The Drain

The Drain 021 - Californians naming and shaming ICE agents; how state Dems in Congress are handling Israel-Iran; CA budget watch updates

As Governor Gavin Newsom sues to get President Donald Trump's National Guard troops and Marines out of Los Angeles, Californians are taking things into their own hands.
Throughout the state, folks are setting up rapid response networks to stop ICE from detaining their neighbors, or to get legal representation for ICE detainees (find a network near you here: https://www.ccijustice.org/carrn). Sacramento boasts likely the most robust operation per capita, with NorCal Resist's Migra Watch working with 600 community volunteers committed to checking on reports of fascist ICE activity, and 400 volunteers helping undocumented residents to safely get to work, run errands, and attend immigration court hearings.
Even some Democratic politicians are starting to help the effort. Last week, NCR started sending volunteers to monitor ICE activity at downtown Sacramento's federal immigration court. (ICE was there, terrorizing people and spiriting folks away after their meetings). After the building inexplicably shut down in order to deter the NCR volunteers, Assemblymember Maggy Krell (D–Sacramento) FOIA'd the federal government for details on its reasoning.
Meanwhile, members Scott Wiener (D–San Francisco) and Jesse Arreguín (D–Berkeley) introduced legislation to bar ICE agents from wearing masks to shield their identities while terrorizing Californians.
We support this. And, once the legislation is passed, we support anyone willing to put the work in to document and identify the unmasked fascists, as the volunteers over at ICE List are starting to do.
We also take a moment to discuss updates on the California budget. The legislature has just sent its first counter-offer to Governor Newsom's severely slashed 2025-26 proposal, hoping to save a number of important programs meant to support undocumented and impoverished residents. Newsom and the legislature have until July 1 to finalize the state budget.
Speaking of which, you may remember that Trump threatened to cut federal funding to California. In response, Newsom said that, since the Golden State puts $82 billion more into the federal government each year than we get in return, we may as well not pay the federal government and benefit our own residents.
Is this a small step toward a sovereign California? We'll see. Our friends at the Independent California Institute currently have a poll out checking residents' temperature on the topic.
Finally (but actually at the top of the show), we discuss Israel's attempts to pull the United States into a war with Iran, and how Representative Ro Khanna appears to be the only legislator from our state making any pushback, despite Americans rejecting our involvement in a war by a margin of 16-60.
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.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

The Drain 019 - The inexorable march toward a Musk-Newsom alliance

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been lurching to the right ever since he started eyeing a 2028 run for the White House: he's invited fascists such as Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk onto his podcast; he's conducted state violence against the unhoused community (most notably using his own hands to throw out their belongings); and he's genuflected to the far right on issues surrounding trans rights.
And until recently, he's been very quiet about President Donald Trump, hoping that a supine position with the federal government would ease any concerns over losing much-needed federal funding.
But now that Trump is sending hundreds of US marines and 2,000 National Guard troops into Newsom's backyard (Los Angeles), the disdain the two men have for one another is bubbling up.
Speaking of acrimony with the president, we're sure you've all heard about Elon Musk's very public break-up with Trump. Democrats are already viewing this as an opportunity, scheming for ways to entice Musk to their party before the 2026 midterm elections (we discussed Rep. Ro Khanna's embarrassing overtures to the billionaire last week).
In today's episode, we examine the increasing likelihood of a Musk-Newsom alliance, and how that might come to fruition. Did you know that they both have similar national approval ratings at -22%? We also know at least one of them sends women sperm in the mail.
Sounds like a match made in heaven to us.
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.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

*Preview* The Plug 018 - Rep. Ro Khanna's ill-advised 2028 presidential trial balloon

**This is a preview of our premium Friday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain.**
Today we're discussing Ro Khanna, Democratic representative from Silicon Valley--the wealthiest district in the United States at $14 trillion--who is clearly planning a 2028 presidential run as he tries to court fascist Elon Musk back to the Democratic party.
Khanna impressed the older guys on the Sacramento Bee editorial board a few months back when he strutted into their offices unannounced to just, you know, shoot the shit about his Twitter spats with Musk (who called him a dick) and Vice President J.D. Vance (who tweeted "You disgust me" to Khanna--same, girl).
Now, we learn (also from the head of the Bee's editorial board) that Khanna's eyeing a run for the White House.
Oh, we also start the episode with some grumbling over the Democratic establishment's "Abundance" push, and former genocide propagandist Karine Jean-Pierre's cynical move from the Democratic Party to "independent."
Don't forget to subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

The Drain 017 - The RICO case against the Stop Cop City 61, with Priscilla Grim

Today we're joined by a very special guest, Priscilla Grim, a dear old friend of Kempa's and one of 61 people facing RICO and terrorism charges by Georgia's Attorney General related to the 2023 protests to stop Atlanta's Cop City--a movement that gained international attention when Georgia officials murdered an unarmed demonstrator named Tortuguita.
Now, nearly two years later, prosecutors are finally dragging their flimsy case into court.
This isn't Grim's first rodeo. She was a central figure in the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City, helping to manage the We Are The 99% blog and publish the Occupied Wall Street Journal (where Grim and Kempa met), and going on Fox News to argue with Sean Hannity about the fight against America's billionaire class.
But that doesn't mean the last two years have been easy. After being arrested with five dozen demonstrators by Atlanta police in March 2023, Grim spent over a month behind bars in one of the worst jails in the nation. Now, she and 60 demonstrators are facing the largest RICO case in US history (42 of them, including Grim, are facing terrorism charges as well).
Trials are underway for the forest defenders, and Grim--who is a journalist--has been documenting the proceedings (click that link to sign up for her newsletter, and to learn how you can help).
To follow Grim's work, or to buy a copy of her zine titled How to Survive Jail, hop over to priscillagrim.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.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

*Preview* The Plug 016 - Drugs abroad

This special episode starts with a brief discussion on President Trump's new plane before devolving fast into discourse on the many drugs we have both consumed in South America, Central America and Spain.
This one's also got some phenomenal travel tips--particularly in Panama and El Salvador.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Questions? Comments? Pitches? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

The Drain 015 - Newsom's California budget: Prison closures, Ozempic cuts, Hollywood tax credits, and ending Medi-Cal for undocumented residents

Today we're doing a deep dive into Governor Gavin Newsom's proposed budget for the state of California.
Facing a $12 billion deficit--due in large part to President Trump's tariff wars and rising costs--Newsom is tasked this year with making some big cuts. Many of these moves will serve as an outline for the direction he takes in his presumed 2028 presidential run. We tackle two of the biggest budget headlines today:
Severe slashes to health care for undocumented Californians
Closing another prison (the fifth since Newsom became governor)
We also take a look at some of his quirkier decisions, such as increasing tax credits for Hollywood and cutting miracle weight-loss drug Ozempic from Medi-Cal.
We also discuss some big news for The Drain--we're going to start airing weekly on KUTZ FM!
Speaking of KUTZ, it looks like Sacramento's freeform radio station is roaring back to the airwaves, with a new antenna coming up on top of the Warehouse Artist Lofts downtown, and two more antennas in the pipeline. When all is said and done, the station is looking to reach listeners way up in Tahoe.
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.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

*Preview* The Plug 014 - Backpage, the fall of alt weeklies, and how Kamala Harris caused a suicide

This is a preview of a premium installment of The Drain. To listen to the whole episode, subscribe at patreon.com/thedrain. 
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? Chisme? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

The Drain 013 - Assemblymember Maggy Krell's bad-faith sex trafficking bill

You may have heard of AB379, the 'sex trafficking' bill put forward by Republican Shannon Grove and--surprise, surprise--freshman Democrat Maggy Krell.
Robin Epley at the Sacramento Bee immediately clocked this bill for its major issues, without even touching on its implications on cops messing with the gay cruising community (see the next Seeking Derangements for a discourse on that). 
The Bee's opinion editor Marcos Breton argued in favor of the bill. He's not the only good-faith Democrat to be fooled by a bad-faith bill -- or by Asm. Krell's history 'fighting' sex trafficking.
After discussing AB 379 and the freshman assembly member from Sacramento, we take a look at her attack on Backpage, and how that endangered sex workers throughout the country. Is she a protector, or an aggressor?
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Chisme? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

*Preview* The Plug 012 - Qué Hilaria

This is a preview of a premium installment of The Drain. To listen to the whole episode, subscribe at patreon.com/thedrain. 
We're covering lots of ground with this one, discussing the lore behind Palma's deportation from Spain, Alec Baldwin's interest in a friend of the show, and attorneys who tickle defendants with walrus-like mustaches when whispering advice in the court room.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Chisme? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social

The Drain 011 - AI in CA

A few days back a great and terrifying piece came out in Rolling Stone exploring how an overly effusive new version of ChatGPT learned language model is convincing people all over the world that they are messiahs and prophets.
It is both stunning and unsurprising to learn how close to psychosis we all are. Soap in our food? Sure. AI models convincing us we were almost murdered by our babysitters as toddlers? Okay.
Even OpenAI, the company behind the issue, has made a statement on Chat GPT's "sycophantic" new persona.
But while regular learned language model users have noted its latest version's lean toward sycophancy, and how a model may or may not exacerbate our friends’ bouts with psychosis, California governor Gavin Newsom is doubling down on AI.
You might remember a bill last year designed to ensure that AI was developed ethically here in the world’s LLM capital: SB 1047: Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act.
It passed both the Senate and the Assembly. Then Newsom vetoed it.
We're discussing how this new technology could change, well, everything, and the concerns folks are raising about its potential effects on our wellbeing.
Don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drain on your favorite podcast platforms.
Questions? Comments? Chisme? Email us at thedrainpodcast@gmail.com.
And subscribe to our Patreon for premium Friday episodes of The Plug :)
Oh, and we're on Bluesky: @thedrain.bsky.social, @palma.ltd, @yeshelloitskempa.bsky.social