Author: Chapo Trap House

We give our annual post-Super Bowl report rating the spectacle and the ads, including the increasing, and increasingly funny, conservative opposition to the whole idea of “football”. Plus, a review of a tough week for Joe Biden, including a new round of trepidation about his age and fitness. Finally, we look at an amazing profile of Bill Ackman, a man who manages to be such an intense Wife Guy he’s ruined his wife’s life.

Today, executive director of the Electronic Intifada Ali Abunimah joins us to discuss the war in Palestine. We cover recent attempts to delegitimize and destroy UNRWA, atrocity propaganda, evolving capabilities of Palestinian resistance, changing attitudes towards Israel in the U.S., and the life, career and death of Palestinian author Refaat Alareer. Find the Electronic Intifada here: https://electronicintifada.net/ And on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheElectronicIntifada You can find Gaza Writes Back, the short story collection edited by Refaat Alareer, here: https://justworldbooks.com/books-by-title/gaza-writes-back/

Caleb, Patrick and Cameron of Pod About List stop by to take a look at the lighter side of news. Topics include: mandatory potty training in Utah, a Chinese spy bird, dick biting, and the international crisis of cousins. Pod About List is on tour with Home Planet soon, find all their dates here: https://www.swagpoop.com/shows And check out Home Planet’s recent video “Junior Associate” featuring Pat & Caleb here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLBMKU8f6KE&ab_channel=HomePlanet

Jake and Thomas from Pendejo Time join us to look at this year’s scuffle at the Texas border, and the brave trucker patriots volunteering for Civil War 2. Subscribe today for access to the full episode and all premium episodes! www.patreon.com/chapotraphouse

Alex Nichols a.k.a. @Lowenaffchen joins us to look at a series of certified Good Mental Moments from our top politicians. Then, we transition to doing a live listen to the new Tom McDonald feat. Ben Shapiro song FACTS. Is Ben bringing Tom down? Is that an AI or is Ben really that robotic? Do you really want to be talking compound interest in your rap verse? Alex puts on his Fortune Kit hat to discuss that and more. Check out Fortune Kit here or wherever you get pods: https://soundcloud.com/fortune-kit And the FYM podcast here or wherever you get pods: https://chapofym.podbean.com/

EDIT: Original file of this episode contained some muted audio clips. File is now fixed, redownload to correct. We start off today’s episode with a farewell to the DeSantis campaign as the Never Back Down PAC backs down, and dedicates its last days to puzzling through Iowa to the Moon Palace Retreat. We discuss Biden’s general lack of a coherent position going into this long, long general campaign, and how it’s leaving his would-be defenders in the lurch. BUT, for the main thrust of this ep, we celebrate one man: The Beekeeper. Because when the hive is threatened, when the Queen is producing faulty Offspring, then there’s one man you must call. To Bee or Not To Bee? To bee, bitch. Let’s keep some bees. Tickets to Talking Simpsons at SF Sketchfest on 1/24 here: https://sfsketchfest2024.sched.com/event/1VUtV/talking-simpsons

Well, here we are, Iowa Caucus day 2024. Considering we all took several points of permanent sanity damage this time 4 years ago, what’s insane this year is how on rails this whole thing is. Nonetheless, our elections correspondent Josh (@ettingermentum) returns to update us on the state of the races for 2024. We look at how Biden’s long-term hyper-commitment to Israel affects his chances, Trump’s advantages and disadvantages in his ‘24 campaign, the RFK Jr. of it all, and the race for #2 between the rest of the GOP candidates.. Find Josh’s newsletter here: https://www.ettingermentum.news/ Tickets to Talking Simpsons at SF Sketchfest on 1/24 here: https://sfsketchfest2024.sched.com/event/1VUtV/talking-simpsons

Ryan Grim shares an anecdote about democratic congressman and party hatchet-man Josh Gottheimer from his new book on The Squad. Subscribe today for access to the full episode and all premium episodes! www.patreon.com/chapotraphouse

We had some other news items to discuss, but the bulk of this episode is taken up with one piece of breaking news: Did you know that there's a tunnel under Eastern Pkwy? Yes we’re discussing the ridiculous story out of Brooklyn about a group of Chabad-Lubavitch members attempting to dig a secret and unlicensed tunnel under the streets of Crown Heights. We also take a look at Bill Ackman facing some blowback against his wife in his crusade against “academic plagiarism”. Alone, you come India. Buy Amber’s book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250269621/dirtbag

Will and guest Séamus Malekafzali discuss the Houthi Red Sea blockade. Subscribe today for access to the full episode and all premium episodes! www.patreon.com/chapotraphouse