The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are alarmed by the arrest of Columbia student and pro-Palestine activist Mahmoud Khalil by ICE agents over the weekend. Then, Madiba Dennie, deputy editor and senior contributor at Balls and Strikes, joins the show to talk about Trump’s recent weaponization of the Justice Department. Plus, author and podcast host Jared Yates Sexton stops by to discuss the alarming authoritarian power grab unfolding before us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep 506•Transcript available on Metacast As President Donald Trump’s flip-flopping on tariffs roils the stock market, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick took to CNBC earlier this week to blame the outsourcing of American manufacturing on labor unions. Plus! TNA spoke with The New York Times’s David Enrich about Murder the Truth, a new book about New York Times Company v. Sullivan, a landmark Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed freedom of the press and has come under attack from oligarchs seeking to silence the media. Hosted on Acast. S...
Mar 09, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie question why it appears that only people of color are leading the Democratic Party’s fight against the Trump administration. Then, actor and filmmaker Alex Winter talks about “Tesla Takedown,” a movement targeting financial support for Elon Musk and his car brand. Plus, Deirdre Schifeling and Alexa Kolbi Molinas from the American Civil Liberties Union discuss how the organization is pushing back against the administration from legal battles to...
Mar 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep 505•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie react to President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night—and flame the Democrats for failing to stage a cohesive protest of Trump’s speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 05, 2025•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie tear into President Donald Trump’s “toddler tantrum” in the Oval Office. Then, journalist Erin Reed talks about the Trump administration’s attacks on trans rights from federal erasure to military purges and immigration bans. Plus, Brooke Shuman and Eric Vasquez dive into a video they co produced for More Perfect Union detailing how Elon Musk’s Texas playbook explains the moves of the Department of Government Efficiency. Hosted on Acast. See ac...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep 504•Transcript available on Metacast On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, Elon Musk admits DOGE “will make mistakes” as it weeds out government “waste,” but those mistakes could cost lives, warns co hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. Plus! Imara Jones, journalist and CEO of TransLash Media, discusses the Trump administration's attacks on trans rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 02, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, Trump is poised to recreate Russia’s oligarch system by putting a $5 million price tag on U.S. citizenship with his “gold card” visas. Plus! Mike Masnick, founder and editor of Techdirt, breaks down how Elon Musk's latest DOGE move mirrors his Twitter takeover. Then incoming Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden discusses how Democrats can turn the tables on Trump’s agenda. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr•Ep 503•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not surprised by the path the Trump administration has seemingly taken to overhaul the U.S. military, noting that an obvious pattern seems to be at play. Then, Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation and host of the Contempt of Court podcast, joins the show to discuss the legalities of President Donald Trump’s recent moves. Plus, journalist and New Republic contributing editor Meredith Shiner, stops by to dissect the Democratic Pa...
Feb 25, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep 502•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker slays “King” Trump in a rousing State of the State address that left some House Republicans heading for exits. Plus! New York Magazine senior writer Sarah Jones, author of “Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass,” discusses the politicizing of poverty, suffering, and systemic failures laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 23, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump’s attempts to fashion himself as America’s king fall flat with antics that are more akin to a court jester. Plus! Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Spencer Ackerman discusses Elon Musk’s potential undue influence over the Department of Defense, and MacArcthur Genius Cristina Jiménez Moreta delves into how Trump’s second term has escalated attacks on immigrants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr•Ep 501•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie discuss how the guardrails that were supposed to keep President Donald Trump in check are all gone now—and the Democrats don’t know what to do about it. Plus, Virginia Kase Solomón of the pro- democracy watchdog group Common Cause joins the show to talk about how they’ve been fighting back against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Then, Wired senior politics editor Leah Feiger dives into the magazine’s exclusive reporting on all...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 500•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump’s joint press conference with DOGE director Elon Musk paints a grim picture of what democracy looks like in America today. “It looks like the president of the United States slumped over like a puppet while his master does the talking,” said co-host Danielle Moodie. Plus! Author Katherine Stewart discusses her new book, Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, the rise of extremist religiosity and a turn a...
Feb 16, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, California Rep. Robert Garcia’s Elon Musk “d--- pic” during a DOGE hearing proved that some Democrats know how to counter Republican rhetoric, so why are the party’s longtime stalwarts having such a difficult time stepping aside? Plus! How NYU School of Law’s Christopher Sprigman is leading a fight to stop Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing personal data. Then, Buddhist scholar Lama Rod Owens discusses how to keep a level head in trying times. Hosted on Acast. S...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep 499•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie break down Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. Then, Dannagal Young, author of “Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation”, joins the show to talk about what common sense means and why President Donald Trump is using it as a catchphrase. Then Dr. Emily Nagoski, author of “Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections,” joins the show to discuss what the conservative pol...
Feb 11, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep 498•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, Vermont Rep. Becca Balint hammers Georgia Rep. Marjorie Talor Greene over her “sickening” use of DEI to attack L.A. wildfire victims. “It's become crystal clear that the phrase DEI is used in place of much more offensive terms,” said Balint. Plus! Journalist Lois Parshley discusses her latest article, “Trump’s Tech Donors Have Big Plans For Greenland.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 09, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, the right-wing American Accountability Foundation is ushering in a “McCarthy-style” era with its diversity, equity, and inclusion “bureaucrat watch list.” Plus! Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, breaks down the Trump administration's attacks on public education, and Tax March executive director Maura Quint delves into the fight for tax justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Ep 497•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not confident about Trump’s economy. Then, ProPublica investigative reporter, Mica Rosenberg, joins us to break down a recent piece, “ICE Enforcement Official Tapped to Lead Unaccompanied Migrant Children Office, Triggering Alarms.” Then journalist and author, Eoin Higgins is here to tell us about his new book, “Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 496•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of The New Abnormal, could FBI director nominee Kash Patel be President Donald Trump’s most extreme cabinet appointment yet? During his confirmation hearing, senators grilled Patel over his intent to weaponize the FBI to “come after” conspirators “not just in government” but “in the media.” Plus! Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, joins to discuss the ACLU’s lawsuit against Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship and the broader fight to pro...
Feb 02, 2025•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump wasted no time finger-pointing as he addressed the mid-air crash between a passenger plane and U.S. Army Black Hawk that left 67 dead in Washington D.C.– and it appears he has the backing of his allies. Plus! Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee discusses Trump's flood of executive orders, legal battles ahead, and what Democrats can learn from past fights. Also, Religion News Service reporter Jack Jenkins delves into white Christian ...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep 485•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not surprised at Trump’s war of words with an American ally just one week into his presidency. Then, Trevor Timm, co-founder and the executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation, joins the show to talk about Joe Biden's press freedom legacy and the threats to those freedoms we face under a second Trump administration. Plus! Journalist and author Jacob Silverman explores the growing influence of Saudi investments in U.S. tech and t...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep 494•Transcript available on Metacast Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde rattles President Donald Trump during his big inauguration week by asking for “mercy.” During an inaugural prayer service on Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, Budde addressed Trump in her sermon. “Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God in the name of our God. I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. We're scared.” The New Abnormal co-host Danie...
Jan 26, 2025•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Labor reporter Hamilton Nolan joins the latest episode of The New Abnormal to discuss Trump’s cryptocurrency venture—and what it portends for the future of his presidency. Plus! A conversation with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, whose office filed a challenge to Trump’s executive order that would get rid of birthright citizenship in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep 493•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie look back on Donald’s Trump’s inauguration and the long list of executive orders he signed hours later. Then, Melissa Gira Grant, journalist, author, and senior editor at The New Republic, joins us to discuss the Laken Riley Act, a harsh immigration bill that could jail undocumented immigrants for minor arrests, even without charges. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep 492•Transcript available on Metacast Billionaire CEO, DOGE co-director and “first buddy” Elon Musk’s surprise visit to California’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood didn’t seem to go as planned. Musk attempted to affirm an incendiary rumor about the area’s wildfires spreading because the city had a shortage of water, but a fire commander threw cold water on the claim. “You hear him go from his normal, ‘Oh, I’m so bright. I’m asking questions.’ To timid and realizing that he is a fucking jack—,” said The New Abnormal co-host Andy...
Jan 19, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and Chief Deputy Whip, joins The New Abnormal to talk about Trump’s controversial cabinet picks, including who he thinks won’t make the cut. Then, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Maree Brown talks about Octavia Butler's prophetic book, “Parable of the Sower” and how its themes eerily resonate today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 17, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep 491•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Trump is secretly excited at the emergence of a civil war among his supporters and allies, according to The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. Then, MSNBC political analyst Juanita Tolliver joins the program to talk about her new book, “A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Lee Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics.” Plus! Cara Kelly, editor at large for The Barbed Wire, discusses her recent piece titled “The True Cost of Texas’ Abortion Ban: Rising Deaths, Ab...
Jan 14, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep 490•Transcript available on Metacast Multibillionaire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with President-elect Donald Trump the day before he announced his company’s big fact check flip-flop, revealed Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma—further revealing how Silicon Valley’s tech elite is moving to align itself with the incoming Republican administration. “I really think we do need to really clock how bad this tech Republican collusion is,” said The New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy. Plus! Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, and also chair of the Senate...
Jan 12, 2025•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Republicans have jumped on the opportunity to weaponize coverage of the devastating greater Los Angeles wildfires into political divisiveness, says The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. “We have seen many people on the right, including Donald Trump Jr. Blaming this somehow on the fact that we've given money to Ukraine,” said Levy. Plus, New York Times technology correspondent Mike Isaac discusses Mark Zuckerberg’s overhaul of Meta's fact-checking system, and author Adrian Carr...
Jan 10, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep 489•Transcript available on Metacast The New Abnormal co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie share their apprehension at the increasing scope of Elon Musk’s political ambitions. Then, MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner joins the program to discuss the state of law and order in America (hint: It’s not doing so hot). Plus! Chris Geidner, the deputy editor for legal affairs at Grid and author of the Law Dork newsletter, catches us up on a number of big legal stories that happened over the holidays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...
Jan 07, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep 488•Transcript available on Metacast Adrian Daub, professor at Stanford University and author of The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global, joins The New Abnormal to discuss moral panic, its echo chambers, and its celebrity origins. “Canceling” began with celebrity disinvestment in online spaces and moved into politics, Daub explained. “But there's a wholesale kind of reorientation of this term once it leaves those online only spaces,” said Daub. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jan 05, 2025•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
