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:

#864 Narcissism Buffet (Debt Ceiling, Ken Paxton) Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

A quick debrief on the season finales of “Succession” and “Ted Lasso”
How the debt ceiling negotiations will impact the 2024 election, and the provisions actually worth worrying about
Joe Manchin’s sneaky victory
Pride in a year of escalating transphobia
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is impeached for a Scandoval-level melodrama involving extramarital affairs and abuse of power
Are Men OK? Featuring proud new dads Al Pacino and Robert De Niro

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#863 Listener Town Hall May 29, 2023

Show notes

We dove deep into the voicemails to play your dispatches and queries from across red states and blue, including: Is it safe for your trans partner to attend a wedding in Florida? Why are liberals in New England being weird about abortion? Why do kids accept gender fluidity easily while adults throw tantrums? And a… piercing follow-up to an “Are Men OK?” favorite you will not want to miss.

Call us! Leave us a voicemail at (212) 287-5244‬ to join the group chat.

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Gen Z And 2024 Ft. Annie Wu Henry May 26, 2023

Show notes

In this bonus interview, Amanda is joined by Annie Wu Henry, creative director of the AAPI Victory Fund and all-around social media wunderkind. The two catch up on Annie’s whirlwind six months since helping secure victory for now-Senator John Fetterman. They also unpack the response to Joe Biden’s campaign announcement among young progressives, and warn against getting too caught up in the party figurehead. Finally, Annie shares her priorities and focus as the new creative director for the AAPI Victory Fund

Follow Annie at @annie_wu_22 and AAPI Victory Fund at @aapivictoryfund

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#862 If The Dress Sneaker Fits (Ron DeSantis, Taylor Swift) May 25, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Ron DeSantis makes his clumsy entrance into the 2024 race. Will his glitchy start impact his campaign success? What was *substantively* important about his announcement?
Did Lauren Boebert accidentally make a good point?
For once, an extremely *low stakes* game of “Are Men OK?” involving the most controversial sneakers on Capitol Hill
Our voicemails are in chaos over the Ice Spice/Taylor Swift song amid the Matty Healey of it all. We give our (dueling) takes on the origins of the collab.

Then, Amanda is joined by Leah Stavenhagen and Sunny Brauss, members of the community Her ALS Story, a group of women diagnosed with ALS before their 35th birthday who are challenging the stereotype that ALS is an old white man’s disease.

Learn more about Her ALS Story at @heralsstory and support their Warrior Weekend retreat by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/warriorweekend2023

Call us! Leave us a voicemail at (212) 287-5244‬ to join the group chat.

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#861 Who Is In Their Anti-Hero Era? (Ft. Rep. Jasmine Crockett) May 22, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Rep. Jasmine Crockett joins after her viral House Oversight Committee statement calling out GOP hypocrisy on violence in America
Here are all the Republicans who are about to enter the 2024 presidential race. (Chris Christie.. .what are you doing here?)
Ron DeSantis is creating a state that no Floridian actually wants
Unpacking Taylor Swift’s…. interesting choices in romantic partners as she declines to speak out on feminist or LGBTQ issues

Call us with your messages! Share a local story, ask us a question, or pose an impossible Would You Rather by calling ‪(212) 287-5244‬

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#860 Traditional Values Are Flopping (Ft. Chasten Buttigieg) May 18, 2023

Show notes

Lauren Boebert is getting divorced. Meet Rifle, Colorado’s newest eligible bachelor
Why the writer’s strike may not be ending any time soon — and the actors are ready to join them
Josh Hawley writes a searing op-ed blaming the left for a crisis of masculinity. We simply have to ask… are men OK?
An amazing Listener Town Hall featuring the premiere of Bad Girls Club: Michigan GOP edition
An interview with Sup fave Chasten Buttigieg about attacks on LGBTQ rights, parenthood, and rewriting his memoir “I Have Something To Tell You” for young adults

LISTENER TOWN HALL will now run every Thursday! Call ‪(212) 287-5244‬ to leave us a message you know we’ll want to hear

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#859 The Eras Episode (Media, Immigration, Debt limit) May 15, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Why are 2,400 Kyles gathering in Texas?
The latest non-boring updates on the debt limit
Vice Media files for bankruptcy as other once-trendy outlets falter. How did the media landscape change so dramatically, so fast?
People have thoughts about Joe Biden’s Howard University commencement speech.
Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh joins from the Migration Policy Institute to unpack the changes at the US-Mexico border after the end of Title 42, and how policymakers should approach desperately needed immigration reform.

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EXTRA EXTRA Crossover: How Much Wealth Do The Windsor’s Have? May 12, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Extra Extra, Sami Sage looks to the “scaled back” coronation of King Charles to unravel the broader financial web supporting the royal family. Which ancient arrangements and stolen assets keep the royal family’s checkbook balanced? How many billions is King Charles worth? In this crossover episode of Extra Extra by Sami Sage, we look for the source of the royal family’s wealth and the colonial origins of the “crown jewels.”

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#858 Lip Sync For Your Life (Behind Bars) May 11, 2023

Show notes

Featuring guest host Grace Weinstein, who hosts “WTF, America?” for The Recount on Snapchat

Topics:

The George Santos indictment
E Jean Carroll’s triumphant day in court
Trump’s nightmarish town hall on CNN
Is over-the-counter birth control about to become a reality?
A looming abortion ban in North Carolina – and the gender traitor who let it happen
Would you rather: Start of summer edition

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#857 Girlboss Penitentiary (Elizabeth Holmes) May 08, 2023

Show notes

Topics:

Why did this outlet feel the need to publish a bizarrely glowing profile of Elizabeth Holmes?
A shooting in Texas and an avoidable subway killing
A looming immigration crisis
Are Men Ok? Coronation edition

LISTENER TOWN HALL will now run every Thursday! Call ‪(212) 287-5244‬ to leave us a message you know we’ll want to hear.

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