UNLOCKED! Bonus Ep38 Absolute Power (1997)
I Don't Speak German
Originally published 11th April 2024. Our series on 'movies about presidents' continues with a fun discussion of this 1997 'thriller', written by legendary Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman based on the debut novel of David Baldacci, starring/produced/directed by noted chair-interviewer Clint Eastwood, and boasting a splendid cast - including recently-deceased screen legend Gene Hackman - none of whom are given anything very interesting to do. Clint plays a suave cat burglar - with the unlikely name of Luther Whitney - who accidentally witnesses the president of the United States sexually...
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133: The Mamdani Reaction
I Don't Speak German
After a brief review of Grok becoming 'MechaHitler', we chat about the hysterical meltdown that ensued upon Zohran Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primaries to become candidate for Mayor of New York. Jack brings his researches into the New York Times smear story and the fascist eugenicist blogger Jordan Lasker (AKA Cremieux) who gave the Times the leaked info. Daniel brings clips of Megyn Kelly's unhinged Islamophobic response to Mamdani on her podcast, including a conversation with Charlie Kirk in which racism wars for inanity for supremacy. Content warnings. Episode Notes:...
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News Roundup: Groks and Bills and Alligators
I Don't Speak German
...oh my. Daniel and Jack talk about the latest lunacy with Musk and Grok, The Big Beautiful Bill, social murder, the expansion of ICE, recent SCOTUS rulings and the assaults on trans rights and birthright citizenship, Alligator Alcatraz, the horrifying flash floods in Texas and the cuts to the National Weather Service, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Big content warnings for this one. Lots of dead children in here. Because that's the news in July 2025. Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full...
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132: Why to Learn Spanish, with Craig Johnson
I Don't Speak German
We're delighted to welcome back Craig Johnson - of Fifteen Minutes of Fascism - to chat about the politics and value of native English speakers learning other languages, especially Spanish. Episode Notes: Spanish language papers: Pagina12: left Peronist, Argentina: Proceso, Mexico: elDiario.es and Público, Spain: , Again, not an endorsement of these as the best and most perfect news sources in the world, they have their own biases (esp regarding their own domestic left), but good for different perspectives. Craig: . Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the...
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131: Trump and South Africa, Duolingo and AI
I Don't Speak German
A News Roundup episode, and an episode of two halves. We start with a discussion of the recent public Oval Office meeting between Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa, in which Trump harangued the South African president with accusations of 'white genocide' based on 'evidence' which tracks straight back to people in our usual wheelhouse. Then we move on to a chat about the recent decision by language learning app Duolingo to replace loads of their contributors with AI, plus some dismaying news about Babbel, leading to a discussion of the impending AI jobs crisis. Then we cap it off with...
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130: South African Farm Murders and 'White Genocide', with Bianca van Wyk
I Don't Speak German
Daniel and Jack are joined by special guest, South African anti-disinformation advocate, Bianca van Wyk, to discuss the issue of 'South African farm murders', the reality vs the right-wing narrative, some of the bad actors pushing the fake version of the story, and the links to the 'white genocide' conspiracy theory. Bianca helps us get the whole thing into proper context, especially re South Africa's history and current politics. Also discussed: the recent fast-tracking of refugee status for white South Africans by the Trump administration, the US Right's embrace of the South...
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129: Conclave (2024), the Papacy, and Right-Wing Catholicism
I Don't Speak German
In this immediately out-of-date episode, Daniel and Jack discuss the 2024 movie Conclave in light of the (at the time of recording) underway 2025 Conclave in the Vatican to choose a new Pope. Both your hosts talk a little about their own religious backgrounds, review the film, and then get onto the politics of the Catholic Church, particularly the integration of right-wing US bishops with American reactionaries. Episode Notes: Show Notes: Please consider donating to help us make the show and stay ad-free and independent. Patrons get exclusive access to at least one full...
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News Brief: The JFK Files
I Don't Speak German
Trump released all the remaining secret JFK files! Except not really. And they're full of revelations! Except not really. (They're mainly full of people's social security numbers which, it transpires, is pretty much all the remaining redactions were hiding.) Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL) is leading a new congressional investigation! Er... no, she's inviting conspiracy theorists into Congress to confirm her ill-informed beliefs. The mystery is solved! Or deepens! Except nope nope and nope. In this impromptu News Brief, Jack and Daniel jump off...
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PREVIEW: Bonus 39 In the Line of Fire (1993)
I Don't Speak German
Our 'movies about presidents' series continues (probably for four more years) with a much better movie this time. 1993's Wolfgang Peterson joint In the Line of Fire, featuring Clint Eastwood again (are we... doing a Clint Eastwood season now?) as jaded old Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, veteran of a particular epic fail in Dallas 1963, up against the 90s serial killer shtick of rogue CIA super-assassin John Malkovich and, even more dauntingly, the merciless side-eye of fellow agent Rene Russo. A superior slice of 90s Hollywood nonsense with a nice line in gentle self-mockery and some...
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PREVIEW: Bonus Ep38 Absolute Power (1997)
I Don't Speak German
Our series on 'movies about presidents' continues with a fun discussion of this 1997 'thriller', written by legendary Hollywood screenwriter William Goldman based on the debut novel of David Baldacci, starring/produced/directed by noted chair-interviewer Clint Eastwood, and boasting a splendid cast - including recently-deceased screen legend Gene Hackman - none of whom are given anything very interesting to do. Clint plays a suave cat burglar - with the unlikely name of Luther Whitney - who accidentally witnesses the president of the United States sexually assaulting a woman (far-fetched,...
info_outlineAfter a brief review of Grok becoming 'MechaHitler', we chat about the hysterical meltdown that ensued upon Zohran Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primaries to become candidate for Mayor of New York. Jack brings his researches into the New York Times smear story and the fascist eugenicist blogger Jordan Lasker (AKA Cremieux) who gave the Times the leaked info. Daniel brings clips of Megyn Kelly's unhinged Islamophobic response to Mamdani on her podcast, including a conversation with Charlie Kirk in which racism wars for inanity for supremacy.
Content warnings.
Episode Notes:
NBC News, Asked to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,’ Mamdani says mayors shouldn’t ‘police speech’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggV2SeiGrVw
Zohran Mamdani told director mom Mira Nair to pass on Harry Potter movie
https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/news/zohran-mamdani-mira-nair-harry-potter-namesake-b2778144.html
"'She explained that she was just a month away from filming The Namesake when Warner Bros. reached out to her. Nair said she felt compelled to attend the meetings with the studio because her son had learned to read through J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books.
However, she didn’t want to give up on working on her own film, so she asked her then-14-year-old son what to do.
“He said to me, ‘Mamma, many good directors can make Harry Potter, but only you can make The Namesake,’” Nair recalled. “And it was such a liberating and clarifying statement, and it kind of is about how I lived my life. Like, what can I do that is so specific that you cannot do? How to make my distinctiveness my calling card.'"
The Times of India, Why MAGA Is Losing Its Mind Over Zohran Mamdami Eating Rice With His Hands
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/why-maga-is-losing-its-mind-over-zohran-mamdani-eating-rice-with-his-hand/articleshow/122209140.cms
"First, let’s get one thing straight: eating with your hands isn’t dirty, weird, or backward. It’s normal. In India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, parts of the Middle East, and even in some parts of Europe, using your hands to eat is a sign of connection—to the food, to your senses, to tradition.
But in the video of Mamdani eating with his fingers, Gill and his supporters saw something else. They didn’t see heritage. They saw a threat. Because in their worldview, anything outside the “white, Western” norm becomes fair game for mockery or suspicion.
It wasn’t about rice. It was about power."
Megyn Kelly Episode 1098: Tacky Celeb-Filled Bezos-Sanchez Wedding, and Zohran Mamdani's Fake Origin Story, with Walter Kirn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hj1yAA3Dqo&pp=ygUbbWVneW4ga2VsbHkgdGFja3kgYW5kIGdyb3Nz
Tweet from The Charilie Kirk Show on the value of eating with utensils.
https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1940114312124862947
Megyn Kelly (From Episode 1095): What It Means That Radical Socialist Muslim Zohran Mamdani WINS NYC Mayoral Primary, w/ Charlie Kirk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c09GVJu_Xn0&pp=ygUbY2hhcmxpZSBraXJrIHpvaHJhbiBtYW1kYW5p
The Times of India, Why MAGA Is Losing Its Mind Over Zohran Mamdami Eating Rice With His Hands
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/etimes/trending/why-maga-is-losing-its-mind-over-zohran-mamdani-eating-rice-with-his-hand/articleshow/122209140.cms
"First, let’s get one thing straight: eating with your hands isn’t dirty, weird, or backward. It’s normal. In India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, parts of the Middle East, and even in some parts of Europe, using your hands to eat is a sign of connection—to the food, to your senses, to tradition.
But in the video of Mamdani eating with his fingers, Gill and his supporters saw something else. They didn’t see heritage. They saw a threat. Because in their worldview, anything outside the “white, Western” norm becomes fair game for mockery or suspicion.
It wasn’t about rice. It was about power."
Mediaite, ‘Take it Down’: Fox News Host Scolds Charlie Kirk Over ‘Gross and Islamophobic’ Post
"'Tarlov shot back, “I’m not afraid to say that I don’t think Mamdani’s vision for the city is a good one and I think a lot of his policies are crazy – NYC is the home of capitalism, not socialism. I want more police funding, not to defund. BDS is repellent. We can’t freeze rent, making everything free. But none of that has to do with him being Muslim.'"
The Lauren Southern interview we reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNxG4EYF_-0
Vance follows Lasker https://talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things-stand/jd-vances-neofascist-reading-list
Capitolhunters thread on the Lasker academic paper scandal https://bsky.app/profile/capitolhunters.bsky.social/post/3lt4cc5tmpk2n
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/natal-conference-austin-texas-eugenics
https://www.cjr.org/news/times-mamdani-college-application-race-article-hack.php
https://www.commondreams.org/news/zohran-mamdani-new-york-times
https://bsky.app/profile/petersterne.com/post/3ltdkev7t2s24
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:kjjhbsc3pp3vkqjsivk6z2yd/post/3ltep4kvwfc2h
https://hellgatenyc.com/nyt-race-science-zohran-mamdani/
https://donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whos-afraid-of-zohran-mamdani
The ADL identify “every damn/single time” as antisemitic trope https://www.adl.org/resources/article/coded-hate-extremists-weaponize-seemingly-innocuous-content-promote-bigotry
https://jwmason.org/slackwire/can-zohran-do-it/
Lasker on Hanania’s podcast https://www.cspicenter.com/p/35-baby-brainwaves-and-broken-science-740
Show Notes:
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