Sources We Recommend.

Sometimes it pays to do a little retrospective of various sources we use to gather the information we in turn use to make decisions and form beliefs.

Hello, friends,

Last week, we discussed generative AI and how the ‘art’ it makes pales in comparison to the Human version.  This week, we’re going to talk about some Humans we can get good information or ideas from.

These are going to be sources I’m familiar with personally and use on a frequent basis.  If you have one you like, leave it in the comments.  If I can attest to their veracity (like, say, I forgot someone I know), then I’ll be happy to add them in and credit you with the recommendation.  My only catch is that I have to know their work - if I don’t know them, it’s hard for me to recommend them.  Then again, with how small circulation of TPC is, I’m open to experimenting with voices that aren’t included in this list.

We’re breaking this down really into video-based content and written content.  I’m going to try to provide an example of why I’m recommending each person.  I’ve also stuck to free sources of information, meaning you can get this stuff without having to pay (even if they have Patreons/goods for sale).

Video Content

This category is strictly about video manufacturers who make great content.  Much of it is podcast worthy.

Beau Of The Fifth Column - Short-form Youtuber:  Beau is, if my understanding is correct, an ex-military man who looks like your stereotypical southern guy, and sounds like him too - until you hear what he’s saying.  He generally releases four 3-6 minute videos per day, but some of his videos are longer.

He’s a very progressive creator, which you’ll gather from his emphasis on building a “more cooperative, less competitive” system.  While this is one of his longer videos, I strongly recommend this talk on accelerationism.  So much so I cited it when we wrote about accelerationism on this publication. 

His content is very audio-related, though he enjoys making sight-gags out of his T-shirt rotation and his shed shelves.  I listen to Beau every night when I clean my cats’ litter boxes and do other chores.

Leeja Miller - Lawyer, Long-form Legal Video Essayist:  A relatively new addition to my rotation, Leeja is a lawyer who specializes in political law.  She’s covered things ranging from the Supreme Court to Ronald Reagan’s impact on US History.  She’s very good at getting to the nitty gritty, and she does it without much personal animosity.

Here’s her discussing Project 2025, something we’ve discussed here as well.

Innuendo Studios - Long-Form Anti-Alt-Right video essayist:  Innuendo Studios is led by Ian Danskin, a Progressive (possibly Socialist?  I don’t know his exact self-identification, though he’s joking called himself ‘pinko scum,’ so that’s a clue-in) artist and video essayist.  The work I most strongly associate him with is The Alt-Right Playbook, which is his chronicling of various tactics and facets of the Alt-Right movement that had its peak around the election of Donald Trump in 2016, but continues to insidiously undermine American political life to this day.

I would strongly recommend his episode about White Fascism, as it was one of my first major clue-ins to historian Roger Griffin’s definition of Fascism as “Palingenetic Ultranationslism.”

Contrapoints - Long-Form Queer Video Essayist:  Natalie Wynn is Contrapoints, who I assume recently crossed the 1.75 million Youtube subscriber count and really doesn’t exactly need my recommendations (Not that most of the people on this list do).  Natalie is known for long (sometimes long) form content with lots of classical music and an eye towards philosophical evaluation of topics such as Envy and Darkness.

Her latest video is “The Witch Trials Of J.K. Rowling,” which is based on a podcast that someone did.  As a Trans woman, Natalie certainly has opinions on Rowling.

Some More News - Left-leaning deep dives with a comedic edge:  Some More News is a spoof show similar to The Daily Show, but with a lot more disheveledness.  Okay, maybe just a little more disheveledness.  Front-manned by Cody Johnston and backed up by Katy Stoll, SMN does deep dives into individual political topics, frequently connecting vital dots across multiple disciplines.  While it’s certainly got its share of personal attacks (like an episode which is titled, if I’m not mistaken, “Ted Cruz Is A Weird Little Online Freak”), it substantiates its narrative with facts drawn from Planet Earth.

Their latest episode is a particularly prescient one, and it’s about how journalism is being corrupted through various forces like generative AI (which we touched upon here last week) and corporate/billionaire buyouts.

Last Week Tonight W/John Oliver - HBO Deep-Dive Show:  I mean, who doesn’t know John Oliver, right?  He’s almost certainly the most famous name on this list.  His show is sort of like the mirror opposite of Some More News in that it’s the same type of in-depth analysis, but with slightly less edgy humor most of the time.  No, no actually, they’re fairly similar, but in opposing ways?  I don’t know.

SMN is American, John Oliver is British, you do the math.

Vaush - Youtube Political Streamer:  Vaush is probably the most polarizing person on this list.  He’s very far to the left (yes, further left than me), has roots in the “debate bro” culture (which can get silly), and sometimes uses harsh language (though he’s gotten better).

He does, however, deliver solid commentary on the issues he covers.  He will often read a news article and provide analysis as he does so, just as often as he engages with his chatters’ questions and concerns.

This episode is him talking about an online controversy regarding a separate creator who was, as Vaush succinctly put it, “Gay for women.”  A healthy appreciation for those one is attracted to is a good thing, and Vaush reinforced that point well.

News Analysts/Journalists/Aggregates

A lot of these referrals are going to be Twitter-centered, since that was, up until recently, one of the biggest news hubs in the world.  Apologies.

Elie Mystal - Legal analyst with an emphasis on Black rights:  Elie Mystal excels at making jokes about really bad things in the legal and political sphere.  He writes for The Nation and is a frequent guest on news networks such as CNN and MSNBC.  He was apparently spoofed by Keean Thompson on Saturday Night Live?  Neat.

I referenced his work for The Nation, and I know my list is built to not require purchases of products, but his book “Allow Me To Retort:  A Black Guy’s Guide To The Constitution” is absolutely one of the best books on Constitutional issues I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, and it’s worth seeing if a library has it. 

Mehdi Hasan - The Best Interviewer I’ve Seen:  Mehdi is a journalist and author who has a knack for interviewing people.  He was so good at it that MSNBC fired him for it (which is why I don’t watch MSNBC anymore), since it’s an election year and he might demand answers of the guests he’s assigned.  I don’t know what else to say, there is scant higher praise I can give.  While he’s sort of in-between projects, check out his Twitter link (see above) and follow his tough approach to the day’s events.

Here’s him talking about how to effectively interview Trump’s people.

Erin Reed - Trans/Queer Issues Journalist - Erin covers Trans rights issues nationwide, with an emphasis on what’s being done to harm Queer people in general, and Trans people in particular.  She’s very good at keeping track of the various dangerous bills being executed on the state level.  

This article about Iowa trying to create a special demarcation for Trans drivers’ licenses (a phenomenon not restrained to one state) is of particular import.  Feels like we’re back in the “little pink triangles” days.

Erin’s Twitter can be found here.  

Brandi Buchman - Legal Reporting:  Brandi comes in hot with awesome takes on the goings-on of our court system.  She’s done a number of live-tweets of various court cases, particularly January 6th related ones, but she also covers legal news in a broader sense.

This tweet of hers’, for example, covers Brett Favre having to repay money owed to the State of Mississippi for his welfare theft scandal.

Tiffany Flowers - Education Rights Activist:  Professor Flowers is an expert in the field of education, where she’s largely covered elementary education and issues like – I’m sorry, my brain and Google-Fu just failed me as I write this at 10:19 PM after a long and painful day.  Whatever it was, it was her condemning a bad idea proposed to help early childhood reading.

Speaking as a former teacher, she’s very good and on the ball about issues that affect equity in education.

Tristan Snell - Legal Analyst & Reporter:  Another excellent source for court updates, primarily having to do with Donald Trump.  Sadly, I don’t have much to say about him, since I only know his Twitter work (linked above).  But it’s pretty good, and it’s nice to have him as an information source.

In Other News…

Overall, it’s been a relatively quiet news week.  Or, rather, a news week filled with abject silliness and no major developments.  It’s like…There was a big Republican victory in that the Democrats basically gave them a lot of what they wanted out of an immigration bill - and then Republicans killed their own victory because Trump wants to use it as a wedge issue.

It’s really bad.

Joe Biden won the Nevada primary and Marianne Williamson dropped out, but none of that was particularly surprising.  Dean Philips is still in, but is of no major significance since Biden is winning 90% of the primary vote.  Will he do well in Michigan?  I have my doubts, but Biden might be unpopular there due to the Israel-Palestine conflict and the larger than average Muslim Arab-American population, so maybe?  Hard to say.

The only big news - and it isn’t even that big - is that Tom Suozzi and Mazi Pilip debated last night.  I did a whole-ass live-tweet of the debate.  As someone who was certainly not sold on Suozzi before the debate, I came away with the conclusion that maybe a bad plan is better than no plan, and that Mazi Pilip cannot be allowed anywhere near a Congressional seat.  Which, yes, basically means I’m voting 90’s Republican (Suozzi is “Democrat” who seems to hate Democrats), which is depressing because it’s better than allowing the phantasm of a Fascist party’s idea to take office.

Thank you for reading The Progressive Cafe.  If this article has helped you, please consider signing up for our mailing list.  This article is by Jesse Pohlman, a former hyperlocal journalist and sci-fi/fantasy author from Long Island, New York, whose website you can check out here.