The hosts begin the show with a deep dive into Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary, spotlighting his insurgent campaign and examining key elements of his Democratic Socialist platform. The hour concludes with an interview featuring Sandra Lott Smith—a survivor, author of over 38 books, minister, and founder of Your New Life Ministries.

The hosts begin the show with a deep dive into Zohran Mamdani&rsquo;s victory in the NYC mayoral primary, spotlighting his insurgent campaign and examining key elements of his Democratic Socialist platform. The hour concludes with an interview featuring Sandra Lott Smith&mdash;a survivor, author of over 38 books, minister, and founder of <a href="https://www.yournewlifeministries.org/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Your New Life Ministries</a>.

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: Mamdani Madness and Mounting Misgivings. Interview with Sandra Lott Smith.

This hour examines President Trump’s executive order fast‑tracking psychedelic drugs through the FDA pipeline, a move that has ignited a national debate over science, veterans’ care, and the limits of presidential authority. The hosts frame the order as both a response to America’s escalating mental‑health crisis and a cultural turning point, raising questions about urgency, influence, and the future of psychedelic medicine. The hour closes with Justin Keener, President of Americans for Public Safety, whose work centers on public‑safety reform and evidence‑based strategies to reduce crime and strengthen community outcomes.

This hour examines President Trump&rsquo;s executive order fast‑tracking psychedelic drugs through the FDA pipeline, a move that has ignited a national debate over science, veterans&rsquo; care, and the limits of presidential authority. The hosts frame the order as both a response to America&rsquo;s escalating mental‑health crisis and a cultural turning point, raising questions about urgency, influence, and the future of psychedelic medicine. The hour closes with&nbsp;<a href="https://a4publicsafety.com/who-we-are/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Justin Keener</a>, President of&nbsp;<a href="https://a4publicsafety.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Americans for Public Safety</a>, whose work centers on public‑safety reform and evidence‑based strategies to reduce crime and strengthen community outcomes.

Hour 2: Trump’s Psychedelic Fast Track Order | Justin Keener on Americans for Public Safety

Episode 94 opens with a breakdown of Trump’s AI‑generated “Jesus style” image — the white robe, the glowing hand, the hospital‑bed tableau — and the political, religious, and cultural shockwaves it set off. The hour tracks the fierce reactions from supporters and critics, who argued over false prophets, messianic symbolism, and whether the imagery is strategy, sacrilege, or something far more destabilizing: a moment when the line between faith and power appears to be dissolving in real time.  The hour concludes with Jonathan Tepper, author of Shooting Up, a memoir rooted in his childhood in Madrid’s heroin‑ravaged San Blas neighborhood, where his parents founded a drug‑rehabilitation center and the addicts he grew up with — nearly all HIV‑positive — became his closest friends and deepest losses. Moving between a book‑saturated home life and the brutal realities of AIDS, grief, and survival, Tepper traces how a boy shaped by death, loyalty, and literature ultimately finds purpose and resilience on the path that leads him to becoming a Rhodes Scholar.

Episode 94 opens with a breakdown of Trump&rsquo;s AI‑generated &ldquo;Jesus style&rdquo; image &mdash; the white robe, the glowing hand, the hospital‑bed tableau &mdash; and the political, religious, and cultural shockwaves it set off. The hour tracks the fierce reactions from supporters and critics, who argued over false prophets, messianic symbolism, and whether the imagery is strategy, sacrilege, or something far more destabilizing: a moment when the line between faith and power appears to be dissolving in real time.&nbsp; The hour concludes with&nbsp;<a href="https://jonathan-tepper.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://jonathan-tepper.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777328731382000&amp;usg=AOvVaw16ASmkz478vCMeRmekoIK2">Jonathan Tepper</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/02Ar9W5p" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://a.co/d/02Ar9W5p&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1777328731382000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Zsw23qVqnLypDbuKU32bx">Shooting Up</a>, a memoir rooted in his childhood in Madrid&rsquo;s heroin‑ravaged San Blas neighborhood, where his parents founded a drug‑rehabilitation center and the addicts he grew up with &mdash; nearly all HIV‑positive &mdash; became his closest friends and deepest losses. Moving between a book‑saturated home life and the brutal realities of AIDS, grief, and survival, Tepper traces how a boy shaped by death, loyalty, and literature ultimately finds purpose and resilience on the path that leads him to becoming a Rhodes Scholar.

Hour 1: Trump’s “Jesus Style” Image | Jonathan Tepper on Shooting Up

The second hour examines the unprecedented legal and moral questions raised by the 2025 FSU shooting, where the accused gunman exchanged more than 200 conversations with ChatGPT — including operational questions minutes before the attack — forcing prosecutors, families, and regulators to confront whether information alone can constitute “help.” It’s a deep dive into the collision between human intent and machine response, and the unsettling reality that AI stayed in the conversation long after every human in this young shooter’s life had walked away. The show closes with an interview featuring Barry Maher, author of The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon, a darkly comic supernatural thriller set in 1980s California. The novel blends horror, satire, and character‑driven chaos as an ordinary man finds his life hijacked by a mischievous, malevolent entity — a story that uses humor and the paranormal to explore how identity unravels under pressure and how ego can become its own worst haunting.

The second hour examines the unprecedented legal and moral questions raised by the 2025 FSU shooting, where the accused gunman exchanged more than 200 conversations with ChatGPT &mdash; including operational questions minutes before the attack &mdash; forcing prosecutors, families, and regulators to confront whether information alone can constitute &ldquo;help.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a deep dive into the collision between human intent and machine response, and the unsettling reality that AI stayed in the conversation long after every human in this young shooter&rsquo;s life had walked away. The show closes with an interview featuring&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motivationalpresenter.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Barry Maher</a>, author of&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/0gMxj2zb" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon</a>, a darkly comic supernatural thriller set in 1980s California. The novel blends horror, satire, and character‑driven chaos as an ordinary man finds his life hijacked by a mischievous, malevolent entity &mdash; a story that uses humor and the paranormal to explore how identity unravels under pressure and how ego can become its own worst haunting.

Hour 1: Mamdani Madness and Mounting Misgivings. Interview with Sandra Lott Smith.

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