The Drain

We've hit a pretty big milestone in listeners as 2025 comes to and end, so we're coming to you with a Long Boy.
Palma and Kempa are joined by a mysterious, handsome, young guest-host to discuss what's in and what isn't in the year to come.
Is this the year of the billionaire's tax in California? Will Antichrist Peter Thiel finally reveal himself after a particularly violent hangover? Will NIMBYs and YIMBYs go the way of the dodo and yo-yo?
And what of the Balkans (we're bullish on North Macedonia)?
Join your best friend Max, your closest confidant Kempa, and your surly uncle Güero, as we squint and mutter at the tea leaves of 2026.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Welcome to your holiday episode of The Drone--er, Drain.
We've got plenty for you to enjoy as you hide from your family this holiday, starting with drone wars in San Francisco!
The Bay Area's strongest lefty on the SF Board of Supervisors, Jackie Fielder, is coming out strong for workers in her city. And the billionaires can't stand it.
Fielder has ruffled the feathers of the DoorDash folks with a new city policy demanding that they get a permit to operate delivery drones outside their test facilities. The new law passed the board unanimously, with labor standing strong behind Fielder. But that doesn't mean the tech oligarchs are going to take it sitting down--they're already trying to turn the people of San Francisco against their strongest advocate on the dais.
We also touch on California Republicans' efforts to stop Prop 50--a law that would offset President Trump's gerrymandering throughout the country.
Finally, we discuss crypto billionaire Chris Larsen hedging his bet for Katie Porter's governor run with a maximum contribution to a Republican in the race, Steve Hilton, and take a look at Elon Musk's latest dopey remarks on a "universal high income."
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium weekend show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Merry Christmas, to all who celebrate.
For this week's Plug we're looking at a couple of issues facing AI behemoths as the year comes to a close:
First, we touch on a potential new iteration of The Big Short, wherein Wall Street is starting to short AI, leaving many wondering if this is the bubble the industry has been anticipating.
We then take a look at a case involving a former Yahoo executive who died of suicide after "savagely" murdering his 83-year-old mother. Chat logs between the man and ChatGPT show a chilling discourse, wherein the model appears to affirm his paranoia and delusions. (Read the full lawsuit here.)
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Hello.
Today we're discussing a phenomenal piece in Politico written by Jeremy White, exploring the "Massacred" California Republican Party (free link) as they wrestle with the fallout of Proposition 50, which has hatcheted their representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
GOP members of Congress are now forced to run against one another, and they are truly showing their capitalist scarcity mindset colors.
Remember just two years ago when they thought they were making a comeback? Well, special congressional races throughout the country are showing a 12-plus point swing toward the Democrats.
We discuss the implications in California, as well as what that entails in the fight for the soul of the state's Democratic Party.
We also take a moment to discuss a bill that could totally knee-cap our queen, Anh Phoong. (Don't forget to check out her incredible profile from last year in the Sacramento Bee, written by ace reporter Jena Hatch [free link].)
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium Saturday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
What happens when California politicians place their careers ahead of fighting the homelessness crisis?
They leave millions on the table that could have served their unhoused constituents.
Today we're discussing Sacramento Bee columnist Robin Epley's jarring piece showing that Sacramento County shut itself out of some $21 million that could have helped ameliorate the region's homelessness crisis (free link). All so the region's local officials could pat themselves on one another's backs for a year.
The 2024 homelessness count showed a stunning--and spurious--drop in homelessness numbers, which went against everything residents in the county experienced that year. Now, new numbers show that the count was likely a devastating undercount that cut the region out of much needed homeless service funding.
We also touch on Sac Bee reporter Theresa Clift's newest three-part series outlining just how badly Sacramento politicians have been handling the region's homeless crisis (free link).
Do you have a similar story in your corner of the state? Let us know at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Hold onto your laptops, California, because the New York Post is opening a tabloid in Los Angeles.
And we couldn't be more excited.
Yes, next year the Murdoch family is launching its coup attempt against the Golden State's liberal hegemony with a new print publication, the California Post.
It looks like the state's freshest rightwing rag will be on a short leash, with News Corp leadership from NYC and Australia running the show. Expect plenty of searing commentary from miserable oafs like Joel Pollak, anti-homeless missives from hacks poached from the San Francisco Standard, and cheerleading from billionaire Bay Area ghouls like Garry Tan.
We're curious to see how conservative blogs like Katy Grimes's languishing California Globe will fare with the Murdochs in town. But more interesting to us is if a newspaper consumed largely by men born in the tail-end of America's lead-paint era holds any future here in our home state.
We also take a moment to look at Capitol Weekly's poll last summer (conducted by political guru Paul Mitchell), which surveyed the state's 120 lawmakers and found Assemblymember Carl DeMaio to be the least palatable legislator in Sacramento. Seems like he could use some help from the Post in sessions to come.
Finally, we say goodbye to Claude, the albino alligator close to the hearts of countless northern California children for the last three decades.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
And we're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Hello! Kempa here. Max and I are taking this week off, so we wanted to share one of our favorite early premium episodes that you might have missed. If you enjoy this one, there's plenty more where it came from--subscribe at patreon.com/thedrain. Here we go:
Today Kempa is sharing the story of the misguided vendetta by former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Assemblymember Maggy Krell against the publishers of the alt-weekly empire New Times Media, how they shuttered papers all over the country and endangered sex workers, and why they have blood on their hands over one man's suicide.
After listening to this episode, be sure to check out Hold Fast, a phenomenal series on the rise and fall of New Times Media.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
And we're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium Saturday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Hey folks! We've got some spicy updates on a few stories we've been following the last few weeks:
Remember that weirdo multimillionaire, Stephen Cloobeck, running to be California's next Democratic governor? Well, he's dropped out of the race, and is putting his timeshare grifter money behind US Rep. Eric Swalwell.
You'll never guess who has started a legal defense fundraiser for Governor Gavin Newsom's former Chief of Staff Dana Williamson as she fights some serious federal charges for alleged misuse of both campaign and PPP funds. It's our baby boy, Steve Maviglio! We run a little background on the conservative Democratic operative's history, and discuss the folks throwing money in Williamson's direction.
It's official: Progressive Connie Chan is running to replace Nancy Pelosi in Congress!
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

Today we're joined by our friend Peter Lucas, a Brooklyn-based journalist, avid Sacramento enthusiast, and former staffer for Zohran Mamdani's successful 2020 run for the New York state assembly--long before NYC's mayor-elect became a household name.
We discuss Mamdani's surreal visit to the White House--where he positively charmed the pants off President Donald Trump--reflect on Zohran as a person, and explore what his win means for the greater Left movement in the United States.
We also rank the best Subway Takes episode among Peter, Zohran, and former Vice President Kamala Harris's appearances (spoiler: Peter wins).
If you don't know much about the Sacramento Kings, Old Soul at the Weatherstone or Greta Gerwig's timeless film classic Lady Bird, well, you're gonna learn today.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

**This is a preview of our premium Saturday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Hello, Plug brothers and Drain maybes. Today we're discussing Turning Point USA's final stop on their American Comeback Tour, and the Berkeley students who made it clear that TPUSA is not welcome on California campuses.
The late Charlie Kirk's trolling tour had an inauspicious beginning this semester, and it didn't end much better on its last stop.
We touch on how Berkeley locals expressed their disapproval of the visit, and how the US Department of Justice is wasting time and tax dollars to try and dox the protesters.
Not surprisingly, the libs joined the anti-protester chorus alongside Trump supporters in condemning the demonstrators expressing their First Amendment right to assemble and protest.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
We're still hanging about on Twitter: @sweetxpalma and @youknowkempa
We're also on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social