It Could Happen Here

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.
- Why Fascists Have Adopted A Suicidal Penguin as a Mascot
- Normalcy feat. Andrew
- Fighting ICE’s Warehouse Prisons
- The Art of Petty with Prop & Amanda Nelson
- Executive Disorder: Turning Point Halftime Show, Pam Bondi’s Epstein Hearing & ICE Detention of Liam Conejo Ramos
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Sources/Links:
Why Fascists Have Adopted A Suicidal Penguin as a Mascot
Paul Virilio, “The Suicidal State,” in J. DerDerian, ed. The Virilio Reader
https://files.libcom.org/files/A%20Thousand%20Plateaus.pdf
https://contactos.tome.press/welcome-to-the-suicidal-state/
https://jacobin.com/2024/10/death-drive-trump-freud-liberalism
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trumps-penguin-breaks-internet-sends-left-frenzy
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/penguin-walking-toward-mountain-nihilist-penguin
https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-is-the-nihilist-penguin-meme-why-a-video-of-a-penguin-walking-toward-a-mountain-from-a-werner-herzog-film-is-going-viral-explained
https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2014869279850496358
https://x.com/HHSGov/status/2014772131242877320?s=20
https://x.com/policylaila/status/2015359679279337808
https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2015068422980182214
https://x.com/RepMikeCollins/status/1954555969515450790
Fighting ICE’s Warehouse Prisons
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/24/ice-immigrants-detention-warehouses-deportation-trump/?itid=lk_inline_manual_7
Executive Disorder: Turning Point Halftime Show, Pam Bondi’s Epstein Hearing & ICE Detention of Liam Conejo Ramos
https://rumble.com/v75hvqg-tpusa-presents-the-all-american-halftime-show.html?e9s=rel_v2_ep
https://www.thebiglead.com/most-watched-super-bowl-halftime-shows-bad-bunny-v/

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/television/2026/02/09/how-many-people-watched-the-halftime-show-2026-bad-bunny-super-bowl/88586255007/
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2321.pdf?q=20260210145058
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Gatalog%20Complaint_FINAL.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977.67.0_1.pdf
https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2021292068065153476
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/hisd/article/hisd-loses-immigrant-students-21307427.php
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-26/family-of-student-arrested-outside-arlete-high-allege-racial-profiling-trump-administration
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/05/liam-conejo-ramos-dhs-requests-expedited-deportation-proceedings-for-family
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26708008-us-district-judge-fred-bierys-opinion-ordering-release-of-5-year-old-liam-arias-and-father/ https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/05/liam-conejo-ramos-dhs-requests-expedited-deportation-proceedings-for-family
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/g-s1-109413/maxwell-appeals-for-clemency
https://x.com/domarkus/status/2020882509525893536?s=46
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/casey-wasserman-epstein-fallout-1236500784/
https://www.foxla.com/news/la28-casey-wasserman-epstein-maxwell-investigation-results
https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-member-raskin-s-opening-statement-at-hearing-slamming-attorney-general-bondi-s-epstein-cover-up-betrayal-of-the-principle-of-justice-for-all
https://apnews.com/live/trump-bondi-epstein-updates-2-11-2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcEXpOSBE7I
https://x.com/calltoactivism/status/2021617879750455415?s=46
https://x.com/antunes1/status/2021625934919369208?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021661313429082564?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021629409606676989?s=46

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The gang discuss the All American Halftime Show featuring Kid Rock and Friends, a student walkout in Chicago protesting ICE, a Washington State bill restricting 3D printers, Pam Bondi’s congressional testimony on the mishandling of the Epstein files, and immigration updates.
Sources:
https://rumble.com/v75hvqg-tpusa-presents-the-all-american-halftime-show.html?e9s=rel_v2_ep
https://www.thebiglead.com/most-watched-super-bowl-halftime-shows-bad-bunny-v/

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/television/2026/02/09/how-many-people-watched-the-halftime-show-2026-bad-bunny-super-bowl/88586255007/
https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2025-26/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2321.pdf?q=20260210145058
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/Gatalog%20Complaint_FINAL.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977/gov.uscourts.miwd.116977.67.0_1.pdf
https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2021292068065153476
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/hisd/article/hisd-loses-immigrant-students-21307427.php
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-08-26/family-of-student-arrested-outside-arlete-high-allege-racial-profiling-trump-administration
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/05/liam-conejo-ramos-dhs-requests-expedited-deportation-proceedings-for-family
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26708008-us-district-judge-fred-bierys-opinion-ordering-release-of-5-year-old-liam-arias-and-father/ https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/02/05/liam-conejo-ramos-dhs-requests-expedited-deportation-proceedings-for-family
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/g-s1-109413/maxwell-appeals-for-clemency
https://x.com/domarkus/status/2020882509525893536?s=46
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/casey-wasserman-epstein-fallout-1236500784/
https://www.foxla.com/news/la28-casey-wasserman-epstein-maxwell-investigation-results
https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/ranking-member-raskin-s-opening-statement-at-hearing-slamming-attorney-general-bondi-s-epstein-cover-up-betrayal-of-the-principle-of-justice-for-all
https://apnews.com/live/trump-bondi-epstein-updates-2-11-2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcEXpOSBE7I
https://x.com/calltoactivism/status/2021617879750455415?s=46
https://x.com/antunes1/status/2021625934919369208?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021661313429082564?s=46
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2021629409606676989?s=46
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the raging pile of slop that is social media, every once in a while you stumble across someone doing something genuinely amazing. That’s how Prop found Amanda Nelson, the creator behind Amanda’s Mild Takes, where she delivers comprehensive breakdowns of politics and history and artfully drags the trolls in her comment section while she’s at it. We had to get to know her.
In this episode, Amanda shares why she started making videos in the first place, what motivates her to clap back at haters, and what parallels she sees between the past and the current events happening in the US. She also offers her predictions for the upcoming midterm elections, and weighs in on who might throw their hat in the ring for president in 2028.
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James is joined by Sam Hamilton to discuss how people in Social Circle, GA are organizing against an 8,000 person detention facility that ICE is planning to build in a warehouse in their community.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/24/ice-immigrants-detention-warehouses-deportation-trump/?itid=lk_inline_manual_7
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andrew and James talk about the idea of “normalcy” and the bias towards it.


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