Posting Through It

084: Contrarian Freaks Are Lining Up to Downplay the Epstein Files feat. Ileana Justine

Jared and Mike dive into the growing world of contrarian punditry that seeks to downplay Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex abuse and discourage audiences from drawing conclusions about his connections to some of the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people. They take a closer look at one online personality, Michael Tracey, to unpack this surreal and alarming trend.Later, they’re joined by Ileana Justine, a journalist and content creator whose analysis of how Epstein and his powerful friends shaped the world millennial women were raised in recently went viral on Instagram and TikTok. They discuss the importance of confronting the impact of the Epstein Files on women, the harm encouraged by contrarian punditry that dismisses it, and which children’s movies have the best soundtracks.Links for Ileana:Instagram (@ileana.justine) TikTok (@ileana.justine)Links for us:Join us in Washington, DC, for the release of Mike's first book, "Strange People on the Hill": Politics & Prose, April 11 @ 5pm (Free)Transition Music: “Time Capsule” by Fields & Forests

083: How MAGA Laid the Blueprint for Attacking Elections in 2018 [Preview]

In this episode, Jared and Mike rewind to Florida’s razor-thin 2018 midterms to break down a often-overlooked test run of “Stop the Steal,” years before it became synonymous with the 2021 riot at the United States Capitol. As recounts unfolded in the high-stakes Senate and governor’s races, longtime GOP operative Roger Stone and a network of MAGA activists mobilized protests in Broward County, amplifying fraud claims and pressuring officials while influencers pushed the hashtag into the mainstream. Could we see a replay of this playbook in 2026? Will it be worse? Our hosts also dug into the State of the Union — its racism and subtle backpedaling — and, of course, they had to talk about their favorite jet-setting FBI director: Kash Patel. We’ll see you in Valhalla, folks — just as soon as the pilot gets the plane ready.Listen to the full episode on Patreon: patreon.com/postingthroughit

082: The Ugly Ideology Behind 'Looksmaxxing' Subcultures feat. Annie Kelly

By now, you've probably seen it: someone you follow making a joke about "maxxing" or getting "mogged" on your timeline. These terms come from a terminally online subculture spun off of the so-called "manosphere" known as "looksmaxxing." It's hyper-focused on the shallowest dimension of masculinity: physical appearance.Clavicular, the subculture's breakout star, has been popping up everywhere lately, including in The New York Times. But most of this discourse has overlooked the toxic roots of "looksmaxxing" and the misogynist ideology at its core.This week, researcher Annie Kelly joins Jared and Mike to help fill that gap. Strap in for an unexpectedly philosophical, "ethereal-tier" episode of Posting Through It, as we relentlessly mog your other favorite podcasters and unpack the complexities of romantic love.Links for Annie Kelly:-Listen to the first episode of “Truly Tradly Deeply”-Check out QAA’s 10-part series: “MANCLAN”-Bluesky: @annieknk.bsky.social / X: @AnnieKNKOther links:-Read Mike’s latest story for Mother Jones: “Who the Fuck Are These Men?” How extremists reconquered Idaho—and how some locals are fighting back.-Join us in Washington, DC, for the release of Mike's first book, "Strange People on the Hill": Politics & Prose, April 11 @ 5pm (Free)-Support the show and get access to weekly premium episodes on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PostingThroughItTransition Music: “Indiana” by Lune the Band

081: AI Scott Adams is My Kind of Guy [Preview]

We hope you had a good Valentine's Day last week. If not, there's always the new Free Press matchmaker offshoot from Bari Weiss — and if that doesn't work out either, come join us while we try to make sense of what is happening with A.I.Specifically, we dig into the strange situation surrounding Scott Adams' post-death A.I. talk show, which has cropped up on social media somewhat mysteriously in recent weeks. His family hates it. Who is it for? Why is everything getting so weird? We also get into the feminized A.I. Scott Adams avatar that some of his fans are, shall we say, developing feelings for. (Really.)After that, we turn to social media's latest betrayal of humanity — a quiet willingness to collaborate with DHS in handing over information about anti-ICE protesters.Finally, we take a look at the biggest crashout of 2026 so far: Elijah Schaeffer.It’s a lovesick premium edition of Posting Through It. Bring your chocolates and LSD.Listen to the full episode on Patreon

PTI Bulletin: How to Use Signal During a Protest feat. Bill Budington

Grassroots organizers have increasingly used the messaging app Signal to coordinate responses to MAGA authoritarianism. It remains the best messaging app available, but the “ICE Out” protests in Minneapolis demonstrated how regime propagandists and corrupt law enforcement can attack and exploit it. Influencers entered public-facing Signal chats and ferried the information there to Kash Patel’s FBI. In this PTI Bulletin, Bill Budington of the Electronic Frontier Foundation joins Jared and Mike to explain how Signal’s originated, how the app works, and how to use it effectively on America’s increasingly volatile streets.>> Learn more about the Electronic Frontier Foundation>> Learn more about Signal