The Bitchuation Room

This is a portion of Francesca’s interview with journalist Aaron Cantú. To get access to the full interview become a patron: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom.
No state has been hit harder by skyrocketing oil prices under the war on Iran than California. It is heavily reliant on both fossil fuels and foreign oil, and simultaneously hit with unprecedented fires and droughts every year. This paradox seems to be lost on the Democratic Supermajority in the state. Because while California talks the talk on stopping climate change, it does not walk the walk. Large renewable energy projects sputter out, private energy companies keep jacking up prices, all while their negligence has led to massive fires like the ones in Los Angeles.
Aaron Cantú is a climate journalist for State & Main. He writes about climate change and climate policies in California. How do so many of California’s climate failures trace back to Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s AB 32 bill that overly relied on market solutions. This has led to things like cow runoff pits that get turned into tax incentives for factory farmers. What about getting rid of factory farms and moving to regenerative farming? And why are any large-scale projects–from public transit to renewable energy– always put on the back burner?
CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:50 - Doing Climate Journalism
00:02:52 - Why is California STILL So Fossil Fuel Dependent?
00:07:18 - Why Is California So Reliant on Foreign Oil?
00:12:50 - Why Renewable Projects Have Stalled
00:20:58 - Who's Most Impacted By Climate Collapse
00:25:29 - Holding Climate Culprits Accountable
00:30:27 - When Do The People Take Over the Grid?
00:35:58 - California's Datacenters Are Untenable
00:43:18 - A Way Out of This Mess
00:45:30 - Hot Button Question!
Featuring:
Aaron Cantú, journalist
https://capitalandmain.com/author/aaron-cantu

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
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An egregious campus sexual assault case at Cornell is back in the news, with a woman allegedly assaulted by seven fraternity brothers over seven hours, just as the Department of Education guts Title IX protections.
Meanwhile, Xavier Becerra refuses to rule out taking corporate money in his California governor bid, and Rahm Emanuel — architect of NAFTA, the 1994 crime bill, and the death of the public option — declares the DSAs "not Democrats" as he eyes 2028. Comedian and union organizer Nato Green joins for the roundup.
Then, Movement Voter Project's Kristee Paschall joins to talk about the ground game heading into the midterms: why we can’t just count on a blue wave, how to reinvest in Black political power in the South after redistricting losses, and why the DSCC is slow-walking support for Angie Nixon's Florida Senate campaign even as she out-organizes her opponents in the primary.
Featuring:
Nato Green, comedian and union organizer, https://www.instagram.com/natogreen/
Watch The Darkest Hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_er-hJ8nZh0
Kristee Paschall, Director of Civic Engagement at Movement Voter Project, https://movement.vote
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LIVE SHOWS:
Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room
https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/
Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Philadelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Brooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell House
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
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This is a portion of Francesca’s interview with former Congressperson Jamaal Bowman. To get access to the full interview and the rest of the Hot Button series, become a patron: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom
Jamaal Bowman has been busy. For four years he was a Congressman for NY's 16th district, after ousting a long-time incumbent Eliot Engel in 2020, joining a new class of "The Squad". But in 2024 he lost his re-election after AIPAC poured $24 million into his opponent George Latimer's race. But since, he has been helping progressive candidates win their primary elections and get rid of corporate Democrats. He's also written a book: UNpolishED, a memoir of his life and a political memoir for where we need to be headed as a nation.
In this interview, Francesca and Jamaal discuss what he misses about Congress and what he does not. (The gym apparently is sub par.) He recounts how the play by play of how centrists in the House and Senate tanked the most transformative parts of the Biden agenda, which included a call from the boss himself: Joe Biden. Is the Squad doing enough to push a progressive agenda, and should Hakeem Jeffries be speaker should Democrats take back the majority?
After that disillusionment, Bowman took a trip to Israel/Palestine. Oh boy. There he saw apartheid first hand and understood that the 'two-state solution' was a lie. Francesca and Bowman discuss the morally urgent question of Palestine, how the lobby preys on Black lawmakers and districts, and why Democrats will never do right by their voters if they continue to support Israel.
And most importantly, will Bowman run again?
Featuring:
Jamaal Bowman, Frmr Congressperson
Buy UNpolishED here or wherever books are sold:
https://unpolishedbook.com/
Thank you for your support of The Bitchuation Room. Be sure to check out all the exclusive Hot Button interviews!
LIVE SHOWS:
Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room
https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/
Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Philadelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Brooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell House
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
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Netanyahu addresses an empty hall at the United Nations, where he name checks Hasan Piker?! Francesca is joined by Wajahat Ali to break down the protests, the ironies and the AI bros speaking at the UN General Assembly.
And Kamala Harris gives Abdul El-Sayed a little boost in Michigan in a meeting about Black maternal health. But when reporters ask him about his support for the Uncommitted Movement, things get testy. Plus, Renee Nicole Good’s mother is a Trump voter? Say it ain’t so.
Then Matt Stoller joins to break down the no good very bad Paramount-WB merger settlement, and how Democrats caved to billionaires once again. Will we remember the handout he gave the Ellisons when Newsom asks for our vote come 2028?
Featuring:
Wajahat Ali, The Left Hook
thelefthook.substack.com
Matt Stoller
https://www.organizedmoney.fm/
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/

***
See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.
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LIVE SHOWS:
Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room
https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/
Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Philadelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Brooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell House
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
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Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
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We’re being run by a bunch of billionaires who don’t even believe in the human race. Author Naomi Klein returns to discuss End Times Fascism, her new book co-written with Astra Taylor. How can local community-building stop the doomsday clock that psychos like Theil, Musk, Vance and Trump have accelerated?
Plus, ICE shoots a DoorDash driver twice in the back in Austin, while Zohran Mamdani wins DoorDash drivers back pay in New York. Mamdani also met privately with Trump this week and finessed him on a whole new level.
And 15 years after the Occupy Wall St. movement popped off, organizer and author Yotam Marom talks about the openings and limitations of electoralism, and how to maintain political imagination amidst a wall of state violence and repression.
Featuring:
Yotam Marom, organizer, facilitator, and author of For Louder Days
https://yotammarom.net
https://thenewpress.org/books/for-louder-days/
Naomi Klein, author and UBC professor of climate justice
https://naomiklein.org
***
See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.
***
LIVE SHOWS:
Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room
https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/
Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Philadelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live
Brooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell House
https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

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