Topic: The Simpsons

A clip from "The Simpsons" is played to illustrate the show's perceived ability to predict political realities. This leads to a discussion on Donald Trump's recent "very serious" talks with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine. Trump has criticized the Biden administration's spending and suggested that President Zelensky should have made a deal with Putin earlier.

Max Azzarello set himself on fire outside the Manhattan courthouse during the Donald Trump hush money trial. Authorities labeled Azzarello a conspiracy theorist after he distributed pamphlets alleging a global Ponzi scheme involving Harvard, the Ivy League, and cryptocurrency. The hosts analyze his Substack manifesto, noting his claims about "The Simpsons" writers and the financial connections between FTX and political elites.

A prediction is made that architect Frank Gehry will design a house for Hillary Clinton. The hosts mock Gehry's "gobbledygook" architectural style, referencing his appearance on *The Simpsons* and linking his work to the "new international rules-based order."

The concept of minting a "trillion dollar platinum coin" has resurfaced in Forbes as a potential solution to the debt ceiling crisis. This proposal, which has appeared periodically since 2013, involves depositing the coin with the Federal Reserve to bypass congressional borrowing limits. Related historical proposals include the 2020 ABC Act, which suggested monthly debit card reloads for all residents during the pandemic.

A clip from The Simpsons Movie featuring Tom Hanks is used to illustrate the government's loss of credibility. In the clip, Hanks "borrows" his personal credibility to the U.S. government to promote a new Grand Canyon. The segment suggests that modern celebrity endorsements of government policy are reaching a similar level of absurdity.

Economist Paul Krugman revives the "Trillion Dollar Coin" proposal as a solution to the U.S. debt ceiling crisis. The hosts dismiss the idea as a recurring media distraction, referencing a 1990s episode of The Simpsons that featured a similar trillion-dollar bill plot.

The hosts experiment with combining different sound clips for the show's sign-off, including a "Frau Ingraham" command and a clip from The Simpsons. They discuss the "punchiness" of various audio elements as they prepare to close the episode.

The Houston Association of Realtors has replaced the terms "master bedroom" and "master bath" with "primary" to avoid perceived associations with slavery. Similarly, the entertainment industry is seeing white actors step down from voicing characters of color on shows like *The Simpsons* and *Family Guy*. These shifts are characterized as part of a broader linguistic movement where words like "problematic" and "enslaved" are used to reframe historical and social contexts.

The "Automatic Boost to Communities" (ABC) Act is proposed, which would provide $2,000 monthly debit cards to all residents, funded by the minting of two $1 trillion platinum coins. The hosts trace this "dumb" idea back to 2013 and a classic episode of The Simpsons. They note that both "nut job Republicans" and progressives like AOC have now embraced the concept of magic currency.

A clip from *The Simpsons* depicts a secret conclave of media executives inventing a "phony baloney crisis" to keep Americans glued to their televisions. The fictional "House Cat Flu" is used as a satirical parallel to the current media coverage of the coronavirus. The hosts use the clip to highlight their belief that social networks and AI are being used to control the public narrative.

Sir Anonymous of Dogpatch and Lower Selbuvia contributed $1,202 to the show, encouraging other listeners to move from "douchebag" status to active producers. The donation segment notes that the show is currently in its 11th season, a milestone shared by classic television programs like MASH and Cheers. The hosts express an ambition to reach the longevity of The Simpsons.

Tracy Ullman's financial success is attributed to a deal she made with the Fox network, granting her a percentage of any show spun off from her sketches. This agreement included The Simpsons, potentially making her one of the wealthiest comedians in the industry, surpassing even Jerry Seinfeld in residuals.

A visit to the historic London restaurant Simpsons in the Strand resulted in disappointment due to overcooked meat and poor carving technique. The hosts lament the loss of the traditional English atmosphere, noting that the staff no longer consists of the "old Englishmen" who once defined the carvery experience. Despite the poor food, the restaurant maintains high ratings on review sites due to good service.

A montage of news clips shows various anchors using the exact same "The Juice is Loose" phrasing to report on OJ Simpson's parole. The hosts highlight this as an example of the lack of original thought and the scripted nature of mainstream broadcast news.

Recent episodes of "Will & Grace" and "The Simpsons" are criticized for using satire to influence voters toward Hillary Clinton. "Will & Grace" characters used derogatory language to describe gay Trump supporters, while "The Simpsons" featured a skit where Vladimir Putin hacks a voting booth in a swing state to ensure a Trump victory. The hosts view these segments as overt political propaganda rather than mere comedy.

Republican candidate Ted Cruz participated in several viral videos produced by the Independent Journal Review, including an audition for The Simpsons and a demonstration of cooking bacon on the barrel of an AR-15. The "machine gun bacon" video drew criticism for Cruz's terminology, as the weapon used was a semi-automatic rifle. These videos are analyzed as part of a new, highly produced digital campaigning strategy.

A discussion of the 2014 World Cup highlights a New York Times article that mirrors the hosts' theory on rooting for countries where a win would produce the most aggregate happiness. The conversation shifts to a 2014 episode of The Simpsons that predicted a World Cup final between Germany and Brazil involving bribery, leading to a discussion about the show's history of predicting major world events.

John Brennan has been nominated to lead the CIA, immediately followed by reports of drone strikes in Pakistan. The hosts also discuss the "Mint the Coin" movement, supported by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, which proposes a trillion-dollar platinum coin to solve the debt ceiling. They credit No Agenda producers for finding a 1945 *Simpsons* episode that predicted a trillion-dollar bill.

The trillion dollar coin plot is compared to a 1998 episode of "The Simpsons" involving a trillion dollar bill printed by Harry Truman. The hosts also revisit the "Leo Wanta" story, involving a supposed $27.5 trillion fund created by a CIA operative to destabilize the Soviet economy. They dismiss these stories as recurring "bull crap."

The McLaughlin Group on PBS is criticized for its members giving the TSA high effectiveness ratings despite the agency's failure to stop the "shoe bomber" or "underwear bomber." The hosts use a clip from The Simpsons to illustrate the "specious reasoning" that the absence of attacks proves the TSA's success. Panelists like Eleanor Clift are singled out for giving the agency scores as high as 9.2 out of 10.