Tropical Depression

This week Ryan sat down with Nathan Taylor Pemberton, contributor to The Baffler, New York Magazine and most recently the New York Times.

Ryan and Nate talk about what could be the definitive turn in MAGA’s political realignment for the next century and what it means for everyone else, plus a dispatch from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s New York City.

Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and what the American Right could look like after Trump… all this and more on the new Tropical Depression.

Follow us on social media at @TropDepPod, subscribe, and let us know if you’re enjoying our conversations in anticipation of the once and future Other Florida.

Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe returns to discuss the seemingly endless assault on local government coming from Meatball Ron's administration. Whether it's paving over colorful crosswalks, threatening local officials at the behest of developers, or a state takeover of a community hospital, just remember -- every culture war is a class war.

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Trimmel Gomes finally joins the show and reminisces with Ryan over recording a podcast in the side room of a smoke-filled bar in 2016. In between talk of government at the local, state, and federal levels, Trimmel offers his thoughts on what it means to participate in democracy and hold elected officials accountable. We also remember Rob Lorei, a Florida icon who departed this world too soon from cancer. 

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On the latest segment of Reading RAYnbow, Ryan catches up with an old friend: critically-acclaimed author Sarah Gerard. Her 2015 novel Binary Star was listed as a best book of the year by NPR, and her second book – a collection of essays called Sunshine State – was named as a New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2017. Sarah gives her insights on how being from Florida shaped her writing, the Tampa/St. Pete sister dynamic, and just what it is about the state’s relatively new cruelty that stands out today.

Check out Sarah’s latest book, Carrie Carolyn Coco: My Friend, Her Murder, and an Obsession With the Unthinkable.

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It’s been a busy Florida summer, and intrepid WUSF reporter Douglas Soule joins the show to go over some of the biggest stories from the last few weeks: Will Florida follow Texas’ example of extreme gerrymandering? What was it like on the ground as Ghislaine Maxwell was being deposed in downtown Tallahassee? And are people really hitting the penjamin in the Florida Capitol?

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With democratic norms and institutions weathering a storm at the federal level, Ryan catches up with Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida. Amy had a lot to say about the latest attack from gerrymandered politicians on citizen-led amendments and how to ensure that every eligible voter can vote after a disaster. After all was said and done, this fan of the show – yes, a bona fide Depressionista – did leave us with some good news for democracy do-gooders, we believers in the Sunshine State: a better Florida is possible.

You can learn more about Common Cause at commoncause.org and follow them on social media at @CommonCause. 

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Ryan sits down with author Kent Wascom to discuss his novel, “The Great State of West Florida.” The story is a beautiful tribute to what makes Florida unique and features a villainous far-right politician who leads a movement to turn the panhandle into a white Christian ethnostate. Too soon? Raised in Pensacola, Kent takes us through the plights and gripes of a mystical figure called simply the Governor and a fictitious West Florida that, much like real life, has always been up for grabs.

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Fresh off the heels of being published in The Paris Review, Alec Niedenthal returns to the show with a deep dive into the themes of “Schändung (Desecration)” and how the act of writing can help process memories and experiences. 

Read Alec’s story, Schändung (Desecration) in The Paris Review: https://www.theparisreview.org/fiction/8363/schandung-desecration-alec-niedenthal 

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This week, Ryan met with Kaitlynn Black & Dean Fraser of the newly-formed Florida Keepers, a nonpartisan group dedicated to ethics and environmental conservation. We talked about how the Keepers came to be, as developers and real estate interests destroy Florida’s wetlands and wild places. 

We also delved into Florida’s newest law HB 1205 – the state government’s attack on the last way for everyday Floridians to have a say in the policies that govern our lives. 

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Florida Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith breaks down the Legislature’s dysfunctional relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis, as their political divorce takes an ugly turn through three Special Sessions in a fortnight and rhetoric hotter than a motel Jacuzzi.

The People’s Champ in the Florida Senate discusses his current work on expanding mass transit and the arts in the world’s largest tourist destination, plus the ultimate goal of politics: neighborly love.

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*About Tropical Depression*

Tropical Depression dives into the chaos and charm of Florida, where the politics are messier, the culture louder, and the stories stranger—because Florida is America, only more so.

From Tallahassee’s backrooms to the beaches and bayous, Tropical Depression and its host Ryan Ray, takes listeners on a journey to understand the forces that make Florida both fascinating and confounding. With a growing library of episodes and a reputation for sharp commentary and storytelling, we reveal why Florida is a microcosm of America’s weird, wild future. 

Whether you’re a Floridian, a frequent visitor, or just someone wondering, “What the hell is going on down there?” we promise to keep you informed, amused, and occasionally outraged. Available on all major platforms, Tropical Depression brings a uniquely Floridian voice to the national conversation. Produced by Abdelilah Skhir. 

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