American Fever Dream

Latest Episodes:

#566 Facebook’s No Good Very Bad Day Oct 05, 2021

Show notes

Alise, Bryan, and Amanda debrief on the Instagram outage and how they made use of the time. They discuss how the worldwide disruption highlights how deeply Facebook’s platforms are embedded in our lives -- and why that should scare us. They also detail a FB whistleblower’s allegation the company knowingly drives hostility and anger to help its bottom line. Finally, they settle into congressional corner to share updates from the Dems’ breakthrough and why it’s absolutely no problem that protesters followed Kyrsten Sinema into the bathroom.

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#565 ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ ft. Kelsey Lindell Oct 04, 2021

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Amanda and Sami sit down with disability advocate Kelsey Lindell to discuss urgent issues for the disability community. Kelsey describes her experience as a child with a disability and later as a disabled woman in the workforce, and details the challenges she’s faced ensuring accomodations and equality. She gets candid about how workplaces think they’re supporting people with disabilities vs. their actual impact, and shares the harmful representations that perpetuate dehumanizing stereotypes about people with disabilities. Finally, Kelsey shares resources for Disability Employment Awareness Month.

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#564 Afternoon Tea With Blair Imani Sep 30, 2021

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In this episode of Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by critically acclaimed historian, educator, and influencer living at the intersections of Black, Muslim, and bisexual identity. They discuss her forthcoming book, Read This To Get Smarter, the stresses and rewards of being an educator on the internet, and how the past several years have been a time of learning and unlearning for all of us. Blair shares how she teaches complete concepts in an easy and condense way, dealing with hate comments on social media, and influencing in the most ethical way possible. She also takes us through the behind-the-scenes of her “Smarter in Seconds” series, and how her book is an extension of her viral micro learning series, and the process of writing her book. Finally, they close with a discuission on how unlearning is the new learning and practical tips including where to start when it comes to unlearning toxic behaviors.

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#563 The Future Of Anti-Vaxxers Sep 29, 2021

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Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda catch up on congressional negotiations and do their daily brainstorm of WTF Kyrsten Sinema could be thinking. Then they discuss the success of vaccine mandates for health care workers, looking at cases from North Carolina and New York. Finally, they react to YouTube’s decision to ban all anti-vaccine content, and how tech platforms failed to moderate the anti-vaxx movement long before the pandemic. What catastrophic oversight could tech companies be making as we speak?

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#562 R. Kelly Remains Guilty Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Alise, Milly, and Amanda start off with some important local news stories, including zebras in Maryland and a topless menace in Brooklyn. They break down a high stakes week in Congress and get into their frustrations with Kyrsten Sinema, and discuss whether it’s sexist to critique her presentation. Finally, they unpack a long-awaited guilty verdict for R. Kelly and reflect on four years into the #MeToo movement.

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#561 Chaos In Congress ft. Alyssa Mastromonaco Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

Sami and Amanda are joined by dream guest Alyssa Mastromonaco, former deputy chief of staff for Barack Obama and host of the “Hysteria” podcast on Crooked Media. They discuss their journeys with special needs pets before returning to the moment Alyssa learned she’d have to give up weed to work in the White House. She describes watching a Democratic White House from the outside and offers an insider analysis of the administration’s moves. Finally, they try to parse out what to expect from the next wild few weeks in Congress and answer the eternal question: Why is Joe Manchin?

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#560 Should Women Athletes Have To Take A Stand? ft. Kelley O’Hara Sep 23, 2021

Show notes

USWNT player Kelley O’Hara joins Amanda and Bryan to talk Tokyo Olympics, pay equity, and “Bachelor In Paradise.” O’Hara discusses her podcast for the Just Women’s Sports network and an upcoming season of incredible interviews with women athletes. She describes the unusual vibe at the Tokyo Olympics and how she feels about the responsibility imposed on women athletes to take a stand. Finally, they play a Bachelor In Paradise-inspired game in which Kelley assigns reality tv personalities to positions on the soccer pitch.

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#559 All You Need To Know About The Debt Ceiling Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda are back with a quick rundown of the debt ceiling debate: what’s the debt ceiling, why do we have it, and how did it become a political bargaining tool? They detail the calamity that would take place should government funding lapse and explain how Republicans manipulate the debt ceiling to promote their anti-spending agenda.

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#558 Texas Plays Stupid Games; Gets Stupid Prizes Sep 21, 2021

Show notes

Milly, Alise, and Amanda discuss why this year’s Emmys felt especially performative on diversity and list their biggest letdowns. Then they debrief on the first set of challenges to Texas’ abortion law brought by one former felon on house arrest and another pro-choice man in Chicago. Finally, they reflect on the devastating images of Haitians at the border and how the Biden administration is fighting to maintain a Trump-era asylum rule.

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#557 Manchin-splaining Sep 20, 2021

Show notes

Amanda and Sami react to the avalanche of weekend news stories, from “The Activist” pivoting its approach to France’s fury over submarines. Then they look behind the curtain of the barriers to passing the $3.5 trillion Biden agenda, including Kyrsten Sinema’s pharmaceutical funding and Manchin’s connections to fossil fuels. Plus, why the University of Virginia forged his daughter’s business degree.

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