TMI Show Ep 215: “Not So Funicular!”

A chilling Lisbon streetcar crash claims 17 lives, rocking Portugal’s capital. Hosts Ted Rall and Robby West (filling in for Manila Chan, visiting the International Space Station) dissect the derailment of the Elevador da Gloria, a 19th-century funicular packed with tourists, which left 21 injured from countries like Germany, Spain, and Canada. As Portugal mourns, investigators scour the wreckage for clues—faulty brakes or a snapped cable are suspected. The tragedy raises questions about tourist safety and infrastructure maintenance.

Lisbon’s crash echoes forgotten tragedies like the 1876 Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster (92–98 deaths) and the 1915 Eastland Disaster (844 deaths). These incidents, driven by engineering flaws or human error, spurred safety reforms.

Plus:

• Civil War Over Vaxxes: CDC turmoil and states’ vaccine autonomy efforts fracture national consensus, with Republican-led states like Florida eliminating school vax mandates and Democratic-led states California, Oregon, and Washington forming alliances.

• U.S. Population Drops the First Time: Plummeting immigration and birth rates may lead to a historic U.S. population decline in 2025, with net migration potentially dropping to negative-525,000. Trump’s deportation push and a fertility rate of 1.6 exacerbate the crisis.