Pausing Democracy

This week we cover the full spectrum of American absurdity—starting with Rach playing the game so hard at the bowling alley that she literally peed her pants, and ending with Trump deciding to send actual troops into Oregon like it’s his own personal war game. Between strikes, gutter balls, and creeping authoritarianism, we’re asking the real question: how do you keep your bladder (and your democr...

This week on Pausing Democracy 🍸, things are anything but normal. Jess gets mistaken for a senior citizen (apparently moisturizer isn’t working), Katie chokes on popcorn and pees her pants, and Rachel declares that her true happy place is Skinny Pop and binge-watching The White Lotus. Meanwhile, in the world outside our snack bowls: the U.S. government is literally bombing boats off the coast of...

This week on Pausing Democracy , we take on the chilling reality of political violence in America. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has left the nation reeling, and we dive into what it means for a country already teetering on the edge. With the temperature rising on all sides, the whispers of civil war don’t feel so far-fetched anymore. We talk about fear, anger, and how democracy keeps slipping...

This week on Pausing Democracy , we open with Missy’s obnoxiously smooth ride through perimenopause (yes, we’re jealous, and yes, it’s lame). From there, it’s straight into the circus. “Gaslight Barbie” and a few of her administration cronies met with Congress to push the Big Beautiful Bill—except their strategy was to just rebrand it and flat-out lie, telling constituents it helps working familie...

This week on Pausing Democracy , we’re packing up for the colonies — where bartering is back, and we’re trading low-dosage estrogen patches like contraband cigarettes. Missy’s reinventing herself as a beat poet in exile, Jen’s spiraling after On Tyranny wrecked her week, and Rachel and Jessica are quietly Googling “how to prep for the fascist regime” without ending up on a list. Meanwhile, Nevada’...

Jessica narrowly escaped both a sketchy medical procedure and her own road rage. Missy accidentally tipped big for a Gen Z couple with major attitude. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom has been trolling Trump like it’s his full-time job—and honestly, we’re here for it. But let’s be real: nice-guy politics aren’t cutting it anymore. If Democrats want to win, they’re going to have to play dirty. We also get i...

In this week’s episode, we dive headfirst into the absurdity of the headlines—starting with whispers of a possible HRT shortage (because apparently menopause wasn’t hard enough already). We unpack the surreal rebranding of the Kennedy Center into the Trump/Kennedy Center, Ghislaine Maxwell’s eyebrow-raising work release privileges, and the latest bait-and-switch over grand jury files. We break dow...

This week on Pausing Democracy 🍸, Jessica is exhausted (possibly from perimenopause, possibly from accidentally waxing off part of her eyelid), but we are still finding the energy to rage-sip through another week of American chaos. Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics because the jobs report didn’t vibe with his vibes, and then wheeled out a kindergarten-level bar graph with “ne...

On this week's Pausing Democracy, we try to process the national chaos machine, one RIP at a time. Monday started with the loss of Malcolm Jamal Warner (no, not Theo!) The US government casually dropped the long-sealed MLK files but continued to fail to drop the Epstein files.  Ozzy died too- ugh but South Park tried to cheer us up with the ultimate smackdown.  Not to be outdone by the one an...

After a 2-week hiatus filled with hormone surges and collective dread, we return to find the world still on fire- so to speak.  The Epstein files, or alleged lack there of, are causing quite the rattle in MAGA world.  We have a theory: what if this isn't just fallout? What if it's Heritage Foundation clearing the path for a more manageable monster?! We're connecting the dots and fin...

Rachel's right eye had a hot flash and Missy's plantar fasciitis ghosted her, which is a good thing.  Too bad the world is still on fire. We mark Juneteenth with a bitter reminder by our Dear President that racism is still alive and well in the USA.  Also in the grab bag of political horror, Republicans make light of political assassinations, ICE raids are still a go and we are on the br...

This is an episode that was recorded on June 4.  Jessica forgot to upload it due to...you know, MENOPAUSE! 

Rachel joins the pod this week, and things are getting sweaty- literally and politically! Jen and Rach are melting in an AC battle with their husbands, Katie jumped into a lake to survive the heat, and Jess once again forgot to upload last week's episode. We're talking about the upcoming No Kings Rally and why we're nervous and how it all awkwardly lands on Trump's birthday- an...

Menopause is real, and so is Jess's confusion after realizing she sponsored an entire golf tournament she has no memory of. This week the memory fog is thick, but we do our best to cut through it and catch you up on all the political chaos that's unfolded since Memorial Day. Spoiler: It's a lot. From the courtroom drama to Trump's meltdowns, we're breaking it all down with...

This week perimenopause heel pain isn't the only thing throwing us off balance- our train of thought has completely left the station and is crashing...just like the authoritarian regime that is now the US government.  We attempted to stay on track while covering Trump settling with Ashli Babbit's family for $5M (once again rewarding an insurrectionist), Kristi Noem's legal illiterac...

In this week's chaotic cocktail of Pausing Democracy, the menopause squad dives headfirst into America's latest constitutional hot flash. We unpack the Supreme Court's flirtation with ending birthright citizenship and how Trump's immigration preferences now apparently include being white.  Then it's on to his beef with T-Swift and The Boss because nothing says "presid...

In this episode, Jen is convinced her son is about to be drafted, Jess thinks she can open a DIY dog grooming salon, and as usual, we are all outraged by the situation we find ourselves in. Meanwhile. the Trump administration continues its full blown decent into cartoon villiany with its foreign money and crypto scams, billionaires buying influence like its a clearance sale a Mar-a-Lago. The corru...

This week the girls are spiraling! We talk GLPs and weight loss injections. Meanwhile, Katie's menopause fueled anxiety about her 12K birthday race in Carmel has everyone googling whether "menxiety" is real... On the national front, Trump is in a full gaslight and grift cycle, blaming Biden for his own disastrous economy while simultaneously trying to claim credit for the good times...

This week we dive into the wild world of the federal government (i.e. Elon Musk) offering a $5,000 baby bonus. Meanwhile, the FDA is being gutted and surprise: there's been a secret E. coli outbreak that they definitely don't want you to know about. As usual its complete chaos and unfortunately, the government hiding a food safety crisis from the public is not surprising! 

This week, we dive into the never ending cycle of bad news + cramps. We are in a full Constitutional cosplay: defying court orders, threatening to deport citizens, and turning economic policy into an extended improv bit. Meanwhile, we are trying to figure out if we take the new hormones with or instead of the patch...or blend them in a smoothie and hope for magical powers (preferably the non-musta...

In this episode, we cover the full spectrum of existential dread, from laughing about how no one warns you that aging might mean peeing your pants, to screaming about billionaires buying the world like it's a yard sale, to reminding everyone that yes, the government is still casually disappearing people like it's totally normal. It's late stage capitalism meets late stage bladder co...

This week on Pausing Democracy, we tackle the absolute absurdity of immigration raids targeting green card holders and permanent residents-holders and permanent residents-because apparently "legal" isn't legal enough in the land of freedom fries. We also dive beak-first into the cold, hard truth about the new tariffs on penguins (yes penguins), and wonder aloud if this is all just a...

In this episode of Pausing Democracy, we navigate the chaos of menopause and politics with our usual mix of exasperation and laughter. Jen recounts her estrogen patch mishaps and we are reminded of Prohibition when Trump slaps tariffs on our beloved European wine.  Can't wait to see America's attempt at making "champagne". Meanwhile, we wonder if a handmaid's tale colony o...

In this episode of Pausing Democracy, we dive into the chaos of hormonal brain fog- Jessica lost her keys and forgot that she had another car, and menopause is to blame. Meanwhile, Katie breaks down the unfortunate relationship between body odor and hormonal imbalances, while Missy wonders if we all secretly miss the Weekend at Bernie's energy of Joe Biden.  We go back to the Smoot-Hawley Tar...

In this episode, we delve into a series of unexpected events.  Jess shares a humorous yet cautionary tale about losing her balance and taking a tumble. Jen opens up about forgetting an appointment.  Getting old is no joke. We muse about Trump having to get a new desk after Elon's 4 year old picks his nose and wipes a booger on it.  We also express our own personal dismay at the way Trump and...