The Civil Union
Political discourse with a midwest twist
The Civil Union
Not So Civil Politicians and Misinformation | 02.27.25
In this episode of The Civil Union, hosts Alex and Ryan navigate their lives and debates in a conservative state, sharing sharp insights and opinions on political issues, including a detailed discussion on same-sex marriage in Missouri and a personal account of their encounter with State Senator Karla May. Asking her to resign and the idea of holding values over party. They also do their weekly ‘Who Said It?’ game featuring quotes from Doechii and Pelosi. Next, they delve into the controversies surrounding abortion statistics in red states post-Roe v. Wade, and the broader impacts of misinformation in politics and health. Ending on a fun note, they explore innovative energy solutions like airline turbine wind pods and fog harvesting technology.
00:00 Introduction to the Civil Union Podcast
00:38 Weather Talk and Personal Updates
02:30 Missouri's Outdated Same-Sex Marriage Ban
04:40 Disappointment with Senator Karla May
12:07 Trump's Air Force One Delays and Boeing's Struggles
19:36 Who Said It: Doechii or Pelosi?
24:33 Alarming Abortion Statistics in Red States
30:28 The Spread of Misinformation
33:38 Innovative Environmental Technologies
37:00 Conclusion and Contact Information
Misinformation Resource Links:
Music: What's The Angle? by Shane Ivers -
https://www.silvermansound.com
Welcome to the Civil Union, the podcast where politics meets partnership. We're Alex and Ryan, a married couple, navigating life and debates in a conservative state. We bring you sharp insights, bold opinions, and honest conversations about the political issues shaping our lives, especially those living on society's margins. Tune in for a real talk, a touch of humor, and plenty of passion because when it comes to politics, every voice matters. And we are here to make sure they're heard. Oh, well, the weather's finally nicer. We have the windows open. Yeah. And it's funny, we've gotten so used to like below 20 degrees. It's still like 40 50, but it's like nice. Even in the mornings when it's 30 degrees, you're like, oh wow, this isn't bad.'cause we've just conditioned ourselves to be freezing. Yeah, it's been a cold winter. It's been a snowy winter too. We always start soccer in the cold season, but it was pretty cold on Saturday. It was our first home game for the season, and we were packed head to toe with heat pads. What, where they had the hand warmers. But it was a lot of fun. I mean, it wasn't that bad. We, I feel like we've had colder games. I feel like we have had colder games and it was like, 40 degrees that day? But it was like the game started like at night, so it was a little bit colder, but it was tolerable. I was an icicle by halftime for sure. Yeah. I forget how cold our feet get, but I mean, when you're at a soccer game like that, especially in a supporter section where we're at, we literally just jump up and down the entire game. So it keeps you warm anyway. how else was, uh, the rest of your, uh week? We had a busy week. I mean, not only did we have the soccer game, but we had like life things and jobs and, Friday I actually had day off, so I went and saw a movie captain America, the new Captain America movie, and it was okay. Marvel's trying to reboot, so it's gonna take some time to grow that, that back up. But it was good. It was fine. I was, you know, it was a decent week. How was your week? same. We're here, we're, we're alive, we're breathing, we're healthy new, I guess we're not sick anymore, so That's true. So it's good. So, uh, should we jump into, uh, this week's topics, I guess? Yeah, let's get into it. So it, it's pretty wild to think nearly 10 years after the Supreme Court made same sex marriage legal nationwide, the Republican controlled Missouri State Senate is still holding onto an outdated prohibition against it. Yep. You heard that right? Even though same sex marriage is still legal in Missouri, most of your state senators decided to keep a symbolic ban on the books in a recent vote. The Senate unsurprisingly rejected an amendment to get rid of this relic voting six to 19 against it, this was a golden opportunity for our elected officials to publicly support the massive shift in public opinion since the nineties, but instead they dropped the ball once again. What's even more frustrating, every Republican senator voted against the amendment and only one Democrat state Senator Karla May from St. Louis joined in on that no vote. Public support for same-sex marriage nationwide is at a near record high. 69% in 2024, even with a slight dip from 71%, it was the past couple of years. Can we get a vote on opposite sex marriages, please? I, I want to see the approval rating for that, please. Absolutely. I'd be really curious about that too. Yeah, no one worries about that and like, let's be honest. But, if Senator May truly represents one of Missouri's most progressive districts, which is a district that we reside in. Even though she's turning out in 2026, she needs to keep voting like it. You know, there was actually a study done by Rand and published RAND and published in May of last year, but they showed that marriage rates increased by 10% overall with the legalization of same-sex marriage. They also found that adoption rates increased. And there's a positive shift towards marriage attitudes with same sex marriage being legalized. There has been no evidence that same sex marriage has led to an increase of divorce. It's actually stayed pretty consistent. Actually. Divorce rates have declined in the past, like five years or so. So, I mean, I don't really understand the whole anti. Same sex marriage stance anymore. I mean it's very, I, to me it's outdated. I don't know. It's definitely outdated. But you know, speaking of Karla May and her No Vote, I had a memorable run in with her at the Chicago DNC that's been on my mind like it was a long day and as thousands of us were shuffling back onto buses to get back to our hotels. found myself next to Senator May and her crew in line. I was super excited to say, Hey, I voted for you. I've seen you speak at local events. Thank you for always showing up. But instead of engaging, and you know, I get, it was a very long second day. She seemed to have just like. Brushed me off and kept cutting in line to get in front of the, the first group of buses In fact, people. Behind me were complaining because I heard there was a group of people pushing their way through, cutting in line. And I was ready for it. You know? I was like, standing firm. I was like, no one's getting, getting in front of me. You know? And when I looked over to my, my right, it was Senator May and her crew, you know, and that's when I interacted with her. I thought maybe she would have remembered me or something. And clearly she didn't. And she just. Yeah, just like I said, brushed me off and kept moving in front of the line. And I was like, kind of taken aback by that. I was kind of disappointed by that because, have supported her. I voted for her. I asked people to vote for her and, just this whole no vote she did for same-sex marriage, really. Hits our household, it directly impacts us. So, uh, it, it just, the whole situation let a really disappointing impression on me. You know, and that's really, I remember you telling me this story and it's disappointing. I mean, the thing with politicians is they forget their job is their constituents. A doctor's job is to take care of their patient's health. A waiter's job is to take care of a customer's meal and experience at a restaurant, but a politician's job. It's to take care of the people that voted for them in office. I think, I think sometimes politicians, there's an ego there and there isn't room for that. I mean, they are civil servants and they should actually practice some civility Sometimes the people, us are the reason they hold these positions. They're in. It is their job to represent us and give us the time of day. Yeah. No, I agree. And as someone who has cheered her on in our community, it's very frustrating to see her disregard the very people she represents, especially after her recent vote against marriage equality. That's why, if no one has already, I'll be the first I'm calling on her to. Resign. She was elected to represent one of Missouri's most progressive districts, and if she can't stand up for the values and rights we believe in, she should step aside. politics has. Always been my passion. Kind of like how some people are diehard fans of sports teams, but right now it's disappointing for me and this podcast to have to shift our focus and energy on an elected official who seems to be turning her back on us. I get that she's super religious, but there is this thing in the United States Constitution that separates church and state. We've seen so many Republicans disregard this bullet point in the First Amendment. Now we have a Democrat that's doing it. In politics. Like I said, it's just like sports. You won't win every game, but when I support someone, I expect them to champion basic human rights, like same sex marriage. A hundred percent. And I think there's this idea amongst some people that when you're a Democrat or Republican, you blindly support that party and whatever. But if this situation was flipped, and let's say you were a Republican and this was a Republican politician and you voted for this politician in the office and they started doing things like, like Josh Hawley, you would ask them, I. To resign. Just because they are a Republican or part of your party doesn't mean that you blindly should support them with Karla May. Just because she's a democrat doesn't mean we should support her if she doesn't hold your values. I mean, if she starts to stray for her constituents values, then she needs to. To resign. And that's not a big ask. And having that expectation doesn't make you a bad Democrat. It makes you someone that holds your values over a candidate. we're seeing this on the right too. You know, there are politicians that are doing bad things right now. We are asking. For those people who voted for Trump or voted for other Republican candidates to hold them accountable, they are doing things so far in this administration that are not very popular with voters. And just because you are a Republican doesn't mean you shouldn't call out your Republican candidates. And just because you're a Democrat doesn't mean you shouldn't call out your democratic candidates. We, in a democracy, have control in pushing for our values. And Karla May voted against us and voted against what we hold important value to us. So I don't feel bad in saying Karla May should resign, especially if she doesn't even have the guts to come out and make a statement defending why she voted the way she did. Yeah. We need to separate personal beliefs from the rights of. Others, especially now as we see those in power targeting marginalized communities like the transgender community, which compromises less than 1% of the 340 million people that live here in the United States. Senator May's vote against same-sex marriage feels like a betrayal of the progressive values she was elected to uphold in her region representing such a forward thinking district. She has a responsibility to serve everyone, not just those who share her beliefs By opposing marriage equality, she undermines a fundamental right that countless couples and families, including our household, count on for legal and emotional security marriage. Isn't a bargaining chip. It's a basic human right. Senator May's vote directly affects real lives in her district and her constituents. Our neighbors deserve a leader who actively fights for equality for all. I agree and I'd be interested to see what she does with this.'cause it's obvious and we're not the only ones angry. There's a lot of people angry with her. There are a lot of people questioning her, and I'm just, I'm waiting to see how she handles this situation. Yeah. There's been like, no, no response from her team at all. I even like emailed. I've never emailed. A, uh, candidate or a senator, state senator before Any politician, by the way. And I, I still haven't gotten a response, so I'm sure she's flooded with emails, but I mean, don't you have like a staff or something or Right. You would think, send out, think this priority generic response anyways. Hey, Trump wants his airplane and he wants it now. Oh my God. Was that good? It was pretty good. I mean, he's like a little baby. Do you think I could bring that statement to like a. Boeing executive meeting and they'll work faster probably, actually. Oh wow. Well thanks for that confidence in me. What if I was like the richest man on earth? Oh, then definitely. So Trump is like having this like meltdown and is sending his minion Buddy Musk to. Demand Boeing executives to finish two Air Force One Jets. Now I, you know, I wonder if only efficient white men will be the only ones working on this new Air Force one production. Yeah. Well, Trump is fuming over continued delays and delivering two new Air Force one jets, and it's got Elon Musk diving into the mix with some ambitious ideas to push Boeing into action. Word is the administration is even considering a. Acquiring a temporary luxury jet that could be retrofitted while they're waiting for these new planes. Talk about taking shortcuts. I get the current one is old, but can it just wait? Well, and you would think if they're getting a luxury jet, I mean, that sounds really easy, but it's not because they need to put, you know, bulletproof windows in, they need to put, you know, communications in. There's a lot that would have to go into this plane regardless of whether it's newly built. Or a luxury jet being retrofitted, it's still gonna be a lot of money and a lot of work. right now the new presidential planes are now scheduled to be delivered in late 2028 or early 2029, which basically would mean if the timeline goes the way it is, Trump may not even get to ride in these new Air Force ones at all, which is. I would kind of gladly find that entertaining. Well, Musk has been playing a key role in the conversations with the military, the White House and Boeing, to speed up the process. Meanwhile, the current Air Force one Jets, which are Boeing 74 7 4 sevens, is at seven four sevens, seven 40 sevens, um, are over 30 years old and are in desperate need of repairs. Trump sees. Air Force One as a symbol of power and prestige, and he's not thrilled at the idea of taking to the skies in planes that once carried George HW Bush. Yeah. And you know, something I was reading about Trump that was interesting. I, I bet other presidencies have done it. I just didn't look further. But like, Trump actually flies them over places to show'em off to show his presidency and his leadership off. It's kind of, it's, it's, it's small dick energy, I would say, but you know. You had said that the Boeing seven 40 sevens are 30 years old. To put the age and perspective of that, I did find that the average age of an American Airlines jet, so we're talking passenger jets is 12.9 years old at Delta there are passenger jets. 17.2 years old and at Southwest Passenger jets typically range about 11.5 years old. So this data was gathered in 2023, but so for Air Force one to be 30 years old, I mean, it is. That is old. Well, here's the financial scoop. The Air Force has already committed to paying Boeing$3.5 billion of the total 4.3 billion. That was a lot allocated for the project. Yet Boeing is. Allocated. Allocated. Allocated. Should we keep recording going with this? Yeah, I mean, should I restart? No, I love this for you. Keep going. Allocated. Is that what it is allocated? I couldn't, I kinda like keep going. Yeah. Boeing is like three years behind schedule and has racked up a staggering 2.3.$4 billion in losses related to the contract. Yikes. That's a lot of money. That is a lot, obviously. But let, let's rewind a bit. Boeing's contract to build these new jets was signed back in 2018 during the first Trump turn with an initial delivery window set for 2024. Building these planes just isn't a simple task. They need to be equipped to literally dodge missile attacks and endure the fallout from a nuclear explosion. No pressure, right? No pressure at all. And what's also interesting is that workers working on the seven 40 sevens require high level security clearance, not just anyone can work on these dis constructions. It's called Yankee White, which requires an extensive. Background investigation. I could only imagine what they go through to help speed up the timeline. Boeing has considered lowering this clearance requirement for some workers who are not working on the more sensitive systems of the plane. But my question is. What would this mean in regard to the potential national security risk? I mean, we have countries gunning for us right now. I mean, we have China and Russia. Could this need to speed up the construction actually cause security concerns years down the road? How did Air Force One get so aged out anyway? I mean, 30 years when the average passenger jet is around 12 to 17 years old. I just. It's just really interesting. I don't know. Wait, so you're saying the high level security clearance is called Yankee White? It's called Yankee White. Why is it called Yankee White? I don't know why Is anything called That's something in the government? Yeah. Anyways, so, uh, while former President Biden, ugh, I miss him so much already, Biden wasn't exactly sweating the details of Boeing's timeline, especially given the production snafus that were caused by the pandemic. Now, Boeing has to deal with an inpatient president who's all about instant gratification. So the delays were seen with Trump's new Air Force. One boils down to a cocktail of manufacturing issues. The design changes and. Budget constraints. The upcoming Air Force one being built as a Boeing 7 7 4 7 dash eight was initially planned for rollout in the early 2020s, but has faced significant setbacks along the way. The pandemic not only disrupted schedules, but also led to ongoing talks about contract updates and the need for newer technology and security features. As it stands, Boeing is still grinding away at the project with the US Air Force, maintaining that they're on it. But let's be real. This new Air Force one is meant to be in service for decades, so it really needs to be up to par when it's released and finished. I actually completely didn't even think about the pandemic as the reason why this is probably delayed, and that makes a lot of sense actually because of all the supplies needed probably for this plane. Just an interesting note, Boeing should have to deal with President Trump being a little baby. Let him whine. I mean, they kind of deserve the harassment. Honestly, something while researching for this story that I found is, did you know I. Boeing actually was one of the first companies to get on the support, the right conservative train by dismantling their DEI programs last November. They jumped on that train way before anyone else did because they saw the direction politics was going in this country, and they were quick to act on it to gain support from the Republican side. They knew that these contracts were handed in. The government, it just finds it, I find it very dirty. They were one of the first to bend after Elon Musk. Yes. Elon Musk back in November had argued that diversity goals contribute to operational inefficiencies. So that says to me, they have been open to bending to conservative viewpoints the moment they felt Republicans were taking power. So if Trump wants to put pressure on Boeing, I. Let'em, yeah, well stay tuned because this is a rollercoaster of jet delays. and we'll, we'll definitely wanna keep following this'cause I wanna know when they're actually finished. Absolutely. So that leads us to our weekly. Who said it game this week? I'll be hosting who said it. And Ryan is playing the role of the contestant, I'm guessing today. You are guessing. Um, so I do have a question. Have you heard of an singer or, well, she's not a rapper named Doci. I've heard of her. Yes. She's this up and coming rapper that's really on a success wave right now with, she's been nominated for numerous awards with her album Alligator Bites, never Heal. Great album. I highly, highly recommend her. She's really, really cool. She just won best rap album at the Grammys this year and caught my attention because her Grammy's performance was. Really good. And then on top of that, she was kind of trending there for a minute because she also had an amazing tiny desk concert and to see a rapper on there and to see her live performing. Flawlessly was really cool and she had a performance on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Anyways, she's really making waves, making statements, bringing the old style of nineties rap back. I felt it would be fun to compare some of the things she has said to another outspoken, powerfully influential politician and of who is that? Of course, I'm talking about the 52nd speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Oh, okay. So with this who said it, you'll have to decide whether the quote is from Doci or Pelosi. All right. All right, ready? Let's do it. Start. Alright. First quote, I'm not afraid of being controversial. I'm afraid of being irrelevant. Doci, that was Nancy Pelosi. Oh, nice. 2013 New York Times interview. Alright, next one. I redefine what they expect. I'm more than their labels. I'm bigger than their views. Watch me turn this whole thing upside down. Doci correct? It's actually from a song. What it What it is. Nice. Alright, next quote. The world's not ready for a lot of things, but that's why we need to keep pushing boundaries. Don't let anyone make you feel like you don't belong or that your dreams are too big. Pelosi I. Doci from a Vibe interview. She did. Well, I feel like Pelosi said that once before. Okay. Probably it's a tie. Yeah. Alright, next quote. When you're in the room, you're part of the conversation and that makes a difference. Pelosi? Yes. Pelosi from an M-S-N-B-C interview in 2019. Next quote. He does what I say and I do what I say. Pelosi? Correct. All right. I wonder who she was talking about. Alright. Oh, Trump for sure. Alright. I'm always going to speak my truth, even if it means shaking things up. You can't expect change if you're not willing to make noise. Joe Chi correct. You're doing really good. All right. I've been underestimated my whole life and that's been my greatest strength. Pelosi, correct. Ooh, Pelosi from 2019, huh? All right, two more left. We've been told for too long that we can't change things, that the system is too broken to fix. But I'm here to tell you the system is broken because we let it be. It's time to stand up, speak out, and build a world where every voice is heard, no matter who you are. Pelosi Doci. Oh man. Rolling Stone. Interview from 2023. All right, last one. People used to tell me I needed to tone it down, be more reserved, more ladylike. I said, well, honey, if you want me to be quiet, I'll wait until you stop interrupting me. Doci, Nancy Pelosi, 2021 interview. She had her moments. I think she, oh, of course she has. I love her. Well, that was fun. Yeah, that was good. That was good. I found it interesting that they both being powerful women, I could find quotes that they actually did sound very similar. It's, you know, it speaks volumes about Pelosi, but also speaks volumes about doci and how these, you know, new women in the industry are making waves and are making these broad state, like very, not broad, but very big statements and it's great. Oh, of course. Absolutely. Okay, so, alright let's talk about something that's like pretty alarming coming out of several red states. State health officials in Arkansas made a jaw dropping announcement for 2023. They claim that the total number of, number of abortions in the entire state of Arkansas, which is home to around 1.5 million women, was zero nte. Is that, what is that? Zero nte. Nte. And it's not just Arkansas. It, South Dakota also reported zero abortions for the year. Idaho. A battleground for abortion rights lately logs just five across nearly. A dozen states with total or near total abortion bans, officials are throwing out claims of zero or very few abortions occurring since the Supreme Court overturned the federal abortion rights just in what? 2022 naturally anti-abortion activists are celebrating these numbers like they've achieved some sort of victory. But here's the kicker. Medical professionals are saying these claims are not just misleading, but completely dishonest. One, OB GYN in South Dakota called it absurd, pointing out that She's seen patients come into her hospital after taking abortion pills or needing medical interventions due to complications with non-viable pregnancies. You know, my main question with this is why would a state that, why is, would we expect a state that it is illegal to have an abortion? And states where doctors can be charged and go to prison for doing the procedure. Why would they even want to report it? you even have doctors now being charged in other states with assisting with abortions via mailing abortion pills to other states. I mean, there's just a, it's a big mess. Why would anyone report it? This really is a bigger story if you ask me how many non. Ported abortions are going on per state since the overturn of Roe versus Wade. I don't blame these doctors or facilities that aren't reporting these numbers whatsoever, but that data is skewed zero. Are you kidding me? And anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot for data scientists. These so-called zero abortion rates adjust a troubling trend, the potential for politicizing, these health numbers. Since the Supreme Court's decision in June of 22, there's been a significant drop in reported abortions. For example, Arkansas claimed zero in 23 compared to the. 1600 in 2022 and Texas, they reported just 60 abortions this year after seeing around 50,002 years ago, Idaho's figures dropped from 1,521 to five in 2023, while South Dakota was very, very small population. Lives up there, fell from 192 to just zero. Anti-abortion. Politicians and activists are seizing these numbers to claim their decades long fight against abortion is yielding results. They argue that many pregnant mothers in Arkansas are spared from the supposed lifelong regrets and health risks associated with abortion. But here's the reality. While these numbers might sound impressive to the anti-abortion crowd. They don't reflect the full story. The truth is many women are still seeking abortions, but they're now faced to travel to states where it remains legal or may turn to unsafe methods. Yeah, I mean, that's. Exactly true. You know, something I found was the average driving time across con congressional districts for a woman who was at least six weeks pregnant to reach an abortion clinic increased by 300% from 33 minutes to two hours and 12 minutes in one direction. Since Florida's six week abortion bandwidth, in effect, the average driving time though clinic went from 22 minutes to nine. Hours and eight minutes in just one direction. Actually, one in four women of reproductive age, living in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, all basically southern states Since the fall of Roe versus Wade, it would take a majority of them more than eight hours round trip to access any abortion care. Yeah, so data collection itself is often flawed. Some states don't require comprehensive reporting on abortion statistics. Which makes it tough to get an accurate picture of what's really happening. The overturning of Roe v. Wade, has created a tangled web of state laws complicating efforts to understand the actual state of abortion access across the country as barriers to reproductive healthcare continue to rise. It's essential for us to see beyond the zero abortion claims and recognize the lived experiences of those affected. The conversation around abortion access is very much alive and contentious. And calling it a a zero abortion rate. Oversimplifies what many are facing on the ground. We really need to highlight the broader context, legal restrictions, access to healthcare, how socioeconomic factors shape reproductive health choices as this situation develops, let's remember to lift up the voices and stories of those navigating these challenging waters. It's also important to note too, according to ProPublica data, I'd found these same states that aren't reporting accurate data on abortions. They also have done little to uncover whether the laws are contributing to maternal deaths, which would include tracking delays in care. For pregnancy complications and making these problems known. They have dismissed committees which drastically slows down their work. Texas has gone as far as to legally prohibit its committee from reviewing deaths that are considered abortion related. This could include some miscarriage care. So not only are actual abortion data being lied about, but states are also not accurately showing the effects. These bans have also costed. So let's talk about the elephant in the room. Misinformation. It's everywhere, especially in today's digital world, where social media spreads info faster than you can say viral. Yeah. Studies reveal that false news stories often zoom around the internet quicker than the truth. Reaching massive audiences before anyone can actually fact check or set the record straight. The impacts of this misinformation is significant and it varies across different areas. For example, one is political misinformation. Yeah. We see it peak during election cycles and it's a game changer. It can shape how people perceive candidates and issues messing with our democracy in real time. We, we've seen it definitely during these last few campaign cycles for sure. Absolutely. The other is in health and misinformation. Yeah, this health misinformation, this has been a huge issue, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. We saw a flood of false claims that led to confusion and even dangerous decisions. A reminder of how crucial, accurate information is in times of crisis. I mean, even look at the measles outbreak in Texas, the misinformation of vaccines, that's just a pro prime example of that. and lastly, there's social media influence. Yeah. Research points that folks with extreme political views are more likely to stumble upon and believe misinformation. This creates echo chambers that drown out balanced discussions. Absolutely. I mean, so with all that said. What's the best way to fight back against this tidal wave of misinformation? Well, it starts with smart strategies like media literacy, education, basically teaching ourselves and each other how to spot fake stuff. Fact checking initiatives are also key, as in pressuring social media platforms to step up and take responsibility by improving how they handle false information, staying informed and being critical about our resources. Isn't just helpful. It's essential in mitigating the harmful effects of misinformation. Let's make sure we're not just passive consumers of content, but active participants in amplifying the truth. I. Some great sites to use if you're ever in question, and I use these a lot, almost daily even just to use to get some news, there's factcheck.org, politifact.com, and snopes.com. There's also a website that I use often shortly after starting this podcast. It's called Ground News, www dot ground news. There's also an app for this. It shows you all types of news stories, just like a normal news site, but when you click on a story, it shows you various websites with. That story and shows you what sites are right-leaning, left-leaning, and center. If you get a subscription, which isn't a lot, it shows you the factuality of each news article. It's very convenient and nice to kind of weed out the noise. It also shows you, they call it blind spots, which is articles that are disproportionately being covered by one side of the political spectrum. It's a great way to see what you may be missing and what others are being shown that your algorithms may not be showing you. we'll be sure to add all these. Sites into this episode description. So make sure either while listening right now or after, check that out. Go to the links and make sure to bookmark them because they're great resources. Yeah, definitely. So let's move on to some fun news. You ready? Yeah. Fun news. Yeah, I'm ready. Yeah, let's do it. All right. So. A company called Jet Wind has created these really cool pods. They are currently being used in Dallas. So what they do when you fly and you just boarded the plane, your plane sits there feels like forever for these pre-flight checks. Well, during that time, the turbine engines are idling. This company, jet Wind, realized all that idling force wind is like strong winds needed to power wind turbine. These. Pods capture that wind for five to 10 minutes. The aircraft is sitting at the gate. They've been testing these pods for the past three years at Dallas Love Field. 13 sets of pods have been sitting beneath the gate, hooked up to external batteries that connect to the grid, to the airport uses with these pods, along with solar panels already in use. It's. Creates 30 kilowatts an hour of renewable energy, which is enough to power a family home for a few days. Right now that isn't enough to power an entire airport, obviously, but once combined with other systems like it, it will make a serious difference in reducing the carbon footprint. At airports, this system is already attracting attention from other parts of the world. So we'll see how this is implemented going forward. It's a pretty cool idea. It's a really cool idea I had. I did not know about this. It's smart.'cause it makes sense. I mean, how many times are you just sitting there and you hear those engines whirling and you're just like, it's just sitting there. So the United States is. Leading something that's like a technological advancement right now. Yeah, in energy. Wow. That's impressive. I like that. That crazy. And Trump found out, he probably shut it down, but Yeah, exactly. So, you know, they would, they definitely would. They would, they would. Yeah. That's, that's real. So the next story is giving me heavy dune vibes. Scientists have just created a technology called fog harvesting. So the technology uses fine mesh nets to collect moisture from fog and then convert. Mist into drinkable water. The researchers trusted this technology in a Chilean municipality named Alto cio. I'm probably pronouncing that completely wrong, but only one per 1.6% of its 10,000 ish residents are connected to the local water system. The mesh nets are held up by two poles. Moisture in the air that comes in contact with the nets, converts it in the droplets that eventually drain down the nets and into a water tank. The researchers demonstrated that 38.61 square miles of fog collectors could bring in somewhere between 0.05 and 1.32 gallons of water per square meter every day, with a higher range of those estimates hitting in August and September. This may not sound like a lot. But communities that didn't have so much access to H2O could suddenly find themselves able to irrigate crops or even just provide enough water to meet the needs of a small town. They note that fog collection currently requires obviously, specific geographic conditions, like elevated land forms, su sustain sustainable wind patterns, and of course plenty of fog, but. Even still this technology could be a game changer for a lot of these towns or cities are in these little, you know, remote areas. It's pretty cool. Yeah. Or like California where like San Francisco's so foggy. Absolutely. San Francisco would probably get lot need water in California. Yeah, it's pretty we'll see. Where this goes. But it's, I mean, and you, when we're talking about when I was like looking it up, I'm like, that makes so much sense. Like, how has anyone not done this before? But we'll see. We'll see what comes of it. Yeah. Well good stories. I like that. Thanks. Alright, well, um, that's it for us. 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