American Fever Dream

Fred Trump III, the nephew of former president Donald Trump, is on the show this week to talk all about his book, All In The Family: The Trumps and How We Got This Way. Fred explains why now is the right time for this book, along with the unusual family dynamic among the Trump's (including Donald's attempt at disinheriting him.) Sami & Fred talk about the importance of policies to support families and individuals with disabilities, reflecting on Donald's infamous "maybe those kinds of people should just die" remark, and not so surprisingly why Fred will be voting for a Harris/Walz ticket this November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have a VP!! In this special bonus episode Sami & V go over the background and long list of accomplishments of Harris' pick for VP, Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz. Is he the radical that the right wants to paint him as, or just a regular guy who doesn’t want to monitor your pregnancy?From his 24 years of service in Army National Guard, to being a vocal supporter of IVF and reproductive rights, we're excited to have someone so.... not weird on the ticket. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TEMP CHECK3:20 - This week let’s take a deeper look into Peter Thiel’s past, from paying lawyers to help Hulk Hogan’s sue Gawker Media, to how he’s been influenced by AN INTERNET BLOGGER WHO USED TO GO BY THE NAME MENCIUS MOLDBUG. We also cover some of the politicians that’s he’s funded that have failed, and how JD Vance is a win for Thiel’s extreme ideologies.12:30 - We break down the “Kamala is a cop” trope and examine her history as a prosecutor, from her “Back On Track” program in San Francisco aimed at reducing recidivism among young adults, to writing the playbook on how to prosecute against the “gay panic defense.”MAIN NEWS26:20 - If you remember the election certification process from 2020....get ready for it to happen again, on steroids. With 90 days to the 2024 election, there are several ways in which election integrity is already being called into question, and we’re expecting to see voter challenges and accusations of fraud in counties in swing states. Sami also found a report on the Heritage Foundation’s website from some “election integrity exercises” that they conducted in the spring, like war games for the election.AMERICAN'T49:20 - Last week Olympic athlete Imane Khalief was disqualified after beating her opponent in 46 seconds, and almost as quickly rumors were spreading about Khalief's gender and past. V explains how misinformation spread so quickly, and the troubled past and ties of IBA President, Umar Kremlev, with Putin. (Including how the IBA has been excluded from organizing Olympic boxing since the Tokyo Games in 2021 due to ethical issues.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today Sami & V are joined by Congressman Dan Goldman who, before running for office, served as lead counsel in the first impeachment of former President Donald Trump. Goldman breaks down the legality of enacting Project 2025, along with Biden's proposed changes to the SCOTUS. We also make the connection between climate change and immigration, and how Trump's 2024 campaign is a personal revenge and retribution tour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonjour! Starting off with a TEMP CHECK -- going over our favorite Olympic Opening Ceremony moments (and why it offended the far right) and how Beyoncé is reclaiming the flag aesthetic. Also, why you should be excited about Val Demings joining the USPS Board, and what that might mean for Post Master General Louis DeJoy.MAIN NEWS14:15 Sami walks us through 3 of the most dangerous groups that are behind Donald Trump that we have affectionately nicknamed the “trifecta of death.” This includes Project 2025/the Heritage Foundation, technocrats like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk (who we can thank for JD Vance’s presence on the ticket) and anti-western foreign interests like Russia and China. Even though all three groups have different tactics, it’s clear their mutual short-term goal is to get Donald Trump elected to end American democracy for their own ends.DOWN BALLOT ERA 48:45 This week, we’re shouting out democratic candidate for Ohio’s 12th district, Jerrad Christian, who outed Trump & Guiliani’s dealings with the Russian mafia, going back to the 1980's on his X thread. Christian highlights how the Russian mafia was living in Trump Tower, and Giuliani’s involvement with them. We love a representative who does his homework.Read Jerrad Christian's full X thread here: https://x.com/JerradChristian/status/1816489797004984584AMERICAN'T52:00 We simply can’t fathom the lack of vetting of JD Vance. That’s what happens when you put Don Jr. and Eric in charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that the chemicals in your brain might determine what political party you feel aligned with? Guest Keegan Tatum, an expert in political psychology, is here to explain the psychological differences between liberals and conservatives, as well as how religion and emotional biases factor into our political ideology. He also explains how having an overly active disgust mechanism can create anti-trans and anti-gay sentiments. V and Keegan also debate if conservatives have a humiliation kink, and if we can change our brain chemistry.Follow Keegan:TikTokInstagramYouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After weeks of speculation, President Biden announced that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race -- leaving all eyes on Vice President Kamala Harris, the new likely democratic presidential nominee. Sami & V discuss Biden’s selfless decision, as well as the flood of endorsements and donations she received in the hours after the news broke, including their theory on why the Obamas have not endorsed her yet, as of recording time. They also talk about Trump’s reaction (or lack thereof) to the news and run through the pros and cons of the most likely VP picks. Finally, what’s with all the coconuts and what do brats have to do with the election? Find out in the episode.AMERICAN'T56:00 - If you don't like Kamala...start planning for 2028. Attacking her at this point only hurts our chance to beat Trump in 2024. We can do this, but it will take all of us. And as Jess Craven says, we are excited AF for Kamala Harris.Want to learn more about VP Harris? Listen to our episode, The Case For Kamala. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sami & V take a look at the history of assassination attempts on US presidents and how these attempts, successful or not, shaped American politics. They also talk about the shared motives that many of these men have, like their desire for attention and recognition. This episode also touches on the history of the electric chair...and how masturbation might have played a role in one of these attempts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

V and Sami break down the shooting at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania, and talk about what could have gone wrong, security failures, and odd choices that were made by the Secret Service. They also share what we know about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and his background. Then they move on to the RNC and the unceremonious way JD Vance was introduced as Trump's VP pick, and end the episode on debunking the term Blue MAGA. MAIN NEWS13:00 It's impossible to not talk about the shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, PA that happened Saturday evening.... so let's talk about it. Sami & V break it down -- what happened, how did it happen, and could it have been prevented? We'll also talk about the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and what the FBI has learned about his motives.33:00 JD Vance was announced as the Republican vice president pick at the RNC, and it seemed like Trump was both surprised and confused (as were we!) V & Sami discuss what a Trump/Vance ticket for 2024 means for Americans, as well as how this could play out in future elections.IN OUR DOWN BALLOT ERA47:00 Money plays a significant role in elections, but it doesn't guarantee victory. Despite the fact Republican state leadership has raised a record breaking second quarter haul for their down ballot races, six Democrats have raised over $46 million in the second quarter for their down ballot races too. And where there are donations, there are voters!AND FINALLY...50:00 Have you heard the term Blue MAGA? Sami & V talk about the difference between Biden critics and "stans," and how the later can actually cause more harm to the Democratic party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Sami is in Philadelphia promoting her new book, Democracy in Retrograde, with her co-author Emily Amick. (Out now!) While in town, she spoke with Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro about the importance of democracy and the steps being taken to ensure free and fair elections, including creating a task force led by Republican Al Schmidt, to protect local poll workers and stop the spread of misinformation. Governor Shapiro also emphasizes the importance of increasing voter participation by creating policies like automatic voter registration, and encourages people to vote out politicians who suppress the vote. (We're looking at you, DeSantis.)This episode was recorded live at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, visit www.theweitzman.org to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices