American Friction

Hegseth and Trump decided to body shame their military top brass in a bizarre performance that baffled the world. Chris, Jarv and Nikki unpack how counterproductive this was, plus we talk about the shutdown and more.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones, Nikki McCann Ramirez and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

‘Authentic’ is a regular political buzzword at the moment – and unfortunately, it might just be newspaper speak for ‘manly’. Danielle Kurtzleben from NPR recently wrote a piece called When "authenticity" means "dudes" for her Substack, and joins Jarv to talk about manliness in American politics.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump has been busy embarrassing America on the world stage this week with weird rants and conspiracy theories. Chris, Jarv and Nikki get into it all. Plus, friend of the podcast Eric Garcia, Washington bureau chief for The Independent joins us to discuss the harm caused by RFK Jr. and Trump’s autism misinformation.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones, Nikki McCann Ramirez and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been taken off air due to Trump through an authoritarian tantrum. Plus, the president wants to sue the New York Times. Oh, and he’s cracking down on anyone else he can. The US media seems… screwed? Friend of the pod Jeff Jarvis, the brain behind the BuzzMachine blog, media analyst and author, joins us to talk through the issues facing American news providers.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, what a week. Trump is mad at everyone and suing or censoring whoever he can get his hands on in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Bluntly, America once again feels more insane than ever. Nikki, Chris and Jarv unpack the latest.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anti-Trump protesters gathered in London on Wednesday to showcase their disdain for the US president. Chris and Jarv headed over to ask them what message they wanted to get across to him — they filmed the whole thing so head to Spotify to watch the video too! Back us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Video and audio editor: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump has changed the Department of Defense to the Department of War, well kind of. It’s gonna cost a lot of money and it’s not totally official. But still, not great! So, what does this mean for America’s foreign policy and place in the world? Dr. Walter Ladwig, senior lecturer in International Relations in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and an associate fellow at RUSI, joins us to discuss.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump is once again denying sending Epstein the creepiest card ever which is even more creepy than we first thought. Will the weird denials ever end? Will there ever be consequences? Nikki, Jarv and Chris discuss this and more.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch. We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Go to https://surfshark.com/amfric or use code AMFRIC at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!   Written and presented by Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramirez. Audio/ Video editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk has sent shockwaves across the globe. Discussion of it has been confused and in many cases problematic. Chris and Jarv sit down to discuss what we know, what we don’t and what sort of direction the conversation should perhaps move in.  Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump is taking America on a course that nobody is happy with, even members of his own party and movement. Molly Jong-Fast, Vanity Fair correspondent, host of Fast Politics and author of How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir, joins Jarv for a big old chat about Trump’s enemies, real and mythical, how America feels and the age of the man baby.  Buy How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund American Friction by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. Back us on Patreon – we need your help to keep going. Get ad free episodes, extra bits and merch: https://www.patreon.com/c/americanfriction  We’re now on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmericanFrictionPod  Follow us on social media:  BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/americanfric.bsky.social  Instagram  TikTok Written and presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. AMERICAN FRICTION is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices