American Fever Dream

Latest Episodes:

#586 Two Trials To Watch Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Amanda and Sami react to details from the tragedy at Astroworld. Then, they discuss updates from two high-profile trials related to racial justice: the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery as well as Kyle Rittenhouse, the teen who killed protesters in Kenosha last year. They explain odd events involving each set of juries and consider the likelihood of charges against Arbery’s killers. Finally, they discuss what needs to change after Engracia Figueroa, a disability activist, died as a result of an infection she sustained after an airline destroyed her wheelchair.

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#585 2021 Election Debrief Pt. 2 Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Sami, Amanda, and Kaitlin are back with additional thoughts on the fallout from the 2021 off year elections and share some very simple action steps for the Democratic party. They spend more time unpacking white women’s swing to Republicans and get frank about how much we can actually influence this group. Finally, they react to a hilarious headline about Facebook and discuss how its metaverse will turn us all to goo.

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#584 2021 Election Debrief Pt. 1 Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

Milly, Alise, and Amanda debrief on Tuesday’s election results, including Democrats’ defeat in Virginia. They explain how Glenn Youngkin got white women to vote for him and what lessons we can and can’t learn from Virginia’s internal culture wars. What does an infrastructure bill in Congress have to do with parents mad about Toni Morrison? They discuss how Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress should react before ending with some positive news from election night.

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#583 Did Texas Fly Too Close To The Sun? Nov 02, 2021

Show notes

Alise, Bryan, and Amanda discuss their voting plans and races to watch today. Then they react to the surprising number of cops and firefighters who did (and didn’t) get vaccinated. Finally, they break down yesterday’s spirited Supreme Court hearing on the Texas abortion ban and explain why Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh are mad about it.

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#582 How Not To Freak Out About The Midterms Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Amanda Litman is back with Sami and Amanda to break down the elections you need to watch this week, from coroners (who can literally decide who died of COVID) to 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates. They explain what Tuesday’s results can and can’t tell us about Democrats’ 2022 chances, what actually matters and what’s meaningless, and warn against creating a defeatist self-fulfilling prophecy.

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#581 Hexing The Patriarchy Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Milly, Sami, and Amanda react to the reality that paid family leave likely isn’t happening. How did this historic opportunity fall through Congress’s fingers? Plus, reacting to the short-lived billionaire tax. Then they do some spooky segments including who they would put a light (non-lethal) hex on this Halloween season and which historical figure they’d let haunt them for life.

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#580 Facebook Zucked Up Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Alise, Amanda, and Kaitlin analyze this week’s Facebook doc drop, summarizing the new takeaways from the biggest bombshells and how the developments might seriously jeopardize Facebook’s plans for world domination. They call out how new findings highlight Facebook’s hypocrisy and its particularly deadly apathy abroad. Finally, Amanda explains why Facebook is Erica Jayne and the algorithm is Tom Girardi.

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#579 Compromises Under Capitalism ft. Berna Anat Oct 26, 2021

Show notes

Amanda and Alise chat with the host of Betches’ new podcast Money Please, Berna Anat. She shares why the advice to stop buying lattes ignores the structural barriers to financial success for most women and minorities, and how she balances giving financial advice with recognizing that some factors are out of people’s control. She explains how she’s worked to redefine typical benchmarks of financial success, unpacks financial trauma and shame, and details the specific ways that women are locked out of financial literacy. Then, Alise and Amanda react to Joe Manchin’s latest threat when it comes to Paid Leave.

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#578 Is A General Strike Possible? Ft. Lee Adler Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Today, Sami hosts labor, criminal law and civil rights practitioner Lee Adler to talk all about the labor market and the recent uptick in union strikes and activity. To kick things off, Lee starts with some background to unions and the labor movement across the years. He also covers how unions can use their leverage to change the power dynamic that has put corporations on top and how we attempt to alleviate the power imbalance.

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#577 Why is Latina Equal Pay Day THIS late?! Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

Milly and Amanda break down the most shocking statistics related to Latina Equal Pay day, and why Latinas are the most poorly paid women in America. Milly details her own family and personal experience with pay discrimination and how the pay gap also impacts small businesses in Latine areas. Then they pivot to Netflix’s apology tour after permitting the dehumanization of trans people, and consider why older male comedians should have to take continuing education courses.

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