Out d’Coup Podcast

On October 1, 2023 we took our show to Harrisburg for the PA Climate Convergence. We talked with people all throughout the day and had a chance to interview some great people doing great work. On today's show you'll hear from:

• Heather Hulton Vantassel, Exec. Dir. Three Rivers Waterkeeper
• Liz Evans, Third Act Pennsylvania
• Heaven Sunski, Organizing Director, Center for Coalfield Justice
• Kate Proust, TIAA-Divest
• NaTisha Washington, Communications Director, Breath Project
• Julia Nakhleh, Climate Reality Project
• Kevin Long, Pastor of Intertwined
• Frank Fortino, Extinction Rebellion - Philly

If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to Patreon.com/RCPress. We’re here for the fight and we need you. Become a patron for the price of a good beer once a month. Help keep the media in the movement and the movement in the media. Become a patron for as little as $5/month by going to Patreon.com/RCPress.

Pretty laid back night tonight. I spent the day at the PA Climate Convergence yesterday for a great day of panels, music, discussion, and connection. What's on your mind tonight?

If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to Patreon.com/RCPress. Help keep the media in the movement and the movement in the media.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation all week long: https://discord.gg/BnjRNz3u

Senator Diane Feinstein has died at the age of 90.

Republicans seem hell bent on shutting down the government as a deal to fund the government by the September 30th deadline is nowhere in sight. 

Yesterday the government started notifying federal employees that a shutdown is imminent. We’ll start seeing government layoffs, military personnel will stop receiving paychecks, WIC payments will stop after a few days, many National Parks will shut down, and SNAP benefits will have to dip into emergency funds to keep assistance flowing for a short time. 

No worries when it comes to student loans, however. Student loan payments will resume on Sunday, October 1, as scheduled. 

Gov. Shapiro announced automatic voter registration for the Commonwealth. 

More Pennridge School Board chaos as the Board passes anti-trans policies regarding sports and biological sex. 

The lawsuit against the Pennridge School Board’s shadow book banning practices went to court on Tuesday. The mounting legal fees in the district caused more strife among board members. Jordan Adams gives a new “report” to the board which is mostly him defending himself against mounting criticism…and I assume taxpayers will foot the bill for that too. 

PA Climate Convergence begins this Sunday.

You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/rcpress.

UAW readies to expand their strike as noon deadline approaches. 

Republicans ready to shut down the government because…well…just because.

Biden Administration announced the creation of the American Climate Corps.

Pennridge School Board now starts to face lawsuits in response to their unaccountable, extremist, and potentially illegal policies. Darren Lausten’s lawsuit against the school board for its secret book banning heads to court this Tuesday at Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown. 

APSCUF negotiations continue. As the PASSHE administration continues to do its best to invest in PR while gutting faculty and programs, we’ll take a quick look at some numbers for perspective.

If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to Patreon.com/RCPress. We’re here for the fight and we need you. Become a patron for the price of a good beer once a month. Help keep the media in the movement and the movement in the media. Become a patron for as little as $5/month by going to Patreon.com/RCPress.

This week I welcome Cyril Mychalejko and Emily Smith to the show. Cyril is the Editor-in-Chief of the Bucks County Beacon and Emily is the Beacon’s Publisher. We’ll be talking about the role of independent, community-based media in deepening local democracy and organizing against the rise of extremism in our schools and communities. We’ll also be talking about their goals for their fall fund drive and plans for expanding the Beacon’s work in the months and years to come.

In addition to his lead role as Editor-in-Chief for the Beacon, Cyril Mychalejko has over two decades of journalistic experience. His work has appeared in The Bucks County Courier Times, The Intelligencer, Upside Down World, Common Dreams, TruthOut, and other publications. 

Emily Smith, the Beacon’s Publisher, is a seasoned design professional with nearly a decade of experience in strategic communications. Emily has spent nearly two decades working with startups and small businesses. Beyond her design chops, Emily is a creative problem solver, and business strategist. She has also owned her own graphic design firm since 2003, working with nearly every imaginable client including small businesses, giant corporations, non-profits, and community organizations.

Support the Beacon during their Fall fund drive: https://buckscountybeacon.com/support-the-beacon/

If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to Patreon.com/RCPress.

Join our Discord to continue the conversation all week long: https://discord.gg/BnjRNz3u

 

This week I welcome Cyril Mychalejko and Emily Smith to the show. Cyril is the Editor-in-Chief of the Bucks County Beacon and Emily is the Beacon’s Publisher. We’ll be talking about the role of independent, community-based media in deepening local democracy and organizing against the rise of extremism in our schools and communities. We’ll also be talking about their goals for their fall fund drive and plans for expanding the Beacon’s work in the months and years to come.

 

If we want a progressive future, we need progressive media. Support pull-no-punches, homegrown progressive media today by becoming a patron of Raging Chicken for as little as $5/month. Simply go to Patreon.com/RCPress. We’re here for the fight and we need you. Become a patron for the price of a good beer once a month. Help keep the media in the movement and the movement in the media. Become a patron for as little as $5/month by going to Patreon.com/RCPress.

 

Join our Discord to continue the conversation all week long: https://discord.gg/BnjRNz3u 

 

The UAW is getting closer to striking as the latest contract offer from GM and Stellantis was rejected as not good enough to ward off a strike. UAW president Shawn Fain has made it clear that unless a deal is reached by September 14, 150,000 workers will head to the strike lines. 

Hurricane Lee rapidly intensifies to a powerful Category 5 storm in the Atlantic. While current models predict the storm will not directly hit major populated areas, the storms rapid intensification is linked to the record warm temperatures of the Atlantic, providing a window into our climate futures. 

Hong Kong was inundated with flash floods as more rain fell on the region since records started being kept in 1884. Over 19 inches of rain fell on Hong Kong in 24 hours, with over six inches falling between 11PM and midnight last night. 

West Virginia University becomes the latest “canary in the coal mine” in higher education. The university has announced deep cuts, which will eliminate 169 faculty members (7% of the faculty) and 32 of the university’s 338 majors. The president of WCU, Gordon Gee, told the New York Times, “We simply have lost the support of the American public,” when explaining the lack of funding for public universities.  

Elon Musk admits that he unilaterally denied the Ukrainian military access to the Starlink satellite internet service to prevent a Ukrainian drone attack against some of the Russian naval fleet near the coast of Crimea. Privatized, billionaire-run government anyone?

Later today and tomorrow, York, PA will play host to a “Big” Christian Nationalist/Dominionist conference featuring a who’s-who of right-wing religious ideologues. PA Representative Wendy Fink, representing PA’s 94th district, has actively promoted the event on social media, telling readers “Come out to the Big Event at Praise Community Church in York on Sept. 8 to hear me speak about how you can build a community action team at your local church.” That’s right before she and her staff provide the religious zealots and “Introduction to Firearms” followed by a cozy Pastor’s breakfast. Will any major media outlets cover the event?

Great new podcast from the Bucks County Beacon! The Civic Circle is a GenZ hosted and focused podcast from the Bucks County Beacon with production assistance from yours truly! Check out Cyril’s interview with the hosts on the latest episode of The Signal and look for the premiere of their first show right around the corner!

Raging Chicken's Friday Politics Roundup for August 25, 2023. We're here to break down the good, the bad, and the ugly in state and national politics.

You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/rcpress.

Don’t Let Paul Martino, Moms for Liberty, and their oligarch friends buy our schools and push extremist politics in our community. Raging Chicken has teamed up with LevelField to launch a truly community rooted PAC to invest in organizing, support local and state-wide progressive candidates, and unmask the toxic organizations injecting our communities with right-wing extremism. We’re putting small-dollar donations to work to beat back the power of Big Money.  You can get more information and drop your donation at  https://ragingchicken.levelfield.net/.

Back from vacation and I've already got a pit in my stomach. We'll catch up and talk about the Christian nationalist/Moms for Liberty takeover of the Pennridge curriculum. Nuts. What's on your mind?

Don’t Let Paul Martino & Friends Buy Our Schools and push extremist politics in our community. Raging Chicken has teamed up with LevelField to launch a truly community-rooted PAC to invest in organizing, support local and state-wide progressive candidates, and unmask the toxic organizations injecting our communities with right-wing extremism. We’re putting small-dollar donations to work to beat back the power of Big Money.  You can get more information and drop your donation at  https://ragingchicken.levelfield.net/. J

On today’s show, it’s a Monday Politics Roundup. Yup. I had to take a tech day on Friday, so I thought we’d take a peek back at the week. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind tonight! We’re getting close to a critical election this fall and the 2024 presidential campaigns are heating up. 

• Trump seeks narrow rules on what he can do with evidence his lawyers receive as part of his criminal case of election interference. In other words, he wants to be able to target and intimidate potential witnesses among other things. 
• Biden’s student debt relief plan for students who were victims of fraud by for-profit colleges is blocked by a federal court. 
• The Florida Department of Education has effectively banned an Advanced Placement course in psychology because of the state’s new law prohibiting discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. 
• Right-wing think tanks and corporate lobbyists have already written their blueprint to undercut action on the climate crisis. It’s called Project 2025.
• Don’t be fooled by claims that a new law will keep kids safe online. KOSA - the Kids Online Safety Act is a bipartisan bill that purports to clamp down on Big Tech and protect kids. However, the bill could do a lot more than that. 
• D&D community up in arms against Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after finding out the some of the art for a new source book, Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants. 
• There’s so much more - plus, I’d love to hear what’s on your mind! Here we go!

You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/rcpress/.

Don’t Let Paul Martino, Moms for Liberty & Their Oligarch Friends Buy Our Schools and push extremist politics in our community. Raging Chicken has teamed up with LevelField to launch a truly community rooted PAC to invest in organizing, supporting local and state-wide progressive candidates, and unmasking the toxic organizations injecting our communities with right-wing extremism. We’re putting small-dollar donations to work to beat back the power of Big Money.  You can get more information and drop your donation at  https://ragingchicken.levelfield.net/.