New York Governor Kathy Hochul joins to discuss the end of SNAP Benefits, ICE raids, and how NYC’s progressive swing affects the rest of the purple state. Astrologer Chani Nicholas also stops by to share insights on the stars, Scorpio season, and what to expect in the sky in 2026 (watch out for August!). Then Erin and Alyssa react to Cheryl Hines’ deeply strange appearance on charisma black hole Katie Miller’s podcast, spoiler alert: they reveal the details of RFK Jr.’s disgusting diet.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

US government says it will stop paying for food aid next week (BBC 10/26)

Some new ICE recruits have shown up to training without full vetting (NBC News 10/22)

SNAP’s Contingency Reserve Is Available for Regular SNAP Benefits, as USDA and OMB Have Ruled in Past (CBPP 10/27)

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Erin and Alyssa dive into the past of the father of white Christian Nationalism, Jerry Falwell. From founding Liberty University, to taking advantage of pregnant teens, to spreading his bigoted and homophobic beliefs like wildfire, this is may be our most shameless guy yet.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Sources:

https://wondery.com/shows/liberty-lost/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-Falwell

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/jerry-falwell

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-biography-of-jerry-falwell/

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/inside-jerry-falwell-jr-unlikely-rise-and-precipitous-fall?srsltid=AfmBOoqLERGUjQ07rO9_PVqsOujPeHa3c7TDKqJX5Un4ev1snV7NCqvJ

https://www.npr.org/2006/05/15/5519116/timeline-a-half-century-of-falwells-ministry

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/09/26/the-rise-of-the-falwell-empire/9dda636e-3475-4b64-899a-650a1d6dbb89/

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/07/us/falwell-s-gospel-hour-fined-for-political-activity.html

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1993/rt9304/930403/04030069.htm

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/inside-jerry-falwell-jr-unlikely-rise-and-precipitous-fall?srsltid=AfmBOoqLERGUjQ07rO9_PVqsOujPeHa3c7TDKqJX5Un4ev1snV7NCqvJ

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/15/jerry-falwell-jr-funneled-millions-of-dollars-from-nonprofit-liberty-university-to-gop-efforts-rpt/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/19/september11.usa9

https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/a-troubling-legacy-revealing-the-white/

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/agent-intolerance/

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/moral-majority-founded

https://www.pewresearch.org/2007/05/17/rev-falwells-moral-majority-mission-accomplished/

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/

https://theconversation.com/revisiting-the-legacy-of-jerry-falwell-sr-in-trumps-america-79551

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/hustler-magazine-v-falwell

https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-507-0v89g5gw13

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Being an American right now is a wild ride. Every day brings a new controversy, with breathless media narratives and the same loud voices rushing in to score political points. Then another Truth Social post drops and the circus moves on. But all that noise is drowning out the actual story. On Crooked Media’s new podcast Runaway Country, veteran journalist Alex Wagner talks to the voices at the center of the headlines: from the fringes of the resistance, to the marrow of MAGA, to the many people who’ve found themselves smack-dab in the crosshairs of a fight they never asked for. Because if you want to understand our unreal times, you’ve got to talk to the very real people who are experiencing it all first-hand. Join Alex as she brings together the stories of everyday Americans trapped in our national car with no brakes, alongside conversations with some of the smartest thinkers in politics. Buckle up, this road could lead anywhere.

New episodes every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts, and @RunawayCountryWithAlexWagner on YouTube. Make sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode.

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Erin Ryan and guest host Reshma Saujani (Moms First) poke holes in Trump’s flimsy IVF plan, discuss RFK Jr.’s creepy obsession with teenage boys’ sperm counts, and the realities of women leaving the workforce. They also get into the insanity of Trump’s ballroom construction and dissect the differences between the moms with boys and Boy Moms. 

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Nearly half a million women have left their jobs so far this year. Here’s why, in their own words (CNN 10/17)

Embattled Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia’s Mom Tried to Meet With Lawmakers Who Criticized Her Son (NOTUS 10/21)

RFK Jr uses platform during Trump event to go on rant about teenager’s sperm (The Independent 10/17)

Trump Unveils Plan to Expand Access to ‘Fertility Insurance’ and IVF Drugs (TIME 10/16)

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Erin and Alyssa react to the strangest of Trump’s second “routine yearly checkup” of 2025, the sweeping federal layoffs impacting the CDC, and Katie Porter’s PR nightmare. Then they check in on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s new anti-republican schtick and what will become of Alex Jones now that the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal. The show concludes with a salute to the late Diane Keaton and a peek into what the f*ck is going on with Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Trump's second checkup describes "exceptional health" (AXIOS 10/11)

‘The damage is beyond repair’: The CDC is facing another round of deep staff cuts (CNN Health 10/11)

Katie Porter Videos Give California Rivals a New Opening (NYT 10/11)

Supreme Court rebuffs Alex Jones’ effort to overturn $1.4 billion Sandy Hook judgment (CNN 10/14)

What’s Going On With Marjorie Taylor Greene? (The Atlantic 10/9)

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This week, Erin and Alyssa dive into the past of United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. From his sexist ideologies to his drunken antics, cheating scandals to Fox News career, embarrassing failures to incompetent leadership, this is definitely our most inebriated and moronic f*cking guy of all time.

Sources:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-pick-for-defense-sec-spent-his-college-years-crusading-against-glorification-of-diversity-and-the-homosexual-lifestyle

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/bio/_/id/1506/pete-hegseth

https://www.theprincetontory.com/archive-of-past-issues/2001-02-issues/

https://www.theprincetontory.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2002-0203.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20060906061815/http://prince-web1.princeton.edu/archives/2002/04/17/opinion/4942.shtml

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/princeton-pete-hegseths-views-feminism-100200035.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGVycGxleGl0eS5haS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEdD-QaGi5WlZLvE8gowkG7Ad14X48zhy4R2qInWb7qkj9dlc6uVsoC5KsGVkX4mdzcY07MiMmLRCWW5v2TynNakZoZBPEyxCqteSC6qqLjihEHDlF3tSrgP74u69sm4NURXA50GsmA6xfxFrKcN-BZDzpQCVMYshgqhZbnMA2tk&guccounter=2

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025/05/princeton-news-pete-hegseth-senior-thesis-plagiarism-allegations

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/ar-AA1uD2gR

https://www.propublica.org/article/samuel-alito-luxury-fishing-trip-paul-singer-scotus-supreme-court

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fox-friends-co-host-faces-lawsuit-man-he-hit-axe-n883291

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseths-drinking-worried-colleagues-fox-news-sources-tell-nbc-ne-rcna181471

https://archive.is/lSPf9#selection-601.0-641.3

https://archive.is/1GJOj

https://archive.ph/20250101060614/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/us/trump-pardons.html

https://archive.is/T8nCv#selection-2646.0-2646.1

https://www.mediamatters.org/pete-hegseth/fox-news-host-pete-hegseth-donated-ian-smith-candidate-who-killed-someone-drunk

https://www.foxnews.com/media/pete-hegseth-vows-send-back-harvard-university-degree-writes-return-sender-diploma

https://wng.org/sift/doug-wilson-responds-to-pete-hegseth-affiliation-reports-1755021501

https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/08/politics/video/christian-nationalist-doug-wilson-pam-brown-digvid

https://prospect.org/politics/2025-02-05-pete-hegseths-venmo-defense-contractors-unitedhealth/

https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/metallica-pentagon-pete-hegseth-video-b2788101.html

https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast/415145/women-in-combat-ranger-school-pete-hegseth-fitness-standards

https://www.whro.org/military-veterans/2025-05-07/the-uss-truman-loses-a-second-fighter-jet-in-just-over-a-week

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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mayci Neeley dishes on her new book, becoming a feminist, and what #MomTok is really like off-screen. Erin and Alyssa also cover Trump’s Ghislaine Maxwell amnesia, Bari Weiss’ CBS News takeover, and the future of the Democratic Party. Finally, in the Sanity Corner, they sound off about the new Taylor Swift album and warn against Instagram Reels Greek yogurt chicken salad recipes. 

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

It’s Time for Soft Secession (Mother Jones)

Americans remain wary of electing a female president, new poll reveals (Politico 10/6)

CBS News names Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief (Politico 10/6)

Turning Point USA Hosts Campus Event Pushing Death Penalty for Abortion Patients (Abortion, Everyday 10/3)

F.D.A. Approves Generic Abortion Pill as Opponents Push Trump for New Restrictions (NYT 10/2)

Supreme Court rejects Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her criminal conviction (NBC News 10/6)

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The Republican-run government has shut down, Trump is using misinformation to blame Democrats, and Erin and Alyssa explain what’s at stake. Then they dive into Ezra Klein’s recent bad takeapalooza, on everything from Charlie Kirk’s legacy to pro-life Democrats. And, of course, there’s the latest Epstein files news, some races to watch in Virginia, and a big week for creeps, overall. They wrap up in the Sanity Corner with a discussion about their excitement for Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning and a petty roast of Ivanka Trump’s Instagram.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Explaining the G.O.P.’s Misleading Talking Point on the Looming Shutdown (NYT 9/29)

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines (NYT 9/28)

RFK Jr. launches FDA review of abortion pill (ABC News 9/24)

Musk, Thiel and Bannon named in Epstein docs released by Dems (Axios 9/26)

Elon Musk’s Father Accused of Child Sexual Abuse (NYT 9/25)

Money manager Howard Rubin detained in sex trafficking case after feds cite hitman threat (CNBC 9/26)

Ryan Walters steps down as Oklahoma schools chief to lead anti-teachers union group (The 19th News 9/26)

The State of Our Nation: Gauging Americans’ political opinions in 2025 (The 19th* 9/25)

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Erin and Alyssa dive into the past of Epstein’s right hand woman: Ghislaine Maxwell. From her father Robert Maxwell’s shady business endeavors and questionable death, to schmoozing her way to the upper echelons of Manhattan’s elite social scene, to trafficking minors for the most famously despicable sex pest of all time, this may be our most depraved, power-hungry pervert yet.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Episode sources:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59733623

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1992/3/the-sinking-of-captain-bob

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59733623

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1992/3/the-sinking-of-captain-bob

https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/1992/3/the-sinking-of-captain-bob

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/28/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-sentencing-abuse

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59733623

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-life-profile

https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/08/ghislaine-maxwell-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-gift

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-dead-prison-report-latest

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/12/labor-secretary-alex-acosta-is-resigning-as-pressure-mounts-from-jeffrey-epstein-case.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/30/business/david-boies-pottinger-jeffrey-epstein-videos.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59733623

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59736227

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59527051

https://abcnews.go.com/US/dramatic-testimony-alleged-epstein-victim-carolyn-recounts-maxwells/story?id=81612421

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/10/17/jeffrey-epstein-survivor-death-overdose-florida-carolyn-andriano/71221137007/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvn7ee3539o

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdd3pe6189go

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/justice-department-releases-transcripts-of-its-interviews-with-ghislaine-maxwell

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czd049y2qymo

https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.24-cft%20(Redacted).pdf

https://www.justice.gov/storage/audio-files/Interview%20Transcript/Interview%20Transcript%20-%20Maxwell%202025.07.25-cft%20(Redacted).pdf

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Candace Owens and her conspiracy theories are propelling her to the top of the podcast charts, and Erin and Alyssa are here to remind you of her ultra-conservative, racist, and wildly problematic past. They also dive into Trump’s dangerous “Autism Announcement,” how Kentucky’s 50/50 custody law is harming women and children, and the Department of Education’s plans for the Semiquincentennial. Then a discussion of MAGA Cosmo-wannabe Evie Magazine’s pop culture to conservative BS pipeline.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

How ICE Raids Are Making It Easier for Civilian Men to Assault Immigrant Women (Teen Vogue 9/22)

Divorce Plunged in Kentucky. Equal Custody for Fathers Is a Big Reason Why. (WSJ 9/6)

Education Dept. partners with conservative groups for civics programming (WaPo 9/17)

A Fact-Check on Trump’s Claims About Tylenol, Vaccines and Autism (NYT 9/22)

Trump blames Tylenol for autism. Science doesn't back him up (NPR 9/22)

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