The Bitchuation Room

As South Asians rise to prominence on both sides of the aisle, The Nation columnist Jeet Heer explains the "Desi divide". For every Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, there's a Pramila Jayapal and a Ro Khanna. And how is Hindu nationalism abroad impacting the diaspora at home? Francesca and Jeet dig in. Plus, the Biden administration is embracing ceasefire in Gaza? Or are they rebranding their "huma...

Are you as precious as a frozen embryo? Alabama's Supreme Court has ruled that fertilized eggs as a result of IVF are children (!) and Republicans are scrambling to do damage control for their dystopian playbook coming true. Moji Alawode-El of Abortion Access Front joins Francesca to discuss. And Lance of The Serfs TV talks transphobe Chaia Raichik's interview with journalist Taylor Lorenz, and th...

Trump is fined $363 million and responds by releasing gold sneakers. Comedian Brooke Van Poppelen joins Francesca to discuss the Trump Lifestyle Brand, Nancy Pelosi's callous Gaza comments, and Ron DeSantis making some edits to his book ban. Then political reporter Dave Weigel on Nikki Haley staying in the race and the call for Biden to step aside. Democratic voters in Michigan are using the "unco...

Too much fun in this LIVE episode of the pod in San Francisco. We play press secretary, discuss Trump's cabinet recruitment strategy and look at why Uganda was the lone holdout in the ICJ's ruling on Israel's ongoing genocide. Joined by Emma Vigeland of The Majority Report, Miles Gray of The Daily Zeitgeist, and comedian Nato Green, Francesca brings together the finest people in the Bay for many l...

Nobody wants to play Israel's sick games. Nobody except perhaps Joe Biden. As the southernmost city of Gaza, Rafah, is targeted by the IDF it is very clear that Israel never had any intention of rescuing hostages. Instead it was always about ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in Gaza. Matt Lieb, host of the Bad Hasbara podcast and faithful husband, joins Francesca to talk about Israel's plan for...

*TO GET FULL AUDIO/VIDEO EPISODE BECOME A PATRON! * Too much fun in this LIVE episode of  the pod in San Francisco. We play press secretary, discuss Trump's cabinet recruitment strategy and look at why Uganda was the lone holdout in the ICJ's ruling on Israel's ongoing genocide. Joined by Emma Vigeland of The Majority Report, Miles Gray of The Daily Zeitgeist, and comedian Nato Green, Francesca br...

Imagine being a Palestinian-American inside the Biden Administration right now. Tariq Habash was working at the Department of Education, but after months of the assault on Gaza, decided to resign in protest. He joined Francesca to talk about why he left and what he  was able to accomplish as part of the DoE. Plus, pundit and podcaster Jordan Uhl joins to talk about the Republicans' border BS (co-s...

Why is Biden not even on the ballot in many states? And how do party leaders rig the primaries for their frontrunners? Tom Bonier of TargetSmart polling firm is back on the pod to answer these questions and take stock of the election 10 months out (!) Plus, comedian Yamaneika Saunders dives into the deflation of DeSantis, Moms for Liberty getting owned on national television, and three beautiful m...

Six years ago four progressive women of color broke into Congress with the wind of the people at their backs. But what have been the lessons of the growing Squad? Ryan Grim, author of the new book "The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution", joins Francesca to discuss how corporate and foreign lobbies have tried to tank the progressive agenda. Then Dave Anthony of The Dollop podcast jo...

Why does AI feel inevitable? Because that's how its pushers thrust it onto the market with no scruples and a whole lot of hubris. Paris Marx of Tech Won't Save Us Podcast joins to talk about how generative AI is not only undermining workers, it's massively reliant on fossil fuels and fresh water resources. And comedian River Butcher talks the upcoming Iowa Caucus, Nikki Haley v Trump on the Civil...

Gird your political loins, 2024 has arrived. It's time to cut her off at the pass, to pre-empt, to make good on resolutions ... preferably ceasefire resolutions. Labor activist and writer Bill Fletcher joins Francesca to talk union solidarity with Palestine, how Biden might be coaxed to step aside, and why the antiwar lane on the left is so wide open. And comedian Will Weldon talks about sad centr...

This holiday season, let's talk about how close we are to World War 3. Trita Parsi of The Quincy Institute joins Francesca to discuss the regional implications of Israel's war on Gaza, what happens to Palestinian refugees, and why the Biden administration is truly screwing itself. Plus, comedian Subhah Agarwal joins to talk about women (and moms!) in red states finally fighting back against dracon...

Have you heard about Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's blueprint to hollow out democracy and track women like cattle? Derek Beres of The Conspirituality Podcast joins to discuss how bright our future will be if Trump is re-elected. Comedian Nato Green is also back to talk about imagined anti-semitism on college campuses, the COP-28 debacle, and ruining Jewish-composed Christmas classics with...

The country that said farewell to both neoliberal economics and repressive military dictatorships is now giving both another try. Argentina's Trump, Javier Milei, assumes office in less than a week and everyone is bracing themselves for the extreme libertarian's worst impulses. Nico Gutmann joins Francesca from Buenos Aires to discuss. Then comedian Brandie Posey joins to talk about Israel's advan...

A 'humanitarian pause' comes to Gaza, and it's late, toothless, but something? Comedian Gareth Reynolds joins to talk about the hostage exchange and the shooting of three young Palestinian-Americans in Vermont. Then Stop Cop City organizer Kamau Franklin joins to talk about the wildly racist RICO charges in Georgia against nonviolent demonstrators, and how both Republican and Democratic leaders ar...

The 'Hamas command center under a hospital' has become the WMDs of Israel's war on Gaza. It doesn't exist. And settler violence in the West Bank is so brutal, Palestinians don't want to leave their homes. Comedian Sammy Obeid and journalist Dena Takruri join Francesca to talk about the latest from Gaza and the everyday atrocities that play out in the West Bank. Including and especially to icons of...

We're talking Gaza's hospitals, trolling Lindsay Graham's staffers, and Joe Manchin resigning with comedian Dina Hashem. Then journalist Tim Schwab joins to talk all about so-called benevolent billionaire Bill Gates and why his foundation's work paternalistic political influence buying. Finally Francesca and Dina discuss Israeli propaganda and the new fentanyl angle to Hamas hysteria. Featuring: D...

What does the guilty verdict of Sam Bankman-Fried tell us about crypto and the dangers of its economic and political influence. Also, why did Sam try and buy the island of Nauru? An interview with Jacob Silverman, author of "Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud". A clip from the Bonus Bish on November 3rd. Become a patron to listen to the full interview: www.p...

A year out from the 2024 presidential election and Trump is somehow polling better than Biden. Might it have something to do with the fact that Americans are sick of money for wars abroad while being gouged at home? Usamah Andrabi, Comms director for Justice Democrats, joins Francesca to make sense of the no good very bad Biden polling in swing states and which voters are turning on him. Then, the...

**PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED* On the 200th episode of the podcast, a look at the WGA victory, Giuliani's Jan 6 sexual assault, and abortion bans getting a mother two years of prison time. Erin Ryan of Hysteria Podcast and Jason Selvig of The Good Liars join Francesca to bitch about all that plus decide which political villain to save in a game of "Spare That One". Finally Francesca takes sweet phone c...

A snippet from when baby daddy and former Birthright Israel alum Matt Lieb joined Francesca to talk about the all out assault and "evacuation" of Gaza. He brings the levity, while Frannie rages. To listen to the full episode become a patron: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom The BONUS BISH streams LIVE on YouTube and Twitch Fridays 1pmPT/4pmET for everyone and is available to watch and listen back f...

Weaponizing trauma to inflict more trauma is Israel's forte. Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine, No Logo, and the new book Doppelganger, joins Francesca to discuss the all out assault on the people of Gaza in retaliation for Hamas' brazen attack. How does the pain of the Holocaust used to justify the murder of 3,500 children, and destruction that equals that of a nuclear bomb. They talk abo...

The majority of Americans want diplomacy and ceasefire in in Gaza. Many of those people are Jewish, though the media and Israeli propaganda would have you believe otherwise. Organizer Rafael Shimunov joins Francesca to talk about his journey from Zionism to standing against occupation, and responds to the current Hollywood celeb standoff between calls for ceasefire and calls to unconditionally sup...

A snippet from Francesca's 1.5 hr long look at Biden's speech on Israel's war on Gaza, thoughts on post-war 9/11 America on repeat, and the courageous pushback from progressive congresspeople. Become a patron to listen to the whole episode and support this podcast: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom . The BONUS BISH streams LIVE on YouTube and Twitch Fridays 1pmPT/4pmET for everyone and is available...

A no-BS update on Gaza and the resistance inside the U.S. with Mohammed Al-Saafin, a Palestinian-American journalist who has family there. Then Derek Beres and Julian Walker of Conspirituality Pod join with the latest from the RFK Jr. presidential candidacy, and the real but politically chaotic sentiment he's tapping into. Finally a game of "Two Truths and a Lie" with criminally indicted Represent...