Jake Siegel talks about his new book The Information State, which explores how government and technology joined forces over the past century to squash dissent. Siegel is an editor at Tablet, an original thinker with great writing chops (our kinda guy), and he talks with Nancy and Sarah about the tools of information warfare he saw while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, how the “war or terror” evolved into the “war on disinformation,” why Obama still has a lot to answer for, and the bizarre story of how a review of his book (on censorship, keep in mind) was mysteriously taken down.

Also discussed:

* Jake has the best voice

* “I held my anger very dear …”

* The hoax of the century, explained

* Cynical v. honest deception

* Why the DSA will always run your request up the comms chain

* What is it that constitutes property online?

* How much damn time did we spend on the Steele dossier?

* Did Jake go soft on Trump?

* Nancy credits Jake with getting her to report on Portland

* Institutional journalism is valuable (NR: Suck it, Nick Sortor)

* “The recognizable aesthetics and attitudes of American manhood by figures as diverse as Andy Griffith, Muhammad Ali, and Kurt Cobain.”

* “I feel like Dallas has the best-dressed people in America.”

Plus, R. Crumb comix, a movie that defies categorization, a visit to West Point, and much more!

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Eric Swalwell did not have a good week. Actually, last week was very bad, when articles hit CNN and The San Francisco Chronicle within hours of each other, a one-two punch alleging a series of unsavory acts, including sexual assault. Then earlier this week, another woman accused him of drugging, choking, and raping her. She’s filed a criminal complaint.

Swalwell has ended his run for governor, resigned from Congress and possibly public life. But what went on back there? The downfall was so fast, it’s worth slowing down the tape, especially if (like Sarah) last week happens to be when you learned a person named Eric Swalwell existed.

Nancy and Sarah’s conversation includes a discussion of drinking and consent, what we know (and don’t know) about roofies, and the strange impulse to return to a bad sexual situation and try to wrest back control.

Also discussed:

* Ft. Worth is the Brooklyn of Dallas

* Nancy confuses what she heard on The Fifth Column with real life

* If Katie Porter is the best California can do …

* PSA: Don’t fuck the interns

* “sexual revictimization cycle”

* Nancy offers a translation: If he has not seen you in five years and says he cannot stop thinking about you, he wants in your pants

* “Will you help me out?” 🤮

* A NYT story on fertility and aging … leaves out some details

* Why are younger women dating older men?

* Nobody likes the acronym MILK

Plus, 38-year-olds should not be on Snapchat, Michael Tracey has a point, a rare sports Hot Box, and much more!

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Swalwell’s downfall makes way for…

Nancy and Sarah talk about how watching Artemis II was the injection of awe we all needed. Nancy is reminded of a podcast she recently heard with former senator Ben Sasse, who has pancreatic cancer and talks about facing the end of his life with grace. That’s a different psychic universe than the dysfunction of “What Broke the Beckhams?,” about Brooklyn Beckham (son of David and Victoria), a cautionary tale about extravagant wealth and celebrity. Then it’s on to a recent NYT story on single women throwing weddings for their birthday, which is NOT an actual trend, but still worth talking about.

Also discussed:

* It’s awe, baby

* “Our friend Ross”

* No spaceships for Sarah, no submarines for Nancy

* Oh, to be rich enough to never download another app

* “God’s plan,” discussed

* The awesomeness of Kyle Dunnigan

* The Real Housewives of … Schenectady?

* “I found a handbag that looks like a sandwich…”

* Tyrone, the cheerful doofus

* Sarah makes a date to try on wedding dresses

* Don’t arrest us, Netflix

Also, how long do you keep old laptops, Sarah parties at Area-Club-Studio 51, Nancy considers a new tattoo, and much more!

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