Episodes

  • 246: Skepticrat246 - Catas-trophy Edition

    246: Skepticrat246 - Catas-trophy Edition
    Apr 21 2025
    On this week's episode: A Democratic senator gets to do his very own Taken movie ... The Secretary of Education gets a little saucy ... And Vice President Vance shows off his football skills with a very sad endzone jance dance.

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    Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent:
    https://bsky.app/profile/susiedent.com

    Headline Sources:

    Senator meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/us/politics/abrego-garcia-chris-van-hollen-el-salvador.html
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/18/nayib-bukele-tweet-margaritas-kilmar-abrego-garcia/
    https://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-wrongful-deportation-kilmar-abrego-garcia-el-salvador/story?id=120803843

    RFK seeks the 'environmental' cause of autism; scientists say it's not that simple:
    https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366676/autism-cdc-rates-rfk-research

    SCOTUS keeps hold on Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship but sets May arguments: https://ground.news/article/61859ea0-7270-41a4-a748-faa73998aee4

    Trump’s Education Chief Linda McMahon Repeatedly Calls AI ‘A1’ in School Speech: https://gizmodo.com/trumps-education-chief-linda-mcmahon-repeatedly-calls-ai-a1-in-school-speech-2000587329
    A.1. responds after Linda McMahon mistakes it with AI: https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-responds-linda-mcmahon-mistakes-181537903.html

    CNN Data Chief Says Talk About Trump World Is Part Of A 'Fanciful Universe': https://ground.news/article/do-americans-regret-voting-for-trump-here-are-the-facts-worldnetdaily-by-wnd-staff?utm_source=headline-link&utm_medium=share

    JD Vance drops college football national championship trophy: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/us/politics/jd-vance-ohio-state-football-trophy.html
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    46 mins
  • 245: Skepticrat245 - Tariff at First You Don't Succeed Edition

    245: Skepticrat245 - Tariff at First You Don't Succeed Edition
    Apr 7 2025
    On this week's episode: The punishment for coming here gets almost as bad as being here ... Even podcasters will be impressed with how long Cory Booker can vamp ... And Heath asks ChatGPT how to fix the country, but he's not allowed to say the answer for legal reasons. To support our show on Patreon, go here: https://www.patreon.com/skepticrat To hear more from Evil Giraffes on Mars, go here: https://www.facebook.com/EvilGiraffesOnMars Get great deals while supporting the show by checking out our sponsors: betterhelp.com/skepticrat groundnews.com/skepticrat policygenius.com factormeals.com/factorpodcast (code: FACTORPODCAST) trustandwill.com/skepticrat bamboohr.com/freedemo mintmobile.com/skepticrat acorns.com/skepticrat auraframes.com (code: SKEPTICRAT) incogni.com/skepticrat Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent: https://bsky.app/profile/susiedent.com Headline Sources: Trump’s fascist deportations are catching US citizens: https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/04/04/judge-orders-trump-administration-bring-back-md-man-mistakenly-deported/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/04/05/us-citizens-deported-immigration/ Nancy Mace got an activist arrested after he shook her hand - charges just got dropped: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/04/nancy-mace-got-an-activist-arrested-after-he-shook-her-hand-charges-just-got-dropped/ Release of Signal chat leads to SO MUCH LYING: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trumps-top-intelligence-officials-claim-no-classified-information-was-rcna197954 https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/gabbard-ratcliffe-senate-hearing-signal-yemen-texts-rcna198047 NSA Director gets fired by Trump on the advice of Laura Loomer: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/03/nsa-director-fired-tim-haugh/ Phone numbers, emails, and passwords of Gabbard, Waltz, and Hegseth found online: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/pete-hegseth-mike-waltz-tulsi-gabbard-private-data-and-passwords-of-senior-u-s-security-officials-found-online-a-14221f90-e5c2-48e5-bc63-10b705521fb7 Cory Booker delivers record setting “are we really letting this happen?” speech: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/nyregion/cory-booker-speech-reactions.html Eric Adams will skip the Democratic primary and run for reelection as an independent: https://apnews.com/article/nyc-mayor-eric-adams-independent-1bfd61ad5d266b030996dfe516c77a17 Trump tariff strategy cites economists - they all said he's stupid: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/04/tariffs-economists-trump-formula/ And he clearly copied his homework from an AI overview: https://www.theverge.com/news/642620/trump-tariffs-formula-ai-chatgpt-gemini-claude-grok
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    51 mins
  • 244: Skepticrat244 - Grand Theft Autopen Edition

    244: Skepticrat244 - Grand Theft Autopen Edition
    Mar 24 2025
    On this week's episode: Federal courts rule on if we can have a deportation catapult ... Trump voters argue that at least he makes the planes crash on time ... And Heath was excited by a headline about the Kennedy assassination but then he realized it's about JFK.

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    Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent:
    https://bsky.app/profile/susiedent.com

    Headline Sources:

    Judge Appears Skeptical of Trump’s Use of Wartime Law to Deport Venezuelans:
    nytimes.com/2025/03/21/us/politics/trump-deportations-alien-enemies-act-block.html
    Mahmoud Khalil got abducted by the US government: apnews.com/article/columbia-protests-immigration-detention-mahmoud-khalil-755774045e5e82849e3281e8ff72f26d

    Trump tries to dismantle the education department: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/can-trump-dismantle-education-department.html

    Trump pretends Joe Biden’s pardons don’t count: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/business/media/autopen-biden-trump-conspiracy-theory.html

    Trump has Tesla sales event on White House lawn: washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/16/elon-musk-tesla-trump-sales-republicans/

    DOGE is ridiculously inefficient: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/22/irs-tax-revenue-loss-federal-budget/https
    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/lawmakers-fear-doge-cuts-will-drive-away-generation-federal-workers-rcna197085

    Were the Kennedy Files a Bust?...Not So Fast, Historians Say: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/jfk-assassination-files-cia.html
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    45 mins
  • 243: Skepticrat243 - You Can Call Me Al Green Edition

    243: Skepticrat243 - You Can Call Me Al Green Edition
    Mar 10 2025
    On this week's episode: Al Green is the only guy with those glasses from “They Live” ... The US will raise its ticket prices just when nobody wants to come anymore ... And Hillary Clinton's pizza and ping-pong dungeon remains a secret...for now.

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    Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent:
    https://bsky.app/profile/susiedent.com

    Headline Sources:

    Trump’s Joint Address to Congress is filled with insane lies: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/g-s1-50488/trump-congress-joint-address-fact-check
    https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/06/trans-mice-claim-false-donald-trump-transgenic/
    https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/03/yes-biden-spent-millions-on-transgender-animal-experiments/

    U.S. and Ukrainian Officials to Meet Next Week About Path to End War: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/ukraine-zelensky-trump-russia.html

    Trump plans to offer "gold card" visas for $5 million:
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-gold-card-eb5-visa-5-million-immigration-oligarch-cbs-news-explains/

    Trump seems to be falling out of love with Musk: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/06/trump-musk-cabinet-federal-worker-cuts/
    https://mashable.com/article/tesla-cybertruck-mardia-gras-new-orleans-boo
    https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/03/04/congress/gop-town-halls-richard-hudson-00210024

    Luigi Mangione pleads with fans to stop sending him so many photos: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/luigi-mangione-court-update-fan-mail-b2706446.html

    Released "Epstein Files" disappoint anticipators; a Republican rickroll didn't help: https://time.com/7262658/epstein-files-released-reactions-disappointment-republicans-rickroll/
    https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi-trump-1a6af3e9fa1cfb6d267985a971a4929a
    https://www.nj.com/politics/2025/03/maga-already-calling-on-trump-to-fire-ag-pam-bondi-heres-why.html
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    43 mins
  • 242: Skepticrat242 - Chainsaw of Fools Edition

    242: Skepticrat242 - Chainsaw of Fools Edition
    Feb 24 2025
    On this week's episode: We cover the heilz and lows of CPAC ... The AP will ask us what we heard about Trump’s latest presser ... And in addition to an apanthropist, Heath is also a misanthropist based on REALLY hating 49.8% of the people.

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    Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent:
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    Headline Sources:

    CPAC highlights including Elon Musk waving a chainsaw and Steve Bannon doing a nazi salute: https://apnews.com/article/musk-chainsaw-trump-doge-6568e9e0cfc42ad6cdcfd58a409eb312
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5156631-elon-musk-cpac-5-takeaways/
    https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-cpac-nazi-salute-gesture-wave-43a06de6184fe58940c8ae3d743bc6ba

    Fox News, CNN, and Other News Outlets Urge White House to Drop Ban on The AP: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/business/media/ap-white-house-ban-cnn-fox.html

    Trump parrots Russian propaganda about Ukraine: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/20/world/trump-putin-russia-ukraine.html

    DOGE fires nuclear safety staff, then has to unfire them after deleting their email accounts: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/climate/trump-nnsa-nuclear-staff-reinstated/index.html

    New Kennedy Center President Says Trump Wants to “Make Art Great Again”: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/kennedy-center-changes-trump-christmas-show-1236143238/

    Chris Kluwe arrested for protesting MAGA library installation: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-nfl-punter-chris-kluwe-arrested-anti-trump-protest-city-council-rcna192978
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    54 mins
  • 241: Skepticrat241 - DOGE and Pony Show Edition

    241: Skepticrat241 - DOGE and Pony Show Edition
    Feb 10 2025
    On this week's episode: The first month of Trump's second term is awfully tarrific ... Noah reminds Canada that they’ve got more experience burning down the White House than anybody ... And hot tea is good sometimes...I like chamomile.

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    Another amazing word of the day from Susie Dent:
    https://twitter.com/susie_dent

    Headline Sources:

    Trump tries to tariff and it goes very badly: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-tariffs-what-concessions-from-mexico-canada-really-mean-rcna190784
    https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/usps-resume-accepting-china-shipments-after-initial-pause-rcna190766

    Trump claims he ordered ‘obliteration’ of Iran if he’s assassinated in chilling warning: https://nypost.com/2025/02/04/us-news/trump-claims-he-ordered-obliteration-of-iran-if-hes-assassinated/

    No, the USAID didn't fund a transgender opera in Colombia: https://www.notus.org/foreign-policy/white-house-keeps-insane-usaid-spending-not-usaid

    Three states sue Trump for EO targeting trans care: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/07/trump-transgender-care-lawsuit/

    Waffle House is passing along the sky high cost of eggs to diners with a 50 cent surcharge: https://apnews.com/article/waffle-house-eggs-bird-flu-89025262684f051bdf8f7350dcf1613a

    More Super Bowl conspiracies and Trump telling obvious lie about Patrick Mahomes: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2025/super-bowl-logo-conspiracy-theory/
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-tommy-tuberville-patrick-mahomes_n_67a42526e4b064daf3a783c9
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    46 mins
  • 240: Skepticrat240 - Reaching Across the Haisle Edition

    240: Skepticrat240 - Reaching Across the Haisle Edition
    Jan 27 2025
    On this week's episode: Donald Trump runs the country the way he ran his businesses ... With some economic advice from the Hawk Tuah girl ... And Elon Musk convinced him to send out poop emojis instead of tax returns.

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    Headline Sources:

    Trump's insane list of executive orders: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/us/politics/trump-executive-orders-list.html

    Trump's Pardon Palooza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_granted_executive_clemency_by_Donald_Trump#Trump's_Second-term_use_of_executive_clemency

    Trump purges the people who are supposed to make sure he’s not a crook: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/01/24/trump-fire-inspectors-general-federal-agencies/

    Donald and Melania launch meme coins:
    https://www.vox.com/technology/396352/trumps-coin-crypto-bitcoin-regulation

    Lauren Boebert Tries to Evict a ‘Guy’ From Ladies Room in Capitol: https://www.thedailybeast.com/boebert-tries-to-evict-a-guy-from-ladies-room-in-capitol/

    Elon Musk is a fake gamer: https://kotaku.com/elon-musk-poe2-diablo-4-paid-boosting-fake-controversy-1851743670
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    53 mins
  • 239: Skepticrat239 - Zuckboi Edition

    239: Skepticrat239 - Zuckboi Edition
    Jan 13 2025
    On this week's episode: Trump proposes ruining even MORE countries ... This simulation’s comic relief needs to stop saying “at least social media couldn’t get any worse” ... And we learn how a mysterious new sonic weapon could affect your weekend.

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    Headline Sources:

    Trump wants to take over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/08/politics/trump-greenland-canada-panama-analysis/index.html

    TikTok ban goes before Supreme Court: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/us/politics/tiktok-supreme-court-national-security-free-speech.html

    Meta backtracks on fact checking and allows hate speech against trans people: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/10/meta-facebook-to-drop-fact-checkers-what-does-this-mean-for-social-media
    https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/meta-new-hate-speech-rules-allow-users-call-lgbtq-people-mentally-ill-rcna186700

    Meta scrambles to delete its own AI accounts after backlash intensifies: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/03/business/meta-ai-accounts-instagram-facebook/index.html

    Trump gets deferred sentence, because there is no law if enough stupid people like you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/01/10/trump-sentencing-hush-money-conviction-merchan/

    Biden Officials Say the Truth About Havana Syndrome Is Still Unknown: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/10/us/politics/havana-syndrome-causes.html
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    44 mins
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