#14 - Defending Salman Rushdie and Student Loan Forgiveness, Attacking Robot Furniture

#17 - How is 'MILF Manor' Not a Crime, But Journalism Might Be?

Welcome back, friends. In this week's episode, we debate: * Google's antitrust lawsuit from the US government and whether being too big and  rich is anti-competitive in itself * if you should pay a monetary penalty for making your Lyft driver wait for you * whether Mike's encounter with a stingray makes him the American Steve Irwin * the fascinating, important case of Priscilla Villarreal vs the Laredo Police department and whether journalism is a crime, even if you're a brash and nosy citizen journalist who annoys the cops. * the clearest sign yet that the apocalypse is soon upon us - TLC's new, incest-adjacent 'reality show', MILF Manor  Thanks for sticking with us, we appreciate you all. Share with a friend and check back soon for another episode! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/claptrappod/] Mike is on Twitter [https://twitter.com/mikethelummox] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikethelummox/]! Martin is on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mtotland/], too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Funky Chunk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#16 - The Return!

We are back! After an extended hiatus, Claptrap is back with a new episode.  This week we talk about the multiple reasons for the hiatus, the tech market downturn and mass layoffs (of which Mike was a victim), strategies for applying to new jobs, a $500/month dating app, and the many lies of George Santos, aka Anthony Devolder, Congressman from Long Island, NY.  We round off the episode talking about people we knew in our past who turned out to be horrible criminals. Martin tells the story of Kenneth Saal, his friend and fraternity brother facing 55 years in prison for the murder of a female coworker, and for Mike, it was a friend in the supercar circuit swindling people for money.  Thanks for sticking with us, we appreciate you all. Share with a friend and check back soon for another episode!  *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/claptrappod/] Mike is on Twitter [https://twitter.com/mikethelummox] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikethelummox/]! Martin is on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mtotland/], too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Funky Chunk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#15 - Mikhail Gorbachev's Pizza Hut commercial (RIP)

Episode 15! It's a milestone - sorta. It's our shortest episode thus far but a good one. On this week's menu:  - TikTok challenge leads to record numbers of car thefts in Milwaukee - Airdropping nudes on Southwest flights - The alarming, shameful water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi - Mikhail Gorbachev's Pizza Hut commercial (and bumbling policies that ended the USSR) - Mike's run-in with subpar shipping companies and his new car We appreciate you all. Share with a friend and remember to drink water! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/claptrappod/] Mike is on Twitter [https://twitter.com/mikethelummox] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikethelummox/]! Martin is on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mtotland/], too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Funky Chunk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#14 - Defending Salman Rushdie and Student Loan Forgiveness, Attacking Robot Furniture

We're still here, goddamnit! The pod is back. We apologize for the wonky release schedule as of late. Sometimes life gets in the way.  We spend the first 35 minutes defending Salman Rushdie and freedom of expression in light of the recent attempt on his life, before reaffirming our support for the Biden administration's recent student debt forgiveness announcement, wondering whether Roombas can have offensive names and whether American candy stores on a London shopping street are fronts for money laundering schemes, and finally, the dystopian future of robot furniture's role in squeezing urban dwellers into ever smaller apartments.  It's a hot ep this week! Share it with a friend and be kind to yourself! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/claptrappod/] Mike is on Twitter [https://twitter.com/mikethelummox] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikethelummox/]! Martin is on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mtotland/], too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Funky Chunk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

#13 - FBI Raids and Chastity Cages

Hachi machi! It's a free-flowing episode this week as we veer from Erling Haaland's football prowess, to strongmen Tom Haviland and Brian Shaw, an FBI raid on local Florida man's house, sunken cost fallacies in politics, reanimated pigs, internet-connected chastity cages, and Mike's resentment towards beard care! It's a great ep this week! Spread the word, tell a friend about Claptrap! Thanks for listening! *** Follow Claptrap on Instagram! [https://www.instagram.com/claptrappod/] Mike is on Twitter [https://twitter.com/mikethelummox] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mikethelummox/]! Martin is on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/mtotland/], too! *** CREDITS: Intro jingle by Kevin MacLeod: "Funky Chunk" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/