Solving America's Problems
Jerremy Alexander Newsome & Dave Conley
America's Opportunities: From Conversation to Candidacy. Solving America's Problems is a weekly podcast that turns real conversations about America's toughest issues into a movement, so the best and brightest serve in government, not chase Wall Street or Silicon Valley. It's for anyone who wants a serious hour on the country's problems without a team jersey. Hosted by Jerremy Alexander Newsome (co-host and candidate) and Dave Conley (co-host and producer). Guests include authors, academics, presidential advisors, activists, CEOs and everyday people with lived experience. Solving America's Problems is about everyone. Topics: the economy and the Fed, housing and homelessness, education and...
Episodes
Russian Diesel, 7.4% Mortgages, and Foreclosures Up 50%
Freddie Mac's 30-year average rate rose to 7.4% last week, up from 6.3% a year ago, which Jerremy Alexander Newsome says adds $294 a month on a $400,000 loan. He and Dave Conley start with Russia, which is about to sell America diesel, with a first load that covers less than two hours of the world's demand. Jerremy says SpaceX buying airwaves sent the three biggest phone companies down as much as 13% by close, then walks the charts on Walmart, Dollar General and Nike, down 80% from its highs. Dave puts the 10-year at 5.24% and argues the Fed has to find new tools for supply-side inflation. Jerremy says foreclosures are up about 50% from last year and sees openings for buyers with cash. Timestamps: (00:00) Flash floods hit Las Vegas – three feet of water downtown (01:26) Russia sells America diesel – first load covers under two hours of demand (02:45) Friendly but not friends – Dave on buying from countries we dislike (03:41) "After the midterms" – the administration's answer on fuel prices (04:03) SpaceX buys airwaves – phone carriers fall as much as 13% (04:43) American Tower up 15% – while AT&T and Verizon get scorched (05:10) $245 a month – what Jerremy pays for three phone lines (06:54) Walmart and Dollar General – discount brands in a squeezed consumer market (09:35) Nike down 80% – and why Ferrari is a different story (11:14) The 10-year at 5.24% – Dave on oil, the Fed and supply-side inflation (13:25) Mortgage rates hit 7.4% – $294 more a month on $400,000 (14:06) 90% of early payments – go to interest, not principal (17:01) Foreclosures up 50% – Jerremy sees openings for buyers with cash (17:36) Collars and stop losses – Dave on protecting your downside 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Christopher Serkin: Why Zoning Reform Alone Won't Fix Housing (Full)
Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years, added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin uses that to argue looser zoning alone won't deliver affordability, and that homeowners associations would fill the void if zoning vanished. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley press him on Wall Street, the 2008 crash and whether housing can be both affordable and a good investment. He says it can't. He also explains why the left and right agreeing on zoning makes him nervous, and why a state overriding local control feels different in Tennessee than in California. It ends with a lightning round and the hosts' own debrief. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade(05:09) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently(10:06) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense(18:04) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much(25:40) Not both – Affordable and a good investment can't coexist(46:53) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him(61:35) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Who Should Decide How Fast Your Neighborhood Changes?
For roughly the first 85 to 90 years of zoning, the left and right split on it. Now they agree it's the problem. Christopher Serkin says that convergence makes him nervous, and he calls it the liberal-tarian consensus. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask who should decide how fast a neighborhood changes. He says it depends on the market, and that a state overriding local control feels very different in Tennessee than in California or New York. He gets heavy pushback when he asks for government to build housing itself, and he doesn't trust a less regulated market to deliver affordability. Looking twenty years out, he pictures cheaper building costs, more multifamily housing and a move away from the suburban ideal the federal government pushed in the 1930s and 1940s. The lightning round and the hosts' own debrief close it out. Timestamps: (00:00) Who decides? – The question under every zoning fight, asked point blank(01:18) Tennessee versus New York – Why state takeovers of local zoning feel so different(02:24) The liberal-tarian consensus – Left and right agree, and it worries him(07:39) Twenty years out – The housing future he wants people to inherit(11:05) Good density, dumb density – A conference line that stuck with him(17:07) The hosts' debrief – Homeownership as a home, not an investment thesis 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Housing Can't Be Both Affordable and a Good Investment
Housing can't be both affordable and a good investment. Christopher Serkin says that tension is the lesson the country forgot after 2008, when so many recent buyers lost everything. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask whether zoning is really the whole story. He says it's one problem among several, and that fixing only zoning could make outcomes worse in many markets. He also argues home prices are one piece of a wider rise in asset prices, a return to capital instead of labor. Jerremy asks whether it's so bad if people rent and put their money in the stock market, and Christopher explains why rent and ownership costs stay linked. Timestamps: (00:00) The two-goal trap – Affordable and a great investment can't both happen(01:22) What 2008 taught – Scholars questioned homeownership as the goal for most people(07:28) A 40% price crash – Would anyone blame zoning reform for it?(08:42) Asset prices everywhere – Stocks, tuition and homes all inflated together(09:59) Is renting so bad? – Jerremy asks if owning is overrated(15:36) The one law – Dave asks what single change he'd make tomorrow 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Nashville Approved Every Rezoning Request. Prices Exploded Anyway
Nashville approved every one of roughly 200 rezoning requests over two years and added about 75,000 housing units in a decade, and it is still net less dense than it was 25 years ago. Christopher Serkin says that's why he doubts looser zoning alone delivers affordability. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley ask what fills the gap if zoning disappears, and he says homeowners associations would, which he calls worse in every dimension. He also tells the story of his mother, a weaver in a Vermont town of 900, who helped the town buy a defunct ski mountain and lock it up with conservation easements. On Wall Street, he says he can't prove how much private equity moves prices, but his phone rang every few days with offers to buy his house. Timestamps: (00:00) Forty-year-old first buyers – Home prices have outrun paychecks for a decade(05:08) The ski mountain buyout – A town of 900 blocks development permanently(10:05) Nashville said yes – Every request approved, yet the city got less dense(15:07) Public zoning or HOAs – What fills the gap if zoning vanishes tomorrow(18:03) Wall Street's real role – He admits he can't prove how much(21:04) The unsolicited offers – Private equity kept calling to buy his house 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Gene Eidelman Is 3D-Printing America Out of a Housing Crisis (Full)
In 1976, homes under 1,400 square feet made up a third of new construction; by 2020, that number was 7%. Gene Eidelman sold $100 million in real estate within three years of arriving as a refugee, then built Azure Printed Homes, which 3D-prints houses from recycled plastic in weeks instead of months. He details the zoning fights blocking affordable manufactured homes, wildfire data showing 2008-code houses survived 80% of the time versus 80% destroyed before it, and how LA could house its homeless for under $100,000 each instead of a million. Jerremy and Dave press him on financing, factory quality control, and how his company stacks up against newly public competitor Boxabl. Timestamps: (00:00) A refugee's first deal – $100M in real estate, closed almost by accident(07:39) Built in a factory – Why that doesn't mean lower quality here(25:43) The Columbus rule – A city bans manufactured homes for no real reason(32:59) The financing gap – Lenders still won't fund modular homes despite new law(43:08) The 2008 code – It decided who lost their home in the fires(54:08) Boxabl comparison – How a newly public rival stacks up against him Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed HomesCrowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Houses Built After 2008 Survived Wildfires 80% of the Time
Homes built under California's 2008 fire code survived last year's wildfires 80% of the time; homes built before it were destroyed 80% of the time. Gene Eidelman breaks down the cheap fixes behind that gap — double-pane windows, mesh over AC vents, no wooden fences touching the house. He and Jerremy also dig into LA County's homelessness numbers: 75,000 people, with only 18% showing drug addiction the moment they first hit the street. Cities routinely spend up to a million dollars and six years building one unit; Gene says he can do it for under $100,000 in six months. He closes by comparing his company directly to newly public competitor Boxabl and revealing plans for a public crowdfunding round. Timestamps: (00:00) The Malibu fire – He lived through it and later found the pattern(06:48) The addiction myth – Only 18% show drug use at first(08:23) The real cost gap – Cities spend a million; he does it cheaper(11:15) Boxabl comparison – How his approach differs from the newly public competitor Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed HomesCrowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Zoning Still Blocks the Affordable Homes America Needs
One Ohio city's zoning code outright bans manufactured homes in a low-income neighborhood — even for a project explicitly meant to be affordable. Gene Eidelman calls it a holdover from 1960s trailer-park stigma that has nothing to do with how these homes actually perform today. He walks through how ADUs, junior ADUs, and new state rules allowing four to eight units per lot are quietly solving California's housing shortage, while cities like Laguna Beach still block almost everything. Dave presses him on how an ADU actually changes a homeowner's life day to day. Gene also flags a real financing gap: some lenders still refuse to fund modular construction, even with a new federal law requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to back it. Timestamps: (00:00) The zoning fight – One city won't even approve his affordable homes(00:22) The Columbus rule – A city bans manufactured homes for no real reason(04:25) Two cities, two outcomes – Why one welcomes density and one blocks it(07:32) The financing gap – Some lenders still won't fund modular homes at all Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed HomesCrowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Gene Eidelman Sold $100M in Real Estate, Then 3D-Printed Homes
In 1976, homes under 1,400 square feet made up a third of new construction; by 2020, that number had fallen to 7%. Gene Eidelman arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union, got his real estate license within a year, and sold $100 million in property within three years. He's since built thousands of homes and co-founded Azure Printed Homes, which 3D-prints houses from recycled plastic in weeks instead of months. America is short roughly 10 million homes, he says, and the real fix isn't more supply of any size — it's smaller, factory-built homes people can actually afford. He also breaks down why factory-built housing carries a stigma in the U.S. that Japan and Scandinavia never developed. Timestamps: (00:00) First deal ever – A refugee closes $100M in three years(03:07) The tiny home test – His son loves living in 200 square feet(05:26) Ten million homes short – That number already undercounts the real shortage(07:39) The trailer stigma – Why factory-built homes still read as cheap here Connect: Gene Eidelman – Website | Azure Printed HomesCrowdfunding – Invest 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Austin Built 3x More Housing. Families Left Anyway. (Full)
Austin added new housing three times faster than the rest of the country for a decade — rents dropped below the national average, and young families left anyway, in numbers big enough that schools are now closing. Ryan Puzycki, who sits on Austin's zoning board, says outdated codes banned entire housing types — no fourplexes, no missing middle, no SROs. He traces the homelessness crisis straight back to America banning its cheapest housing type. Jerremy and Dave press him on BlackRock, Houston's fix, and what's next. Timestamps: (00:00) The core stat – why "build more" isn't fixing housing(01:13) Meet Ryan – the man rewriting Austin's zoning code(06:25) Rents fell – but young families left Austin anyway(13:06) A preschool waitlist – San Francisco's scarcity problem up close(20:31) The banished bottom – cheap housing America chose to destroy(32:54) One metric – that actually proves if a city is failing(39:08) The BlackRock myth – why Wall Street isn't the real villain(44:50) Cities doing it right – Houston's quiet fix for homelessness(55:06) Rapid fire – Ryan on zoning, BlackRock, and the American dream Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The City Quietly Beating San Francisco at Homelessness
Houston cut its homeless population by 60 to 70 percent over the past decade — while San Francisco spends roughly five times more per person for worse results. Ryan Puzycki says Houston made it easy to build housing, then used homeless dollars for rapid rehousing instead of expensive permanent supportive housing. He also names Texas's bipartisan Senate Bill 840 as a state model, and argues single-family zoning mostly protects incumbents, not future homeowners. Timestamps: (00:00) Alex teases – Houston's quiet fix for the homelessness crisis(00:14) Which cities – are actually getting housing policy right today(10:30) Ryan fields – rapid-fire questions on zoning and the American dream(15:38) The hosts' honest – take on what this episode nailed Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Housing Type America Banned — Then Got a Homelessness Crisis
America once had millions of single-room-occupancy units — the cheapest legal housing in the country — and cities spent decades tearing them down. Ryan Puzycki calls this lost category the "banished bottom," and traces the rise of chronic homelessness to almost the same years those units disappeared. He also argues family flight, not average rent, is the real measure of whether a city is failing. Dave presses him on Wall Street buying up single-family homes — Ryan says the outrage is mostly overblown. Timestamps: (00:00) Alex sets up – the housing type cities erased on purpose(00:21) The banished bottom – cheap housing America chose to destroy(12:44) One metric – that actually proves if a city is failing(18:58) The BlackRock myth – why Wall Street isn't the real villain Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Austin Slashed Rents to Record Lows. Families Left Anyway.
Austin added new housing three times faster than the rest of the country for a decade, and rents fell below the national average. Young families left anyway — enough that Austin's own schools are now closing for lack of kids. Ryan Puzycki sits on Austin's zoning board and says a decades-old code banned entire housing types, from fourplexes to corner stores mixed with apartments. He also ran a San Francisco preschool with a waitlist of hundreds, where teachers commuted 90 minutes each way just to afford rent. Timestamps: (00:00) The core stat – why "build more" isn't fixing housing(01:13) Meet Ryan – the man rewriting Austin's zoning code(06:25) Rents fell – but young families left Austin anyway(13:06) A preschool waitlist – San Francisco's scarcity problem up close Connect: Ryan Puzycki – Website 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Inside the Housing Standoff Freezing 1.7 Million Sales (Full)
More than half of homeowners are locked into a rate under 4%, and an estimated 1.7 million home sales never happened because of it. Daniel Sosa has worked mortgages since 2007, when he watched Stockton become the foreclosure epicenter of the country. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that 65% of today's homeowners sit below a 4% rate with zero incentive to sell, while 5 million buyers wait on a market short roughly 3 million homes. He explains why 97% of today's loans are fully documented and fixed-rate — the opposite of the "Wild West" stated-income loans that caused 2008 — and describes turning away a police officer earning $300K who technically qualified for a $1.7 million house. Timestamps: (00:00) 1.7 million home sales – that never happened, explained (06:40) The $2,500 bank fee – he flatly refuses to ever charge (23:05) 65% of homeowners – are locked in and simply won't sell (35:38) Why a 2008-style crash – literally cannot happen again, he says (39:15) He turned away a cop – who could technically afford $1.7M (42:42) The invisible split – between who gets approved and who gets denied Connect: Daniel Sosa – Website | Facebook | Instagram 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Exact Playbook For Turning a No Into a Yes
Dave Conley presses Daniel Sosa on exactly who gets rejected versus approved. Daniel says anybody can eventually qualify for a home — the real question is credit profile and income, and credit-challenged buyers get a step-by-step plan instead of a flat no. He describes taking one client's credit score from 702 to 740 over 30 days to avoid $16,000 in points, and explains how self-employed borrowers who don't show enough income on paper still qualify through bank statement programs. Looking 20 years out, he predicts the average family will pay $5,000 a month in rent within his lifetime. Timestamps: (00:00) Dave asks the real question – who gets approved, and who gets denied (01:55) The exact line – between an approved buyer and a rejected one (05:15) 702 to 740 – the credit move that saved one client $16K (10:27) $5,000-a-month rent – is coming, and here's the math behind it Connect: Daniel Sosa – Website | Facebook | Instagram 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The 65% of Homeowners Who Will Never Sell
Jerremy Alexander Newsome challenges Daniel Sosa to steelman the case against his own industry: don't easier loans just inflate prices further? Daniel doesn't dodge it — he says 65% of homeowners today sit below a 4% rate and have zero incentive to sell, while an estimated 5 million buyers wait on a market short roughly 3 million homes. He lays out why a 2008-style crash can't repeat, since 97% of today's loans are fully documented and fixed-rate instead of the adjustable "ticking time bombs" that caused the last one. And he describes turning away a police officer earning $300K who technically qualified for a $1.7 million house, because the payment would trap him in overtime for life. Timestamps: (00:00) Daniel gets challenged – on whether his own industry inflates prices (02:00) 5 million buyers – stuck waiting on the sidelines right now (13:44) Why a 2008-style crash – literally cannot happen again, he says (17:21) He turned away a cop – who could technically afford $1.7M Connect: Daniel Sosa – Website | Facebook | Instagram 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
For the First Time Ever, Renting Beats Buying Here
More than half of homeowners are locked into a rate under 4%, and an estimated 1.7 million home sales never happened because of it. Daniel Sosa, a mortgage broker who started in the business in 2007, tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley he never charges the $1,300 to $2,500 in ancillary fees most banks build into every closing, saving clients $7,000 to $9,000 per transaction on average. He walks through the bank statement and profit-and-loss programs self-employed borrowers use to qualify without tax returns, and says entry-level buyers in his market now need six figures of household income just to qualify. For the first time in his 20-year career, he says, it's cheaper to rent than to own. Timestamps: (00:00) 1.7 million home sales – that never happened, explained (06:40) The $2,500 bank fee – he flatly refuses to ever charge (14:40) Self-employed buyers – who qualify for a mortgage without tax returns (20:21) Renting now beats buying – for the first time in his career Connect: Daniel Sosa – Website | Facebook | Instagram 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The House Always Wins: Inside America's Mortgage Machine (Full)
More than half of Americans with a mortgage are locked in under 4%, freezing nearly two million home sales. JD Cobb has spent two decades closing loans in Texas, and his advice runs against the wait-and-see instinct: buy at today's price, refinance later. He takes Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley through the whole machine — the four Cs, who really owns your note, the pay option ARMs he watched build the 2008 collapse, and the occupancy fraud no computer catches. He explains why self-employed borrowers get squeezed by their own write-offs and how insurance now kills approvals outright. He closes with the twelve assistance programs in one county and calls twenty percent down "the biggest myth ever." Timestamps: (01:07) JD's first closing – a cash-out refi, not a purchase(05:43) The four Cs – what lenders actually check(08:07) Who owns your loan – servicing gets sold, you keep paying(11:16) Pay option ARMs – balances grew when you paid(17:43) Starter homes are gone – the average buyer is now 38(25:44) Self-employed problem – write-offs make you unlendable(30:21) "Fast and Easy" – Countrywide's no-verification program(34:29) Insurance kills deals – wind, flood, and AI drawing lines(39:17) A dozen programs – the money nobody asks about(49:54) Lightning round – twenty percent down is the biggest myth(52:28) It's energy – JD's call on what moves rates next Connect: JD Cobb – Website | Instagram | Email 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The 20% Down Myth That Keeps Renters Renting
There are twelve down payment assistance programs in Austin and Travis County alone, and JD Cobb says almost nobody asks. He names TSAC and TDHCA, which cover three to five percent down, plus a mortgage credit certificate he can count as monthly income. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that a soft credit pull costs the buyer nothing and that he'll pay to rescore a client's credit himself. He calls out new-build "incentives" as money rolled straight back into the loan. In the lightning round he names the biggest myth his clients believe — that they need twenty percent down — and says the real lever on rates is energy. Timestamps: (00:12) A dozen programs – the money buyers never think to ask about(00:37) TSAC and TDHCA – three to five percent, handed to you(02:50) The builder "incentive" – it's just rolled into your loan(04:23) Soft pull, no charge – what talking to a lender really costs(06:33) One lever – JD's pick if Congress could pull it(10:49) Lightning round – the myth every client walks in with(13:23) It's energy – why JD says that sets your rate Connect: JD Cobb – Website | Instagram | Email 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Starter Homes Vanished. Here's What Replaced Them
The average American buyer is now 38 years old — Dave Conley bought his first home in his twenties and had to borrow the down payment from friends. Dave and Jerremy Alexander Newsome press JD Cobb on where the starter home went, and JD is blunt: Gen Z is skipping steps, and his own first house cost $187,000. He explains what happens when a self-employed file hits an underwriter's desk, why writing off most of your income makes you unlendable, and the one thing a computer can't catch — occupancy fraud. Then insurance: a file that died on flood costs, and AI drawing block-by-block lines around what can't be covered at all. Timestamps: (00:12) Borrowed the down payment – how Dave bought in the '90s(05:15) Starter homes are gone – JD's first house cost $187,000(08:15) Self-employed problem – your write-offs are killing your loan(11:30) The fraud computers miss – lying about who lives there(12:50) "Fast and Easy" – the Countrywide program with no verification(16:58) Texas wind insurance – $6,000 a year and climbing(20:02) AI draws the line – block by block, who gets covered Connect: JD Cobb – Website | Instagram | Email 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Why 2 Million Home Sales Are Frozen in Rate Lock-In
More than half of Americans with a mortgage are locked in under 4%, and that lock-in alone has frozen out nearly two million home sales. JD Cobb's answer sounds backwards: don't wait for the rate, buy at today's price and refinance later. He walks Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley through what a refinance actually involves, the four Cs every lender checks, and who owns your loan once it's sold on the secondary market. He explains why a portable mortgage would unfreeze the market and why mortgage-backed securities make it so hard. He also names the loan programs that were quietly building the 2008 collapse while he was selling them. Timestamps: (01:07) JD's first closing – a cash-out refi, not a purchase(05:43) The four Cs – what lenders actually check before approving(08:07) Who owns your loan – servicing gets sold, you keep paying(11:16) Pay option ARMs – balances grew when you paid(11:52) Stuck at 3% – a family who can't afford to move(15:27) $15,000 gone – what a bad pre-qual costs a buyer Connect: JD Cobb – Website | Instagram | Email 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Rethinking Rent: Ownership Through Community Care (Full)
22.6 million U.S. households now pay more for housing than they can afford, and the average home costs five times the average salary. Sam Froerer, who co-owns thousands of apartment units through Compass Capital, has never owned his own home himself. He tells hosts Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that the industry treats tenants like a commodity, and the top 50 owners control under 11% of it. He's building a model where a slice of every rent check turns residents into fractional owners of the building itself. Timestamps: (00:00) 22.6 million households – can't actually afford their own rent (01:33) Never owned a home – this landlord explains exactly why (10:14) Same fries, different profits – Chick-fil-A earns 3x more than McDonald's (16:24) Can't pay on the 5th? – here's what happens to that resident (21:39) "Value-add," defined – and exactly where it crosses a line (26:33) What gets you rejected – the real bar for renting an apartment (32:05) Tax tricks renters never see – the leverage investors quietly get (36:37) Insurance tripled – how it quietly rewrote real estate deals (39:50) Rent that turns into equity – the blockchain idea behind it (49:19) $50 million, first check – what he'd fix in housing first (51:35) Lightning round – is homeownership already dead under 35? (55:09) The identity shift – what could replace the homeownership dream 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Owning What You Rent — Policy, Tax, and the Lightning Round
A $100,000 investment can show $60,000 of paper losses in year one — a tax benefit ordinary renters never get access to. Sam Froerer tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that Trump-era policy restored 100% bonus depreciation after Biden had cut it to 40%. He argues the top 1% pulling away from everyone else is the same pattern behind every collapsed civilization in history. Asked what he'd do with $50 million to fix housing, Sam says he'd buy three more properties to prove his model works before pitching it to private equity and pension funds. In the lightning round, he says homeownership under 35 is, as of now, functionally over. Timestamps: (00:14) A politician can't beat this – what would actually help residents more (00:40) A policy shift underway – reshaping who's allowed to own homes (01:36) $100K becomes $60K in losses – the tax trick investors use (03:33) The wealth gap's pattern – the same one behind every collapsed empire (05:40) $50 million, first move – what he'd do first to fix housing (07:55) Lightning round – is homeownership already dead under 35? (11:30) The identity shift – what could replace the homeownership dream 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Value-Add, Screening, and the Wealth Gap
Landlords call it "value-add," and raising rent $100 to $200 a month after new cabinets and a dog park is the same move the industry has run for decades. Sam Froerer calls his own company "experience-add" instead, telling Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that renters need income at two-and-a-half times rent just to qualify. Insurance per unit in Florida and Texas tripled from $600 to $3,000 a year, reshaping where he invests. A fire that started on one resident's porch burned down twenty units in a single night. Sam also floats a REIT-style model where part of every rent payment buys residents fractional ownership of the building itself. Timestamps: (00:20) "Value-add" defined – the term landlords use to justify hikes (02:20) "Experience-add," not "value-add" – why he renamed his own company (05:14) The income bar – exactly what you need to earn to qualify (10:46) Tax perks you don't get – the leverage investors have and you don't (15:17) Insurance tripled – how it reshaped where he chooses to invest (17:56) Twenty units, one night – the porch fire that could've ended everything (18:30) Rent that buys equity – the plan to make rent buy the building 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Why Renting in America Is Broken
22.6 million U.S. households now pay more for housing than they can afford, and the average home costs five times what the average family makes. Sam Froerer co-owns thousands of apartment units through Compass Capital — and has never owned his own home. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that the industry's top 50 owners control less than 11% of it, and most landlords treat tenants as a commodity to evict and replace rather than serve. Chick-fil-A makes three times the revenue of the average McDonald's despite longer wait times, and Sam argues that gap is exactly what his industry ignores: the experience, not the price. Timestamps: (00:00) 22.6 million households – now pay more rent than they can afford (00:28) Every complex, same rating – two stars, no matter where you look (03:34) Never owned a home – the multifamily owner who still rents (10:14) Tenants as a commodity – why the industry treats renters this way (16:24) Can't make rent? – here's what actually happens on the fifth 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
House Always Wins: How the American Dream Got Rigged (Full)
The top 400 richest families in America pay about 2% in taxes while everyone else pays 20 to 26%. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley kick off a new series on housing, laying out why the American dream of homeownership is structurally rigged — flat wages, boomers holding 70% of property, and a tax code built as welfare for the top 20%. They trace housing booms back to the 1920s and post-WWII Levittowns, then debate renting versus owning, closing with international fixes from Tokyo, Vienna, and Austin.Timestamps:(00:00) The thesis – wages never caught up to housing costs(10:02) The new housing law – bans corporate landlords, completely unfunded(17:37) The tax code confession – secretly a welfare program for owners(30:36) Zoning's ugly origin story – the real reason those laws exist(41:34) The case for renting – Dave makes it, no hedging(51:20) Tokyo vs. Vienna vs. us – how other countries solved housing🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Investor Who Says Never Buy a House
Real estate investor Grant Cardone says never buy a home — rent instead, and put your money in the market. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley debate the case for renting versus owning. Dave, who's rented for over a decade, lays out the freedom of renting against the nonstop chores of ownership. They find zero libertarian voices anywhere in their research — everyone agrees housing is broken. Internationally, Vienna's rents run roughly a third of market rate, Tokyo's the cheapest big city on Earth, and one city's rent control crushed new construction by 48%.Timestamps:(00:00) The case against buying – a top investor says rent, don't own(04:48) Being a landlord right now – what happens when nobody's renting(09:59) Tokyo vs. Vienna vs. us – how other countries solved housing(16:08) The closing thesis – two things guaranteed to affect every voter🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Tax Code Is Secretly a Welfare Program — For Homeowners
The top 400 richest families in America pay about 2% in taxes — while everyone else pays 20 to 26%. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley dig into what surprised them most in their research. Dave says the tax code was quite literally built for people not to pay taxes, funneling mortgage and college-savings deductions mostly to the top 20%. He found 30 million American children living in poverty — more than any country in Europe, Korea, or Japan. Economist Assar Lindbeck's line comes up: rent control is the fastest way to destroy a city besides bombing it.Timestamps:(00:16) The tax code confession – Dave calls it a welfare program in disguise(07:33) Housing booms, then and now – what the 1920s got right(13:14) Zoning's ugly origin story – the real reason those laws exist(15:53) An economist's brutal verdict – rent control compared to bombing a city🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Boomers Own 70% of US Homes — Here's How That Happened
Baby boomers now own roughly 70% of American homes and property — and politicians are too scared to touch it. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley lay out the thesis for a new series on housing: wages stayed flat while prices and interest rates exploded. Dave says the newest housing law just passed the Senate 85-5 and became law without a presidential signature. It bars investors who own 350+ single-family homes from buying more, but carves out purpose-built rentals — and comes with $200 billion in completely unfunded grants.Timestamps:(00:00) Wages vs. housing costs – the stat that shows they never caught up(03:45) Nashville's housing boom – why prices tripled there in six years(07:23) The boomer wealth transfer – politicians are too scared to touch it(10:02) The new housing law – bans corporate landlords, but $200 billion unfunded🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
What Five UBI Episodes Actually Found (Full)
The best U.S. cash experiments still can't prove money durably improves health or child outcomes. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley spend five episodes chasing why, hearing from Ron Lynch that free cash is a chain, not a check, and from Chris Rimbal that money itself may vanish within 20 years. Dr. Conley and Dr. Rhodes weigh in last: cash helps, but isn't the answer either host hoped for. Jerremy pitches a Citizen Capital share system instead of a handout, and Dave argues the AI disruption they keep circling has already arrived. Timestamps: (00:00) Five episodes, one chase – hosts hunt free money's real cost (05:10) The American dream's break point – traced to one decade (11:19) "A chain, not a check" – Ron Lynch's warning on free cash (18:36) Shares in America – Dave's pitch instead of handouts (25:20) Money itself may vanish – Chris Rimbal's 20-year prediction (31:42) Two PhDs weigh in – the cash data doesn't back the hype (36:25) The AI bomb already went off – Dave's blunt argument (45:00) Next three topics revealed – then dice decide the winner (53:39) Every fix needs more thinking – not more cash, hosts conclude 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Dave Says the AI Bomb Already Went Off
Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley close the series on the loudest disagreement yet: has the AI revolution already hit, or is it still coming? Dave says he now runs this entire podcast alone — work that used to require four or five staffers — because of AI. Jerremy pushes back, insisting today's AI still isn't truly intelligent, just a sharper search engine stitching articles together. Dave counters that the United States only ever fixes disasters after they detonate, and argues this one already has. They close on a lighter note, narrowing their next topic to housing, fentanyl, or the baby bust, then let a game of craps make the final call. Timestamps: (00:00) Just a smarter search engine – Jerremy's read on today's AI (01:11) Dave runs the show alone – thanks entirely to AI (03:05) No wall in sight – every AI expert agrees it won't stop (09:46) Next three topics revealed – housing, fentanyl, or the baby bust (18:16) A game of craps decides – the next big topic 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
UBI Got a Rebrand. The Data Still Said No.
The best U.S. cash experiments still can't prove giving people money durably improves health or child outcomes. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley pick up their UBI rebrand mid-series: Dave proposes literal shares in America, dividends tied to the AI and data economy already built on public information. Jerremy renames the whole concept the Citizen Capital program, hoping shared ownership sells better than a handout ever could. Chris Rimbal predicted money itself might not exist within 20 years. Then two doctors arrive with the actual data: cash helps, but it isn't the single answer either host hoped to find. Timestamps: (00:00) Shares in America, not handouts – Dave's opening pitch (04:12) The Citizen Capital rebrand – a new name for an old idea (06:56) Money itself may vanish – Chris Rimbal's 20-year prediction (13:19) Real data finally arrives – two PhDs weigh in on cash (16:16) Cash helps, but isn't the answer – the hosts' hardest admission 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Free Cash Isn't a Check. It's a Chain.
Free cash isn't a check — it's a chain, according to Ron Lynch, who argues handouts push society toward technocratic feudalism. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley open this series admitting the American dream started fracturing sometime in the 1990s, once information itself became the real currency. Lynch's claim: money given for nothing quietly erodes purpose, feeding the "trust fund baby" stigma. Dave pushes back, splitting purpose from income entirely. Jerremy admits his own family still struggles with the victim mindset Lynch describes. They close still disagreeing on one point: who actually controls the money once it's handed out. Timestamps: (00:00) Five episodes, one question – hosts ask if free money actually works (05:10) The American dream's exact break point – pinned to one decade (11:19) "It's not a check, it's a chain" – Ron Lynch's core warning (12:30) The trust fund baby stigma – why it reveals a deeper fear (16:45) Who controls the money – controls the person, Lynch argues 🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Cash, Trust, and a New Social Contract (Full)
Recipients were two percentage points less likely to work — and critics called that proof people quit when you pay them. Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes ran the longest unconditional cash study in U.S. history: 1,000 people, $1,000 a month, three years. Below the poverty line, nobody worked less. People spent the money on rent, food, and kids, but the financial boost faded to nearly nothing by year three. Rhodes says cash can't fix broken healthcare, childcare, or housing markets — and proposes a $12,000 lump sum upfront plus monthly payments. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley land on \"Social Security for all ages\" as the rebrand that might actually move the needle.Timestamps:(00:00) A thousand people, a thousand dollars, three years – what actually happened(01:13) What a social worker catches – the gap economists walk right past(04:03) A blog post became a decade-long study – Sam Altman's role and limits(05:34) NIH, NSF, and full independence – keeping the science clean(10:51) 14,000 screened, 3,000 enrolled – Facebook ads, SNAP apps, random mailers(12:04) Two percentage points less employed – why critics grabbed the wrong headline(16:00) Housing, food, kids – where every dollar actually went(17:17) The ordinariness that matters – driving, social time, stuff around the house(19:07) Everyone wanted a business, nobody started one – what that really means(20:46) The boost that faded by year three – and why year-three worry kicked in(22:37) What she'd tell a senator tomorrow – the one design choice(31:52) Steel-manning her own study – three years and $1,000 proves nothing about national UBI(35:55) What if the jobs don't come back – her data gets uncomfortable(47:19) \"Scarcity makes people responsible\" — false – lightning round(50:12) Social Security for all ages – Dave and Jerremy close the knowledge gapConnect:Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes – Website{{social-links
If the Jobs Don't Come Back, Her Data Is All We've Got
Rhodes admits her study was never designed for a world where income decouples from labor — but it's the closest data anyone has for what's coming. People are stitching together patchworks of gig work that standard labor surveys can't even capture. Dave Conley went from \"UBI is a terrible idea\" to \"how are we not doing this\" after weeks of research. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave land on Social Security for all ages as the rebranding that might actually work — paired with a continuing-education requirement to close the knowledge gap.Timestamps:(00:00) Her study wasn't built for this – but it's the best data we've got(00:13) What happens when jobs don't come back – her data gets uncomfortable(01:41) Gig patchworks surveys can't measure – the labor market nobody's tracking(03:06) \"Cash is not the panacea\" – three years of evidence behind that line(04:16) From anti-UBI to \"how aren't we doing this\" – Dave's shift in weeks(06:24) A $12,000 lump sum first – what monthly cash alone can't fix(08:13) Targeted groups over universal referendums – where testing actually works(11:37) \"You can't pay rent with food stamps\" – lightning round drops(14:32) A weekend class and community credit – Dave's unlock for entrepreneurs(19:23) \"Social Security for all, damn it\" – and why the branding mattersConnect:Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes – Website{{social-links
$1,000 a Month Won't Fix What's Actually Broken
People spent the money on housing, food, and their kids — every global cash study shows this, yet the stereotype persists. The financial wellbeing boost was strong in year one, weaker by year two, and nearly gone by year three. Nobody started a business, but entrepreneurial interest surged because the labor market doesn't work for people who need flexibility. Rhodes says cash hits a wall when healthcare costs $5,000 and there's no quality childcare in your ZIP code. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley press her on what a senator should actually do with this data.Timestamps:(00:00) What critics assume about free money – and what people actually bought(01:30) The most expensive stereotype – conditions on benefits cost taxpayers more(03:22) Parents skipped extra shifts – investing in their kid's confidence instead(06:37) Entrepreneurship interest surged – but almost nobody launched anything(08:23) The boost that vanished – financial wellbeing fading by year three(11:31) What she'd tell a senator – the one design choice that matters most(14:32) Cash can't climb these walls – no childcare, no insurance, no credit score(16:04) The Rise study – why she stopped asking \"does cash work?\"(18:25) Steel-manning her own study – the strongest critique she'd make herselfConnect:Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes – Website{{social-links
What a Social Worker Sees That Economists Walk Past
Recipients were two percentage points less likely to work — and critics called that the whole story. Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes ran the longest three-year unconditional cash experiment in U.S. history, gave 1,000 people $1,000 a month, and found something economists missed: below the poverty line, nobody worked less. Sam Altman helped fund it, but Rhodes had NIH and NSF backing with full scientific independence. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley dig into why it takes a social worker to see what labor data hides.Timestamps:(00:00) A thousand strangers, a thousand dollars – the experiment that changed the debate(01:13) Economists got the mic – here's what they stopped hearing(04:03) A blog post from Sam Altman – how it launched a decade-long study(05:35) Keeping Silicon Valley money honest – NIH, NSF, and full independence(07:28) Richard Nixon backed this idea – fifty years nobody talks about(10:51) 14,000 screened, 3,000 enrolled – randomized to $1,000 or $50(12:05) Two percentage points less employed – what that number actually means(14:52) Below poverty, zero effect – the poorest participants kept workingConnect:Dr. Elizabeth Rhodes – Website{{social-links
What If We Just Gave Everyone Money? (Full)
The biggest US cash experiment returned a big fat zero on measurable child outcomes. Dalton Conley tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave that poverty rewires the body at the DNA level, but cash alone can't undo it. The 1960s negative income tax kept people unemployed longer and increased divorce. AI leaders dropped the jobs apocalypse once it scared people. Alaska's Permanent Fund is the closest thing America has to UBI — bigger checks mean more dentist visits. Conley's lab now uses epigenetic age clocks to measure whether any of this actually moves the needle.(00:00) One missed paycheck – one in three Americans can't survive it(01:11) The 1950s dream – only worked because WWII destroyed the competition(06:11) The biggest cash study – years of brain scans returned zero results(09:28) 1960s UBI test – more unemployment, more divorce than before(11:48) AI leaders pushed UBI – then quietly walked the jobs apocalypse back(12:51) Kennedy's 1963 commission – what do we do when work disappears?(15:38) Why UBI can't pass – eleven percent controls the Senate(22:52) Nobody trusts the system – who actually runs the check?(28:31) Alaska's Permanent Fund – the closest thing America has to UBI(28:54) Bigger checks, more dentist visits – the data nobody's using(31:53) Same house, opposite outcomes – inequality lives inside families(41:58) Ten thousand school boards – zero national health standards(44:35) Would you take the check? – a Princeton professor says yes(49:27) Social Security is untouchable – UBI needs that same armor to survive(54:16) Lightning round – they don't get lazy, they get free🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Would You Take the Check? The Answer Is Complicated
Dalton Conley tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave: yes, he'd take the UBI check — because you don't have a choice. A thousand dollars a month transforms life in rural Mississippi and barely registers in New York City. Jerremy says he'd opt out; Conley says almost nobody thinks that way. Social Security is untouchable because it's near-universal and tied to work — UBI needs that same armor. Conley's lab found that a kid genetically predisposed to insomnia raises parents' drinking and smoking for decades after they leave the house.(00:14) Yes, Conley takes the check – because universal means no opt-out(00:40) $1,000 transforms Mississippi – barely registers in New York City(01:25) Poverty measurement – debated since Molly Orshansky drew the line in 1963(02:32) Jerremy would opt out – Conley says he's a tiny, wonderful minority(04:24) Give it to Bezos too – that's what makes UBI politically bulletproof(05:06) Global UBI – world government territory, but Europe might get there first(05:21) Social Security is untouchable – UBI needs to build that same armor(07:54) Your kid's genes change you – ADHD raises parental drinking for decades(09:50) Lightning round – they don't get lazy, they get free(11:30) The blind spot – trillions in debt, nobody asks where it comes from(12:47) Hosts debrief – is free dental care the actual linchpin?🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Why Dental Care Might Be the UBI Linchpin Nobody Sees
Nobody trusts the institutions that would run the check. Dalton Conley tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave a sovereign wealth fund modeled on Alaska's Permanent Fund — structured like the Federal Reserve — might be the only design that survives politics. When Alaskans get bigger checks, they go to the dentist more, and missing teeth is one of the most stigmatizing outcomes in American life. Two siblings raised in the same house can have wildly different health outcomes based entirely on which genetic hand they drew.(00:00) Who runs the check – when every institution's credibility is already gone(00:12) The military – might be the last institution Americans actually trust(02:51) Sovereign wealth fund – structured like the Fed, owned by every citizen(05:51) Alaska's Permanent Fund – everyone gets one share, no means testing(05:55) Bigger checks, more dentist visits – that's actually what the data shows(07:20) Going to the doctor – notoriously hard to link to better health(09:14) Genes aren't destiny – but only if the environment cooperates(09:45) Mexico's PROGRESA – cash with strings outperforms no-conditions transfers(12:00) Epigenetic age clocks – measuring exactly how fast you're aging(15:31) Same house, different outcomes – inequality lives inside families, not between them(19:18) Education policy – 10,000 local boards and zero national standards🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Biggest US Cash Study Came Back With Nothing
The largest US cash experiment returned a big fat zero on measurable child outcomes. Dalton Conley tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave the American dream only worked because WWII obliterated every competitor. The 1960s negative income tax kept people unemployed longer and increased divorce. AI leaders dropped the jobs apocalypse narrative once it scared people. A MAGA-Bernie coalition might be the only path left — but 11% of the US population can theoretically block it in the Senate.(00:00) One missed paycheck – one in three Americans can't survive it(01:11) The 1950s dream – only worked because WWII destroyed the competition(06:11) Biggest US cash study – years of brain scans came back zero(09:11) 1960s negative income tax – unemployment went up, so did divorce(10:06) The records were lost in a flood – and with them the answer(11:14) AI CEOs pushed UBI – then quietly walked back the jobs apocalypse(12:51) Kennedy's 1963 commission – what do we do when work disappears?(15:38) Why UBI can't pass – eleven percent of people control the Senate(18:43) Chinese imports, opioids – the communities that lost both at once(21:00) Chess got more popular – even after computers made humans irrelevant🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Robots, Free Housing, and the Death of Money — with Chris Remboldt (Full)
Forty percent of Americans are one paycheck from crisis — and Chris Remboldt says that's shareholder capitalism deliberately optimizing stock price over human welfare. Post-money means real wealth is time, energy, and atoms. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that UBI is a dead end, ad-supported free housing and food arrive in 10-15 years, and a self-replicating Von Neumann fleet lands in four years. Dave pushes back on who actually owns the AI making all of this possible.Timestamps:(00:00) The old deal is cracking – what AI does to the American social contract(02:14) Built their own house – what Chris's family learned about real agency(08:14) Shareholder capitalism broke it – quarterly earnings vs. human welfare(13:24) Time, energy, atoms – why money becomes the wrong unit of account(18:06) The zero-start problem – why just using AI doesn't work(25:41) Calibration first – why you have to rescue yourself before anyone can help(30:33) Labor is a terrible foundation – why dignity can't live in a job title(35:07) UBI is a horseshoe – on a horse we're about to stop riding(36:50) Free housing, free food — with ads – the 10-15 year window(41:36) Identity crisis incoming – mind-virus architects will win elections(44:22) Two hours beats eight – Alpha School's gamified curriculum(47:17) Superintelligence is already here – and the robot fleet lands in four years(53:14) Dave's thesis – AI belongs to humanity, not billionaires(60:25) AI stays garbage for a decade – Jerremy's contrarian hot take(65:48) Guardrails nobody is building – who watches the watchers(69:24) Bring us your people – politicians, librarians, anyone with bold ideasConnect:Chris Remboldt – LinkedIn | X🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Superintelligence Is Already Here. The Robot Fleet Lands in Four Years.
Chris Remboldt says superintelligence is already here and a self-replicating Von Neumann robot fleet arrives in four years. He predicts AI companies will quietly replace broken institutions because regulated industries can never reform themselves from inside. Dave pushes back hard: Big AI strip-mined decades of collective intellectual capital for free, and the robots should hit Liberia before the Tesla factory. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley close out with a final verdict — AI is a dumpster fire for another decade, and MrBeast already proved it.Timestamps:(00:00) Lightning round opens – All right, Chris, let's go(00:23) Superintelligence is already here – Chris answers without hesitation(00:28) Robots over UBI – why robotic abundance is the real GDP multiplier(01:44) Pilot licenses and broken regulation – what breaks first under AI pressure(03:12) Von Neumann fleet in four years – the self-replicating robot prediction(04:35) WALL-E wins – most prophetic dystopian movie pick(05:15) Light Cone Systems – Chris's drone compliance and insurance startup(06:16) Dave unloads on Big AI – who actually owns the intellectual capital(09:06) Robots to Liberia first – not the Tesla factory(13:26) AI stays garbage for a decade – Jerremy's contrarian bet explained(14:59) MrBeast's humans-vs-robots – the robots got smoked(16:46) Stop outsourcing thinking – outsource speed instead(18:48) Guardrails nobody is building – who watches the watchers when governments won'tConnect:Chris Remboldt – LinkedIn | X🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Starting at Negative 100: Why Help Isn't Coming for You
Most people aren't starting at zero — they're at negative 100, and Chris Remboldt says the first move is giving up the belief that help is coming. He tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that UBI "makes him think of the DMV" and that in 10-15 years food and housing are free — ad-supported. Labor is a terrible foundation for human dignity. The best mind-virus architect wins every election.Timestamps:(00:00) Negative 100 – people starting in the hole don't have the luxury of optimism(01:28) The calibration problem – why nobody is coming to save you first(02:49) The floor has never been higher – but addiction is the real modern crisis(04:43) Short-form video is the addiction – more pervasive than anything else(06:20) Labor and dignity – why your job title is a terrible identity foundation(07:29) Your hero's journey – where are you in your own mythology(08:38) The infinite money glitch – Elon's robot thesis and when the fleet arrives(10:54) UBI is a horseshoe – on a horse we're about to stop riding(12:37) Free housing, free food — with ads – the 10-15 year window(15:21) Human-made becomes luxury – once machines make everything else(17:23) Mind-virus architect wins – the real power dynamic in every election(20:09) Two hours beats eight – Alpha School's gamified curriculum explainedConnect:Chris Remboldt – LinkedIn | X🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Shareholder Capitalism Broke the Deal. AI Has a Four-Year Fix.
Shareholder charters legally force companies to prioritize quarterly stock prices over mission — and Chris Remboldt says that's the engine behind a generation priced out of owning anything. Post-money isn't a utopia pitch: it's a recognition that real wealth is time, energy, and atoms. Chris tells Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley that a stay-at-home mom can now ship a product with AI that used to require a 10-person tech company. The old deal isn't dead. It's sick.Timestamps:(00:00) The old American deal is cracking – AI is repricing work faster than policy can follow(01:57) Ripped out the plumber's work – what building a house taught Chris about real agency(04:29) Who goes post-money first – homeschool families vs. the credential system(08:15) "Millennials are like people.zip" – apartments, shrinkflation, and the shareholder trap(10:53) Lawsuits force companies backward – why charters legally prevent long-term thinking(13:25) Real wealth is atoms – why money becomes the wrong unit of account(15:08) The nanotech nobody's talking about – the breakthrough that makes things weird(18:07) The zero-start problem – why "make money with AI" is the one strategy that doesn't work(20:30) Meal prep to app to TikTok – how one stay-at-home mom built a product(23:05) The tools are ready – but the one-paycheck crowd didn't get the memoConnect:Chris Remboldt – LinkedIn | X🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Ron Lynch on UBI, the Surveillance State, and Who Owns You (Full)
Ron Lynch moved $6 billion in consumer sales, made four films, and called Spielberg from a grocery store basement at 23. He says UBI doesn't hand out income — it hands out outcome, and outcome without effort is a cage. Alaska's $1,700 annual checks prove nothing; the realistic number is $30K, and at that level you buy complacency — and when a neighbor dies, their check redistributes. Plantations ran on UBI. The surveillance stack to enforce it — Palantir, IDEMIA, Allied Universal — is already built and waiting. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley pull every thread for an hour.Timestamps:(00:00) $15K monthly government check – free money or slow ownership?(01:25) Grocery clerk at 23 – calls Spielberg from the basement, gets in(04:59) $150 in art supplies – the path to a million-dollar painting(07:07) Purpose destroyed – Ron's one-sentence verdict on UBI's real cost(09:16) Rice, not Lunchables – why TeleHelp chose limitation over comfort(10:52) Alaska's $1,700 check – why it proves nothing about real UBI(14:28) $30K and complacency – the real number and what it actually buys(16:47) Tribal math – your death doubles someone else's UBI payment(19:16) Palantir, IDEMIA, Allied Universal – the stack already watching you(22:11) No middle class – feudalism returns, and it comes with Wi-Fi(24:38) Tiny homes, shared kitchens – Ron's word for them is cages(27:45) Manifesto for a Modern Millennium – Ron's update to Common Sense(28:54) Three to five hours – the only time humans ever needed to survive(31:55) Not the check, the chain – Ron's one-line verdict on UBI(32:08) Photo albums hit the table – every phone disappeared instantly(33:28) Freedom vs liberty – ability to choose versus actually doing it(43:24) Netflix disrupted at $5K – what happens when anyone makes films(46:32) $1 movies, blockchain – the creator studio with no corporations(47:44) One film funds the dynasty – some kid's future built on one story(48:58) Make the case for UBI – Dave asks, Ron's answer lands hard(49:28) Plantations ran on UBI – if you love slavery, love this policy(50:08) Which dystopia are we – lightning round picks the film we're in(50:35) Bible outside of time – not predictive, told from a different vantage(55:30) Last thing to trust – not the government with your income(56:03) UBI vs communism – Ron's verdict is worse, not equal(56:48) AI won't create jobs – Ron says that's a human responsibility(59:10) Is purpose chained to a paycheck – Dave's final pushback on RonConnect:Ron Lynch – Website | Trust Me | The Prismic | Substack🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Blockchain Studios at $5K and Why UBI Is Worse Than Communism
UBI isn't communism — it's worse, and the strongest case for it ends with one word: slavery. Ron Lynch says in five years you'll produce a feature film for $5,000 using AI tools and four photos — blockchain kills the studio middleman, $1 admissions split 50/50 with creators, and some random kid funds his family's entire dynasty off one film. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley run the lightning round: which dystopian film we're already in, whether the Bible is predictive or retrospective, and why AI won't create jobs — that's a human responsibility. Dave pushes back on whether purpose is really chained to a paycheck. Ron's final word is a story about one person who proved it isn't.Timestamps:(00:12) Netflix disrupted at $5K – what happens when anyone makes films(03:10) $1 movies, no corporations – Ron's blockchain creator studio model(04:38) One film funds the dynasty – some kid pays for his family's future(05:30) Make the case for UBI – Dave asks, Ron's answer surprises(06:10) Plantations ran on UBI – if you love slavery, love this(07:00) Which dystopia are we building – lightning round picks the film(07:30) Bible isn't predictive – Ron says it's told from outside time(12:18) Last thing to trust – not the government with your income(12:59) UBI vs communism – Ron says UBI is worse, not equal(13:42) AI won't create jobs – Ron says that's a human responsibility(16:03) Purpose chained to a paycheck – Dave's pushback on Ron's core claim(19:09) Ron's final word – one story that proves any of us canConnect:Ron Lynch – Website | Trust Me | The Prismic | Substack🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
The Surveillance Stack That Makes UBI a Leash
Palantir tracks every digital transaction, IDEMIA harvests biometrics, and Allied Universal has cameras on every corner — the compliance infrastructure isn't coming, it's already here. Ron Lynch says UBI is the carrot that locks you into that stack. Without a middle class, you get feudalism with Wi-Fi; tiny homes with shared kitchens are cages with better branding. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley walk through what a 38-year-old's daily life looks like in twenty years under this model. The quote that sticks: "The problem with UBI is not the check, it's the chain." Ron draws the line between freedom — the ability to choose — and liberty — actually doing it.Timestamps:(00:20) Surveillance stack already running – Palantir, IDEMIA, Allied Universal(02:31) No middle class left – feudalism returns, just with Wi-Fi(04:58) Tiny homes, shared kitchens – Ron calls them cages, not communities(08:49) Buy back meth towns – Ron's pitch for cultural villages instead(10:30) Three to five hours – all humans ever needed to survive daily(13:05) Not the check, the chain – Ron's one-line verdict on UBI(17:00) 38-year-old in twenty years – what daily life actually looks like(19:37) No collective human experience – technology breaks the last shared moment(20:07) Photo albums hit the table – every phone disappeared immediately(21:30) Freedom vs liberty – ability to choose versus actually doing itConnect:Ron Lynch – Website | Trust Me | The Prismic | Substack🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
UBI Doesn't Kill Jobs — It Kills Purpose
Alaska's $1,700 annual dividend proves exactly nothing — Ron Lynch says the real number is $30K, and that's precisely where complacency sets in. Ron moved $6 billion in consumer sales, called Spielberg from a grocery store basement at 23, and made four films — and his read is that UBI doesn't hand out income, it hands out outcome. Outcome without effort kills purpose. His charity TeleHelp gave rice and beans, never Lunchables, because limitation is where creativity lives. When a neighbor dies their UBI redistributes — that's tribal math, and it means your death is someone else's windfall. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley take him through all of it.Timestamps:(00:00) $15K monthly government check – free income or a trap?(01:25) Spielberg call at 23 – grocery clerk, basement, gets the meeting(04:59) $150 in art supplies – the path to a million-dollar painting(07:07) Purpose destroyed – Ron's one-sentence verdict on UBI's real cost(09:16) TeleHelp gave rice, not Lunchables – why limitation beats comfort(10:52) Alaska's $1,700 check – why it proves nothing about real UBI(14:28) The $30K number – where complacency lives, not freedom(16:47) Tribal math – your death doubles someone else's UBI checkConnect:Ron Lynch – Website | Trust Me | The Prismic | Substack🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web
Free Lunch? AI, UBI, and Who's Really Paying the Tab (Full)
A third of American workers are one missed paycheck from crisis, and AI is repricing the assumption that human labor has permanent value faster than any safety net can respond. Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave Conley open their UBI series by naming what dissolved the American Dream contract — and pointing to three real experiments that prove giving people a floor doesn't produce laziness: the Alaska Permanent Fund, the Cherokee Nation dividend, and the 2021 Child Tax Credit. The conversation runs the full length — what $1,500 and $15,000 a month actually change in a person's life, why crime data makes the case nearly unarguable, and why Jerremy calls Social Security outright fraud while both agree it should be replaced with UBI for anyone under fifty-five. Dave argues the program has to be constitutionally locked in as Amendment 28 or it gets captured, while Jerremy nominates Vitalik Buterin, pitches a working solar coin concept, and draws a direct line between Bitcoin's 2008 origin and the thesis of universal basic currency. The failure scenario isn't a policy dispute — it's WALL-E and Idiocracy, and both agree shame still has a role to play.Timestamps:(00:00) Free lunch or global socialism – which one does UBI actually deliver?(00:02:37) The dissolving deal – AI reprices the American labor contract, fast(00:08:14) Trust at historic lows – one-third of workers one paycheck from collapse(00:12:06) Funding the floor – loopholes, tax reform, and the negative income tax(00:16:12) $1,500 hits your account tomorrow – what changes and what doesn't(00:19:00) The $15,000 threshold – where financial freedom starts feeling real(00:25:19) Lazy or motivated – where people land when the pressure actually lifts(00:30:27) Crime tied directly to poverty – inject money and watch what happens(00:38:53) Social Security is fraud – Jerremy makes the case, Dave agrees it's toast(00:44:59) Amendment 28 or nobody – no institution can be trusted without guardrails(00:48:04) Vitalik and solar coin – Ethereum, energy credits, and a live vision(00:52:07) Bitcoin as universal basic currency – borderless, ungoverned, and the template(00:57:13) Fewer wage hours – why that trade-off is actually the success metric(01:03:19) The WALL-E scenario – complacency, base desires, and the role of shame🌍 Connect with us: Instagram | YouTube | X | Web