democrats’ reconciliation bill.
Meanwhile, climate activists connected with Greta Thunberg staged the first large protest today in Berlin Germany. This is the first significant Fridays for the Future protest since the pandemic.
Call it a win for the AZ election Fraudit. A win for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, that is. That’s right, the Cyber Ninjas pulled out all their bamboo detecting apparatuses and found there was no there there. Now AZ has to clean up the mess (after they pay off all those invoices from Cyber Ninjas, that is).
The New York Times reports on how raging anti-masking policies are hitting students with disabilities especially hard. The article features anti-maskers in Tennessee as the state is one of seven being investigated by the Department of Education for descrimination against students with disabilities during COVID.
Florida continues to impress with its ability to find new lows. Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed a new State Surgeon General who, according to Slate, “was last seen on the national stage participating in a COVID miracle cure event with another doctor who believes that lizard people control the government and that demons cause gynecological problems by implanting stolen sperm, as well as a third doctor who later got arrested for being part of the mob that smashed into the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the presidential election.”
Pennsylvania Senate Republicans launched their “sham election review” while we were away and at the second hearing last week. We’ll recap how Senator Cris Dush isn’t ready for the primetime.
After the Central York School District banned books on Rosa Parks and MLK, students rose up and demanded the books be returned to the curriculum. After national attention to the Central York Monkey Trial-esq book ban, the school board reversed course and lifted the ban.
Susan Snyder of The Philadelphia Inquirer published an excellent profile of Steve Oross and his case against Kutztown University. You’ll recall that We had Oross on Out d’Coup LIVE at the beginning of the month. Oross recently received a heart transplant, making him at the highest risk of severe/fatal effects of contracting COVID. Kutztown denied his ADA request to teach online.
Penn State suspends 117 students who missed their required COVID-19 testing.
PA Republicans looking to get back to work for the people of the Commonwealth, decide that going to war against Gov. Wolf’s mask mandate is one of their top priorities, just as COVID cases spike and parents grow increasingly concerned about the safety of their children in schools. Good thing they can’t get their shit together.
SpaceX launched four non-astronauts into REAL space for a three-day tour. The SpaceX Inspiration mission also raised about $200 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
The U.S. Federal Court of Claims released a redacted version of Jeff Bezos’s hissy fit lawsuit protesting NASA’s decision to give SpaceX contracts for the lunar lander system to be used in upcoming Artemis missions, leaving Blue Origin’s aspirations wanting. It’s rich that Bezos is claiming he and his Blue Origin space baby had been treated unfairly.
New Space Force uniforms have got some serious Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek feels going on.
Scientists have discovered footprints in the White Sands National Park (NM) dating back to more than 21,000 years ago. That means that there were humans in North America several thousands of years before scientists previously thought.
Roll a d20.