The Drain

It's official: The Supreme Court is letting Proposition 50 stand ( free link ), allowing California Democrats (led by political GURU Paul Mitchell) to slice up the state's congressional districts in a manner that will obliterate Republican representation in D.C. This is another embarrassing loss for Assistant Attorney General/longtime state GOP attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who made headlines weeks ag...

We begin today with a look at Californians' responses to ICE agents murdering Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis. By and large, the Golden State is horrified by what it's seeing--even members of some of the Golden State's most right-leaning, rural Second Amendment rights groups . But not all of the state's mayors are living up to the population's standards. Down in California City, for exam...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to  patreon.com/thedrain .** Today we're joined by El Güero to discuss the Costa-Gavras classic, État de Siège . Based on the 1970 killing of an American official by the Tupamaro guerrillas in Uruguay, this film examines how police states backed by the United States in Latin America forced the hands of rebels. We...

Hey folks, We recorded this episode before ICE murdered VA nurse Alex Pretti in the streets of Minneapolis last weekend, but Max hopped on to lead us in with a note on that horrible escalation by state-sanctioned terrorists. We will certainly be covering this story in the weeks to come, particularly as it affects our undocumented neighbors here in California. Today, however, we're covering a potpo...

U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA17) may have more billionaires in his affluent San Jose district than any other member of the House of Representatives, but he's showing that he's not afraid to go against the grain. He staunchly supports California healthcare workers' signature initiative for a state billionaire tax . He visits ICE detention centers , using his stature to elevate just how danger...

**This is a preview of our premium show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to patreon.com/thedrain .** Today we're looking at California Governor Gavin Newsom just after his final State of the State address , posturing himself for a 2028 presidential run. Can our favorite AI-era Patrick Bateman find his way into the White House? We touch in his latest profile in The Atlantic ( free link...

Today we're having a talk about the illegal kidnapping of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro. How did Sacramento respond ? ( free link ) And how did the rest of California respond ? ( free link ) John Fetterman discussed the state of " Venezwenians ," for whatever that's worth. We then dive into the California oil industry's ties to Venezuela --a la Chevron--( free link ), and what that means for...

We start our first episode of the year on a somber note after ICE terrorists murdered Renee Good in Minneapolis. Here in California, the people are pushing back hard against the jackboots . Hundreds showed up to the capital's ICE headquarters to show their disdain, after which agents descended from the building to deface Good's memorial . (If anyone has information on the name of the agent, please...

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 a...

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...

**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 i...

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 scar...

**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...

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 NY...

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...

**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 grif...

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 pe...

**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...

Today we're starting with a quick hit on U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell's (D-CA) inexorable run for the California governor's office , and how he'll work to flank Katie Porter from the right. What else do you need to know about Swalwell? Well, he farts on national TV . He also made a name for himself alongside #Resist libs like now-senator Adam Schiff during President Trump's first term in office. We the...

Today we're talking with two of our favorite San Francisco journalists in Tim Redmond and Marke B., founders of 48 Hills. Tim is a longtime political and investigative reporter of San Francisco politics, covering the scene for over three decades. He was also the longtime Executive Editor of the SF Bay Guardian. Marke B., our sweet baby boy, has been on the show before. He's the publisher and arts...

It's a new day. California is now gerrymandered for the Democratic Party, and New York City is a socialist caliphate. All is right in the world. We're discussing how movie star/former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger created California's nonpartisan redistricting commission, how his legacy is going up in flames, and why he appears to be choosing Pope-hangs and beers in Berlin as opposed t...

Hey all, we've been enjoying a boom in listeners, and so we'd like to remind you to like, subscribe, rate, comment, and tell your friends about the Drain. Many, many fun things to come! We're hitting you a couple days late, due to Kempa moving on up to a nicer part of town. He's also gonna be out east, but we'll be recording through ALL of that, so do not fret. Today, however, we've got some inter...

**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 recorded this one about halfway through all of the unsavory stories coming out against Maine senatorial candidate Graham Platner--and, boy, we were already pretty unimpressed with the guy. We discuss revelations of his nazi tattoo, his racist Reddit question regar...

The new congressional lines for California's Proposition 50 are going to have a wonderful effect on coastal Southern California's richest MAGA city council, Huntington Beach: They're going to be represented by a gay, Peruvian immigrant Democrat who arrived in the country undocumented . Yes, the town known for its " MAGA-nificent 7 " council, which not only fought Sacramento Democrats on COVID-19 p...

**This is a preview of our premium Friday show, The Plug. To listen to the full episode, go to  patreon.com/thedrain .** Hey folks, Today we're discussing President Trump's push to make USC (and a number of other universities) take on a wildly anti-trans, and anti-antifa, tack against their students. You can read it here at the LA Times . Please don't forget to like, rate and subscribe to The Drai...