American Fever Dream

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**American Fever Dream**

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

Latest Episodes:

#872 Courting Chaos (Supreme Court) Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

The hosts are back to react to last week’s dizzying cascade of upsetting legal news!
Behind the long and petty battle to outlaw affirmative action in colleges and universities
Untangling the mysterious origins of the homophobic website designer case that just reversed protections for LGBTQ Americans
Biden’s student loan hail mary. Better to try and fail to cancel student loans than never to have tried at all?

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#871 Why It’s So Hard To Run For Office As A Woman Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Co-hosted by Jordan Zaslow, the founder and executive director of Her Bold Move (@herboldmove)

Reacting to Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech on abortion rights
What’s STILL missing from the repro rights conversation one year after Dobbs
Why don’t more women run for office? Hint: sexism is brutal.
How speaking frankly about sexism in electoral politics can actually help launch more women into powerful positions
The best ways to support your favorite up-and-coming politicians (Spoiler alert: going viral doesn’t do much)
What we can do today to get more women elected in November 2024

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#870 A Nation Obsessed (Submersible, Dobbs anniversary) Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Why the nation is transfixed by the avoidable tragedy of the OceanGate submersible
The latest Supreme Court justice to exchange judicial favors for luxury vacations
Unpacking a shocking display of men who are not okay this week, from vaccine scientists harassed by Joe Rogan to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg agreeing to a “cage fight.”
What is the nature of the abortion rights movement one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade? Amanda Zurawski, a woman in Texas suing the state after nearly losing her life as a result of its abortion ban, details the aftermath of her life-threatening pregnancy loss and jumping into advocacy 10 days later.

Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promo

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#869 Juneteenth, Hold The Ice Cream (Ft. A Big Announcement) Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

This episode includes a huge announcement about the future of this podcast feed!Topics:

The corporatization of Juneteenth and looking back on the ill-advised “Juneteenth ice cream”
Unpacking – word for word – what it means to dismantle white supremacy
Why is *real* intersectionality still missing from so much of the pop culture discourse?
Our solve to that problem: Introducing “Soft Black Woman,” a new podcast by the Betches Sup and hosted by Dr. Cadet debuting in this feed on July 7!

Every week in the Sup feed, Dr. Cadet will unpack big moments in news and media and invite amazing guests to discuss all things lifestyle + culture while sharing how they prioritize rest and joy in a world that constantly demands vigilance. Rest can be radical – so welcome to the “Soft Black Woman” club!

Watch this space for the first episode premiering July 7 and follow Dr. Cadet on social at @ changecadet

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#868 Lunch Is On Him (Frances Suarez, Trump Indictment) Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Ticketmaster will offer up-front pricing at more than 200 venues and festivals as part of Joe Biden’s plan to curb hidden fees.
Miami Mayor Frances Suarez announced he’s running in the republican primary, aiming to become the first sitting mayor ever elected president.
On Tuesday trump pled not guilty to 37 counts in federal court.
Bill DeBlasio finally talked about dropping (and killing) the groundhog on Groundhog Day in 2014.
Then they listen to a Voicemail about Rosa Delauro and a possible tattoo.

Our voicemails are open! Keep us flush with your political questions, anecdotes, local tea, and more by calling (212) 287-5244‬

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#867 Operation Box Hoax (Trump Indictment, Immigration) Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

The new law, set to go into effect July 1, cracks down on immigration.
Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in the Department of Justice regarding his mishandling of classified documents.
Letitia James sued the anti-abortion group Red Rose Rescue.
Fox News sent Tucker Carlson a cease and desist letter over his Twitter show which launched last week.

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The Right To Be ‘Hot And Boring’ ft Alex Schmider Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

TOPICS:

The first time Alex saw himself represented in media (“Boys Don’t Cry”)
The problem of over vs. underrepresentation of trans people in film and TV
Unpacking the right-wing fixation on LGBTQ young people
Revisiting the 2021 documentary “Changing The Game,” which follows transgender teens navigating life and athletics in towns across the country
Getting all the tea on “Chasing Chasing Amy,” a film directed by Sav Rogers and produced by Alex Schmider that revisits the iconic ‘90s film about a lesbian who falls for Ben Affleck

Alex Schmider is the director of transgender representation at GLAAD and an award-nominated filmmaker. Follow him on social media at @anderfinn

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#866 Smoke And Errors (Duggars, Trump indictment) Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Why the smokey skies in New York sent such a chilling message
Trump indictment watch: the classified documents scandal may be about to explode
Pat Robertson, who infused the Republican party with fundamentalist Christianity, dies at 93
Reacting to a new documentary exposing the abuses and political influence of the Duggar family
The couple coordinating to outlaw abortion in Florida
Another Would You Rather? involving the Roy family and Tom and Raquel

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#865 Collab Of The Year (2024, Nikki Haley) Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Could Democrats sabotage their edge with young voters?
Mike Pence’s daily affirmations
Why we need to take Nikki Haley’s “feminist” presidential campaign very, very seriously
Greg Abbott’s unfortunately productive weekend
Trump ruined their lives. Now they’re writing a romance novel together.
Unpacking Taylor Swift’s Pride remarks

Our voicemails are open! Keep us flush with your political questions, anecdotes, local tea, and more by calling (212) 287-5244‬

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EXTRA EXTRA Crossover: The Billionaires Who Are Killing Journalism Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

Rich white men and the newspapers they buy to feed their own egos… name a more iconic duo. But what’s different about this generation of wealthy media moguls? In honor of the end of HBO's Succession, and in the wake of VICE Media declaring bankruptcy, what better time to examine the individuals who are getting rich off their media empires... and killing journalism in the proess.

In this throwback episode of EXTRA EXTRA from October, 2022, Sami Sage takes us on a tour of the many publishing-billionaires in power today and the media properties they wield to further their own agendas. From traditional publications like the New York Times and Washington Post, to new digital behemoths like Facebook and Google, she tells us why media consolidation among the elites poses a threat to journalism as we know it.

Check out Morning Announcements ever weekday, and keep an eye out for more EXTRA EXTRA episodes to come!

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