Punching Upwards

Fabian A. Scherschel
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The podcast that digs at the nitty-gritty facts behind the week's loudest headlines and discovers stories legacy media neglected to cover. From a veteran reporter and investigative journalist; new episodes every Sunday. punchingupwards.substack.com

  1. 5D AGO

    PU 34: Scam Altman

    A deep dive on investigative journalist Ronan Farrow’s profile of Sam Altman’s leadership at OpenAI. The piece lays bare many of the enduring issues that make Silicon Valley so problematic. Punching Upwards, Episode 34 for 3 May 2026 Topics: Technology / Artificial Intelligence 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Fadi Mansour, Bennet Piater, Eric and Sir Galteran for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! See Also * Punching Upwards 27: LLMs Are a Dead-End * Punching Upwards 24: The ELIZA Effect * Punching Upwards 22: Moltbook Madness * Punching Upwards 15: State Secret or Vibe Physics? * Punching Upwards 8: Robotics Slop Sources * Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?, The New Yorker, 6 April 2026 * The New Yorker investigates Sam Altman’s alleged deceptions at OpenAI, CNN, 7 April 2026 * OpenAI CTO Mira Murati says she’s leaving firm to do her “own exploration”, The Guardian, 25 September 2024 * “Unconstrained by truth”: Sam Altman profile casts doubt on his trustworthiness, News Nation, 6 April 2026 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 29m

  2. APR 26

    PU 33: The Stop Nick Shirley Act

    YouTuber Nick Shirley says California’s proposed AB2624 law was made to stop him and other independent journalists from reporting on fraud. How much of that is true? Punching Upwards, Episode 33 for 26 April 2026 Topics: Politics / Free Speech 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater and Sir Galteran for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! See Also * Punching Upwards 23: The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Scandal * Punching Upwards 21: The Death of Alex Pretti * Punching Upwards 19: The Death of Renee Good Sources * California bill AB-2624: Privacy for immigration support services providers, California Legislative Information, 9 April 2026 * Tweet by Nick Shirley, 18 April 2026 * California moves forward with its ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’, Yahoo News, 14 April 2026 * Dems ripped for ‘Stop Nick Shirley Act’ that could ‘shield’ fraud and abuse in California, 15 April 2026 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    54 min

  3. APR 19

    PU 32: Germany's Digital Strategy Is Absolutely Bonkers

    Driven by a national delusion that Germans are somehow naturally very bad at digital technology, the country’s government is rushing headfirst into a disastrous implementation of AI in government. Punching Upwards, Episode 32 for 19 April 2026 Topics: Politics / Artificial Intelligence 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and Fairero Voltier for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! See Also * Punching Upwards 27: LLMs Are a Dead-End * Punching Upwards 24: The ELIZA Effect * Punching Upwards 22: Moltbook Madness Sources * Digitalminister im Bild-Interview: Wildberger über KI-Jobverlust, Bürokratie und Digitalisierung, Bild, 30 March 2026 * Deutschland gewinnt internationalen KI-Preis, Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung, 4 February 2026 * KI in der Verwaltung, Bundesministerium für Digitales und Staatsmodernisierung, undated The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 6m

  4. APR 12

    PU 31: NASA’s Artemis II Mission

    Depending who you ask, NASA’s new mission to the moon was either the scientific breakthrough of the century or an utterly boring waste of money. Which is it? Punching Upwards, Episode 31 for 12 April 2026 Topics: Science / Space 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Some of the photos taken by the Artemis II crew (images courtesy of NASA): The astronauts back on Earth (images courtesy of NASA): NASA photo galleries: * Artemis II Launch * Artemis II Journey to the Moon * Artemis II Lunar Flyby * Artemis II Return to Earth * Artemis II Splashdown and Return Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater and Sir Galteran for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! See Also * Kerbal Space Program * The Expanse: novels, TV series Sources * Liftoff! NASA astronauts have launched on a historic journey to the moon, NPR, 1 April 2026 * Outlook in space, Marcus House (tweet), 2 April 2026 * Moon Joy, Courtesy of NASA’s Artemis II Astronauts, NASA, 10 April 2026 * Artemis II reentry, splashdown & recovery, CNN, 11 April 2026 * Artemis II Reference Guide, NASA, undated * Orion Reference Guide, NASA, undated * Development of the European Service Module Propulsion Subsytem for the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, Barsi et al., 25 September 2017 * Lunar Trajectory Geometry, Bellcom Inc., 23 December 1969 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 8m

  5. APR 5

    PU 30: Aviation and the War in Iran

    The war in Iran is having a tremendous impact on the aviation industry. An underreported detail is what happens when your flight deviates around the closed airspace over Iran via Afghanistan. Punching Upwards, Episode 30 for 5 April 2026 Topics: Aviation / War in Iran 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and John C. for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! Sources * Everything We Know About LaGuardia, Captains Speaking - The Mentour Pilot Podcast, 26 March 2026 * March 2026: Afghanistan Overflight Update, Ops Group, 3 March 2026 * Afghanistan, Safe Airspace – Conflict Zone & Risk Database * Middle East Airspace – Current Operational Picture, Ops Group, 30 March 2026 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    33 min

  6. MAR 29

    PU 29: The State of Star Trek

    With the cancellation of Starfleet Academy, there is no Star Trek series in active production for the first time in a decade. Why is that and what does it reflect about the state of our culture? Punching Upwards, Episode 29 for 29 March 2026 Topics: Politics / Culture 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and John C. for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! Sources * “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” to End With Season 2, Variety, 23 March 2026 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Cinematic Intro (1997) Interplay, ScifinewsDE, 15 January 2026 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 CCXP Sneak Peek, Rotten Tomatoes TV, 7 December 2025 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1 - Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, IGN, 21 January 2026 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Clip “Hello” - Bella Shepard, Kerrice Brooks, TrekMovie, 12 January 2026 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Clip “Old and Boring” - Tig Notaro, TrekMovie, 12 January 2026 * Star Trek Starfleet Academy “I think I swallowed my combadge”, Worth it or Woke, 18 January 2026 * Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - Exclusive Clip, IGN, 25 February 2026 * Picard speech with the first link the chain is forged, HD_Picard, 29 March 2017 * Picard vs. Picardo, Lt. Mark, 1 February 2026 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 29m

  7. MAR 22

    PU 28: What is Antifa?

    Even though it has been in the US news a lot recently, almost everybody over there seems to be getting wrong what Antifa actually is. This is an overview from someone who grew up around this movement. Punching Upwards, Episode 28 for 22 March 2026 Topics: Politics / Trumpism 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and John C. for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! Sources * Verdict reached in high‑profile Prairieland ICE attack trial, CBS Texas, 14 March 2026 * How the Prairieland ‘Antifa’ Verdict Threatens the Anti-Trump Resistance, The Texas Observer, 19 March 2026 * Trump says he’s designating antifa as terrorist organization, LiveNOW from FOX, 18 September 2025 * What to know about antifa after Trump moves to label it a “domestic terrorist organization”, CBS News, 9 October 2025 * White House Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Designates Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization, The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara, 22 September 2025 * Trump designates Antifa a ‘domestic terrorist organisation’, The BBC, 23 September 2025 * ‘Serious Threat to the First Amendment’ as Trump Admin Wins First Antifa Terror Charge, Common Dreams, 15 March 2026 The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 30m

  8. MAR 15

    PU 27: LLMs Are a Dead-End

    Why current AI technology can’t get us what its proponents are promising. Why the media keeps getting the AI story wrong. Why AI layoffs are just an excuse to re-hire workers for cheaper. Punching Upwards, Episode 27 for 15 March 2026 Topic: Technology / Artificial Intelligence 🦉 No AI Content 📢 Podcast RSS Feed Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Vlad A Gouf, Bennet Piater, Sir Galteran and John C. for supporting this podcast financially and therefore making it possible for me to produce it! See Also * Punching Upwards 22: Moltbook Madness Sources * Richard Sutton – Father of RL thinks LLMs are a dead end, Dwarkesh Patel, 26 September 2025 * The Bitter Lesson, Richard Sutton, 13 March 2019 * DHUnplugged #793: Mission Accomplished?, Dvorak / Horowitz Unplugged, 11 March 2026 * Meta just bought Moltbook, the viral social network for AI agents, Business Insider, 10 March 2026 * The lethal trifecta for AI agents: private data, untrusted content, and external communication, Simon Willison, 16 June 2025 * Jürgen “tante” Geuter * Wading Through AI by Casey Muratori, Molly Rocket The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules! Get full access to Punching Upwards at punchingupwards.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 43m
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About

The podcast that digs at the nitty-gritty facts behind the week's loudest headlines and discovers stories legacy media neglected to cover. From a veteran reporter and investigative journalist; new episodes every Sunday. punchingupwards.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Fabian A. Scherschel
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Fabian A. Scherschel
  • Show Website
    Punching Upwards