California Elections: Graham Platner and Remembering COVID Chaos

June 4, 2026

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi hope that socialism won’t leap from New York City to Los Angeles, and then on to Washington, D.C.

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Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi kick off this week’s episode of Freed Up with a look at California’s socialist elections and Los Angeles’ worsening homelessness problem. Then, they discuss why socialism keeps failing, Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R–Texas) claim that he is “quite libertarian,” and the U.K.’s decision to ban Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur.

Later, they break down Graham Platner’s growing list of scandals, debate whether Dracula is really a romance story, and consider when science and religion come into conflict. Finally, they talk about Robby’s struggles as a light sleeper, revisit the moment COVID-19 experts betrayed the public’s trust, examine how annual homelessness counts are calculated, and close with Robby’s memory of former President Barack Obama speaking at his university commencement.

0:00—California’s socialist elections

4:50—The Los Angeles homelessness crisis and Spencer Pratt

11:22—Socialism is bad.

19:48—Cruz claims he is “quite libertarian.”

22:49—Piker and Uygur banned from the U.K.

31:12—Platner has had enough scandals.

38:27—Dracula is a romance story.

41:33—When are science and religion in conflict?

50:03—Robby is a light sleeper.

58:13—This was the moment the COVID-19 experts betrayed us.

1:12:30—How they come up with the annual homelessness numbers

1:24:55—Obama was the speaker at Robby’s university commencement.

Natalie Foster

I’m a political writer focused on making complex issues clear, accessible, and worth engaging with. From local dynamics to national debates, I aim to connect facts with context so readers can form their own informed views. I believe strong journalism should challenge, question, and open space for thoughtful discussion rather than amplify noise.