Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle

Whitney Phillips (@wphillips49) joined Ana (@anamariecox) to talk about her recent work, The Oxygen of Amplification, which chronicles the battle journalists face to report on extremism without amplifying it. Early in their conversation, Ana and Whitney dove into the central paradox of that battle: that it’s almost impossible to report on extremism without normalizing and spreading it. Another part of that paradox is that for an uninitiated journalist, it is all too easy to get duped into spreading misinformation. They also explored one of the central problems of this reporting and reporting in general: newsrooms are overwhelmingly white, male, Christian, cis, and able-bodied. Because those people are the ones least at risk from white supremacists, they’re (*shocker*) who white supremacists will talk to, and the most likely to downplay threats from those same white supremacists. Lastly, after touching on Unite The Right 2.0, Ana played assignment editor and suggested different directions to take a Nazi Next Door™story. You can find Whitney’s book here. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends, or email the show at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Visit thirdlove.com/friends for 15% off your first order today. Check out getquip.com/friends and get your first refill pack free with a QUIP electric toothbrush. Go to grove.co/friends for a two-month VIP membership and a bonus gift. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the one and only Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) stopped by to talk with Ana (@anamariecox) about his new book, Everything Trump Touches Dies. Ana kicked things off by asking Rick about things he regrets from his past as a political consultant. That led to a conversation about the reaction he’s received from past colleagues and clients to the book, and why he decided to move from working in the political shadows to the light. After Ana called Rick out for the way he uses mental illness and drug addiction in the book to mock Trump supporters, they discussed the people that have disappointed Rick in the Trump era. At the top of the list: Rudy Giuliani. Afterwards, friend of the pod Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) joined Ana to answer a listener question from Alex, a Spanish teacher at a conservative, largely homogenous school who wants to reach her students and help them learn that discrimination isn’t ok. You can find Rick’s book here. Get in touch with us on Twitter @crooked_friends or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Try Chameleon Iced Coffee anywhere you shop. Get free shipping on your first order when you visit everlane.com/friends. For up to $55 in free postage, a four-week trial, and a free digital scale, visit stamps.com, click on the microphone at the top, and enter FRIENDS. Visit sunbasket.com/friends for $35 off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arjun Singh Sethi (@arjunsethi81), author of American Hate: Survivors Speak Out, joined Ana (@anamariecox) on this week’s pod. Over the course of their conversation, Arjun explained why he wrote the book: to center the perspectives of hate survivors, who live with the everyday hate not just of Trump’s America, but that -- shocker -- has always been present in American life. He and Ana talked about the general erasure of hate survivors in no less a setting that prosecution of hate crimes, and why hate crime legislation, restorative justice, and listening to survivors is so important in the first place. Their conversation also touched on the role social media does, and should, play in tackling hate. Lastly, they talked about how Arjun’s two German Shepherds help him continue to do this work, and the most important thing he learned through this project. You can find Arjun’s book here. A clip from Taylor Dumpson’s TED Talk is included in the show’s intro. If you’re interested in the full version, you can find it here. Arjun referenced an SPLC report. Get in touch with the show on twitter at @crooked_friends or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsors! Get one FREE month of unlimited Victorious fitness classes when you sign up at victorious.com/friends. Check out Secret Clinical Strength Antiperspirant. Go to Framebridge.com and use the promo code “Friends” to save 15% on your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) talked with Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones), a staff writer for The New Republic who covers social inequality and religion. Their conversation began with Sarah’s religious upbringing, and her journey from Christian fundamentalist to secular activist. Ana asked about what influence -- if any -- her parents’ teaching still has on her, as well as what the dearth of religious news outlets means for coverage of religion moving forward. Finally, at the end of the show, Sarah explained what she wishes people understood about white evangelicals. At the end of the show, Ana answered a listener question about reckoning with depression as a person of privilege. Sarah mentioned this New York Times piece. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends, or email the show at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Visit stitchfix.com/friends and get 25% off when you keep all five items in your box. Head to squarespace.com/friends and use the offer code FRIENDS when you’re ready to launch to save 10% on your first purchase of a website or domain name. Get one FREE month of unlimited Victorious fitness classes when you sign up at victorious.com/friends. For your first refill pack free, visit getquip.com/friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) talked with Teresa P Mateus (@teresapmateus), trauma specialist, professor, and founder of The Mystic Soul Project. They began their conversation talking about Teresa’s journey to become a trauma specialist, and explored what her work looks like in practice. Ana also asked her to explain how well meaning white people can fit into the people of color centered approach Teresa espoused. They then closed out the show talking about how this moment is similar and different to what came before, and why we can be hopeful things will get better. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Go to thirdlove.com/friends to find your perfect fitting bra and get 15% off your first order. Check out Secret Clinical Strength Antiperspirant. Go to stamps.com, click on the radio microphone at the top of the page and enter FRIENDS for up to $55 in postage, a four-week trial and a free digital scale. Get free shipping on your first order when you visit everlane.com/friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) sat down for her regular check in with WFLT’s favorite Never Trumper Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson). They talked about what Rick expects from President Trump’s upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin, and why the international order upheld by NATO is so important. Rick then offered his verdict on Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, and what could push him to work for a Democratic Presidential candidate in 2020. Rick’s book, Everything Trump Touches Dies, comes out next month! You can find it here. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Go to sunbasket.com/friends and get $35 off your first order. Check out Chameleon Cold Brew, purveyors of delicious, organic cold-brew iced coffee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) sat down with Amy Chozick (@amychozick), New York Times writer at large and the author of the new book Chasing Hillary. Over the course of a wide-ranging conversation, they dove into some of the threads within Amy’s book that the national political press has overlooked. In addition to examining the Hillary that Amy felt voters often didn’t see, they discussed the lessons learned by Amy and the press corps writ large from the 2016 election, and how that press corps can win people’s trust back. You can find Amy’s book here. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Give Oatly, a milk alternative made from oats, a shot at oatly.com. Get your first refill pack free with a Quip electric toothbrush at getquip.com/friends. Visit framebridge.com and enter the code FRIENDS for 15% off your first order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) welcomed Lilliana Mason (@LilyMasonPhD), an assistant professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland and the author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity, to the show. They talked about Lilliana’s research into the power of partisan identity, and how it affects people’s daily behavior as well as the difference in manifestation between Democrats and Republicans. After probing the issue itself, they dove into the problems that it poses, as well as potential solutions. You can find Lilliana’s book here. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends, or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Try a 7-day free trial at texture.com/friends. Go to stamps.com, click the radio microphone at the top and enter FRIENDS for up to $55 in free postage, a digital scale and a 4-week trial. Get free shipping on your first order when you go to everlane.com/friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) sat down with The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer (@AdamSerwer) to talk about the Trump Administration’s inhumane policy of separating children from their parents detained at America’s southern border. Adam wrote a story in The Atlantic about how this policy is the realization of Trumpism, and laid out the argument he makes in the piece: that this policy is the natural byproduct of Trump’s political appeal, and builds off an American tradition of doing horrible things to black and brown children. He and Ana proceeded to examine the central importance of cruelty to this policy, and to much of what else Trump does. Ana covered Trump’s rally in Duluth on Wednesday for Rolling Stone, and shared some of her reflections on it at the end of the show. You can find Ana’s story from Duluth in full here. Ana referenced another piece of Adam’s in The Atlantic, “The Nationalist’s Delusion,” which you can find here. Adam cited this Atlantic piece from his colleague, and friend of the pod, Vann Newkirk II. Ana and Adam also mentioned a Vanity Fair piece about Stephen Miller. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends and email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our sponsors! Go to thegreatcourses.com/friends to try a free month of unlimited access. Visit thirdlove.com/friends now to find your perfect-fitting bra and get 15% off your first purchase. Check out sunbasket.com/friends today to learn more and get $35 off your first order! Head to havenly.com/friends for twenty-five percent off your design package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ana (@anamariecox) sat down with Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer), the Press Secretary for Rapid Response at the Human Rights Campaign. They started their conversation by talking about the Trump Administration’s decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military, which Charlotte, as a transgender woman and a veteran, is uniquely able to analyze. Charlotte then shared the story of her own transition, and talked about what it means to see transgender people actually be represented. She and Ana then talked about one of the most important aspects to being an ally with a platform: lifting up other voices. Charlotte talked about one of her favorite activists, Ruby Corado, a transgender woman who is the founder and executive director of Casa Ruby (@CasaRubyDC), a bilingual, multicultural community and resource center for LGBTQ+ people and immigrants in Washington, DC. Finally, to close out the show, Ana and Charlotte answered a listener question from a white, cis, heterosexual woman who wants her students to feel safe and respected while teaching at a rural, white, conservative school. Get in touch with us on Twitter at @crooked_friends, and email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com Thank you to our sponsors! Visit getquip.com/friends to get your first refill pack free with a QUIP electric toothbrush. Get 25% off your first order and a free 30-day trial when you go to thrivemarket.com/friends. For 25% off your first box when you keep all five items in your box, go to stitchfix.com/friends. Check out new TedTalks Daily podcast WorkLife hosted by Adam Grant. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices