Topic: News Deserts

NPR claims that 20% of Americans live in areas where public radio is the only source of local news. Adam Curry disputes this, sharing an anecdote about his local station, KUT in Austin, playing national programming during a local weather emergency. The hosts advocate for hyper-local podcasting as a more effective alternative to taxpayer-funded public broadcasting.

A new report indicates that an average of two local newspapers go out of business every week in the United States. This trend has left 70 million Americans living in "news deserts" with little to no local news organization coverage. The hosts suggest that while official journalism is declining, unofficial local reporting continues to exist.

A 2007 clip of General Wesley Clark is revisited, where he describes a Pentagon memo from 2001 detailing plans to "take out" seven countries in five years. Clark attributes this policy coup to neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney, who aimed to destabilize the Middle East before Russia or China could regain power.

An analysis of ISIS promotional imagery reveals what the hosts claim are staged elements, including brand-new Nike sneakers and clean Toyota trucks in a desert environment. Observations are made regarding the incorrect prayer directions shown in footage and the lack of dust or wear on equipment. The segment suggests the videos are high-production propaganda rather than authentic battlefield documentation.