Past Due with Ana Marie Cox and Open Mike Eagle

First, [3:55] we check in with our pal Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) to discuss what the Mueller indictments mean for the future of Trump’s administration, the big question being: how much longer will Congressional Republicans continue to protect this president in the face of mounting evidence? Rick has a somewhat sunnier view than Ana on how things will play out. Then, [38:29] Elizabeth Bruenig (@ebruenig) stops by for a discussion about poverty and morality in relation to the GOP tax plan, which is in essence an attack on the nation’s poorest people. Find the pod on Twitter at @crooked_friends. Have a question? Send an email to withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Go to crooked.com for more info. And check out our sponsors!  The ACLU’s Let People Vote Campaign: Help defend the right to vote by visiting vote.peoplepower.org. Hello Fresh: Get $30 off your first week by going to HelloFresh.com and using promo code WithFriends30. TrackR: Receive 20% off any order at TheTrackR.com/friends. Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com with promo code Friends. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, [3:10] Crooked Media’s Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) stops by to answer a listener’s question about the role of gay men in #metoo, which leads to an honest discussion about female vs. male leadership. Then, [19:40] we sit down with Afghanistan war veteran Nate Bethea (@inthesedeserts) to explore how progressives should situate themselves in relation to the military (spoiler: plenty of people who serve are leftists, if not as overtly so as right-leaning troops). We also ask, is it OK to criticize the military, and who should be doing the criticizing? Finally, we acknowledge that standing for troops at airports can be uncomfortable for all parties, and settle on saying hi one-on-one instead. Tweet the pod at @crooked_friends and email us your questions at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Check out crooked.com for a full reading list and sources. Thanks to our excellent sponsors! The Better Off podcast, where Emmy-nominated Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger takes on uncomfortable and sometimes controversial money and investing issues. Framebridge: Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code FRIENDS for 15% off your first order. Texture: Get a free trial when you go to texture.com/FRIENDS and save 30 percent a month on the regular price if you choose to continue your subscription. Everlane: Free shipping on your first order at Everlane.com/friends Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We sit down with friend of the pod Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) to discuss how white people in America can do more to fight white supremacy, The System (tip: go out and talk to people who don’t look and sound like you). Helen Rosner (@hels) also joins us to help answer a listener question from a man who admits he’s committed a sexual assault of his own, where we ask, what's the other half of #metoo? Finally, we end with some positive musings about ethical porn. Find the pod on Twitter at @crooked_friends and reach us on email at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Head to crooked.com for a full reading list and sources. Please check out our sponsors!  HELIX: Go to HelixSleep.com/Ana and get $50 off your order. ZIPRECRUITER: Post jobs for free at  ZipRecruiter.com/friends PARACHUTE: Visit ParachuteHome.com/friends for free shipping and returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Human Shock Doctrine hits Puerto Rico” w/ Naomi Klein and Jamil Smith With a friend like the United States, does Puerto Rico need enemies? Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) stops by to discuss how the U.S. government created the preconditions for the island’s unnatural (very much man-made) disaster. And Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) helps answer a listener question about an awkward conversation at the office. Bonus mini-essay for listeners that make it all the way to the end. Find us on Twitter at @crooked_friends. Email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!   TrackR: Receive 20% off any order at TheTrackR.com/friends   Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com with promo code FRIENDS.   Helix: Go to HelixSleep.com/Ana and get $50 off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, [4:10] Sam Sinyangwe (@samswey) joins us to talk about how media coverage of the Las Vegas massacre largely ignored America’s long history of mass shootings, including the deadliest mass shooting ever, perpetrated by white supremacists. You can read Sam’s tweets about the topic here: https://twitter.com/samswey/status/914963280501858304. We also discuss why gun control policies need to be conscious of race and racism, and why mixing sports and politics continues to be a good thing. Next, [40:16] regular friend and ally of the pod Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) is back to point out the irony in the Right not being more alarmed by Trump’s expansion of federal power — in particular ICE and Homeland Security. We also discuss voting rights and Rick responds to a listener seeking advice on how to have productive conversations with conservatives about gun control in the wake of Vegas. Rick and Ana try and don't entirely fail in modeling that conversation. We love hearing from you! Tweet the pod at @crooked_friends and email questions and thoughts to withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Please give love to our sponsors! KIND: Find your free sample box at KindSnacks.com/friends TRACKR: Receive 20% off any order at theTrackR.com/friends EVERLANE: Free shipping on your first order at Everlane.com/friends TEXTURE: Get a 14 day free trial when you go to texture.com/FRIENDS Facts about guns and suicide: https://www.vox.com/2015/6/3/8721267/gun-suicide-gun-control More gun facts: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/2/16399418/us-gun-violence-statistics-maps-charts Voter suppression facts: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/02/15/do-voter-identification-laws-suppress-minority-voting-yes-we-did-the-research/?utm_term=.639b69b17053 Voter fraud facts: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/31/13478134/voter-fraud-id-2016-trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former RNC chairman Michael Steele (@MichaelSteele) joins us for a live conversation from the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Tx.  We discuss why Steele no longer recognizes the Republican party [10:00], whether he sees Trump as an existential threat to American democracy [43:00], and why those three words “We The People” mean so much to him [50:40]. Another genuine With Friend Like This, Steele is also the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and a current political analyst on MSNBC. Say hello! Tweet the pod at @crooked_friends, or shoot us an email at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. We read all your letters and will get a future guest to answer your questions. Also check out our wonderful sponsors! KIND: Get a free sample box at KindSnacks.com/friends FRAMEBRIDGE: Go to Framebridge.com and use promo code FRIENDS for 15% off your first order. ZIPRECRUITER: Post jobs for free at  ZipRecruiter.com/friends MM.LAFLEUR: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we get more Weedsy than The Weeds about America’s uniquely fucked up health care system with single-payer activist and Chapo wonk Timothy Faust (@crulge), an incredibly fun and energetic tour of health care with two people who curse a lot.  First, how we got here (Otto von Bismarck comes up); then, why the latest GOP attempt to repeal Obamacare is their worst yet; and finally, an examination of Bernie Sanders’ “refreshingly ambitious” Medicare For All bill — prefaced with a friendly reminder that the most socialist-y parts of the ACA were the most popular. Relevant to the discussion: https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/06/trumpcare-obamacare-repeal-ahca-single-payer And check out Tim’s podcast “Heavy Medical” (https://www.blubrry.com/heavyxmedical/) and newsletter (http://tinyletter.com/error). You can also find him on the Chapo Trap House podcast, or catch him touring fifteen cities between NYC and Minneapolis in mid-October to talk single-payer with local DSA chapters, open to the public. Get in touch! Follow the pod on twitter at @crooked_friends, or email us at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com with questions, thoughts, just to say Hi. THIS WEEKEND is our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX: 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival Thanks to our lovely sponsors!  MM.LaFleur: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com and typing in FRIENDS. Parachute: Visit ParachuteHome.com/friends for free shipping and returns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A conversation with writer Rembert Browne (@rembert) [1:21]on how his “write-around” profile of football player Colin Kaepernick (Bleacher Report) became a piece about this moment in America — and why the stakes are too high to avoid the uncomfortable conversations needed to change it. You can read that very good piece here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2732670-colin-kaepernick-anthem-race-in-america Also relevant to the discussion: http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/my-desk-rescue-jon-taffer-of-bar-rescue-stages-a-cubicle-intervention/ Send us questions to be answered on the pod waves! Email withfriendslikepod@gmail.com, and tweet at @crooked_friends. A REMINDER: our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX is on 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival Please check out our fantastic sponsors! UPSIDE: Go to Upside.com and use promo code FRIENDS for $100 gift card to Amazon.com.  TEXTURE: get a 14 day free trial when you go to texture.com/FRIENDS HELIX: Go to HelixSleep.com/Ana and get $50 off your order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, sex education instructor Kim Cavill (@sexposparenting) is back on the pod to answer your (adult) questions about perhaps the messiest coalition of all: sex. We discuss when and how to talk to your kids about porn [2:46], what to do if a friend tells you they’ve experienced a sexual assault [56:13], plus the importance of asking for what you want [64:57].  Kim’s website, Tea and Intimacy, is at https://www.teaandintimacy.com/. If you have had experience with any kind of sexual assault or violation, you are not alone. There is help. Two resources available: - RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network): Call their hotline (800-656-4673) or use their anonymous chat feature at their website, RAINN.org - The Crisis Text Line is anonymous and available 24 hours a day to help with a wide variety of problems, including sexual assault and mental health or just an emotionally difficult time: 741741. For men, specifically, 1in6.org is here to help, as well. Get in touch! Tweet us at @crooked_friends, or send us a question through email at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com. Relevant to the discussion —  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/ is a resource to help parents navigate their kids’ devices, including info about sexting. https://sexetc.org/, a website for teens; and http://answer.rutgers.edu/page/sexetc, its companion site for adults. Those sex ed videos that teens and parents can watch together are at http://amaze.org/. Dan Savage's podcast https://www.savagelovecast.com/ and his column http://www.thestranger.com/ are worth a listen and read. Books! Aziz Ansari’s book Modern Romance (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OZ0TMYG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) and Sex and the Constitution by Geoffrey R. Stone (https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Constitution-Religion-Americas-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B01N95KFBS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1504723631&sr=1-1&keywords=sex+and+the+constitution). And, of course, there’s always https://www.plannedparenthood.org. Our fantastic sponsors deserve your love! MM.LaFleur: Try a free Bento Box of wardrobe staples and accessories at MMBento.com Ziprecruiter.com: List your job for free by going to Ziprecruiter.com/FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, [2:15] a conversation with Neena Satija (@neenareports) from Houston, about Harvey and the choice to not prepare for catastrophic events. Second, [32:04] Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) helps field a listener question! And then [47:18] we talk about Game of Thrones as a metaphor for climate change. Lastly: [57:18] A short reflection on the Nashville Statement and attempts by Christians to dehumanize and deny our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. We want to hear from you! Tweet us at @crooked_friends, or email us a question at withfriendslikepod@gmail.com and we’ll get a future guest to answer it. A reminder that we are still taking your adult sex ed questions for next week’s show. And don’t forget about our LIVE SHOW in AUSTIN, TX on 9/23 at the Texas Tribune Festival. Find out more at https://www.texastribune.org/festival/ Relevant to the discussion — Neena and team's March 2016 piece on Houston (from The Texas Tribune and Reveal/ProPublica): https://projects.propublica.org/houston/; a little more about the Nashville Statement and the progressive Christian response to it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hundreds-of-christian-leaders-release-lgbtq-affirming-response-to-nashville-statement_us_59a71bcee4b0a8d14572cf35; and for GOT fans: https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/7/14/15969034/game-of-thrones-theory-climate-change Much love to our sponsors! Framebridge: Get 15% off your first order at Framebrige.com with the code FRIENDS TrackR: Get 20% off any order at TrackR.com with promo code FRIENDS. Stamps.com: Get a four-week trial plus postage by visiting stamps.com, clicking on the Microphone and typing FRIENDS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices