Michael and Us

Latest Episodes:

PREVIEW - #685 - Truthbombs of Mass Destruction Jan 19, 2026

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Rob Reiner's SHOCK AND AWE (2017) looks back at a handful of journalists who stood against the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq. Released in the first year of the Trump administration, it looks squarely back to the Bush era - in more ways that one. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/148618908

#684 - Michael & Me Jan 17, 2026

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We return to our roots by discussing a conservative documentary that attempts to take down Michael Moore. In MICHAEL & ME (2004), buffoonish talk-radio personality Larry Elder has a bone to pick with Bowling for Columbine, using facts + logic to show why gun control is racist, sexist, and anti-American. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "God of the Gaps" by Robert P. Baird - https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2026/01/15/god-of-the-gaps-believe-ross-douthat/

#683 - Cancelling Plato Jan 11, 2026

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We catch up on a very grim news week, and then discuss a documentary about a journalist who has reported a lot of very grim news weeks. In COVER-UP (2025), Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus paint a sympathetic portrait of Seymour Hirsch, the journalist who exposed everything from the My Lai massacre to Abu Ghraib. PLUS: Folks, it seems the right is cancelling Plato? Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus Check out some incredible M&Us fan art by the great Josh Bayer - https://www.patreon.com/posts/fan-art-147656792

PREVIEW - #682 - Some Footage Is More Equal Than Others Jan 08, 2026

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Raoul Peck's new documentary ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025) seeks to show how George Orwell's warnings from the past are being made reality today. The results are less than the sum of their parts. PLUS: We note the passing of Norman Podhoretz. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/147746762

#681 - Pre-Taped Call-In Show Jan 05, 2026

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We say goodbye to 2025 and offer a skeptical welcome to 2026 with a very special call-in episode. Topics range from Marshall McLuhan to Michael Jackson and beyond. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

#679 - Manufacturing Consensus Dec 22, 2025

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What happens when a historian who loves the American presidency is faced with a president like Donald Trump? We discuss the HBO documentary THE SOUL OF AMERICA (2020), about Joe Biden's favourite historian, Jon Meacham, as he struggles to make sense of the Trump era. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Man Who Loved Presidents" by Thomas Frank - https://harpers.org/archive/2021/07/jon-meacham-thomas-frank-soul-of-america/ "The End of Resistance History" by Charlotte E. Rosen - https://proteanmag.com/2025/01/20/the-end-of-resistance-history/ "The Fight for the Four Freedoms" by Harvey J. Kaye - https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/The-Fight-for-the-Four-Freedoms/Harvey-J-Kaye/9781451691443 "Take Hold of Our History" by Harvey J. Kaye - https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/take-hold-of-our-history Our two previous episodes on Michael Moore Hates America (2004) https://soundcloud.com/michael-and-us/episode-8-michael-moore-hates-america https://www.patreon.com/posts/300-300th-61042533

PREVIEW - #678 - 2020 Dinesh's America Dec 16, 2025

Show notes

On the eve of the 2020 election, legendary conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza declared war against socialism - which, according to him, encompasses everything from COVID lockdowns to gun control to the Lyin' Fake News Media. We discuss TRUMP CARD (2020). PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145991797

#677 - Guilty Pleasures Dec 15, 2025

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On this episode, the hosts divulge some of their guiltiest pleasures, from Judge Judy to Kenny G to the writings of a couple of bona-fide right-wing pundits. They also interrogate the immortal question: should you truly feel guilty about something that brings you pleasure? (Spoiler: Yes. Sometimes you should.) PLUS: the Warner Bros sale, public domain day, an a surprising new front in the right-wing culture war. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

PREVIEW - #676 - Politics and the English Language Dec 12, 2025

Show notes

George Orwell's famous essay "Politics and the English Language" leads us into a discussion of good language, good thought, and their relationship. PATREON-EXCLUSIVE EPISODE - https://www.patreon.com/posts/145712151

#675 - Where the Lions Weep Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Ten years before Siri and quarter-century before Grok, Steven Spielberg and the late Stanley Kubrick considered a new form of humanity in A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001). We discuss a meeting of the minds between two very distinctive authorial voices. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus "The Best of Both Worlds" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/01/the-best-of-both-worlds/ "A Matter of Life and Death" by Jonathan Rosenbaum - https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2024/05/a-matter-of-life-and-death-ai-artificial-intelligence-tk/ Call for submissions: "The Journal of Stoogeological Studies Vol. 2" - https://x.com/WillSloanEsq/status/1995213884635193456

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