Episodes
Friday Nov 19, 2021
Friday Nov 19, 2021
New research shows that at least 50% of people who survive COVID-19 “experience a variety of physical and psychological health issues for at least six months following their recovery,” according to the Washington Post.
The Congressional Budget Office says that Biden’s Build Back Better Bill will not be entirely paid for as the White House claimed. It’s close, but the CBO didn’t think the IRS would be able to raise $67 billion over 10 years; they put the number at $207 billion. That might just be enough for Manchin or Sinema to take a hatchet to key provisions of the Build Back Better bill.
UAW workers at John Deere approved a new contract after a month on strike. The agreement will see a 20% increase in wages over the course of the contract and significant improvements in working conditions. Rank-and-file working power baby.
The Ohio House passes a bill that will let residents 21 years old and older to carry concealed weapons without any kind of license or permit. If the Ohio Senate passes the bill, there will no longer be a requirement for a background check or training.
A school district in Goddard, Kansas orders 29 books be banned from its libraries. You can already guess the kind of books being banned: the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Fences,” but August Wilson; Margaret Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale; The Hate You Give, by Angie Thomas; and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, are among the books on the list.
Ithaca, New York votes to decarbonize all of its buildings by 2025. The unanimous vote for their “Efficiency Retrofit and Thermal Load Electrification Program,” will include everything from swapping out natural gas and propane cooking with electric induction to installing solar panels. The city of 30,000 is working with a Brooklyn-base company, BlocPower to manage the program. The move will eliminate 40% of the city’s carbon emissions.
Right-wing parent groups at the forefront of “critical race theory” protests are now shifting their target to school-based mental health programs, according to reporting by NBC news. You heard that right. No more talk of suicide prevention, depression, or any “social emotional learning” is the goal. Right-wiing groups apparently believe that “social emotional learning has become a ‘Trojan horse’ for critical race theory…[and] encourage children to celebrate diversity, sometimes introducing students to conversations about race, gender, and sexuality.” God forbid.
And, the QAnon Shaman is sentenced to 41 months in prison.
Earlier this month, the Fulton County Commissioners denied the Fulton County Library a $3,000 budget increase because they host “hate groups” that are sympathetic to the LGBTQ communities or the Black Lives Matter movements. In response to this bigotry, Emily Best from the Sisters of the Night Caucus launched a gofundme page to help the library close the budget gap and ended up raising over $26,000.
Pennsylvania House Republicans used their fall session to highlight their extremist agenda. House Republicans passed a constitutional open-carry gun rights bill, a bill making bail funds illegal and advanced more voter suppression measures.
The House Labor and Industry Committee held a hearing on a slate of radical anti-union bills. Public Sector labor leaders refused to participate in the committee’s “farce,” and Democratic Chair Jerry Mullery walked out of the committee meeting and hosted a press conference outside of the meeting with members and labor leaders.
A landmark PA school funding trial got underway. The case involves the cash-strapped Panther Valley School District and five other Pennsylvania school districts. In opening remarks, of course, GOP House Speaker Bryan Cutler argued that there’s nothing to see here, everything’s fine. Tell that to the 75 kindergartners in the Panther Valley School District who are forced to share one toilet and two urinals.
Spanning both Carbon and Schuylkill Counties, Panther Valley serves more than 1,600 students. Around 56% are classified as economically disadvantaged, though McAndrew believes the number of children living in poverty is higher.
Lt. Governor John Fetterman joined Kutztown University Dining Workers United for a rally on Tuesday, demanding Aramark and Kutztown University recognize their union.
Dina Leygerman, a former Central Bucks School Board candidate, wrote an excellent piece on Medium critically responding to the recent two-part podcast on The Daily from the New York Times on the school board wars in Central Bucks. Dina Leygerman lays out a much more toxic history and lays bare the role Paul Martino played in fomenting the conflicts.
The highly anticipated series The Wheel of Time launches on Amazon’s Prime Video. Get ready for social media haters and lovers.
The new season of Star Trek: Discovery launched this week on Paramount Plus.
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for November 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
Wednesday Nov 17, 2021
On this week’s show, we’ll be talking about Cyril’s latest column in the Bucks Co, “Vanguard Group must stop financing the planet’s destruction,” latest column in Bucks County Courier Times. The Malvern PA-based Vanguard is the largest global financier in coal with $86 billion in investments, and second largest in oil and gas. This week the Bucks County School Board Wars got national attention as the New York Times podcast The Daily did a deep dive into the battles in the Central Bucks School District. We’ll also check in to see what’s happening over in Cyril’s Substack newsletter and get a preview of what he’s working on for his upcoming columns.
Resources:
- Cyril Mychalejko, “Vanguard Group must stop financing the planet’s destruction,” latest column in Bucks County Courier Times.
- New York Times podcast, The Daily
- 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 everytime 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
Monday Nov 15, 2021
Monday Nov 15, 2021
On this episode of Out d'Coup LIVE I welcome Dr. Lara Putnam to the show. Lara is UCIS Research Professor in the History department at the University of Pittsburgh. She is a historian of race, gender, and migration in the modern Americas. Her interest in grassroots social movements has led her into local civic organizing in Pittsburgh’s 11th Ward. She is also a member of the advisory board of the New Pennsylvania Project. Lara’s Twitter account has become a must-follow for people looking to understand elections in PA, the emergence of a strong progressive/left movement in Western PA, and critical linkages between organizing and democratic politics.
Tonight we'll be talking about this month's elections beyond the initial hot-takes about the meaning and causes of the election results. The backdrop of our discussion will be Lara's recent article, "Rust Belt in Transition: What has happened in Pennsylvania's, and the entire Rust Belt's, 'Middle Suburb' counties, and can it be reversed?," published last year in Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.
Follow Lara Putnam on Twitter: @lara_putnam
Resources:
- Lara Putnam: "Rust Belt in Transition: What has happened in Pennsylvania's, and the entire Rust Belt's, 'Middle Suburb' counties, and can it be reversed?" in Democracy. https://democracyjournal.org/magazine/57/rust-belt-in-transition/
- Lara Putnam: "On Postcards and Superpowers," The Forge https://forgeorganizing.org/article/postcards-and-superpowers
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Well, the big roads, bridges, and fossil-fuel infrastructure bill passed. And now...drumroll please...it looks like the more important Build Back Better reconciliation bill is on the ropes as fossil fuel industry and corporate-backed Democrats renege on their promises. Hope you have your flood and fire insurance updated. Earlier in the week, Brian Deese, the director of Biden’s National Economic Council told PBS:
“We are confident that this framework will pass the House and will pass the Senate. And what we're telling lawmakers is, this is an easy vote.”
As COP 26 wraps up in Glasgow, Scotland it is clear that the developed countries are going to rely on magic and wishful thinking to address the climate crisis. According to Climate Action Tracker, only four parties - Chile, Costa Rica, the European Union, and the U.K. - have any kind of concrete plan to meet their pledges to cut the carbon cord. While nations - including the U.S. - have committed to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the Century, current policies put us on track for 2.7 degrees Celsius. And time is running out.
It’s been a banner week for right-wing extremists. Kyle Rittenhouse puts on a show in an attempt to avoid accountability for killing two people and wounding a third during a #BlackLivesMatter protest last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And, Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, tweeted out an altered anime video showing a character with his face killing a character with AOC’s face.
Despite the dire warnings from scientists and direct experience with extreme weather, a new Washington Post-ABC News polls finds Americans’ views on the threat of climate climate change remains unchanged over the past seven years. And, surprise, surprise, the gap between Democrats and Republicans has only grown.
Austria is preparing to place millions of unvaccinated people on lockdown as chancellor Alexander Schallenberg expressed the exasperation of many European leaders calling it shameful that people refuse to get vaccinated, putting their communities at risk. The move comes as COVID cases are surging in Europe.
Oh, yea, and the leaders of Belarus have got an extremist grift going. They’re massing refugees from the Middle East on the border of Poland with promises they will be given entry to Poland. The problem? 1) it was a lie; 2) Poland’s right-wing government doesn’t want them. Prepared for more of this, folks as the climate crisis grows.
Republicans are getting high on their own supply of ivermectin. Joe Rogan has become the right-wing’s go-to source for medical advice.
Meanwhile, the pandemic news takes a turn for the worse as we are seeing a surprising spike in COVID cases in states with high vaccination levels. That paints a rather concerning picture for this winter.
Day-time TV host and vaccine skeptic Dr Oz. is looking to make a gubernatorial run in Pennsylvania.
Conor Lamb went on social media the other night telling everyone that he’s a “normal” brunch-going, Manchin like Democrat and if you don’t like it, well, then he’s “NOT YOUR GUY.”
In the day’s following Lamb’s late-night twitter rant about socialism, Civiqs and the Inquirer released a new poll that showed Lt Gov John Fetterman polling at 52% while Lamb was polling at 12%. Clearly, not our guy.
Hundreds of striking Scranton Federation of Teachers members went to the capitol Wednesday calling out the “state-sponsored union busting” happening in Scranton. The teachers went on strike over a week ago after working without a contract for 4 years. Speakers included Senator Marty Flynn, Lt Gov John Fetterman and House Rep Malcolm Kenyatta.
Central Bucks School Board meeting goes off the rails as a few members of the community take the mic during the public comment period to spew transphobic and anti-semitic comments.
MotherJones and WHYY looked into the “successes” fringe school board pac’s had with their local school board races and it turns out the PACs supporting right-wing candidates had zero victories in competitive races across Bucks and Montgomery Counties.
Kutztown University food service workers continue their fight for a union. They will be holding a rally at 5:30 on Tuesday, November 16 outside South Dining Hall on campus. The workers sought voluntary recognition from Aramark, but the company has been dragging its feet. Kutztown University food service workers are the only ones in the State System of Higher Education without a union.
SpaceX launched another four astronauts to the ISS this week on its Crew-3 mission. The launch marks SpaceX’s fifth crewed launch in less than 18 months.
Shenzhou 13 astronauts continued construction of China’s new space station over the weekend in a six and a half hour space walk. This was the first of two or three planned space walks to install a robotic arm and prepare the module for the arrival of new equipment and modules next year.
Heinz rolled out its first “Mars Edition” ketchup this week. The ketchup was made from tomatoes grown in Mars-like conditions. According to CNN, “A team of 14 astrobiologists worked for nine months at the Aldrin Space Institute at the Florida Institute of Technology, growing tomatoes in a controlled environment with soil, temperature and water conditions similar to Mars.” Research team leader Andrew Palmer said, “Before now, most efforts around discovering ways to grow in Martian-simulated conditions are short-term plant growth studies. What this project has done is look at long-term food harvesting. Achieving a crop that is of a quality to become Heinz Tomato Ketchup was the dream result and we achieved it.”
Monday Nov 08, 2021
Monday Nov 08, 2021
On this week's episode, I am talking with Kierstyn Zolfo from Bucks County Indivisible. We'll be checking the receipts on Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. As we shift our attention to the 2022 midterm elections, we'll take a look at the votes that Fitzpatrick DOESN'T want to campaign on. Yes, Fitzpatrick's "moderate" credentials are a bit sus when you cut through the press releases and look at his actual voting record. Zolfo will help us dig into his record in one of the most highly watched Congressional districts in the country.
Kierstyn Zolfo is a resident of Bucks County and a volunteer organizer with Indivisible Bucks County. She also serves on the steering committee of Pennsylvania Indivisible as the Legislative Chair, and in that position edits and contributes to the Pennsylvania Member of Congress Tracking report, an effort that keeps an eye on the votes and quotes from the Commonwealth's 20 Members of Congress. Kierstyn is originally from New Jersey but moved to PA when she was an undergrad at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster and has stuck around the area ever since.
Links:
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for November 3, 2021
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
On today's show, we'll be talking about Cyril's latest column, "Why is your neighbor flying that all-black American flag?" And, it's the day after Election Day. Despite amazing organizing in the community, extremists swept elections throughout much of Bucks County. We'll reflect a bit on Election Day and look ahead to the organizing that has already begun for the next fight.
Check out Cyril's newsletter here: 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.
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
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 everytime we go live.
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Monday Nov 01, 2021
Tonight on Out d'Coup LIVE we'll be taking a look at the urgency of now. As COP 21 gets underway in Glasgow, Scotland, we are faced with perhaps the last best chance for a livable future as leaders of developed countries tamp down hopes of progress.
Tomorrow is election day as we are faced with the crisis in our school boards as right wing extremists have made a play to turn back the clock and reinvigorate white supremacy.
We are living in a time of high stakes. We'll be taking your comments and calls.
Mentioned tonight: "The real reason Paul Martino is pumping money into school board races," from the great newsletter noneofthisisnormal.substack.com.
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Friday Oct 29, 2021
Build Back Better? One thing is clear, there would have been next to nothing had it not been for the progressive caucus’s willingness to hold their ground and not cave to pressure from Nancy Pelosi and corporate Democrats.
- Half-full? From Harold Meyerson, the American Prospect.
- David Dayen from The American Prospect, says the bill has some real positives, but does not meet standards of “permanent, hassle-free, and meaningful.”
- Give with one hand, take with another. Los Angeles Times
- Mixed Bag, VOX
Climate emergency and COP26 - We’ll be focusing on this on Monday’s Out d’Coup LIVE.
Big Oil testifies before Congress. Lies, lies, and more lies.
And a new report from Molly Taft and Emily Atkin shows how Big Oil uses Newsletter ads to spread misinformation. Big Oil targeted Punchbowl, Politico, and Axios newsletters that are frequented by beltway insiders. From the report: In the month leading up to the hearing, from October 1 to October 22: 63% of Punchbowl newsletters, or 30 out of 48, were sponsored by fossil fuel interests; 100% of POLITICO’s Morning Energy newsletters, or 15 out of 15, were sponsored by fossil fuel interests; 62% of Axios Generate newsletters, or 10 out of 16, were sponsored by fossil fuel interests.
Cuomo gets charged.
Harvard University graduate students head into day 3 of their strike. The university administration has refused to meet demands for better pay, recognizing union shop clause, including undergraduate workers in the bargaining unit, and more. Harvard has the largest endowment in the world. It topped $53 billion during the pandemic and as the university reported a $283 million surplus operating budget.
Facebook changes its name to “Meta” as it gives a sneak peak to its virtual life platform, metaverse.
Judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial says the people he shot and killed cannot be referred to as “victims.”
Democratic Josh Shapiro says he’s not a fan of Gov. Tom Wolf’s climate mitigation plans and decision to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
Jake Corman begins flirting with his campaign for governor. He met with Pennsylvania’s congressional republicans at the Capitol Hill Club in DC over a week ago and is expected to announce after election day.
Senator Corman is announcing his run for governor while the Senate “audit” is polling at 55 percet opposed to 43 percent support.
Critical school board elections on Tuesday. Also on the ballot Justice of the PA Supreme Court, County district attorney, sheriff, mayors, more judges,
Black Flags flying in Bucks County. Cyril Mychalejko’s latest piece just dropped on the increasing extremism in Bucks Co.
DSA Activist, union organizer and Philadelphia public school teacher Paul Prescord announced his campaign against Senator Anthony Williams for the Pennsylvania Senate. Williams is a charter school proponent and one of the caucuses largest recipients of Jeffrey Yass Money
Speaking of Jeffrey Yass, Jeffrey Yass and the Commonwealth Foundation are making it rain for Judicial and school board candidates. The Commonwealth Leaders Fund gave at least $1.9 million in support of PA Supreme Court Nominee Judge Kevin Brobson. Then the Commonwealth Children’s Choice Fund and Students First PACs also gave $145,000 to groups supporting right-wing school board candidates across the commonwealth.
Kate Aronoff's book, Overheated should be on your must read list.
Just picked up Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and dove into issues of race in D&D.
Still waiting to find the time to watch the new Dune.
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Out d‘Coup LIVE for October 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 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. You can also join the show live on Riverside.fm and call in to the show.
You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/rcpress.
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 everytime we go live.
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Friday Oct 22, 2021
Biden makes a last attempt to personally lobby his “friends in the Senate” to pass his Build Back Better plan through reconciliation. So far, his efforts have led to a DECREASE in the size and scope of the bill. According to reports, Biden told progressive lawmakers that the bill is likely to be cut from $3.5 trillion to a ceiling of around $2 trillion. Recall that the $3.5 bill was the original compromise bill, down from the initial $6 trillion. Biden also reportedly told lawmakers that free community college will be cut and the extension of the childcare tax credit will be significantly scaled back. Can you see that white flag flying above the White House?
Biden was in Scranton this past Wednesday to push the Build Back Better plan, but it looks like it's a whole lot of too little too late.
And with Joe Manchin’s threats to leave the Democratic Party, we are left with the question posed by David Dayen in The American Prospect this week: “What if Build Back Better Builds Back Worse?”
And, as Will Bunch wrote this week in the Philadelphia Inquirer, “From college to climate, Democrats are sealing their doom by selling out yount voters.”
And it looks like Manchin’s blocking of climate legislation will have a disproportionately disastrous effect on the people of West Virginia. How’s that for representation.
Doug Mastriano is waiting for a “financial sign from God,” yes, that God, about running for governor. Mastriano has been campaigning at different churches from around the Commonwealth ahead of his anticipated run for governor.
Pennsylvania House Representative Summer Lee announced her run for US Congress with a powerful video highlighting the anger and betrayal industry has wrought in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Representative Lee picked up Representative - and the future mayor of Pittsburgh - Ed Gainey’s endorsement for the seat on her first day.
It has been over 300 days since full-time and part-time professors at Harrisburg Area Community College completed their card signing process and filed their petitions for a union vote. The school is the only community college in Pennsylvania without union representation and PA Spotlight is getting ready to peel back the layers of Dr. Ski’s anti-union past. Buckle up.
University of Pittsburgh faculty voted overwhelmingly to unionize this week.
Kutztown University saw a flurry of progressive action this week. On Tuesday, the student group, KU Activists, protested the university’s denial of ADA accommodations to at-risk students and faculty and President Hawkinson’s over all magical thinking regarding COVID protocols. Then on Thursday, KU dining hall workers went public with their union organizing campaign holding rallies outside several university dining halls.