Social Studies

Glenn Greenwald and I have been reporting together on industrial animal abuse for years, and specifically about Ridglan Farms, a Wisconsin dog breeder that sells beagles to laboratories for heinous scientific experiments.Last month, I accompanied hundreds of activists in an attempted mass rescue of thousands of Ridglan dogs. I made this short documentary out of it, which I’m co-publishing with Glenn.Hope you enjoy it.—LW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leightonwoodhouse.substack.com/subscribe

I join my cohost Lee Fang for a podcast discussion around the violent confrontations in Minnesota and what it might mean for America. In short order, we discuss ethnic scapegoating, whether the federal government is truly focused on taxpayer fraud, and why this Trump presidency is fundamentally different from the first administration. Will there be an offramp to the crackdown? And we end with a discussion of Christian ethics and René Girard. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leightonwoodhouse.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit leightonwoodhouse.substack.comBarry Eisler, before becoming a best-selling novelist, worked in covert operations for the CIA. He joins Le Pod to discuss his career, the real-world inspirations for his work, and explains why fiction writing is more important than ever to understand the morally murky world of power politics and U.S. foreign policy. Eisler is on Substack and you can bu…

Last weekend at the Wagon Box campout in Wyoming, I had the honor of interviewing one of the writers I most admire: Paul Kingsnorth, author of The Wake, Beast, and Alexandria. Kingsnorth writes about human existence under “The Machine,” by which he means the increasingly AI-controlled technological habitat that envelopes us at nearly every second of our lives, stripping us of our autonomy and humanity.The video and audio are a bit rough, so here’s a transcript of the discussion. (The transcript begins with a short discussion between James Pogue and Ashley Fitzgerald of Doomer Optimism, which was cut from the video.)I’ll have much more to say about Kingsnorth and The Machine in later writings. I think he’s one of the most interesting and original artists, writers and thinkers alive today, and I’m very glad to now call him a friend.—LW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leightonwoodhouse.substack.com/subscribe

Our guest today is Jake Klein, a libertarian activist and author who has written about the dangers of identity politics and tribalism.Klein, who was raised in an Orthodox Jewish household and is now atheist, talks about his path in life. We talk about the unproductive nature of many pro-Palestinian activists on the far left, the hypocrisy of many supposed “heterodox thinkers” and why we have come to reject any kind of racial or ethnic category. We also chat about the downfall of the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism, Inc., a group we hoped would help serve as the answer to weaponized identity politics.Klein’s Substack is called The Black Sheep and he’s on X. Please give him a follow. And if you enjoyed this live podcast, please consider paid subscription to support our work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit leightonwoodhouse.substack.com/subscribe