The Gist - Barista Michelle Eisen on Face Tattoos, Short Staffs, and Union Shots Fired

Michelle Eisen, barista-turned-organizer from Buffalo's first unionized Starbucks, breaks down how Workers United grew from one store to hundreds—and why the real fight now is over pay, scheduling, and the right to keep your piercings. She pushes back on what she calls "the most aggressive union-busting in modern labor history."  Plus, examples of great journalism from The Daily on the Hole in The White House and The Atlantic on The Death Train. Also: a Spiel on tariffs, psyops, and Meet the Press mind games.

Produced by Corey Wara

Production Coordinator Ashley Khan

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1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: Trump, Hate Speech, And Free Speech

A Hitler-praising group chat. A government official with a self-proclaimed “Nazi-streak.” A swastika flag in a sitting U.S. representative’s office.

Those are a few of the racist, antisemitic forms of speech and expression tied to notable Republicans in recent weeks. Vice President JD Vance downplayed outrage over some of these incidents as “pearl clutching.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump signed a memo designating groups like “Antifa” and Black Lives Matter as terrorist organizations. It’s part of the administration’s larger effort to crack down on what it calls a widespread left-wing conspiracy to carry out acts of political violence.

In this installment of “If You Can Keep It,” our weekly series on the state of our democracy, we talk about the Trump administration and the fine lines between hate speech, violence, and political dissent.

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Consider This from NPR - What happens if Antifa is labeled a foreign terrorist organization

In a public roundtable, President Trump asked his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, to apply the designation to Antifa.


NPR's Ryan Lucas reports that it could have enormous consequences, including making it illegal to provide something as meager as a bottle of water to what the Trump administration deems to be Antifa.

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Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam and Connor Donevan, with audio engineering by Josephine Nyounai. It was edited by Justine Kenin and Krishnadev Calamur. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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Audio Mises Wire - Recognizing the Roots of the Current US Political Turmoil

No one doubts that the US is a politically and culturally divided nation. Contrary to much of public opinion, politicians like Donald Trump did not cause the crisis. Instead, as Lawrence Mead writes, they are a symptom of the government's assault on our culture.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/recognizing-roots-current-us-political-turmoil

CoinDesk Podcast Network - In The Middle of The Before and After with Ariel Wengroff

Ariel Wengroff, EVP, Marketing & Communications, Ledger, explores how media and crypto are converging around transparency, trust, and digital ownership in today’s evolving digital landscape.

In this episode of Gen C, Ariel Wengroff, EVP of Marketing & Communications, Ledger, reflects on her time at VICE and discusses the changing landscape of the media industry and the growing demand for truth and authenticity in the age of AI. In running marketing for the unicorn hardware company, Ledger, Ariel connects these shifts to Ledger’s vision of digital ownership—giving individuals control over their privacy, identity, and assets through secure signing and self-sovereign technology.

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-"Gen C" features host Sam Ewen. Executive produced by Uyen Truong.

The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Ballroom Is the Least Damning Thing to Happen to the White House

President Donald Trump’s privately funded plan to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom has Democrats like Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren fuming about “luxury” while they’ve shut down the government.


Presidents have remodeled the White House for over a century—from Harry Truman’s gut renovation to Barack Obama’s basketball court—yet only Trump gets scorn. Victor Davis Hanson breaks down the hypocrisy on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”


“Do we really want to know what belittles the White House? I mean, we're just coming off the Biden administration, where cocaine was found in a carrel in the West Wing. … Do you remember when Barack Obama was president? He brought in a whole cadre of Muslim Brotherhood people that were tied to Hamas Islamic terrorism. He brought an entourage, in 2012, into the White House. I remember, 2016, he thought it would be neat to have his favorite rappers in the White House. Kendrick Lamar—“Pimp a Butterfly.” Remember those lyrics about killing the police in the White House? That rapper—‘kill po-po,’ as he said. 


“We could go on with the embarrassing incidents. I won't mention what transpired between Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton right off the Oval Office in the presidential laboratory. But nonetheless, the ballroom was needed. 


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(0:00) Introduction

(3:09) Past White House Renovations

(4:37) California’s State Capitol

(6:02) Scandals in the White House

(7:34) Conclusion

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WSJ Minute Briefing - Constructive Trade Talks Boost U.S. Stocks to New Records

U.S. and Chinese representatives reported positive outlooks ahead of the Trump-Xi summit this week. Plus: Qualcomm’s shares rise after it announces a new AI chip. Katherine Sullivan hosts.


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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.

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WSJ What’s News - Qualcomm Takes on Nvidia in the AI Chip Race

P.M. Edition for Oct. 27. Shares of Qualcomm rose 11% today after the company announced that it plans to launch new artificial-intelligence accelerator chips. We hear from WSJ reporter Robbie Whelan about what the entrance of Qualcomm, which has so far mostly focused on chips for mobile devices, means for the AI race. Plus, the Caribbean braces for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, which has developed into a Category 5 hurricane. Journal reporter Joseph De Avila discusses the damage the storm is expected to inflict, and where. And Sudanese rebels have captured the last government stronghold in Darfur. Alex Ossola hosts.


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State of the World from NPR - The Impact of U.S. Strikes in the Caribbean

The small island country of Trinidad and Tobago is in the middle of an American military buildup. The U.S. has deployed warships and attacked alleged drug boats nearby, leaving residents on edge. We hear from fishermen who see drones in the sky and go to the funeral of someone presumed to have been killed by a U.S. strike.

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CoinDesk Podcast Network - Why Jan van Eck’s Firm Sat Out the Digital Asset Treasury Wave | Markets Outlook

Diving deep in the state of the markets with VanEck CEO Jan van Eck.

In today's Market Outlook, VanEck CEO Jan van Eck joins CoinDesk's Jennifer Sanasie to break down the current state of bitcoin, Ethereum, prediction markets, and infrastructure, sharing his target for BTC's price by the end of 2025. He also discusses the transformational impact of the GENIUS Act and how the timeline for market structure may impact investor outlook.

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Break the cycle of exploitation.Break down the barriers to truth.Break into the next generation of privacy.Break Free.Free to scroll without being monetized.Free from censorship.Freedom without fear.We deserve more when it comes to privacy. Experience the next generation of blockchain that is private and inclusive by design.Break free with Midnight, visit ⁠https://midnight.network/break-free⁠

-

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OwlTing (Nasdaq: OWLS) is building invisible rails for global payments. With OwlPay, businesses and users can bridge fiat and stablecoins, send money instantly across borders, and access stablecoin checkout at lower costs. Licensed worldwide, OwlTing delivers secure, compliant, and regulated infrastructure for the digital economy. Learn more at ⁠https://www.owlting.com/portal/?lang=en&utm_source=CoinDesk&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CoinDesk_Banner⁠.-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie.