News & Brews

News & Brews

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News & Brews episodes

  • The Gerrymanderlorian with David Imamura
    It’s hard to overstate what's at stake as states redraw their congressional districts this year. We get a behind-the-scenes look at how redistricting works from David Imamura, chair of New York State's redistricting commission.  But first, we fly back to Ukraine for a reminder that civilians are more than just pawns on Putin’s chess board, we throw some fresh powder on the sledding hill that is the Biden Boom, and we bid farewell and good riddance to a radical (and now headless) snake.
    Erol’s drinking: Li’l Wit by Right Proper Brewing Company
    Mike’s drinking: Maestro Dobel Tequila Añejo Clasico
    Show Links:
    The Civilian Impacts of a Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine: https://www.csis.org/analysis/civilian-impacts-possible-russian-invasion-ukraine
    Ezra Klein's interview with Jason Furman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-the-u-s-economy/id1548604447?i=1000550421132
    Spicy Nuggets:
    Cold warrior: Why Eileen Gu Ditched Team USA to Ski for China https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/02/03/cold-warrior-why-eileen-gu-ditched-team-usa-to-ski-for-china
    Globe Game: https://globle-game.com/
    1 hr 19 min
  • Insane in the Ukraine with Richard Fontaine

    What is actually happening with Russia and Ukraine, and why does it matter? Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), joins us to talk about the facts on the ground and the bigger picture. From the brewing crisis in Eastern Europe to the brews flowing constantly on Downing Street, and from Nazi cats to Stephen Breyer’s vine and fig tree, it’s been a big news week and we're here for it.

    Mike's drinking: Steady Eddie IPA from Union Craft Brewing

    Erol's drinking: ANXO District Dry Cider

    Show Links:

    1. Richard's upcoming CNAS event: https://www.cnas.org/events/special-event-the-world-in-2022
    2. Map of Russia's military surrounds Ukraine: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/27/world/europe/russia-forces.html
    3. The Daily, We Need To Talk About Covid, Part 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/podcasts/the-daily/omicron-coronavirus-behaviors.html
    4. The Daily, We Need To Talk About Covid, Part 2: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/podcasts/the-daily/we-need-to-talk-about-covid-part-2-a-conversation-with-dr-fauci.html

      5. Spicy Nuggets: 

      • RadioLab's Latif Nasser's epic tweet thread: https://twitter.com/latifnasser/status/1323341552941371392
      • Bo Burnham (fan account): https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkd2xRh/
      • Alyssa Limperis:
        • https://twitter.com/alyssalimp?s=21
        https://instagram.com/alyssalimp?utm_medium=copy_link
        https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkddPCn/
      • Nimesh Patel:
        • https://instagram.com/findingnimesh?utm_medium=copy_link
        https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkddeDU/
      • Sam Morrill:
        • https://instagram.com/sammorril?utm_medium=copy_link
        https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkdrXBM/
        1 hr 21 min
      • Inflate Away the Pay

        Troops are on high alert on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia border, but Tucker Carlson is down to half-mast over the new cartoon M&Ms and that is NOT OKAY. We have more clarity now on the deranged anti-Semitism behind the Congregation Beth Israel attack, and Burkina Faso becomes the latest African nation to jump on the coup bandwagon. In our main story, inflation is driving market volatility and popular hostility; but is it really so different from the last 10+ years?


        Erol’s drinking: Lagavulin 16

        Mike’s drinking: 1996 West Coast IPA from Hysteria Brewing Company


        SPICY NUGGETS:

        The Economist Checks and Balance Podcast: Why are so many liberals pessimistic about America? https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2022/01/21/why-are-so-many-liberals-pessimistic-about-america

        Burns Night: https://www.scotland.org/events/burns-night/the-ultimate-guide-to-burns-night

        1 hr 3 min
      • Chile's OK Boomer Moment

        2022's Big Sick Energy continues, with classrooms shutting down, synagogues coming under siege, and Russia on the war path. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic gets very different receptions in Melbourne vs. Belgrade, and for our main story, we'll check in with Chile, where decades of turmoil and protest are culminating in an energetic young president and a constitutional convention.

        Erol’s drinking: Dance of Days Pale Ale from Atlas Brew Works

        Mike’s drinking: Z. Morris Blonde Ale from Black Flag Brewing

        Spicy Nuggets:

        Erol: "What Your Favorite Sad Dad Band Says About You" - https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-your-favorite-sad-dad-band-says-about-you
        Mike: When John Doerr Brought a 'Gift' to Google's Founders: https://www.wired.com/story/when-john-doerr-brought-a-gift-to-googles-founders/

        47 min
      • An Omi(cro)nous Start to 2022

        Happy New Year? Mike and Erol are back for a second season, just in time to question whether Putin's telling the truth (he's not), whether Elizabeth Holmes is actually innocent (she's not), whether we're out of the pandemic yet (we're not), and whether we should all just give up and move to Venus (...)

        Erol’s drinking: San Francisco Bay Coffee Company French Roast

        Mike’s drinking: True Respite Week Away Hazy IPA

        Show links: 

        • "Democracy Talk Is Cheap" https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2022-01-10/democracy-talk-cheap
        • "The Agony of Parents With Kids Under 5" https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/kids-under-5-vaccine-parents.html
        • "Omicron Means Parents Are Doing It All Again, Except This Time Dead Inside" https://www.romper.com/parenting/here-we-go-again-omicron-edition
        • "How to Change" by Katy Milkman: https://www.katymilkman.com/book
          • 1 hr 4 min
        • 2021 Fast 2022 Furious

          For our last episode of 2021, we’ll look back at the news stories that made us laugh and cry the most this year. We’ll also get a head start on next year's cries with a 2022 “advance-spective,” whatever that is. And for good measure, in the first round we'll check in on two dumb-yet-destructive phenomena in this week's news: Omicron and Mark Meadows.

          Mike's drinking: Celebration Fresh Hop IPA from Sierra Nevada

          Erol's drinking: Partly Cloudy by Solace Brewing Co.

          1 hr 20 min
        • Vlad the Invader

          What exactly is Vladimir Putin doing on the border with Ukraine... besides the obvious. Less obvious: the merits of a diplomatic Olympic boycott and how China will maintain zero Covid without tanking its (and the global) economy. Least obvious: what a dairy farmer can do to turn around a social media failure.

          Erol is drinking: Grisette Farmhouse Ale from Manor Hill Brewing

          Mike is drinking: Dreamland American Lager from Rogue Ales & Spirits

          1 hr 8 min
        • Oh My Cron!

          Omicron: not just the coolest Transformer anymore. We'll get into what we know, what we don't know, and what we can recklessly speculate about with the newest variant of Covid-19. In other news, Barbados finally breaks free from the British monarch, Black Friday breaks its winning streak, and Indian farmers break through to Modi.

          Erol's drinking: relax [IT’S JUST A HAZY IPA] from Offshoot Beer Co.

          Mike’s drinking: Cidre Blanc from ANXO Cidery

          Show Links:

          Economist graphic on omicron's spread and genomic sequencing of Sars-CoV-2: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/11/29/omicron-is-starting-to-spread-around-the-world
          Hunter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Xuhw9h0v_P6ZwKQ0rp56g
          Zeynep Tufekci's Opinion Column: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/opinion/covid-omicron-travel-ban-testing.html
          The Economist and Twitter mislead on Omicron: https://twitter.com/mheslin/status/1465766409540194304?s=20

          56 min
        • Great Post-Covid Expectations
          We can't decide if this episode has an M. Night Shyamalan or a Charles Dickens storyline, so we'll just call it Oliver; you have to listen for the twist ending. Mike helps connect the dots between this week's economic news, the headwinds the Build Back Better bill faces in Congress, and promising developments in Covid treatments. But first, Erol marks the return of international travel with a journey back to Glasgow, and then over to the Belarus-Poland border. No twists there unfortunately, just a dictator causing misery, for kicks.
          Erol’s drinking: Diamonds are Forever Hazy Pale Ale from 3 Stars Brewing Company
          Mike’s drinking: Pounda Gold from Supreme Core Hard Cider
          McKinsey's breakdown of the infrastructure bill: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/the-us-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-breaking-it-down
          1 hr 1 min
        • Captain Planet vs. The Super Pollutants

          We get a firsthand report of the good, the bad, and the ugly at COP26 from James Turrito, Campaign Manager for Super Pollutants at the Clean Air Task Force. In a surprise twist, there is actually some good to report! Same goes for the Infrastructure bill passing the House, and the latest on the economy. But lest you think we've gone all rosy-colored glasses, we'll also talk about the latest from Ethiopia.

          Erol is drinking: Oban 14

          Mike is drinking: Glenfiddich 12
          James is drinking:  Braumanufaktur Potsdamer Strange

          Article in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2021/01/28/a-very-ethiopian-tragedy-tigray-the-tplf-and-cyclical-history/

          Clean Air Task Force: https://www.catf.us/

          1 hr 2 min

        About News & Brews

        From the publisher's feed

        It's like happy hour with your nerdy friends. Every Wednesday, Mike and Erol dive deep into the most consequential news stories of the week. Listen as they mix weighty insights with light hearts, lukewarm takes with cold hard facts, dry wit with frothy brews. No ID required.