PODCAST · news
OK Talks
by Oliver Kendall
In this podcast, I, along with my guests, discuss American and global events, politics, and culture
Episodes
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#79 - OK Election-Eve Analysis
In this election-eve episode of OK Talks, I have a look at roughly four reasons why I'm feeling cautiously optimistic that Kamala Harris will win the 2024 Presidential election.
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#78 - Fear: Trump's Motivation And Main Offering
#78 - Fear: Trump's Motivation And Main Offering by Oliver Kendall
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#77 - An Eyeroll At Pro And Anti - Israel Activists Attacking The DNC
In this episode, I throw some shade at some of the latest antics from the anti-Israel movement including their attempts to mess with the Democratic National Convention, and at some in the pro-Israel community who have jumped all over a single line in President Biden's convention speech and…
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#76 - *Insert Walz Pun Here* - Initial OK Take On The VP Pick
With the benefit of 24 hours to process, here is my initial off-the-cuff of the pick by Kamala Harris of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate.
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#75 - On Good Journalism, Bad Journalism, Bigotry, And Israel
In this episode, I look at a mix of topics: - Good journalism on display at the National Association of Black Journalists (and Trump's pathetic and racist behavior in response to it) - Bad journalism in the domestic press and foreign policy space (unserious coverage of the election at the expense...
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#74 - On Republicans' Weird Obsession With Reproducing
In this episode, I discuss the weirdness of Republicans' obsession with having children and denigration of people who don't for whatever reason, as crystalized in the selection of JD Vance to be Trump's running mate. Views my own.
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#73 - On The Craziest Week In Political History
In this episode, I weigh in on the decision by President Biden to withdraw from the Presidential campaign. I also give my takes on the shooting at Trump's rally, the judicial travesty wrought by the deeply corrupt Florida judge in the classified documents case, and the selection of JD Vance to be...
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#72 - Down Goes Bowman: Normie Dems Strike Back
In this episode, intended to come out two weeks ago, I discuss the loss in a high-profile primary of Congressman Jamaal Bowman. We have a look at the rise (and failure of the Republicans to curb) more extreme members of Congress (mostly within the GOP but also among Democrats), the comparison...
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#71 - Implications Of A Court Gone Mad
In a ruling that has shocked most legal observers and just about everyone else, the far-right Supreme Court has ruled that a President can basically just... commit crimes. This is nuts. And it's hardly the only crazy thing this court has done lately. In this episode, I explore that, and the way…
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#70 - Group Therapy/Bedwetting: Half-Awake Reactions to the First Debate (W. Robert Gerrard)
Initially alarmed by the optics of the debate (boy do I hope President Biden mainlines vitamin C before the next one), I'm joined at 5:30AM Barcelona time by former Republican and current fellow Dem Abroad Robert Gerrard to provide our half-asleep reactions to the debate, and, hopefully, some...
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#69 - The EU Elections: An OK Take
This past weekend, elections were held across the EU for the European Parliament, with the results showing an undeniable shift rightward. I examine what could be the reason for this outcome (digging into questions of how Europeans view immigration and security), and what it might mean. Views my own.
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#68 - GUILTY! Trump's Manhattan Conviction And What It Could Mean
Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him. ...well, maybe not quite yet. This podcast reacts to the milestone in the seemingly endless saga of Trump's legal issues, and analyzes some of the questions raised by the former president having been found guilty of all charges in the first of the multiple trials...
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#67 - Why Third Parties Haven't Succeeded And How One Could (w. Spencer Morin Reynolds)
In this episode, following up on the previous one, I'm joined by Spencer Morin Reynolds, who is an expert on third party movements and a veteran of the Forward Party. We discuss the impediments to minor parties in the US political system and why minor party Presidential campaigns at the moment…
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#66 - The Major Threat From Minor Parties
In this episode, I discuss the impact of minor party presidential candidates in elections within the relatively unique American electoral system, and take a look at the minor party candidates playing spoiler in this particular election year. Views my own.
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#65 - Tit-For-Tat Theory, And Protests Gone Overboard
In this episode, I discuss the Israeli response to the large-scale attack on their territory by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the broader theory around escalation and deterrence. On the home front, I talk about excesses among and responses to the anti-Israel protests across US college campuses…
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#64 - Israel's War In Gaza: How Narratives Born of Flawed Coverage Undercut Peace
This episode, which should be seen as a spin-off of the last, discusses the patterns of mistakes made in the coverage of Israel's war in Gaza, and examines the consequences of those mistakes. Views my own. As mentioned in the episode, linked here is a piece by Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at…
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#63 - Rejecting Antisemitism and the Myth Of "Two Sides" In The Israel-Palestine Conflict
This episode takes apart the idea that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the broader Israel-Palestine conflict can be broken down into "two sides," and discusses the alarming rise in antisemitism around the world. Views my own.
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#62 - OK Takes April 2, 2024
In this episode, we cover and analyze several more events that unfolded over the last week: - The very different way in which Brazil is handling the aftermath of its version of January 6th - The star-studded Biden campaign fundraiser last week in the context of the Democrats' very real need for a...
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#61 - OK Takes March 25 2024
After the unplanned hiatus, I'm back with takes on several of the leading stories over the past week or so. In this episode, we discuss: - The nonsense scandal around the prosecutor of Trump's election interference case in Georgia - The broader issue of justice delayed when it comes Trump - The...
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#60 - 2023 In Review: A Bad Year For Democracy
Another year come and gone - one I believe will go down in the history books as not-great overall. In this episode, I look at a couple of reasons why I believe the last calendar year was bad specifically vis-à-vis the promotion and preservation of democracy, from the effective return of Trump, to...
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#59 - Mexico's Women In Politics Moment (w. Marta Treviño And Edgar Lopez)
While the US has yet to elect a woman president (despite Hillary Clinton having received by far the most votes in 2016) and Republican states race each other to enact the most restrictive abortion laws they can conceive of, the neighbors south of the border are going in a rather different…
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#58- Bad Numbers For Biden, Good Elections For Democrats – What Does It Mean?
In this episode, I look at the two big political stories out of the US this week: the dismal poll numbers for President Biden that caused the entire Democratic Party to go into a meltdown to begin the week, and then the very good showing barely a day later in the elections in a number of states.…
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#57 - GOP Speaker Switch: From Hack To Lunatic In Just 3 Weeks!
After weeks of chaos and dysfunction, the Republicans in the House have finally settled on a new Speaker after turfing out Trump stooge Kevin McCarthy. The new guy is a little-known relative newcomer to Congress, but it turns out he is basically Gym Jordan with an inside voice. I explore how we…
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#56 - Week In Review: Bad Coverage And Chaos
In this episode, I follow up on various themes explored in Episode 54 re the latest Israel-Hamas conflict, with a particular focus on the atrocious media coverage of the hospital explosion. I also have a look at the chaos in American domestic politics as Republicans fail yet again to pick a…
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#55 - Political Earthquake in Europe: Poland Chooses Democracy (w. Weronika Paszewska)
In this episode, I'm joined by Polish political organizing strategist and co-founder of Akcja Demokracja Weronika Paszewska to discuss the political earthquake that just took place in Eastern Europe. Poland just to oust the far-right authoritarian Law and Justice Party, which has spent nearly the...
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#54 - The 10/7 Terrorist Attacks And What Comes Next
On October 7th, the Palestinian Islamic extremist organization Hamas carried out the worst mass-killing of Jews since the Holocaust. In this episode, I look at some of the tragic realities of the attack, what it means for Israelis and Palestinians, and what could happen next locally and at the...
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#53 - On Crises And Kevin McCarthy
This week, America avoided one crisis (a government shutdown) but faced another (albeit hilarious) one: the tragic fall of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. In this episode, I dig into the increasing problem in the U.S. of government-by-crisis, and take a look at the end of Kevin McCarthy…
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#52 - Shutdown For What
It looks almost inevitable that the Republicans are going to drive the US off a cliff this week with a government shutdown. In this episode I explain what this means in practical and theoretical terms, and how this whole ridiculous exercise came into being. I also have a look at some of the most...
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#51 - This Week In GOP Hypocrisy: Trump Scribbles vs Hillary's Emails Edition
In this episode I swing back to the theme of Republican hypocrisy, focusing in on the question of the proper handling of classified information, and profound irony of a man who won the Presidency by demagoguing Hillary Clinton's alleged mishandling of a few classified documents having then turned...
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#50 - The Biden Age Narrative Is Getting REALLY... Old
Another day, another story of breathless speculation about the President's age. Speaking (views very much my own) as a member of the generation that coined the phrase "ok boomer," I, for one, would like a little more focus on what Biden has actually done as President, and a little less on the…
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#49 - Extreme Homophobia in Uganda, The Beginning of Medicare Negotiations, & The End of Prigozhin
In this episode, I discuss several unrelated but important stories from the past week: - The implications of the end of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin - The early implementation of Uganda's vicious anti-LGBT law (known universally as the "kill the gays" bill), the role of American evangelicals in...
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#48 - The Devil *Will* Be Going Down To Georgia, And Other Thoughts On Indictment #4
This week Trump was indicted for a fourth time, the second set of indictments around his efforts to overthrow the results of the 2020 elections. There are a number of implications to this latest round of charges - I examine them and how they might play out in this latest episode. Views my own.
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#47 - Republicans: The Anti-Choice Dog That Caught The Car
This week, an underhanded Republican attempt to block Ohio voters from protecting abortion rights later this year failed. In this episode I discuss what that means for Ohio, for abortion rights, and for democracy more broadly. Views my own. Oh, yeah, and here's that piece I mention in the episode…
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#46 - Better Late Than Never: Trump Charged For J6
More than two years after leading an insurrection and undermining the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election, Donald Trump is finally facing charges for the crimes he committed in trying to fraudulently overturn an American election. In this episode I discuss why it took so long to…
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#45 OK Talks About Assorted End-Of-July News?
In this episode I weigh in on a couple topics - the weird and seemingly endless pursuit of Hunter Biden, the latest antics of the Alabama GOP, bad news out of Israel, further bad news for the world out of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and some promising news stemming from Spain's recent…
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#44 - WTF Is Happening In Spain (Pre - Election Edition W. Júlia Juan)
Spain is holding national elections THIS SUNDAY! In this episode I give an overview of Spanish government and politics, and am joined by Júlia Juan to discuss potential outcomes, and what it would mean for Spain and Europe more broadly. Views our own.
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#43 - This Week In GOP Hypocrisy: Military & Small Government Edition
Saying they're strongly for something while doing the opposite in practice has long been a Republican superpower - but with a few of the things they've been doing over the last few weeks, they've reached hitherto untouched levels of hypocrisy. In this episode, I look at a few areas where that's…
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#42 - (Part II) Against Julian Castro And The Biden Doubters
The direct follow up to the last episode (wherein I address whining about Biden's age, charisma, etc, crystallized in an interview with former HUD Secretary Julian Castro in the New York Times), here I address further arguments made by Castro, along with broader analysis of what Biden has gotten...
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#41 - (Part I) Against Julian Castro And The Biden Doubters
Despite getting more done in his first term than any American president since the '60's, Joe Biden faces griping from various quarters within the Democratic Party (including two, uhh, eccentric primary challengers). This griping was crystalized in a New York Times interview with former HUD...
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#40 - GOP Hate Liberals More Than They Love The US: 2023 Debt Ceiling Edition
Yet again the global economy is at risk due 100 percent to the shameless and nihilistic political gamesmanship of the American Republican Party. A default on America's debt would be catastrophic, but a bunch of them seem legitimately excited about it. In this episode I explore what the debt…
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#39 - Turkey's Chance To Save Democracy (W. Gökhan Dilek)
Turkey holds its first round of elections in less than a week - elections that represent the last best chance to stop the authoritarian backslide personified by the country's Sultan-wannabe President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I share a bit of background as to the damage Erdogan has done, and am…
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#38 - Carlson's Out; Biden's In: 24 Great Hours for Liberal Democracy
In the last 24 hours, Tucker Carlson, the most dangerous purveyor of conspiracy theories, xenophobia, white supremacy, and pro-Russia propaganda at a network full of dangerous purveyors of those things, was pushed out of Fox News, and then Joe Biden, easily the most effective American president...
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#37 - WTF Is Happening In Israel (W. Omri Lavi)
In this episode I'm joined by Omri Lavi, an Israeli pro-democracy activist and Major in the IDF Intelligence Corps reserves, to discuss the massive protests in Israel responding to the brazen attack on democracy in that country by the most dangerously rightwing government in the history of the...
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#36 BREAKING - Trump Indicted! Why This Must Be First Of Many
Multiple sources are reporting that Donald Trump is quite possibly for the first time in his life going to be held accountable for breaking the law. I discuss why it is so important that this coming indictment be the first of many, and that subsequent ones follow quickly. Views very much my own.
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#35 - WTF Is Happening In Mexico (W. Edgar Lopez)
In this episode, I'm joined by Edgar Lopez to discuss, well, wtf is happening in Mexico around that country's President's attempts to "reform" the institution that protects free and fair elections there. Views very much our own.
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#34 - WTF Is Happening In Peru (W. Darwin Cruz)
Peru has had a turbulent few years politically - over the last few years, that country has produced more Presidents than Disney has produced Marvel movies. I'm joined in this episode I'm joined by Peruvian former journalist Darwin Cruz to discuss the chaos and protests that have dominated Peru...
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#33 - A Year In, Ukraine Keeps Showing Us Democracy's Worth Fighting For
A year into Putin's three-day "special military operation" to subjugate the free people of Ukraine, we have to ask ourselves... is Russia just bad at this? In this episode, I reflect on implications of a year of Russia's vicious and unjustifiable full-scale invasion of its democratic neighbor....
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#32: Who Is Kevin McCarthy And Why Are We All Laughing At Him
Those who follow American politics snicker at Kevin McCarthy (even now that he has managed to cobble together the ricketiest of coalitions to allow him to achieve his goal of being Speaker of the House). Those who follow American politics less closely don't know who he is, but are starting to…
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#31 - Why Is Kyrsten Sinema (Abandoning The Democratic Party)?
After years of being a Democratic Senator in little more than name, Kyrsten Sinema has decided to drop the name part as well. Who is Kyrsten Sinema? What has she been doing as a (as of a few hours ago, former) Democratic Senator? What will her leaving the party mean for the balance of power in…
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#30 - Women, Life, Freedom - Digging Into The Iran Protests (W. Khatere Gorji)
In this episode, I'm joined by Khatere Gorji to discuss the ongoing women-led protests in Iran. We cover life for women under Iran's brutal theocracy, how the protests got started, where they might go, the potential fate of those the regime has arrested for participating, and a number of other...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
In this podcast, I, along with my guests, discuss American and global events, politics, and culture
HOSTED BY
Oliver Kendall
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does OK Talks have?
OK Talks currently has 80 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is OK Talks about?
In this podcast, I, along with my guests, discuss American and global events, politics, and culture
How often does OK Talks release new episodes?
OK Talks has 80 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to OK Talks?
You can listen to OK Talks on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts OK Talks?
OK Talks is created and hosted by Oliver Kendall.
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