By the early 2000s, only a handful of queer female characters had ever been featured on television. Then, The L Word entered the scene in 2004, exploring lesbian identity, friendship and sex over six seasons and a 2019 reboot. Now, two of The L Word's stars – Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig – are out with a new memoir So Gay For You. In today's episode, the authors talk with NPR's Juana Summers about the way representation of queer characters has changed since the 2000s, the parts of the show that didn't stand the test of time, and their tips for lifelong friendship.
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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Kristi Noem Understands the Assignment
As the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has made herself the official face of the Trump administration’s military crackdowns on protesters in Los Angeles, raids in majority-Democratic cities, and the deportations of student activists. How has she been able to consolidate so much power so quickly?
Guest: Seth Tupper, Editor-in-Chief of the South Dakota Searchlight
Ahilan Arulanantham, Co-Director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law
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Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.
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What Could Go Right? - The Capitalism Conundrum with John Cassidy
Does capitalism deserve its bad rap? Zachary and Emma speak with John Cassidy, longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and author of several acclaimed books on economics, including his recent work, Capitalism and Its Critics: A History from the Industrial Revolution to AI. He discusses the current sentiment on capitalism along with historical context and a look to the future. John also elaborates on the “arms race” within the AI industry, the impact of climate change on today’s economics, and the financial shock of recent globalization.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Watch the podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk
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This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 410. Palantir’s Psychohistory
We chat about Palantir and their role in enacting Trump’s executive order for a unified database across federal agencies and a master profile for every individual — and their larger role in bringing about the glorious new age of theocratic techno-nationalism for the West.
••• Trump Taps Palantir to Compile Data on Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html
••• ICE Just Paid Palantir Tens of Millions for ‘Complete Target Analysis of Known Populations’ https://www.404media.co/ice-just-paid-palantir-tens-of-millions-for-complete-target-analysis-of-known-populations/
Standing Plugs:
••• Order Jathan’s new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 2798: Behold the Mighty Transistor
Episode: 2798 Behold the Mighty Transistor. Today, a small item creates a large impact.
It Could Happen Here - Anti-Vax America: God’s Will
For Peter, the father of the deceased child and a member of a Mennonite community in West Texas, the death of his child was God’s will. Many in the Mennonite communities of Texas and across the United States do not vaccinate their children, and their anti-vaccination stance is in line with their general religiously informed practice of eschewing modernity and its technological advances. But it is not merely the few sectarian Mennonite communities that still exist in the United States that have taken a stance against vaccination. Mainstream evangelical and charismatic congregations that embrace much of the modern world have also embraced anti-vaccination beliefs. This episode explores the relationship between conservative Christianity, anti-vaccination beliefs, and contemporary right-wing politics.
Sources:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/texas-measles-outbreak-death-family/681985/
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2013/09/measles-outbreak-megachurch-kenneth-copeland-vaccines/
https://www.npr.org/2013/09/01/217746942/texas-megachurch-at-center-of-measles-outbreak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUGuJkVgXNA
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array(3) { [0]=> string(184) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/78d30acb-8463-4c40-a5ae-ae2d0145c9ff/17cb7c70-6679-4493-aaf6-b2fe010f30e1/image.jpg?t=1750141656&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }The World in Brief from The Economist - Trump urges Iran to surrender; oil markets get the jitters, and more
In a series of social-media posts, Donald Trump called on Iran to agree to an “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” and said that America knows the location of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
Global News Podcast - Trump demands Iran’s ‘unconditional surrender’
Donald Trump has demanded Iran's "unconditional surrender" and is said to be deciding if the US will join Israeli strikes on Iran. Also: offloading e-waste in Thailand, and how a 3D printed face changed a man's life.
The Source - After the deadly flood — questions, investigations and accountability
Thirteen people died after a heavy rainfall hit San Antonio. The city measured over six inches of rain— the tenth rainiest day in the city’s history. But was this high death toll avoidable? Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert joins us to talk about what went wrong and what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.
The Source - San Antonio braces for dangerous heat and humidity — with help from community workshops
The City of San Antonio and its partners are teaming up to host workshops and share resources on how to protect people, family, friends, and pets from the heat.