Why Are We Like This?

Remember when the “jobs of the future” were supposed to be things like software engineer, graphic designer and, inexplicably, actuary? Well, the future arrived, and Florida is hiring.This week, we dust off the old career almanac to explore the exciting opportunities awaiting tomorrow’s workforce: prediction-market gambler, degenerate sports bettor, crypto trader, Brickell LARPer, Kick streamer, online guru, looksmaxxer and, perhaps most respectably, OnlyFans creator.Along the way, we examine how gambling, influencing, meme coins, passive-income fantasies and algorithmic brain damage somehow became an economic development strategy — and why South Florida increasingly resembles the trading floor for an economy built entirely out of people trying to game one another.Plus: Maria Elvira Salazar discovers immigration enforcement has consequences, Byron Donalds hangs with Kodak Black, Robert Kraft humiliates Ed Sheeran, and Florida insurers apparently discover some exciting new accounting techniques.Kids, choose your careers wisely. The future is bright, provided you never look up from your phone.

CBP reads Thomas’s books, Miami politicians fight over a microphone next to a plane crash, Florida schools simultaneously fear books and embrace AI, and somehow Hunter Biden has a meme coin. It’s embarrassments all the way down.The boys are back, and Thomas has returned from Egypt and Turkey with a souvenir he definitely didn’t ask for: a two-hour detention and interrogation by Customs and Border Protection at Miami International Airport.Thomas recounts being flagged for secondary inspection, questioned about his travels and political activity, grilled over books about Palestine and Iran, and eventually forced to surrender his phone to CBP agents. The crew talks about the extraordinary powers border authorities wield, whether Tomas was specifically targeted, and the broader chilling effect of government scrutiny on political speech. Then it’s on to another disaster at Miami International: the deadly Amazon cargo-plane crash that killed five workers and the astonishing political squabble that followed as Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s staff and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz apparently battled over who should speak first at the press conference. Join us as we try to comprehend how an actual aviation tragedy became the backdrop for a made-for-Miami fight over cameras, protocol and political turf.

Angie Nixon shocked Florida’s political establishment, defeating Alex Vindman despite being outspent 16–1. We break down how she did it, why Nikki Fried and the state Democratic apparatus had such a disastrous night, and what Nixon’s victory says about the limits of consultant-driven campaigns.We also survey the rest of Florida’s primary results: Oliver Larkin’s uphill campaign against Jared Moskowitz, James Fishback’s army of college-age groypers, MAGA’s growing capture of Florida’s judiciary, Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s continued political immortality, and the increasingly blurred line between state politics and a Republican theme park.Plus: Nancy Mace’s tattoo crisis, Florida Politics' AI-generated pay-to-play journalism, Randy Fine’s mailbox adventure, Politicon nostalgia, and an unexpected Democratic victory in Butler County, Pennsylvania.Chapters00:00 The coolest summer of the rest of our lives02:17 Nancy Mace’s tattoo crisis05:05 Florida Politics deploys the Scorch Bot08:47 Angie Nixon defeats Alex Vindman10:17 How weak is the Florida Democratic Party?12:00 Nixon’s ground game—and Vindman’s nonexistent campaign20:48 Prediction markets completely miss the upset23:38 The Florida governor’s races27:04 James Fishback and the groyper youth vote34:27 Oliver Larkin takes on Jared Moskowitz39:24 Glenna Milberg’s genocide denial41:01 Tomas’s history with Glenna Milberg43:52 MAGA’s judicial capture in Miami-Dade46:28 South Florida’s congressional results50:41 The statewide races52:49 Florida becomes MAGA Disney World55:34 Remember Politicon?57:47 JJR versus James Uthmeier01:01:52 Kat Cammack becomes permanent furniture01:04:38 Dan Bilzerian, Randy Fine, and the mailbox01:06:18 Democrats win in Butler County01:11:22 Congratulations, Angie Nixon

Florida U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon joins Why We Like This to explain why she believes voters are rejecting establishment politics—and why Alexander Vindman refuses to debate her. Nixon discusses her progressive campaign, Florida’s affordability crisis, Medicare for All, universal childcare, and what Democrats must offer beyond simply opposing Donald Trump.Nixon also opens up about the racism, sexism, and classism she says she has encountered inside the Democratic Party. She responds to criticism from Vindman’s wife, challenges assumptions about who is “electable,” and explains why corporate donors and political consultants wield so much power over Democratic campaigns.Plus, Nixon discusses Gaza, America’s expanding wars, Miss Rachel’s endorsement, and her decision to invest in organizers instead of costly consultants and media firms. Can a working-class, people-powered campaign defeat Florida’s political establishment?

Florida’s housing crisis has reached a grim new milestone: Miami renters now need a $97,000 salary to comfortably afford a two-bedroom apartment. David, Tomas, and Gerald unpack the soaring cost of living, stagnant wages, corporate price-gouging, and why fixing Florida’s affordability problem may require an economic reckoning.The crew also examines Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, his appeal among disaffected Gen Z men, and the uncomfortable parallels between today’s online right and Bernie Sanders’ anti-establishment movement. Plus: Byron Donalds, Angie Nixon, Alexander Vindman, and the increasingly chaotic state of Florida politics.Before diving into the Sunshine State’s active crime scene, the guys review Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, celebrate 20 years of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, investigate Fake Melania, and wander into the bizarre culture war surrounding Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and the WNBA.