Mia and Gare examine the terrifying rise of Pinduoduo, the Chinese predecessor of Superbowl famous shopping app Temu, and its former CEO Colin Huang.

Mia and Gare examine the terrifying rise of Pinduoduo, the Chinese predecessor of Superbowl famous shopping app Temu, and its former CEO Colin Huang.

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here

Temu: The Rise of China’s Worst Tech Giant

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/145baacf-7297-44eb-b8e7-b1210157b881/transcript

In this episode Dana El Kurd talks about recent news of Hamas dissolving its emergency committee in Gaza and agreeing to disarmament – sort of.

 

Sources:

https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04/what-path-forward-the-board-of-peace-gaza-and-the-future-of-multilateralism

https://www.refugeesinternational.org/perspectives-and-commentaries/six-months-into-gaza-ceasefire-setting-the-record-straight-about-aid/

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-deal-hamas-israel-lebanon-explosions-morocco-spain-migrants

In this episode Dana El Kurd talks about recent news of Hamas dissolving its emergency committee in Gaza and agreeing to disarmament &ndash; sort of.
&nbsp;
Sources:
<a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04/what-path-forward-the-board-of-peace-gaza-and-the-future-of-multilateralism">https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/04/what-path-forward-the-board-of-peace-gaza-and-the-future-of-multilateralism</a>
<a href="https://www.refugeesinternational.org/perspectives-and-commentaries/six-months-into-gaza-ceasefire-setting-the-record-straight-about-aid/">https://www.refugeesinternational.org/perspectives-and-commentaries/six-months-into-gaza-ceasefire-setting-the-record-straight-about-aid/</a>
<a href="https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-deal-hamas-israel-lebanon-explosions-morocco-spain-migrants">https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-deal-hamas-israel-lebanon-explosions-morocco-spain-migrants</a>

Disarming Hamas

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f54ca92b-2a16-41e5-866d-b4b6014e122e/transcript

Margaret reads Gare a story in making fun of rich people in space

Original Air Date: 12.03.2023

Margaret reads Gare a story in making fun of rich people in space
Original Air Date: 12.03.2023

CZM Rewind: Plastic People, by Tobias Buckell

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/804f100f-556e-4db8-acdd-b4b600176772/transcript

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. 


How to Rob a City: NBA Billionaire Edition 
How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 2


Sophie Cunningham's Transphobic WNBA Panic 


DHS Surveillance and Infiltration of ICE Protests in Minnesota 


Executive Disorder: Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Canadian Trade War, Record High ICE Detentions 

You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!

Sources/Links:

How to Rob a City: NBA Billionaire Edition 
https://www.forbes.com/profile/thomas-dundon/
https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-nbas-newest-cheapest-owner-shows-how-billionaires-ruin-sports
https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/03/tom-dundon-blazers-subprime-loan/
https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2015/01/26/investment-riches-built-on-auto-loans-to-poor/#:~:text=Ms.,the%20loan%20with%20her%20daughter
https://www.youtube.com/live/UD8erzI72Fg
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/shadow-bank-blue-owl-caps-021700097.html
https://wealth.blueowl.com/solutions/investment-strategy-real-assets-digital-infrastructure
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-04/blue-owl-fund-sells-warehouse-to-dhs-for-ice-mega-jail
https://youtu.be/3BqOjrFFNK0
https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.14.3.95
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecin.12572
https://belkcollegeofbusiness.charlotte.edu/economic-working-papers/wp-content/uploads/sites/850/2012/10/wp2016-014.pdf
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounders/economics-hosting-olympic-games
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24131508_Mega-Events_The_effect_of_the_world's_biggest_sporting_events_on_local_regional_and_national_economies
https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
https://econjwatch.org/file_download/222/2008-09-coateshumphreys-com.pdf
https://media.clemson.edu/economics/data/sports/Stadiums%20and%20Econ%20Impact/Matheson-2019-Journal_of_Policy_Analysis_and_Management.pdf
https://www.blazersedge.com/trail-blazers-analysis/114957/portland-moda-center-portland-trail-blazers-arena-revenue-debate-sports-teams-city-revenue-taxes-deal
https://www.kjzz.org/business/2026-05-10/diversification-matters-glendale-says-desert-diamond-arena-is-thriving-post-hockey
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/oakland-arena-coliseum-record-best-fiscal-year-of-all-time-after-sold-out-bad-bunny-k-pop-concerts/
https://oaklandside.org/2026/06/16/how-hot-is-the-oakland-arena-a-second-bidder-has-emerged-to-buy-it/
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/keyarena-turns-a-bigger-profit-than-it-ever-did-with-the-sonics/
https://journalistsresource.org/economics/sports-stadium-public-financing/
https://idahocapitalsun.com/2024/07/03/smith-entertainment-group-estimates-spending-525-million-remodeling-delta-center/
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/04/20/trail-blazers-moda-center-portland-basketball-sports/
https://www.ripcitynotripoff.com
https://weareripcity.org/#supporters
https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/16/portland-councilors-release-draft-term-sheet-as-business-coalition-presses-for-public-moda-center-funding/
https://multnomah.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7145153/2026/03/25/nba-expansion-seattle-las-vegas/

How the United States Built its Colonial Empire, Pt. 2


How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr


Colonial Crucible: Empire in the Making of the Modern American State edited by Alfred W. McCoy and Francisco A. Scarano


The Anarchy of Empire in the Making of U.S. Culture by Amy Kaplan


https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/244/ 


https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/182/1/ 


https://theconversation.com/why-russia-gave-up-alaska-americas-gateway-to-the-arctic-74675?xid=PS_smithsonian 


https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-CARIBBEAN/MILITARY-BUILDUP/egpbbnzyrpq/ 


https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/magazine/venezuela-empires-colony.html 


https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-state-trump-rodriguez-chavismo-silence-634203c885803b018ecd8ac012bb249d 


https://time.com/article/2026/06/02/trump-annex-canada-51st-state-rhetoric-carney-us-partnership-message/ 


https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/28/nyregion/new-light-on-old-fbi-fight-decades-of-surveillance-of-puerto-rican-groups.html 


https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/newspape/atc/1685.html


https://theconversation.com/us-territories-have-a-voice-in-congress-but-no-vote-heres-why-283547 


https://www.nminewsservice.com/cnmi-covenant-united-states-50th-anniversary-explainer-timeline/ 


https://apnews.com/article/american-samoa-voting-citizenship-alaska-trump-eda6c32ce0fcdca6edb22efac26e403d 


https://elecciones2024.ceepur.org/Escrutinio_General_123/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml 


https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099257005212415735 


https://www.doi.gov/oia/compacts-of-free-association 


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/30/puerto-rico-independence-movement 


https://time.com/7024574/puerto-rico-status-vote/ 


https://www.uog.edu/_resources/files/schools-and-colleges/college-of-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences/droessler_whose-pacific.pdf 
https://juntasupervision.pr.gov/abril-y-mayo-2025/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/21/trump-strait-of-hormuz-american-territory
 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/trump-iran-war-strait-of-hormuz
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:School_Begins_(Puck_Magazine_1-25-1899).jpg


Las carpetas: persecución política y derechos civiles en Puerto Rico by Ramón Bosque Pérez y Javier Colón Morera


Soldiers of the Nation: Military Service and Modern Puerto Rico, 1868-1952 by Harry Franqui-Rivera

Sophie Cunningham's Transphobic WNBA Panic 
https://www.thefrankiedlc.news/
@thefrankiedlc
@bugsmaytrix.bsky.social
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-everything-is-wrestling-336405745/

DHS Surveillance and Infiltration of ICE Protests in Minnesota 
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73489661/united-states-v-sant/ 
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.0_6.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.3_3.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.5_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.7_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.10_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.8_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.9_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.12_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.11_5.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.21_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.22_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.23_4.pdf
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416/gov.uscourts.mnd.234416.212.24_4.pdf
https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1446251/dl
inline=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3DhFnngDY

Executive Disorder: Mail-In Voting Restrictions, Canadian Trade War, Record High ICE Detentions 
https://pridesource.com/article/dolly-parton-tribute
https://people.com/dolly-parton-says-she-loves-and-does-not-judge-the-lgbtq-community-8386722
https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/designation-of-autistici-inventati-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist/
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0616/
https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/08/18/usda-acts-remove-roadless-rule-restrictions-exacerbate-rising-wildfire-risk 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/planning/roadless
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/22/us-canada-trade-deal-01046788 
https://www.npr.org/2026/08/24/nx-s1-5942971/u-s-treasury-launches-economic-d-day-against-iran-as-war-drags-on 
https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/6048370-scott-bessent-trump-administration-slow-roll-iran-war-sanctions/ 
https://newrepublic.com/post/214646/trump-worker-visa-fees-immigration 
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/world/canada/trump-carney-trade-war-tariffs.html 
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqxvj1zd4qjo 
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/iran-vows-retaliation-u-widens-115405636.html 
https://apnews.com/article/puerto-rico-drought-disaster-usda-farmers-water-b4fe620ecbb2272576e79d140f0180dd 
https://www.elnuevodia.com/corresponsalias/washington-dc/notas/agricultura-federal-declara-una-emergencia-en-26-municipios-de-puerto-rico-a-causa-de-la-sequia/
https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-prosecutors-helping-ice/  
https://www.injusticewatch.org/project/ice-informants/2026/illinois-trust-act-violations-immigrants-deported/ 
https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Safer-Communities/Resources-for-Law-Enforcement/Law-Enforcement-and-Immigration/ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1X9shmR24 
https://x.com/ReichlinMelnick/status/2092303479054225809?s=20 
https://deportationdata.org/news/2026-08-24-ICE-release.html 
https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/opinions/251258.P.pdf 
https://app.deportationdata.org/?agency=ice&dataset=detention-stays&tab=chart&s=eJxVyDEKhEAMQNG7_HqEWRd2IZcJKoOKTCIabcS7W_vKd3Ei38QeXSAMflho777MtpOIuRaE6hYTibE4gqq5FVUS47a-o64IbW5_Tf43-cP9AO8gHXk 
https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2026-08/OIG-26-23-Aug26.pdf 
https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-17238.pdf 
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf 
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/26/trump-usps-mail-voting-rule-lawsuit-states-supreme-court.html 
https://archive.is/20260818151459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/08/18/pentagon-evaluating-smaller-us-military-presence-persian-gulf-after-iran-war/#selection-1117.0-1121.36
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-08-21/bahrain-evacuation-military-families-navy-22618186.html
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-21/stars-and-stripes-publisher-editor-reporter-separated-22620671.html 

It Could Happen Here Weekly 247

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/18ba9a61-aed5-427d-ad4a-b4b50003700c/transcript

Temu: The Rise of China’s Worst Tech Giant

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