In light of Charlie Kirk’s murder, this week we talk about political violence and review “Eddington,” Ari Aster’s recent film that explores America's culture war, alienation, and predilection for carnage.

“You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel. But I think it's worth it. I think it's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.

Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”

• Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA Faith event in 2023.

For excellent journalism focusing on trans rights:

https://www.erininthemorning.com/

Donate to the ACLU to support trans rights and fight the Trump agenda:

https://action.aclu.org/give/pm-donate-fight-trump-agenda

Support humanitarian aid for Ukraine:

https://novaukraine.org

The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF):

https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project:

https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

Opening clip from Michael Moore’s “Bowling for Columbine”

Music from Jefferson Ross’ Southern Currency and Herman Kluge’s Society of Little Friends

Episode Art by Perry Kneisel

Main logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Outside Issues With Audrey and Patrick
• (00:00:58) - Charlie Kirk's Death Is Unthinkable
• (00:08:53) - Charlie Kirk's Death on the Left
• (00:14:15) - Matthew Dowd on the Shooting of Charlie Kirk
• (00:19:19) - Post-Watching The Dark Knight
• (00:19:53) - The Ballot in
• (00:24:11) - Emma Stone on 'The Wife'
• (00:31:25) - Ted Garcia's Campaign Commercial
• (00:33:23) - On The Left vs The Right
• (00:39:58) - How to Recharge Yourself During the Holidays
• (00:40:43) - How Can You Win or Lose?

Our friend Jake shares his experience of being trans, queer and disabled, working overtime to survive a political climate that terrorizes marginalized groups. Central to his survival has been an aggressive pursuit of all the tools available - mental health support, political action, even home gardening - which can be mobilized to help him live. We need to talk about suicide and how that’s connected to political choices and the material conditions they foster. Trans rights are human rights. The harm visited on any marginalized group is a threat to us all. As the saying goes: if they can do it to “them” - be it immigrants, LGBTQ+ people, Palestinians in Gaza, the unhoused - they can do it to “us.”

For excellent journalism focusing on trans rights:

https://www.erininthemorning.com

Donate to the ACLU to support trans rights and fight the Trump agenda:

https://action.aclu.org/give/pm-donate-fight-trump-agenda

Support humanitarian aid for Ukraine:

https://novaukraine.org

The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF):

https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project:

https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

Introductory quote by Hunter Schafer

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Trans People Talk About The Trump Era
• (00:05:59) - The Need to Leave the United States
• (00:13:43) - The Suicide Crisis Line for Trans People
• (00:18:57) - Trans People on the Suicide Hotline
• (00:22:24) - How To Help Yourself When You're Suicidally
• (00:26:36) - How Have You Been Stopping Suicidality?
• (00:35:23) - The Fight for a Just World

In recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, Audrey remembers loved one Adam Popp, who passed away far too young from a drug overdose. We talk about harm reduction, soul mates, and Prince. As much as is possible, we encourage those with loved ones in the throes of addiction to try and hold on, in ways big or small. Human connection and socialization remains one of the most effective ways to combat addiction’s isolating effects. Where there’s life, there’s hope.

International Overdose Awareness Day is August 31st.

https://www.overdoseday.com/

Prevention toolkit:

https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/php/toolkits/ioad.html

Adam’s DJ moniker “Progress Inevitable” lends our closing song, “Fire.” More of his music is available on Soundcloud:

https://soundcloud.com/proginev

Please consider donating to humanitarian aid for Ukraine:

https://novaukraine.org

The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF):

https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project:

https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

Introductory quote by Chris Cornell

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Scott Weiland on the Need for More Musicians
• (00:00:43) - Bipolar patient talks about his medication
• (00:02:58) - Phil Collins on Overdose Awareness
• (00:09:52) - When You Do Drugs With A Republican For A Week
• (00:14:09) - My Soulmate Was Abusive
• (00:19:40) - One More Voice for Recovering From A Drug Overdose
• (00:27:58) - Bipolar 12 Step Participants on Harm Reduction
• (00:31:08) - Adam overdosed on Prince's music

"Quiet isn't always peace, and the norms and notions of what is just isn't always justice"

-Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate

Audrey and Patrick touch on Trump’s misbegotten attempts to resolve the Russia/Ukraine war and make broader assessment of U.S. imperialism. Classrooms away from each other, we experienced 9/11 on TV in the same high school, separately embarking on journeys towards the anti-war, pro-human perspective we share today.

Considering Taylor Swift’s appearance on the New Heights podcast, we ask what powerful individuals should do with their platforms and influence in our time of omnipresent injustice and systemic collapse. How defensible is silence (an “apolitical” stance) when celebrity can move the needle on important issues, saving lives?

Before we wrap up we talk gun control in the context of mental health and deployment of righteous violence against oppressive systems.

Please consider donating to humanitarian aid for Ukraine:

https://novaukraine.org

The Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF):

https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project:

https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

Introductory quote by Muhammad Ali

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Trump's Attempt to Make Peace With Putin
• (00:06:21) - "I Was Pro-War When I Was Younger"
• (00:13:01) - The Problem With Police Training
• (00:17:02) - Do You Like Taylor Swift?
• (00:18:09) - I Got Into A Political Argument With Suanne
• (00:25:36) - Taylor Swift on Kanye's Comments About Politics
• (00:31:58) - Marathon Gun Owners: The Second Amendment
• (00:38:47) - Quakers on the Right: Violence

Audrey and Patrick briefly touch on new Trump authoritarianism and Israel’s assassination of journalists, before returning to their own histories of addiction and questions of recovery maintenance. Patrick has chosen not to have children, but Audrey looks forward to being a mom. We touch on the fears but also the hope and promise of bringing a child into a world so fraught with danger and suffering.

In the second part of the episode, Patrick’s sponsor Danny B. joins with his own experience, strength, and hope of fatherhood.

Rest in power Anas al-Sharif, 28-year-old journalist for Al-Jazeera that was among those slain in Gaza this week by the IDF.

Danny’s Substack article on Trump’s replay of the Bush years - Pride Cometh Before the Fall:

https://open.substack.com/pub/envelope/p/pride-cometh-before-the-fall?r=ffyqp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

Please consider donating to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF):

https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project:

https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

CNN Interview with Doug Wilson - Christian nationalist pastor with ties to Sec. Defense Pete Hegseth:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/politics/video/christian-nationalist-doug-wilson-pam-brown-digvid

More on Trump deploying the National Guard to DC:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/13/mayor-dc-trump-national-guard

Introductory quote is from Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men.

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Baby's First Birthday
• (00:00:26) - Trump Deploys National Guard to D.C.
• (00:03:25) - The Smithsonian's plan to censor Trump's History
• (00:04:37) - How to Talk To Someone About Their Substance Use Problems
• (00:10:43) - How I Learned To Live With My Addiction
• (00:17:03) - How To Deal With Anxiety From Smoking Weed
• (00:21:05) - Doug Wilson on Women and Their Age
• (00:28:28) - I'm Glad My Friends Are Having Fun Without a Child
• (00:33:48) - Got the plague as an adult
• (00:38:12) - What It's Really Like to Walk Through Mud
• (00:39:09) - Tommy Lee on Giving Everything Up
• (00:44:29) - The Right Partner for the Kids
• (00:45:17) - The Secret to Success in Relationships
• (00:47:44) - Interviewing Amy Poehler
• (00:50:33) - Bradley on the 2020 election
• (00:54:49) - Lefties on the Right:
• (00:58:28) - Dad on His Son's Courage

Attorney and law professor H. Marissa Montes joins us to talk about the plight of immigrants during this period of fascism and white nationalism driven by media, lawmakers and the White House. She articulates strategies for fighting the good fight and advocating for our immigrant brothers and sisters. As Audrey’s best friend for twenty years, we discuss where that impulse towards social justice comes from. In her continued honesty and vulnerability, Audrey touches on her recent struggles with bipolar disorder.

Introductory Quote by Ilhan Omar.

https://youtu.be/1aI2k2h7rF4?si=diEm60oaL37cyArM

More about Marissa and the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic:

https://www.lls.edu/faculty/facultylistl-r/hmarissamontes

Marissa on the Art of Purpose podcast:

https://youtu.be/89UBUtUz_C4?si=Sz37V3yF6RUwU4Zc

The episode title derives from Leviticus 19:33-34 and 24:22:

“When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.”

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:13) - Outside Issues: Immigration and Trump
• (00:03:35) - Patrick Tells His Best Friend About The TPing
• (00:06:00) - The Latina Student Who Walked Out
• (00:13:55) - On the 2020 Census exclusion of undocumented immigrants
• (00:21:21) - How Do Immigrant Right Issues Affect My Clients?
• (00:28:35) - Marissa on the LA ICE Raids
• (00:37:04) - Mental illness detainees in detention
• (00:43:26) - What should we ask of our elected representatives vis a vis immigration?
• (00:47:47) - Mental Illnesses: What's helped you get through this week

“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor; and if one is a member of a captive population, economically speaking, one's feet have simply been placed on the treadmill forever.”

― James Baldwin, Nobody Knows My Name

Audrey discusses Trump's new executive order: "Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets," which seeks to punish individuals suffering from addiction, mental illness and poverty by incarcerating them or denying vital treatments. We touch on the ravages of meth addiction, RFK's healthcare-as-personal-fetish, and the ongoing war on the trans community.

From last week, please consider donating to the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF): https://www.pcrf.net

Further relief options to the victims of genocide and famine through The Sameer Project: https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Every bit helps.

More on the executive order: https://www.npr.org/2025/07/24/nx-s1-5479139/trump-homelessness-executive-order-civil-commitment-camping

Introductory Quote by James Baldwin: "How much time do you want for your progress?"

Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month

https://thearc.org/blog/why-and-how-to-celebrate-disability-pride-month/#:~:text=Observed%20every%20July%2C%20Disability%20Pride,norms%20to%20live%20meaningful%20lives

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:00) - Donor's Notes
• (00:01:42) - Alcoholics' Issues
• (00:06:07) - International Meeting for Beyond Belief
• (00:07:50) - How to manage distress about the world
• (00:10:05) - Back to Our Regular Shtick
• (00:10:45) - Trump Signs Executive Order to End Homeless Violence
• (00:20:38) - Homeless People on Meth
• (00:25:44) - Domestic Violence Survivors on Skid Row
• (00:33:02) - On the Need for More Addiction Policing
• (00:35:09) - RFK Jr Criticizes SSRIs
• (00:40:57) - The Fight for Real Change
• (00:41:32) - "This Is For The Palestinians"

“Please God give everyone the strength to say something.”

-Ms. Rachel

Following seventy-five years of apartheid and Hamas’ attack on October 7th, Israel’s ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people has become undeniable. The pact between Israel and the West has made a mockery of international law, corroded institutions, compromised democracies, and claimed thousands of lives. In Gaza now there is a famine, wherein baby formula is seized at military checkpoints and aid workers fired upon.

The physical and mental costs are beyond measure for Palestinians suffering on the ground. Empathetic citizens of the world who watch helplessly are also affected, and Audrey and Patrick speak to it, bringing their own experience and perspectives to bear.

For independent journalism, consider:

DropSite News: https://www.dropsitenews.com

The Intercept: https://theintercept.com

Séamus Malekafzali: https://substack.com/@malekafzali

Introductory Quote by Rachel Accurso, Educator (“Songs for Littles”), and Leen, from Gaza.

Why and How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month

https://thearc.org/blog/why-and-how-to-celebrate-disability-pride-month/#:~:text=Observed%20every%20July%2C%20Disability%20Pride,norms%20to%20live%20meaningful%20lives

Main show theme is “Strangers” by Midnight Prisms

Music and lyrics by Alicia Beck

Music and production by Max Foreman

Mastering by Little Castle Sound

Please follow and listen to Midnight Prisms on Spotify!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o5jiLSZMoSXNWL98UBxYI?si=sK-K7IoUSp-QfFKgUwVY7A

Logo art by Patrick Mitchell and Angelina Harvey (@graffitifucks on Instagram)

• (00:00:03) - Outside Issues: When Children's Rights Are Taken Away
• (00:01:30) - Anti-Semitism On The Air
• (00:10:59) - Punishment for Palestinian Genocide Images
• (00:20:11) - When Israel Uses Violence to Control the Palestinians
• (00:27:17) - Ms. Rachel on The Israel Crisis
• (00:35:34) - Grabbing a Biker By the Eyes on the Epstein Files
• (00:42:19) - Bipolar 2 patient talks about uncrustables
• (00:47:16) - Delinquency and the disability of mental illness
• (00:52:16) - QAnon: The New Eddington Review