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

#836 The Me Too Cultural Reset

Topics: Describing our weekends in headline format Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans move to ban college minors in gender studies Tennessee prepares to enact the nation’s first drag ban… and Nashville would like a word New criminal sentences for R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein. We reflect on five years since Me Too. What fundamental changes have stuck, and what inequities remain? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Feb 27, 202359 min

#835 Burgers, But For Girls

Topics: Which Republican politician was banned from Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz’s wedding? Plus, untangling the family’s lawsuit against their wedding planner Unpacking the fallout after the Dominion Voting System’s lawsuit against Fox revealed pundits admitting their election fraud claims were false Don Lemon will receive “formal training” after sexist remarks about women in their “prime” Is it ever appropriate to talk about age and politics? Yes, and here’s why Learn more about your ad c...

Feb 23, 202357 min

#834 The Internet Needs An Umbrella

Comedian Jon Laster joins to share the origins of Blapp, an app that helps you shop Black-owned businesses for all the things you already need What exactly did Tiger Woods think was so hilarious about handing a tampon to his opponent? What to know about Section 230 and the Supreme Court case that could change the future of the internet Download the Blapp app wherever you buy apps! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Feb 21, 202352 min

#833 The Feelings Episode

The hosts open with a breaking Republi-can you not related to a grand jury report about Trump’s Georgia election interference A new CDC report details a shocking wave of trauma and sadness among teen girls. We reflect on how ever-present social media might have impacted us as teens. An open letter criticizes the New York Times’ coverage of trans issues a day before it publishes an op-ed “In Defense Of J.K. Rowling.” Why are men having mega meltdowns over child-free women just vibing? We discuss ...

Feb 16, 20231 hr 1 min

#832 The Radicalism of Rihanna

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, & Keisha Toussaint Topics: Unpacking Rihanna’s revelatory Super Bowl performance meets pregnancy announcement Why were men not currently creating new life underwhelmed by her performance? How Black mothers saw themselves represented in Rihanna’s halftime show Residents of East Palestine, Ohio return to grizzly scenes with little information about long-term environmental damage Providers are preparing for a nationwide ban on medication abortion. Today’s Republi-Can you n...

Feb 13, 202347 min

#831 A Historic Heckle

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise, Sami Topics: What the White House hoped to achieve with its State of the Union speech Unpacking the most impactful moments of President Biden’s triumphant address Why did abortion only get four sentences? Reacting to the best scenery – from a strange smooch to Mitt Romney’s lecture to “a sick puppy” Trump doubles-down on torturing Ron DeSantis, forecasting a messy primary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Feb 09, 202355 min

#830 Biden And The Big Balloon

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Where were you when Joe Biden personally shot a spy balloon out of the sky? Unpacking why an inflated espionage device became a social media sensation Will Joe Biden say abortion at this year’s State of the Union? Here’s what else we’ll be watching for ahead his potential 2024 re-election campaign Marjorie Taylor Greene, performance arts critic, reacts to the Grammys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Feb 06, 202342 min

#829 Blood, Bones, And Bozos

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Tom Brady enters his Fox era Republi-can you not? Ron DeSantis and his increasingly draconian measures to erase everyone but straight cishet whites from the Florida education system Diving deep into another disturbing headline out of Florida schools: the requirement and storage of teenagers’ menstrual data. Introducing our new segment: Are Men OK? This week, we investigate why Joe Rogan listeners are flocking to the bottom of the east river Learn more about yo...

Feb 02, 202356 min

#828 PSA (Public Sup Announcement)

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: The hosts share an update about the podcast schedule and format What the murder of Tyre Nichols forces us to realize about policing in America Unpacking an Oscars micro-scandal What will it mean if “thin is in” once again? Is body positivity here to say, or did the beauty ideal just go easy for a few years? Read “Op-Ed: Body positivity has boomed. But thinness never went away” by Samhita Mukhopadhyay in the LA Times www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-01-17/thi...

Jan 30, 202354 min

#827 Florida Or Fiction?

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Pope Francis is cool with celibate gays Trump is invited back on Facebook An Idaho Republican lawmaker apologizes for comparing women to cows (but there’s a plot twist) Reacting to the highs and lows of this year’s Oscar nominations The story of the woman who concealed her Asian descent and was nominated for an Oscar 87 years ago What’s really in the AP African American studies class that Ron DeSantis banned from Florida? Check out our latest promo codes here:...

Jan 26, 202346 min

#826 The 2024 Senate Races Worth Getting To Know

Hosts: Amanda, Kaitlin Topics: What would we invite the FBI over to help us find? Reacting to and contextualizing the classified documents found at Pence’s house. Rep. Ruben Gallego announces a 2024 Senate run against Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona, setting up a potential three-way general election in a toss-up state. We unpack the messiness. Looking closely at the bright light we’ve been avoiding (the 2024 Senate map) Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about...

Jan 25, 202327 min

#825 Inside Social Media’s Favorite Senate Campaign

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Annie Wu HenryTopics: Amanda and Milly debrief on M&M’s announcement to abandon its politically polarizing spokescandies Rating the sexiness of animated male corporate mascots Annie Wu Henry, digital strategist and former social media producer for John Fetterman, joins to share her iconic year that began with quitting her job and ending with a victorious senatorial campaign. How she used memes and humor to make distinctions between Dr. Oz and Dr. Fetterman On overcoming...

Jan 24, 202343 min

#824 A Surprise Brett Kavanaugh Documentary

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Alise Topics: Joe Biden invites the FBI over for a 13-hour search of his Delaware home. Would we rather be the agents searching Mar-a-Lago, or Joe’s house? Updates regarding the mass shooting that killed 10 in Monterey Park – the nation’s 33rd mass shooting in 22 days Why all eyes are on Wisconsin as Roe reaches it’s 50th anniversary A surprise new documentary about Brett Kavanaugh asks if the FBI did enough to investigate claims of sexual assault Check out our latest promo ...

Jan 23, 202342 min

#823 Jacinda Ardern’s Radical Resignation

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, and Alise Topics: Alec Baldwin and crew members on “Rust” are charged with involuntary manslaughter. How might this change incentives for filmmakers who cut corners? George Santos’ other life as a drag performer in Brazil. How far will his denials go? Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation and we reflect on how she embodied a new kind of empowered feminism, and why more politicians should step down when they’re tired Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches....

Jan 19, 202341 min

#822 The Blue State In Its Flop Era

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Kaitlin Topics: A failed Republican candidate for state government orchestrated shootings at Democrats’ houses. No one died, but we explain the real tragedy. Why people are mad about Governor Kathy Hochul’s controversial judge nomination in New York Why is Eric Adams at the border wall? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 18, 202333 min

#821 The (Wrong) Way Of Water?

Hosts: Amanda, Milly Topics: Weekend catch-up and empty Republican statements on MLK Day Reflecting on the depictions of colonization in “Avatar: The Way Of Water” as the film nears $2 billion in global earnings Unpacking James Camerons’ 2009 comments that Native American tribes could have “fought harder” to resist What to know about this week’s debt ceiling showdown and the unusual ways Biden can get around it Can Janet Yellin mint a $2 trillion coin? Check out our latest promo codes here: http...

Jan 17, 202340 min

#820 The Anti-Abortion-Extremist-To-Insurrectionist Pipeline

Hosts: Amanda, Lizz Winstead, co-creator of “The Daily Show,” Abortion Access Front, and Feminist Buzzkills Live! podcast Topics: Republicans are on a mission to rescue the nation’s most vulnerable kitchen appliance Abortion Access Front’s revolutionary approach to expanding reproductive justice How keeping track of abortion extremists led them to expose January 6 insurrectionists The deep cruelty of the House GOP’s first anti-abortion rights legislation Missouri spends its first day of governme...

Jan 16, 202336 min

#819 Appropriation Station

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Sarah Huckabee Sanders’s bizarre first order of business as Governor of Arkansas How “Mike’s” are running Congress Gwen Stefani gives a painful interview to Allure identifying as Japanese The popularity of Black hair products among white women raises questions about appreciating a product vs. restricting access for those it was made for Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

Jan 12, 202348 min

#818 Classified Documents Back In The Spotlight

Hosts: Amanda, Kaitlin, Sami Topics: Jim Jordan’s fulls his anti-FBI fantasy with an alarming new House subcommittee Reacting to the timing of Rep. Katie Porter’s announcement for Senate How to explain why Joe Biden’s classified document’s issue is not the same as Trump’s Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 11, 202341 min

#817 Rules Of Disengagement

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Nelini Stamp Topics: The latest investigations into George Santos’ latest scams. Is the clock ticking on his time in Congress? Unpacking Republicans’ new employee handbook Why is Marjorie Taylor Greene choosing now to distance herself from QANON? Reacting to a real housewife’s six-year prison sentence The early 2023 elections to watch Nelini Stamp is the national director of strategy for the Working Families Party Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/p...

Jan 10, 202338 min

#816 CSPAN Meets Fight Club

Hosts: Amanda, Sami, Alise Topics: Recapping the final, explosive day of voting for the Speaker of the House on Congress How close were grown men from *really* coming to blows? How voters will react to the GOP’s botched first week on the job Prince Harry’s memoir: radical transparency, or oversharing? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 09, 202343 min

#815 America, Unplugged

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Why it’s so emotionally gratifying to watch a prolonged Republican humiliation Discussing the fate of the House Speakership as we watch Kevin McCarthy lose his seventh vote Unpacking the intense fight between Prince Harry and his brother William. Plus, our reactions to the Meghan and Harry documentary. Then, Congressman Jimmy Gomez joins with his fourth-month-old son Hodge to share being a new dad in Congress, when parenting schedules go awry, and how this wee...

Jan 05, 202355 min

#814 We Need To Talk About Kevin

Hosts: Amanda, Kaitlin, Sami Topics: Reacting to the many rounds of historic humiliation for Kevin McCarthy and why his dream of Speaker of the House is very likely doomed What the disarray signals about the next two years of GOP House “leadership” Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 04, 202328 min

#813 Men Of The Year

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: How holiday travel horrors revealed a broken system George Santos’ quicksand box of lies Andrew Tate’s misogyny is even darker in practice How Did Kevin McCarthy end up in this position? Senator Patty Murray joins to discuss her history-making day becoming the first woman in US history to become Senate president pro tempore Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Jan 03, 20231 hr 6 min

#812 A Naughty/Nice List We Had To Check Twice

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: In this holiday-themed episode, the hosts reflect on our main characters of 2022 and who makes the naughty vs nice list. They deliberate what counts as “naughty” behavior in a political context and make some ultimate conclusions that might surprise you. Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 19, 202248 min

#811 Oh Good, A Potential Government Shutdown

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Milly Topics: Which politicians would we transfer our holiday party hangovers to? What to expect as Congress works on a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown What is Title 42 and why are states freaking out about it ending? A deep dive into Kyrsten Sinema’s Facebook Marketplace based on an investigation from Slate’s Christina Cauterucci Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 15, 202238 min

#810 2022’s MVP Makes A Final Appearance

Hosts: Amanda, Kaitlin Topics: A moment to lament bras and menstruation Final thoughts on the Respect for Marriage Act We just got 2,300 Mark Meadows texts – are they a map for accountability? Trend forecasting the political landscape in 2023 Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 14, 202234 min

#809 Collective Villain Era

Hosts: Amanda, Milly, Alise Topics: Elon Musk’s cringeworthy appearance at a Dave Chappelle show Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto house of cards The real reason Kyrsten Sinema says she’s becoming an independent A very spoiler-heavy White Lotus recap! Was the ending truly satisfying? What did Daphne and Ethan do on the island? And why can’t we get enough of this show? Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...

Dec 13, 202243 min

#808 What ‘Latino Vote’?

Hosts: Milly Tamarez featuring Ian Lara and Aida Rodriguez Milly interviews fellow Afro Latino superstar comedians Ian Lara and Aida Rodriguez. The three discuss the process of putting together Ian’s HBO comedy special “Romantic Comedy,” which Aida produced, as well as the nuances of the “Latino Vote” and what they would do to get out the vote in their respective communities. Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Dec 12, 202237 min

#807 Freed Brittney

Hosts: Amanda, Alise, Milly Topics: The details behind Brittney Griner’s release from Russian custody, and what the outcome means for Americans still detained Why are Latina women so dramatically underpaid in the United States? What’s getting 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...

Dec 08, 202232 min
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