Pop Culture Commodity Warfare @ New York Comic Con

The gang discuss the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, memetic nazi accelerationism, tariff rebates, and Trump’s new $1.776 billion slush fund from a lawsuit against his own IRS. Fundraiser: https://goodbricks.org/campaign/icsd.org/official-icsd-victim---family-support-fund Sources: https://www.patreon.com/posts/lets-talk-about-158456324 https://www.blm.gov/policy/ib-2024-024  https://huffman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/huffman-celebrates-bureau-of-land-managements-decision-to-cease-use-of-cyanide-bombs-on-public-lands  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/climate/cyanide-bombs-public-lands.html https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2057144264526598381?s=20 https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-10179.pdf https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/2056411947982115207?s=20 https://x.com/usf_army/status/2056395215833903335?s=20 https://x.com/cecelou18/status/2056746877798817830?s=20 https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/051526zr_1a72.pdf https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/102325-alpr-revised-surveillance-report.pdf  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3628735046 https://x.com/PGSA_IRAN/status/2056359507203142013?s=20  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/letlow-fleming-advance-to-runoff-louisiana-gop-senate-primary-cbs-news-projects/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/185  https://x.com/USAfricaCommand/status/2055614134851424487?s=20  https://www.africom.mil/pressrelease/36568/isis-number-two-killed-in-nigeria https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2053890390126665819?s=20 https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2053889711567970589?s=20 https://apnews.com/article/massie-gallrein-trump-kentucky-republican-primary-03a658b1a45593ad04ebf6283a3fdb47 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/17/massie-aipac-record-spending-israel-maga-trump-primary-00925375 https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116602192066577324 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/19/us/politics/republican-senators-trump-paxton.html https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-dismisses-lawsuit-against-irs-court-filing-shows-2026-05-18/ https://www.ft.com/content/57334fae-a475-4ab0-a202-8df3766927e4?syn-25a6b1a6=1  https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/5/20/bolivian-president-to-reshuffle-cabinet-amid-anti-government-protests https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/5/18/clashes-as-morales-allied-protesters-march-on-bolivian-capital https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/what-is-behind-bolivias-widening-protests-2026-05-18/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garrison attends New York Comic Con to investigate the (pop) culture war and why anime is beating western superhero comics. Oh also Lego Batman is here for some reason. Sources: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2018/report-anime-fest@nycc/.137926 https://yattatachi.com/anime-nyc-review-it-begins-anew https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/dc-cancels-red-hood-comic-book-series-charlie-kirk-1236368576/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/demon-slayer-infinity-castle-record-box-office-opening-1236370035/ https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-strengthens-strategtic-parternship-with-mappa https://animebythenumbers.substack.com/p/2025-netflix-anime-year-in-review https://www.comicsbeat.com/tilting-at-windmills-297-bookscan-2023-comics-sales-sag-but-scholastic-was-still-a-powerhouse/ https://www.diversetechgeek.com/2023-bookstore-graphic-novel-sales/  https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-behind-the-growing-popularity-of-japanese-comics-and-animations-in-u-s https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/61689/manga-week-comic-stores-pace-manga-growth-2025   https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/andor-creator-tony-gilroy-gives-the-interview-1236510166/ https://variety.com/2025/film/news/james-gunn-superman-immigrant-backlash-response-1236449068/ https://deadline.com/2026/01/kathleen-kennedy-exit-interview-1236665253/ https://www.cbr.com/dc-jim-lee-manga-beats-western-comics/ https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-worlds-top-media-franchises-by-all-time-revenue/ https://animehunch.com/hideaki-anno-anime-shouldnt-be-made-with-western-audience/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/11/japan/japan-anime-games-content/ https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20251224-300194/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia tells Molly about monopsony and how economists conspired to bury the theories that explain your wages. Sources: https://archive.org/details/bnarchives_0333 https://strangematters.coop/frederic-s-lee-profile-part-one/ https://www.jstor.org/stable/29769757?if_data=e30%3D&seq=1 https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/14/g-s1-117075/the-labor-economics-of-alien-and-its-lessons-for-inequality-on-earth https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/21/g-s1-118071/the-hidden-power-keeping-wages-lowSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James is joined by Molly to discuss how the Bureau of Land Management is quietly changing its approach to public land management and what it means for approximately 900 bison in Central Montana. Sources: https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/810541893_202412_990_2025073023621659.pdf  https://gov.mt.gov/_docs/governor/AmericanPrairieProposedDecisionJanuary162026.pdf  https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-17537.pdf  https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-01-21/blm-cancels-bison-grazing-permits-for-montana-nature-reserve https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Governor_Gianforte_Appeals_Judges_APR_Bison_Grazing_Decision#:~:text=Following%20the%20judge's%20order%2C%20DNRC,appeal%20may%20be%20found%20here.  https://t.co/HUAyMUnOVi  https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/06/18/business-leaders-provide-green-behind-conservation-effort/28960843/  https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-revokes-american-prairie-bison-grazing-permit https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/estatetaxfinal.pdf  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/12/2026-09386/rescission-of-conservation-and-landscape-health-rule   https://www.blm.gov/about/laws-and-regulations/conservation-and-landscape-health-rule  https://largetribes.org/2026/02/affirmative-action-for-cattle-tribes-challenge-feds-plan-to-revoke-bison-grazing-leases-on-public-land-media-share/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garrison talks with James about FBI arrests for illegal voting and Trump’s efforts to seize state voter rolls to investigate election officials and restrict voting.  Sources: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/multiple-aliens-charged-illegally-voting-federal-elections-and-making-false-statements  https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1439301/dl?inline https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1439296/dl?inline https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1439291/dl?inline https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/media/1439286/dl?inline https://www.michigan.gov/ag/-/media/Project/Websites/AG/releases/2026/April/DOJ-Letter-to-Wayne-County.pdf https://www.brennancenter.org/media/15517/download/ri-hearing-transcript-2026-03-26.pdf?inline=1 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/politics/minnesota-trump-voter-rolls.html https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2026/05/06/justice-department-can-keep-2020-election-ballots-seized-from-georgias-fulton-county-judge-rules/  https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/tracker-justice-department-requests-voter-information See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Margaret continues with the final part of a gutting story about rejection and re-accimlationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.  - Fighting Back Against the Surveillance State - Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy and the Spectre of Left-Wing Violence - Parasitism with Andrew - The Return of Jim Crow - Executive Disorder: Virginia Redistricting, Renaming the Iran War, TPUSA Event Cancelled by ANTIFA You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Fighting Back Against the Surveillance State https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/meet-rayhunter-new-open-source-tool-eff-detect-cellular-spying https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-402_h315.pdf  https://citizenlab.ca/research/analysis-of-penlinks-ad-based-geolocation-surveillance-tech/ https://colonelpanic.tech/ SSD.eff.org  Rayhunter.eff.org https://www.open-archive.org/save Trump’s New Counterterrorism Strategy and the Spectre of Left-Wing Violence https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-USCT-Strategy-1.pdf https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NSCT.pdf  https://icct.nl/sites/default/files/import/publication/NSC-1v2.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20210615130908/https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/National-Strategy-for-Countering-Domestic-Terrorism.pdf https://www.fbi.gov/news/speeches-and-testimony/confronting-white-supremacy-examining-the-biden-administrations-counterterrorism-strategy-langan-092921  https://web.archive.org/web/20210615101231/https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/15/fact-sheet-national-strategy-for-countering-domestic-terrorism/ https://www.gao.gov/blog/rising-threat-domestic-terrorism-u.s.-and-federal-efforts-combat-it https://uncoverdc.com/2023/02/08/the-fbi-doubles-down-on-christians-and-white-supremacy-in-2023/ https://angelusnews.com/news/nation/fbi-memo-investigation-update/ https://defendinged.org/press-releases/full-nsba-letter-to-biden-administration-and-department-of-justice-memo/ https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/us-house-judiciary-republicans-doj-labeled-dozens-of-parents-as-terrorist https://www.justice.gov/archives/ag/file/1170061-0/dl?inline=  https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism Parasitism with Andrew Progress by Samuel Miller McDonald Worshiping Power by Peter Gelderloos The Return of Jim Crow https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/louisiana-v-callais/ https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-4/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/court-gives-immediate-effect-to-voting-rights-act-decision/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/after-major-voting-rights-ruling-parties-dispute-whether-the-court-should-finalize-decision-imme/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/court-clears-way-for-alabama-to-use-congressional-map-blocked-by-lower-court-as-racially-discrim/ https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/supreme-court/5872963-supreme-court-voting-rights/ https://www.ms.now/opinion/supreme-court-louisiana-callais-black-vote-warning https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/12/voting_rights_scotus https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/05/supreme-court-alabama-voting-sotomayor-dissent-alito.html Executive Disorder: Virginia Redistricting, Renaming the Iran War, TPUSA Event Cancelled by ANTIFA https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON600  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgzv77ldpdo https://www.calbee.co.jp/en/news/pdf/174-29160.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/051126zr_apl1.pdf https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2052477681036583183?s=20 https://x.com/pastormarkburns/status/2052227145921892710?s=20 ttps://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/30-percent-of-americans-think-at-least-one-trump-assassination-attempt-was-staged https://x.com/i/status/2053865929633661046  https://x.com/diyarkurda/status/2054268681362804860?s=20  https://www.jpost.com/international/article-895828  https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf  https://x.com/Reuters/status/2053897929174188187?s=20  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-iran-military-aircraft-on-its-airfields-us-mediator-role/  https://www.c6f.navy.mil/Press-Room/News/Article/4482914/a-us-navy-ballistic-missile-submarine-arrived-in-gibraltar-may-10-2026/ https://www.them.us/story/uw-students-protest-turning-point-usa-after-trans-student-homicide https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2054289485303525720 https://x.com/ChloeCole/status/2054365092054286605?s=20 https://www.vacourts.gov/static/opinions/opnscvwp/1260127.pdf  https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A1240/408563/20260511151941216_25A%20Application%20for%20Stay.pdf  https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/11/politics/virginia-redistricting-us-supreme-court  https://newrepublic.com/article/210250/trump-virginia-dems-redistricting-warSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss how many Americans think Trump’s assassination was staged, alleged threats over an anti-trans event at the University of Washington, how the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the new district map, Trump’s criticism of the Kurds, and if we are still at war with Iran?  Sources: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON600  https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgzv77ldpdo https://www.calbee.co.jp/en/news/pdf/174-29160.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/051126zr_apl1.pdf https://x.com/joekent16jan19/status/2052477681036583183?s=20 https://x.com/pastormarkburns/status/2052227145921892710?s=20 ttps://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/30-percent-of-americans-think-at-least-one-trump-assassination-attempt-was-staged https://x.com/i/status/2053865929633661046  https://x.com/diyarkurda/status/2054268681362804860?s=20  https://www.jpost.com/international/article-895828  https://x.com/mb_ghalibaf  https://x.com/Reuters/status/2053897929174188187?s=20  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pakistan-iran-military-aircraft-on-its-airfields-us-mediator-role/  https://www.c6f.navy.mil/Press-Room/News/Article/4482914/a-us-navy-ballistic-missile-submarine-arrived-in-gibraltar-may-10-2026/ https://www.them.us/story/uw-students-protest-turning-point-usa-after-trans-student-homicide https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/2054289485303525720 https://x.com/ChloeCole/status/2054365092054286605?s=20 https://www.vacourts.gov/static/opinions/opnscvwp/1260127.pdf  https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A1240/408563/20260511151941216_25A%20Application%20for%20Stay.pdf  https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/11/politics/virginia-redistricting-us-supreme-court  https://newrepublic.com/article/210250/trump-virginia-dems-redistricting-warSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mia discusses the impact of the Supreme Court dismantling the Voting Rights Act and how it marks a return to overt Jim Crow white supremacy. Sources: https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/louisiana-v-callais/ https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-4/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/court-gives-immediate-effect-to-voting-rights-act-decision/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/04/after-major-voting-rights-ruling-parties-dispute-whether-the-court-should-finalize-decision-imme/ https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/05/court-clears-way-for-alabama-to-use-congressional-map-blocked-by-lower-court-as-racially-discrim/ https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/supreme-court/5872963-supreme-court-voting-rights/ https://www.ms.now/opinion/supreme-court-louisiana-callais-black-vote-warning https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/12/voting_rights_scotus https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/05/supreme-court-alabama-voting-sotomayor-dissent-alito.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew and Mia talk about the political of viewing humans as parasites. Sources: Progress by Samuel Miller McDonald Worshiping Power by Peter GelderloosSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.