Sam and Ivan discuss the Maine Senate race as their big newsy topic this week. But also hit on the Virginia Giuffre book, Trump’s attempt to pay himself, and of course the destruction of the East Wing of the Whitehouse on the news side of things. Plus a coworker retiring, some movies, and the CC online presence gets some upgrades!

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan is away, but Sam bumps into Emily at No Kings 2, and she joins him for the rest of the show. They talk about movies and TV before jumping to discussion of what makes an effective protest movement, what the options are for those in opposition, and how the next few years are likely to play out. Plus a bonus discussion explaining “Abulsme” after the end!

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam revisit a prediction Sam made about self-driving cars 10 years ago on this very show. Sam was wrong. Ivan was right. Ivan takes great joy in this. They will revisit the issue here in another ten years. Oh, and they also talk about a bunch of other things, including all the main news stories of the week. Because that is what they do.

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam talk about the US government shutdown, as well as Trump and Hegseth’s speeches to the Generals and Admirals along with related issues. But before that, health and travel updates, and a discussion of a movie about homelessness. And that be that!

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam do a lightning round of current events in the second half of the show. Comey. Russian drones in Europe. The impending Government Shutdown. More tariffs. All that sort of thing. But first, Ivan is tired and busy, and Sam talks about meeting other local podcasters at the Snohomish Podcast Network. Plus something about coconuts.

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Sam goes solo. First up, iPhones and birthdays and movies. But then the more serious stuff, with a segment on all the signs of accelerating down the slippery slope with all of the Trump administration’s recent abuses of executive power. Then a little bit of a follow up on the killing of Charlie Kirk. And that’s a show. Woo!

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan talk travel and coincidences and movies before they start getting into the serious stuff. The big one was the killing of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent reactions. Then Epstein’s book, the Fed Governor’s mortgages, Trump’s health, security for politicians, some international coverage, and a bit about the revival of some old defunct companies. Woo!

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam discuss tariffs, immigration raids, the Venezuelan boat, deterioration of the rule of law, damage from RFK Jr, Trump/Epstein, and triggered by all this, Ivan’s possible escape plan from the US. Before that though, on the lighter side, some movies and Alex’s suggestions on how to monetize this podcast. And a song triggered by technical difficulties!

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Sam goes solo while Ivan enjoys the holiday weekend. Sam talks about movies, the feeding frenzy around Trump’s health, and the general descent into authoritarianism we are right smack in the middle of. Plus some stories about going to the fair, and moving a car over a few feet. And that is that.

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan are joined by Pete, who has been begging for weeks to talk about Superman. So they talk about Superman. Specifically, the intention is to talk about the 2025 Superman movie, but to get there, they talk about lots of older Superman too. And then, yes, after that, they do move on to the news of the week for the second half of the show.

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Sam and Ivan do hit the main news and politics of the week. That is of course the Trump/Putin summit, the Feds in DC, Gerrymandering, Newsom stepping up, Dem leadership failing to meet the moment, and all that stuff. And before that, long names, cars, and of course a movie. Woo! You can’t want more than this, can you?

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam talk about all the latest crazy news from the Trump administration, and their latest thoughts on AI in the wake of the release of GPT 5. But also movies, and dialup internet, and the trauma of shopping for suits, and Sam’s, um, interesting, ways of maintaining to do lists. Fun all around!

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Ivan and Sam discuss the crazy week in economic news we just had, the Gaza situation, and the Trump/Epstein situation once again. But also, adventures with going through immigration, some movie reviews, and a discussion on the flavor of batteries. Could you ask for anything more?

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, another personal story heavy episode as Ivan and Sam start with more of Sam’s adventures with cars and health. Then they settle in and hit the newsy stuff for the last half of the show. Hunter Biden. Inflation. All the Trump stuff you could possibly want. Depending on your proclivities of course. You can never guess just how much Trumpy stuff people will want.

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner Sam and Ivan go into everything from the Air India crash, to tariffs and inflation, to device repairs and movies. But yes, of course, they also talk the latest on Epstein and Trump, as well as more generally about Trump’s health, both mental and physical. Join them for all the fun!

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner Sam goes solo because Ivan is sick. First order of business, an update on Sam’s car situation. He bought one. Hear all about it. Then a movie and a book. Then finally, what’s going on with this latest Epstein business, and how it is tearing apart MAGA world.

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan deviate from the usual, and actually spend the majority of the show on personal stories. First up, Ivan explains why he was unable to make it to Seattle for a meetup after all. Second up, Sam explains his adventures with car trouble and car repair. They do hit a bit of the OBBB and some random things at the end as almost an afterthought. :-)

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Ivan and Sam discuss Iran again, negative economic signs, the New York Mayor’s race and the implications thereof, and a bit about SCOTUS. Also Ivan wants to know if you would take a gamble and just sleep for the next 3-4 years to skip forward, and of course some movies.

This week on Curmudgeon’s Corner, Sam and Ivan recorded BEFORE Trump bombed Iran, but they give you their thoughts as of right before that. Plus a bunch of movie talk, discussion on the No Kings protests, concern about the legislative murders in Minnesota, and more!

On this week’s Curmudgeon’s Corner, Ed substitutes for Ivan and talks to Sam about the benefits of the No Kings events and other events like them, as well as the Israel/Iran conflict. Plus some movie talk. And if that wasn’t enough, some conversation about disposing of dead bodies. So be sure to stay for that part at the end!