DSA wins: NYC, D.C., Colorado
The DSA scored major primary victories in New York City, the Washington D.C. mayoral race, and a congressional race in Colorado in a single primary season.
Where this was said
Intro: Hot Socialist Summer
At 0:15 · chapter starts 0:00
Summer 2026 has no shortage of spectacle — daredevils climbing the Empire State Building, the World Cup, a heat dome — but Noel King cuts through the noise to the story that's actually reshaping American politics [1] — Will Steakin "The DSA just knocked off a 30-year incumbent in Denver and won mayoral races in New York City and Washington D.C. all in the same primary s…" 02:38 . In New York City, Washington D.C., and Colorado, Democratic Socialists of America candidates are winning primary elections, knocking out incumbents, and sending shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. The teaser is deliberately disorienting: Kamala Harris is calling Zohran Mamdani, AOC is endorsing an Abdul Syed in Michigan, and David Duke is somehow weighing in on a DSA candidate's tweets. It's a measure of how strange the political moment has become that the episode's opening question is simply: what is the DSA, what do they want, and why now?
Every 6 seconds: $1,000+ vet bill
Sponsor Fetch Pet Insurance claims a pet owner in the US receives a vet bill over $1,000 every 6 seconds.
Similar snapshots
Media: 90% negative coverage 10 years ago
Kalanick estimates that a decade ago, 90% of media coverage of tech business was negative, treating companies like political targets.
Largest crime drop since 1937
2024–2025 marked the single largest decrease in violent crime and murder in the US since 1937.
Violent crime down 9% in 2024–25
From 2024 to 2025, violent crime decreased 9%, property crime decreased 12.4%, and motor vehicle theft decreased 23%.
Ebony Alert went into effect January 1, 2024
California's Ebony Alert Program, designed for the swift recovery of missing Black youth and women, officially went into effect on January 1, 2024.
UK tourist ETA costs $20 to apply
Andrew Santino discovered that American tourists now need to pay $20 to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK, starting January 2025.
Kay Classman, 28, posed as a 16-year-old student
Kay Classman, a 28-year-old woman, was arrested for repeatedly enrolling in a Bronx high school posing as a 16-year-old student across multiple school districts.
16% of Americans: 9/11 inside job
A poll around 2011 found that 16% of Americans believed 9/11 was an inside job, illustrating how viral misinformation had already embedded itself in public opinion before social media peaked.
$300K debate offer to Candace Owens
Andrew Wilson offered Candace Owens $300,000 to debate her Charlie Kirk conspiracy theory, but she refused.
Only 11 killed by Israeli pager bombs
According to the podcast, only 11 people were killed by the coordinated Israeli pager attack on Hezbollah operatives, despite widespread detonations.
