This Machine Kills - 411. Big Easy’s Big Brother

We get into a secret partnership between the New Orleans Police Department and Project NOLA, a private nonprofit organisation that owns and operates an extensive network of cameras blanketing New Orleans. For years, Project NOLA has been running live facial recognition through their cameras and sending automated notifications to the police when a match is made using Project NOLA’s privately maintained list of “wanted people.” By going through an unofficial private partner, police have been able to sidestep and undermine legal prohibition on their use of AI technologies like facial recognition. We get into the history of using New Orleans as a testbed for policing technology, the dangerous precedent being set by this public-private relationship, and how this surveillance nightmare is on track to become even more expansive and unleashed thanks to potential policy changes. ••• Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/19/live-facial-recognition-police-new-orleans/ ••• A bad facial recognition match costs Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto's office. See how much https://www.nola.com/news/jefferson_parish/facial-recognition-sheriff/article_3ed262bc-e360-4383-82fb-728b3783cb93.html ••• New Orleans City Council proposed ordinance https://cityofno.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=42&clip_id=5115&meta_id=741682 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)

Native America Calling - Tuesday, June 24, 2025 – Tribal cannabis operations both welcomed and scorned

Minnesota is the first state to sign compacts with tribes for cannabis operations. The White Earth Nation just opened that state’s first off-reservation recreational marijuana retail store. A second store is already in the works with the tribe envisioning as many as eight dispensaries statewide. But as some tribes lead the way with economic development potential for cannabis, some other tribes elsewhere are subject to law enforcement actions and regulatory hurdles. We’ll hear about both the success stories and dead ends for tribal cannabis operations.

GUESTS

Mary Jane Oatman (Nez Perce and Delaware), executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and founder of THC Magazine

Lester Marston (Cahuilla), attorney and tribal court judge

Blake Johnson (Dakota), president of Prairie Island CBH Inc.

Zach Wilson, CEO of Waabigwan Mashkiki LLC

 

Break 1 Music: Intertribal Song (song) Dakota Nation (artist) Home of the Champions (album)

Break 2 Music: The Wild One (song) Link Wray (artist)

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: What is ‘Skunkworks’?

For almost 80 years, Lockheed Martin has been working hand in hand with the US government to create cutting-edge, classified tech and craft, working in secret to build some of the world's most iconic spy planes. Nowadays, the so-called "Skunk Works" are more open about their projects ... or are they? Tune in to learn more.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - Dividing the World, Pt. 1 feat. Andrew

James and Andrew discuss different ways of splitting up the world, and what they tell us about the way their proponents see the world.

Sources/Links:

Rome: https://europe.factsanddetails.com/article/entry-1087.html

China: Rome, China, and the Barbarians Ethnographic Traditions and the Transformation of Empires by Randolph B. Ford

European Colonialism: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1mf71b8.7?seq=1

Edward Said - Orientalism

Benedict Anderson - Imagined Communities

John Lewis Gaddis - The Cold War: A New History Samuel Huntington - Clash of Civilisations

Immanuel Wallerstein - The Modern World System

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/elia-j-ayoub-the-periphery-has-no-time-for-binaries

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - Strange News: Iran, Hidden History, Ghana, Corruption in Office, and More

Things are heating up in the Middle East -- as the world studies a possible correlation between pizza orders and US military activity, the United States Air Force and Navy launch the largest B-2 operation in history, striking multiple sites in the nation of Iran. A curious trade group in Ghana protests a new tax regime. Over in Chicago, a long-serving legislator gets popped for frankly cartoonish levels of corruption. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Allusionist - 211. Four Letter Words: -gate

The other day was the 53rd anniversary of the break-in at the Watergate Hotel, which not only caused a lot of political uproar, it had a big linguistic legacy: the suffix -gate to mean a scandal. Today, as part of Four Letter Word season, we have a list of -gates - royal, sporting, political, food, showbiz - it's a non-exhaustive list because there are so many, and new ones are being spawned all the time. Content warning for all sorts of bad human behaviour.

At theallusionist.org/gate you'll find a transcript of this episode, plus links to more information about many of the -gates, and to the rest of Four Letter Word season.

Also check theallusionist.org/events for upcoming live shows, including a special collab with Material Girls podcast, and an event with Samin Nosrat for her new book Good Things.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, livestreams with me and my collection of dictionaries, and the charming and supportive Allusioverse Discord community.

This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. The music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.

Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow. 

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk compellingly about your product, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Understance, a growing Vancouver BC company making thoughtfully designed, pretty and comfy bras, undies and sleepwear. They’re having a sale on June 26-July 1 so get over there and stock up at understance.com or at their stores in Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary and Toronto.

• Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running your online forever home. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.

• Home Chef, meal kits that fit your needs. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering Allusionist listeners fifty per cent off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life, at HomeChef.com/allusionist.

• Rosetta Stone, immersive and effective language learning. Allusionist listeners get 50% off unlimited access to all 25 language courses, for life: go to rosettastone.com/allusionist.

• Quince, luxurious clothing and homewares at prices 50-80% lower than comparable brands. Go to Quince.com/allusionist for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.



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Good Bad Billionaire - Coming soon: Good Bad Dead Billionaire

We’re back – but with a difference! Find out how some of the world's most famous dead billionaires made their money. Meet five billionaires who helped build the United States of America. First up: oil tycoon John D Rockefeller, the world’s first billionaire. Simon Jack and Zing Tsjeng also revisit the lives of motor magnate Henry Ford, the aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes, Walmart founder Sam Walton, and Hetty Green - once dubbed “The Witch of Wall Street”. These iconic billionaires may be dead, but their fingerprints are everywhere in modern industry - in business trusts, IPOs, and mass production. They did it all first, but how did they make their billions? Season 4 of Good Bad Dead billionaire starts on Monday 7 July 2025. And this season, we really want to know what you think - are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? Email goodbadbillionaire@bbc.co.uk or send a voice message or text to 001 917 686 1176. Don’t forget to leave your name. We might read your comments out.

Native America Calling - Monday, June 23, 2025 – Deb Haaland’s next chapter in public service

Deb Haaland’s (Laguna Pueblo) political star rose fast, from heading her state party to congresswoman to U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Each step of the way she blazed a trail for Native women. As the head of the agency that oversees Indian Affairs, Haaland championed a first-of-its-kind documentation of the U.S. Government’s role in the Indian Boarding School Era, drawing on both public records and first-hand testimony from survivors and their descendants. Now, she aims to become the first female Native American governor in her home state of New Mexico. We’ll hear from Haaland about her legacy as Interior Secretary and her hopes for the future.

The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State. It’s one of the factors endangering salmon along the Columbia River. (Photo: Bureau of Reclamation via Flickr/CC)

We’ll also get perspectives on the historic agreement between the federal government and Northwest tribes to protect endangered salmon, and the equally historic decision by President Donald Trump to rescind that agreement. We’ll discuss what it means for salmon and the trust in the federal government.

GUESTS

Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), former U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Erik Holt (Nez Perce), chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe Fish and Wildlife Commission

Jeremy Takala (Yakama), member of the Yakama Nation tribal council and the chair of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

 

Break 1 Music: On the Road Missing Home (Corn Dance) (song) Sheldon Sundown (artist) Hand Drum/Smoke N’ Round Dance (album)

Break 2 Music: The Wild One (song) Link Wray (artist)

It Could Happen Here - A Medical Perspective On Protest Safety

In a rare ICHH and House of Pod Joint Episode, James is joined by Miriam, Kaveh, and Dr. Richard Ferro to discuss street medicine, police use of irritants and less-than-lethal weapons and how to keep each other safe.

Links:

https://lapdonlinestrgeacc.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/lapdonlinemedia/2021/12/Directive_17.1_40mm_Less_Lethal_Launcher_Oct-.pdf

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1310-live-like-the-world-is-dy-85677729/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - CZM Book Club: Two More Stories by Leo Tolstoy

Margaret reads you two more stories about anticapitalism and religion. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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