What Trump Learned About Manipulation From Pal Vince McMahon
The world of pro wrestling used to be sold as real. Viewers were told that the fights, the rivalries, and the storylines were all real-life, otherwise known as a phenomenon called kayfabe. Then, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Vince McMahon turned that on its head. In this episode, author Abraham Josephine Riesman, who recently wrote a biography on McMahon titled Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, tells The New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy how a manipulation strategy McMahon used made WWE what it is today (and help to deregulate it) and how Trump came to use that same technique to keep his fanbase coming back. Also in this episode: Riesman goes deeper into how McMahon’s strategy was able to leak into the world of politics, the history of McMahon and Trump’s friendship, and if there’s truth behind one of the biggest quote from her book: “Vince McMahon is the closest thing to a friend Trump has.” Plus! Andy and co-host Danielle Moodie talk about the Republican war on oat and almond milk and make the case that if TikTok goes down, Meta and Twitter should go with it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 Maalis 202334min
Did Anyone Other Than Trump Say He Was Going to be Indicted?
On this week’s episode of The New Abnormal, hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moddie discuss the latest in Donald Trump’s possible indictment. Plus! The Daily Beast’s Senior Media Reporter, Justin Baragona, joins the show along with Jade Magnus Ogunnaike, the Vice President of Corporate Power at Color of Change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Maalis 20231h 1min
Trump’s Arrest for Stormy Case Is ‘Beginning of the Fall’
MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang joins the show and gives co-host Danielle Moodie insight into why Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment against Trump for a Stormy Daniels case, and not Jan. 6, is the first one to catch up to him. She also shares why this indictment is the “beginning of the fall” and her prediction for what’s next, or in her words, the indictment that will really “break the dam.” Also on this episode, co-host Andy Levy predicts whether or not Trump will have a perp walk and surmises whether House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in love with Trump, or afraid of him. Plus! Jeff Sharlet, author of The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, tells Andy what he learned while writing about the post-Trump world—like how right-wing grandmas have nasty things to say about Hillary Clinton—and why he doesn’t actually care about Trump like other Trump-era writers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21 Maalis 20231h 9min
The Truth about Those ‘Classified’ Biden and Trump Docs
The right and the left seemed to have gotten super worked up about the classified documents found in the private homes of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but NSA and surveillance writer Kerry Howley, also the author of Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs: A Journey Through the Deep State, saw the findings differently. She joins Andy Levy on this bonus episode of The New Abnormal to talk about what classified docs really mean—the bad and the-not-so-bad but still bad. Plus! She shares with Andy what whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning have in common and shares the story of a whistleblower named “Reality Winner,” a woman not a horse, whose story will infuriate you. And, as always, Danielle Moodie and Andy listen and make fun of clips of “racist” and really dumb Republicans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19 Maalis 202327min
What Conservative Author Bethany Mandel’s Viral Flub Taught Us About ‘Woke’
On this week’s episode of The New Abnormal, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan talk to us about this week’s viral moment surrounding conservative “woke” critic, Bethany Mandel. Plus, New York Times bestselling author and policy advocate Heather McGee talks about the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and how we got here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 Maalis 20231h 4min
How the Silicon Valley Bank Implosion Leads Back to Trump
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), a congressman representing New York’s 10th district and former lead counsel during Trump impeachment hearings, spells out the link between Trump and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank—and what frustrates him the most when it comes to the GOP attacks on Hunter Biden. Also on the podcast: Dan Primack, business editor at Axios, breaks down the Silicon Valley bank collapse from a logistical standpoint, including the biggest difference between this SVB situation and the 2008 bank bailout. Plus! Primark shares a Taylor Swift analogy that’ll help you understand what makes bank runs unavoidable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
14 Maalis 20231h 7min
Kimberly Guilfoyle Is Just Another ‘Grifting Ass Republican’
Just add Kimberly Guilfoyle to the long list of MAGA Republican grifters. Donald Trump Jr.’s fiance has a grift so bizarre that it’s funny, and hosts of The New Abnormal podcast, Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy, had the pleasure of listening to her pitch the gift in this new episode and they have a lot to say about it. Plus! Don Jr. makes an astronomically hypocritical comment and then, later, things get serious later in this episode when Danielle Campoamor, reporter for Today Parents, tells co-host Danielle how Texas anti-abortion laws are driving women close to death—literally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Maalis 202331min
Tucker Carlson Went Too Far and Even Republicans Know it
On this episode of The New Abnormal, Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America, Matt Gertz talks about Tucker Carlson and the latest leaks in the Dominion versus Fox News lawsuit. Plus, columnist Kurt Bardella talks about Kevin McCarthy’s role in all this drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 Maalis 20231h 9min
