Behind the Bastards

It Could Happen Here Weekly 213

December 20, 2025

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  • The consolidation of capital, exemplified by Larry Ellison's takeover of Paramount (which owns CBS) and Jeff Bezos's influence over the *Washington Post*, is actively facilitating a right-wing fascist takeover and ideological purge within major American media institutions. 
  • The Blue Bottle Union, operating independently against its parent company Nestlé, is facing intense union-busting tactics, including illegal firings over trivial matters and bad-faith bargaining, demonstrating the ruling class's deep hostility toward organized labor. 
  • Corporate legal arguments, such as the proposed 'management's rights' clause at Blue Bottle, reveal that powerful entities claim near-absolute control over workers' lives, justifying their authority not through law or logic, but through the sheer will to exert power. 
  • The Blue Bottle Union is actively engaged in bargaining, facing accusations of intermittent striking, and is calling for a boycott until contract demands are met and terminated workers are reinstated. 
  • The history of the Grenada Revolution, led by Maurice Bishop's New Jewel Movement, showcases a radical, anti-imperialist movement that ultimately collapsed due to internal ideological splits (moving toward Marxism-Leninism and vanguardism) and external US intervention. 
  • The internal collapse of the Grenada Revolution, marked by the execution of Maurice Bishop by Cord-loyalists, highlights the danger of revolutionary projects prioritizing secrecy and hierarchy over popular mandate, leading to societal trauma and the decline of the broader Caribbean left. 
  • The legacy of the Grenada Revolution remains deeply unhealed due to the US invasion, resulting in lasting social divisions and a subdued political consciousness among the populace. 
  • The hosts argue that the Grenada Revolution failed, in part, because it adopted authoritarian, personality-based politics reminiscent of colonial rule, rather than embracing immediate collective self-management. 
  • The 'Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #46' segment highlights alarming executive actions, including Trump designating fentanyl as a WMD, escalating rhetoric toward Venezuela potentially leading to war, and issuing an AI executive order designed to preemptively strike down state-level regulations, particularly those aimed at curbing rent-fixing algorithms. 
  • The discussion on mass shootings reveals a pattern of misinformation from political figures (like Trump's premature announcement regarding the Brown University shooter) and the dangers of online doxing campaigns against innocent individuals. 
  • The new Trump travel ban significantly expands restrictions to 20 additional countries and removes family-member visa exemptions, seemingly using immigration control as a coercive tool for foreign policy objectives. 
  • Steve Bannon is cited as believing that the current administration's attempt at an unenforceable Executive Order is an effort by 'Tech Bros' to line their pockets while alienating the MAGA base. 
  • The argument that society is running out of ideas, often used to justify AI reliance, is fundamentally flawed; the real issue is that it has become harder to profit from ideas due to increased complexity and a focus on venture capital returns rather than societal benefit. 
  • The decline in the rate of technological change is attributed both to the difficulty in finding large-scale, universally beneficial ideas (like indoor plumbing) and the massive increase in bureaucracy hindering researchers, exacerbated by current administration policies gutting funding for American science pipelines. 

Segments

Media Takeover by Billionaires
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(00:02:18)
  • Key Takeaway: The compilation episode of It Could Happen Here Weekly 213 begins with host Robert Evans introducing the week’s segments.
  • Summary: Robert Evans introduces the episode as a compilation of the week’s content for convenient listening. He notes that listeners who have followed the daily episodes will find no new material. The segment transitions into the main topic concerning the media.
Capitalist Press and NYT Battle
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(00:02:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The American press is fundamentally a capitalist press where reporting is a material product dependent on capital, leading to ideological battles within newsrooms, such as the New York Times controversy over publishing Tom Cotton’s ‘Send in the Troops’ op-ed.
  • Summary: The structural problem of the American press is its reliance on capital, which dictates the interests of journalists. The 2020 conflict at the New York Times over publishing a pro-military opinion piece against protesters highlighted this ideological tension. This danger to the ruling class was countered by rebranding strategies like ‘anti-woke.’
Bari Weiss’s Ideological Role
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(00:05:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Bari Weiss was an ‘ideological diversity hire’ at the New York Times, effectively affirmative action for white conservatives, who leveraged the Tom Cotton controversy to resign and launch her own platform, The Free Press.
  • Summary: Weiss was hired specifically to introduce pro-Trump figures into the New York Times opinion section. She resigned after the Tom Cotton op-ed debate, claiming a lack of ideological diversity, which the host frames as a calculated ‘grift.’ Weiss subsequently founded The Free Press, which was acquired by Larry Ellison.
Ellison’s CBS Purge
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(00:09:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Larry Ellison installed Bari Weiss as the ideological enforcer for his takeover of Paramount/CBS, leading to immediate and devastating purges, including the elimination of race and culture verticals at NBC and the closure of the CBS Africa bureau.
  • Summary: The installation of Weiss at CBS News followed Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount via Skydance, demonstrating that installing ideological hacks requires only the purchase of the company. Consequences included the firing of non-white staff and the dissolution of specialized teams like NBC Asian America, NBC Black, NBC Latino, and NBC Out.
Capital Concentration and Ellison’s Politics
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(00:12:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The increasing concentration of capital allows entities like Larry Ellison’s to swallow competitors, absorb intellectual property, and directly control cultural production and media narratives.
  • Summary: Media consolidation enables powerful individuals to consume competition, gaining control over cultural production regimes. Larry Ellison, who participated in calls to contest the 2020 election results, now advocates for pervasive AI surveillance over police and citizens. Ellison is also central to the conglomerate attempting to purchase TikTok and is involved in the bid for Warner Bros.
Bezos’s Washington Post Shift
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(00:16:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Jeff Bezos mandated that the Washington Post opinion pages must defend ‘personal liberties and free markets,’ leading to the resignation of his hand-picked editor, David Shipley, and a shift toward publishing right-wing editorial content.
  • Summary: Bezos explicitly stated that viewpoints opposing the pillars of personal liberties and free markets would not be published in the Post’s opinion section. This ideological tightening resulted in the paper publishing pieces supporting the rollback of anti-discrimination ordinances. Despite declining readership, the Post’s value remains its ability to shape elite D.C. thought.
Teen Vogue Elimination and Union Busting
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(00:19:22)
  • Key Takeaway: Condé Nast eliminated Teen Vogue as an independent outlet, destroying a key platform for radical leftist coverage on race, gender, and labor, while simultaneously engaging in illegal union-busting against workers protesting the changes.
  • Summary: Teen Vogue had seen readership explode due to its leftist coverage of labor and social struggles, but its elimination signals a broader crackdown on dissenting voices. Media unions are crucial because workers are generally less racist than bosses and actively push back against discriminatory firings. The ruling class viciously hates unions because they resist the untrammeled power of billionaires to dictate news coverage.
Blue Bottle Union Fight Continues
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(00:30:56)
  • Key Takeaway: The Blue Bottle Union, organized against Nestlé, has successfully executed multiple walkouts and a four-day strike after management escalated union-busting by firing key organizers over pretextual reasons like wearing green pants.
  • Summary: The union, which organized all Greater Boston locations and expanded to the East Bay, has faced constant resistance, including management declaring impasse over contract negotiations. The company’s lawyer demonstrated extreme bad faith by suggesting baristas’ financial struggles were due to paying for streaming services, not low wages. The union’s solidarity remains strong, evidenced by the successful strike following the illegal termination of members.
Blue Bottle Union Update
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(01:03:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Nestlé’s Blue Bottle management attempted to claim union walkouts were intermittent striking to avoid bargaining.
  • Summary: The union representative detailed management’s angry reaction to bargaining updates and their attempt to invalidate recent walkouts by labeling them as intermittent striking. The company lawyer admitted a less than 75% chance of winning that argument at the board. The union is currently calling for a boycott until a contract is secured or terminated workers are reinstated.
Grenada Context and Geography
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(01:09:23)
  • Key Takeaway: Grenada is a small, spice-producing Caribbean island state whose recent history is central to understanding regional revolutionary movements.
  • Summary: Grenada is the southernmost of the Windward Islands, known as the Spice Isle, with a population of just over 117,000 in a small area (133 sq miles). The host notes the current relevance of studying Grenada due to a recent US request to establish a temporary military radar base there. The island’s history involves protracted struggle against European colonization before achieving independence in 1974.
Caribbean Radicalism Context
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(01:16:40)
  • Key Takeaway: The late 1960s and early 1970s saw widespread radical agitation across the Caribbean, influencing Grenada’s New Jewel Movement.
  • Summary: The New Jewel Movement (NJM) emerged from a regional wave of radicalism, including revolts in the Dominican Republic, strikes in Curacao, and the Black Power revolution in Trinidad in 1970. This era saw Caribbean radicals shifting from Stalinism toward more democratic socialist ideals influenced by figures like C.L.R. James. The NJM initially formed from two groups: the Movement for Assemblies of the People and JUWEL.
NJM Rise to Power
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(01:27:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The New Jewel Movement seized power in a completely bloodless coup in 1979 while Eric Gairy was attending a UN meeting.
  • Summary: The NJM executed a bloodless coup on March 13, 1979, by taking control of army barracks and radio stations while Prime Minister Eric Gairy was in New York. The population’s strong anti-Gairy sentiment led citizens to comply immediately when asked to demand police surrender by displaying white flags. The NJM established the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG) but chose not to immediately solidify power with elections and banned other parties.
PRG Early Reforms and Flaws
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(01:42:22)
  • Key Takeaway: The PRG implemented positive social programs like education expansion and maternity leave but struggled with internal gender inequality and a shift toward militarism.
  • Summary: Early PRG efforts included organizing popular education centers, improving teacher training, and introducing maternity leave, though party women were pressured to return to work immediately. The government moved away from the Westminster system toward a one-party structure while encouraging agricultural diversification away from nutmeg dependence. By 1981, the PRG became increasingly militaristic, organizing militias in preparation for a counter-coup or CIA involvement.
Internal Split and Bishop’s Arrest
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(02:00:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Internal tensions between Maurice Bishop and Bernard Coard, fueled by Coard’s perceived intellectual superiority and the party’s turn toward vanguardism, led to Bishop’s house arrest.
  • Summary: By 1983, the party favored Coard over Bishop, viewing Bishop as egotistic and counter-revolutionary, leading to a co-leadership arrangement that Bishop resisted. A rumor circulated that Coard intended to kill Bishop, causing the populace to rally behind Bishop, whom they affectionately called ‘Maurice.’ The party, viewing Bishop’s actions as self-serving, placed him under house arrest, fracturing the government.
Bloody Climax and US Invasion
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(02:05:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The internal conflict culminated in the summary execution of Maurice Bishop and others by Coard loyalists, immediately preceding the US invasion.
  • Summary: On October 19, 1983, pro-Bishop leaders and mass demonstrators freed Bishop and marched to Fort Rupert, where they were fired upon by armored trucks from Coard’s faction, resulting in many deaths. Bishop, Whiteman, Bain, and Kreft were lined up against a wall and executed by Coard loyalists. The US invaded on October 25, 1983, using the pretext of rescuing American students, marking the first overt US military force use since Vietnam.
Grenada Revolution Aftermath
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(02:12:12)
  • Key Takeaway: The US invasion sealed the fate of the Grenada Revolution, leading to unhealed social splits and political divisions that persist today.
  • Summary: The revolution’s failure stemmed from internal infighting followed by the belligerent US invasion, leaving bodies of the killed unfound in some cases. Families remain divided over who sided with Bishop, Cord, or the US, preventing full decolonization. The trauma resulted in a subdued political consciousness among the youth, who now keep their heads down politically.
Critiques of Revolutionary Projects
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(02:17:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Historical revolutionary projects, including Grenada’s, often fail due to a continuation of colonial-era personality cults and a deference to hierarchy over genuine grassroots empowerment.
  • Summary: Nostalgia often leads to hagiographies that ignore serious flaws in revolutionary methodology, such as the Spanish Civil War’s anarchist efforts. Grenada’s political culture depended on a maximum leader, continuing colonial politics and leading to contempt for common people. A genuine revolution requires people taking direct responsibility, as participatory, self-managed systems are feasible in small Caribbean societies.
Executive Disorder Weekly Newscast
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(02:30:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The Biden administration is violating sanctuary city laws by allowing ICE into NYC shelters without warrants, while Trump’s actions signal potential war with Venezuela and an aggressive federal takeover of state AI regulation.
  • Summary: ICE entered NYC shelters without judicial warrants, violating sanctuary city laws, though the city is aware of such violations by law enforcement. Trump designated fentanyl as a WMD and claimed Venezuelan oil belongs to the US, leading to fears of an invasion, which is an act of war illegal under the War Powers Act. Trump’s AI Executive Order establishes a task force to challenge state AI laws, threatening to cut federal broadband funding to states that regulate AI in ways deemed burdensome to dominance, particularly concerning housing market price-fixing algorithms.
Judge Dugan Trial Begins
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(02:58:41)
  • Key Takeaway: The trial of Judge Dugan reveals federal law enforcement agents using unapproved communication apps and potentially circumventing judicial warrants during an apprehension attempt.
  • Summary: Judge Dugan is accused of allowing a migrant to leave through a non-standard exit, leading to an ICE apprehension attempt where the migrant fled but was ultimately detained. FBI agents involved used the unapproved Signal app, and a DHS agent proceeded without an escort despite being told one was required by court security officers. A fellow judge testified against Dugan, criticizing her for wearing judicial robes while confronting the agents about the lack of a judicial warrant.
Back-to-Back Mass Shootings
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(03:02:14)
  • Key Takeaway: Two devastating mass shootings occurred back-to-back—one at Brown University where the suspect remains at large despite false reports of capture, and one in Sydney motivated by ISIS ideology.
  • Summary: The Brown University shooting involved false reports from President Trump and police regarding the suspect’s custody, leading to the doxing of an innocent Palestinian student. The Sydney attack targeted a Hanukkah event, killing 15, with a bystander heroically intervening against the gunmen motivated by ISIS ideology. The incident highlights the danger of political figures spreading misinformation during crises and the effectiveness of grassroots resistance.
Bannon on Unenforceable EO
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(03:16:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Steve Bannon criticized the administration’s reliance on an unenforceable Executive Order following legislative failures, suggesting it benefits tech interests over the MAGA base.
  • Summary: Steve Bannon is quoted regarding two legislative failures followed by an attempt at an unenforceable Executive Order. The speaker agrees with Bannon that the EO is likely unenforceable due to inevitable court battles. This action is interpreted as Trump attempting to secure support from his tech and landlord bases simultaneously.
Critique of AI Idea Generation
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(03:17:41)
  • Key Takeaway: A Vox article arguing that AI is necessary because humanity is running out of ideas is based on a misinterpretation of 2017 NBER research showing research productivity decline, not a lack of ideas.
  • Summary: The speaker critiques a Vox article suggesting AI is needed because the ‘idea machine’ is failing. The underlying 2017 research by Bloom et al. actually showed that while research effort is rising, research productivity (translating effort into economic gains) is declining sharply. This decline is framed as difficulty in profiting from ideas, not a scarcity of novel concepts.
Profit Motive vs. Societal Ideas
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(03:19:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Ideas that do not generate direct profit for venture capitalists, such as public services like the post office or large-scale environmental solutions, are ignored by the current profit-driven innovation model.
  • Summary: The definition of an ‘idea’ in this context is reduced to something that delivers a return for venture capitalists. Essential public goods, like the post office, which run at a loss but provide net economic benefit, are not prioritized. Major societal game-changers like widespread vaccines or indoor plumbing are no longer being pursued because the ’low-hanging fruit’ has been picked and they lack direct profit incentives.
Bureaucracy Hinders Innovation
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(03:24:02)
  • Key Takeaway: David Graeber’s argument suggests that increased bureaucracy in academia and government research consumes time that researchers could otherwise spend on actual innovation.
  • Summary: A David Graeber argument posits that technological change slows because researchers spend excessive time navigating bureaucracy, such as job hunting or accounting requirements. This issue is severe in academia and government research, often driven by political opposition to government funding requiring constant justification. This destruction of the science pipeline forces reliance on tech solutions to problems created by defunding science.
Closing Remarks and Contact
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(03:25:42)
  • Key Takeaway: The final segment provides the email address coolzone tips at proton.me for listener feedback, noting this is the last Executive Disorder segment of the year.
  • Summary: Listeners can email feedback to coolzone tips at proton.me, with encrypted communication recommended via ProtonMail addresses. The hosts sign off, noting this is the final Executive Disorder segment for the year.