Nate Wilcox

Doing his part to help the Trump administration get their civil war on, Texas Attorney General (and U.S. Senate candidate) Ken Paxton has announced under­cov­er oper­a­tions to “infil­trate and uproot left­ist ter­ror cells in Texas.” “Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people,” said Attorney General Paxton. “The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America. There can be no compromise with those who want us dead. To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming.” The radical Left has incubated an environment where political violence is not only justified but celebrated and praised. In July, nearly two dozen armed leftists connected to various Texas-based Antifa-like groups ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) facility in Alvarado, Texas.

Texas AG Ken Paxton ready to go undercover after antifa trans terror cells www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/texa...

They tracked our bathroom breaks. Now nobody talks to management about anything. My company installed badge scanners at every door about six months ago. Said it was "for security purposes" but we all knew what it was really for. Two weeks later management starts having one on ones asking why certain people are "away from their desks so frequently." Turns out they were tracking our bathroom breaks, how long we took for lunch, everything. My coworker got pulled aside because she was "spending too much time in the break room." She has IBS. That was a fun HR complaint. But here's where it backfired spectacularly. People stopped talking to management about ANYTHING. Before, if you saw a problem or had an idea, you'd just walk over and mention it. Now? Nobody moves unless absolutely necessary. That means nobody's catching issues before they become expensive disasters. Last month a machine broke down because nobody wanted to walk across the building to tell the supervisor about a weird noise. Cost the company $50k in repairs and lost production. When management asked why nobody said anything, the response was "didn't want it to look like I was away from my desk too long." Now they're doing mandatory "collaboration sessions" trying to figure out why communication has completely died. We all just sit there in silence. Nobody's explaining that we're doing exactly what they wanted - staying at our desks and not moving around unnecessarily. The tracking is still active. Communication is still dead. It's honestly beautiful to watch.

Fight the power

Nielsen's big knockout for wrestling ratings What does this mean for UFC's future numbers on Paramount?

in 1991 SoundScan upended the music biz, will Nielson's Big Data do the same to TV sports?

Nielsen's big knockout for wrestling ratings What does this mean for UFC's future numbers on Paramount?

in 1991 SoundScan upended the music biz, will Nielson's Big Data do the same to TV sports?

They tracked our bathroom breaks. Now nobody talks to management about anything. My company installed badge scanners at every door about six months ago. Said it was "for security purposes" but we all knew what it was really for. Two weeks later management starts having one on ones asking why certain people are "away from their desks so frequently." Turns out they were tracking our bathroom breaks, how long we took for lunch, everything. My coworker got pulled aside because she was "spending too much time in the break room." She has IBS. That was a fun HR complaint. But here's where it backfired spectacularly. People stopped talking to management about ANYTHING. Before, if you saw a problem or had an idea, you'd just walk over and mention it. Now? Nobody moves unless absolutely necessary. That means nobody's catching issues before they become expensive disasters. Last month a machine broke down because nobody wanted to walk across the building to tell the supervisor about a weird noise. Cost the company $50k in repairs and lost production. When management asked why nobody said anything, the response was "didn't want it to look like I was away from my desk too long." Now they're doing mandatory "collaboration sessions" trying to figure out why communication has completely died. We all just sit there in silence. Nobody's explaining that we're doing exactly what they wanted - staying at our desks and not moving around unnecessarily. The tracking is still active. Communication is still dead. It's honestly beautiful to watch.

Fight the power

TINA remains in full effect. “There is no alternative,” was the slogan of neo-liberal patron saint UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who, along with US President Ronald Reagan, architected the wealth pump that has dramatically increased income and wealth inequality for the last 45 years. Unfortunately, all mainstream Western political parties continue to insist there is no alternative to ever increasing inequality. The Western center left seems willing to try, and do, virtually anything in response to the polycrisis, anything, that is, except address financial inequality. There have been some exceptions in the past decade, but both Bernie Sanders in the U.S. and Jeremy Corbyn in the U.K. were utterly crushed by 2020. Now that both the Democratic party establishment and Keir Starmer’s Labour are plummeting in popularity, is there any hope for a revival of redistributionist politics?

Nat Wilson Turner's latest at Naked Capitalism www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/tina...

Naked Capitalism is fundraising. Please contribute if you appreciate their work and can www.nakedcapitalism.com/tip-jar

Naked Capitalism is fundraising. Please contribute if you appreciate their work and can www.nakedcapitalism.com/tip-jar

in a few hours, yes

ESPN who? The Paramount refresh at UFC 320 Five fascinating takeaways from a subdued Las Vegas card.

"Within minutes of Alex Pereira recapturing the UFC Light Heavyweight title in spectacular fashion against Magomed Ankalaev, TKO already posted the UFC 320 PPV main event on YouTube. At the time of publication, that video already had over eight million views."

ESPN who? The Paramount refresh at UFC 320 Five fascinating takeaways from a subdued Las Vegas card.

"Within minutes of Alex Pereira recapturing the UFC Light Heavyweight title in spectacular fashion against Magomed Ankalaev, TKO already posted the UFC 320 PPV main event on YouTube. At the time of publication, that video already had over eight million views."

YouTube video by Plutopia News Network Nate Wilcox: The State of The Union

Spoke to Plutopia News www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfra...

The latest from Nat Wilson Turner for Ian Welsh

www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/trum...

Mark Shapiro chose speed over leverage on UFC & boxing deals. Why? TKO's rush to grab guaranteed cash changed ESPN's fortunes. What's next?

"By rushing into the open market, TKO’s leadership converted a position of strength into a position of urgency.

"Why was Mark Shapiro in such a big hurry?"

With the United States federal government shutting down over a funding dispute in Congress even as POTUS Donald Trump sends troops into more U.S. cities and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claims to be remaking the U.S. military, is it possible to tell clampdown from clownshow? And that’s not even mentioning increasing signs of expanding threats of war in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and possibly South America. I’m going to try to apply the lens of deliberate deception, delusion, and dipshittery that I’ve recently applied to Israel’s hasbara war on its 8th front and the European powers’ attempts to control popular opinion to the Trump administration’s recent actions, propagandistic, kinetic, and financial. Let’s put things in context before we dive in. Trump and his administration are moving fast because it is clear the current financial bubble may be about to pop. That is the kind of pressure that drives desperate moves.

www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/trum...

www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/trum...

With the United States federal government shutting down over a funding dispute in Congress even as POTUS Donald Trump sends troops into more U.S. cities and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claims to be remaking the U.S. military, is it possible to tell clampdown from clownshow? And that’s not even mentioning increasing signs of expanding threats of war in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and possibly South America. I’m going to try to apply the lens of deliberate deception, delusion, and dipshittery that I’ve recently applied to Israel’s hasbara war on its 8th front and the European powers’ attempts to control popular opinion to the Trump administration’s recent actions, propagandistic, kinetic, and financial. Let’s put things in context before we dive in. Trump and his administration are moving fast because it is clear the current financial bubble may be about to pop. That is the kind of pressure that drives desperate moves.

www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/10/trum...

Larry Ellison's wild Paramount and UFC Big Tech bet The UAE & Saudi ties with Oracle, Tiktok, Electronic Arts, and Silver Lake.

I never thought we'd be covering these topics in an MMA podcast

Larry Ellison's wild Paramount and UFC Big Tech bet The UAE & Saudi ties with Oracle, Tiktok, Electronic Arts, and Silver Lake.

I never thought we'd be covering these topics in an MMA podcast

"In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death, there is a frenzied competition to replace him as the face of the young American right.

"Nick Fuentes, who largely built his following by trolling Charlie Kirk for his support of immigration and Israel, seems to be the biggest immediate beneficiary."

Last week, Paramount finalized negotiations with TKO to sign a Zuffa Boxing media rights deal. The official announcement was made at 8 AM Eastern USA time on Monday morning before the New York Stock Exchange opened. Initial terms of the PSKY-Zuffa Boxing agreement, as noted in this press release: 12 Zuffa Boxing events in 2026, with a potential event increase in future years; Paramount will have Zuffa Boxing rights for America, Canada, and Latin America Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal is reporting that Dana White is aiming to sign 400-450 boxers. Eric Fisher at Front Office Sports is reporting that the PSKY-Zuffa Boxing deal is five years in length. Brian Campbell at CBS Sports has the full details, including a one-on-one interview with Dana White. When asked if he needed the Ali Revival Act to pass to run Zuffa Boxing, Mr. White said “no.”

www.themmadraw.com/p/paramount-...

The latest from Nat Wilson Turner at NakedCapitalism

Last week, Paramount finalized negotiations with TKO to sign a Zuffa Boxing media rights deal. The official announcement was made at 8 AM Eastern USA time on Monday morning before the New York Stock Exchange opened. Initial terms of the PSKY-Zuffa Boxing agreement, as noted in this press release: 12 Zuffa Boxing events in 2026, with a potential event increase in future years; Paramount will have Zuffa Boxing rights for America, Canada, and Latin America Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal is reporting that Dana White is aiming to sign 400-450 boxers. Eric Fisher at Front Office Sports is reporting that the PSKY-Zuffa Boxing deal is five years in length. Brian Campbell at CBS Sports has the full details, including a one-on-one interview with Dana White. When asked if he needed the Ali Revival Act to pass to run Zuffa Boxing, Mr. White said “no.”

www.themmadraw.com/p/paramount-...

Mark Shapiro chose speed over leverage on UFC & boxing deals. Why? TKO's rush to grab guaranteed cash changed ESPN's fortunes. What's next?

"By rushing into the open market, TKO’s leadership converted a position of strength into a position of urgency.

"Why was Mark Shapiro in such a big hurry?"

Dana White needs a win to keep up at TKO Hollywood Everyone else is 'talking their book' but Dana only has UFC White House and promises of Zuffa Boxing.

Where does Dana White fit into the brutal spreadsheet culture of Moneyball Mark Shapiro at TKO?

We’ve been posting about the intra-TKO executive stakes, and it’s been a while since UFC CEO Dana White was leading the pack, or even keeping up.

Peter Thiel, Jeffrey Epstein Acquaintance, and The Antichrist Now that we’ve looked a little more at what Palantir is actually selling, to whom, and how, let’s tie them back into the 2025 zeitgeist. For example, Thiel even has a bizarre business connection with the new head of the CDC, something about man-made islands beyond national borders. Now on to the sex scandal and crazy religious stuff: Jeffrey Epstein and the Antichrist. The former is not something Palantir wants to be associated with in 2025, but they wouldn’t be embodying the zeitgeist if they stayed out of that mess would they? The Antichrist, on the other hand is something Thiel very much wants to be associated with.

The latest from Nat Wilson Turner at Naked Capitalism. www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/09/pala...

Dana White needs a win to keep up at TKO Hollywood Everyone else is 'talking their book' but Dana only has UFC White House and promises of Zuffa Boxing.

Where does Dana White fit into the brutal spreadsheet culture of Moneyball Mark Shapiro at TKO?

We’ve been posting about the intra-TKO executive stakes, and it’s been a while since UFC CEO Dana White was leading the pack, or even keeping up.

Peter Thiel, Jeffrey Epstein Acquaintance, and The Antichrist Now that we’ve looked a little more at what Palantir is actually selling, to whom, and how, let’s tie them back into the 2025 zeitgeist. For example, Thiel even has a bizarre business connection with the new head of the CDC, something about man-made islands beyond national borders. Now on to the sex scandal and crazy religious stuff: Jeffrey Epstein and the Antichrist. The former is not something Palantir wants to be associated with in 2025, but they wouldn’t be embodying the zeitgeist if they stayed out of that mess would they? The Antichrist, on the other hand is something Thiel very much wants to be associated with.

The latest from Nat Wilson Turner at Naked Capitalism. www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/09/pala...

Who's paying for the UFC White House show? Could an America250 scandal derail Trump's taxpayer gift to Dana White?

Zach Arnold found a little known government fund whose appropriation request went from $15M for 2025 to $100M for 2026. Is that where TKO's site fee is going to come from?