Conspirituality

Extremely online, bearded, Millennial pastors in tailored suits want to repeal women’s suffrage, criminalize gays, and Make America Christian Again. These “TheoBros” even have a guy on the inside: JD Vance. Trump’s Dept of Defense nominee, Pete Hegseth, attends an affiliated church.  Julian tracks their genealogy and ugly ideas, as well as their parallel reactionary theocratic visions wreaking havoc elsewhere in the world today. Stay tuned for conversational reflections and wholesome holiday wishes at the end! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Talia Lavin joins Derek to discuss her recent book, Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America.  Show Notes Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we ride out the aftershocks of the election and prepare for Trump 2.0, it’s as if nothing is bolted down. Trump’s cabinet appointments signal a disregard for competence or temperament as he seems to prioritize fervent deep state conspiracism and anti-woke aggression in his choices. The chattering classes (both legacy and new media) are on the front lines of having to adapt in real time.  What to do? Double down on anti-fascist resistance, turn the disinformation detection devices up to 11, chart a course for sanguine neutrality, normalize the chaos as the world burns, or maybe give this rag-tag group of billionaire outsiders a chance to move fast and break things—in the hope that some of it was not working anyway?  We look at three different modes of damage control currently ripping through American discourse. Show Notes There’s a conspiracy theory that the CIA invented the term ‘conspiracy theory’ – here’s why 87: The Aubrey Marcus Spectacle 107: An Open Letter to Aubrey Marcus 214: Aubrey Marcus is Totally Not a Cult Leader Winning the Fight for Reproductive Rights in Mexico - Open Society Foundations   Madres de Plaza de Mayo | Learning for Justice  Adweek article on Rogan and MeidasTouch Kash Patel QAnon Appearances Kash Patel Seal Team 6 Endangerment So Marianne Williamson Really is the Peace Candidate—Patreon  “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman”: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza | Amnesty International USA  NLG and Other Legal Groups Send Letter to ICC Urging an Investigation into Potential War Crimes Committed by Israel and US in Gaza under “Operation Protective Edge” Russell Tribunal on Palestine, 2014   Friday 17 November: Twenty thousand Palestinians believed to be killed in Israel’s genocide of Gaza  Campus Protests Led to More Than 3,100 Arrests, but Many Charges Have Been Dropped  Harris campaign rejects claim vice president thinks there is a genocide in Gaza  A Study Reveals CNN and MSNBC’s Glaring Gaza Double Standard | The Nation  Morning Joe: Dems’ Favorite Show, Blatant Pro-Israel Propaganda  The Intercept: Israel-Palestine Coverage  US MSM downplays Amnesty report  TIME on Iranian Foreign Influence Methods Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Researchers in California recently warned that just one mutation in H5N1, the bird flu virus, could make the disease transmissible between humans. While the virus was first identified in 1959 (and became globally significant in 1996), they’re also concerned that increasingly damaging effects of climate change could make us more susceptible to such viruses. The same week, California-based raw milk manufacturer, Raw Farm, was forced to recall its products due to third-party testers discovering it contained H5N1. Derek looks at these converging trends—the wellness-driven fervor over the safety and health benefits of raw milk and the chances of another pandemic—with an investigation into why this matters from a public health perspective. Along the way, he’ll define the three often-confused forms of health in public discourse—individual, population, and public health—and why influencers often confuse them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices