Hollywood is at a breaking point—and audiences can feel it.

On In the Tank Podcast #522, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, Chris Talgo, S.T. Karnick, and Donald Kendal dig into what’s reshaping movies and TV right now: DEI-era gatekeeping, studios quietly changing course, shrinking opportunities for creators, and the growing role of AI in entertainment.

They’re joined by Christian Toto, returning for his fifth annual appearance, to break down how Hollywood’s incentives filtered out creative voices—and why so many films now feel safe, preachy, and lifeless.

The panel also tackles Disney’s new AI deal involving OpenAI’s Sora platform and what it means for writers, actors, and storytelling itself. Plus: the crew runs through their “Unhinged” list of the worst movies and TV of 2025—and what might actually be worth watching next.

If Hollywood has lost its edge, this episode explores why—and what comes next.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET every Friday on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapters:
00:33 Intro
01:57 Special Guest Introduction
03:55 Support Our Sponsor!
05:50 Unhinged: Worst Movies of 2025
22:08 Film Affected By DEI
49:15 AI in Movies? Good or Bad?
1:19:25 The Future of Movies: Embracing The Experience

STORIES COVERED ON THE SHOW:

DEI To Blame? - Writers and other roles in movie companies are being filtered by DEI politics in Hollywood. Does this have an effect on the quality of films?

https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-lost-generation/

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/hollywood-drops-dei-programs-donald-trump-disney-paramount-amazon-1236327202/

AI in Movies - Where is it good, and Where does it suck?

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/disney-openai-sora-agreement/
https://archive.ph/2xtns

Optimism for the Future: the best films of 2025, what to look forward to in 2026 and beyond.

https://x.com/vegasstarfish/status/1961588349799731453
https://www.imdb.com/calendar/

"Woke" and its pushers continues to be exposed for the ugliness, fraud and tyranny their policies unleash on the rest of us, all over the world. We'll cover how the architect of Jaguar’s disastrous rebrand has finally been canned, and Rep. Aftyn Behn’s loss to Matt Van Epps in Tennessee reveals her and her party as very sore losers indeed.

We'll also take a look at the years of widespread fraud inside Minnesota’s social services system, and discuss how Governor Walz not only buried the problem but may be setting the stage for even more abuse through a new program.

And on UNHINGED: Multiple-time violent criminals are being released to attack people again, and other craziness.

The Heartland Institute's Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, and S.T. Karnick will talk about all of this and more on Episode #521 of the In The Tank Podcast.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapters:　
00:33 Introduction
02:33 Panel Introduction
5:17 Unhinged: UN calls itself Moral Compass
24:22 Remember Woke Jaguar?
33:17 Invest in Advisory Metals!
37:14 Bad Loser Behn
46:00 Minnesota Fraud and More Fraud

Thanksgiving is approaching, but grocery prices seem to just keep getting higher. We will discuss what causes food costs to rise, and how it can be stopped.

A new exclusive from the Free Beacon reports that George Soros gave a quarter million dollars to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which works with advertisers for Big Tech trying to deplatform conservative voices and destroy X.com. Plus, Rasmussen polling found that a worrying chunk of young voters would be willing to hand functions of government over to AI, including policymaking decisions and our very rights.

And on UNHINGED: Trump Derangement Syndrome increasingly appears to be a genuine pathology, with sufferers totally unable to cope.

The Heartland Institute's Linnea Lueken, S.T. Karnick, Jim Lakely, and Chris Talgo will talk about all of this and more on Episode #520 of the In The Tank Podcast. Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Interesting and recommended video on AI: We Are Not Ready for Super Intelligence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KVDDfAkRgc&t

Chapters:
00:38 Intro
02:17 Panel Introduction
06:47 UNHINGED: Trump Derangement Syndrome Continues
20:57 Real Reason Food Cost is High
43:30 Advisory Metals
45:33 Soros continues to control the media
54:31 AI OVERLORDS?

America’s great exodus from major cities and entire states keeps accelerating — and the election of socialist Mayor Mamdani in New York City is only speeding things up. Yet polls show young Americans becoming more favorable toward socialism, even embracing ideas like government-run grocery stores. What does that say about our culture, our education system, and the nation’s future?

On the education side, things are just as alarming. UC San Diego reports that incoming students can’t meet basic math expectations — not just at grade level, but far below it. How did we get here, and how can states and the federal government fix this before it truly spirals out of control?

PLUS on UNHINGED:
An AI-generated country song has charted in online music sales. Is this a sign of an unhinged future — or has mainstream music been formulaic and awful for years anyway?

The Heartland Institute’s Linnea Lueken, S.T. Karnick, Jim Lakely, and Chris Talgo break it all down on Episode #519 of the In the Tank Podcast.

Tune in LIVE at 1 p.m. ET and join us in the live chat!
Streaming on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Support our sponsor, Advisor Metals:
https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapter:
02:08 Intro
5:48 TOP Country song is AI????
24:36 Exodus of NYC and other Blue States
36:11 Most Young Voters Embrace Socialism
1:10:43 How Do We Fix Our Education System?

On Tuesday, New York City elected a trust-fund communist as mayor. New Jersey, which seemed to be trending red, put a scandal-ridden Democrat in the governor's mansion. In Virginia, voters rejected a black Republican conservative woman over a woke former CIA spook who pledged to force girls and women to endure biological men in their private spaces again. Oh, and Dems in the Old Dominion also elected a man who wished a political opponent and his children would be murdered so his grieving wife would finally agree with him on policy as she held her family in her arms.

The weird part is that all these results were expected for weeks. What happened? On Episode #518 of the In the Tank Podcast, the Heartland Institute's Linnea Lueken, S.T. Karnick, Jim Lakely, and Chris Talgo will break it all down. It seems that the rise of socialism has not been arrested after all. Is this an outlier, or a sign that the midterm elections in 2026 will be a bloodbath for Trump and the MAGA movement.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapters:
02:17 Intro
02:46 Panel and Open Reactions
05:22 Zohran Speech Reaction
30:19 Mamdani's Exit Poll Analysis
47:35 Young People Loves Mamdani
1:06:57 Virginia and New Jersey stayed blue too
1:21:45 Advisory Metals!
1:23:29 Socialism Rising? (& How to fix it)

A year of crazy climate news comes to a close as Christmas and New Year’s approaches. What were the craziest of 2025? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
In our last episode of 2025, The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will share their picks for the craziest and most-significant stories in climate and energy this year. And, as usual, we will answer as many audience questions as we can.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

STORIES COVERED ON THE SHOW

MANHATTAN CONTRARIAN (Francis Mention): The Electric Vehicle Collapse: Wow, That Was Quick!
https://www.manhattancontrarian.com/blog/2025-12-17-the-electric-vehicle-collapse-wow-that-was-quick

REUTERS: Wind and solar power frozen out of Trump permitting push
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/wind-solar-power-frozen-out-trump-permitting-push-2025-12-10/

YALE360: Facing a Hostile Administration, U.S. Offshore Wind Is in Retreat
https://e360.yale.edu/features/east-coast-offshore-wind

WHITEHOUSE.GOV: Trump Ends Market Distorting Subsidies for Unreliable, Foreign-Controlled Energy Sources
https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/07/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-ends-market-distorting-subsidies-for-unreliable-foreign-controlled-energy-sources/

ILLINOIS ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL: Gov. JB Pritzker set to approve energy bill boosting battery storage for renewables despite debate over costs
https://ilenviro.org/gov-jb-pritzker-set-to-approve-energy-bill-boosting-battery-storage-for-renewables-despite-debate-over-costs/

INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH: California Shuts Down Its Solar Thermal Plant 13 Years Early
https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/big-green/california-shuts-down-its-solar-thermal-plant-13-years-early/

The signs are all around us. The climate cult is losing its grip on our politics and culture. The UN’s climate conference, COP30 in Brazil, was a flop that even the alarmist cheerleaders in the legacy media could not ignore. A major paper justifying radical climate action was just retracted. The Sierra Club is shedding a shocking number of members. And when was the last time you saw climate alarmist propaganda shoved annoyingly into your favorite TV show or movie – which was very common not so long ago?

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guest Jason Isaac, Founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute and a former state legislator in Texas. We will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including a new pro-coal movie with an unexpected twist, how to handle a climate crazed wife, a claim that living modern life causes $5 billion of climate damage an hour, and why Americans in blue states pay so much more for energy than those in red states.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET every Friday on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapters:
00:55 Intro
02:34 Panel and Guest Introduction
5:30 Crazy Climate News of the Week
14:41 How to stop your Wife from being a Climate Nut Job
28:05 The Guardian: Food and Fossil Fuel Production causing 5Bn Damage
37:11 Blue State Energy Crisis
51:05 Main Topic EPA Exits Climate Alarm Business
1:05:05 Advisory Metals
1:06:33 Q&A

Stories we covered on this program:

1. QUEEN OF COAL
Daily Caller: Netflix To Platform Film About ‘Trans Woman’ Who Yearns For Coal Mines
https://dailycaller.com/2025/12/08/netflix-pump-show-trans-woman-who-yearns-coal-mines-home/

2. TAKE MY WIFE, PLEASE
How Can I Stop My Wife From Badgering Our Friends About Climate Change?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/style/how-can-i-stop-my-wife-from-badgering-our-friends-about-climate-change.html

3. $5 BILLION OF DAMAGE PER HOUR
THE GUARDIAN: ‘Food and fossil fuel production causing $5bn of environmental damage an hour’
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/09/food-fossil-fuel-production-5bn-environmental-damage-an-hour-un-geo-report-

4. BLUE STATE ENERGY BLUES
INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH: Blue States, High Rates
https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/the-grid/blue-states-high-rates/

5. EPA EXITS ALARM BUSINESS
NY TIMES: E.P.A. Erases Mention of Humans Causing Climate Change From Some Web Pages
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/climate/epa-website-climate-change-causes.html

The signs are all around us. The climate cult is losing its grip on our politics and culture. The UN’s climate conference, COP30 in Brazil, was a flop that even the alarmist cheerleaders in the legacy media could not ignore. A major paper justifying radical climate action was just retracted. The Sierra Club is shedding a shocking number of members. And when was the last time you saw climate alarmist propaganda shoved annoyingly into your favorite TV show or movie – which was very common not so long ago?

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guest and fan favorite Steve Milloy of Junkscience.com. We will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including an exodus from EPA, what climate policy failure looks like in graph form, perhaps the cringiest moment in COP history, and Donald Trump’s call to have those who have pushed climate alarmism investigated.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.
Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

STORIES WE COVERED:

THE SPECTATOR: From Matt Ridley, The End of the Climate Cult
https://thespectator.com/topic/climate-politics-come-down-to-earth/

Hot Air: Zillow Stops Providing Climate Risk Scores
https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2025/12/02/zillow-stops-providing-climate-risk-scores-n3809474#google_vignette

New York Times: Top Journal Retracts Study Predicting Catastrophic Climate Toll
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/business/economy/study-climate-damage-retracted.html

Remember when they told you climate change was causing a ‘mass extinction’? Never mind!
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/12/02/remember-when-they-told-you-climate-change-was-causing-a-mass-extinction-never-mind/

Electroverse Substack: Global Temps Cooled In November
https://electroverse.substack.com/p/global-temps-cooled-in-november-australias

Joanne Nova: The phase-change continues: The Sierra Club loses 60% of members, 350.org is suspended
https://joannenova.com.au/2025/11/the-phase-change-continues-the-sierra-club-loses-60-of-members-350-org-is-suspended/

Chapters:
00:48 Intro
04:14 Zillow Stops Providing Climate Risk Assessment Scores
14:39 Huge Alarmist Retraction
29:04 Chilling Out in November
39:04 Sierra Club Shedding Members
46:26 The End of Climate Cult
1:05:19 Advisory Metal
1:08:24 Q & A

The latest annual UN climate conference, COP 30, is coming to a close. Already a failure, the delegates of doom who gathered in Brazil decided that they needed a serious goal to cap off the conference. What did they come up with? Nothing less than the coming up with a concrete roadmap for the complete phase-out of fossil fuels. They might as well have agreed on drawing out a roadmap to Neverland, because that’s just as likely to be found as a future with zero use of fossil fuels.

The Heartland Institute's Jim Lakely, Sterling Burnett, and Linnea Lueken will be joined by special guests Craig Rucker of CFACT, who just got back from COP 30 in Brazil, and Tony Heller, one of the most-popular and influential climate realism communicators in America. We will also cover also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week, including an exodus from EPA, what climate policy failure looks like in graph form, perhaps the cringiest moment in COP history, and Donald Trump’s call to have those who have pushed climate alarmism investigated.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook.

Visit our sponsor, Advisor Metals: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Chapters:
02:35 Panel introduction
04:16 Crazy Climate News of the Week
09:05 COP Failures in Graphs
17:00 CRINGE: COP Rap
22:50 Trump to Investigate Climate Alarmist
40:40 MAIN TOPIC: COP 30 was a failure
1:04:26 Advisory Metals!
1:06:26 Q & A

Is COP30 shaping up to be the worst UN climate conference ever? The 30th Conference of the Parties is underway in the Brazilian jungle — some of which was cleared and paved to bring the private jet-set and bureaucrats into the venue. And just days in, the whole thing is already descending into chaos.

A large group of angry indigenous protesters have stormed the conference, furious that the agenda left them out. Poor planning and shoddy infrastructure have led to rain leaking through light fixtures, broken air conditioning, and even problems with something as basic as toilet paper disposal.

Maybe sensing this impending farce, at least 30 major countries — including the United States — have declined to send official government delegations. We’re only a few days in, and it’s already looking like the worst COP ever. That takes some doing.

On Episode #182 of The Climate Realism Show, we’ll break down what’s really happening at COP30 and what it reveals about the people who want to control every aspect of our lives to “save the planet.”

The Heartland Institute’s Jim Lakely, Anthony Watts, Sterling Burnett, Linnea Lueken and guest Chris Martz will also cover some of the Crazy Climate News of the Week.

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, X, and Facebook — and jump into the live chat!

Chapters:
00:55 Intro
02:35 Special Guest and Panel Introduction
04:17 Crazy climate news of the week
19:41 Democrats are getting quieter over Climate News?
29:35 COP 30: The Natives are Restless
36:09 COP Pledge Defeat the Deniers
51:49 The COP 30 Fall Out
1:07:03 Advisory Metals!
1:08:51 Q & A

Hollywood is at a breaking point—and audiences can feel it.

On In the Tank Podcast #522, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, Chris Talgo, S.T. Karnick, and Donald Kendal dig into what’s reshaping movies and TV right now: DEI-era gatekeeping, studios quietly changing course, shrinking opportunities for creators, and the growing role of AI in entertainment.

They’re joined by Christian Toto, returning for his fifth annual appearance, to break down how Hollywood’s incentives filtered out creative voices—and why so many films now feel safe, preachy, and lifeless.

The panel also tackles Disney’s new AI deal involving OpenAI’s Sora platform and what it means for writers, actors, and storytelling itself. Plus: the crew runs through their “Unhinged” list of the worst movies and TV of 2025—and what might actually be worth watching next.

If Hollywood has lost its edge, this episode explores why—and what comes next.

After years of funding and fueling climate panic, Bill Gates has done an about-face. In a new 17-page memo released ahead of COP-30 in Brazil, Gates admits that rising temperatures will “not lead to humanity’s demise” and urges the climate community to drop its “doomsday outlook.” This marks a stunning shift for one of the world’s most prominent climate influencers and could signal a long-overdue return to honest, fact-based climate discussion.

Watch Full Episode Here: https://www.youtube.com/live/2wS0XXsVQ1E

Join us LIVE at 1 p.m. ET on YouTube, Rumble, and X. Visit our sponsor, ADVISOR METALS: https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

Imagine walking into a classroom where students are being taught that socialism "just hasn't been done properly yet." Now imagine those same students growing up in an economy where buying a home feels impossible, starting a business requires navigating endless regulations, and the American Dream seems reserved for previous generations. This is the reality behind the most startling polling data we've released in years.

The Heartland Institute's GROUNDBREAKING NEW POLL reveals a generation that's not just frustrated - they're ready to abandon free market principles entirely. The numbers paint a troubling picture of where America is headed:

• 52% of young voters actively want a socialist presidential candidate in 2028
• 76% support nationalizing major industries including healthcare, energy, and big tech
• 35% of Trump voters from 2024 now embrace socialist candidates
• 40% of young Republicans agree with government takeover of major industries
• Housing costs identified as the #1 driver pushing youth toward socialism

But here's what makes this crisis even more alarming: these young Americans have never experienced a true free market economy. They've grown up in a world of government bailouts, regulatory capture, and crony capitalism - then been told this IS capitalism. When Obamacare made healthcare more expensive, when zoning laws prevented new housing construction, when endless regulations killed small businesses during COVID while big corporations thrived, young people didn't see government failure - they saw capitalism failing them.

The educational system compounds this problem. Former teachers reveal shocking stories of mentor educators promoting Marxist ideology, presenting the Russian Revolution's "other side," and whitewashing socialism's deadly history. Students graduate believing government control equals fairness, never learning that the problems they want socialism to solve were actually created by government intervention in the first place.

What's driving this massive shift? The polling reveals it's not abstract ideology - it's concrete economic pain. Young Americans face housing costs that have skyrocketed due to government regulations, job markets distorted by endless interventions, and an education system that saddles them with crushing debt while teaching them to blame the wrong culprit for their struggles.

The solution isn't more government control - it's showing these Americans what actual free market solutions look like. But time is running out. Every day we delay addressing the root causes of their economic frustration, more young Americans conclude that socialism is their only hope.

Are we witnessing the end of free market America? Can we reverse this trend before it's too late? The data suggests we have a narrow window to act before this generation's political preferences reshape our nation permanently.

Read the full poll results here:
https://heartland.org/opinion/heartland-rasmussen-poll-53-of-young-voters-want-a-socialist-to-win-the-2028-presidential-election-76-want-government-to-nationalize-major-u-s-industries/

The In the Tank Podcast is sponsored by Advisor Metals:
https://climaterealismshow.com/metals

SUPPORT the work of The Heartland Institute with a tax-deductible donation:
https://heartland.org/donate/

What happens when independent scientists are given free rein to examine climate data without political pressure? The Climate Working Group's new DOE report has ignited fierce debate in the scientific community, with some claiming misrepresentation while others defend rigorous data analysis. Are we witnessing a long-overdue shift toward evidence-based climate science?

description

• SHOCKING REVELATIONS: Five independent climate scientists commissioned by Secretary of Energy Chris Wright have published findings that directly challenge mainstream climate narratives through rigorous observational data analysis

• KEY SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS: The Climate Working Group presents peer-reviewed evidence suggesting warming trends may be significantly weaker than computer models predict, with extreme weather attribution claims lacking proper statistical foundation

• FIERCE ACADEMIC BACKLASH: Critics from leading climate institutions are launching coordinated responses, claiming data misrepresentation, while supporters argue this represents long-overdue scientific transparency and evidence-based methodology

• OBSERVATIONAL VS. MODEL-BASED SCIENCE: The report prioritizes real-world temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric measurements over computer simulations, revealing substantial uncertainties in current climate projections and policy recommendations

• UNPRECEDENTED TRANSPARENCY: Secretary Wright specifically assembled this diverse team of experts to encourage open scientific debate rather than consensus enforcement, with the report now undergoing rigorous public review through official DOE channels

• STATISTICAL ANALYSIS BREAKTHROUGH: Advanced statistical methods reveal significant flaws in current attribution studies, particularly regarding extreme weather events and their connection to greenhouse gas emissions

Heartland Institute President James Taylor electrifies CPAC Poland with a rallying cry for faith, family, and freedom. Speaking in Jasionka on May 27, 2025, Taylor salutes Poland’s centuries-long defiance of tyranny and urges conservatives across Europe to “stand tall for freedom” in the face of mounting EU pressure to adopt Net-Zero policies. He reminds the crowd that for most of recorded history the climate has been warmer than today, yet humanity thrived, and he warns that “totalitarian socialists” in Brussels threaten both prosperity and national sovereignty. Taylor lays out a blueprint for economic revival built on abundant coal, natural gas, and nuclear power, echoing the energy boom unleashed in the United States under President Trump. Finally, he calls on every Pole—and every European—to raise their flag high and join a growing international movement for liberty and independent nation-states.

Learn more about The Heartland Institute, a 40-year-old freedom-centric think tank, here: https://www.heartland.org/index.html