WIRED Politics Lab - Laura Loomer: The ‘Free Spirit’ Whispering in Trump’s Ear

From political fundraisers to the presidential debate to a September 11 commemoration, far-right influencer Laura Loomer has become a staple in former president Donald Trump’s political entourage. WIRED’s David Gilbert and Tim Marchman join Leah to discuss Loomer’s history of conspiracies, Islamophobia, and how she ended up in Trump’s orbit.


Leah Feiger is @LeahFeiger.  David Gilbert is @DaithaiGilbert. Tim Marchman is @timmarchman. Write to us at politicslab@WIRED.com. Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here.


Mentioned this week: 

Laura Loomer Is MAGA at Its Most Extreme—and She’s Closer to Donald Trump Than Ever by David Gilbert

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Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova - Should You Be Able to Bet On the Election?

Kalshi, a company that offers prediction markets, sued the US government in an effort to legalize betting on elections. Nate and Maria discuss the pros and cons of election prediction markets. Plus, Nate gives an election update and Maria learns what to do when there’s no plus-EV move.

Further Reading:

Ready Your Bets: Election gambling is going mainstream in the US from Politico

Election Betting Halted After Appeals Court Agrees to Hit the Breaks from WSJ

Betting On Elections Can Tell Us A Lot. Why Is It Mostly Illegal? from the New Yorker

For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:

The Leap from Maria Konnikova

Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver 

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It Could Happen Here - An Update On The Revolution in Myanmar

James talks to Billy Ford of the USIP about the developments in the conflict in Myanmar, the recent and disastrous flooding, the situation in Rakhine State, and how the Junta is holding onto power despite massive losses.

Sources:

https://thediplomat.com/2024/09/arakan-army-commander-in-chief-twan-mrat-naing-on-the-future-of-rakhine-state/

https://www.irrawaddy.com/in-person/interview/aa-chief-arakan-armys-vision-for-myanmar-is-federal-union-of-ethnic-and-bamar-peoples.html

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Lost Debate - New York’s Political Crisis is an American Crisis

Journalist and political commentator Ross Barkan joins Ravi to dissect the state of New York City politics under Mayor Eric Adams. They explore the multiple federal probes into Adams’ administration, the unprecedented turnover in key leadership positions, and how the current turmoil could impact the upcoming mayoral race.


Ravi and Ross then delve into the challenges of governing in America, from how the struggles in New York mirror those faced by cities and towns nationwide to the ways complex bureaucracies can impede progress and allow public officials to evade accountability.


Are you an undecided voter? We want to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text at 321-200-0570. Make sure to tell us where you're from and the issues that matter most to you.


Follow Ross at @rossbarkan

Follow Ravi at @ravimgupta

Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia


Notes from this episode are available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/


Lost Debate is available on the following platforms: 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ravimgupta

Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vTERJNTc1ODE3Mzk3Nw 

iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-lost-debate-88330217/

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/752ca262-2801-466d-9654-2024de72bd1f/the-lost-debate

1A - Highlights From The 2024 National Book Festival

Book festivals are special events where authors are celebrities and audiences are bookworms ready to nerd out among their our own.

Every year, more than 100 of these festivals take place nationwide. And one of the largest is in the nation's capital, hosted by the world's biggest library: The Library of Congress.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden joins us to discuss highlights from this year's National Book Festival, in Washington D.C.

We hear from some of the country's most prominent authors on their latest works, and the inspiration behind their craft.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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Consider This from NPR - Israel rigged pagers and radios to explode across Lebanon

Two unusual attacks against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah come at a time when negotiations over a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have stalled. What could this mean for the region, and the threat of an all-out war?

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Consider This from NPR - Israel rigged pagers and radios to explode across Lebanon

Two unusual attacks against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah come at a time when negotiations over a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have stalled. What could this mean for the region, and the threat of an all-out war?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

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This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 368. Building the Most Lethal University

Keeping with our recent theme of exploring the relations between the military and tech sector, we jump off a great essay in The Baffler to discuss a crucial part of this complex: university research. Universities – especially, academics in STEM faculties – must be understood as defense contractors who are partners with the military (and adjacent agencies); they advance the military’s goals and are dependent on the military’s cash. You can call them “research grants,” you can say their purpose is to “advancing knowledge,” you can extoll the benefits of “supporting academics and higher education,” but those are just euphemisms for the realities of the military-industrial-university complex. ••• War Machine Learning https://thebaffler.com/salvos/war-machine-learning-mccarthy Subscribe to hear more analysis and commentary in our premium episodes every week! https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (www.x.com/jathansadowski) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (www.x.com/braunestahl)

Pod Save America - Harris Denounces Trump’s Pet-Eating Conspiracy

Kamala Harris drives a contrast message with an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists and gives a searing answer about Trump and Vance's lies about Haitian immigrants. Dan and guest host Addisu Demissie discuss Harris's off-the-cuff performance, how she can keep her momentum up post-debate, and Donald Trump's snoozer of a town hall in Michigan. Then they break down the latest polls and the overall state of the race with less than 50 days to go before the election.

 

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.