

Countdown with Keith Olbermann
iHeartPodcasts
“Countdown With Keith Olbermann,” the landmark news and commentary program that reordered the world of cable news, returns as a daily podcast. Olbermann’s daily news-driven mix will include his trademark “Special Comment” political analysis, the tongue-in-cheek “Worst Persons In The World” segment, and his timeless readings from the works of the immortal James Thurber. The man who turned SportsCenter into a cultural phenomenon will broaden the content to include a daily sports segment, a daily call for help for a suffering dog, and a remarkable series of anecdotes covering a career that stretched from covering the 1980 Olympic Miracle on Ice a month after his 21st birthday, to anchoring the 2009 Presidential Inauguration and the 2009 Super Bowl pre-game show in a span of just twelve days, to rejoining ESPN as a “rookie” baseball play-by-play man at the age of 59.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 1, 2025 • 1h 10min
THE TRUMP DEATH RUMOR WAS ENTIRELY TRUMP'S FAULT - 9.1.25
The hosts dive into the whirlwind of health rumors surrounding a certain prominent figure, dissecting how misinformation can spiral out of control. They question the silence from the White House, suggesting it only fuels speculation about leadership stability. The podcast also touches on the strange nexus between Trump’s reported health and the media's role in shaping narratives. Additionally, there's a humorous exploration of a potential crisis in baseball involving Tommy John surgeries, alongside a farewell to a beloved figure—plenty of thought-provoking discussions!

8 snips
Aug 28, 2025 • 1h 5min
TRUMP MIGHT AS WELL HAVE SHOT THOSE KIDS IN MINNEAPOLIS HIMSELF - 8.28.25
The podcast dives into the serious implications of gun violence in America, critiquing political responses to recent tragedies. It condemns the rhetoric surrounding crime while urging for real accountability in leadership. With a focus on the moral failures of public figures, the conversation highlights how fear-mongering overshadows necessary gun control measures. Humorous insights are also shared on the media’s sensationalism and the transformation of conservative influencers, making for a thought-provoking yet entertaining exploration of today's political climate.

Aug 25, 2025 • 56min
IS TRUMP DYING OR IS HE JUST FINE? ANYBODY GONNA ASK? - 8.25.25
The podcast dives into the swirling speculation surrounding Donald Trump's health, questioning whether he’s facing a serious crisis or just chronic venous insufficiency. It critiques the media's focus on his deteriorating appearance compared to Joe Biden’s past cognitive concerns. The discussion brings to light Trump’s alarming physical changes and political tactics, highlighting the odd disconnect in coverage. Alongside serious topics, there's humor woven in regarding political scandals, consumer culture, and even a look at historical baseball conduct.

Aug 21, 2025 • 1h 15min
BILL BARR AND JAMES COMER RE-IGNITE TRUMPSTEIN COVER-UP - 8.21.25
In a whirlwind discussion, revelations from Bill Barr and Jamie Comer reignite the Trumpstein cover-up debates. Barr's claims of ignorance on Epstein's files get called out, hinting at more concealed truths. Meanwhile, Trump’s stalling tactics in Ukraine come under scrutiny, raising concerns about Russian influence. The podcast doesn’t shy away from humor, introducing the delightful moniker 'Pee Wee German' for Stephen Miller. Additionally, Karoline Leavitt's latest verbal slip-ups add comedic relief to the serious political commentary.

Aug 18, 2025 • 49min
THE DISASTA IN ALASKA - 8.18.25
A sharp critique of political incompetence unfolds, focusing on a former president's disastrous meeting in Alaska and the absurdity of modern diplomacy. The irony of historical and contemporary leadership is explored, drawing unsettling parallels between past and present. The conversation takes a humorous turn, addressing the complexity of rent issues in New York while celebrating Black innovation. The highlight also includes an exciting preview of upcoming basketball championships, showcasing competitive spirit and notable athletes.

Aug 14, 2025 • 1h 7min
TRUMP WANTS RUSSIA TO OCCUPY UKRAINE, LIKE THE WEST BANK - 8.14.25
The conversation dives into Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin, where ominous agreements may emerge regarding Ukraine. The idea of a West Bank-style occupation sparks debate, with humorous critiques of political narratives and media portrayal. Irony takes center stage as the absurdities of U.S. governance and Trump's contradictions are highlighted. Meanwhile, the discussion breeches the absurd dichotomy of crime rates in D.C. against sensationalized media narratives. A poignant reflection on sports journalism adds a deeper layer to the geopolitical discourse.

Aug 11, 2025 • 47min
WHILE HE'S HERE, LET'S ARREST PUTIN - 8.11.25
SEASON 4 EPISODE 3: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: Hey! While Putin is here in Alaska so Trump can kiss his fanny, let's arrest him on behalf of the International Criminal Court and its member states Canada and Mexico who want to try him for kidnapping Ukrainian children and lying that they're orphans and forcibly converting them into Russians! The willingness to let this scum set foot on American territory is all part of Trump's desperate need to win an award. A major award. A major award like the one the father wanted in the movie "A Christmas Story." He wants what his idiot press secretary Karoline Leavitt calls "The Noble Peace Prize." He'll do anything to get it. Because he needs it to distract you from Trumpstein. Happily Jayvee Vance is back to remind you all that the Epstein files contain all kinds of dirt about Democratic billionaire politicians of 20 years ago. Of whom Trump was one. Registered Democrat. Oops. And it turns out that meeting Vance and the FBI and DOJ chiefs and the White House Chief of Staff DIDN'T have at the VP's residence about Epstein WITHOUT Trump? They had the Trumpstein meeting. They just had it somewhere else. And once again: why did they have it WITHOUT TRUMP? And now Trump is trying to distract by demanding all those DC homeless people who read Truth Social move out of town or else he'll...make them look at his new gold ballroom. And oh by the way as the leading universities continue to fold before Trump's dictatorial censorship and threat, somebody's standing up to him: Stanford's student-run newspaper is suing him for violating the 1st Amendment rights of its staffers. The leaders of all of the El Foldo Universities (Columbia, Penn, UCLA) should resign and let the students lead the resistance. B-Block (29:17) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Kristi Noem is upset South Park made her look like a cartoon. Well, MORE like a cartoon. I need to apologize for Mike Huckabee again insulting England. And Pam Bondi just offered you $50,000,000 if you can tell her where Nicolas Maduro is. He's in Venezuela. Can we each have our 50 mill now? C-Block (41:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: It's the 37-year anniversary of Gretzky Week! My greatest scoop, the one I did the least work on of any story I ever covered. The sources literally phoned it in to me. The day Wayne Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings and I was the first on television with it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 7, 2025 • 1h 4min
WHY WAS THE VP MEETING ABOUT EPSTEIN WITHOUT TRUMP THERE? - 8.7.25
SEASON 4 EPISODE 2: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: The United States of America does not have a functioning government. The Trump Dictatorship and the Library of Congress – Congress which Mike Johnson runs via a porn app – DELETED part of the official online edition of the Constitution – the part that limits the suspension of Habeas Corpus and bans presidents accepting foreign bribes. The Library says it was a coding error and would be fixed soon…ish. Yeah, the coding in Trump’s DNA. The White House had to DENY that the White House Chief of Staff was to meet last night with the Vice President, the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the FBI Director to discuss what to DO about the Trump/Epstein cover-up scandal, and what to do WITH the RECORDING of the Deputy Attorney General’s two days’ of bargaining with a convicted pedophile and child sex trafficker… and nobody seemed to notice that the headline was that WHATEVER the Chief of Staff, A-G, Deputy A-G, and FBI Director WERE meeting with the Vice President ABOUT… the PRESIDENT WASN’T GOING TO BE THERE. There is no competent executive authority, no congressional or senate oversight, no reliable judiciary. The United States of America does NOT NOW have a functioning government. The nominal president has spent the last few days making up economic statistics and poll numbers and threatening his predecessors with prosecution for imaginary crimes punishable by death while wandering around the roof of the White House, and phoning in to a business network with racist moronity the content of which is just this side of a 19th century minstrel show, or continuing to get more and more in bed, figuratively, with a convicted pedophile and child sex trafficker, in a scheme to cover-up her crimes, her late partner crimes, and whatever the president’s role was or was not… in them. And the first and seventh people in the line of presidential succession were going to have dinner with their Epstein expert who just met with Gulaine Maxwell and the head of the FBI and the woman who RUNS the White House but NOT the president and you know it almost doesn’t MATTER if they were meeting to try to figure out what to do about Trumpsteen or not. By 3:14 PM Eastern the Library of Congress said Sections 8, 9 and 10 of the 1st Article were back online so, shrug emoji, I guess there are limits on emoluments and suspending Habeas Corpus… for now. Fifteen minutes later, however, there were still huge swaths of all three sections missing from the official online version of the Constitution. But coding. And so what, it’s just the ONLINE version, what’s the difference? Trump just fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because she wouldn’t delete the official online jobs numbers and will soon find someone to post fabricated numbers online which will then be accepted as real – and official – because they’re ONLINE. There is no functioning government, just a mediocre Public Relations firm. Understaffed. Trying to sell Edsels, Google Glasses, New Coke, and fascism. B-Block (40:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Acting NASA "Director" Duffy wants to put nukes on the moon, even though that was the plot of the re-make of the movie "The Time Machine" in which nukes on the moon destroyed the moon and rendered earth uninhabitable good call reality TV boy. The New York Times won't stop trying to make Harvard-Fetch happen. And the Trump Council on Lack of Fitness, the one Super Bowl star Saquon Barkley turned down membership on? The Council announced he accepted. C-Block (55:00) THURSDAYS WITH THURBER: Of all his great stories, the one that might have been the most likely to have been written in order to be performed aloud, I humbly offer you this week: "The Night The Bed Fell." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 4, 2025 • 53min
THE "COUP" TO TAKE THE GOP BACK FROM TRUMP, OVER EPSTEIN - 8.4.25
SEASON 4 EPISODE 1: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (1:45) SPECIAL COMMENT: The Jobs Report will now be handled by the same guy who keeps score when Trump plays golf. But first, the unexplained move of Ghislaine Maxwell from near Alligator Alcatraz to Club Fed was just beginning to calm down when Trump detonated on Lenard McKelvey (political commentary name Charlamagne Tha God). All Charlamagne had done was to go on Fox News and claim to Lara Trump “I think that traditional conservatives are going to take the Republican Party back. I think there’s a political coup going on right now in the Republican Party that people aren’t paying attention to… we have the opportunity to have, like, a huge reset.” Trump has never known when to leave bad enough alone, but this time he just hit the side of the hornets’ nest with his tie. Called him “racist sleazebag… low IQ individual… has no idea what words are coming out of his mouth… knows nothing about me… this dope.” So now millions of people who DIDN’T know an often conservative, Trump-accepting-if-not-supporting African American was describing a Republican Palace Coup AGAINST TRUMP OVER EPSTEIN… have THAT new Trumpsteen tendril to ponder. Let’s sort this out. Somebody had to change Maxwell’s status as a registered sex offender to get her transferred to an all-women, all-white collar criminals, minimum security facility. She might no longer BE a registered sex offender; that could be a free sample offered by Trump if she’ll lie for him. The move to the cushier camp could be ANOTHER free sample. Or to make it easier for her to suffer rapid unscheduled disassembly. Also there’s a Trump cover-up OF The Epstein Files, and a Trump cover-up OF HIS OWN NAME IN the Epstein Files, and a Conservative Coup Against Trump OVER The Epsteen files, and the unexplained cushy new home for Epstein’s co-rapist. Oh and the true Orwellian shooting of the statistical messenger. But - you'd forgotten, hadn't you - he's always done this. He did this most infamously as Covid started. B-Block (30:17) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: There's little left for Andrew Cuomo. Apparently that includes flat out making up a story that mayor-to-be-Zamdani has never had a job before. Ryan "Who Put That Porn On The TV Monitor In My Office During The State Education Department Executive Meeting" Walters of Oklahoma doubles down. And the Republicans sure know how to sell American cars: with a picture of a car made in Soviet Russia in 1970 being sold by a Trump that looks like he was made in 1870. C-Block (40:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: The teachers of Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York are legendary. Nineteen of them there I graduated fifty years ago were still there the day I gave the Commencement Address thirty years ago. But now we may have lost the last of the greats, at least of that era. Gerry Murphy was the math teacher with empathy. He once recognized he had hit "the math wall" - he recognized I had. If he hadn't, I'd still be there failing that class for the 51st straight year. Gerald Murphy, R.I.P.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 snips
Jul 31, 2025 • 1h 17min
"WHAT DID YOU THINK EPSTEIN WAS STEALING THOSE WOMEN FOR?" - 7.31.25
The podcast dives into the unsettling connections between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting Trump's indifference to victims like Virginia Giuffre. It scrutinizes the moral implications of leadership and the absence of accountability in politics. The discussion also reflects on political intrigue, including the push for transparency regarding Trump's past dealings. Additionally, it critiques the legacy of exploitation and consent, urging listeners to consider their roles in fostering a safer society.