Hey there Earthlings. 🩵 If you’ve been paying any attention to U.S. politics, these past 2 weeks have been a doozy.
Luckily, feeling hopeful and optimistic is not a prerequisite for doing our parts to make the world a little bit better, a little bit softer. My vibe: “Fuck hope. What’s the strategy?” And if you missed my newsletter last week about what we should do next:
To support this work, follow/rate/review the What If We Get It Right? podcast on your listening app of choice. ✅ Become a paid subscriber. ✅ And invite your faves and foes to subscribe. ✅
Even though getting it right just got harder, with the Republicans passing the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill”, I remain committed to keeping this space focused primarily on solutions, on the ways forward, on what we can do to safeguard life on this magnificent planet 🌎 — notwithstanding the Republican Party treating it like absolute trash!
TODAY’S EPISODE:
Okay, speaking of the GOP, let’s really get into the Big Brutal Billionaire Bailout Bill of it all. Welcome to this very special collab episode of What If We Get It Right? x Twigg & Jenkins. Carri Twigg (hey bestie) and Brad Jenkins (who was her officemate in the Obama White House) co-host my favorite politics podcast. So smart, so incisive, so fun. Yes, you should definitely follow/subscribe.
We hopped on a call to sort through the wreckage together. WTF just happened with climate, healthcare, militarization, and our democracy? What should the Democrats do next? Sometimes you gotta dive way in to how things went so wrong to see what getting it right would have looked like. Also, the Beyoncé tour.
HOT TIPS:
If you were thinking about getting an electric vehicle, BUY IT NOW. The new budget bill cancels the $7,500 tax credit for EVs that was established through Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the tax credit for leasing EVs too, effective Sept 30th.
If you were thinking of making energy efficiency/electrification improvements to your home, DO IT NOW. The new budget bill cancels the IRA tax credits for everything from solar panels (30% credit!), to induction stoves, heat pumps, insulating your attic, installing more energy efficient windows and doors, etc., effective December 31, 2025.
And because you’re probably gonna want some fun news after listening to this episode, check out this update from my previous guest Ben Wolkon, who leads a climate tech VC firm. One of the companies they invest in, Panthalassa, just had a successful trial of their impressive contraption that harnesses the energy of ocean waves. He described it in the episode (listen on Apple, on Spotify, etc.), but you gotta see it.
CREDITS: This podcast is made possible with the support of Future being a grant making and special project studio, which supports the healing of our planet and the safeguarding of biological and cultural diversity. This episode was produced and edited by Matthew Nelson and me (Ayana) with help from Associate Producer Jenisha Shrestha.
Okay, earthlings. See you next time. ✌🏽
Oh, p.s.
’s Substack is the reason this podcast had a season 2. Specifically, this missive: But really, you should probably start a podcast. It felt like a personal attack (she made a great case), so I had her as my first guest this season, talking climate and media. If you missed it, here ya go:
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