1041 - Memos of Understanding feat. Ryan Grim and Jeremy Scahill (6/1/26)

Chapo tech correspondent and AI skeptic Ed Zitron is back to mourn Our Keir, a good man struck down in his prime. What will the future hold for the UK, and are the writers foreshadowing 2029 in America? We then turn to the world of AI, where more and more companies are struggling to find an ROI on AI and OpenAI is burning unfathomable amounts of money. Plus: Elon Musk’s trillionaire status, the government banning AI models, and the cross-partisan desire to turn the clock back to 2014. Subscribe to Ed: wheresyoured.at  A discount link for 20$ off: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/oNV2MQLbgl  Get CHUNKS here: https://www.patreon.com/chunkstv

Will and Felix are in person to celebrate two great victories this week: the IRGC and the New York Knicks. The two also review “UFC Freedom 250” on the White House lawn, with Will as our entry point into and Felix as our expert in the field of MMA. Plus: we also discuss Eric Trump’s brilliant plan to gamble on the fights.

McMansion Hell writer and architecture critic Kate Wagner joins us for an early review of the Obama Presidential Center. We talk about its design, its architecture, its cloying message of “HOPE” that feels like Ludovico conditioning, and what it means as a final, definitive end of the Obama era and the Long 2010s. Check out McMansion Hell: https://mcmansionhell.com/ Follow Kate Wagner on X: https://x.com/mcmansionhell?lang=en And Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/katewagner.wehwalt.net

Ryan and Jeremy of Drop Site News return on Day 94 of the Special Military Operation in Iran, with breaking news about the ongoing ceasefire negotiations. We survey the (bleak) state of affairs across the globe, from Lebanon to Palestine to the looming regime change in Cuba. We also discuss the Israel lobby’s attempted counterinsurgency and the “Israel Day Parade” in NYC. Subscribe to Drop Site here: https://www.dropsitenews.com/

Bryan Quinby and Chris James from Guys are here for an analysis of the newest “assassination attempt” on President Trump. We also talk about lunch, early Chapo touring memories, and cap things off with a discussion of Tyler Austin Harper’s ode to Miller Lite in The Atlantic. Check out Guys here (or wherever you get your podcasts): https://www.patreon.com/GuysPodcast Check out Guys live in Toronto June 5: https://www.theguysery.com/products/guys-live-in-toronto And follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murderxbryan/?hl=en

The Turbulence crew returns to discuss the state of the Iran War, including potential escalations and Trump taking possibly the first real L of his entire political career. We also talk about the horrifying Nicholas Kristof story about rape in Israeli prisons, discuss AOC vs. MTG, and then close things out on a lighter note with a Wall Street Journal op-ed about how China doesn’t have babes.

LA city councilmember Nithya Raman returns to the show to talk about her insurgent campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles. They discuss the city's converging crises and how corporate landlords, the police union, and MAGA are conspiring against working people. They discuss housing costs, homelessness, immigration and ICE, public transit, the budget, and the strange rise of Spencer Pratt as Karen Bass and national right-wing money turn the race into a perfect LA spectacle. Find out all about the campaign here: http://nithyaforthecity.com

Libby Watson of What’s All This Then? returns to the show to talk about the tragic downfall of Our Keir, whose Labour Party lost massively in recent local elections. We also talk about a golden statue of Trump built by Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews and the UK Parliament’s (reported) drinking problem. Finally, we have a Chapo reading series double feature: Richard Dawkins thinks Claude is real and a babe, and Megan McArdle wants to heal the nation with memes. Check out What’s All This Then? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-all-this-then-with-charlotte-mcdonnell-and/id1812045307 And catch her streams at: https://www.twitch.tv/libtron

Former character actor Peter Coyote joins Will to talk about his new book Smothered by Riches, a polemic on the collapse of the New Deal consensus and the legacy of the Powell memo. He and Will talk about the history of neoliberalism from the Chicago boys to Bill Clinton, Peter’s decades-long political life including time in an Anarchist theater troupe, and a bit of Zen Buddhism for good measure. Pick up a copy of Smothered by Riches wherever you can: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/smothered-by-riches-peter-coyote/1147458103

Will, Felix, and Alex take a break from the news this week to answer some Dear Prudies! We answer questions about nude dogsitter, several bad parents, an old swinger couple with a bedroom dilemma, and a man who is cartoonishly afraid of eating pussy. Really gross episode honestly, girlfriends beware. Follow Alex on Twitter: x.com/@Lowenaffchen Check out his show Fortune Kit: https://www.patreon.com/fortunekit And watch ChapoFYM: https://www.twitch.tv/chapotraphouse