IN THIS EPISODE:
The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments today on whether “bump stocks” should remain banned. This isn’t a 2nd Amendment debate: it’s really about the dysfuntional way we set national policy today.
Wendy’s is pushing back on reports that it’s considering “dynamic pricing”, raising rates at peak times. I think they’re playing with semantics, consider how many of us rely on fast food.
And the new hit video game “Helldivers 2” combines thrilling cooperative play with the blatant authoritarian propaganda of “Starship Troopers”. I’ll show you why anyone concerned with democracy should love this game.
0:00-Intro/Chat
15:33-Wendy's denies "surge pricing"
56:17-Changes coming to this show
1:13:57-Supreme Court bump stock debate
1:58:11-What "Helldivers 2" says about democracy
SCHEDULE CHANGES COMING TO THE NIGHT LIGHT
Launching a show like this will quickly teach you a lot about what works. Those lessons are leading to a big change. Next week the live streams will move from afternoons to nights.
A few weeks ago I did an impromptu stream to talk through my recent post “Democracy In Despair”. The reaction to that unannounced stream confirmed something that I’d long suspected: my initial vision to to The Night Light at night made sense. Compared to the regular daytime audience, the impromptu stream’s viewership doubled.
This also made me realize one of the big reasons for my despair: I largely did the show in the afternoons so I could keep an eye on the news cycle. But if my time at NBC taught me anything, it’s that my best work isn’t anchoring. I’m not worried about breaking news. I want to help put it together, with thoughtful analysis, original perspective and plain-English explanation.
On Thursday, February 29th and Friday, March 1st, I’ll do the stream in the afternoon AND at night. After that the show will stream live only at night; the afternoon streams will end as of this Friday. Going forward, it will be The NIGHT Light indeed. I’m leaning toward 8-10pm ET, but let me know what you think in the poll on this page. You’ll still be able to enjoy the show as a podcast, regardless of when it airs. And I’m working on making it easier for everyone to interact with the show whether they take part live or not.
The nation needs spaces to connect and talk about the future of our democracy, and you’re making sure we have what we need. Thanks for supporting this program, and I’ll keep you posted as it continues to grow.
SCOTUS debates bump stock ban/Wendy's surge pricing/"Helldivers 2": smart, fun propaganda