Episode 98 opens with a discussion of humanity’s shift from curing disease to engineering advantage, asking whether genetic optimization is compassion, control, or the first step toward a biologically divided society in a world with no real rules for embryo editing. The hour closes with investigative reporter Chris Papst, author of Failure Factory, whose nationally recognized work exposes how bureaucratic waste and mismanagement quietly hollow out American cities and leave taxpayers holding the bill.

Episode 98 opens with a discussion of humanity&rsquo;s shift from curing disease to engineering advantage, asking whether genetic optimization is compassion, control, or the first step toward a biologically divided society in a world with no real rules for embryo editing. The hour closes with investigative reporter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chrispapst.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Chris Papst</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Failure-Factory-Baltimore-Taxpayers-Students/dp/B0FNDQQY1T" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Failure Factory</a>, whose nationally recognized work exposes how bureaucratic waste and mismanagement quietly hollow out American cities and leave taxpayers holding the bill.

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation. 

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed &ldquo;man of the people,&rdquo; debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.&nbsp;

Shake It Off with Mert & Lucas Live

Tune in each week, as an established lawyer, and a self- proclaimed “man of the people,” debate some of the hottest issues impacting our city, state and nation.

Hour 1: Engineering the Human Future | Chris Papst on Failure Factory

During our second hour, the hosts frame the 2026 midterms as more than a left-right contest, asking whether voters are being moved more by economic pain, cultural identity, institutional distrust, or partisan loyalty. From affordability, health care, immigration, crime, Trump, and competing media narratives, the segment probes which party can best reach Americans who feel squeezed, suspicious, and unseen by those in power. The show then wraps with Scott Gibbs, author of Toward the Turning: Rethinking the Meaning of 9/11, the Clash of Civilizations, and a Postmodern World. Gibbs is a California-licensed psychotherapist whose book examines how inherited religious, national, and cultural identities can harden into destructive cycles of fear, blame, and violence, using 9/11 and the War on Terror as touchstones for a larger argument about moving beyond reactive, identity-driven conflict.

During our second hour, the hosts frame the 2026 midterms as more than a left-right contest, asking whether voters are being moved more by economic pain, cultural identity, institutional distrust, or partisan loyalty. From affordability, health care, immigration, crime, Trump, and competing media narratives, the segment probes which party can best reach Americans who feel squeezed, suspicious, and unseen by those in power. The show then wraps with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mscottgibbs.com/about" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mscottgibbs.com/about&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1786401175286000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2js8KI00LE1CP2ONxGVhOn">Scott Gibbs</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Turning-Rethinking-Civilizations-Postmodern/dp/3838217667" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Toward-Turning-Rethinking-Civilizations-Postmodern/dp/3838217667&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1786401175286000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3kUD0-a4Fg1WGnn2bah0bb">Toward the Turning: Rethinking the Meaning of 9/11, the Clash of Civilizations, and a Postmodern World</a>. Gibbs is a California-licensed psychotherapist whose book examines how inherited religious, national, and cultural identities can harden into destructive cycles of fear, blame, and violence, using 9/11 and the War on Terror as touchstones for a larger argument about moving beyond reactive, identity-driven conflict.

Hour 2: Wallets, Values & Tribal Politics | Scott Gibbs on Toward the Turning

Episode 109 begins with a look at how Fauci’s newly released 2019–2022 diary exposes a pattern of private admissions that directly contradict the confident public claims he used to justify lockdowns, school closures, fatality projections, and the dismissal of lab‑leak concerns. The hosts lay out how those entries paint a portrait of a public‑health leader who told the nation one story while writing another — a gap that raises serious questions about honesty, accountability, and the credibility of America’s pandemic response. The program then shifts to an interview with Dr. Monica Vermani, author of A Deeper Wellness.  A Toronto‑based clinician with more than 25 years of experience treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress‑related disorders, she is internationally recognized for her integrative mind‑body approach to mental health.

Episode 109 begins with a look at how Fauci&rsquo;s newly released 2019&ndash;2022 diary exposes a pattern of private admissions that directly contradict the confident public claims he used to justify lockdowns, school closures, fatality projections, and the dismissal of lab‑leak concerns. The hosts lay out how those entries paint a portrait of a public‑health leader who told the nation one story while writing another &mdash; a gap that raises serious questions about honesty, accountability, and the credibility of America&rsquo;s pandemic response. The program then shifts to an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.drmonicavermani.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.drmonicavermani.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1786401175286000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2g8fpj_3ciqxRf_SPBMuQa">Dr. Monica Vermani</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.book.adeeperwellness.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.book.adeeperwellness.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1786401175286000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3WTSK9Fb600du4k_Z5tPoO">A Deeper Wellness</a>.&nbsp; A Toronto‑based clinician with more than 25 years of experience treating trauma, anxiety, depression, and stress‑related disorders, she is internationally recognized for her integrative mind‑body approach to mental health.

Hour 1: Fauci’s Diary Contradictions & Public Trust | Dr. Monica Vermani on A Deeper Wellness

In the second hour, the hosts examine how Smithsonian curators have shifted from evidence toward ideology—most sharply illustrated by an exhibit that cast Benjamin Franklin as a speculative villain (including unsupported claims about electroshock on enslaved people) and by the museum director’s public “no regrets” stance. The controversy is framed as part of a larger pattern in which a national museum increasingly presents America’s origins through suspicion and indictment rather than the full, complex record of both failures and achievements. The show then wraps with Dave Rossi, author of the international bestseller Alphas Die Early, which dismantles the toxic “alpha male” myth and offers a blueprint for building strength through humility, purpose, and emotional intelligence.

 

In the second hour, the hosts examine how Smithsonian curators have shifted from evidence toward ideology&mdash;most sharply illustrated by an exhibit that cast Benjamin Franklin as a speculative villain (including unsupported claims about electroshock on enslaved people) and by the museum director&rsquo;s public &ldquo;no regrets&rdquo; stance. The controversy is framed as part of a larger pattern in which a national museum increasingly presents America&rsquo;s origins through suspicion and indictment rather than the full, complex record of both failures and achievements. The show then wraps with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daverossiglobal.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.daverossiglobal.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1785852420727000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1R_5OL2FltLfbaeW4DoysW">Dave Rossi</a>, author of the international bestseller&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/0iO1M1J1" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://a.co/d/0iO1M1J1&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1785852420727000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dRfkNN-k_nhIgf4ucHy22">Alphas Die Early</a>, which dismantles the toxic &ldquo;alpha male&rdquo; myth and offers a blueprint for building strength through humility, purpose, and emotional intelligence.
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Hour 1: Engineering the Human Future | Chris Papst on Failure Factory

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