The second hour opens with Bishop Alfred L. Phillips, pastor of Sheepshead Bay United Methodist Church and founder of the Sheepshead Bay Community Development Center, reflecting on faith, community, and decades of hands‑on work supporting youth and neighborhood stability.  The show closes with Beth Heller Gelles, author of Crazy for College, who unpacks the pressures, myths, and modern realities shaping today’s college admissions landscape.

The second hour opens with&nbsp;<a href="https://fbcsheepsheadbay.com/our-pastor" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">Bishop Alfred L. Phillips</a>, pastor of&nbsp;<a href="https://fbcsheepsheadbay.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Sheepshead Bay United Methodist Church</a>&nbsp;and founder of the Sheepshead Bay Community Development Center, reflecting on faith, community, and decades of hands‑on work supporting youth and neighborhood stability.&nbsp; The show closes with&nbsp;<a href="https://bethhellergelles.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Beth Heller Gelles</a>, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://bethhellergelles.com/books/crazy-for-college/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4">Crazy for College</a>, who unpacks the pressures, myths, and modern realities shaping today&rsquo;s college admissions landscape.

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 2: Bishop Alfred L. Phillips on Community & Faith | Beth Heller Gelles on the College Admissions Crunch

Episode 99 opens with the explosive, nationwide backlash as 2026 graduates boo commencement speakers who praise artificial intelligence — turning ceremonies into viral flashpoints of frustration. It’s a generational revolt fueled by a shrinking entry‑level job market, rising debt, and the sense that elites are celebrating the very technology these students believe is undermining their future. The hour then shifts to the Hon. Shahar Azani, veteran Israeli diplomat and former Spokesperson and Consul for Media Affairs at Israel’s Consulate General in New York. Drawing on deep experience in public diplomacy and strategic communications, he tackles rising antisemitism head‑on, exposing its modern forms. Azani frames antisemitism as a “canary in the coal mine” for democratic societies and calls for education, factual advocacy, and bold action to protect Jewish communities and the values that sustain free societies

 

Episode 99 opens with the explosive, nationwide backlash as 2026 graduates boo commencement speakers who praise artificial intelligence &mdash; turning ceremonies into viral flashpoints of frustration. It&rsquo;s a generational revolt fueled by a shrinking entry‑level job market, rising debt, and the sense that elites are celebrating the very technology these students believe is undermining their future. The hour then shifts to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahar-azani-a068807a/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">Hon. Shahar Azani</a>, veteran Israeli diplomat and former Spokesperson and Consul for Media Affairs at Israel&rsquo;s Consulate General in New York. Drawing on deep experience in public diplomacy and strategic communications, he tackles rising antisemitism head‑on, exposing its modern forms. Azani frames antisemitism as a &ldquo;canary in the coal mine&rdquo; for democratic societies and calls for education, factual advocacy, and bold action to protect Jewish communities and the values that sustain free societies
&nbsp;

 Hour 1: The AI Backlash Graduation Season | Hon. Shahar Azani on Antisemitism in America

Our second hour opens by taking AOC’s viral line — “You can’t earn a billion dollars” — and using it to argue that her anti‑billionaire stance isn’t just bad economics but a philosophical rejection of the American idea itself. The hosts contend that her worldview casts wealth as theft, ambition as exploitation, and success as illegitimate, warning that if it takes hold, the country risks trading aspiration for resentment and innovation for stagnation. The show wraps with Judd Saul — filmmaker, evangelist, and founder of Equipping The Persecuted and TruthNigeria.com — whose organizations deliver rapid‑response aid and document ongoing attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria. His work puts him on the ground in some of the most dangerous parts of the Middle Belt, providing medical support, security training, and firsthand witness to a crisis the world rarely sees.

Our second hour opens by taking AOC&rsquo;s viral line &mdash; &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t earn a billion dollars&rdquo; &mdash; and using it to argue that her anti‑billionaire stance isn&rsquo;t just bad economics but a philosophical rejection of the American idea itself. The hosts contend that her worldview casts wealth as theft, ambition as exploitation, and success as illegitimate, warning that if it takes hold, the country risks trading aspiration for resentment and innovation for stagnation. The show wraps with Judd Saul &mdash; filmmaker, evangelist, and founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://equippingthepersecuted.org/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">Equipping The Persecuted</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://truthnigeria.com/" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">TruthNigeria.com</a>&nbsp;&mdash; whose organizations deliver rapid‑response aid and document ongoing attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria. His work puts him on the ground in some of the most dangerous parts of the Middle Belt, providing medical support, security training, and firsthand witness to a crisis the world rarely sees.

Hour 2: AOC’s Billion‑Dollar Claim Under the Microscope | Judd Saul on Nigeria’s Persecuted Communities

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.

Hour 2: Bishop Alfred L. Phillips on Community & Faith | Beth Heller Gelles on the College Admissions Crunch

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