The Daily Beast Podcast

It's been a big week in politics with revelations galore from the Jan. 6 House committee. Former President Donald Trump's attempts at stopping the peaceful transfer of power has been the talk of the town and this week's admissions at the committee are a "pretty big deal", notes Molly Jong-Fast on this episode of The New Abnormal podcast. But it's not all bad news. Speaking with Jong-Fast, former p...

Things are going super over in the United Kingdom, jokes Molly Jong-Fast to British journalist Ian Dunt on this episode of The New Abnormal podcast. Dunt broke down the events that led to the U.K. Prime Minister’s resignation as well as whether or not he thinks Boris Johnson will still hold the title by the fall and the state of U.K. politics—and whether there’s a chance to actually reverse Brexit...

Former Secretary of State of Missouri Jason Kander, and author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD, talks to TNA co-host Andy Levy about living with PTSD, his post-traumatic growth phase when it comes to trauma and how others can get there, too—and a VA tale to beat all VA tales. Plus! Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy discuss McCarthy’s huge Jan. 6 mistake, which they’re so th...

Gretchen Carlson joins The New Abnormal along with her Lift Our Voices co-founder Julie Roginsky to talk about her lawsuit against former Fox CEO and Chairman Roger Ailes and the work she’s doing to fix predatory NDAs. Then Mike Collier, the Democrat running for Lieutenant Governor of Texas against Dan Patrick, breaks down the true issues with the Texas power grid, including that it was designed b...

As the Supreme Court limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, David Roberts, author of climate newsletter, Volts, tells Molly Jong-Fast why America is about to see a rise in “green fascism.” Also on this episode: Climate change writer and author Kate Aronoff explores why politicians are unwilling to act on global warming despite a majority of Ameri...

Author Jerry Stahl didn’t know what his experience visiting Auschwitz would be like, but taking selfies with teenage strangers who had mistaken him for actor Michael Richards, who played Cosmo ‘Kramer’ on Seinfeld, was definitely not on the list. On this bonus episode of The New Abnormal, the writer tells Molly Jong-Fast about the trip, and his conflicting thoughts while there, which are also part...

The time for being squeamish about abortion is over. That’s what pro-choice advocate and author Ilyse Hogue tells The New Abnormal’s intrepid co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy: “Roe is actually a fire-alarm fire,” and it’s time to “talk loudly and proudly about what we stand for.” (That goes for you, too, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland—Levy knows you’re listening, and he dares you to p...

In this episode of The New Abnormal, Leah Litman, an assistant professor at Michigan law school, breaks down one of AOC post-Roe ideas and co-host Andy Levy tears into Nancy Pelosi and her poem. Plus, Robin Marty, director of operations for West Alabama Women’s Center, tells co-host Molly Jong-Fast what she’s already seeing in her state, including reports that hospitals are already refusing to tre...

On this bonus episode of The New Abnormal, actor David Duchovny talks about his book, The Reservoir, what it was like playing a jerk version of himself alongside Sandra Oh in Netflix’s ‘The Chair’, and discloses a solid theory on aliens. Plus! Co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy listen to more bizarre clips of GOP politicians, including “single biggest asshole’ in America, Ted Cruz, and everyon...

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, June 24, 2024, eliminating the decades-long protected right to an abortion. New Abnormal co-host Molly Jong-Fast could not wait until the next episode to address this far-reaching decision, so she recorded an “emergency” episode and interviewed Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. Secretary Griswold explains to Molly and listeners what it w...

Former President Donald Trump was not lacking in pardon requests in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots, according to new information revealed during the hearings on Thursday. Among those who asked for pardons: Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Mo Brooks (R-AL). That in itself proves that Brooks knew Trump’s “Big Lie” was a load of BS, says New Abnormal co-host Andy Levy on the latest post-hearing episode...

Princeton University Professor of African American studies Eddie Glaude tells The New Abnormal’s Molly Jong-Fast why he warned the U.S. President that democracy could die unless he is willing to “go big”. Also on this episode: Journalist Francisco Alvarado takes us inside his reporting on how Nebraska’s voter ID proposal has become mired amid claims of fraud and big money coming from someone very...

Haters love to attribute Katy Tur’s success to her former partner, commentator Keith Olbermann. But she’s over it. In this bonus episode of The New Abnormal podcast, Tur tells co-host Molly Jong-Fast how that early connection to the broadcaster has impacted her life since and recounts some anecdotes about her “violent” childhood from her new memoir, Rough Draft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv...

The New Abnormal hosts recorded late, after the Jan. 6 committee's latest blockbuster hearing, where, co-host Andy Levy says, “We found out today that the mob in the capital came within 40 feet of [Vice President Pence] at one point while they were transporting him to the secure location. That sounds pretty terrifying considering, we have to remember, this is the mob that was chanting “Hang Mike P...

On this episode of The New Abnormal, Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy debate which Republicans testifying at the Jan. 6 hearings can be considered ‘good guys.’ Spoiler alert, not Bill Barr according to Andy. Molly also breaks down the ‘psychology’ of Jared Kushner based on his performance testifying. Plus! The Nation columnist Jeet Heer explains to Molly why Democrats shouldn’t trust Liz Cheney and C...

Author James Patterson joins this bonus episode of The New Abnormal to tell co-host Molly Jong-Fast about his new biography titled James Patterson by James Patterson: The Story of My Life. He also tells stories about some old friends, including the Clintons and Dolly Parton. Also in this episode: Molly and co-host Andy Levy listen to some funny clips of Republicans saying “dumb” things, including...

The Jan. 6 hearing was everything it had to be, The New Abnormal co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy agreed—and Republicans knew it. Liz Cheney, said Molly, in a conversation recorded just after the prime-time hearing ended, “is an extremely good speaker you can tell will follow Donald J. Trump to the gates of Hell.” So as the damning case was laid out, the MAGA set did their best to pretend it...

Is Donald J. Trump losing his impenetrable grip on the Republican party? Co-host of The New Abnormal podcast Molly Jong-Fast thinks so. She shares her theory with co-host Andy Levy on today’s episode. Also, the two attempt to answer this question: Who is a scarier Republican candidate? Ron DeSantis or Donald Trump? Plus! Daily Beast politics editor Matt Fuller gives Molly the cold-hard truth on gu...

Parkland dad Fred Guttenberg details the day his daughter Jaime was killed at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School as well as what he thinks needs to change to get solid gun reform policy. Plus, co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy unpack GOP clips, including one of Lauren Boebert calling Trump a ‘family man’ because he shared popcorn with her son. Plus! Andy shares a very interesting metaphor...

“The problem is there are so many mass shootings that they are now pushing other mass shootings out of the news” and Republicans just want to change the subject each time, co-host Molly Jong-Fast says to kick off the latest episode of The New Abnormal. But the cold comfort is that “there are so many shootings that we're going to be talking about it, even though Republicans want to run out the cloc...

Is former President Donald Trump’s hold on his Republican base waning? Vice’s Senior Political Reporter Cameron Joseph thinks so. “Trump is slipping. [He] doesn’t have the grip over the GOP that he once did,” Joseph tells Molly Jong-Fast in this episode of The New Abnormal. Later on this episode, historian Jon Meacham, who is host of the new “Reflections of History” podcast gives Molly a preview o...

Kelly Carlin, daughter of the late comedian George Carlin, is mystified that Donald Trump followers and right-wingers have tried to claim her dad as one of their own. She came on the pod with comedian and director Judd Apatow to talk to hosts Andy Levy and Molly Jong-Fast about her dad, how they think he’d feel about Republicans today and about Apatow’s upcoming George Carlin documentary on HBO, w...

In this episode of The New Abnormal, hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy call out Republicans for avoiding the gun conversation at all costs, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his insane mental health hypocrisy. Plus! New York mag correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti tackles the Biden elephant in room: What happens if Joe Biden can’t run for reelection? There are a few people that may be backups f...

Kellyanne Conway’s new book makes very clear the people she has a grudge against, and the ones she doesn’t, according to Daily Beast media reporter Zach Petrizzo. He read the former Trump aide’s book and tells The New Abnormal podcast host Molly Jong-Fast that there are two people she goes after the most—Jared Kushner and her husband, George Conway III. Plus, Washington Post political enterprise r...

Nazi Billionaires author David de Jong joins this bonus episode The New Abnormal to discuss the findings from his book, including the ugly, anti-semitic history of German oligarchs, including the family who owns the German car brand BMW. Plus, co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy discuss Kevin McCarthy’s latest witch hunt that somehow involves Nancy Pelosi and Peloton and roast George W. Bush an...