Getting Hammered®

Mary Katharine Ham and Vic Matus discuss Jill Biden's book rollout, Graham Platner's many, many scandals, and the A250 concert that wasn't. There is some singing. You're welcome. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Adams buys an expensive folio on this day and enters his first letter, to his wife. He also buys one for his professional correspondence, and I think we can thank Abigail for her annoyances with John's correspondence for the fact we have as many of Adams' letters as we do! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dear sir Philadelphia June 1. 1776 Your favours of May 14. and 22d. are now before me. The first I shewed to Mr. Morris, as soon as I received it. The last contains Intelligence, from Hallifax of the Streights to which our Enemies are reduced, which I was very glad to learn. I am very happy to learn from you and some other of my Friends that Boston is securely fortified; but still I cannot be full...

Vic and Mary Katharine talk primary predictions (Cornyn vs. Paxton), a farewell to Thomas Massie and Stephen Colbert, the DNC's embarrassing autopsy, Memorial Day thoughts, along with recommended overseas American military cemeteries, and Vic has a beach read recommendation that is definitely at least PG-13. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vic and Mary Katharine talk about big victories on the parenting front at MK's home, foreign policy updates on Iran, China, Venezuela and Cuba, fully funtioning fountains, the war on NY pizza, and a new segment: Viruses With Vic! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vic and Mary Katharine valiantly fight technical difficulties (successfully!) of their own to tell you about the technical difficulties Virginia Democrats are facing on redistricting and the crashout they're having as a result. They update on SC, TN, FL, and AL before talking about the NYT's crazy Kristof column, Labor losses in Britain, Iran, and hantavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Vic and MK dive into the news that Graham Platner is the presumptive Dem nominee for Senate in Maine, which means everyone who is left of center has to pretend Nazi tattoos mean nothing about a person. We talk updates on Iran, continuing surprising alliances, and a legal update on the Voting Rights Act. Finally, updates on the Palisades Fire, not at all caused by climate change. Learn more about y...

Joseph Ward is a cousin and aide-de-camp to Gen. Artemas Ward. He is a frequent correspondent of Adams, reporting what he's seeing on the military front in Boston. Adams is worried about the British, still sitting around the harbor, trying to take over Boston again now that the Army is mostly in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MK and Vic talk Mary Katharine's live experience of an attack on democracy and free speech and the subsequent press coverage, which veered very quickly away from another attempt on the president's life and into centering media and making other people the victims. Also, is it okay to take the wine? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Continental Army deals with all kinds of personnel problems and shortages. In this case, Washington is taking the step of explicitly requesting better pay for his aides, as he works them very hard and must trust them with so much. He is afraid the good ones will leave his employ to seek other options if he can't pay them adequately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

A salty episode of Getting Hammered as Vic and Mary Katharine contemplate exporting the governance of Fairfax and Arlington to the rest of Virginia and what that means for the state and national politics. Also, a little bit of SPLC news and MK's kid destroyed another thing after a long dry spell! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vic Matus and Mary Katharine Ham talk about Iran, the blockade, the strategy, and the negotiation-athon. They also talk about Trump's AI post, backlash to it, and his fight with the Pope. Allegations against Swalwell continue to rise, but there's a reason they're all happening now. And Artemis II inspires us! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My friend Sarah Isgur joins the podcast to talk about her new book, "Last Branch Standing," which is a very fun read about the Supreme Court, its history, the data on the current Court's decisions, and human stories of the Justices and their clerks and everyone's hijinx along the way. If you feel media coverage of the Court isn't giving you the big, real , complex picture— it often isn't— this is...

In this letter, Adams addresses all of the concerns and questions of Abigail's March 31 letter. He is glad to hear of her joy at the relative non-destruction of Boston and the fact that their house there stands. He ansers her concerns about Virginians and women's rights, though in a somewhat jokey tone. He has more serious thoughts on this account in other letters. Learn more about your ad choices...

Vic is on Spring Break this week, so Kelly and MK discuss the daring Iran rescue, how in the world it's possible for people to be mad at it, growing polarization over even the best news, how we are Victor Glover fan girls and Artemis is also daring and astounding. Trump is on his holiday mean tweets again, California is defrauding us, and we sell Girl Scout cookies. Which one of us is better at it...

In this letter from Abigail to John, you can tell his absence is taking a toll on her. She tells of all the work she has to do on the farm, hoping to prove herself as a "farmeress" as he proves himself a statesman. She sounds a little nervous and sad as she wishes in vain for news of when he might come home. Boston is mourning its dead after the Brits have left town and she tells of a funeral she...

On this Spring Break edition of Getting Hammered, Vic and MK finally try the Big Arch, and because they didn't want it to get cold, they do that first and talk about burgers for half the show! After that, Iran, #NoKings, and polyamory. Mixed bag today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this famous letter, Abigail is still annoyed that John doesn't write often enough or come home. She is still a passionate advocate for liberty and impatient for a declaration. She is a serious critic of slaveholders in Virginia, wondering openly if they can possibly really be devoted to the cause of liberty when they deprive their fellow man of theirs. She also gives her thoughts on how the new...

Kelly Maher guest-hosts with Mary Katharine Ham today, tells us about her new adventure in auctioneering, and we talk about all the people who don't understand capitalism— Kathy Hochul, Hasan Piker, Abigail Spanberger, D.C. government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this letter to his friend, Horatio Gates, Adams touches on Boston and whether the Brits are really gone, talks about a recent resolution allowing privateers to take British boats, and then the challenges of forming a Republic of 13 colonies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy the details as Washington realizes he has to impress upon his soldiers how to act once they're in Boston. This is a very explicit effort to make sure the uncomfortable lines between Boston inhabitants who are leftover royalists, patriot residents, possible spies, and Continental soldiers are observed with as little drama as possible, and all conflict dealt with in legal avenues. Learn more a...

Gen. George Washington seems to let himself be happy in this letter to Hancock about having cleared the British army out of Boston, which they find in fairly good condition after 11 months of siege and occupation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode , Mary Katharine Ham and Vic Matus cover the Oscars, the bright spots and the political commentary, Iran strikes and "taking Cuba", jihadist attacks in the U.S., one of which exemplifies the uselessness of gun control laws, and the continuing leftward lurch of the state of Virginia under alleged moderate Abigail Spanberger. Plus, Paul Ehrlich critique! Learn more about your ad choi...

Today we meet Timothy Newell, a Boston selectman who has been in Boston the entirety of the siege. As one of just a few members of civilian government left in the city, he has negotiated with Gen. Howe and British troops over treatment of citizens in the city. He is a patriot, but was likely too old to fight, so served the cause in a different way. While there, he wrote a colorful and thorough acc...

Two views on the Revolution today, one from John Adams' diary, discussing a resolution to remove arms from disaffected colonists, who did not want to fight for America. Adams wanted the resolution to go further, urging colonists to take up all powers of government, repudiating the Crown's authority, but he settled for the one presented. It was a big escalation, and enforced spottily across the 13...