This Week in Outrage

This week, Lisa and David talk about partial government shutdown; nationwide strike to protest ICE; the ‘Melania’ movie opens in theaters; Trump struggled to recall the word “Alzheimer’s” while discussing his father’s dementia; David critiques Tangle for normalizing Trump via misleadingly B grade; Lisa lists some of Trump’s pardons so far; latest Epstein files dump; Trump to sue his own administration for $10 billion, exploiting a lack of federal oversight to give himself a settlement, funneling taxpayer money directly into his own pocket; Trump to shut down the Kennedy Center; Ferrari Half Marathon includes private test track in Maranello, Italy; and more. Beyond the Ballot: Moving from Passive Hope to Local Agency TLDR; from You’re Not Preparing. You Should Be. I know a lot of people are thinking about the next election as a potential reset button. That’s a mistake. Power that has been consolidated doesn’t voluntarily unconsolidate. Electoral politics still matter—of course they do—but treating them as sufficient is how you end up with elections that look democratic while functioning as ratification exercises. The institutions you trusted are not coming back unchanged. That’s a loss worth grieving, but you have to let go of them as they were. Avoid savior fantasies. No one is coming to fix this—not a leader, not an institution, not the next election. Hope is passive. Agency is active. Build the latter and let go of the former. Pick one thing. Join a mutual aid group or start one. Learn one legal right. Build one relationship across political difference. Acquire one practical skill—first aid, food preservation, basic repair. Identify one organization doing local defense work and support it. The goal isn’t to do everything. The goal is to stop doing nothing. The couch isn’t safe. It only feels that way. The Epstein Files A summary of the portion of the show focusing on the recent dump of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents. * Suspicious Redactions: David questions why names of potential “perpetrators” or high-level associates are redacted while some victim names have been inadvertently exposed. * Evidence of Extremity: We discuss the existence of horrific evidence—including mentions of “torture videos” and child exploitation—that authorities reportedly possess but have not used to bring new charges. * The “Pizza” Code: We note the appearance of “pizza” and “grape soda” in email exchanges, suggesting these were coded terms used by elites, mirroring the language found in “Pizzagate” theories but involving different actors. QAnon as a Possible “Psyop” David posits a theory that the QAnon/Pizzagate movement may have been an intentional “psyop” (psychological operation) designed to: * Muddy the Waters: Make the reality of elite child exploitation seem so “absurd and insane” that the public would dismiss actual evidence as conspiracy theory. * Misdirect Outrage: Frame the issue as a partisan “Democratic cabal” to protect figures like Donald Trump by positioning him as a “savior” rather than a participant with documented ties to Epstein. Bipartisan Protection of Elites We express deep frustration that the “protection” of these elites spans decades and multiple administrations. * A Shared Failure: We argue that Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden have all overseen a system that failed to prosecute high-level offenders. * Wealth vs. The Rest: We conclude that the real divide is not “Republican vs. Democrat,” but rather the “rich against the rest of us.” The “Outrage Overload” Strategy David concludes that the public is being intentionally distracted by “culture war” issues (DEI, wokeness, etc.) so they don’t notice they are being exploited by the same group of elites. * The LBJ Parallel: He cites Lyndon B. Johnson’s famous quote about convincing the “lowest white man” he’s better than others to keep him from noticing his pocket is being picked. * The Outcome: By keeping the working class fighting over identity and partisan labels, the powerful remain unaccountable for the crimes documented in the Epstein files. Links: Outrage Overload Podcast Yergz Radio (yergzradio.com) Dare Talk Radio (daretalkradio.com) This Week in Outrage Substack (outrageoverload.net/twio) Partial US government shutdown enters third day as funding standoff continues (BBC) Thousands demonstrate in Minnesota and across US to protest ICE (Reuters) Protesters close schools and stores during a nationwide strike against Trump’s immigration policies (NBC Los Angeles) The World’s Coolest Half Marathon Is in Ferrari’s Backyard (InsideHook) Get full access to Outrage Overload Newsletter at outrageoverload.substack.com/subscribe