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Katha Pollitt

Katha Pollitt

American poet and essayist

Oct 21, 2026

21:31
And what did she say had happened at that fraternity party? And why do we know so much about it now?
21:40
She said she...
21:41
She went to the frat.
21:44
She was already kind of drunk.
21:46
She had had, I have to say, John, to me, an underplayed element in this story is the drinking and drugs aspect.
21:55
She had had, I think it was 10, 9 or 10 units of alcohol before she arrived there.
22:02
Now, I will tell you and all the millions listening out there, I don't think I've ever done that.
26:05
What were the punishments?
23:31
And what did she say had happened at that fraternity party? And why do we know so much about it now?
23:40
She said she...
23:41
She went to the frat She was already kind of drunk.
23:46
She had had, I have to say, John, to me, an underplayed element in this story is the drinking and drugs aspect.
23:55
She had had, I think it was 10, 9 or 10 units of alcohol before she arrived there.
24:02
Now, I will tell you and all the millions listening out there, I don't think I've ever done that.
24:07
I mean, that is a lot.
28:05
What were the punishments?
16:10
I guess she's a version of Hannah Niedelman?
16:14
Well, we don't really know about the internal life of, you know, the thoughts of Hannah Niedelman, but she does draw on her life in a way.
16:23
But in the book...
16:29
the main character has been raised.
16:34
How has she been raised? She's been raised in a small town by a very sugar and sweet on top, really bitter and hateful on the bottom woman.
16:47
mother who has told her her father is dead, which he is not.
16:55
And she's very smart.

31 MINS LATER

speaker_3UNKNOWN
48:15
Yes.
24:06
saw it.
24:07
No.
24:07
Perhaps that surprises you.
24:09
No. It's like the uncanny valley version of me.
24:13
It's like a Stepford writer.
24:15
And it's so disturbing that this is happening.
24:20
So then I tried another poem.

8 MINS LATER

32:38
It's what they found that is not wrong in some, couldn't be wrong because it's the publicity for your book.
27:13
[laughs]
27:13
I mean, it's just ridiculous.
27:15
Um, and then, this was really disgusting, "Somewhere a judge is sharpening his pen like a scalpel, writing rulings that feel like fingers inside us." Ew, how disgusting.
27:27
And you don't sharpen a pen, I mean, not since the 19th century, or a scal- you don't sharpen a scalpel.
27:33
So, you know, it's just all kind of word, word fog.
27:38
So then I tried Claude because that's, uh, the AI of the moment, and so [laughs] this is what they get.
27:44
"Outside," we- it's the same thing, outs- out the window, outside, "the street does what streets do.

7 MINS LATER

34:27
[laughs] Okay
25:49
But beyond Planned Parenthood, where are groups we can support that provide help to people who need abortions?
25:56
Well, I'm going to mention two.
25:58
One is the National Abortion Federation Rachel Falls Patient Assistance Fund.
26:05
The National Abortion Federation is a large group of abortion providers, and this is their fund to give financial assistance to women and others who need abortions and can't afford them.
26:20
Both Planned Parenthood and NAF have cut back on the amount they will give to individuals from, in the case of the National Abortion Federation, it was instead of $500, it's now $300.
26:34
So if you give money to them, to this patient assistance fund, you're really helping.
26:40
You're really helping.
28:13
Where are the groups that individuals can support that are truly independent and that are never going to submit to Trump's lies?

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