It’s been a week marked by profound tragedy. A shooting at Brown University, a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia, and the murder of an MIT physics professor remind us of the pervasiveness of gun violence in our country and around the world, as well as, in the case of Bondi Beach, the horror of antisemitic violence. Last week, we had Parkland survivor and New York congressional candidate Cameron Kasky on the show to discuss his organizing against gun violence and in favor of stricter laws controlling access to weapons. Meanwhile, in places like Minnesota, ICE (with Trump’s authorization) continues to carry out campaigns of terror. In our show this week, we’ll cover these sobering events and think about the greater issues they represent in our world; but, of course, we also have lefty commentator Keith Edwards on the show to talk about his own approach to covering breaking news and to building a successful independent platform. Watch below:

Keith’s cultivation of a massive YouTube following, which he’s acquired quite recently, gives us a lot of insight into what leftists and normie Dems are looking to learn about in the news media they consume. In part, Keith is giving the people what we want: Other outlets aren’t digging into the dishier elements of American political life, like whatever the heck is going on between Vance, Erica Kirk, and Usha Vance (who seems to be distancing herself from the whole situation). But that’s not the only reason he’s made a name for himself recently. He’s tapped into a vein of discontent with the Democratic Party, increasingly revealing itself as even more incompetent than we thought at opposing the far right. He’s also covering the impact that ICE has had in tearing apart communities, violating basic civil rights. Keith’s channel has an incredibly wide range in the topics it covers, as well as depth in its analysis, so we highly recommend checking it out.

Is it time for accelerationism? We talk about how everything just seems to be getting worse, and how Trump is hitting the gas on destroying American life. There’s always the belief that, as we put it, voters have to “touch the hot stove” and see how bad things can get (and they’re getting pretty bad!) before they fully reject and denounce Trumpism. After all, most anti-Trump politicians are famously bad at offering alternatives that appeal to working-class voters. At the same time, it might be the case that the possibility of coalition between liberals and leftists seems closer than ever. The Republican coalition is undergoing an absolute meltdown, with fragmentation over everything from Trump’s handling of the Epstein files to antisemitism and Islamophobia in the party. We’re looking at a political landscape that could blow up at any moment. Keith takes us through the moment we’re living in and where the conventional arrangement of American politics is headed.

Thanks for joining us — and thank you for your support as a paying subscriber! You can listen to this episode tomorrow on major streaming platforms, as well as here on Substack.