The Daily Beast Podcast

On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, Elon Musk admits DOGE “will make mistakes” as it weeds out government “waste,” but those mistakes could cost lives, warns co hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. Plus! Imara Jones, journalist and CEO of TransLash Media, discusses the Trump administration's attacks on trans rights. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more abo...

On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, Trump is poised to recreate Russia’s oligarch system by putting a $5 million price tag on U.S. citizenship with his “gold card” visas. Plus! Mike Masnick, founder and editor of Techdirt, breaks down how Elon Musk's latest DOGE move mirrors his Twitter takeover. Then incoming Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden discusses how Democrats can t...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not surprised by the path the Trump administration has seemingly taken to overhaul the U.S. military, noting that an obvious pattern seems to be at play. Then, Elie Mystal, justice correspondent at The Nation and host of the Contempt of Court podcast, joins the show to discuss the legalities of President Donald Trump’s recent moves. Plus, jo...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker slays “King” Trump in a rousing State of the State address that left some House Republicans heading for exits. Plus! New York Magazine senior writer Sarah Jones, author of “Disposable: America's Contempt for the Underclass,” discusses the politicizing of poverty, suffering, and systemic failures laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Host...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump’s attempts to fashion himself as America’s king fall flat with antics that are more akin to a court jester. Plus! Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Spencer Ackerman discusses Elon Musk’s potential undue influence over the Department of Defense, and MacArcthur Genius Cristina Jiménez Moreta delves into how Trump’s second term has escalated...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie discuss how the guardrails that were supposed to keep President Donald Trump in check are all gone now—and the Democrats don’t know what to do about it. Plus, Virginia Kase Solomón of the pro- democracy watchdog group Common Cause joins the show to talk about how they’ve been fighting back against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency....

On this episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump’s joint press conference with DOGE director Elon Musk paints a grim picture of what democracy looks like in America today. “It looks like the president of the United States slumped over like a puppet while his master does the talking,” said co-host Danielle Moodie. Plus! Author Katherine Stewart discusses her new book, Money, Lies, and Go...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, California Rep. Robert Garcia’s Elon Musk “d--- pic” during a DOGE hearing proved that some Democrats know how to counter Republican rhetoric, so why are the party’s longtime stalwarts having such a difficult time stepping aside? Plus! How NYU School of Law’s Christopher Sprigman is leading a fight to stop Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing personal data. Then, Bu...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie break down Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show. Then, Dannagal Young, author of “Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive Our Appetite for Misinformation”, joins the show to talk about what common sense means and why President Donald Trump is using it as a catchphrase. Then Dr. Emily Nagoski, author of “Come Together: The Science (an...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, Vermont Rep. Becca Balint hammers Georgia Rep. Marjorie Talor Greene over her “sickening” use of DEI to attack L.A. wildfire victims. “It's become crystal clear that the phrase DEI is used in place of much more offensive terms,” said Balint. Plus! Journalist Lois Parshley discusses her latest article, “Trump’s Tech Donors Have Big Plans For Greenland.” Hosted o...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, the right-wing American Accountability Foundation is ushering in a “McCarthy-style” era with its diversity, equity, and inclusion “bureaucrat watch list.” Plus! Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, breaks down the Trump administration's attacks on public education, and Tax March executive director Maura Quint delves into the fight...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not confident about Trump’s economy. Then, ProPublica investigative reporter, Mica Rosenberg, joins us to break down a recent piece, “ICE Enforcement Official Tapped to Lead Unaccompanied Migrant Children Office, Triggering Alarms.” Then journalist and author, Eoin Higgins is here to tell us about his new book, “Owned: How Tech Billionaires...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, could FBI director nominee Kash Patel be President Donald Trump’s most extreme cabinet appointment yet? During his confirmation hearing, senators grilled Patel over his intent to weaponize the FBI to “come after” conspirators “not just in government” but “in the media.” Plus! Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, joins to discuss t...

On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump wasted no time finger-pointing as he addressed the mid-air crash between a passenger plane and U.S. Army Black Hawk that left 67 dead in Washington D.C.– and it appears he has the backing of his allies. Plus! Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee discusses Trump's flood of executive orders, legal battles ahead, and what Democrats can le...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie are not surprised at Trump’s war of words with an American ally just one week into his presidency. Then, Trevor Timm, co-founder and the executive director of Freedom of the Press Foundation, joins the show to talk about Joe Biden's press freedom legacy and the threats to those freedoms we face under a second Trump administration. Plus! Journali...

Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde rattles President Donald Trump during his big inauguration week by asking for “mercy.” During an inaugural prayer service on Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral, Budde addressed Trump in her sermon. “Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God in the name of our God. I...

Labor reporter Hamilton Nolan joins the latest episode of The New Abnormal to discuss Trump’s cryptocurrency venture—and what it portends for the future of his presidency. Plus! A conversation with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, whose office filed a challenge to Trump’s executive order that would get rid of birthright citizenship in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie look back on Donald’s Trump’s inauguration and the long list of executive orders he signed hours later. Then, Melissa Gira Grant, journalist, author, and senior editor at The New Republic, joins us to discuss the Laken Riley Act, a harsh immigration bill that could jail undocumented immigrants for minor arrests, even without charges. Hosted on A...

Billionaire CEO, DOGE co-director and “first buddy” Elon Musk’s surprise visit to California’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood didn’t seem to go as planned. Musk attempted to affirm an incendiary rumor about the area’s wildfires spreading because the city had a shortage of water, but a fire commander threw cold water on the claim. “You hear him go from his normal, ‘Oh, I’m so bright. I’m asking que...

Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and Chief Deputy Whip, joins The New Abnormal to talk about Trump’s controversial cabinet picks, including who he thinks won’t make the cut. Then, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Maree Brown talks about Octavia Butler's prophetic book, “Parable of the Sower” and how its themes eerily resonate today. Hosted on...

Donald Trump is secretly excited at the emergence of a civil war among his supporters and allies, according to The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. Then, MSNBC political analyst Juanita Tolliver joins the program to talk about her new book, “A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Lee Chisholm and Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics.” Plus! Cara Kelly, editor at large for The Bar...

Multibillionaire Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with President-elect Donald Trump the day before he announced his company’s big fact check flip-flop, revealed Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma—further revealing how Silicon Valley’s tech elite is moving to align itself with the incoming Republican administration. “I really think we do need to really clock how bad this tech Republican collusion is,” s...

Republicans have jumped on the opportunity to weaponize coverage of the devastating greater Los Angeles wildfires into political divisiveness, says The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. “We have seen many people on the right, including Donald Trump Jr. Blaming this somehow on the fact that we've given money to Ukraine,” said Levy. Plus, New York Times technology correspondent Mi...

The New Abnormal co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie share their apprehension at the increasing scope of Elon Musk’s political ambitions. Then, MSNBC legal analyst Glenn Kirschner joins the program to discuss the state of law and order in America (hint: It’s not doing so hot). Plus! Chris Geidner, the deputy editor for legal affairs at Grid and author of the Law Dork newsletter, catches us up o...

Adrian Daub, professor at Stanford University and author of The Cancel Culture Panic: How an American Obsession Went Global, joins The New Abnormal to discuss moral panic, its echo chambers, and its celebrity origins. “Canceling” began with celebrity disinvestment in online spaces and moved into politics, Daub explained. “But there's a wholesale kind of reorientation of this term once it leaves th...