Vibes Only

This week, we are pleased to be joined by Taylor Lorenz. Taylor covers technology and social media for the Washington Post. She is the author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence and Power on the Internet, and she hosts a new podcast, Power User. Before our vibe check with Taylor on the TikTok legislation,  how social media shapes the vibes of politics, and all things online - we dive into Trump’s “new” statement on his position on abortion, and the RFK Jr. staffer who said the quiet part out loud. 

Stick around after our chat with Taylor for an IT’S GIVING, our GROUP CHAT, and a good vibe on student debt. 

Further reading: 

AXIOS: New effort to "inoculate" U.S. voters against AI misinformation

NYT: China’s Advancing Efforts to Influence the U.S. Election Raise Alarms

Taylor’s column in the Washington Post: Meet the 25-year-old who TikToked his way onto RFK’s campaign team

CNBC: 25 million student loan borrowers could see their balances shrink under Biden’s new forgiveness plan

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SPECIAL GUEST to talk through the vibes of the week: Katie Grossbard. Katie is an attorney, founding member of I am a voter and This is About Humanity. She is a digital creator that aims to empower people to be more informed and less overwhelmed. We love that. 

Brian, Glennis and Katie talk about Trump’s Easter meltdown coupled with right-wing media’s freakout over the Trans Day of Visibility landing on Easter Sunday and their insistence that everything they don’t like — including the Baltimore bridge accident –  is all Biden’s fault. 

They also discuss a new by the Florida Supreme Court that upends decades of legal precedent and will effectively allow for a 6-week abortion ban in the State. But they also said a proposed amendment to protect abortion access can appear on the ballot. We’ll talk about what it all means for abortion seekers in the state and for the 2024 election. 

They'll talk about some shocking literature produced by extremists from The Heritage Foundation and a publication called The American Conservative that lays out the right-wing agenda.

All that before IT'S GIVING, a GROUP CHAT, and a GOOD VIBE GOODBYE. 

Further reading: 

• Newsweek: Donald Trump's Easter Truth Social Meltdown Raises Alarm
• AP: The Trump camp and the White House clash over Biden’s recognition of ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’
• CNN: Expanded gag order lays down the law as Trump returns to the campaign trail
• WIRED: Online Conspiracies About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse Are Out of Control
• Media Matters: Project 2025 partner floats repealing the 22nd Amendment and allowing Trump to serve a third term
• POLITICO: Republicans are rushing to defend IVF. The anti-abortion movement hopes to change their minds.
• The 'Gander: Whitmer signs bills to support IVF patients, legalize paid surrogacy

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The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a case involving mifepristone or "the abortion pill" as it's come to be known. Brian and Glennis discuss why this case, as they suggest could be the most consequential abortion case since ROE. 

They then discuss the whirlwind week that saw NBC hire election-denying former RNC Chair, Ronna McDaniel, a public revolt from its on-air staff, and a reversal on the hire. 

Next, they give updates on two Trump cases: the civil fraud case which he was given a big win in getting  his bond lowered from $454 million to $175 million with an extension; and the hush-money trial which has been set to begin on April 15. That will make him the first former President ever to face a criminal trial. 

They also discuss the Biden team's plan to prevent Trump and his allies from trying to steal the 2024 election. 

Finally, a round of it's giving, a voice memo in the group chat, and a good vibe good-bye. 

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This week on Vibes Only Brian and Glennis talk about Donald Trump’s unhinged rally in Ohio where he said migrants were “not people” but rather “animals.” He also said there would be a “bloodbath” (“least of” which for autoworkers) if he didn’t win the election, and in a flip-the-script strategy, said that Joe Biden is a threat to democracy. They also discuss what should possibly be the biggest story of 2024 - which is - Donald Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, refusing to endorse him. But first… they discuss the TikTok House bill and the discourse online about a possible ban, and a case heard this week by the Supreme Court with major implications for the government’s ability to weigh in on misinformation on social media platforms. 

IT’S GIVING: Fox News’ sponsored prayer break. 

In the GROUP CHAT: $30 shots and a slap in South Florida, Survivor, Kate Middleton. 

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Joe Biden delivered a powerful State of the Union address last week. Democratic Strategist, Keith Edwards, joins Brian and Glennis to talk about how the speech reset the vibes and set the tone for the general election. They also discuss: Biden’s proposed 2025 budget, Trump’s willingness to cut “entitlements” such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and a bill that in the House that would ban TikTok in the United States, perhaps forcing the Chinese company, ByteDance, to sell the platform. As always, the crew plays a round of “it’s giving,” before pulling up their group chats, and leaving you with a good vibe!

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This week we’re joined by Annie Wu Henry. Annie is a political consultant & digital strategist from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She - like us - is chronically online and has helped craft digital strategies for organizations like the Working Families Parties and AOC. She received high praise for her role in John Fetterman’s Senate campaign - leading his TikTok content and strategy. If anyone knows digital messaging - it’s Annie.  Annie helps us check the vibes this week:

• If it wasn’t clear before, Super Tuesday proved that the GOP belongs to Trump and we’re set for a re-match of 2020 - media fantasies be damned. 
• A series of national polls generated bad headlines for Biden. What, if anything, are the polls and the media missing?
• SCOTUS unanimously ruled that States can’t remove Trump from ballot + SCOTUS agreed to hear Trump’s immunity claim
• Mitch McConnell announced last week that he’s stepping down from the top position for Senate Republicans
• And Kyrsten Sinema officially closed the door for her re-election campaign

In “It’s Giving” we react to Marianne Williamson un-suspending her presidential campaign. 

In our group chat we discuss:

• Jason Kelce's retirement announcement. 
• Taylor Lorenz’s interview with Chaya Raichik who created “Libs of TikTok”

And lastly, we leave you with this good vibe: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is canceling $2 BILLION in medical debt for 1 million residents.

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Here to help us check the vibes this week is Emily Amick, aka @emilyinyourphone.  Emily is a lawyer and formerly served as counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Now you can find her on Instagram sharing expert legal and political analysis. 

We talk with her about: 

• The Alabama Supreme Court decision that ruled frozen embryos are "people."
• The right-wing war on women more broadly.
• The "trad wife" phenomenon.

She also joins us to check the vibes on: 

• CPAC
• Another possible government shutdown
• GOP impeachment efforts of Mayorkas and Biden
• And an update on presidential primaries. 

Glennis and Brian invite you into their group chat to discuss: 

• Gemini AI
• Nick Offerman
• and Glennis' doomsday prep. 

We leave you with a good vibe on The Fiscal Impact of Refugees and Asylees at The Federal, State and Local Levels. 

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The vibes this week: 

• Nikki Haley trolled the media by making everyone think she was dropping out only to announce that she'd stay in the race (even though she'll inevitably get beat in her home state)
• Donald Trump was ordered to pay $350 million in the New York civil fraud case - with the Judge claiming that Trump and his children were "borderline pathological." 
• The New York Times broke the news that Trump has been privately saying he favors a 16-week federal abortion ban. 
• The Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday that frozen embryos are people and someone can be held liable for destroying them.

It's Giving: 

• A vile clip of Charlie Kirk

GROUP CHAT: 

• George Santos' group chat
• John Oliver offers Clarence Thomas a luxury RV + $1 Million a YEAR to Resign 

GOOD VIBE GOOD-BYE: 

• Evers signs new maps into law, effectively ending Wisconsin redistricting lawsuit

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Dan Pfeiffer, former senior Obama advisor and host of Pod Save America, joins as a special guest to talk through some of the vibes this week!  We ask Dan about special counsel Robert Hur’s report that he referred to as a “partisan hit job,” media coverage of Biden’s age, and how to survive the dizzying pollercoaster. 

Then, we give a brief update on Donald Trump’s election cases, and discuss his comments on Russia and Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin. 

Finally, we take a trip to Missouri for a round of “it’s giving,” invite you into our group chat, and leave you with a good vibe! 

Visit https://couriernewsroom.com/ for a full transcript of the episode. 

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The VIBES THIS WEEK: A 3-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit unanimously ruled that citizen Donald Trump does not have immunity in the DC elections case saying  “we cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter.”

Also:
Last week we talked about Trump and his congressional loyalists work to tank the bipartisan border deal that was hashed out in the Senate before they even knew what was in it. Well the details came out earlier this week, and we fill you in on what’s IN it and the latest in the political saga.
We also give you a brief update on presidential nomination contests in South Carolina and Nevada.
Popping off in the group chat: 

• Lesbian bar fights on TikTok (not what you might think)
• The Grammys
• RuPaul's Drag Race drama
• and Lance Bass and Marianne Williamson's TikTok live

Finally, some unexpected guests leave you with a good vibe.

**UPDATE** -- Nikki Haley did NOT win the meaningless  (delegates would not have been given to any winner) Nevada primary which Trump did not appear on the ballot. She lost, instead, to "none of these candidates." 

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