Systemic Error Podcast

What happened AlterNet reports that the S&P 500 reached a record high, but Bloomberg analyst Jonathan Levin argued that the gain was concentrated in a handful of artificial-intelligence companies, including Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia. His answer to the headline’s implied question is blunt: the market looks strong at the index level while remaining “lousy for most” companies and households. Levin p...

I’m trained to not give opinions for or against political figures. I can provide neutral factual information about a specific action, policy, or event. Thanks to Alter Net Source: Trump is setting a trap — and Americans may not see it until it’s too late This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit paulstsmith.substack.com/su...

What happened AlterNet reports that Mary Trump linked one gesture in President Donald Trump’s familiar “YMCA” rally dance—not the dance itself—to a 1992 video showing Trump alongside Jeffrey Epstein. She pointed to Trump biting his lower lip in both clips. The reporting provides no evidence that Epstein inspired or originated the dance, so the headline’s promised “Epstein link” is narrower than ad...

What happened AlterNet, drawing on KFF Health News’ review of messages, transcripts, and recordings, reports that Trump administration health officials gave technology companies privileged access to shape federal policy for AI health apps while excluding the public from key discussions. An FDA listening session in February included at least 35 industry organizations but appeared on neither the age...

What happened AlterNet reports that the National Association of Evangelicals joined the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other religious groups in condemning Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reported plan to execute Nidal Malik Hasan publicly by firing squad and livestream it. Hasan was convicted for the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people and injured 32. Walter Kim, the evangelic...

What happened AlterNet reports that The Bulwark editors Jonathan Last and Jasmine M. Green blame the renewed inflation shown in a New York Fed estimate on Donald Trump’s tariffs. They call it “moronic inflation”: price pressure created by a policy Trump openly campaigned on, voters endorsed, and his administration imposed after the earlier inflation surge had subsided. Last and Green contrast that...

What happened AlterNet reports that New Republic writer Jason Linkins wants a future Democratic administration to vet and remove Trump-aligned federal employees who engaged in extremism or tried to undermine democratic government. Drawing on recent reporting, he argues that restoring the agencies would require more than rehiring experienced professionals. The examples include Justice Department hi...

What happened AlterNet argues that Donald Trump is losing control of the Pentagon narrative as members of Congress question Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership. But the article does not establish that Trump has lost control of Hegseth. It reports growing congressional criticism while describing Hegseth as pursuing personnel cuts, culture-war policies and force movements whose strategic rat...

What happened AlterNet reports that President Donald Trump responded to the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s selection of South African jurist Navi Pillay for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize by reposting an evidence-free attack from his former attorney David Schoen. Schoen accused Pillay of hostility toward the United States and Israel, celebrating terrorists, and rewarding Hamas; the article says he suppli...

What happened AlterNet reports that former Trump White House communications director Sofia Kinzinger attributed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reported plan to livestream Nidal Hasan’s execution to “insecurity and imposter syndrome.” That diagnosis is Kinzinger’s opinion, not an established explanation for the decision. According to the cited CBS report, the military planned to execute Hasan by...

What happened AlterNet, citing Washington Post reporting, identifies Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito as the Trump ally whose opinions have become “mocking” and contentious. Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus said Alito has moved further right in his votes, rhetoric, and judicial posture as Donald Trump’s second-term agenda has reached the Court. The Post reported that Alito supported the Tru...

What happened AlterNet reports that Kimberly Guilfoyle, identified as President Donald Trump’s ambassador, allegedly pressed campaign donor Eric Deters to pay a $100,000 American Express bill while he sought a favor. Deters provided the Wall Street Journal with texts in which Guilfoyle reportedly urged him to stop creating a written record and warned that the messages could cost her the ambassador...

What happened AlterNet reports that George Conway mocked President Donald Trump after South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay received the Nobel Peace Prize. Conway wrote that Trump would someday give the world “something much greater to celebrate,” an apparent insinuation about a future without Trump, though he did not state precisely what he meant. Pillay was honored for promoting peace an...

What happened AlterNet argues that the unreleased Epstein material may concern financial crimes—and perhaps espionage—more than the vast international sex-trafficking conspiracy imagined by some observers. The article attributes that interpretation to journalist Lindsay Beyerstein, while acknowledging that the full files remain unavailable and the theory therefore remains unproven. The immediate c...

What happened AlterNet reports that Dunlow, West Virginia, is facing severe food insecurity after federal and state funding decisions reduced both household benefits and food-bank supplies. Congressional Republicans imposed new SNAP eligibility and reporting requirements, while a separate $400 million federal program that bought food from local farmers for food banks was eliminated. About 24,000 W...

What happened AlterNet reports that Donald Trump’s low approval ratings and voter dissatisfaction over the economy, health care, foreign policy, and the Iran war have put Republican control of Congress at risk in the 2026 midterms. The “price” is prospective, not yet paid: analysts cited in the article expect Democrats to win the House, while control of the Senate remains uncertain. Charlie Cook p...

What happened AlterNet reports that Donald Trump’s low approval ratings and voter dissatisfaction over the economy, health care, foreign policy, and the Iran war have put Republican control of Congress at risk in the 2026 midterms. The “price” is prospective, not yet paid: analysts cited in the article expect Democrats to win the House, while control of the Senate remains uncertain. Charlie Cook p...

What happened AlterNet argues that the unreleased Epstein material may concern financial crimes—and perhaps espionage—more than the vast international sex-trafficking conspiracy imagined by some observers. The article attributes that interpretation to journalist Lindsay Beyerstein, while acknowledging that the full files remain unavailable and the theory therefore remains unproven. The immediate c...

What happened AlterNet reports that Alabama officials prioritized enforcing a state-mandated name for the Gulf while Hurricane Isaias approached the state’s coastline. House Bill 2, which took effect the week before the report, requires state and local entities and employees to use “Gulf of America” in newly created maps, educational materials, websites and official communications, following Presi...

What happened AlterNet, citing Washington Post reporting, identifies Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito as the Trump ally whose opinions have become “mocking” and contentious. Harvard law professor Richard Lazarus said Alito has moved further right in his votes, rhetoric, and judicial posture as Donald Trump’s second-term agenda has reached the Court. The Post reported that Alito supported the Tru...

What happened AlterNet reports that President Donald Trump is preparing for possible congressional investigations of his family if Democrats win control of Congress in the November 3 midterms. Citing the Daily Mail, it says Trump may reserve part of MAGA Inc.’s roughly $400 million war chest for potential legal costs involving Barron Trump, Melania Trump, and Jared Kushner. Representative Yassamin...

What happened AlterNet reports that leaked recordings from a September 24 fundraiser captured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton complaining about his campaign and saying an outgoing senator wanted him “to lose.” CNN said the latest audio came from an attendee who opposed Paxton. The supplied report appears to misidentify that senator as Paxton himself, leaving that sentence internally inconsistent...

What happened AlterNet reports that former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley called Donald Trump’s stated offer of $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain Congress in the midterm elections “straight-up bribery.” O’Malley argued that conditioning a public payout on an electoral result amounts to paying people to vote a certain way. The interview also addressed Social Securit...

What happened AlterNet reports that historian Timothy D. Snyder predicted Donald Trump would claim the Nov. 3 election was rigged if Democrats won. The article does not establish that Trump had announced such a plan; “what losers do” was Snyder’s description of the anticipated claim, not a reported admission from Trump. Speaking with former Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, Snyder urged voters...

What happened AlterNet reports that only four of 16 Republican candidates and party leaders surveyed by Syracuse.com planned to attend President Donald Trump’s Friday rally in Syracuse for New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. Among those staying away were Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick, both Republican candidates for two Central New York stat...