American Fever Dream - podcast cover

American Fever Dream

Betches Media
From under the desk to in your ears, V. Spehar joins Betches Media in a new podcast dedicated to curing the collective malaise brought on by our chaotic political environment. Every week, Spehar and co-host Sami Sage will tenderly guide you through the biggest moments in politics and pop culture with a healing dose of perspective and humor. Rather than spiral over the latest unprecedented event, the hosts dig for the 2024 political tea you *really* want to hear while offering all the information you need to be an empowered citizen, without the side of despair to keep you up at night. For constant news updates, sign up for the Sup email newsletter at betches.com/newsletters and follow us on Instagram at @betches_news. And follow V on TikTok and Instagram @underthedesknews. Watch American Fever Dream On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebetchesnews
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Episodes

#409 December 37th, 2020

Alise, Bryan, and Amanda are back to discuss the craziest shit that’s ever gone on in the news. They share updates from the Capitol on what was destroyed in the deadly invasion and consider how violent insurrectionists were allowed to breach the People’s House while legislators were in session. They discuss options for Trump’s removal and react to the administration officials resigning because this, apparently, was just too much. Finally, they consider how the insurrection will impact Biden’s fi...

Jan 07, 202139 min

#408 The Blue Waves Comes To Shore

Kaitlin and Amanda are back to celebrate signs that Democrats have won both Senate races in Georgia, taking back the chamber for the first time since 2014. They break down returns that show Black voters once again buoyed Democrats to victory, and look at the success of Trump’s GOP voter suppression efforts. They discuss how the Georgia strategy took root in the 2000s, and why it proves that turning out Democratic voters works better than appealing to the middle. Finally, they consider how the Se...

Jan 06, 202133 min

#407 A Cog In The Vaccine (Distribution)

Milly, Alise, and Amanda are back on Georgia Runoff Day! They start with details of today’s matchups between Kelly Loeffler and Raphael Warnock and David Perdue and Jon Ossoff. For the main conversation, they discuss the country’s botched vaccine rollout. Is it everyone’s fault or no one’s fault? How can we vaccinate people in the right order without letting doses go to waste? We check in on some governors taking the wrong approaches for different reasons, from Andrew Cuomo bullying hospitals in...

Jan 05, 202143 min

#406 New Year, New Coup

Sami, Amanda, and Bryan are bringing in a new year with a new scandal, unpacking the biggest headlines of 2021. They start with Trump’s pathetic shakedown of Georgia’s top election official and how it will impact the imminent Georgia runoffs. Should Nancy initiate a rapid-fire impeachment? Then, they explain what to expect on January 6, the day VP Mike Pence will oversee Congress formalize the election results and why a dozen Republicans are willing to put it all on the line for a disgraced form...

Jan 04, 202126 min

#405 You Asked We Answered: Q&A Part 4

It’s almost New Year’s eve and Kaitlin, Bryan, Sami, Alise, and Amanda are back to empty out the rest of the listener-submitted holiday mailbag. This time around we’re answering political questions and diving even deeper into our personal lives. Plus, we share our most memorable political moments of 2020 and our dream presidential picks for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 30, 202021 min

#404 Hilaria's Baldwin-Faced Lie

Alise Morales, Milly Tamarez, and Amanda Duberman do a very quick check in on stimulus talks before unpacking the second most pressing issue of the day: Hilaria Baldwin’s cultural heritage. The hosts debrief on the most egregious aspects of Hilaria’s performance and consider the likelihood of her defenses -- offering expert linguistic analysis on the “cucumber” incident. Finally, they consider, on a scale from Rachel Dolezal to lying about your hair color, just how egregious Hilaria Baldwin’s fa...

Dec 29, 202043 min

#403 Veni, Vidi, Veto

Amanda, Sami, and Bryan are back from the holiday weekend to recap COVID relief drama and Trump’s totally useless, wholly destructive attempt to sabotage the deal. They explain the rationale behind Trump’s complaints (there is none) and describe the makeup of the final deal and how it might impact you. But the stimulus package isn’t all that’s keeping Congress busy -- the hosts also run through Trump’s rejection of the defense spending bill that could lead to the first veto override of his presi...

Dec 28, 202020 min

#402 You Asked We Answered: Q&A Part 3

This Christmas Eve-eve, Kaitlin, Bryan, Sami, Alise, and Amanda sit down for another holiday mailbag episode. In this installment, we answer all your personal questions, from how Kaitlin acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of US history to Sami’s favorite song on evermore. We also get into our quarantine habits and finding a work-life balance in 2020. Finally, we give you a BTS of the Sup group chat. Thanks to our sponsors: Ship: Update Ship today and let your friends take control of your dating ...

Dec 23, 202026 min

#401 Shkreli Bad Stimulus

Alise, Milly, Kaitlin, and Amanda all had to be here for today’s long-awaited Martin Shkreli debrief. The hosts run through an Elle magazine story detailing former Bloomberg reporter Christie Smythe’s unrequited infatuation with the country’s most hated man. Milly describes matching with Martin in 2015 and the hosts consider what led Smythe down such a wild path, and what the reaction to the story tells us about dating and power in 2020. Then, they take a broad lens to nine months of stimulus ne...

Dec 22, 202045 min

#400 A COVID Stimulus For Our 400th Episode

Sami, Alise, and Amanda are back to celebrate the Sup’s 400th episode! Alise and Sami react to their first episode from 2017 and reflect on everything that has (and hasn’t) changed since then. Then, the hosts break down the weekend’s COVID relief talks and how the final bill actually came together -- including which Republicans actually acknowledged that the pandemic is hurting the economy and why it’s based on income from 2019. Finally, they share updates from the COVID mutation spreading throu...

Dec 21, 202033 min

#399 Does Melania Care About Her Legacy? feat CNN’s Kate Bennett

Sami and Amanda chat with Kate Bennett, CNN White House correspondent and author of FREE, MELANIA: An Unauthorized Biography. Bennett describes covering First Lady Melania Trump during a particularly eventful administration. She gives a behind-the-scenes look at Melania’s relationship with Donald -- apparently they talk on the phone all day! -- and which theories about their marriage are actually true. Bennett also explains how Melania has defied expectations for a First Lady and why she’s never...

Dec 18, 202043 min

#398 Mar-a-La Go-Away

Alise, Bryan, and Amanda are back to run through some more amazing news about the vaccine, the only 2020 gift that keeps on giving. Then, they check in on the Trump Administration’s humiliating but hilarious final acts, from Betsy DeVos pleading with education officials to “be part of the resistance” and Pence leaving the country, to Mar-a-Lago banning Trump and Mike Pompeo’s string of poorly attended holiday parties. Why is it so satisfying to behold?! Thanks to our sponsors: Headspace: You des...

Dec 17, 202026 min

#397 Cabinet For Grabs, Gently Used

Kaitlin and Amanda are back to deconstruct Biden’s Cabinet, which includes some disappointing if not confusing picks. They break down Pete Buttigieg’s nomination for Transportation Secretary and explain the progressive reaction to the appointment. Then, they discuss Joe Biden’s response to pressure from civil rights leaders and the appointment of Rep. Marcia Fudge to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, despite an enthusiastic campaign for her to lead Agriculture. How does the B...

Dec 16, 202031 min

#396 Leave Sasha Obama Alone! (And Other Advice For The GOP)

Alise, Milly, and Amanda are back to start the show with a debate about whether we should stan Sasha Obama by sharing her photos. Then, they take inventory of the Republicans finally facing the music and how Democrats can govern when two-thirds of the opposite party believe Trump won the election and discuss how current stimulus negotiations could foreshadow messaging problems for progressives during a Biden administration. Finally, they list the opportunities Democrats are missing to challenge ...

Dec 15, 202040 min

#395 Mr. Biden Goes To (Electoral) College

Sami, Bryan, and Amanda are back to celebrate the vaccine’s arrival in American hospitals and Joe Biden’s soon-to-be official electoral college victory. First, they run through the vaccine’s big stateside debut and discuss the sense of cognitive dissonance as the virus’s devastating death toll parallels our greatest sign of hope. What would this day look like had the federal government done literally anything? Then, they debrief on the last embers of the coup attempt as electors meet today to ca...

Dec 14, 202036 min

#394 How To Lose 2 Senators In 20 Days feat. Shaniqua McClendon of Crooked Media

Sami and Amanda catch up on a peak 2020 smattering of headlines, from Rudy’s red carpet COVID treatment to the next stage of America’s most disgraced former employee’s coup attempt. Then, they’re joined by Crooked Media’s political director Shaniqua McClendon to discuss how to get involved in the Georgia runoffs. She describes coordinating with grassroots groups in Georgia to ensure volunteer efforts are as effective as possible and give them what they need to deliver the same victory they did f...

Dec 11, 202037 min

#393 More Like Stimu-less

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda are back to reflect on the deadliest day of the pandemic while our government does virtually nothing to stem the tide of death and economic destruction. They check in on the state of stimulus talks and break down what politicians fail to grasp about what it costs to live. Why does America bother having good credit if we don’t even use it? Finally, they break down the importance of civilian control of the military and why Biden has taken a needlessly complicated route t...

Dec 10, 202038 min

#392 Is Trump Going To Prison? Ft. Sara Azari

Sami and Amanda are joined by Sara Azari, criminal defense attorney and author of “Unprecedented: A Simple Guide To The Crimes Of The Trump Campaign And Presidency.” Azari explains what the next few years might look like for Trump now that he’s lost the power of the presidency. Will he actually be held accountable for his crimes, and how soon will it happen? What’s Trump’s most likely route to prison? She explains why Trump actually can’t pardon himself but has a terrifying loophole that involve...

Dec 09, 202036 min

#391 We Didn’t Order Enough Vaccines?

Alise, Milly, and Amanda are back to celebrate two very special holidays. First, they honor Safe Harbor Day by sharing what in their own life they’d apply a six-day rule to. Then it’s on to V-Day in the UK, where the first patients outside clinical trials began receiving COVID vaccines. Next, they run through the Trump administration’s latest display of deadly ineptitude and why it dropped the ball by not ordering enough vaccines. Finally, they break down Biden’s pick of Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III...

Dec 08, 202033 min

#390 COVID Has Rudy

Sami, Bryan, and Amanda are back to break down the weekend’s wildest headlines, beginning with Matthew McConaughey’s bad takes on electoral politics. They discuss Rudy’s COVID diagnosis and how we actually expected his parade of indignities to end. They catch up on the Georgia Senate race, including Kelly Loeffler’s tepid debate performance and David Perdue ghosting the state he was elected to represent. Finally, they fantasize about what these two crooks will get up to after they’re ousted from...

Dec 07, 202039 min

#389 Ivanka In The Hot Seat

Sami and Amanda are back to debrief on the New York Young Republicans annual gala held in… New Jersey, and try to imagine Matt Gaetz’s big night out. They congratulate Dr. Fauci on his new boss and consider the many ways Donald Trump is sabotaging the Georgia Senate races. Finally, they consider how we’ll recalibrate our reactions to politicians’ bad behavior post-Trump and check in on Ivanka’s legal troubles. Headspace: You deserve to feel happier, and Headspace is meditation made simple.. Go t...

Dec 04, 202028 min

#388 Yes We Can (Defund The Police)

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda catch up on the Trump admin’s race to cause as much destruction and cruelty before leaving office as possible. Namely, by quietly changing the citizenship test to be longer, harder, and tinged with conservative ideology. Then, they unpack former President Barack Obama’s criticism of “defund the police” and why the country’s most beloved but verbose former president shouldn’t be offering slogan advice. Finally, they compare calls to dilute the message against police bru...

Dec 03, 202032 min

#387 What Does A Trump Pardon Cost?

On today’s episode, Sami is joined by Betches Sup producer Sean Kilby to discuss the latest news about presidential pardons coming out of the White House. They start with a conversation about the [redacted] Justice Department investigation into a potential pay-for-pardon scheme. They also talk about a report that Trump is already talking about pardoning Rudy Giuliani, as well as his own children. How does a presidential pardon even work, and could the president pardon himself? Next, they break d...

Dec 02, 202035 min

#386 How The Grifters Stole Christmas

Alise, Milly and Amanda start the show by roasting the White House’s chaotic holiday plans, from Melania decorating with 17,000 bows despite not giving a f*ck about Christmas, to the Trumps planning a dozen holiday parties. Then, they break down Republican objection to Biden cabinet appointees who were mean to them on Twitter. Finally, they discuss the Supreme Court growing impatient with the Trump administration’s attempts to exclude undocumented immigrants from the Census, and what Republican ...

Dec 01, 202033 min

#385 Who Run The Biden Admin? Girls!

Sami, Bryan, and Amanda are back to break down all the news you meant to catch up on before the end of the holiday weekend, from various Trumpertantrums (™ Alise Morales) at a miniaturized desk and to the president lashing out at Georgia’s Republican governor. They describe Biden’s groundbreaking new appointees and his broken bones. Finally, they check in on the state of the pandemic that threatens to become a Turducken of tragedy. Get your Sup merch this Cyber Monday at shop.betches.com and use...

Nov 30, 202033 min

#384 It's Only the Beginning Ft. Julián Castro

Kaitlin and Amanda are joined by former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and fellow podcast host Julián Castro to discuss parenting during a pandemic and pushing for progressive change now that the election is ending. They discuss what the election showed us about Texas’s path to becoming a blue state and what conversations about the “Latino vote” usually miss. Finally, Secretary Castro shares his favorite episodes from his new podcast “Our America,” including an interview with BFF Eli...

Nov 25, 202026 min

#383 Too Bad for Carrots

Alise, Milly, and Amanda start the show in a festive mood, checking in on Melania Trump’s first Christmas outing since she was outed as a Grinch and playing a 2018 throwback of Donald shaming a turkey who lost the pardoning contest but wouldn’t concede. Then they check in on their best girl Emily Murphy, who finally signed a letter that gave Joe Biden the .gov website he’s been waiting for. They also run through a new list of Biden cabinet picks and what they tell us about the administration. Fi...

Nov 24, 202044 min

#382 Coup Watch 2020

Sami, Bryan, and Amanda are back to monitor the progress of the failed president’s failed coup attempt and how the President-elect is building a government without taxpayer funds. Why is Joe Biden crowdfunding the transition when Americans are still unemployed at record levels? Blame Emily. They run through the Biden administration’s exciting new hires and share how Christian groups donated $2 million to spring a homicidal teen from jail. Headspace: You deserve to feel happier, and Headspace is ...

Nov 23, 202029 min

#381 Tired of Winning

Amanda and Sami are back to debrief on the CDC canceling Thanksgiving and why we should have made the last Thursday in July a federal holiday instead. Then, they debrief on Rudy Giulinali's nauseating performance yesterday and check on the state of Trump’s ongoing failed coup attempts. How do we acknowledge how chilling this is without indulging a narrative that only helps the coup along? Both hosts offer advice. Modern Fertility: Visit ModernFertility.com/SUP to get $20 off the test. That means...

Nov 20, 202032 min

#380 No Lame Ducks To Give

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda start the pod by sharing their excitement about “A Promised Land,” Obama’s new 700-word tomb that Kaitlin reviewed for the Boston Globe. Then they discuss Joe Biden’s growing frustration with the Trump administration’s failure to take part in the transition of power, restricting access to timely pandemic information while close to 2,000 Americans die daily of coronavirus. As always, they check on the Trump campaign’s persistent and nonsensical attempts to overturn the ...

Nov 19, 202034 min
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