If you’re like me (and since you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’re at least a little bit like me), you’re overwhelmed by the number of news stories breaking every hour of every day. From the Matty the Squid (Jr. and Sr.) at Mar-a-Lago to the Saudis to the New York rape trial to the Supreme Court corruption imbroglio to the debt ceiling crisis to Fani Willis to anti-trans legislation around the country, it’s all complex. Any one of these stories would be “the” story in a normal news environment. But we’re nowhere near normal these days. It’s easy to throw up our hands and say “I’m out, I’m just gonna go binge-watch Succession.” But democracy demands our awareness and engagement, so we don’t have that luxury.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to cut through the noise and get to the meat of what’s happening? I’m here to tell you that there is – the podcast “Pod Save America,” produced and distributed by a company called Crooked Media. This podcast, which appears every Tuesday and Thursday, features Tommy Vietor (you met him yesterday if you read my post) and three other former Obama staffers – Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer. Vietor, Favreau, and Lovett host the Tuesday edition and Favreau and Pfeiffer host Thursday’s program.
The hosts of “Pod Save America” say they were spurred to create the podcast because they believed that it is necessary to create a progressive media company that is both informative and entertaining, to counter the garbage coming from Fox and its right-wing cronies. One of the hosts — Dan Pfeiffer — wrote a whole book about this a few years ago. My local Indivisible group read and talked about this book, Battling the Big Lie: How Fox, Facebook, and the MAGA Media Are Destroying America, earlier this year and it is well worth your attention.
On Tuesday of this week, the podcast covered the following topics:
The pressure on President Biden to negotiate with what they call the debt ceiling hostage takers.
Former President Trump’s comment that he might skip the Republic primary debates.
Ron DeSantis gaffes overshadow his foreign trip.
Republican supermajorities continue their attacks on democracy
Following these segments, the hosts talked with their guest, Montana state Representative Zooey Zephyr about her Republican colleagues banning her from the House floor for speaking out against an anti-trans bill.
To wrap it up, Jon, Jon, and Tommy (as they are frequently called) broke down President Biden’s best jokes at the White House Correspondents Dinner.
Again, you won’t know everything you need to know after you listen to this 55-minute podcast. But you’ll know a lot, and you’ll have an idea of what you want to know more about. In addition to being smart and politically astute, these people are hilarious (although I laugh more at the audio podcasts than I do at the YouTube videos). They crack themselves up regularly throughout the show. It sounds like they’re doing improv, but they come to the show spectacularly well-prepared, and good editing makes things flow and ensures that they end on time.
This podcast could be sub-titled “Chicken Soup for the Progressive Soul.” It may not cure the problem, but it’ll make you feel better while examining the various elements of the firehose of news. There’s something to be said for that. And I understand that their progressive bias puts a slant on their episodes – both in the stories they choose to cover and the tone they take about them. Just as an example – their April 18 episode was called “Little Ronny Pudding Fingers.” It’s not hard to predict that they don’t have anything good to say about the governor of Florida and wannabe presidential candidate. But that’s okay with me. I can’t think of anything good to say about him anyway.
And in case “Pod Save the World” (I wrote about it yesterday) and “Pod Save America” aren’t enough for you, Crooked Media introduced “Pod Save the UK” yesterday – just in time for the Coronation of King Charles. I haven’t listened to yesterday’s episode, but I did listen to the introductory blurb they put out a couple of weeks ago in which Jon, Jon, and Tommy interacted with the British hosts of the new podcast. My first reaction is that the British sense of humor doesn’t cross the Atlantic very well, but I’ll listen to the first episode sometime today to figure out whether I want to put it on my Spotify playlist.
You can find information about the other podcasts sponsored by Crooked Media at their website, https://crooked.com. Several of their other podcasts sound interesting to me, although I haven’t given them a try yet. (The descriptions of the podcasts are taken from the Crooked Media website.)
Strict Scrutiny: Hosted by three badass constitutional law professors– Leah Litman, Kate Shaw, and Melissa Murray– this podcast provides in-depth, accessible, and irreverent analysis of the Supreme Court and its cases, culture, and personalities. Each week, Leah, Kate, and Melissa break down the latest headlines and biggest legal questions facing our country, emphasizing what it all means for our daily lives.
Whether you’re a lawyer or law student, or you’re just here for the messy legal drama, Strict Scrutiny has you covered. New episodes out every Monday… plus bonuses whenever SCOTUS takes away another one of our rights.
Here’s a description of the May 1 episode, entitled “Ethics, Shmethics:”
The stories about federal judges doing shady things just keep coming. Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, joins Melissa, Kate, and Leah to discuss proposals for making the judiciary more transparent and accountable. Plus, the hosts recap oral arguments– including one on whether the government can take your money and keep the change.
Positively Dreadful: Hosted by Crooked Media’s Editor-in-Chief Brian Beutler, this podcast takes listeners below the headlines of the stories stirring widespread anxiety in today’s news landscape to give them a richer understanding and appreciation of how and why to remain engaged, even in the face of daunting challenges. New episodes are released every Friday.
Here’s the description of the most recent episode, entitle “Tweedle Free and Tweedle Dumb:”
Joe Biden released his first re-election campaign video and it was…actually good. Instead of touting minimum wage or Medicare protection, Biden characterized this election as a fight for freedom––the freedom to choose when to become a parent, to be an out and healthy trans person, and to safely inhabit schools and other places of learning. It’s a big move considering Republicans have had a near monopoly on emotionally resonant rhetoric for the last 40 years. So what will Biden’s “freedom” re-election campaign look like in practice? Does coopting this rhetoric from Republicans represent something greater than savvy politics? Will the Democratic Party share the courage of Biden’s convictions? Washington Post columnist Greg Sargent joins host Brian Beutler to talk about what freedom means in American politics today, and why this campaign message is not only shrewd, but also philosophically correct.
What a Day: Hosted by Tre’vell Anderson, Priyanka Aribindi, Juanita Tolliver and Josie Duffy Rice, this daily morning podcast breaks down the biggest news of the day, share important stories you may have missed, and show you what “Fox & Friends” would sound like if it were hosted by people whose parents read to them as children.
This podcast is available Monday through Friday starting at 5 a.m. EST, so you’ll always be caught up on everything from impeachment hearings to the creepy “Cats” trailer, and all the harrowing and hopeful news in between.
Here’s what the podcast covered yesterday, May 4:
On Thursday, four members of the Proud Boys – including former leader Enrique Tarrio – were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in the January 6th riot. The trial was the last of three sedition cases brought by the Justice Department against key figures in the insurrection.
Another report from ProPublica is raising questions about ethical standards for the Supreme Court. The independent newsroom found that billionaire Harlan Crow paid the boarding school tuition for Justice Clarence Thomas’ grandnephew – which Thomas did not disclose.
And in headlines: thousands of teachers in Oakland, California are striking for better pay, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina approved a 12-week abortion ban, and hundreds of pounds of pasta were found dumped in the woods outside a New Jersey town.
Pod Save the People: In this podcast, host DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics with Kaya Henderson, Myles Johnson, and De’Ara Balenger. They offer a unique take on the news, with a special focus on overlooked stories and topics that often impact people of color.
There’s also a weekly one-on-one interview with DeRay and special guests, from singer/songwriter John Legend to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The experts, influencers, and diverse local and national leaders who come on the show go deep on social, political, and cultural issues. New episodes every Tuesday.
Here’s what this week’s episode was about:
DeRay, Myles, Kaya and De’Ara cover the underreported news of the week — R. Kelly commissary inspires new federal rules for incarcerated people, young students forced to crawl under trains to get to school, a health condition seemingly reserved for Black women, and a hot take on witchcraft vs. the church.
DeRay: Federal prisons want inmates to pay victims, before making phone calls or buying shoes
Kaya: As Rail Profits Soar, Blocked Crossings Force Kids to Crawl Under Trains to Get to School
Myles: Witchcraft, African Spirituality, and the Church
De’Ara: Local clinic offers treatment for PCOS; new research shows diagnosis spike in Hispanic and Black women
Personal Note: As advertised, this podcast focuses on the underreported stories for the week. Many of these stories go unreported because the financial incentives that drive media attention don’t support coverage of these stories. We all need to understand them anyway.
All of these podcasts offer the opportunity to sign up for their nightly newsletter. I’ve just signed up for all of these, although I already get too many emails. It remains to be seen whether I’ll actually read them all.
😂