Why CBS News Hired Cancel Culture's Biggest Grifter (ft. Michael Hobbes)

“Where is James Talarico?” second-rate conservative activists and Nazi enthusiasts asked when the Democratic Texas Senate candidate took a short break from the campaign trail in October. Their uncoordinated right-wing rumors ultimately coalesced to a conspiracy theory claiming that James Talarico had checked into an Ohio mental health facility ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In reality, James Talarico was at home in Texas. He had the flu. Even a conservative news publisher criticized the conspiracy theory, calling it “sloppy.” This week, Houston-based Chron.com Texas culture reporter Gwen Howerton joins Katelyn and Christine in the final stretch to the 2026 midterms. Katelyn, Christine, and Gwen discuss how conservative provocateurs bungled the opportunity to smear James Talarico and the very real possibility that he’ll beat Republican Ken Paxton on Election Day. Cancel Me, Daddy is a progressive media criticism show hosted by journalists Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi. New episodes every other week.

If you have been online in the past few weeks, you’ve consumed at least one “take” about the viral “lesbian bar story.” According to The Boston Globe, “all hell broke loose” when the Greenfield, Massachusetts-based Last Ditch bar posted a cheery Instagram announcement about mask optional Saturday nights.

The right-wing outrage machine could not stand Dr. Jason Arday, the University of Cambridge’s youngest ever Black professor. And so, the coalition of journalists, pundits, and academics could not let the 41-year-old’s academic record stand.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham made her initial comments about “protecting young girls” in women’s sports to an ESPN.com writer in July. The rest of the summer devolved into a moral panic, the likes of which the WNBA had never seen. The league doesn’t know what to do with its new transphobia problem—or its old anti-Blackness problem. Doing nothing continues to fuel the right-wing ecosystem in which reactionary media capture every anti-trans or racist remark, gesture, or blatant stunt, notwithstanding there aren’t any trans players in the WNBA. Fox News and innumerable conservative podcasts then reinforce the larger cultural narrative about the sanctity of women’s sports that they otherwise degenerate as inferior to men’s leagues. This week, Talking Points Memo’s Kate Riga joins Katelyn and Christine to discuss transphobia in the WNBA. Did you know washed-up NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom may be collaborating with the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute on his ongoing stunt to declare for the next WNBA draft as a woman? And Sophie Cunningham appears to be setting herself up for a retirement career in transphobic punditry. The cancellation-to-grifter pipeline is strong. Cancel Me, Daddy is a progressive media criticism show hosted by journalists Katelyn Burns and Christine Grimaldi. New episodes every other week. Stream on our YouTube channel—remember to ring the bell! Listen via Apple or Spotify. Be sure to check out the merch store—Merch Me, Daddy! Links: - Grab a discounted bundle subscription to Katelyn’s and Christine’s newsletters at their TrustFnd collab! - Cancel Me, Daddy’s Patreon bonus: The WNBA Doesn’t Know What to do with Transphobia - Kate Riga, Derick Dirmaier, Joe Ragazzo and Allegra Kirkland for TPM: Why the Right Is Going All-in on Stoking the WNBA Culture Wars - Brooke Migdon for The 19th: The WNBA ‘felt like a lifeline’ for LGBTQ+ fans. Anti-trans attacks are testing that refuge. - Alissa Hirsh for The Chicago Sun-Times: DiJonai Carrington says ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ post goes beyond flagrant foul [of Sophie Cunningham] - Kate Riga for TPM: The Right Has Found Its New Riley Gaines in the WNBA - Katie Barnes for ESPN: WNBA task force discusses transgender athletes amid furor - Kate Riga for TPM: Trump-Aligned America First Policy Institute Backing Ex-NBA Player Tossed from WNBA Game - Kate Riga for TPM: Ex-NBA Troll [Enes Kanter Freedom] Who Got in Mid-Game Altercation Laments That His Anti-Trans Crusade Distracts From WNBA Play See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pundits, politicians, and lobbyists have given a pass to Silicon Valley’s tech bros for far too long. We don’t have to understand Peter Thiel or Sam Altman, but we have to understand the "Network State" they want to establish.