888: Not Today, Hades!
Pablo Manriquez, a Washington, D.C. reporter, turned a mysterious package of art supplies into a surreal quest to become the only oil painter in the nation's capital—painting portraits of politicians, including a viral FaceTime with Joe Biden, and attempting to get his work hung in the Capitol. But when he tried to sneak a portrait of Frederick Douglass into a press gallery ceremony, he was blocked by a rule banning journalist art in the Capitol, revealing a deeper culture of gatekeeping. His ego-driven ambition met its match, but instead of retreating, he launched a campaign to run for the Standing Committee of Correspondents. Meanwhile, in a chilling parallel, Social Security employee Jeremiah Schofield uncovered a government plot to mark 6,000 and then 2.7 million people as dead—without proof—just to harass immigrants. The real motive? To force them to self-deport or get picked up by ICE. When he confronted the truth, he was silenced. And in Barcelona, writer Daniel Alarcón’s dream of a deep, intimate interview with Lionel Messi collapsed into a humiliating hour-long ordeal, where the soccer legend barely acknowledged him. These stories expose how mythic ambition, institutional power, and divine-like authority—whether in art, bureaucracy, or sport—can crush mortals who dare to step too close.
Pablo Manriquez painted 18 Mitch McConnell portraits and got a FaceTime with Joe Biden, but was blocked from hanging his Douglass painting in the Capitol by a rule banning journalist art.
Jeremiah Schofield discovered that DHS requested the SSA to mark 2.7 million people as dead—without proof—to force them to self-deport or be picked up by ICE.
The SSA’s Death Master File is a sensitive database; falsely marking someone dead can freeze their bank accounts, credit, and social security benefits.
Jeremiah’s whistleblower complaint revealed that a DHS official admitted on speakerphone that the goal was to make immigrants’ lives so miserable they’d leave voluntarily.
Daniel Alarcón spent 8 hours waiting to interview Lionel Messi, only to be met with indifference—proving that even legends remain emotionally distant from fans.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Box That Changed Everything
“If I become an oil painter, I would basically be the only oil painter I know. In some sense, have like a monopoly on oil painting in Washington.”
The FaceTime That Broke the Internet
“He's just telling everybody how bomb I painted it. I was like, that was awesome. That was awesome.”
The Dream of Immortality in the Capitol
“The problem was not about the size or the quality or anything like that. The problem was that Pablo had crossed a line.”
The Death Master File: A Weapon of Mass Disruption
“We'll turn off their credit. We'll turn off their bank. They'll just want to self-deport or two, they'll go into a social security office and we'll have ICE pick them up there.”
The Interview That Never Was
“He gave me this look like he'd rather be at the dentist. I mean, and just looking at me and I'm like disheveled and sweaty.”
“And he's just telling everybody how bomb I painted it. I was like, that was awesome. That was awesome.”
“So I was like, if I become an oil painter, I would basically be the only oil painter I know. in some sense, have like a monopoly on oil painting in Washington.”
“The problem was not about the size or the quality or anything like that. The problem was that Pablo had crossed a line.”
Host
Guests
Jeremiah Schofield
person
SSA
organization
Pablo Manriquez
person
Lionel Messi
person
The Death Master File
other
Daniel Alarcón
person
DHS
organization
ICE
organization
Frederick Douglass
person
The Standing Committee of Correspondents
organization
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