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

#806 Will Biden Run In 2024?

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Kaitlin Topics: Reacting to Raphael Warnock’s win in Georgia and reflecting on the last leg of the 2022 midterms Should President Biden run in 2024? We weigh the pros and cons. The Supreme Court considers “the most important case in American democracy” that could throw federal elections into chaos. And they just might… let that happen? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 07, 202231 min

#805 Homophobes Get Creative

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Chris Christie’s niece assaulted police officers after harassing a family aboard a Spirit Airlines flight The real story behind why a graphic designer is suing Colorado because she doesn’t want to make wedding websites for same-sex weddings Unpacking the Supreme Court Justices’ remarks on JDate, Ashley Madison, “Black Santa,” and children in KKK costumes. Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ...

Dec 06, 202234 min

#804 We’re Ghosting Twitter

Hosts: Sami, Amanda Topics: We indulge a White Lotus debrief and give our predictions for the finale Somehow Ye broke yet another social contract. Why won’t the Kardashians intervene? Why we’re distancing ourselves from Twitter and adapting to new information sources What motivated an attack on this North Carolina power grid? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 05, 202233 min

#803 It’s So Seditious (Put Those Boys In Jail, Jail)

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Zola RayTopics: New York City is hiring a “rat czar” – are we the right fit for the gig? Some color from the significant Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy verdict this week, including estranged ex-wives speaking out and one insurrectionist’s laughable defense Debriefing on this week’s Senate vote to protect same-sex marriages A French man was fired for not being “fun” and spent seven years suing his old workplace – and won. Was the outcome fair? And do employees pay for bei...

Dec 01, 202238 min

#802 What’s Chelsea Clinton’s News Diet?

Chelsea Clinton joins to discuss this moment of incredible energy around women’s political participation all across the world. First though: we ask what drove her to run two NYC marathons in a row. She also shares her news diet and the podcasts she starts the day with. Then, she discusses how this midterm election cycle reframes women’s role not only in protecting their own rights but protecting democracy. Finally, Chelsea shares details of she and Secretary Hillary Clinton’s Women’s Voices Summ...

Nov 30, 202220 min

#801 Big Gretch Energy ft. Gov Gretchen Whitmer

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: An interview with Governor Gretchen Whitmer about an iconic Michigan election cycle and how reproductive rights motivated voters to historic outcome. What objectives will the governor pursue with such a strong mandate? Later: The most disturbing features of Elon Musk’s nightstand Apples’ threat to pull ads from Twitter Clarifying what freedom of speech actually means Explaining the railroad strike and what it will take for workers to finally get ANY paid sick ...

Nov 29, 202235 min

#800 Explaining Balenciaga’s Disturbing Ad Campaign

Hosts: Amanda Duberman & Sami Sage Topics: Thanksgiving debrief: How we successfully avoided talking about politics Trump’s Mar-a-Lago dinner with Ye and proud white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes. What does it say about the normalization of antisemitism if we are no longer shocked by outrageously dangerous headlines? Balenciaga’s disturbing pair of ads with similarly problematic features. What happened here? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn mo...

Nov 28, 202236 min

#799 Groupchat Advice Column

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Listeners seek advice on a chaotic range of quandaries, from reeling after video sex with their boss to getting a promotion from a bad manager. Plus, when is the age gap just *too big*? The hosts also help a listener navigate the holidays with people whose views make them genuinely uncomfortable. Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 24, 202231 min

#798 I Actually Don’t Believe That At All

Hosts: Sami, Amanda, Alise Topics: The hosts get political about a range of timely scenarios, from the optimal time to leave the airport to the role of cranberry sauce on the Thanksgiving table A menu of responses for shutting down conservative family members Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 23, 202234 min

#797 Buying Weed At The Pet Store?

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: This state has almost a billion dollars of weed that’s about to go bad The week in terrible Twitter headlines, and addressing Dave Chappelle’s SNL monologue People are asking questions about this 2022 midterm candidates’ race Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 22, 202233 min

#796 Whose Job Is It To Stop Mass Shootings?

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Sami Topics: The proliferation of guns and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric lead to a mass shooting in Colorado Springs How did a young white man threaten his neighborhood with weapons, with no arrests made or red flag laws triggered? The World Cup looks like an unfun, bigoted mess President Biden’s granddaughter got married at the White House Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 21, 202230 min

#795 How Gen Z Blocked The Red Wave

Hosts: Amanda, Bridget Topics: What the end of midterms season means to us personally Is it Nancy Pelosi’s time to step down from leadership? How Gen Z helped avert a Red Wave – but why some still voted for Republicans What got us through the week Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 17, 202224 min

#794 Trump's Back

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Kaitlin Topics: How the Taylor Swift concert ticket meltdown proves monopolies are ruining society It happened – Trump announced a presidential run. Initial reactions, fears, and predictions. Will Ron DeSantis be enough to keep Trump from a general election? Republicans are a seat away from flipping the House. Here’s what that means for the rest of us. Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Nov 16, 202228 min

#793 What’s Missing From The Iran Coverage

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Nicole Najafi Topics: Screenwriter and satirist Nicole Najafi joins to describe how Iran’s women-led protest movement has maintained energy for months, with a real chance at toppling the regime. Why there’s a gap between mainstream media coverage and social media reports + how to share information with confidence. Yes, the regime is capable of killing thousands of protesters. Raise the alarm. What victory looks like and how Iranian history is motivating the protest movement...

Nov 15, 202230 min

#792 How Democrats Held The Senate

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Where were you when the Senate was called for Democrats during Tiffany Trump’s wedding? What the 2024 midterms outcomes already mean for the country’s political future Trump’s candidacy announcement is imminent. Could that be… good? Our favorite Elon Musk fails from the last 72 hours Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Nov 14, 202237 min

#791 What Is The “Women’s” Vote?

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, & Milly Topics: What to expect from the Georgia runoff election and why we don’t think next time will be so close Why did only 27 percent of white women vote for Stacey Abrams? Does marriage impact how women vote? What Fox News really means when they tell men to “put a ring on it” to help the GOP. Did pundits accurately predict a red wave in this once-liberal stronghold? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Nov 10, 202243 min

#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, 202233 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, 202233 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, 202229 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, 202233 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, 202246 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, 202233 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, 202231 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, 202246 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, 202224 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, 202235 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, 202242 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 “righ...

Oct 21, 202236 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, 202241 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, 202234 min
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