After a 20 year hiatus, Bennifer finally got married this week, so Suzanne connects the dots for Jay on how one of her favorite reality shows, Bravo’s Southern Charm, is directly responsible for J-Lo and Ben Affleck’s big romantic reunion. Then, Mike Machanic joins the pod to give his view on the Democrat’s prospects in November’s midterm elections, and why the most important thing to do is to simply get people to the polls. 

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This week pop culture is back on the pod as Suzanne teaches Jay about Real Housewife of SLC Jen Shah’s fraud charges. Then, Jay shares what a ‘Sister Souljah Moment’ means in American politics, and how Biden’s team attempted one this week in a very inaffective way by attacking Pro-Choice activists. 

Variety: Jen Shah Pleads Guilty in Criminal Fraud Case

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/jen-shah-guilty-fraud-telemarketing-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city-1235313464/

Youtube: Bill Clinton’s Sister Souljah Moment 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtSifopiL1g&feature=youtu.be

Analysis | “It’s White House v. Activists v. Biden v. White House” By Olivier Knox and Caroline Anders

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/11/its-white-house-v-activists-v-biden-v-white-house/

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The news hit much too close to home this week. 

Suzanne shares her personal experience as a member of the North Shore Chicago community in the wake of the 4th of July shooting at a Highland Park parade that killed 7 and injured dozens more. Hear her experience and why she believes that Highland Park might be a turning point in the fight for gun regulation. 

Moms Demand Action: 

https://momsdemandaction.org/

Everytown for Gun Safety:

https://www.everytown.org/

If you’re in the North Shore and would like to donate blood, email [email protected]. 

GoFundMe’s supporting the victims and their families: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/irina-and-kevin-mccarthy

https://www.gofundme.com/f/victims-of-the-highland-park-july-4th-shooting?qid=38f6dec0afcf408c057553b2876a763e

https://www.gofundme.com/f/ua5pks-highland-park-shooting?qid=50410f27ae665014cd23c99af29d9e10

https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-bills-for-the-kolpack-joyce-family?qid=fe884caf7ca3540907b6a8ce6d6cd7a2

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mario-nicolas-toledo?qid=c1932c9787827d5d25a5447291278b18

https://www.gofundme.com/f/jacki-sundheim?qid=aab8f2dbd1b5dabfe2fdb04c9a849206

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Jay and Suzanne talk through how the Supreme Court’s hard right turn is affecting all aspects of American life, in both political and cultural spheres. Learn about Stare Decisis, how abortion became such a hot button topic for Evangelicals, and why there might be a reason to hope that this is only a moment in time. 

CNN - “The Supreme Court Just Threw the Idea of Settled Law Out the Window”: 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/28/politics/supreme-court-stare-decisis-precedent/index.html

New York Times - “The Major Supreme Court Decisions of 2022”: 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/21/us/major-supreme-court-cases-2022.html

Reuters - “Explainer: How Abortion Became a Decisive Issue in U.S. Politics”:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-abortion-became-divisive-issue-us-politics-2022-06-24/

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In a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade today, effectively ending 50 years of federal abortion rights and ushering in a new era with an activist supreme court. 

Today Suzanne and Jay break down the ruling, discuss how this will change our country, and offer concrete ways that you can help in the fight for access to safe abortion. 

Liz Plank - Here’s How to Get an Abortion Anywhere

https://lizplank.substack.com/p/heres-how-to-get-an-abortion-anywhere

Politico - Justice Thomas: SCOTUS should ‘reconsider’ contraception, same sex marriage rulings

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/thomas-constitutional-rights-00042256

The Washington Post -  Abortion Will Soon be Banned in 13 States. Here’s Which Could Come Next

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/24/abortion-state-laws-criminalization-roe/

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This week, Jay explains to Suzanne why he loved the fact that Biden fell off of his bike. Then, Suzanne breaks down what Britney has been up to since she was freed from her conservatorship, and why it was probably a good idea for her to deactivate her Instagram. 

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Suzanne and Jay take a break from politics and pop-culture nonsense to do a mental health deepdive with their therapist mom. How has the pandemic affected this country's mental health and where do we go from here?

Frontiers in Psychology: Psychological Consequences of Social Isolation During COVID-19 Outbreak 

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02201/full

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How old is too old? And is it finally time for the olds to step aside? 

Jay breaks down Biden's most recent poll numbers and what it means for his presidency and Suzanne shares the Queen's family drama and why she just might never abdicate the throne.

Morning Consult: Biden’s Approval Rating Sinks to New Low 

https://morningconsult.com/2022/06/08/biden-approval-rating-new-low/ 

CNN: Beneath Biden’s Messaging Struggles

https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/02/politics/joe-biden-messaging-struggles/index.html

NBC: Inside a Biden White House Adrift

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-white-house-adrift-rcna30121

Readers Digest: 9 Reasons Why Queen Elizabeth Will Never Give Up the Throne: 

https://www.rd.com/list/why-queen-elizabeth-will-never-give-up-the-throne/

“Brothers and Wives - Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan” https://amzn.to/3xyUKdR (affiliated link)


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As promised a few episodes back, today we’re taking a deep dive into the factors affecting the current American economy. To do this, Jay is joined by economist and political scientist Chris Blattman from the University of Chicago. 

Tune in to learn how drivers such as Ukraine, Covid, inflation and globalization are affecting our current economic landscape. Plus, find out why Chris is hopeful about the state of the US economy. 

Check out Chris’s new book - Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Path to Peace

https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Fight-Roots-Paths/dp/1984881574/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1654113762&sr=8-1

Washington Post review of Chris’s book: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/05/27/an-incremental-way-peace-despite-putin-persistence-war/

Learn more about the Effective Altruism movement: 

https://www.effectivealtruism.org/

This week, Suzanne and Jay are both on watch, waiting to see what will happen next! 

Tune in to hear how Suzanne expects the verdicts to fall in the Depp v. Heard trial. Then, Jay shares his prediction on whether or not Trump will run for President in 2024, and how a scene from The West Wing perfectly portrays his point.

Check out how Jay came to his prediction: 

https://dailycaller.com/2022/05/26/exclusive-donald-trump-2024-likely-running-again-heres-what-run-would-look-like

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/26/sununu-bucks-trump-in-2024-00027612

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