This week Sami is in Philadelphia promoting her new book, Democracy in Retrograde, with her co-author Emily Amick. (Out now!) While in town, she spoke with Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro about the importance of democracy and the steps being taken to ensure free and fair elections, including creating a task force led by Republican Al Schmidt, to protect local poll workers and stop the spread of misinformation. Governor Shapiro also emphasizes the importance of increasing voter participation...
Jul 11, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Project 2025 is officially in the mainstream news, and Sami and V compare its ideologies to that of Agenda 47, and the 7 Mountains Mandate. They also discuss Nazis marching in Tennessee and how the US could follow the UK's elections last week and pull a "Taccy V." MAIN NEWS 5:00 Project 2025, tied to the Heritage Foundation, is gaining mainstream attention, and both the Vice President and Taraji P. Henson are warning American's to start paying attention. Sami & V also dive into the 7 Mountains M...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this very special 4th of July episode, Sami and V discuss the case for Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic presidential candidate, highlighting her voting record as a Senator, her advocacy for LGBTQ rights, and her stance on Israel-Palestine. They also consider how embracing Harris and giving her more spotlight is the clearest path to a victory against Donald Trump in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 04, 2024•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Back from Vidcon, V and Sami are comparing Project 2025, the Nazi's, Theocracy and Saudi Arabia, and where a win for Trump this fall would leave us. V and Sami also explore what the current round of Supreme Court rulings mean, and how this might be the end of #vanlife. TEMP CHECK: What are the realities of Project 2025? Everyone is quick to compare it to Nazi Germany, but is the reality more a Theocracy like Saudi Arabia? President Biden gives a mild speech after the Supreme Court’s decision to ...
Jul 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sami and V are joined by host and creative director at MSNBC Live, Luke Russert, to talk about his book Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself. “Give them the best and the world will take care of the rest.” Luke shares how his grandparents’ and parents’ legacies shaped not only his career but his worldview. There is no correct way to grieve. Luke shares how his life has changed after the passing of his father and how he has navigated his grief. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast 04:45 TEMP CHECK: Will this week’s headlines give you a fever or make you freeze? 24:45 MAIN NEWS: Now that Louisiana has posted the 10 Commandments in every classroom, Sami and V discuss how extreme conservatives are spreading the Christian Dominionist Movement and how they want to completely rewrite the Constitution to create a more evangelical America. 50:15 DOWN BALLOT: It’s Election Day, and the primary race between Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer has now become the most expensive in histo...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast 00:00 Sami and V are joined by authors Lisa Lerer & Elizabeth Dias of the new book The Fall of Roe: the Rise Of A New America, to discuss the decades of work done by anti-abortion groups to finally overturn Roe. 11:00 V wonders if American politicians had been more comfortable with using the word ‘abortion’ and didn’t shy away from these conversations, would it have been harder for conservatives to chip away at reproductive rights? 20:20 Everyone knows that religion affects politics, but less di...
Jun 20, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 00:00 Welcome to your guide on media literacy. V and Sami explore how social media is used in hybrid warfare to manipulate public opinion through disinformation and emphasize the need to rebuild social trust. 16:00 How can you spot a bot? In a few easy steps you too can spot disinformation through fake accounts, false engagement, and artificial intelligence. 50:00 Don’t forget to mind the gap. Sami and V give listeners the tools to combat problematic accounts and how to find reliable information...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast 1:20 Sami and V are joined by Representative Ro Khanna to share his economic philosophies and proposed changes to the legislative and judicial branches, which already have bipartisan support among voters (though not lawmakers!) 9:00 They discuss the threat of AI to elections and discourse, and what regulations are needed around to rebuild trust in political information on social media. 16:30 They dive into Rep. Khanna’s Political Reform Resolution, which presents a comprehensive roadmap to achie...
Jun 13, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 13:00 TEMP CHECK: Will this week’s headlines give you a fever or make you freeze? 45:00 MAIN NEWS: Sami and V define the term ‘Manufactured Consensus’ and how social media has been used to sway popular opinion towards believing that a third party has more support than we think. Not sure how to spot a bot? Make sure to tune in next week for an in depth media literacy lesson. 1:01:40 DOWN BALLOT: Our down ballot girlie of the week goes to The Working Families Party, which is going about the third ...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 7:55 TEMP CHECK: Sami and V are back this week to check your temperature on 6 new headlines. Have you ever heard of auto-brewery syndrome? 33:40 MAIN NEWS: After reviewing Trump’s convictions, Sami and V uncover how social media could be the end to elections and how foreign interference poses a significant threat to democratic processes (and also the Olympics). 1:01:30 DOWN BALLOT: Representative Kathy Manning was gerrymandered out of her district, but her bill Right to Contraception Act which w...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2:00 Sami and V are joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul to discuss the impact of New York becoming the first state to create a paid family leave program for prenatal care. 8:00 A $1 billion plan was put forward to overhaul New York state’s mental health system, allocating $1.6 million specifically for maternal mental health initiatives. They discuss what happens when mental health issues and law enforcement interface, and how future plans in New York seek to reduce incidents. 24:00 Looking ...
May 30, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2:30 TEMP CHECK: New take on Temp Check where we cover 8 wild headlines. Does your fever spike or sink? 25:15 MAIN NEWS: In honor of Memorial Day, they sound the alarm against the treatment of veterans and the proposed changes to veterans’ benefits under Project 2025. But don’t worry, Biden dropped a new fiscal budget with $369 billion for the DoD and VA. 43:00 DOWN BALLOT: Our Down Ballot bestie this week goes to VoteVets.org. Vote Vets elevates the voices of veterans and military families thro...
May 28, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Representative Colin Allred discusses his vision for a more equitable Texas and his campaign to unseat Ted Cruz, stressing the need for a more engaged and representative leader. Allred shares his journey from being an NFL linebacker to a lawyer and now a representative, driven by a desire to represent all 30 million Texans. Sami and V ask Allred to address looming issues such as the Texas power grid, paternity leave, and the near-total ban on abortion. Learn more about your ad choices. V...
May 23, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 4:27 TEMP CHECK: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and six passengers were found dead at the site of a helicopter crash on Monday, one month before the next election. Was it foul play or an inevitable accident? 20:30 MAIN NEWS: After uncovering the brutality of P. Diddy’s assault on Cassie Ventura and Sami, V exposes the deadly problem of not believing women, the uniquely American “Boyfriend Loophole,” and the need for comprehensive legislation like the Violence Ag...
May 21, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Sami is joined by Sharon McMahon, the author of “The Small and the Mighty,” to share how history can be constructed and verified as accurately as possible. Sharon stresses the importance of local journalism and how it has been the backbone of America’s microcultures. How different generations navigate gathering information, disseminating it, and learning that the best way to be right is to be wrong first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 16, 2024•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast 15:55 TEMP CHECK: Vice President Harris spoke at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ annual legislative leadership summit and imparted some honest words to the group. 24:30 MAIN NEWS: Sami and V give a rundown of the MANY threats to the 2024 election, from AI and disinformation, to election denial, to voter suppression by Trump’s army of poll-watching volunteers. Plus, what the hell is an incidental election and what are the odds of one happening? 58:07 DOWN BALLOT ER...
May 14, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Sami and V are joined by the hosts of Strict Scrutiny to talk about how the Supreme Court’s handling of important cases like Mifepristone and EMTALA raises concerns about standing and the potential impact on reproductive rights. They predict the risks of the Supreme Court undermining federal supremacy over state law as constitutional principle and what the long term ripple effects are. What can we do about it? Sustained public attention and pressure are crucial in influencing the court’s...
May 09, 2024•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast 12:45 TEMP CHECK: V and Sami take the nation’s temperature after Drew Barrymore’s “Mamala Controversy” and how her interview with Vice President Harris became cringe-worthy and even inappropriate. 29:17 MAIN NEWS: Project 2025 outlines Trump’s policy plans, which aims to consolidate executive authority and implement conservative policies, potentially hinting to an authoritarian government. 50:53 DOWN BALLOT ERA: Our down ballot girlie of the week goes to Caroline Gleich. Caroline has climbed Mt....
May 07, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Samantha Vinograd, senior national security counselor and assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at the DHS, joins Sami and V to talk about how the council is approaching Holocaust denialism and the lack of Holocaust education. Lawmakers proposed the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism into federal anti-discrimination laws. Samantha discusses antisemitism in the context of ...
May 02, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast 5:40 TEMP CHECK: V and Sami check the temperature on the Columbia University protest, clarifying the motivation behind the protests and discussing how they’ve expanded nationwide. 25:45 MAIN NEWS: Why does it seem like every headline is about a court case? They highlight the latest developments at SCOTUS, criminal cases, and more… while reflecting on America’s long standing reputation of being one of the most litigious countries in the world and how Americans use the legal system to solve (and c...
Apr 30, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: President Biden signed a bill that will force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to divest from its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban. V updates us on the details of this bill and the consequences TikTok will face if they do not cooperate. Sami is joined by Jesse Washington, film director of Hip-Hop And The White House, a documentary that examines the relationship between the emergence of hip-hop, how it arose as a result of public policy, and the power of hip hop to make political s...
Apr 25, 2024•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast 2:40 TEMP CHECK: Sami and V check the nation’s pulse after Taylor Swift’s double album release and the discourse that followed. 11:56 MAIN NEWS: This week, Maine joined The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). Under the proposed compact, each state would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote for president, regardless of how individual states voted in an election. 24:33 DOWN BALLOT GIRLY OF THE WEEK: Goes to the first South American-born immigrant...
Apr 23, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast TEMP CHECK: Sami and V discuss the 4B movement which renounces dating men, marriage, sex with men, and having children. It originated in South Korea in 2019 with 4,000 members, but now TikTok has caught wind and amassed over 60K videos with some form of #4B. MAIN NEWS: In the midst of his trial, Donald Trump drops a sneak peek of what we can expect from his desired second term, starting with a brilliant plan to devalue the US dollar on purpose. IN OUR DOWN BALLOT ERA: We are here to shout out th...
Apr 18, 2024•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re switching/SWISHing it up this week, with our mini-sode today and our main episode out on Thursday, because there is just so much rolling news right now. Today, Sami and V are joined by Kara Swisher, tech journalist, Pivot co-host, co-founder of Recode, and New York Times bestselling author of Burn Book. Her memoir chronicles her decades-long career covering the rise of Silicon Valley, what they’re like up close, how they’ve helped and how they harmed us.Topics: Congress is finally starting...
Apr 16, 2024•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: The king of subprime car loans, Don Hankey, stepped forward to offer Trump his $175 million bond — but will he even be allowed to pay it? State Attorney General Letitia James is questioning whether Hankey's insurance group, Knight Company, is qualified to issue bonds in New York and that's even if the funds are legitimate. Following the Supreme Court’s mention of the Comstock Act, Sami and V dive deep into 19th century moralist Anthony Comstock, uncovering his motivations for creating th...
Apr 09, 2024•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Republicans call President Biden anti-Catholic because he dared to acknowledge Trans Day of Visibility, which fell on the same day as Easter Sunday Family members of the late labor leader César Chavez tell RFK Jr. to stop using their dad’s likeness for clout. A major dive into Beyonce’s new album Cowboy Carter and its history lessons, plus a legendary (and definitely untold) story from V about Dolly Parton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Sami is joined by Emily Amick to provide an update on Kate Middleton and how the public reacted to the conclusion of the royal conspiracies. V interviews Julie F. Kay, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Abortion Coalition of Telemedicine (ACT), on how the Supreme Court is attempting to limit abortion access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 28, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: Run For Something’s latest research revealed that 61% of young democrats say they are most likely to turn out to vote if there is a young progressive candidate running. NBC hires Ronna McDaniel as an on-air commentator and faces major backlash. Truth Social has made a surprise IPO on the NASDAQ and its biggest investor is the company founded by TikTok’s savior Jeff Yass, Susquehanna International Group. A deep dive into RFK Jr. and his independent campaign In Our Down Ballot Era: Democra...
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Topics: An overview of Emily Amick’s Substack piece: Kate Middleton & the Conspiratization of Modern Mass Communications Identifying how conspiracies become discredited to cover up truth. Is it malevolence or is it just messiness? Pre-order Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 21, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
