Doomscroll with Joshua Citarella

A comedian recounts slow starts and early creative failures while discussing the craft of performance. Conversation probes a deleted joke about Epstein and the tension between intent and gravity in comedy. They trace how public backlash and standards for past material have shifted. The dialogue critiques performative outrage and argues for focusing on real accountability.

Gianmarco Soresi, stand-up comedian and Downside Podcast host, discusses comedy’s rightward pivot and how comedians became central to political discourse. He explores audience capture, cancel culture, platforming ethics, and the attention economy. Short, sharp takes on why comedy now shapes news and how independent media can be compromised.

Emma Vigeland, political commentator known for progressive, social democratic analysis. She discusses mainstream media warming to social democracy. She traces post-2016 splits within Democrats. She critiques party focus on democracy over voters’ material needs. She examines the party’s handling of Gaza, primary rules, and responsiveness compared with Republicans.

Emma Vigeland, co-host of The Majority Report and sharp political commentator, joins to unpack Epstein conspiracies, shifting media ecosystems, and why the left lags the right online. Short takes on QAnon origins, right-wing funding tactics, reframing progressive messaging, class vs cultural politics, and what the left should prioritize for future elections.

David Wengrow, archaeologist and author exploring deep human history. He discusses prehistoric human diversity and how populations mixed. He critiques Victorian race science and modern attempts to rank ancient intelligence. He highlights North Africa’s early architectural influence and examines political innovations like sortition and ancient assemblies.

David Wengrow, archaeologist and UCL professor known for co-writing The Dawn of Everything, guides a lively tour of deep human history. He challenges standard rise-of-inequality stories. He highlights diverse political experiments, seasonal hierarchies, nonagricultural cities, imperial violence behind capitalism, and how Indigenous critiques reshaped Enlightenment thought.

David Adler, an academic specializing in media, political communication, and Latin American politics. He traces the fading of decolonization rhetoric and how left parties misread mandates. He explains AMLO’s mañanera press strategy and how daily communication sustains movements. They explore media alignments that amplified social movements and how both left and right use the same communication tools.

David Adler, general coordinator of the Progressive International and activist, recounts his time aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla. He tells of drone attacks, naval interception and boarding in international waters. He describes detention, harsh treatment, communications jamming, and the politics of international solidarity. The conversation closes with lessons on sustaining pressure and solidarity for Palestine.

Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman focused on tech and economic policy. He debates crypto regulation, calls for limits on officials trading digital assets, and explores stablecoins as cross-border payment tools. The conversation links World of Warcraft and crypto libertarianism, examines forkable governance, and stresses marrying innovation with democratic accountability.

Ro Khanna, a U.S. Representative from California's 17th District, dives into the impact of technology on economic inequality and the need for a tech social contract. He critiques how the Democratic Party has lost touch with working Americans due to globalization and military spending. Khanna discusses the importance of accountability for elites, regional venture capital, and a fair wage. He advocates for a new economic vision that balances innovation with community investment, proposing reforms like antitrust enforcement and an updated H-1B system.