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

Episodes

#790 Boom. ROEsted.

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Kaitlin Topics: Republicans’ red wave fails to materialize, giving Democrats a historically successful midterms year before winning either chamber of Congress The Senate races that will determine the balance of power. When will we know?! Why abortion was never really the underdog for the Miss Midterms title How to maximize state-level wins Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 09, 202235 min

#789 Celebs Take The Midterms

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Dylan Hafer Topics: Reflecting on how we’ve grown since a similar predicament in November 2020 The Virginia races to watch to get a temperature for the House of Reps Why celebrities really told on themselves by endorsing Rick Caruso for LA mayor Stanning the rich and famous with the good enough sense to support Karen Bass Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 08, 202235 min

#788 Election Day Eve

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Alyssa Mastromonaco Topics: What’s in our election night survival kits and how to take anxiety off the invite list A guide to interpreting election results and what to expect as numbers roll in Unpacking Elon Musk’s erratic weekend and what it means for this week’s little democracy tournament Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 07, 202231 min

#787 Barack The Vote

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alencia Johnson Topics: Barack Obama headlines the midterms national tour. How can the Democratic party expand its roster of rock stars? Unpacking why some of the party’s most effective surrogates are people who don’t win, including Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams Why a Real Housewive’s ex-husband is the most effective messenger for the Georgia election What’s getting us through the week Follow @alenciajohnson on Instagram and Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Nov 03, 202235 min

#786 Oz’s Canine Cover-up

Hosts: Sami, Amanda, Kaitlin Topics: The politics of premature Christmas decorations Dr. Oz asked a colleague to deny he oversaw the harm of animals How Justice Brown Jackson is beating her colleagues at their own game And the fine for foreign election meddling is…. $9,000? Senate candidate Cheri Beasley joins to share her plans as North Carolina’s next senator and why Ted Budd could not be worse for NC and the country Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 02, 202248 min

#785 Affirmative Admission, Aborted

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: 28-year-old Takeoff of Migos fame is killed in Houston Republicans are still making fun of an 82-year-old being hammered nearly to death in the head Are we looking at the final days of affirmative action? Why the Supreme Court looks likely to prevent institutions from admitting who they’d like Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 01, 202235 min

#784 The Yassification Of Voting Is Over

Hosts: Amanda, Sami Topics: How to manage midterms anxiety and what headlines literally do not matter Unpacking the attack on Paul Pelosi and reactions from Washington Elon Musk starts a new job with a deleted conspiratorial tweet. What happens now that the fox runs the hen house? Is this the end of Twitter’s relevance? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 31, 202233 min

#783 New York Horror Story

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Kaitlin, & Marisa Kabas Topics: Proposing a bipartisan effort to streamline Halloween observance in the United States Elon Musk will own Twitter tomorrow. What does that mean for employees, and why did he bring a kitchen sink to the office? Marisa Kabas joins to summarize the New York Governor debate and unpack how a pro-Trump, anti-abortion Republican is gaining ground on New York’s Democratic governor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 27, 202248 min

#782 Do Debates Matter?

Hosts: Amanda, Caitlin Huey-Burns, CBS National Political Correspondent Topics: Analyzing the Pennsylvania Senate debate between Dr. Oz and John Fetterman. What role does the media play when one candidate is recovering from a stroke? Unpacking the narrative that economic concerns are overtaking abortion rights Where we might see election night surprises Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 26, 202226 min

#781 Voter Intimidation Or Vigilante Sh*t?

Hosts: Sami Sage & Emily Amick Topics: Adidas finally drops Ye, but what are the actual repercussions of his antisemitism on Americans? Tonight Dr. Oz will debate John Fetterman and we are hoping PA will at least provide closed captioning this time. Republican activists are announcing they are not participating in early voting in hopes of avoiding Democratic interference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 25, 202237 min

#780 Hitler On The Highway

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Alise Topics: A review of “Midnights” and its decidedly apolitical tone Kanye West doubles down on antisemitism, giving comfort to Nazi groups espousing their views on the 405 The midterm election candidates who openly embrace antisemitic dog whistles Kim Kardashian and Ivanka Trump dine out amid the chaos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 24, 202244 min

#779 Let’s Vote For Good Sex

Hosts: Alise & Kaitlin Topics: Let’s unpack last night’s debate between Congresswoman Val Demings and current Senator Marco Rubio. West Palm Beach debate focused on topics including inflation, abortion, voting rights, gun violence, immigration and foreign policy. Alexandra Hunt, a candidate running for Congress in Philadelphia, shared a chart showing that men under the age of 30 aren’t having as much sex as they’d like. People mentions that Hunt doesn’t explain how to accommodate men’s “right to...

Oct 21, 202238 min

#778 Lettuce Celebrate

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Liz Truss is officially the shortest-serving Prime Minister in UK history. What led to her hastened demise? A juror is removed for flirting with a man accused of trying to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer Support or Suppress featuring James Corden’s restaurant reputation and Olivia Wilde’s salad dressing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 20, 202243 min

#777 Is TikTok The Superior News Source?

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, V Spehar Topics: V Spehar (Under The Desk News, V Interesting with V Spehar) joins to reflect on how they went from a caterer offering Mitt Romney crab cakes to one of the most popular news sources on TikTok Why TikTok creators are earning more reader trust than legacy outlets How bringing “social” back to social media creates more productive environments for discussion The role of politics in their news coverage Get daily updates from V at @underthedesknews on TikTok and c...

Oct 19, 202236 min

#776 Dangerous Women To Watch This Fall

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Emily Tisch Sussman Topics: We dive into the Arizona Governors’ race and trace how Kari Lake went from Obama voter to the MAGA movement’s best hope for a political future Why Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs decided not to debate Kari Lake – do we agree with this choice? Pollsters say voters care more about “economic” issues than abortion. We ask: Do they hear themselves?! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 18, 202245 min

#775 Corruption Is The Ultimate Kitchen Table Issue

Hosts: Sami Sage & Sarah Kendzior Topics: Sarah explains why she chose to write her book about how a culture of conspiracy keeps America complacent. How the impact of money on journalism has limited what information people can access. How an average people can become media and news literate. Why the “blue state” and “red state” framing is dangerous and why talks of succession are problematic. Check out Sarah’s book: They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent Learn more about...

Oct 14, 20221 hr

#774 What Alex Jones Can’t Pay Back

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Alex Jones owes Sandy Hook families a billion dollars. Can we put a price on how he’s damaged public discourse? The LA City Council President finally resigns – but her views represent a kind of racism that will persist Italian-American Rick Caruso claims to be “Latin” in mayoral debate against Karen Bass Midterms Madness: Which Senate candidate saw 14 family members endorse his opponent? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 13, 202247 min

#773 Hollywood Shock

Hosts: Amanda, Kaitlin Topics: Why is Tucker Carlson so repulsed by Joe Biden’s love for his son? Unpacking the ableism revealed by John Fetterman’s first post-stroke sit-down interview Shockingly racist statements from LA City Council members prompt calls for resignation Follow Kaitlin’s Patreon at patreon.com/gothamgirlblue Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 12, 202228 min

#772 Real Housewives Of Politics

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Milly, Nelini Stamp of the Working Families Party Topics: Nelini Stamp, national director of strategy for the Working Families Party, joins us to unpack what’s driving the conversation in the three weeks before midterms Why Wisconsin voters face such dramatically different candidates in a razor-tight race How turning out in Pennsylvania can help us fix the Senate *and* protect against another election theft attempt What do people like about Dr. Oz? Why Nelini’s latest effor...

Oct 11, 202249 min

#771 Stop Choosing Hot Actors To Play Serial Killers

Hosts: Milly & Alise Topics: We all know the movie “Blonde” is based off the fictional book about Marylin Monroe, but did it really need to be a Republican anti-abortion ad? Netflix is at it again with releasing “Dahmer - Monster: the Jeffery Dahmer Story” and decided to categorize it under LGBTQ content. Circling back from Tuesday’s round of Fuck, Marry, Banish (or Arrest), Alise and Milly explain why they decided to arrest Brett Favre over his corruption case misusing millions of dollars in we...

Oct 06, 202247 min

#770 Abortion Is The Midterms MVP

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Kaitlin Topics: Why Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s first days of oral arguments were so satisfying How Democrats are embracing sinister abortion messaging to drive suburban women to the polls John Fetterman: John Wick of Pennsylvania? BoltsMag.org: https://boltsmag.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 05, 202228 min

#769 Fuck Herschel, Marry Kanye, Banish Musk

Hosts: Milly, Amanda, Alise Topics: Herschel Walker paid for a girlfriend’s abortion despite being anti-choice Kanye West’s manic escalation on full display with “White Lives Matter” Paris Fashion Week stunt Elon Musk meddles in Ukrainian affairs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 04, 202247 min

#768 Rein In The Supremes

Hosts: Amanda, Sami Topics: Kim K has to cough up $1.2 million to the SEC. Here’s why she probably couldn’t care less The Supreme Court’s awkward, historic, and slightly nauseating fall semester Sure looks like Donald Trump just invited his supporters to hurt Mitch McConnell. Will the party hit back? Unlikely. A interview with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. For more, subscribe to EXTRA, EXTRA with Sami Sage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 03, 202240 min

#767 Pennsylvania And Periods

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Ginny Hogan Topics: Awaiting a full assessment of Hurricane Ian’s destruction Marjorie Taylor Greene is back on the dating market Ginni Thomas is talking to the January 6th committee Midterms debrief 40 days out, with a focus on the Pennsylvania and Georgia governor races New data shows COVID vaccination did impact periods. Should women have been offered more information at the time? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 29, 202252 min

#765 Running With Subpoenas

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Kaitlin Topics: Why conservative groups are trying to stop Biden’s student debt forgiveness program Texas’s top law enforcement officer fled from a subpoena. We peel back the layers on *just how bad* Ken Paxton is for Texas and the rule of law (vote for Rochelle Garza for Texas AG on Nov. 8!) The Jan. 6 committee postponed the hearing because of Hurricane Ian. Or did they? We speculate some other reasons behind the delay. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/...

Sep 28, 202240 min

#764 The Most Unlikeable Candidate Of The Midterms Is…

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Republicans have unleashed their newest boogeyman Analyzing the candidates in Arizona’s Senate race (Sen. Mark Kelly vs. Blake Masters) Why does the young far-right idolize Ted Kaczynski The ongoing protests in Iran and how the government is suppressing women’s fight Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 27, 202244 min

#763 Women, Social Media, And Conspiracy Theories

Hosts: Amanda, Cristen Conger Topics: Cristen discusses her deep dive into the history and present of women, culture, and conspiracy theories. Why do Joe Rogan bros get all the coverage when there are literal far-right wellness influencers? How conspiracy theories target women and play on vulnerabilities around femininity and motherhood The direct line between anti-ERA activism and the Tiktok girlies on your For You Page who say work is bad for women To hear more on this topic, listen to Cristen...

Sep 26, 202229 min

#762 A Bad Week For Cheaters

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Our most basic Fall confessions Trump has a series of delightful losses, including a $250 million civil lawsuit in New York and a hand-picked special master who didn’t get the corruption memo How the Adam Levine cheating scandal mirrors a larger conversation around gender dynamics What’s getting us through the week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 22, 202249 min

#761 Your 5-State Midterms Plan

Hosts: Amanda Duberman, Amanda Brown Lierman Topics: Amanda Brown Lierman (Obama WH, DNC, executive director of Supermajority) joins to share a game plan for the next 50 days (!) until the midterms Why some of the most effective organizing has nothing to do with phone calls to strangers (stay with us) How to influence the midterms with Supermajority to win key races in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania Founded in 2019, Supermajority is a membership-based organization d...

Sep 21, 202238 min

#760 Adnan Syed And The ‘Serial’ Era

Hosts: Milly, Alise Topics: The entire population of Puerto Rico lost water and power due to Hurricane Fiona. What has and hasn’t happened since Hurricane Maria to make this tragedy worse? Adnan Syed’s conviction has been overturned. What does this mean for his future, and for the family of Hae Min Lee? We reflect on the problematic elements of the 2014 phenomenon “Serial” and how society costumes murder as entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 20, 202236 min
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