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. 2D AGO

    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 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

  2. 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 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

  3. 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 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

  4. MAR 8

    PU 26: Trump Falls Into the Smart Bomb Trap

    Trump’s war on Iran is a huge blunder, both militarily and politically. The US can’t possibly win this war and Trump is tanking his presidency, and the whole Republican Party, along with it. Punching Upwards, Episode 26 for 3 March 2026 Topics: Politics / War in Iran 🦉 No AI Content 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 * Full Trump speech on US, Israel attacking Iran: ‘Lives of courageous American heroes may be lost’, USA Today, 28 February 2026 * Gen. Wesley Clark, Democracy Now! interview, 2007, Gen. Wesley Clark Weighs Presidential Bid: “I Think About It Every Day”, Democracy Now!, 2 March 2007 * Prof. John Mearsheimer : Is Trump’s War Beyond Control?, Judging Freedom, 3 March 2026 * Rubio says Israel’s strike plan triggered US attack on Iran, France 24, 3 March 2026 * Tucker on the Devastating Cost of War and What It Means for American Politics With Saagar Enjeti, Tucker Carlson, 6 March 2026 * Graham Joins Kristen Welker to Discuss the U.S. Strikes on Iran & the Fall of the ayatollah, Lindsey Graham, 1 March 2026 * The Smart Bomb Trap, Robert Pape, 25 February 2026 * From Kosovo to Iran: The Smart Bomb Trap and the Risk of Catastrophic Escalation, Robert Pape, 27 February 2026 * Smart Bomb Trap Confirmed: Decapitation, Nationalism, and the Escalation Spiral, Robert Pape, 1 March 2026 * Timeline: The March To War With Iran, Racket News, 1 March 2026 * Satellite images show scope of Iran strikes, Reuters, 3 March 2026 * Israel’s Futile Air War: Precision Strikes Will Not Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program — or Its Government, Robert Pape, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2025 * Iran Update, Institute for the Study of War 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

    1 hr

  5. MAR 1

    PU 25: The Problem with the Epstein Files

    I’ve been digging through the Epstein files for weeks now and I’m finding that there are a lot of issues with the coverage in the press. This is an attempt to explain some of them. Punching Upwards, Episode 25 for 1 March 2026 Topics: Politics / Epstein Files 🦉 No AI Content Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vlad A Gouf for subscribing to the podcast on Substack and supporting it financially! Additional thanks to Sir Galteran who continues to provide financial backing via Fountain.fm! Sources * FBI records tied to Trump accuser missing from Epstein files, CNN, 26 February 2026 * Epstein files: Drafts expose Bill Gates, Jeffrey Epstein relationship details, CNN, 6 February 2026 Primary Sources: * Department of Justice * House Oversight Comittee * Federal Bureau of Investigation * Distributed Denial of Secrets (Bloomberg emails): public release, limited release Resources: * Jmail * GitHub archive * Epstein Files Explorer (photos) * DocETL Epstein Email Archive Explorer * Library of Leaks (DDoS release / Bloomberg emails) * Epstein Gate (AI analysis) * Epsteinfilez (searchable archive) * Epstein Docs (searchable archive, source code) * Wikipedia: Epstein files, Jeffrey Epstein, Litigation involving Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Virginia Giuffre Residences * 9 East 71st Street, New York * 358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach, Florida * Little Saint James, US Virgin Islands * Apartment at 22 Avenue Foch, Paris * Zorro Ranch, 49 Rancho San Rafael Road / Zorro Ranch Road, Stanley, New Mexico Background: * True Anon Truth podcast, episode 465 for 28 August 2025: Matthew Petti (fromm Reason) on Epstein, Ehud Barak and spyware (alternative link) * The Big Take podcast, Bloomberg, episode for 11 September 2025: Jason Leopold & Ava Benny-Morrison on the Bloomberg email cache (alternative link) * How Bloomberg News Vetted the Epstein Emails, Jeff Kao et al., Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Disclosure podcast, Bloomberg, episode for 4 November 2025: Jason Leopold on Bloomberg’s Epstein money laundering investigation (alternative link) * Off The Hook podcast, 2600 Magazine, episode for 26 November 2025: Emma Best on DDoS document release (alternative link) * Why Epstein emails have so many =’s, The Prime Time, 7 February 2026 * Struggling to navigate the Epstein files? Here is a visual guide, Hanna Duggal & Marium Ali, Al Jazeera, 10 February 2026 Legal Proceedings * Katie Johnson v. Donald J. Trump (5:16-cv-00797), District Court, C.D. California * Doe v. Trump (1:16-cv-07673), District Court, S.D. New York News Coverage: * Bachelor of the Month: Jeffrey Epstein, Cosmopolitan Magazine, July 1980 * The Fantasist, Philip Weiss, New York magazine, 7 December 2007 * Jeffrey Epstein, Billionaire Pedophile, Goes Free, Conchita Sarnoff, The Daily Beast, 20 July 2010 (archived copy) * Jeffrey and Ghislaine: Notes on New York’s Oddest Alliance, Vicky Ward, Vanity Fair, 8 March 2011 (archived copy) * Jeffrey Epstein scandal: women with new identities run firms from Epstein-linked property, Jon Swaine, The Guardian, 7 January 2015 * Video: Woman Claiming Trump Raped Her At Age 13 Tells Story, The David Pakman Show, 1 November 2016 * Inside Jeffrey Epstein’s Spy Industry Connections, Matthew Petti, Reason, 27 August 2025 * ‘Impressive island’: Ex-Israeli prime minister’s hacked emails reveal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Mikael Thalen, Straight Arrow News, 27 August 2025 * The PM and the sex offender: Emails show Israel’s Barak was alerted of Epstein allegations, Mikael Thalen, Straight Arrow News, 28 August 2025 * Prince Andrew ‘stayed in touch with Epstein five years longer than claimed’, Gabriel Pogrund, The Times, 30 August 2025 (archived copy) * Revealed: Peter Mandelson asked Jeffrey Epstein for Israel advice, John McEvoy & Martin Williams, Declassified UK, 1 September 2025 * Epstein aide solicited stories for another birthday ‘booklet,’ hacked emails show, Mikael Thalen, Straight Arrow News, 9 September 2025 * UK Ambassador Told Epstein ‘I Think the World of You,’ Emails Reveal, Harry Wilson et al., Bloomberg, 10 September 2025 (archive copy) * Key Takeaways From Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s Emails, Jason Leopold et al., Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archive copy) * Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein ‘were planning fertility treatment together’, Gabriella Swerling & Robert Mendick, The Telegraph, 11 September 2025 * Epstein’s Inbox: A trove of emails reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s secrets, Jason Leopold et al., Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Jeffrey Epstein’s Inbox Shows New Details of Relationship With Maxwell, David Gura & David Fox, Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Starmer Fires Mandelson as Envoy to US After Epstein Emails, Ailbhe Rea et al., Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Epstein Ties Dethrone UK’s ‘Prince of Darkness’ Mandelson, Ellen Milligan, Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Mandelson Downfall Puts New Scrutiny on Starmer’s Chief of Staff, Ailbhe Rea, Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Mandelson’s Firm Global Counsel Cutting Ties With Him After Epstein Emails, Philip Aldrick & Harry Wilson, Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * Key Takeaways From Peter Mandelson’s Emails With Jeffrey Epstein, Alex Campbell, Bloomberg, 11 September 2025 (archived copy) * The Network, Max Abelson et al., Bloomberg, 25 September 2025 (archived copy) * Key Takeaways From Epstein’s Emails Revealing His Support Network, Max Abelson et al., Bloomberg, 25 September 2025 (archived copy) * Jeffrey Epstein’s Emails and His ‘Hour of Terror’, Jason Leopold, Bloomberg, 26 September 2025 * Exclusive: How private intelligence brought the U.S. treasury secretary into contact with Epstein’s corporate web, Jack Poulson & Harrison Berger, All-Source Intelligence, 29 September 2025 * The Silence of Power – How Bibi’s Office Helped Shield Barak from an Epstein Sex-Trafficking Story, Rob Waldeck, The (b)(7)(D), 21 October 2025 * Following Epstein’s Money, Jason Leopold et al., Bloomberg, 31 October 2025 (archived copy) * House Democrats Urge Bank Subpoenas Over New Epstein Disclosures, Jason Leopold, Bloomberg, 31 October 2025 (archived copy) * Jeffrey Epstein Helped Israel Sell a Surveillance State to Côte d’Ivoire, Murtaza Hussein & Ryan Grim, Drop Site News, 7 November 2025 * Epstein’s Library – The disgraced financier purchased books about making money, treating narcissism, negotiating with anyone, achieving ecstasy and understanding life, Surya Mattu et al., Bloomberg, 14 November 2025 (archived copy) * Epstein’s pilot coordinated flights with Trump’s multiple times during first term: emails, Alexander Willis, RawStory, 14 November 2025 * A California woman accused both Epstein and Trump. Did she ever exist?, Raheem Hosseini, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 November 2025 * The French Account – An HSBC branch in Paris closed Jeffrey Epstein’s account in 2007 after the bank flagged suspicious activity, including transactions tied to a French modeling agent, Jason Leopold et al., Bloomberg, 21 November 2025 (archived copy) * “Modi on board”: Jeffrey Epstein Pressed Steve Bannon to Meet With Indian PM Shortly Before His Death, Meghnad Bose et al., Drop Site News, 21 November 2025 * Inside the extended courtship linking Jeffrey Epstein, Peter Thiel, and Israeli officials, Margaux MacColl, The San Francisco Standard, 23 November 2025 * Jeffrey Epstein Aided Alan Dershowitz’s Attack on Mearsheimer and Walt’s “Israel Lobby”, Ryan Grim & Murtaza Hussain, Drop Site News, 25 November 2025 * Jeffrey Epstein’s Federal Agents for Hire, Daniel Boguslaw & Harrison Berger, The American Conservative, 27 November 2025 * Who was Jeffrey Epstein? – Inside the mind of a 21st-century monster, Tanya Gold, The Observer, 27 November 2025 (archived copy) * Jeffrey Epstein Bought Books About Pedophilia, Woody Allen, and Trump, Micah Lee, Zeteo, 29 November 2025 * Jeffrey Epstein Was Concerned About Roughly 20 Underage Girls as Feds Closed In: Emails, Saagar Enjeti, Drop Site News, 2 December 2025 * “Our Deadline is Noon Tomorrow” – New Emails Reveal Full Barak Allegations and Panic in Epstein Inner Circle, Rob Waldeck, The (b)(7)(D), 4 December 2025 * Jeffrey Epstein rekrutierte auch in der Schweiz eine junge Frau, Watson, 6 December 2025 * Le réseau du délinquant sexuel s’étendait jusqu’en Suisse, Christian Brönnimann et al., 24 Heures, 7 December 2025 (archived copy) * Le réseau de Jeffrey Epstein s’étendait jusqu’en Suisse, Julie Eigenmann, Le Temps, 7 December 2025 * Les pistes genevoises et suisses du prédateur sexuel, Adrien Iseli, 20 Minutes, 7 December 2025 * Israel’s ex-PM Ehud Barak and Epstein had close relationship, emails reveal, Erin Hale & John Power, Al Jazeera, 9 December 2025 * “Ask Jeffrey”: Epstein Ran Wexner’s Pro-Israel Philanthropy Machine, Emails Reveal, Ryan Grim & Murtaza Hussain, Drop Site News, 10 December 2025 * Businessman Asked Epstein For Elon Musk Connection, Leaked Emails Show, Freddy Brewster, The Lever, 10 December 2025 (archived copy) * Epstein’s Investments – Hedge funds. Brokerages. Billionaires. Jeffrey Epstein’s financial ties on and off Wall Street were broader than previously known, a cache of emails reveals, Max Abelson at al., Bloomberg, 10 December 2025 (archived copy) * Trump team email to Epstein: ‘Pedophiles, I want you to know how important you are to me’, Alexander Willis, RawStory, 12 December 2025 * New emails suggest Trump made ‘insulting’ bid to fund Epstein-linked modeling ‘project’, Alexander Willis, RawStory, 12 December 2025 * New York Times reporter pitched Epstein interview on ‘your terms’, John Power, Al Jazeera, 13 December 2025 * Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich, David Enrich

    1h 5m

  6. FEB 22

    PU 24: The ELIZA Effect

    An MIT professor developed the first chatbot in 1964 and discovered that we tend to ascribe human traits to even the simplest computer programs. This would foreshadow today’s widespread AI delusion. Punching Upwards, Episode 24 for 22 February 2026 Topic: Technology / Artificial Intelligence 🦉 No AI Content Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vlad A Gouf for subscribing to the podcast on Substack and supporting it financially! Additional thanks to Sir Galteran who continues to provide financial backing via Fountain.fm! See Also * Punching Upwards 8: Robotics Slop * Punching Upwards 15: State Secret or Vibe Physics? * Punching Upwards 22: Moltbook Madness Sources * ChatGPT promised to help her find her soulmate. Then it betrayed her, NPR, 14 February 2026 * Before Siri and Alexa, there was ELIZA – excerpt from Better Mind the Computer, BBC Horizon, 21 March 1983 * Weizenbaum’s nightmares: how the inventor of the first chatbot turned against AI, The Guardian, 25 July 2023 * Reading ELIZA: Critical Code Studies in Action, David M. Berry & Mark C. Marino, Electronic Book Review, 3 November 2024 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 16m

  7. FEB 15

    PU 23: The Minnesota Welfare Fraud Scandal

    A several-billion-dollar welfare scam hit national news shortly before the riots erupted in Minneapolis. And the people egging on the protesters seem to be directly involved in this fraud. Punching Upwards, Episode 23 for 15 February 2026 Topics: Politics / Minneapolis Protests 🦉 No AI Content Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vlad A Gouf for subscribing to the podcast on Substack and supporting it financially! Additional thanks to Sir Galteran who continues to provide financial backing via Fountain.fm! See Also * Punching Upwards 19: The Death of Renee Good * Punching Upwards 21: The Death of Alex Pretti Sources * The Shame of Our Cities, County Highway (Volume 3, Issue 3), 12 November 2025 * Tweet by Walter Kirn on County Highway story (archived copy), 1 December 2025 * Ilhaan Omar oo ka qayb qaadatay Cunto Siinta ilmaha ee Safari Restaurant (video of Ilhan Omar preparing and delivering meals at the Safari restaurant during the pandemic), Somali TV of Minnesota, 3 May 2020 * I Investigated Minnesota’s Billion Dollar Fraud Scandal, Nick Shirley, 26 December 2025 * Verdict reached in Feeding Our Future trial of Aimee Bock and Salim Said, KARE 11, 19 March 2025 * Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme, US Department of Justice, 19 March 2025 * F.B.I. Sees ‘Massive Fraud’ in Groups’ Food Programs for Needy Children, The New York Times, 8 March 2022 * Justice Dept. Charges 48 in Brazen Pandemic Aid Fraud in Minnesota, The New York Times, 20 September 2022 * How Fraud Swamped Minnesota’s Social Services System on Tim Walz’s Watch, The New York Times, 29 November 2025 * Children in headscarves seen being brought into notorious Minneapolis daycare hit by fraud allegations as local claims misspelt sign was just a ‘printing error’, The Daily Mail, 31 December 2025 * Federal authorities announce end to immigration crackdown in Minnesota, The Associated Press, 12 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 12m

  8. FEB 8

    PU 22: Moltbook Madness

    The AI tech bros are going crazy: They are convinced their chatbots are gaining consciousness, which is why they made a chatbot-only social network for them, where the bots have gotten religion now. Punching Upwards, Episode 22 for 8 February 2026 Topic: Technology / Artificial Intelligence 🦉 No AI Content Credits Thanks to Michael Mullan-Jensen, Fadi Mansour, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Vlad A Gouf for subscribing to the podcast on Substack and supporting it financially! Additional thanks to Sir Galteran who continues to provide financial backing via Fountain.fm! See Also * Punching Upwards 8: Robotics Slop * Punching Upwards 15: State Secret or Vibe Physics? Sources * Inside Moltbook, the new social media network for artificial intelligence agents, CBS News, 3 February 2026 * Linux Unplugged - Tested, not Hyped: Our Take on Open Source AI Agents, Jupiter Broadcasting, 2 February 2026 * The Moltbook Experiment Failed, The PrimeTime, 3 February 2026 * This is What 2 Years of ChatGPT Does to Your Brain, Angela Collier, 24 January 2026 * Molty🦞 – Peter’s crusted AI assistant * Moltbook * Church of Molt * 🦾rentahuman.ai🦞 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 20m
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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
    29
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Fabian A. Scherschel
  • Show Website
    Punching Upwards