Felicia Michaels is a comedian, photographer, and actor. Her episode of Marc Maron’s WTF was one of my favorites. She has an amazing story. This is my second time interviewing her, and based on the rules of 1000, will likely be my last. So, I wanted to cover as much ground as possible.

Colin Hernandez is a Democratic Socialist and Candidate for CA Assembly District 51. He was recommended to me by a trusted colleague, as somebody trying to use the levers of elected office for good.

We talk his history, why he’s running, and how he flipped from Republican to Democratic Socialist.

Ahoy! Midterms ahead!

I’m still not convinced Luigi Mangione is the person responsible for the death of that CEO who murdered a bunch of people.

If you Google it, the AI slop will tell you that yes, there’s total proof he did it. Their evidence, though, is his confession.

Anyone who thinks confessions can’t be fabricated or forced hasn’t been around the US very long, or they’re painfully naive.

Is this a bit conspiratorial? Maybe. My dear friend Jeffrey, who is sadly no longer with us, used to say “I only have so much room in my tinfoil hat, but I’ve got room for that” whenever he believed something that went against the grain.

I have room for this. My tinfoil hat’s got enough room to say Luigi may not be the guy.

So many unanswered questions: How’d they tip off the McDonald’s (I mean, we know how in the literal sense…but, the likelihood of people at a random McDonald’s in Altoona, PA…)? Why would he have every incriminating thing including the gun on him? Why would he have headed west instead of north? None of this adds up.

Yet, to be fair, the same two plausible explanations remain.

1. He was just severely mentally disturbed and was not lucid in the moments post-shooting.

2. He wanted to get caught.

Both are totally possible and would explain everything above. If it’s the first one, all the more reason why the warrantless and improper search of his backpack should have been thrown out as evidence. If it’s the second one, the backpack still should be thrown out as evidence, because, again, it was a warrantless search.

Without that backpack, at the end of the day they don’t have much of anything. A blurry image where the eyes look kinda similar, that’s about it. Smells like a mistrial.

Luigi Mangione’s trial isn’t about justice. It’s about making an example.

Do I condone killing? Of course not. That’s why I’ve no empathy for those who make a business out of it via the predatory health exploitation of the US.

Another Disinfo Detox with !

Get more from Ron Placone in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Danilo Napoli is an actor, writer, and producer from Italy. I saw his show, This Show Has Been Canceled (Due To The End Of The World), and it was absolutely brilliant. It tackles climate change, and it’s unapologetically anti-capitalist. Plus it’s Italian? We had drinks after, as Michael Blaha of Fringe Management produced the show and he also produced Termination Fee. Unsurprisingly, Danilo and I got along pretty well.

The main negative part about being away from the US (I’m in Scotland at the moment for the Fringe), aside from being away from my wife and cats, is seeing the circus from afar and thinking “ahh, ffs, what now?”

I guess, among other things, Tucker Carlson’s starting a 3rd party…How many right-wing parties can one country have? The US has two mainstream ones. One is neo-fascist, the other neo-liberal, there’s a third corporate party that’s Randian, and then there’s whatever half-baked repackaging of all of those Tucker Carlson’s cooking up.

Anyway, not too long ago, AOC gave a mealy-mouthed non-answer when she was asked if “defunding the police” went too far. Whatever that means.

Sure, defunding the police scared some people. It was also technically correct. Defunding means to withdraw or reduce financial support for a group. So, the purpose was to reduce direct police funding and funnel it into other social services, which are better crime preventatives, anyway.

What other slogans wouldn’t have gotten the same opposition from the same people? “Reallocate the Police Budget”? Please. That’d probably be even worse. “Invest in social services”? Nope. To the right, that just means higher taxes and they hate that.

As and I discussed on the last stream, I guess they could’ve called it the “Happy Funtime Patriot Bill,” but once it got out that it reduced police spending, folks would be screaming treason.

They could’ve tried the “Don’t Tread On Me Policy,” but then they’d alienate all the most obvious supporters. Plus, the importance of the idea is acknowledging that there is a problem with policing. A BS branding slogan would not do that.

At the end of the day, pontificating about the slogan detracts from a few hard truths:

1. Our policing system is not meant to serve and protect. It’s intended to uphold brutalization and white supremacy. Throwing more money at police will not make them more efficient for you, because they’re not there for you in the first place.

2. People in the US worship the police like a cult. Hell, they’ve even got their own flag.

3. It’s a really ugly flag.

My Tour Dates.

An anti-capitalist indie comedy film we made called Left At Wall.

Thank you , , and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

Another episode of Disinfo Detox!

Get more from Ron Placone in the Substack app

Available for iOS and Android

Get the app

Cyrus Naderpour is a comedian and, now, an influencer. He also used to co-produce one of the most successful shows in LA before it folded. We talk the journey and finding our place in all of it.

Also, interesting timing of this episode considering ASU just introduced a major in Influencing…

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a week. It didn’t hit me until I realized it was time for me to do laundry. This is only my second ever Fringe, but I can say it goes incredibly fast. Last time I did it (2023), I only did a half run and it felt like things were just getting started.

While it can be absolutely chaotic at times, there’s a certain beauty about the Fringe. Thousands and thousands of people gathered for the sake of creativity and the arts. It’s an amazing thing I think everyone ought to experience at least once in their lives if such a thing interests them.

Word seems to be getting out about Anti-Fascist Pasta Night which is freakin’ awesome. Fringe goers and even some Edinburgh locals are united in rejecting fascism and catching some American political comedy.

Out of my first four shows, three of them were “sold out” (I’m part of the Free Fringe so technically nothing was ‘sold’ but we reached capacity and had to turn people away. Shout-out to everyone who’s been coming to the shows.

The photo above is a scarf from the Association of the Partisans of Italy (ANPI). One of their members, Raffa, came to the show on Thursday and presented me with the gift. Beyond an honor. I tie it to the mic stand (sorry, Steven Tyler) at every show now.

I’ve had a few surprises thus far in the run. I had a stag party (bachelor party), which was unexpected. A show called Anti-Fascist Pasta Night doesn’t necessarily scream stag party, then again, neither does a comedy show in general. At first, I was a bit annoyed, it’s one thing to have to deal with this shit in the clubs but at the Edinburgh Fringe? Come on, now. Plus, to add to it, there was a group of people that was for sure there for Anti-Fascist Pasta Night that wasn’t able to get in. But, I decided not to pre-judge, give it a chance.

It turned out OK. I definitely had to adapt some, but it was nothing unbearable, and the rest of the audience seemed cool with it.

I’ve also gotten a few families. Which, hey, maybe they think they’ll learn something, which is fine. But, some of the ages I just kinda thought…this is going to go over their heads, and I was right. That being said though, there’s definitely been some younger people turning up.

Anyway, this Substack won’t just be Edinburgh updates but obviously there will be some while I’m here and I won’t be posting quite as much.

It is beautiful out here, and I always feel a bit more at peace whenever I’m outside of the US these days. Here’s an attempt at capturing last night’s sunset:

My Tour Dates.

An anti-capitalist indie comedy film we made called Left At Wall.

Tomorrow, I will be starting my run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. My show is called Anti-Fascist Pasta Night. There’s a number of reasons for the title, I’ve talked and written about it a good bit, here’s a recent chat about it on The Katie Halper Show.

Anyway, one of the reasons is because fascism has always and will always need to lose.

I watched this clip from Steven Crowder. (so you don’t have to, but if ya want to, go for it).

It’s cherry-picked revisionist history, emphasizing case studies that weren’t actually full-blown fascist regimes politically as a way to downplay fascism itself. Ironically enough, one of his co-hosts mentions that fascism is specific and many people don’t actually meet the criteria, which is technically true, and also debunks the entire video.

When making the case for these historic right-wing regimes, they would emphasize factors like GDP and prices, factors that on their own say nothing about the quality of life for a group of people.

Towards the end of the video, Crowder wax-philosophizes about a future where the DSA stacks the courts (a literal impossibility), and suggests that a military coup would be the only option under such a scenario. “So, you may need to grab your gun just in case this for-sure-not-gonna-happen situation that I made up ever comes to fruition” says the guy with 6 million followers.

Then, they downplay the Trump Administration, offering points on how it’s not actually fascist. What the video misses is that fascism is a slow boil. It takes years of building, and it whittles away a little at a time.

It’s got all the makings of effective political punditry (which, coming from me, is the opposite of a compliment):

1. Rattle off facts and figures really quickly so it sounds impressive and as if one is making a profound point before the listener has a chance to reflect and ask, “wait, what is this actually telling me though?”

2. Limit case studies and only present them in a way that supports your point of view. Then, mention the imperfections of said cases in a way that downplays them but still makes you come across as reasonable.

3. Have a perfectly timed ad for some weird supplement shit you’re selling.

4. Have a solid click bait title and thumb.

5. Never actually support your main thesis.

Crowder never actually makes the case for fascism, his video is basically just saying, “hey, history’s a bit more complicated than these news articles I picked out.” Neat.

Benito Mussolini is not among Steven Crowder’s examples. Neither is Adolf Hitler. Steven Crowder certainly didn’t change my mind, but I guess I’m supposed to change his, right? Well, here it goes: Fascism is so bad a guy who tried to make a pro-fascist video couldn’t even defend actual fascists.

Honestly, pretty lame sales pitch, the creatine one wasn’t bad though. Maybe if fascism gives Steven a promocode he’ll make a better case next time.

My Tour Dates.

An anti-capitalist indie comedy film we made called Left At Wall.

Jon Schnitzer is a comedian and filmmaker. His latest Fringe show, “Something Spooky,” took the Hollywood Fringe by storm. His first show, “Just the Tip,” which is about his upbringing learning about Zionism and then later questioning everything, was beloved around the country.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner used to be a self-congratulatory circle jerk between the ruling elites, where an average person would need that open bar just to not want to flip the tables and start screaming about how this is a blatant conflict of interest, or just not die from boredom. But, there was, at times, a little beacon of hope amidst the event where a comedian would be the one breath of fresh air and, for a change, the truth was told. They’d skewer the entire event, because as long as we’ve had humanity, only the jester’s been allowed to tell the truth, as long as they’re funny.

Now, that’s changed. Comedians are no longer permitted at the dinner (ironically, Trump would have plenty of sycophants to choose from these days, some even campaigned for him). This year at the dinner, even the emperor’s bottom feeders told him that he had no clothes, as Trump bombed so hard he could (and should) have been deemed a domestic terrorist.

Fascism despises culture. It seeks out to destroy it and replace it with its own brand of reactionary propaganda. Enjoy your Naz-king, America, fumbling punchlines like they’re campaign promises.

AI companies are buying used books in mass quantities. Some of them are rare and out-of-print. They’re feeding them to the LLMs to train them, and then they’re destroying the books. The eeriest part of this is their reasoning: They want to preserve human knowledge before it’s completely replaced by AI. They’re anticipating a future where we rely on AI to preserve the stories that have been passed down for centuries.

Not only is this dystopian and disturbing, it wouldn’t work. LLM models are trained via algorithms and only respond to positive or negative feedback. Was the ending of Romeo and Juliet too depressing for ya? Let’s switch it up, they met up, ended up escaping together in time, and their families sent them an apology letter, but they ran off to Florence and kinda dug it there, so they settled. Then, Romeo sculpted the David.

This is nothing more than a modern book burning. Another fascist element.

Earlier this month, ICE shared Medicaid data with Palantir. ICE shouldn’t have even had said data. Medicaid shared the information illegally.

Palantir utilizes AI for surveillance. Its main clients include police, the Department of Defense, and the CIA. Among its founders is Peter Thiel. He’s a guy who doesn’t think we should have democracy. Also, he recently fled to Argentina with his family. Which is something another group of people did one time in history…

Fascism thrives on mass surveillance.

This is the new techno-fascism. It’s here. It’s not going away. But it’s not invincible and we’re not helpless.

My Tour Dates.

An anti-capitalist indie comedy film we made called Left At Wall.

Ester Maria Segretto is a photographer and author. She is an Italian-American, who, like myself, celebrates the culture and food but found herself at odds with the conservative political undertones that often accompanied it. Thanks to organizations like PIACE and Italians Against Fascism and others, we’ve been finding our people and each other.

Over the weekend on July 25, Anti-Fascist Pasta Celebrations were held around the world. Most of them were in Italy, but there were some in other parts of Europe, and North America. US cities included Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Providence, RI, Oakland, CA, and we did our own thing here in Pedrotown, LA, CA.

Here’s what I wrote about it the following day:

“Last night was cathartic in ways word can’t even describe. Thank you so so much to everyone who made this event a reality and brought their love and talent. Thank you to everyone from the neighborhood and those who made the trek to Pedrotown to celebrate with us. It was a honor to be part of such a special thing happening all over the world, and to put our own stamp on it in our little pocket here in our corner of LA.

Graham Elwood, Jake Flores, Isai Reyes, Dana Jacques, Drennon Davis thanks for killing it on the mic.

Andrew Saxena and Nez, thank you for being wonderful hosts and killing it on the music (also Party War).

Katelyn, thank you for tolerating me.

Cono San Pedro, thank you for the absolutely amazing catering.

PIACE, Italians Against Fascism, Hidden Villages, Steve Cerulli, thanks for lifting this veil for so many of us and helping us find each other. We weren’t all at the same event [on Saturday] but we were together in spirit.

The night ended with a Bella Ciao sing along as it needs to. I was a bit toasty by that point and had no business singing in Italian (or at all) but it didn’t matter because it was all of us. Always Anti-Fascist! Bella Ciao!”

The times ahead are not going to easy. They are already difficult. Fascism is here. Climate catastrophe is here. It would be nice if we were trying to regain proper stewardship of the earth as a relatively unified world, but alas that is not the case. Nevertheless, fascism has always and will always lose.

We need to confront it head on. Like any social movement, we need art running through our veins and a song on our lips. It takes more than art, obviously, but art definitely as its place. As Emma Goldman taught us a long time ago, a revolution without dancing isn’t one worth having. Saturday was a fuck of a dance.

You don’t get to believe or not believe in climate change. Belief has nothing to do with it. It’s here. It’s happening. It’s evolving. It’s exploration.

That’s not how belief works. You get to believe in something that can’t be proven. A god, the Democratic Party is an actual opposition party, the Cat Distribution System, that sort of thing.

I’m not even here to knock belief, because I believe in one of those three things. Maybe it’s the pain of loss talking, but I believe in the Cat Distribution System. Last weekend was a year since we had to say goodbye to Lucy, not a day goes by where she’s not missed terribly. I also can’t help notice that Luna and Livorno are exactly what would happen if Lucy’s personality was split into two cats. Livorno has her social and out going spirit, whereas Luna has her particular, subtle, “my-way-or-the-highway-but-you-don’t-mind-cuz-I’m-adorable” vibe. Plus, there’s their origin story.

Anyway, I had to go MA on a family affair last weekend. The air quality was terrible because of the wildfires in Canada.

Over in Pittsburgh, they were considering postponing the Riverhounds game because of how smoky it was.

For my connecting flight in Baltimore, it was so smoky and hazy one could barely see out the window, and a flight attendant announced that if you smell smoke not to worry, the plane’s not on fire, it’s from outside.

I’m getting ready to leave for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. There was just a wildfire there. All the way up in Scotland.

Today, I was talking to a friend over in Italy. They are dealing with an intense heatwave, most of Europe is. Additionally, there are wildfires all over Sicily to the point of evacuations.

Climate change, much like fascism, is here. You can try to deny it, but the world will burn anyway. Denial is the first stage of grief. The world needs to get over it quickly, because the longer it takes, the more brutal Acceptance is gonna be.

PS, when we had the fires in California, Canada came and helped us. Trump’s response to them is to threaten more tariffs. The US is such an embarrassing country.

My Tour Dates.

An anti-capitalist indie comedy film we made called Left At Wall.