After expressing caffeinated excitement for the American Football Playoffs, the boys proceed to lament their home country’s unabashed embrace of Empire. Then, they tackle the dizzying spiral of news stories roiling the nation this week; including (1) the Senate’s attempt to restrict the military adventurism of the ruling regime, (2) the connection between Venezuela and Cuba, (3) shocking events taking place in Minnesota, and (4) Trump’s pivot toward economic populism. Finally, the lads wonder whether voting is remotely worthwhile under the disturbing circumstances.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “Tragedy of the Night Sky”.

Nate kicks off 2026 by announcing a new section of the System Failure newsletter called the “Subrosa” Club, and briefly explains the etymology of that word. Then the boys launch into a surreal discussion about the biggest mass shooting in US history, which took place in Las Vegas in 2017. The lads dive into the news after the break, where they bemoan the latest regime change actions in Venezuela and celebrate Mamdani taking over City Hall in NYC.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “Original Sin”.

After Nate apologizes for being sick (and offers up a home remedy for colds), the boys earnestly speculate on whether Santa Claus is real. This discussion of reality and archetypes is followed up by the announcement that the System Failure essay series now has surpassed the 500 subscriber mark. Then, the lads turn to the news to lament another projection of military power by the Trump Administration. Finally, the boys bring up the civil unrest in Bulgaria and Serbia and wonder whether the same will be coming to America anytime soon.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “A Shared Genealogy”.

The boys are visited by “The Captain” for a discussion that begins with a lamentation on the sorry state of supply in America, and how that is affecting our rectal health. The lads then tackle the Candace Owens vs Erika Kirk controversy that’s tearing apart Donald Trump’s coalition. After a brief tribute to the late great Rob Reiner, the crew then turns its attention to a local New England tragedy involving shootings at Brown University and MIT. And in conclusion, the boys complain about the latest provocations of the sovereign nation of Venezuela.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “The Myth of Barter”.