American Fever Dream

Bryan and Amanda welcome back Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. They discuss her new memoir Every Day Is A Gift, and how she balanced stories of tragedy and sacrifice with dirty jokes and well-placed swear words. She describes her own experiences with child poverty and how her father’s resistance to government support mirrors policy objections today. Finally, she explains why she stood up to th...

Milly, Amanda, and Alise give an update on Florida’s Least Finest, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. Why is a man letting his aging population remain in danger a top 2024 contender? Then, they react to the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates, and what it means for which issues get funding and prioritization. Finally, they explain why some New Yorkers are so opposed to Andrew Yang as mayor. Learn more a...

Amanda, Bryan, and Sami are back to debrief on the dialogue about mask-wearing outdoors. Are we clinging to our masks, or to our pandemic superiority complexes? They break down new data suggesting that the United States won’t achieve herd immunity, and explore what might happen when the vaccine hesitant wellness influencers realize they can’t travel unvaccinated. Finally, they break down an Idaho...

In this week’s Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by Gabrielle Bluestone, journalist, Emmy-nominated executive producer of Fyre on Netflix, and author of Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet— and Why We’re Following. They start off with a conversation about her new book and the moment she realized the overhyped Fyre Festival was not what it claimed to be. Next, the...

Sami, Bryan, and Amanda react to President Biden’s address to Congress and the nation. They break down the strongest and most surprising moments, and check in on how Fox News is handling it. They reflect on the first 100 days of the Biden administration and consider the most meaningful moments, from symbolic to substantive. Finally, they check in on America’s favorite disgraced mayor Rudy Giuliani...

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda celebrate the completion of Sup’s inoculation program and discuss why it’s hard to tell the difference between vaccine symptoms and being in your 30s. Then, they break down the fake and retracted news story that the government handed out copies of Kamala Harris’s children’s book. How did a clearly inaccurate claim take off so quickly? And what does it tell us about how R...

Milly, Bryan, Amanda, and Alise break down the most influential numbers from this week’s Census data, and explain how they could change the landscape of electoral politics for decades. They explore the factors that have led to decreased birth rates and how Biden wants to tax the rich to make it easier to create more people. Finally, they unpack Caitlyn Jenner’s run for California governor and the...

Milly, Sami, and Amanda react to this year’s historic and unusual Oscar ceremony, and explain how the show’s past blind spots can derail it despite increased representation. They also discuss new numbers showing that many Americans aren’t returning for second vaccine doses, and why our broken culture of work is to blame. Then, they break down why SNL might have invited a controversial CEO to host,...

In this episode of Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by Holly Whitaker, Founder and CEO of Tempest and author of Quit Like A Woman. They start with a conversation about Holly’s experience and journey to sobriety. Next, they talk about the parallels between the cigarette and alcohol industries and how drinking patterns have shifted over the years. They also discuss the origin and history of Alcoholics...

Bryan, Alise, and Amanda are back for a fun-filled Earth Day bonanza. First, they run through all the festive items at betches.co/supshop. Then they debrief on President Biden’s climate summit and what it means to reduce emissions by half by 2030. They give an update on the Green New Deal and why we need to regard the climate crisis the same way we have COVID. Finally, they play a hilarious game o...

Sami, Kaitlin, and Amanda are back to react to the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin. They reflect on the year it took to get here, how rare the conviction is, and why they fear it won’t impact future attempts to hold police accountable. Then, they discuss the police shooting of Ma’Khia Bryant, and Kaitlin shares her own experience with over-policing as a teenager. Finally, they discuss...

Milly, Alise, and Amanda kick off 4/20 by sharing a few cannabis-related anecdotes. They also break down the chances for federal legalization and why Joe Biden is being a narc about it. Then, they discuss the continued fallout from Maxine Waters’ statement about the protests, and explain why it’s disingenuous to compare it to Trump’s incitement of violence on January 6. Finally, they share a story...

Sami and Bryan start the week with the a few updates on the Indianapolis FedEx shooting last week including what we know about the shooter’s history and possible motives behind his actions. They also reflect on the current worrying rise of gun violence in America as the country begins to reopen and return to a degree of normalcy. Then, they discuss the trial of Derek Chauvin as we enter into the f...

In today’s episode of Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by Hallie Jackson, NBC News Senior Washington Correspondent and MSNBC anchor. They start with a conversation about Hallie’s career trajectory prior to her joining MSNBC in 2014. Next, Hallie shares some of the most challenging things she’s reported on, covering the biggest stories from our nation's capital, as well as what it was like co-moderati...

Alise and Amanda are joined by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to talk all about medicare for all: what is it, why is it good, and how can we make it happen? Dr. El-Sayed explains what moved him to write “Medicare For All: A Citizen’s Guide,” and how to explain to your conservative uncle why a single-payer system is clearly superior. Then, Dr. Natasha Kathuria calls in to provide context for this week’s announ...

Alise and Amanda cover two news headlines with back-to-back interviews, starting with Rep. Andy Levin, who joins to contextualize the outcome of the Amazon union vote, explain why it’s not actually a failure, and detail what comes next for workers’ rights. Then, Chris Burns aka @fatcarriebradshaw, host of “The Betchelor,” joins to break down news that former Bachelor Colton Underwood is gay. How d...

Alise, Milly, and Amanda start the episode with more details about the tragic killing of Daunte Wright, including the circumstances that lead to his death and the public response since. Next, they talk about the CDC calling a temporary halt to Johnson & Johnson vaccines after a rare blood clotting issue was discovered. How will this affect the public’s confidence in the J&J vaccine, and vaccines a...

Bryan, Amanda, and Sami are back to react to two instances of police brutality brought to light over the weekend, beginning with the tragedy in Minneapolis. They break down what we know so far about the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright just miles away from the Derek Chauvin trial. They describe a video showing an Afro-Latino army lieutenant threatened and assaulted by Virginia police late last...

In this week’s Afternoon Tea, Sami is joined by Remy Kassimir, comedian, actor, and host of the podcast How Cum. They begin with a conversation about how Remy conceptualized the idea behind her podcast and her experience and journey to female orgasm. Next, they chat about why feeling pleasure in your own body is important with or without a partner, and how learning to see yourself outside male gaz...

Sami, Milly, and Amanda are back for an episode that contains multitudes. First, they react to this week’s Khloe Kardashian drama and how diet culture and beauty standards are inextricable from politics. Then, they give an update on the Derek Chauvin trial. Sami explains why she feels a responsibility to absorb it while Milly recalls a personal anecdote that makes it all the more traumatizing to r...

Sami, Kaitlin, and Amanda are back with another Matt Gaetz update, this time related to his request to Trump for a pardon. For the main topics, they react to Mitch McConnell’s threat to corporations to “stay out of politics” after passionately arguing for decades to keep them in -- and why Georgia’s voting law has finally exposed the GOP’s long descent into extremism. Then, they discuss Arkansas’...

Alise, Milly, and Amanda are back to debrief on everything that’s happened with the Matt Gaetz investigation and its fallout, including claims he showed photos of nude women to congressional colleagues. They explain why Gaetz was emboldened to repeat his lewd behavior, and how it mirrors toxic workplaces for women across industries. Then, they explain how Joe Biden can pass his $2 trillion infrast...

Alise, Bryan, and Amanda are back to check on the Trump crime family, detailing a scam by the Trump campaign to steal millions from older and vulnerable supporters to pay off its debts and Ivanka’s failed women’s empowerment initiative. Then, they break down the fall out from Georgia’s voter restriction law and how Governor Brian Kemp is gaslighting the business community into blaming private citi...

In this week’s Afternoon Tea, Sami Sage is joined by writer, author, and cultural critic Anne Helen Petersen. They begin with a conversation about Anne’s background, including getting her PhD in celebrity studies, working for Buzzfeed as a culture writer, and turning her Substack into a full time job. Next, they dive into a conversation about how millennials became the burnout generation, what the...

Alise, Kaitlin, and Amanda reunite to celebrate the legalization of adult-use cannabis in New York (not like that..) and outline three ways the state can work to repair the damage that criminalization has caused to minority communities. Then, they have a candid conversation about anxieties around returning to “normal” life as the pandemic’s next phase launches a large portion of Americans back int...