Miles Klee on The New Abnormal
Rolling Stone's Mile Klee joins The New Abnormal to talk the myth of "go woke. go broke." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 24, 2023•18 min
Fever Dreams
Inside the right’s push to retake power, from the conspiracy-slingers to the MAGA acolytes to the straight-up grifters. Thought the Trump era was crazy? Wait ’til you hear what they have planned next. Hosted by Kelly Weill and Will Sommer. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app today.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Erin Reed On The New Abnormal
Erin Reed joins the New Abnormal to talk the lastest in laws targeting transgender rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 22, 2023•20 min
Cindy Cohn On The New Abnormal
The EFF's Cindy Cohn joins The New Abnormal to talk cyber security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 19, 2023•22 min
Gary Marcus On The New Abnormal
Gary Marcus joins The New Abnormal to discuss the dangers of AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 17, 2023•19 min
Will Sommer On The New Abnormal
Will Sommer joins The Daily Beast's The New Abnormal to talk the America first movement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 15, 2023•17 min
Kelly Weill On The New Abnormal
The Daily Beast's Kelly Weill joins The New Abnormal to talk the reputation laundering of the Allen, TX mall shooter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 12, 2023•21 min
A Fever Dreams Farewell feat. Asawin Suebsaeng
It’s the final episode of Fever Dreams. After sharing some of their favorite moments from the podcast’s years-long run, the hosts tackle the right-wing obfuscation of a mass shooter’s extremist history and a viral prank on the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 10, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 112
Steven Crowder Exposed feat. Jason Wilson
Fever Dreams examines the recent headline-grabbing actions of right-wing media darling Steven Crowder, who was outed this week for allegedly exposing his genitals repeatedly to employees. Plus! The latest on Ammon Bundy’s latest brewing standoff attempt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 03, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Tuckered Out feat. Sam Adler Bell
On this week’s Fever Dreams, a look at the ecosystem of grifters and gadflies who made a living appearing on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show—and what comes next for them. Plus! What is pronatalism, and why are all the Silicon Valley dudes talking about it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 26, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 110
The Ali Allegations feat. Aaron Kleinman
Fever Dreams hosts Kelly Weill and Will Sommer examine a classic style of right-wing outrage—which never seems to back itself up with evidence. Plus! A conversation with Aaron Kleinman of the States Project about all the wacky, extreme characters inhabiting America’s state houses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 19, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 109
Trump-Loomer 2024 feat. Garret Graff
Laura Loomer has been spewing hate online for years—and now Trump apparently wants to hire her. Plus! A look at the way technology has aided the rise of the far right over the past 40 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 12, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Am I Being Arraigned Feat. Dave Weigel
On this week’s episode of Fever Dreams, hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill discuss how Trump’s decision to fly to New York instead of hunkering down in Mar-a-Lago to face his historic arraignment had the markings of a political scheme—one which denied stoppedDeSantis from making his own big patriotic stand against the charges. Then, national political reporter for Semafor, David Weigel, joins the podcast and weighs in on the latest Trump drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
Apr 05, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Meme Court ft. Luke O’Brien?
Marjorie Taylor Greene is up to her old tricks—this time, protesting a routine ATF inspection of a Georgia gun store Monday under the guise that there apparently were too many agents from “blue states” conducting the operation. Then, investigative reporter Luke O’Brien joins the podcast to talk about the ongoing trial of Douglass Mackey, a 33-year-old ‘alt-right’ figure dubbed the “Disinformation King” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.. Despite the fact that Mackey allegedly engaged in el...
Mar 29, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 106
Pudding Ron feat. Jake Lahut
While prosecutors appear to be closing in on Donald Trump and preparing to file formal charges, he’s been posting up an absolute storm on Truth Social. It’s all happening amid the backdrop of a potential arrest for the former president—which some pundits predict will bolster his re-election campaign. The Fever Dreams team isn’t so sure. Plus! Daily Beast reporter Jake Lahut joins the program to talk about his recent reporting on what appears to be DeSantis’ fledgling campaign—including a number ...
Mar 22, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 105
Woke Bank Run fet. Kat Abughazaleh
If Tucker Carlson seems a little lost at the moment—that’s because he is. At least, that’s what Media Matters researcher Kat Abughazaleh says, and she has to watch the fire-breathing Fox News host every day for work. Then, Fever Dreams digs into the obfuscation being performed by Fox and others in the conservative media after one of the country’s worst banking collapses. Plus! In the podcast’s Fresh Hell segment, Weill and Sommer discuss the worst dressed man in North America—Jordan Peters...
Mar 15, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 104
Fake Andrew Tate feat. Isaac Arnsdorf
This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), long a mainstay in Republican politics, wasn’t quite the A-list event of years past. Isaac Arnsdorf joins the podcast to talk about his own CPAC experience, along with breakout star, Kari Lake, who failed to win Arizona’s governor race last November but propelled herself to MAGA stardom with a Big Lie-style campaign at the state level. Plus, in the podcast’s Fresh Hell segment, Weill gives an update on the legal woes of Andrew T...
Mar 08, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Dilbert Downfall feat Seth Harp
Hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill unpack the QAnon connections behind newly elected Michigan GOP leader Kristina Karamo , who declared Michigan as “ground zero for the globalist takeover of the United States of America.” A wave of more than 100 deaths over the past two years at Fort Bragg has rocked the U.S. military—caused in part by an increasing number of overdoses , says Rolling Stone investigative reporter Seth Harp on this week’s episode of The Daily Beast’s Fever Dreams podcast. Plus, a l...
Mar 01, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Trust The Host ft. Will Sommer
On this week’s Fever Dreams, James O’Keefe gives his fans and foes a truly memorable send-off, while the Libertarian Party continues to its slide to the right. Plus, co-host Will Sommer discusses his years of reporting on QAnon—as well as his new book Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 22, 2023•59 min•Season 1Ep. 101
James O’Keefe Theater Camp w/ Kim Kelly
For it's 100th episode, Fever Dreams unpacks all the drama engulfing right-wing undercover video operation Project Veritas, including a number of claims about the difficult workplace culture fostered under founder James O’Keefe . Then the podcast is joined by labor reporter and author Kim Kelly , who talks about how her experience as a fan and critic of metal music helped her better understand—and report on—far-right extremists across the U.S. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...
Feb 15, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 100
The Eliza Bleu Saga feat. Trevor Aaronson
What if there was an atomic bomb about to detonate and kill millions of people—and the only way to defuse it was to have an Artificial Intelligence chatbot say a racial slur? Also on the podcast Weill and Sommer interview Trevor Aaronson, the host of the investigative podcast the Alphabet Boys , which tells the story of FBI informant Mickey Windecker, who almost single-handedly derailed the Black Lives Matter movement in Denver. Plus! Weill and Sommer recap a bombshell investigation into Eliza B...
Feb 08, 2023•56 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Big Kanye Payoffs feat Nicky Woolf
Journalist Nicky Woolf has spent months looking into the bona fide mystery of what exactly is happening with all of those U.S. diplomats and intelligence operatives reporting brain injuries thanks to some unnamed, futuristic weapon—and come away with the impression that this story, however far-fetched it may seem, may actually be true. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 01, 2023•49 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Santosmania feat. Tina Nguyen
Puck reporter Tina Nguyen joins this week’s Fever Dreams to discuss Rep. George Santos and the civil war brewing between his staffers and the far-right figures he’s begun to consult. Weill and Sommer discuss the recently disclosed rulebook for Proud Boys members, which includes a number of incredibly silly measures that members must follow. Then, speculation rages in Trumpworld over whether MAGA broadcaster Silk—of ‘Diamond and Silk’ fame—meant to shade the former president during a memoria...
Jan 25, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Stove Wars feat. Matthew Sheffield
The first thing Andrew Tate did after his arrest on Romanian human trafficking charges was to complain about “the Matrix” —a shadowy power structure hell-bent on taking him down for, well, some unspoken reason. He is, of course, not the first one to use this term—it’s an emerging meme in right-wing spaces online, says Fever Dreams host Will Sommer on this week’s episode. Even Logan Paul, the YouTube provocateur and wannabe boxing star, has thrown out the theory to push back on critics after...
Jan 18, 2023•52 min•Season 1Ep. 96
The End of Diamond & Silk feat Claire Goforth
Ineitha Lynette Hardaway—better known as “Diamond” from the pro-Trump broadcasting duo “Diamond and Silk”— passed away this week , leaving the future of the pair’s popular act in limbo. In this week’s episode of Fever Dreams, hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill speculate on what comes next for “Silk”—who was never really the group’s frontman, so to speak. Then, the pair tackle Brazil’s own Capitol riot , which came nearly two years to the day after Jan. 6. In terms of pure aesthetics, the two...
Jan 11, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Andrew Tate's Arrest Explained
It may be the start of a new year, but the Republican Party is back to its old antics again—throwing the House of Representatives into chaos as a rogue group of far-right Congresspeople refuses to step into line and back Kevin McCarthy’s bid for the speaker’s gavel. Kelly Weill and Will Sommer, hosts of The Daily Beast’s Fever Dreams podcast, predict that 2023 will only bring more insane antics from the chamber’s more controversial corners—and Fever Dreams favorites like Reps. Matt Gaetz, L...
Jan 04, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Revenge of the Qux
Kelly and Will dig through the mailbag to answer the burning questions on listeners’ minds. Whatever happened to the Qux Box, the right-wing tech device that was supposed to create a new internet? Are MAGA DJ’s “Milk n Cooks” still jamming out? And did Republicans lose the House because Rush Limbaugh died? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 28, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 93
We Have To Talk About Kevin w/ Corbin Bolies
This week, Fever Dreams hosts Will Sommer and Sam Brodey take you down the rabbit hole of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization which looks more and more like the future of the GOP. Also,: a year-end list of the best stories from a particularly deranged 12 months, as well as a look into how legacy media is doing with Daily Beast media reporter Corbin Bolies (Spoiler alert: not well!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Dec 21, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 92
MAGA Undercover w/ Michael Edison Hayden & Hannah Gais
On this week’s episode of the Fever Dreams podcast, Hannah Gais and Michael Edison Hayden from the Southern Poverty Law Center recalled a cast of characters to host Will Sommer and guest co-host, The Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey. Then, in the podcast’s “Fresh Hell” segment, the hosts dip into American conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro's growing online movie streaming empire and his burgeoning efforts to create a right-wing Hollywood in Nashville by acquiring the exclusive film and telev...
Dec 14, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Kanye Cans Milo ft. Jim Small
Kanye West seems more unhinged than ever before—and that’s saying something. And with Milo Yiannopolos now booted from Kanye's orbit, the only person who’s really winning is white nationalist Nick Fuentes, says host Will Sommer on this week’s episode of Fever Dreams . Then, Jim Small, editor in chief of the Arizona Mirror, catches us up to speed on Arizona’s election—and which conspiracy theorists in a couple of fringe counties are still doing their best to keep hope alive. Hosted on Acast. See ...
Dec 07, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Kanye vs Tim Pool ft. Cerise Castle
Kanye’s West ’s “traveling roadshow of right-wing internet fame balls ” may be the topic of the week, but according to Fever Dreams host Will Sommer, fame, like money, does not equal happiness. In this week’s episode, Sommer and co-host Kelly Weill discuss the aftermath of Ye’s controversial dinner with former President Donald Trump last week. Notably though, it was Ye’s guest, the white nationalist Nick Fuentes , that had tongues wagging. Then, Cerise Castle, who covers the presence of gangs in...
Nov 30, 2022•51 min•Season 1Ep. 89