There has to be a societal shift if we want to fight misinformation, but I think that that's through kind of education and the empowerment of readers.

And I do like the idea that in this kind of disaggregated media world, you can pick and choose and decide who you trust.

Welcome to The Lost Debate a showofor Politically Ecclectics.

I'm Robbie Gupta.

And I'm Ricky Schlaught.

Well, one quick announcement on the front end of today's episode, our beloved co-host,

Corey Bradford has moved to a different role in our company and he's going to be focusing mainly

on our social media platforms

TikTok and Instagram so you could check him out there you can search the lost debate on TikTok

and Instagram and he's going to bring that same spirit the same energy to telling stories every

single day across those platforms and Ricky you know I know that this has been a pretty busy week for you. I saw you on TV on Friday. How did it go with Bill Maher?

I think it went pretty well. It was kind of an intimidating panel to be with between Pierce Morgan and Bill Maher. But it was fun. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. And I hope one day to be going back on the show. And so do they air everything that happens on that show?

Yeah, I don't think they cut anything. Oh, wow. I mean, they do pre-tap it. So I guess theoretically, if something went like, you're disastrously wrong, they could. But no, it was just straight through. And from what I understand, you took a prop with you. Is that right? Oh, my gosh. I don't think I can say that on air, but I did take a certain

prop out of a certain suitcase, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you can watch the whole show on HBO real time with Bill Maher, and I thought you did a great job. It was really fascinating. And I think, like, I think hopefully they'll bite you back. I hope so. Yeah. I think he said you might be the youngest person he's ever at. Yeah, I think he said there might have been like a teenager talking

about climate change at one time, but the youngest panelist he's had in 22 seasons, which is super cool. Incredible. Yeah, I was actually getting texts from people saying, no, she's not actually 22. I'm like, no, that's actually true. But so much hate for saying nuclear. Yeah, I actually thought about it when I know. You did so well that I wasn't to text you about that and get in your head. Because I hear you say nuclear all the time. So I've kind of internalized it. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know where that came from. Well, good work. We have a busy show today on today's show, Substack or Bust, how independent journalists are changing

an already fragile media landscape. Silicon Valley shows its nimbie stripes in America's

richest zip code. And then we debate the newest defund target, the FBI. And finally, we'll

bring you a few updates on the war in Ukraine. But we begin with a horrific attack on a champion of free expression.

Author Salman Rushdie was nearly killed on Friday when a man rushed the stage at an event in

New York and stabbed him repeatedly. And while we can't say for sure, it seems more than reasonable

to think that this happened over a fatwa that was issued against him by the Iranian Supreme Leader back in 1989.

I distinctly remember Christopher Hitchens, you know, the late author and writer who's a friend of

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