Scott Mike Podcast

International espionage? Murder? Entertainment? Scott and Mike explore the 2020 Ryan White documentary Assassins and how well it entertains and educates us in telling the story of the 2017 murder of Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Mike and Scott share diverse views on My Octopus Teacher, a 2020 Netflix Original documentary film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, which documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world Recognitions: 2021 Oscar for Best Documentary British Academy Film award - Winner 2021 Best Documentary Critics Choice Documentary Awards - Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary

Watch Minding the Gap on Hulu.  Then Scott and Mike discuss: the cyclical nature of child abuse, the similarities between literature and documentaries, and finally the meaning of life.

//the social dilemma from director Jeff Orlowski had over 38 million views in the first month after release, the second ever for a documentary, and was nominated for 7 Emmy Awards in 2021.  Why did this film generate such an immediate reaction and great accolades? Find out if it was warranted and if you should watch it as Scott and Mike explore //the social dilemma.  

Scott & Mike discuss the documentary Three Identical Strangers. Discussion topics include: medical ethics plus the nurture vs nature debate.

Scott and Mike review and discuss the 2018 National Geographic documentary Free Solo, the story of Alex Honnold and his drive to perform a free solo climb of El Capitan, a famous 3000’ granite wall in Yosemite National Park in California.

We've tried deep dives into topics (format 1), the news and reviews in 24 minutes (format 2), and now we are going to our third format: a documentary discussion club.  The first documentary we will discuss is Free Solo and will be recorded on September 23.

D-K: Trump lawyers, Sydney Powell and Lin Wood News: COVID: Latest data, identifying what variant you may have (or not), Pfizer / Bio N Tech vaccine approval, and Delta airlines surcharge to unvaccinated employees; Trump booed on COVID shot; Afghanistan evacuation; and Supreme Court decision on Biden executive order on processing asylum seekers. Entertainment:  Nine Perfect Strangers and Stillwater

D-K: Afghanistan “intelligence” News: COVID: Latest trends, booster vaccinations, and vaccination mandates and incentives; Fed direction impacts markets; return of cryptocurrency theft proceeds; Biden using civil rights laws to push for vaccinations in schools; Colorado River water shortage; Haiti suffers dual-catastrophes; legal action in billionaire space race; and T-Mobile data breach. Entertainment: Narcos Mexico and Manifest

D-K: California legislators proposing vaccination site anti-harassment bill. News: COVID: The latest stats and data, new studies on vaccine effectiveness, vaccination mandates from employers, US/UK recent trends comparison and Florida law struck down; continued strength of the US economy; cryptocurrency theft gone wrong; Andrew Cuomo turns in his resignation; the federal infrastructure and budget bills move along; Oregon ends proficiency requirement for high-schoolers; Canada is open to US residents; Olympics report and Tik Tok becomes king of the heap. Entertainment: The value of critical consumption.

D-K: Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC News: COVID: The latest stats, new vaccination and masking requirements, Asia and resurgence in Wuhan, who does or doesn’t get vaccinated and what’s happening in the UK; Eviction moratorium status; Mario Cuomo on the way out?; Infrastructure bill; and Olympics report. Entertainment: Disney’s Jungle Cruise

D-K: Media reporting on Simon Biles News: COVID: latest stats, revised CDC masking guidance, vaccination mandates for employees, possible need for vaccine boosters, a pill for COVID treatment and the NFL gets aggressive to save the 2021 season; GDP growth and tech sector earnings in markets and economy; House committee hearing testimony on the January 6 Capitol attack; Infrastructure bill advances in Senate; U.S. population growth, or lack thereof; graduate degrees - earnings versus debt; Mississippi directly attacks Roe v. Wade in Supreme Court case; Atlanta sex shop shooter pleads guilty; ride sharing saving lives; and Tokyo Olympics report. Entertainment: Schmigadoon!

D-K: Rudy Giuliani and his involvement as Trump's legal counsel. News:  Concern about increasing COVID-19 numbers Vaccination data and mandates New masking requirements Unemployment filings China economic growth Aspiring big spenders in Washington Immigration developments Another successful billionaire space flight Muslim Hajj in Saudi Arabia Big legal settlement with Opioid industry participants. Entertainment:  Space Jam 2

D-K: Scott and Mike as podcasters. New: COVID update, vaccination challenges, inflation and growing economies, Texas legislative showdown, Branson in space, gun rights going to Supreme Court again? and a little sports. Entertainment: A Quiet Place 2

D-K: Rich guys' space race. News: COVID update, vaccination facts, June jobs report, Biden’s battle with big business, FTC direction on licensing and hearing aids and European auto companies pay $1bn over diesel emissions collusion. Entertainment: Downton Abbey

D-K: U.S. Department of Justice and decision to file a legal challenge to Georgia’s recent voting law based on the Federal Voting Rights Act, on the cusp of the Supreme Court’s decision on an Arizona voting law. News: COVID: Global under-reporting, COVID incidence in Africa surges, and the latest vaccination numbers; Stock market indexes; unemployment trends; Miami condo collapse; efforts to remove statues of racist figures in history; Chauvin sentenced for killing George Floyd; Bill Cosby goes free; NCAA rule changes; student’s use of bathrooms based on gender identity; and new discovery on bird biology and migration. Entertainment: Top Netflix series - Lupin.

D-K: Biden voters may be surprised at his latest guidance on use of COVID relief funds and Indiana University thumbs it’s nose at Indiana law on vaccination requirements. News: COVID: Brazil exceeds 500,000 deaths, CDC urging people to follow-through with second dose of vaccine and international travel update; Airlines struggle to keep up with demand; Spielberg and Netflix collaboration; Latest on the U.S. infrastructure package negotiation; Afghanistan government weakens; and Supreme Court decisions on free speech, Affordable Care Act, NCAA rules and religious objections to sexual identity equality policies. Entertainment: New movie release from director Jon Chu — In the Heights, an adaptation of the 2008 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes.

D-K: Florida and Georgia policy makers who want to tell businesses how to operate. News: COVID -- Employers requiring vaccines, latest data, new treatments and vaccines and a “tale of two societies,” as vaccination rates diverge; Latest jobs report, ransomware and Federal Reserve meeting; Biden/Putin meeting, Facebook sentences Trump, Israeli government changes; Bezos going to space, UFOs? and Alzheimer’s drug approval. Entertainment: Top show on Netflix - Sweet Tooth, half boy, half deer.

D-K: City of Evanston taking the lead in the nation on a local reparation program for historical discrimination against black persons. News: Memorial Day brings a return to travel and gatherings; How likely are break-through infections for those fully vaccinated?; Does HIPAA prevent businesses asking about your vaccination status?; Oil prices rise to highest level in 2 years; meat industry jolted by cyber attack; China and Israel making international news; and Alzheimer’s treatment and cicadas in science news. Entertainment: Disney’s newest release, Cruella.

D-K: Facebook decision to bar posts asserting coronavirus was man-made and retraction of that decision in light of revelations on infections in the Wuhan province in a mine 9 years ago and in November 2019 at the Chinese state lab. News:  Latest COVID information, NY public schools exclusively in-person this Fall, new technology to battle infectious disease spread, U.S. home sales volume and prices in April, Amazon’s latest acquisition, an auction for seats on a rocket ship, Israel and Hamas stand-down, Belarus scheme forces emergency landing of an International flight, and Simone Biles penalized for being too good. Entertainment: AppleTV+’s series Defending Jacob.