Mika Defends Mar-a-Lago Visit, Musk-Trump Road Trip

Would novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand have loathed Elon Musk? Philosopher and writer Wolfram Eilenberger, author of The Visionaries: Arendt, Beauvoir, Rand, Weil, and the Power of Philosophy in Dark Times, comes on The New Abnormal to answer that question and another question with an answer that he can’t seem to full grasp: How libertarians can support Donald Trump. Also on this episode: Danielle Campoamor, reporter for TODAY Parents, shares the story of Celeste Burgess, a 19-year-old who is serving a prison sentence for taking abortion pills when she was 17. Plus, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie use the intro of this episode to share some of their favorite things—and which social media platform (Threads, the site formally known as Twitter, and Bluesky) they’d fuck, marry, or kill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 Aug 202350min

Country singer Jason Aldean’s song and video “Try That in a Small Town” has created backlash, with critics claiming the song promotes violence and anti-Black rhetoric. Still, Aldean is just the tip of the racist iceberg for the country music business says historian Amanda Marie Martinez, who came on this bonus episode of The New Abnormal to discuss the Aldean controversy with Danielle. She shares insight into the genre’s racist history and why we shouldn’t expect them to change their tune anytime soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 Jul 202331min

On this week’s episode of The New Abnormal, why Mitch McConnell’s concerning press conference this week should be a wake up call to both sides of the political spectrum. Plus! The Nation’s Elie Mystal joins us to talk about the Supreme Court's Alabama decision. Then, The Bulwark’s Tim Miller talks all about the latest in Republican party madness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 Jul 20231h 4min

Ron DeSantis thought he could win over the MAGA base and secure the 2024 nomination by being the smart, indictment-free version of Donald Trump, but judging by his less than robust campaign performance, he thought wrong. Rolling Stone reporter, Adam Rawnsley, joins this episode of TNA to talk about what it’ll take for Trump’s base to finally be broken of his spell as well as the ways DeSantis’ campaign went wrong. Also on this episode: Capital B rural issues reporter Aallyah Wright tells co-host Andy Levy a story she reported on from a small town in the south that is so horrendously racist it left him nearly speechless. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 Jul 20231h 3min

Bullshitting is an art, and according to hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie, Donald Trump proved he’s mastered it after they listened to a clip of him totally spewing nonsense in response to an Iowa voter’s question at an event early July. Andy shares a funny analogy and the two have strong reactions to the other wacky audio clips they listen to on this bonus episode. Then Colin Dickey, author of the upcoming book ‘Under the Eye of Power’, walks Andy through the political impact of the country’s earliest conspiracy theories and secret societies. Plus! He shares how Americans became so enthralled and scared of the Illuminati that it literally influenced a presidential election. Even George Washington was involved. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Jul 202334min

Donald Trump recently posted a video to his Truth Social account that hosts of The New Abnormal politics podcast, Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie, say is a preview of what another MAGA presidency will look like. They discuss in this episode of the show along with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s display of Hunter Biden’s nudes. Also on this episode: Melissa Murray, professor of law at NYU, MSNBC talking head and legal analyst, and co-host of Strict Scrutiny, breaks down the possible indictments that could come down against Trump, including other charges that could stem from bigger allegations. Plus! Sarah McLaughlin, Senior Scholar, Global Expression at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression (FIRE), spars (kindly!) with Andy about religious freedom of speech and explains why the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution that supports the prosecution of blasphemy won’t be so “pretty” in practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Jul 20231h 2min

Things aren’t going so well for Meatball Ron [DeSantis], says Andy Levy in this episode of The New Abnormal. He and co-host Danielle Moodie unpack the ways that DeSantis seems to be flubbing his presidential campaign with the Florida governor’s personality, and general robotic weirdness, taking the top spot as a reason why. Then Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) joins the show and makes it very clear how he feels about this Supreme Court and Andy chats with David Slack, a veteran writer and producer who’s worked on shows such as ‘Law and Order’ and ‘Person of Interest’ and was a member of the WGA West’s Board of Directors from 2018 to 2022, about the differences in demands of the people on strike and those in power, and what it was like to be in a negotiating room with them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Jul 202358min

Nick Fuentes knows the ideal age he’d like his future wife to be and, disgustingly, it’s sixteen. On this episode of The New Abnormal politics podcast, hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie listen to clips of Republicans and right-wing figures saying stupid things, but this Sunday’s clip of Fuentes, a white supremacist and right-wing extremist, takes the cake. Also on this episode: Marc Garlasco, a military advisor at PAX Protection of Civilians and the co-host of The Civilian Protection Podcast, shares a dire prediction for what’s to come now that the White House plans to send cluster bombs over to Ukrainian forces. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Jul 202331min