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with Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar (Premium)

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Are Democrats doing enough to fight climate change? And why?

Why no carbon taxes yet? Last I knew, Democrats were pushing natural gas as if it was clean like wind or solar. Plus I hear wind power infrastructure doesn't last long, and needs to be rebuilt often? And will electric cars even help fight climate change? Some say the fossil fuels used to mine and transport the minerals used in batteries offset the low emissions of electric vehicles. Others point to environmentally damaging mining practices, as a reason why electric cars are not the answer.

What do you consider the current greatest barriers to the New Left and New Right?

Why is the UFO discussion important?

Why is it important for the government to be transparent about what it knows about UFOs? I'm for transparency, but what are the possible reasons for the government to keep most of this info hidden for the last several decades, and could any of these reasons be legitimate?

Should Freedom of Speech Equal Freedom of Reach?

Should freedom of speech equal freedom of reach... Why or why not? IMO... that FB, Twitter, etc. have banned Trump doesn't silence Trump, he can still speak freely. Our social platforms have no duty to immediately publish to millions of people (anyone's) lies and/or misinformation nor must they treat equally all held positions (such as the Earth is flat). Perfect gate-keepers may not be possible but that doesn't mean there is wisdom in having no gate-keepers at all.

How has going independent influenced the show's presentation?

Seeing the differences between Rising and Breaking Points, I've been thinking about that Jacobin article about Krystal that proclaimed her the "anti-Rachel Maddow." I think the general ...perkiness of Rising worked so well because it resembled but was also antagonistic to MSNBC--almost to the point of (excellent) parody. The Breaking Points set and format do seem to have a different vibe so far (which is not at all to say that I'm complaining about "production values"--it looks and sounds great, and every single tech/production issue in your FIRST TWO episodes has been cute and endearing). I just wonder whether you guys are still going for that same sort of perky MSNBC aesthetic in the same way, or whether you're pivoting to something a little more ...I dunno...Rogan-flavored. For what it's worth, I think I miss some of the perkiness vibe--I think it's part of what cuts through to so many people who would otherwise turn away. I have a couple silly ideas about how you might cultivate it: (1) more music throughout the show! i suspect that getting the right perky repetitive tune is super hard (so take your time), but I do think it would do a lot to separate the segments-- so it feels less like a standard 80 minute podcast and more like standard morning news, with all its glorious cringe. It's sometimes nice for the viewer to be able to think "damn, that was a good one" or "woof, i need to think about that" and reflect for a few seconds--rather than being like "oh fuck they moved on to the next topic but I was stupidly focusing on buttering my toast now I missed the intro" (2) maybe don't withhold responses to your monologues! I'm of course proudly subscribed, but i think the shareability of your monologues derives a lot of its force from the post monologue discussion between you both, both ways--especially for those monologues most challenging to the non-subscribers to whom we might send them. I suggest restricting some of of your joint segments or some interviews to premium subscribers only instead. Oops, I went off a bit. So much gratitude to you both--You go!!!!