The Daily Zeitgeist - Achilles Trendon 6/24: NBA Finals, Israel/Iran, NYC Mayoral Race, Alligator Alcatraz, 'Elio'

Episode Date: June 24, 2025

In this edition of Achilles Trendon, Jack and Miles discuss the conclusion of the NBA Finals, Trump's baffling Iran/Israel ceasefire annoucement, the NYC Mayoral race, Florida proposing a new concentration camp called 'Alligator Alcatraz', Pixar's worst opening EVER, and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget. I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay and this is Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs,

book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the You vs. You podcast. I'm Lex Barrero, inviting you to go beyond the titles and the accolades of the world's

most successful entertainers. Each week, we take off the cape and get real about the inner battles, childhood stories, and the moments that shaped our guests. Get inspired to become the best version of you. Listen to You Versus You podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?

Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater podcast network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come

to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, the Internet and welcome to this episode of Achilles Trendin. Oh, we can't have nice things. No, I think, no, we can't. Fucking bummer. That. That was the worst. That was actually the worst game seven of my life.

So sad. Because it had the potential to be something so different. It was going to be so different and so fun. And then for people who don't know what we're talking about, first of all, for people who are like, what are these voices coming into my ears? My name is Jack, that over there is Miles. This is the episode of The Daily Zeitgeist where we tell you what's trending. And we are talking

about the NBA finals a day and a half after they happened because that's what's trending in my heart. On my heart, I'll tell you what's trending. Achilles trending. Or Achilles trend... Did you ever see that college Wheel of Fortune where the kid from Indiana University has all the letters and he's like, mythological hero Achilles. Wow. No. No. Really. You're really risking a lot as a university when you send somebody to Wheel of Fortune. You're really risking a lot as a university when you send somebody to wheel a fortune No, hell yeah, you're not a real ad people. Anyways, shout out to trees Halliburton and

The Indiana Pacers and also okay see for winning the title having a great season I don't want to take anything away from that. It was just a bummer because no dude They see even seemed fucking bummed out like that was so muted I was looking at those celebrations and it was like a combo of like I mean like I think we were so we had to win it right yeah based on how we wanted in muted tones like a target pride sweatshirt yes to a story from like two weeks ago that yeah well probably don't remember anyways what else is happening in the world, Miles? Miles W. No, Monday. What a weird one we had yesterday. So right as we stop recording on Monday, Trump just suddenly announces that there was a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. You're like, oh, huh? And you know, the markets love that. But it said, quote, congratulations to everyone.

It has been fully agreed by and between underneath and beneath by Between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire in approximately six hours from now which Hold on to that detail because it's in that six hours from now that Israel decides to just fucking unload on Iran When Israel and Iran have one and completely completed their in-progress final missions for 12 hours at which point the war will be considered ended. And then he went on to be like, some will call this the 12-day war because it was 12 days and then it ended and no more war, only peace. And anyway, he said there's a more like he had this whole clearly in his mind. Really a poet in many ways. Truly. He goes on with this like fantasy

world-building that we get an idea of where he thinks everything's going goes quote Israel and Iran came to me almost simultaneously and said peace. Tears in their eyes on their knees saying sir sir. dusty, I need a glass of water. It's a quote, I knew the time was now. The world and the Middle East are the real winners. Both nations will see tremendous love, peace, and prosperity in their futures. They have so much to gain and yet so much to lose if they stray from the road of righteousness and truth. What? What? what the fuck is happening miles yeah what is he talking the future for Israel and Iran is unlimited and filled with great promise god bless you both all caps all caps all caps so you're such a kind

God mr. Donald it's giving like parent at the end of their rope who's like go like oscillating back and forth between like what the fuck what is happening? This is me trying to put my son to sleep. Yeah yeah and then just like being like you know what actually like you guys are great I like like trying to use like positive reinforcement but like they're so unhinged as they're doing it that everyone's like yo like is dad okay? Yeah. What is happening? Yeah yeah yeah it's it's just like it's the same way I'm like just go to bed. It's time to go to bed. Okay, let's close eyes

We've got to go to sleep and then I said then like and the little boy closes eyes He's so wonderful and we're sleeping now Fucking every mommy was daddy's eye twitching. Oh my god. So, for starters, okay, even though they said they both came to me simultaneously, what, in a fucking dream? Because when the, you know, the Iranian official was asked about this, they were like, huh? Yeah. What are you talking about? And they're like, oh, uh, the people from Qatar are going to get on the phone with you and work something out. But then, cause like their whole thing was like, okay, well if they stop fucking bombing us for no fucking reason, we can be open to ceasing military operations. That's what you're saying. But like, no one's even that fucking asked. So looked like there was

something going to happen. Then suddenly Israel said that Iran broke the ceasefire. Iran's like, no, we fucking didn't. I would, in this instance, Israel is not a reliable narrator when it comes to the reasons for which they attack innocent people. Um, so yeah, I'm, I'm not sure what happened there, but then Trump got really upset and so far there hasn't been much back and forth. Although I've, who knows how long that's going to take because no one, I don't know who's in control of anything anymore at this point. Um, even God, if you exist up there, he's like, what the y'all damn the fuck you

like. He didn't just like spike the football before he got to the end zone. It was like first and 10 from the 20. Yeah. Like, you know, after a touchback, he's 25 and he just touched back. They handed it back to him and he spiked it. Yeah. Right away. He's funny football and he just touch back they handed it back to him and he spiked it. Yeah right away I just like though. I just like the idea of him Doing the touch back in the end zone thinking that's the touchdown and then spiking the football

It's like yes, I got it in the end zone done. It's like no you're just You're just going to the 20-yard line, but that's okay I mean, I'm sure everyone also hears about the f-bomb heard around the world From trump when he said they don't know what the fuck they're doing Yeah, npr went deep and was like we asked presidential historians like what? What's the precedent for this and like honestly reported on it? Like well there is word that behind closed doors JFK actually used Foul language quite a bit. It's like that's not the question

I don't think I don't think anybody's surprised like we have we have the tapes from LBJ talking about his bunghole Yeah, how big his dick is like from I guess not everybody listens to those as He talks about his bunghole. And well, yeah, he does talk about it, his sack. He was very fond of talking about jumbo his dick, which like, that's, I don't know, there's so many wild stories from like what, how presidents behaved inside the White House that for them to be like, we've in private, presidents Harding, Grant, Truman, Johnson, and especially Nixon were known to curse.

And one time even president Jimmy Carter dropped the F bomb. Oh God. He only cursed once while he was the president of the United States behind closed doors. Like what a door, Like that is shocking. But to be reporting that like, look we've all done it. We've all these guys have done it is pretty wild.

The only one we're talking about dropping any kind of A-F biased Harry Truman dropping the A-bomb. That's right. That's the only one that fucking is relevant. Cause you know they're all talking crazy shit. I think this the LBJ one, people should just go on YouTube and search LBJ Taylor And you'll hear this guy earnestly talking about how he needs these pants done, right?

Or else he calls his so he's like, you know has the most important job in the world at that time very, you know busy guy and he calls the tailor and it's clear he's just Trying to brag about how big his dick is to the to like a random tailor He's just like yeah, because like you cut him like too tight sometimes and you know comes a little bit for my giant ding-dong his own sent me through four months ago it's a kind of a light brown and a light green rather soft it's talking about pants that the guy made for him before i need about six pairs for summer wear summer wear slacks for summer wear around in the evening when i come in from work and i can send you a pair i want them half a inch larger in the waist than they were before Here we go two or three inches of stuff left back in there so I can take them up

I very 10 to 15 pounds a month Hell yeah Leave me at least two and a half three inches in the back where I can let them out or take them up And put it make these a half inch bigger in the waist make the pockets at least an inch longer Carrying his money in his knife. Hold on just a second Money and my knife keep that's how you president It's also just like the leisurely way. He's just it's like he's got time to kill like yeah Taylor's probably like could I get this guy off the fucking phone? Yeah, but anyways He eventually talks about how about his bunghole. It's it's too long of a clip to play right now rads up in my bunghole

That's that's the energy. We're bringing miles is extra sleep-deprived today everybody and we're just just don't The tips they work and they don't work that's right it's like always it's mostly like one step forward point nine nine steps back yeah so it's not total regression but it still feels like torture I thought we fucking think we've been over this you say to a two year old I know. All right, I need a new pair of slacks then if you're awake, son. Now we're gonna, I need an extra inch in the pockets because my knife in my teeth.

My knife, dude. Oh, love it. Zoran Mamdani. Oh, my good friend Zoran Mamdani. Looking strong heading into, so the Democratic primary is happening today. As we speak. As we speak. If you're in New York City and you're on the fence. Stay in line. Stay in line. Go out. Vote for Zorin. Don't rank. Cuomo. Cuomo. No. No, no. The headlines are, they're like,

what is happening? Oh my God. It's wild like how openly hostile and like freaked out the mainstream media is I mean It isn't it isn't right because I think some of us now We've seen this play out many times over the last nine years where you're like, yeah This is what they do when people are like, yeah, the things the Democrats are doing could be done way better Actually, shut the fuck up about this. Yeah, yeah. We're fine with the status quo. We're fine with the... Yeah, the Atlantic is obviously, I mean, because he's pro-Palestinian, they're just going fucking

windmilling on him constantly. All the coverage from the Atlantic, other just super mainstream outlets that help the DNC, you know, grant their wishes are just like, I don't know about this guy. I don't know. Yeah. I will say that I feel pretty good about Zoran like in the primary. I do feel like there's a real possibility that he does well in the primary. And then like Cuomo has said, he's going to run as an independent in the general. And like, like you, like you said, we've seen this before. It's just reminding me of like Bernie doing well in the Nevada primary.

And then the whole of the Democratic apparatus and the mainstream media just joining together and being like, fuck no. Yeah. And if Quam was going to run in the general, that that could be bad. There's also like a, you like a bizarre right wing Republican candidate who we'll talk about later. Who, Curtis? Curtis Blow.

Yeah, Curtis Lihua. I mean, he's taking another bite of the big apple trying to run for mayor again. What a fucking carnival of freaks that are running. Yeah, that's pretty wild. Holy shit. And New York, I know you have half a brain to fucking pick the person who will actually

give you something different that you can believe in. Yeah. But I'm also just worried about how, you know, the Democratic Party, they've already shown this year, every time someone starts talking some shit, like we could be doing better with the people that are fucking running things or fucking stale they will try and stomp your whole shit out yeah so yeah I think I think it's only a matter of time until we see the media completely fucking take aim at him

but hey right now it seems like he's got at least some of the people momentum yeah got what we call momentum. I believe my great friend Zoran Memdani would actually do a great job for New York City. Zoran Memdani. Zoran Memdani. Let's take a quick break. We'll come back.

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Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the You vs. You podcast. I'm Lex Perero, and every week we sit down with some of the biggest names in entertainment to talk about the real stuff. The struggles, the doubts, and the breakthroughs that made them who they are. We go deep, flowing childhood trauma, family, overcoming loss, and the moments that shape their journey. These honest conversations are meant to take the cape off our heroes with the hope that their humanity inspires you to become a better you and therefore set you free to live the life of your dreams. Here's a sneak peek. I'm trained to go compete. I'm trained to be like harder

but sometimes that mentality stops you from stopping and smelling the flowers in your own garden. Is it wrong to want more? We migrated, our family migrated here. I'm like second generation. Who's not going to have a trauma coming from a foreign country and coming to the United States? You don't speak English. second generation. Listen to You vs. You as part of Michael Tudel podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Over the past six years of making my true crime podcast hell and gone, I've learned one thing. No town is too small for murder.

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Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company

dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple podcasts. And we're back. We're back. And phrase alligator Alcatraz is trending. It's fucking it's like so much darker than it suggests. Yeah.

You're like, oh, they're gonna put alligators in the bay? Is that right? Upgraded? Is this a jail for cartoon alligators? Yeah, exactly. Not quite. So what is going on in this country? Just generally, right?

The Supreme Court just ruled that Trump can now deport people to a country that is not the one they are from. Like sending a Guatemalan person to South Sudan. So we're now just like- Just be like, that's a YP. Oh, you're not from here? That doesn't, that's not my concern, man. Okay, well then you can go to this concentration camp in another, in a third country.

Yeah. Is that, how does that work? How does that work for you? So, and while most of the attention is on Israel's attacks on Iran, rather than even like the 70 people that were killed in Gaza yesterday who were in line for food, we still have the ICE goons running around. It's very hostile activity being in line for food. Yeah, of course, of course.

Who knows what they're trying to do with that food or waiting for food or being on the brink of famine and in many cases are in the midst of famine. We still have the ice goons running around unmasked trying to snatch people up. And Kristi Noem is really fucking ramping up the fucking rhetoric now with announcing this new prison for innocent people to be tossed into. She said, under, under president Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed to deliver cost effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens. Even though all of the people that were rounding up are fucking regular day to day people who are going about their lives, law abiding in peace citizens, but again, you don't... They might have accidentally caught in some criminal illegal aliens, Miles. You don't know.

You don't know. Might have been purely accidentally. We're batting.0001 in terms of when we do a sweep and we actually catch someone who's a criminal illegal alien and criminal illegal alien. What rhetoric there. We'll expand facilities and bed space in just days thanks to our partnership with Florida. These new facilities will in large part be funded by FEMA's Shelter and Services Program. Jesus Christ. And I'm not even gonna read her spin on that.

It's like the Biden, fuck that. You're talking about money that's used to help people that are in distress after a disaster. Someone who has been in distress after his disaster. You absolutely need things like FEMA running to help people who are fully displaced, who have no options for places to go rather than being like, here, let's build our fucked up alligator Alcatraz. This is the attorney general of Florida, James Uthmeyer, who's doing

there's like this whole pitch video for it and it sounds like a fucking like he's opening up a like a fanboat dealership or some shit attorney general James Uthmeyer here at the Miami-Dade Collier training facility this is an old virtually abandoned airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades Florida's been leading on immigration enforcement supporting the Trump administration and ISIS efforts to an airport facility right in the middle of the Everglades. Florida's been leading on immigration enforcement supporting the Trump administration and ISIS efforts to detain and deport criminals. So anyway, he goes on that there's like this old runway in the Everglades. He's like, well, now

we can put a thousand people there. Okay? And he's like, and don't worry about security because they'll be eaten by alligators or pythons. This is the other part where he he's like, and don't worry about security because they'll be eaten by alligators or pythons is the other part where he goes about like, this is why it's so cool. Temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there's not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. No word. Oh yeah. Slow motion video of an alligator days after we begin construction, it could be up and

running and could house as many as a thousand criminal aliens. This presents a great opportunity for the state of Florida to work with Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Alligator Alcatraz, we're ready to go. What the fuck? Oh, that's not even unofficial. They called it Alligator Alcatraz.

That's from the office of the fucking attorney general of Florida Now again, I'm dead coming to you feeling away to premise Fucking royalty free shitty rock music Fuck off man like so fucking dumb. But again, this is all the point because this is all fucking cruelty non-stop They're doing like launch videos for their concentration camps Yeah, yeah like viral fun videos like we get we gave this concentration camp a fun little nickname Yeah, you know like they could have they could have renamed Auschwitz or like, you know if any Sobibor or you know Bergen Belsen, all of them, they could have called

them other fun names, like something alliterative. You know, Bergen Belsen was alliterative, very alliterative, so I'll give them that. But Alligator Alcatraz, come on, it sounds like a B-52 song. Alligator Alcatraz! So you're just an innocent man escaping the law and now you find yourself an alligator Alcatraz Yeah, yeah, yeah Alright, that's that's where we're at right now. That's where we're at. Yep. Yep, Pixar just had its worst opening ever I do just want to there were a bunch of headlines up front. So the movie's called Elio

Did a person of color, does a person of color stand to make a lot of money from this film? Is that why they're going this thing's a flop? Fucking stinker. They could be. I actually don't know the director's work. So it is the director of Coco. And I think it's like kind of autobiographical. Opened at $21 million in North America, $14 million internationally, which people are pointing out as the worst box office opening ever. But Disney is pointing out, and I do think this is worth pointing out, like Elemental came out in 2023, a film that I would say, not a great movie, because it did have legs

at the box office. People didn't just all rush out to see it on the opening day. And in fact, when it comes to this latest Pixar movie, I like didn't really even know it existed. Like I, I think I had seen the trailer at one point and it was coming out. They're advertising it with the idea that like, yeah, we'll just like leave it in theaters for a little while. And people, once they're done seeing how to train your dragon or whatever, they'll come over to our Pixar movie. Yeah,

like Elemental ended up being a big hit, like massive in South Korea and I think Japan. Oh, okay. So, I don't know. It was a weird movie where it's like Cloud Man falls in love with Fire Woman. I remember the flame person and I was like, okay I'm old now. So yeah, I hope the youth enjoy this but this one I don't even fucking remember this thing like maybe I recall seeing the poster last time I went to the movies, but What what is with their marketing recently? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, they went big on Inside Out too. I feel like they're just hoping that this one like kind of people accidentally

find out about it and end up going to it. But it was, it was definitely like a troubled production. So it was the, it's like an autobiographical movie made by the person who made a Coco, which was like a massive hit for them. Yeah. And then halfway through they were like, you're no longer directing it. We're rewriting it. They killed off the main character's mother, who was supposed to be voiced by America Ferrera.

And they replaced the director and like moved him over to Coco too, and then brought in the director of Turning Red and another in-house Pixar director to direct it. But you just said the movie's like autobiographical, right? It's about this guy's fucking life. Yeah, man, we figured out some other people to really tell this intimate story about your life. Yeah, it's like about a kid who lives on a military base

and dreams of being abducted by aliens, and then he is abducted by aliens. Wow, great. fun ensues. I think it seems like it's like not, it's like getting, it's in the sixties on Metacritic. So it seems, you know, I feel like Pixar movies, one of the things that people rely on is like that they're going to be good for both parents and kids. That's like one of the, right, the parts of their secret formula. And when it doesn't deliver on that, like those are the ones that just like don't do well. Like the elemental didn't have great reviews. I think the good dinosaur

didn't have like great reviews and those are the ones that like don't perform that well. Oh, I forgot about the good dinosaur. Got to make it good. Yeah. Brian, the editor points out in some ways this is this all goes back to Rachel Zeigler. Yeah. Her stance on Palestine. We'll figure out a way. We haven't quite figured it out, but we'll figure it out. It's Rachel Zeigler and Ryan Coogler. Yeah. It's the Glurs, you know? Yeah, the glurs. You know what I mean? Ry-ry-ku and Rage Zeg. That's right. Um, alright. Those are some of the things that are trending on this Tuesday, June 24th. We are back tomorrow with a whole ass episode of the show

Until then, be kind to each other, be kind to yourselves of the show. Until then, be kind to each other, be kind to yourselves, get your vaccines while you still can, get your flu shots, don't do nothing about white supremacy, and we will talk to y'all tomorrow. Bye. The Daily Zeitgeist is executive produced by Kathryn Law. Co-produced by Bae Wang. Co-produced by Victor Wright. Co-written by J.M. McNabb. And edited and engineered by Brian Jeffries. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never

forget. I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of like butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay, and this is Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club, the new podcast from Hello Sunshine and iHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us, on the page and off. Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TBR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to the You vs. You Podcast. I'm Lex Borrero, inviting you to go beyond the titles and the accolades of the world's most successful entertainers. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the MeatEater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.