It Could Happen Here

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

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  1. 16 hr ago

    How Congress Could Bring ICE to a Store Near You

    Investigative journalist, Kevin Foster discusses the Combating Organized Retail Crime Act and how it could widen ICE’s surveillance dragnet.  Sources: https://truckingresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ATRI-The-Fight-Against-Cargo-Theft-Exec-Summ-12-2025.pdf https://www.cargonet.com/news-and-events/cargonet-in-the-media/2025-theft-trends/ https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-cargo-theft-costing-60-billion-annually-what-that-number-actually-represents https://www.levernews.com/the-real-story-behind-the-highway-robbery-panic/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2853/text https://www.newstore.com/articles/unified-customer-profile/ https://law.vanderbilt.edu/eyes-everywhere-ices-expanded-use-of-surveillance-technologies/ https://www.aclu-wi.org/news/mobile-fortify-ices-dystopic-facial-recognition-app/ https://www.opb.org/article/2026/05/06/oregon-state-police-violated-sanctuary-law-sharing-data-ice-lawsuit-claims/ https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/retailers-secretively-using-face-recognition https://vera-action.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Oppose+CORCA+Organizational+Sign-on.pdf https://davisvanguard.org/2026/07/orgs-oppose-retail-crime-act/ https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-durbin-advance-bipartisan-packages-in-national-defense-authorization-act-to-crack-down-on-crime-and-protect-kids-online https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/24/underground-mutual-aid-hillsboro-immigrant-families-ice/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5 https://www.tucsonspotlight.org/ice-detention-bars-tucson-mom-from-her-own-trial/ https://news.azpm.org/p/azpmnews/2026/6/11/230128-a-tucson-resident-was-arrested-for-shoplifting-now-shes-in-ice-custody/ https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU01/20250122/117827/HHRG-119-JU01-20250122-SD004.pdf https://revealnews.org/article/how-a-us-citizen-was-scanned-with-ices-facial-recognition-tech/ https://innovationlawlab.org/news-and-analysis/video-evidence-surveillance-tech-used-op-black-rose https://www.404media.co/ices-facial-recognition-app-misidentified-a-woman-twice/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. 1 day ago

    The Rise of Organized Retail Crime Propaganda

    Investigative journalist, Kevin Foster outlines the rise of organized retail crime propaganda and the ensuing legislative crackdown. Sources: https://www.geekwire.com/2026/drone-vs-shoplifter-watch-how-redmond-pd-tracks-an-alleged-thief-from-high-in-the-sky/ https://nrfprotect.nrf.com/attend/event-recap https://radsecurity.com/roameo https://losspreventionmedia.com/top-retailers-rely-on-artificial-intelligence-for-loss-prevention/ https://www.facefirst.com https://missionlocal.org/2026/07/sf-grocery-outlet-facial-recognition/ https://trends.google.com/explore?q=organized%20retail%20crime&date=2019-10-10%202026-07-02&geo=US https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/transnational-organized-crime/organized-retail-theft https://www.retaildive.com/news/retailers-crime-problem-numbers/699107/ https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/senate-hearing-on-organized-retail-theft/662523 https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2020&id=D000000741 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2853 https://counciloncj.org/shoplifting-trends-what-you-need-to-know/ https://www.vera.org/news/the-truth-about-retail-theft https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/07/retail-theft-losses-inventory-nrf https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/Is-shoplifting-forcing-Walgreens-to-cut-back-in-16536960.php https://www.businessinsider.com/target-closing-stores-due-to-crime-stats-tell-another-story-2023-10 https://www.youtube.com/live/CcfggLuNAIk?si=wpu-uZyUisXLWRZT&t=1768 https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-12/newsom-suggests-ways-to-crack-down-on-property-crime-without-dismantling-proposition-47 https://www.gov.ca.gov/2024/01/09/property-crime-framework/ https://lao.ca.gov/BallotAnalysis/Proposition?number=36&year=2024 https://nrf.com/podcast/how-san-diego-district-attorney-summer-stephan-combats-organized-retail-crime https://www.npr.org/2021/10/27/1049651009/mountain-dew-arrest-felony-count-dropped https://youtu.be/LXwNudSOWls?si=Jbg8Kh3_ucWxmTXQ&t=2327 https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2018/05/22/states-can-safely-raise-their-felony-theft-thresholds-research-shows https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/money2026.html https://www.lao.ca.gov/policyareas/cj/6_cj_inmatecost https://www.sdcda.org/content/office/newsroom/tempDownloads/8c903f42-47ab-4b6d-baf7-4f5dc5a6f4d0_DA%20Testifies%20at%20Senate%20Hearing%207-15-25.pdf https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/19/us/one-year-old-mississippi-boy-police-shooting https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/15/banko-brown-killed-walgreens-security-guard-video https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/01/us/south-carolina-murder-trial-cyrus-carmack-belton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHNKn0oAdMo See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. 5 days ago

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 243

    All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file.  Lebanon's Agreement with Israel Ukraine Update: Political Chaos, Drone War, Crimes & More (ft. Romeo Kokriataski) Why is DHS Buying Private Prisons Why DSA Keeps Winning Executive Disorder: Asylum Seekers Forced to Meet with Iranian Officials, Ken Paxton, Activist Charged for GrapheneOS Phone Wipe You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Lebanon's Agreement with Israel https://www.972mag.com/lebanon-israel-trap-withdrawal-sovereignty/ https://thefirethesetimes.com https://hauntologies.net https://eliaayoub.com Ukraine Update: Political Chaos, Drone War, Crimes & More (ft. Romeo Kokriataski) https://english.nv.ua https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-ukraine-without-hype-127616838/ Why is DHS Buying Private Prisons https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/07/corecivic-sells-ice-detention-centers/  Why DSA Keeps Winning https://socialists.nyc/ https://www.dsausa.org/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/the-dsa-red-scare/id1449762156?i=1000777008325  Executive Disorder: Asylum Seekers Forced to Meet with Iranian Officials, Ken Paxton, Activist Charged for GrapheneOS Phone Wipe https://www.givesendgo.com/letsamgo  https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/fourth-circuit-says-border-agents-can-search-your-phone-hand-no-suspicion-required  https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-rescinds-2022-public-charge-regulation  https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2025-20278/public-charge-ground-of-inadmissibility  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-05-26/pdf/99-13202.pdf  https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220.9.3_1.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220.9.4.pdf   https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-get-chinese-shoulder-launched-missile-systems-weeks-sources-say-2026-07-29/   https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2082260118930956482 https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/28/texas-senate-poll-james-talarico-ken-paxton-july-2026/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/ken-paxton-has-survived-years-of-scandals-can-james-talarico-change-thathttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/ken-paxton-has-survived-years-of-scandals-can-james-talarico-change-thathttps://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/19/ken-paxton-waco-plea-deal-child-sex-abuse-texas-attorney-general/https://www.kwbu.org/news/2026-05-15/lawmakers-call-for-legal-reforms-response-to-adam-hoffman-case?_amp=truehttps://www.kwtx.com/2025/06/11/wife-waco-attorney-adam-hoffman-disputes-allegations-sexual-abuse-made-by-local-boy/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/technology/meta-data-center-louisiana.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/28/school-shootings-pepper-spray-drones https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8800https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr8800/text#H6C56E3050B5F4792AEBB0DF665B1D5D9https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/07/22/breakthrough-news-is-under-attack/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Bg1RJk3_8 https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cuba-Report.pdf https://peoplesforum.org/blog_post/trump-allies-in-congress-subpoena-the-peoples-forum-help-us-fight-back/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/business/media/new-york-times-subpoenas-withdraw.html https://www.chandralaw.com/files/assets/2026-05-27def.morenosmotforexpeditedreliefunderupepa.pdf https://www.chandralaw.com/files/assets/2026-06-04def.morenossecondsupplementtohermot.forexpeditedrelief.pdfhttps://www.cnn.com/2026/06/10/politics/video/max-miller-abuse-allegations-emily-moreno-digvid-invs https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/07/14/ohio-congressman-max-miller-is-being-sued-amid-domestic-violence-allegations/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/assault-misogyny-verbal-threats-records-detail-new-allegations-against-rep-max-miller-bernie-moreno/ https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/2082212225364746306 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71998357/1/united-states-v-tunick/ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.351976/gov.uscourts.gand.351976.21.0.pdfhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/23/cop-city-protester-phone   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. 6 days ago

    Executive Disorder: Asylum Seekers Forced to Meet with Iranian Officials, Ken Paxton, Activist Charged for GrapheneOS Phone Wipe

    We discuss the second White House Correspondents' Dinner, school shooter response drones, a massive data center in Louisiana, ICE coordinating with Iranian officials to deport asylum seekers, why James Talarico might beat Ken Paxton, abuse allegations against GOP House rep. Max Miller, and a Stop Cop City activist charged for allegedly wiping his phone at the airport.  Sources: https://www.givesendgo.com/letsamgo  https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/fourth-circuit-says-border-agents-can-search-your-phone-hand-no-suspicion-required  https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/us-citizenship-and-immigration-services-rescinds-2022-public-charge-regulation  https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2025-20278/public-charge-ground-of-inadmissibility  https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1999-05-26/pdf/99-13202.pdf  https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220.9.3_1.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220/gov.uscourts.dcd.294220.9.4.pdf   https://www.reuters.com/world/china/iran-get-chinese-shoulder-launched-missile-systems-weeks-sources-say-2026-07-29/   https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2082260118930956482 https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/28/texas-senate-poll-james-talarico-ken-paxton-july-2026/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/ken-paxton-has-survived-years-of-scandals-can-james-talarico-change-thathttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/ken-paxton-has-survived-years-of-scandals-can-james-talarico-change-thathttps://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/19/ken-paxton-waco-plea-deal-child-sex-abuse-texas-attorney-general/https://www.kwbu.org/news/2026-05-15/lawmakers-call-for-legal-reforms-response-to-adam-hoffman-case?_amp=truehttps://www.kwtx.com/2025/06/11/wife-waco-attorney-adam-hoffman-disputes-allegations-sexual-abuse-made-by-local-boy/https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/technology/meta-data-center-louisiana.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/28/school-shootings-pepper-spray-drones https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8800https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/hr8800/text#H6C56E3050B5F4792AEBB0DF665B1D5D9https://breakthroughnews.org/2026/07/22/breakthrough-news-is-under-attack/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34Bg1RJk3_8 https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cuba-Report.pdf https://peoplesforum.org/blog_post/trump-allies-in-congress-subpoena-the-peoples-forum-help-us-fight-back/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/business/media/new-york-times-subpoenas-withdraw.html https://www.chandralaw.com/files/assets/2026-05-27def.morenosmotforexpeditedreliefunderupepa.pdf https://www.chandralaw.com/files/assets/2026-06-04def.morenossecondsupplementtohermot.forexpeditedrelief.pdfhttps://www.cnn.com/2026/06/10/politics/video/max-miller-abuse-allegations-emily-moreno-digvid-invs https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/07/14/ohio-congressman-max-miller-is-being-sued-amid-domestic-violence-allegations/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/07/assault-misogyny-verbal-threats-records-detail-new-allegations-against-rep-max-miller-bernie-moreno/ https://x.com/GrapheneOS/status/2082212225364746306 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71998357/1/united-states-v-tunick/ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.gand.351976/gov.uscourts.gand.351976.21.0.pdfhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/23/cop-city-protester-phone See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Executive Disorder:  Asylum Seekers Forced to Meet with Iranian Officials, Ken Paxton, Activist Charged for GrapheneOS Phone Wipe

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About

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

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