The Signal

Lucia Simonelli's Journey: From Academia to U.S. Senate Advisor, Now Activism to PA-01’s Congressional Seat?

Lucia Simonelli is an Italian-American whose upbringing instilled a great appreciation for public services such as public education, public transportation, public parks, and more. Born in Landsdale, she has lived, travelled and worked around the globe, before settling down in Quakertown. Politically, she has worked to make change both inside and outside of government, from serving as a scientific advisor in the United States Senate, working on energy and climate policy, to organizing with the Upper Bucks United Indivisible Chapter. Now, she is running in the Democratic congressional primary in May for a chance to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Could Lucia be PA-01’s AOC?
I’ll be speaking to each of the candidates on this podcast to give listeners a chance to get to know them better. 
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READ:
Political ‘Outsider’ Rob Strickler Announces Congressional Run in PA-01
ALSO LISTEN TO:
What Did Sheriff-Elect Danny Ceisler’s Victory and Bucks County Democrats’ Blue Wave on Election Day Teach Us?
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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Rob Strickler Wants to Challenge the Status Quo in His Run for Congress in PA01

On this episode of the signal I welcome Rob Strickler. Rob is a political outsider who is running in the Democratic Party congressional primary in May for a chance to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. We discuss his blue-collar upbringing in Levittown, his political awakening, and why he thinks he is the best person to represent Pennsylvania’s first congressional district.
I’ll be speaking to each of the candidates on this podcast to give listeners a chance to get to know them better. 
Listen on Apple, Spotify, and iheart 
READ:
Political ‘Outsider’ Rob Strickler Announces Congressional Run in PA-01
ALSO LISTEN TO:
What Did Sheriff-Elect Danny Ceisler’s Victory and Bucks County Democrats’ Blue Wave on Election Day Teach Us?
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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Reading George Orwell in Trump’s America, With Laura Beers

Back in December I read an article Laura Beers published in The Conversation where she compared White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s press conference on the so-called truth about the good news of the state of the economy under President Trump’s stewardship to the repeated pronouncements of the Ministry of Plenty in George Orwell’s ‘1984.’ This led me to pick up and read her book Orwell's Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century. Beers is a professor of British history at American University whose writing has appeared in the New Republic, Washington Post, CNN, among other publications. She joined me today to speak about her book and the enduring value of Orwell's insights for modern society, especially under this new Trump Regime.
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READ: 
Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s ‘1984’
Philadelphia Sues Over Trump Administration’s Removal of Slavery Exhibit at Independence National Historical Park
Pittsburgh Professors Say Research Was Weaponized in Trump’s Higher Education Fight
AI Is the Next Frontier for Far-Right Extremists to Spread Propaganda, Incite Violence, and Recruit New Followers
Always Watching: How ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7 Threatens Privacy and Civic Participation
ALSO LISTEN TO:
The Normalization of Book Banning in the United States, With PEN America’s Sabrina Baêta
The History of Fascism and Anti-Fascism in America, with Bill Mullen and Christopher Vials
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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Welcome to Season 4 of The Signal: Looking back at 2025. Looking ahead to 2026.

Welcome to the first episode of season 4 of The Signal from the Bucks County Beacon. Today, Kevin Mahoney sits down with Cyril Mychalejko, the editor-in-chief of the Bucks County Beacon, to talk about what the New Year has in store for The Beacon. We also take a look back at some of the most significant stories published in the Beacon in 2025. 
We’re going to need independent, community supported progressive media in the weeks, months, and years ahead. There could not be a better time to take a moment to head over BucksCountyBeacon.com and click on the Support the Beacon button and become a supporter. You can become a monthly entry-level supporter for as little as $1/month. Or, jump right in as a regular supporter for just $5/month, or a yearly supporter for at little as $50/year. Or, you can drop a one-time donation to help keep the Beacon’s critical lens focused and sustainable. Just go to BucksCountyBeacon.com, click on the Support the Beacon button and become a supporter today.
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READ:
The Bucks County Beacon Looks Back at 2025
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The MAGA-fication of the U.S. Military, with Bucks County Veteran Steve Nolan

On this week’s episode of the Signal we welcome back Bucks County’s Steve Nolan. Steve spent 30 years in the military and 25 years as a mental health professional. He is the author of the 2020 book American Carnage, An Officer’s Duty to Warn, and today Steve is here to warn us again about the MAGA-fication of the military and How Pete Hegseth is running Trump’s Department of War.
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READ: 
Trump’s Pardon of Honduran Ex-President Who Conspired to Traffic Over 400 Tons of Cocaine Into US Exposes ‘War on Drugs’ Myth
Leaked DHS Memo Shows Trump Administration Wants to Deploy Military on City Streets to Hunt Down Immigrants
‘Bro Culture’ on Top at the Pentagon
Here’s What Project 2025 Has Planned for the Military
Trump Tells Military Brass ‘We’re Under Invasion From Within’ and US Cities Should Be ‘Training Grounds for Our Military’
Using Black Hawk Helicopters and Chemical Agents, ICE Agents Turn Chicago Into a ‘War Zone’
How the Trump Administration Turned Immigration Courts Into Deportation Traps for ICE
ALSO LISTEN TO:
Is Donald Trump Mentally Unfit to Be Commander in Chief? An Interview with Military Veteran and Mental Health Professional Steve Nolan
American Carnage: An Officer’s Duty to Warn, with Steve Nolan
Former FBI Agent Who Once Infiltrated Neo-Nazi Groups and Militias Explains Why Law Enforcement Fails to Take Far-Right Extremism Seriously
How Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement Will Legalize and Deploy Vigilantes to Push Their Agenda, with David Noll
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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What Did Sheriff-Elect Danny Ceisler’s Victory and Bucks County Democrats’ Blue Wave on Election Day Teach Us? With Philadelphia Citizen Reporter Malcolm Burnley

Malcolm Burnley is a staff writer for The Philadelphia Citizen. He has been a journalist in Philadelphia since 2013, contributing to outlets such as Philly Mag, WHYY, and Politico Magazine. Five days before the election he published, “What a Bucks County Sheriff's Race Can Tell Us about U.S. Politics.” He joins us today to talk about that race which Democratic challenger Danny Ceisler won handily, the Blue Wave that washed away so many other Republican officeholders in Bucks County on Election Day, and what this may signal for the midterms in 2026.
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ALSO LISTEN TO:
From Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to Bucks County’s Fred Harran: Why ICE 287(g) Partnerships Are So Dangerous, with Jessica Pishko
‘A Fight Fails Without A Dream’: DNC Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta on How The Democratic Party Will Meet This Dangerous Trumpian Moment
Fighting to Finally Raise the Minimum Wage in Pennsylvania: A Conversation With State Rep. Roni Green
Kadida Kenner on Defending Democracy and Voting Rights in Pennsylvania
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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America Is a White Christian Nationalist Project, With Religion Dispatches Editor Megan Goodwin

Megan Goodwin is senior editor for Religion Dispatches, nerd-in-chief at Feral Nerd Consulting, and media & tech consultant for The Crossroads Project. Goodwin is the author of Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions (Rutgers 2020). With Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, she cohosted Keeping It 101: A Killjoy’s Introduction to Religion Podcast; and their first co-authored book, Religion Is Not Done With You, is now available through Beacon Press. Her next project is tentatively entitled Cults Incorporated: The Business of Bad Religion.
Megan, who grew up in Yardley where she attended St. John the Evangelist Grade School and later graduated from Archbishop Egan High School, joins The Signal to talk about her scholarly and journalistic work covering religion. She explains why religion – and specifically white Christian Nationalism – are topics each of you should care about, whether you are religious or not. 
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ALSO LISTEN TO:
The History of Fascism and Anti-Fascism in America, with Bill Mullen and Christopher Vials
Katherine Stewart Discusses Her New Book ‘Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy’
Kristin Kobes Du Mez on Evangelical Support for Trump and Project 2025’s Christian Nationalist and Authoritarian Designs for the Nation
A Conversation with André Gagné About His Book ‘American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times’
The New Apostolic Reformation: A Revolutionary Theocratic Movement Coming For Pennsylvania, The Nation, And The World
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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The Critical Importance of Pennsylvania's Supreme Court Election, With Garen Meguerian

Garen Meguerian is a civil rights, free speech lawyer, with 30 years of experience, practicing in the state and federal courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Since 2016, Garen has volunteered with grassroots groups, primarily in Chester County, to preserve democratic institutions. He joins us today to raise the alarm about the threats against Pennsylvania's independent judiciary and the importance of the PA Supreme Court’s retention election on Nov. 4. In this conversation, Garen explores the implications of misinformation, gerrymandering, and the role of the judiciary in protecting voting rights, reproductive rights, and environmental protections in the commonwealth. 
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READ:
Stand up for Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court, by Colin Coyle
League of Women Voters of PA Warns of Right-Wing Disinformation Campaign Targeting Pennsylvania Supreme Court Retention Election, by Melinda Rizzo.
The Makeup of Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court Hangs in the Balance in November. Here’s What’s at Stake, by Melinda Rizzo
Judicial Elections Key to Protecting Pennsylvania’s Democracy and Our Environment, by Molly Parzen
How Pennsylvania Judges Facing Retention Ruled on Key Election Cases, by Carter Walker, Votebeat
ALSO LISTEN TO:
Kadida Kenner on Defending Democracy and Voting Rights in Pennsylvania
Music by Maf é Tulà and Cartas a Felice, "La Loca." Panela Music. 
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