Friday the 13th News Roundup: From Fetterman and Bannon to Antarctic Discovery

Friday the 13th brings a collection of stories you likely haven't encountered through mainstream channels. From unexpected political dining companions to scientific discoveries frozen in time, this episode peels back layers of news that deserve attention but often get overlooked.

We start with Senator John Fetterman's eyebrow-raising dinner with Steve Bannon at a prominent MAGA establishment—surprisingly, on Fetterman's wedding anniversary. While acknowledging Fetterman's recent stands supporting Israel and his willingness to reach across the aisle, we ponder the wisdom of associating with controversial figures like Bannon. This political odd couple exemplifies the complex nature of today's partisan landscape, where unexpected alliances continue to form and dissolve.

The episode takes a darker turn examining the disturbing case of South Carolina Republican Representative RJ May, charged with distributing over 200 files of child pornography under an inappropriate username. This sobering story highlights both the depravity that technology can enable and important questions about how authorities can better protect children while pursuing those who exploit them.

On a more enlightening note, we touch on the fascinating discovery of a 30-million-year-old "lost world" beneath Antarctic ice, described as opening a time capsule to Earth's distant past. We also explore longevity research suggesting dietary adjustments as we age, particularly reducing animal protein consumption after 65. The episode concludes with the remarkable tale of a modern-day Frank Abagnale Jr. who scored 120 free flights through a creative airline crew impersonation scheme.

What's your favorite sports movie? Share your picks as we prepare for our Friday movie night tradition with "Saving Private Ryan." Join us Sunday morning for our Brute Awakening podcast where we'll dive into more thought-provoking topics!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Friday the 13th Introduction
• 1:05 Fetterman Dining with Steve Bannon
• 3:36 Republican Rep's Child Pornography Scandal
• 7:21 Antarctic Discovery and Longevity Diet
• 8:58 Airline Con Man's Free Flights
• 10:32 Movie Night and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:15

Happy Friday the 13th. Woot, woot. Okay, it's the weekend, or it's getting ready to be the weekend. I have lots of stories for you today that you probably won't hear on mainstream media. That's what we do here at An Americanist Podcast. We bring you things that you're not really going to see anywhere else unless you have the New York Post app, which do, and that's what I use. All right, here we go. Uh, the first one I want to talk about I'm going to save that one for last, because that's kind of light-hearted about this con man with airlines. Uh, let's look. Let's talk about John.

Speaker 1: 0:53

Senator John Fetterman spotted dining with Steve Bannon at MAGA hotspot in DC on wedding anniversary. John, oh, look, I love what you've been doing with your standing up with Israel and, uh, calling out these anti-Semites. I appreciate you on that front and I appreciate you kind of having having an open mind with MAGA and Republicans, but Steve Bannon is not the man to be. Oh, please, don't be swayed by him. I mean, it's okay, I guess Pennsylvania I don't have. Look, um, steve Bannon. I have mixed feelings about Steve Bannon. I would like to know your thoughts on Steve Bannon. Listener, dear listeners. Like to know your thoughts on Steve Bannon. Listener, dear listeners, dear Mr Shons and Mr Giblets, I would like your thoughts on Steve Bannon. But here we go. Let's read the story, because I have mixed emotions. I don't know how I feel about him. My gut reaction is no, stay away from Trump. Steve Bannon, on the other hand, like, well you know, maybe he does have some good ideas, maybe I don't know. I just think he's a little wacko out there a little too far. I put him in the box with alex jones, because I like alex jones too, but I think he's a little wacko as well.

Speaker 1: 2:16

Pennsylvania senator john fetterman was spotted dining with President Trump's ex-top strategist, steve Bannon. He's an ex-top strategist for a reason at a Top MAGA hangout on Capitol Hill earlier this week, on his 17th anniversary, he was seen at the Washington DC Bistro Butterworth's on Monday dining with Breitbart's Matt Boyle and Bannon, who was there for about 20 minutes. According to Political Playbook, bannon, who hosts the War Room podcast, a favorite among the MAGA faithful, has long been viewed as a boogeyman among Democrats. But Fetterman hasn't been shy about interacting with top MAGA world figures, even if doing so enrages his base. In January he tricked down to Mar-a-Lago. Oh yes, remember that he did do that, so good for John Fetterman for reaching out and at least talking to the other side. Good, all right, we got to talk about a South Carolina Republican representative.

Speaker 1: 3:22

Rj May just distributed hundreds of child porn files under the username Joe Biden NNN69,. According to the feds Again from the New York Post, this is somebody from our side y'all. So I call them out, strikes and balls right. A South Carolina Republican lawmaker who once preached about the importance of safeguarding children from unnecessary harm is accused of distributing more than 200 files of child pornography online while using the screen name Joe Biden NNN. 69. The house of representatives in the palmetto state was arrested at his lexington county home wednesday on a 10 count indictment, charging him with distributing with just with distributing child sex abuse material. A court's document showed the married father of two used the pen name joe biden 69 and several other usernames to exchange 220 obscene files containing extremely graphic footage of children and toddlers engaged in sex acts on the messaging app Kik over five days last spring. The federal prosecutors alleged the three-term rep allegedly downloaded the sickening files on his home wi-fi network and cell phone. Prosecutors said noting that some files were hidden using a private network, while others were directly linked to his personal ip address. Lawmakers, uh for may, suggested at his arraignment that someone else could have been using his Wi-Fi password to well, I guess. So that's true. Officials launched their investigation after the social app flagged suspicious activity to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Agents searched may's house in august of 2004 and seized seized nearly three dozen electronic devices from his home, including a laptop, a tablet, four cell phones, four hard drives and 19 thumb drives. Goodness, on one of those seized devices, may allegedly kept several videos of himself on trips to columbia engaging in sex with three women who appeared to be underage and were, oh my gosh, and were paid a dhs. Official testified. Goodness gracious, may first elected into 2020.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Okay, I'm not going to read any more of this. Wow, okay, first of I look. We have all this technology and they say that there's all these videos out there of children, toddlers, now engaged in sex acts. This is a level of depravity I've never even I can't, even I can't even form words to to tell you how disgustingly evil evil is not even a good word. It has to be worse than evil. Uh. So my question is, though you would think you would think that they were able to, that these people engaged in these acts not just having the files on their phone, but the people who are actually making the videos. Go find those people. I know you can do it, I know you can, and why they haven't done so is beyond me. We're moving on. I didn't know it got that sick. All right, so 30, there's a long article. I'm not going to read this, but it's out there on my ex. I want you to go read it because I think it's fascinating. A 30 million year old lost world beneath the Antarctic ice, discovered Like opening a time capsule. That is on my ex. Go look at that.

Speaker 1: 7:25

Longevity doctor reveals the best diets for healthy aging and the change to make at 65. Basically, stuff I've already known you need protein. You need protein. You also need vegetables. So you love your steak could make you prematurely meet your maker. I don't think so. While protein is essential for muscle maintenance and overall health, eating too much protein, especially at a certain age age, could be shaving years off your life. So when you're older than 65, they say to cut back on the meat and get your proteins a different way.

Speaker 1: 8:00

Animal proteins are rich in arginine, leucine. I don't know if I know, I'm not leucine, leucine, I don't know and contain specific sequences of amino acids that stimulate igf1 secretion, whereas an equivalent. There's a lot of science there, a lot of garbage. Go go, blah, blah, blah. Between the ages of 30 and 65, consumption of mainly plant-based sources of protein is recommended. The midlife period is the age of disease formation and is when the okay, whatever. You go read all that. That's boring. Um, whatever, all right, I want to get back to this other thing, and then I've got to go because I'm already over my time allotted. So here we go.

Speaker 1: 8:45

Brilliant airhead con man scored 120, 120 free flights 120 free flights in clever catch-me-if-you-can style scam. Paging Frank Abagnale Jr, a Florida man con man, scored more than 120 free flights by posing as a crew member with at least seven different airlines in a wild catch-me-if-you-can style scam. According to federal prosecutors, tyron Alexander, age 35, whose scheme echoes that of the real-life imposter pilot who inspired the Leonardo DiCaprio movie, was convicted of fraud on June 5th. According to blah blah, blah, Alexander took swindling to a new heights by submitting scores of fake flight attendant credentials, including phony badge numbers, to book free flights between 2018 and 2024. How is this possible in today's world. I mean, I could understand it when the real con man did it back in the day, but how is this possible in 2025? The clever airhead turned in the bogus paperwork when did he turn it into? Complete with roughly 30 fabricated hire dates and ID numbers to get aboard flights without paying A perk, only offered to pilots and crew members? Well, he did so. He did his research. The fraudster previously worked for an unidentified airline in Dallas, ah, so he has a little bit of back knowledge on how to do this, but was never pilot or flight attendant for the firm, according to the prosecutors. So there you go. All right, we need to move on.

Speaker 1: 10:18

Question of the day okay, we are going to watch a movie tonight. We've been watching movies every Friday. We're going to watch Saving Private Ryan. Can you believe I have never seen that movie? Oh my gosh. I know the shame, but I'm going to rectify that today. And we're going to watch Saving Private Ryan. But I also like sports movies. So give me I may have asked this before. I don't know what is your favorite sports movie, because I love me some sports movies. I don't know why I just do. I'm also a rom-com girl too, but I also like sports movies, yeah, but we're watching Save it, private Ryan tonight. All right, gotta go. The Gent and I will be back on Sunday with our podcast at Brute Awakening, so be on the lookout for that on Sunday morning. All right, gotta go, love y'all. Thanks for listening, bye.