President Biden's farewell address warns of the rising oligarchy. The pro-democracy coalition should focus on economic populism and taxing the wealthy. Bluesky is developing an alternative to Instagram. Russia planned to send bombs to the White House aboard cargo planes. Donald's stupid External Revenue Service plan. The latest from the confirmatio…

Tim Russ is an actor, musician, astronomer, and smart as hell. You might know him from his role as Tuvok on Star Trek Voyager and Star Trek Picard, or from his appearance on Poker Face. He's also a frequent guest on this podcast. Today we talked about the LA fires and how close the disaster was from his house. We also talked Merrick Garland, the 20…

We react to the Jack Smith report on Donald Trump's insurrection on January 6. The efforts to coerce Mike Pence. The racist threats against Judge Chutkan. Merrick Garland and American voters. Garland was writing history. Liz Cheney's reaction to the report. Donald was sentenced in his election interference trial in NYC. The Pete Hegseth hearings. M…

The Los Angeles firestorms. We debunk some of the MAGA disinformation. How the climate crisis is to blame. Jody's firsthand observations. Donald fell asleep at Jimmy Carter's funeral. Obama and Donald chitchat. President Biden's remarks about abuse of power. Merrick Garland will release the Jack Smith report. The New York Supreme Court's ruling on …

JoJo and I joined forces to record one episode to be presented on our respective podcast platforms. In the old days, this was called a "simulcast." So join us for this fun, intense, and freewheeling conversation about Donald Trump's press conference, the vote certification earlier this week, the conga-line of capitulation, the role of independent m…

Our first show of 2025! Hang on tight! The show is now on Substack. We're still recovering from the election. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy support H1-B visas. Elon changed his name on X to Kekius Maximus. The tragedy of January 6, and yesterday's vote certification. The 14th Amendment. Donald Trump will be sentenced on Friday. Indian-American entr…

Our last Thursday show of the year! We'll return with new episodes starting January 7. The new Superman trailer was spectacular and emotional. Longing for heroes in the forthcoming dark ride. Superman is about kindness and altruism. New Chipmunks song from Rocky Mountain Mike. Jared Moskowitz isn't going anywhere. President Musk controls both Donal…

Tara returns to the podcast for a mutual therapy session with Bob. You might know Tara from her appearances on Hal Sparks Megaworldwide, from social media, and from such podcasts as this one. Sure, the talk will get dark, but the goal is to find ways to deal with the incoming authoritarianism without burning out. Make sure to pick up a copy of Tara…

Some good news -- finally! Judge Merchan refuses to overturn Donald Trump's criminal conviction. ABC News's capitulaiton is chilling. SLAPP defamation lawsuits are a pernicious threat to free speech. Donald makes good on threat to sue the Des Moines Register. AOC loses her bid to be ranking member of the Oversight Committee. RFK Jr ally wants to ba…

Another fun and freewheeling Thursday episode. The conga-line of capitulation. Zuckerberg gives $1 million to Donald's inauguration fund. How Christopher Wray may have stopped Kash Patel from taking over on day one. The Supreme Court conservatives aren't fans of recess appointments. Elon Musk stops by the studio. Heroes of Democracy: Sarah Longwell…

Media historian Donna Halper is back. You might know her from her many visits to our Wednesday podcasts, as well as from her blog -- dhalperblog.blogspot.com. She's one of my dearest friends and an expert when it comes to the inner workings of the American news media. She's also the former radio deejay who introduced my favorite band Rush to Americ…

We discuss the perils of institutionalism and the "steady as she goes" tradition in Democratic politics. Bringing a banana to a knife fight. We need to stop worrying about how Donald and the Republicans will react. Sam Alito tells Donald "no" when it comes to lifting the gag order. Lame Duck Donald? Will they try to monkey with Social Security? Mat…

The assassination of the United Healthcare CEO. Blue Cross places limits on anesthesia. The public option. Joe and Mika apologize for "flippant" remarks by David Frum. What's happening to MSNBC? Should President Biden issue preemptive pardons for officials on Kash Patel's enemies list? Donald faces pushback from Senate Republicans, indicating he do…

After six years, Driftglass and Blue Gal from the Professional Left podcast return to the show! We covered just about everything from the campaign season and the election to the news media coverage to the both-siderism to “no fair remembering stuff” and the forthcoming fascist idiocracy. Support the Professional Left podcast on Patreon – patreon.co…

We're back from the Thanksgiving break! The 90s shows start this Friday! President Biden pardoned Hunter Biden. Walking on eggshells around Donald Trump. He's planning to do terrible things anyway. All presidents issue controversial pardons, including for family members. Kash Patel for FBI director? Really? Will Patel even get confirmed by the Sena…

We've taking a break from politics to talk about "Cosmologica," one of the greatest prog rock albums ever made, with musicians Circe Link and Christian Nesmith, the incredible recording duo responsible for it. Cosmologica is a spectacular volume of music whether you're a prog rock fan or not. It was recorded during the COVID quarantine and released…

The great Charlie Pierce from Esquire.com and the Stephanie Miller Show joins me to discuss the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 60 years on. Our theories, our red flags, the conspiracy theories we reject, and why the murder of the president was such a history-changing event. We also get into the Warren Report, the House Select Committee investiga…

Grab your tricorders and set your phasers to fun, it's another nerdy episode of the interview show. This time, Bob talks with the funny and talented Seán Ferrick, host of TrekCulture's Ups and Downs, a must-watch YouTube show in which Seán reviews episodes of Star Trek, both new and old. Seán is immensely entertaining and positive -- a total blast,…

David is determined to fight back. In time for today's show, Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his nomination for attorney general. Linda McMahon? Are you serious? Pete Hegseth will be next to withdraw. Donald is casting the Red Hat Love Boat. Comcast to sell MSNBC and CNBC. What's next for liberal cable news? Our new segment: Warnings Were Issued! Donald w…

The acclaimed Japanese anime series Star Blazers, or Space Battleship Yamato, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, so today I welcomed my friend Tim Eldred to the show to talk about the series and its many spinoffs and reboots. Tim is a comic and animation artist who produced a Star Blazers comic book and is the premiere expert in and histori…

Cliff Schecter joins the Tuesday show. Who is Cliff? Cliff versus Cleta Mitchell circa 2006. Does aggressive push-back work any more? Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's meeting with Trump at Mar-a-lago. The clock is ticking on the bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Boris Epshteyn is already feuding with Elon. Bob is nuking his Twitter …

How are we holding up? We lost 30 Patreon subscribers and 220 Apple Podcast followers. Please support independent media! Bluesky is an excellent large scale support group. The Onion bought Alex Jones's Infowars. The ACLU's full page ad in the NYT. Donald Trump's cabinet nominees are a McDonaldland of Scooby Doo villains. Elon Musk's DOGE project. P…

JoJo doesn't have any effs left, so she's fighting back hard against the incoming gaggle of incompetent stupids. We talked about her approach to protecting democracy, what we can expect from the new Trump administration, John Thune's Senate leadership, and Fritos for your tomato soup. You can find her on Substack @JoJoFromJerz and all the various s…

We bid farewell to the great Buzz Burbank, who's been our Tuesday co-host since 2017. Our 31 year history together, starting with Bob's internship for Buzz at WJFK in Washington, DC. How we teamed up in the newsroom. Buzz's radio career. How we reunited around politics and the news. Supporting independent news media. What's next for social media. C…

No Ultimate Edition or Shadow Docket today -- just one long, uninterrupted talk between Bob, Jody, and David about the incoming disaster. We all need to be the friend who jumps in the hole. We recap some highlights from Sexy Liberal LA. And most importantly we get our first big laughs since Election Night Nightmare. With Jody Hamilton, David Fergus…