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  2. Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa
Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot · Nov 12, 2025

Pivot's live show in Brooklyn features Curtis Sliwa on battling billionaires, plus sharp takes on the government shutdown, AI, and masculinity.

The Hidden Cost of High-Profile Presidential Pardons

The focus on pardoning political allies diverts legal resources and attention away from tens of thousands of ordinary inmates with legitimate clemency cases. This creates a two-tiered justice system where political loyalty is prioritized over rectifying potential miscarriages of justice for the general population.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

The Key to a Strong Partnership: Abandon the Scorecard

The biggest unlock for a successful long-term partnership is to stop keeping score. Instead of tracking contributions and demanding reciprocity, one should define their own standard for being a good partner and live up to it. This approach avoids the bias of overvaluing one's own contributions, preventing transactional resentment.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

Voters Prefer the Perception of Strength, Even if Wrong

In politics, the perception of strength and decisiveness can be more electorally powerful than being correct but appearing weak or compromising. This principle explains why a political party might maintain a hardline stance that is unpopular, as the image of strength itself resonates more with voters than the nuance of being “right.”

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

True Masculinity Is Service and Protection, Not Weaponry

Curtis Sliwa argues that true masculinity isn't defined by symbols of power like guns but by a commitment to protecting the vulnerable—the poor, elderly, and infirm. He frames it as a moral responsibility to risk one's life for strangers, a form of humanitarian service that stands in stark contrast to conventional notions of strength.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

Aligning AI Through a 'Maternal' Framework

To solve the AI alignment problem, we should model AI's relationship with humanity on that of a mother to a baby. In this dynamic, the baby (humanity) inherently controls the mother (AI). Training AI with this “maternal sense” ensures it will do anything to care for and protect us, a more robust approach than pure logic-based rules.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

Billionaires Offered $10M Cash to Exit NYC Mayoral Race

Curtis Sliwa reveals a direct bribery attempt by billionaires offering him $10 million in cash to drop out of the New York City mayoral race. This highlights the extreme, often criminal, lengths to which wealthy interests will go to influence even local political outcomes and silence populist candidates.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

AI's True Threat Isn't Job Loss, But Mass Loneliness

Beyond economic disruption, AI's most immediate danger is social. By providing synthetic relationships and on-demand companionship, AI companies have an economic incentive to evolve an “asocial species of young male.” This could lead to a generation sequestered from society, unwilling to engage in the effort of real-world relationships.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago

Frame Universal Childcare as a Men's Mental Health Initiative

Universal childcare is argued to be a pro-male policy. By reducing economic strain on families, a primary driver of divorce, it helps keep families intact. Given that men suffer disproportionately from post-divorce mental health crises, this reframes childcare from a “women's issue” to a critical support system for men's well-being.

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa thumbnail

Shutdown Ending, Trump's Pardons, and Guest Curtis Sliwa

Pivot·3 months ago