The New Abnormal

The Daily Beast

Blunt truth and dark humor for a world in chaos. A Daily Beast podcast hosted by Danielle Moodie & Andy Levy. Tune in every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Our Editor's Take

Listeners looking for a fresh, biting, and humorous take on current events and global politics will love The New Abnormal. Launched at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, co-hosts Molly Jong-Fast and Andy Levy jumped right into hot topics. They cover the most talked-about trends, from Donald Trump to civil unrest. Every episode follows a similar formula consisting of politics, pop culture, and the power that comes with both. No topic is off-limits for this feisty, forward-thinking podcast.

Jong-Fast is a published writer hailing from a New York-based family of literary giants. Her experience as a writer for The Atlantic and Vogue provides a unique point of view. In 2022, Jong-Fast was joined by American commentator Andrew Levy, replacing Rick Wilson as her co-host. Levy brings his signature straight-faced humor and left-leaning political views to the show. He embodies his catchphrase, “I apologize for nothing,” in each episode.

The New Abnormal features guest appearances by scientists, elected officials, and respected reporters, providing clarity and perspective on relevant news. Guests on the podcast have included Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Messenger, and the founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, Dr. Eric Topol.

Each new episode presents a thought-provoking and engaging dialogue on the news in the world. Not sure how to handle this new normal? Tune into The New Abnormal on Amazon Music.

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Blunt truth and dark humor for a world in chaos. A Daily Beast podcast hosted by Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast. Tune in every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe today on your favorite podcast app! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

Trump’s Campaign Shifts Strategy for Its Part-Time Candidate

Trump’s Campaign Shifts Strategy for Its Part-Time Candidate

The Daily Beast’s political reporter Jake Lahut tells The New Abnormal’s co-host Danielle Moodie that some Republicans were hopeful that the former president would still be able to host events like fundraisers while his trial takes place but they have had to go back to the drawing board to work out how he can connect with voters in key battleground states. Plus! Mike Masnick, the founder and editor of Techdirt and CEO of The Copia Institute, talks to The New Abnormal about the newly signed law that could see TikTok banned in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump's Hush-Money Judge Has Already Made Some Good Rulings

Trump's Hush-Money Judge Has Already Made Some Good Rulings

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie take a deep dive into the first week of Trump’s historic trial in New York. Plus! Former White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer is here to talk about her new book and reflect on her time in the West Wing. Then, Mother Jones’ national voting rights correspondent, Ari Berman, joins the show to discuss his new book—and how the 1787 Constitutional Convention still affects us today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump Isn’t a Style Icon. That Title Belongs to This Pair

Trump Isn’t a Style Icon. That Title Belongs to This Pair

The New Abnormal team give their picks for the most fashionable former president and first lady—and it is not Donald and Melania Trump. Plus! Mexican historian Ana Raquel Minian talks to Andy Levy about her new book In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NYC Judge Needs to Treat Trump Like the Mafia Boss He Is

NYC Judge Needs to Treat Trump Like the Mafia Boss He Is

The New Abnormal co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy have some advice for the judge handling former President Donald Trump’s New York City hush-money trial: Treat it exactly the same as a high-profile mob case. Then, a conversation with Medhi Hasan about his new media venture, Zeteo, which launched on Monday. Plus! Jonathan V. Last, an editor at The Bulwark, joins the program to talk about his recent presidential rankings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GOP Is Throwing Out ‘Catastrophic’ Candidates to Democracy

GOP Is Throwing Out ‘Catastrophic’ Candidates to Democracy

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Danielle Moodie talks to Andrea Miller, the founding board member of the Center for Common Ground, about the importance of the black vote in the South for Democrats in this election. Plus! The Washington Post tech reporter Drew Harwell gives us the details on the people still investing in Trump Media & Technology Group despite its rapidly plummeting stock price. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dirty Little Gun Secret Behind MAGA World’s Migrant Hysteria

The Dirty Little Gun Secret Behind MAGA World’s Migrant Hysteria

For all of Donald Trump’s incessant fear-mongering about migrants fueling crime in the United States, he has yet to ask one very important question: What is driving the violence that is making so many on the other side of the border desperate to flee in the first place? That’s the question The New Abnormal team posed to Ieva Jusionyte, author of Exit Wounds: How America's Guns Fuel Violence across the Border, on this Sunday’s episode—and his answer might not sit well with team MAGA. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Wild Backstory Behind Trumpworld’s Newest Toadie

The Wild Backstory Behind Trumpworld’s Newest Toadie

This week, The New Abnormalintroduces you to a relatively new face in the pantheon of Trumpworld toadies:Steven Cheung, Trump’s principal spokesperson and de facto enforcer. Plus, a conversation with New Republic staff writer Melissa Gira Grant about a largely forgotten 1873 law, called the Comstock Act, that could be used to outlaw virtually all abortions across America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump's Abortion Stance Is Likely to Change Come November

Trump's Abortion Stance Is Likely to Change Come November

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy discuss why we should take Donald Trump’s latest statement on abortion with a grain of salt. Plus! Deputy Director of the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project Cody Wofsy fills us in on an immigration law in Texas that even those supporting it have said may have gone too far. Then, journalist Jeb Lund is here to talk about his recent piece covering Florida’s “War on Woke.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why These Two Republicans Are Trump’s Most Likely VP Picks

Why These Two Republicans Are Trump’s Most Likely VP Picks

The New Abnormal team has picked who they believe Donald Trump will select as his running mate. Plus! Andy Levy talks to CBS News correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti about his new book Before It's Gone: Stories From the Front Lines of Climate Change in Small-Town America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump Wants to Jail His Opponents and Nobody Seems to Care

Trump Wants to Jail His Opponents and Nobody Seems to Care

On this week's episode, hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy don’t see any major publications or politicians taking Trump’s threats of retaliation seriously. Then, Mark Joseph Stern, a senior writer at Slate Magazine, joins the program to discuss an upcoming abortion ballot referendum in Florida—and the “giant threat” lurking behind it. Plus! A conversation with Brian Beutler, the author of the Substack “Off Message,” on Democrats’ messaging issues as the 2024 race inches closer to the finish line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Right-Wing’s Spooky New Acronym DEI Betrays an Old Prejudice

The Right-Wing’s Spooky New Acronym DEI Betrays an Old Prejudice

This week on The New Abnormal, University of Louisville Associate Professor in the Departments of Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Pan-African Studies Dr. Kaila Story joins us to talk about the new acronym conservatives are flinging about, and why it’s taken flight. Plus! Editor of The National Interest, Jacob Heilbrunn, joins us to talk about his new book, “America Last: The Right’s Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Visual History of U.S. Racism Articulates What Words Can’t

A Visual History of U.S. Racism Articulates What Words Can’t

From the site where George Floyd was killed to places where Black people were lynched, “Ghosts of Segregation” illustrates a history of racism in the U.S. that can’t be ignored. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hitler’s Rise to Power Holds Lessons for the 2024 Election

Hitler’s Rise to Power Holds Lessons for the 2024 Election

The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik joins The New Abnormal to talk about his new essay on how Hitler was able to take control of Germany and what’s at stake in the coming U.S. election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chuck Todd Gave NBC the Hardest Read on Television

Chuck Todd Gave NBC the Hardest Read on Television

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie discuss Chudd Todd’s searing criticism of NBC. Then, Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and CEO of GLAAD, joins us to talk about her organization’s efforts to counter the anti-LGBTQ+ messaging many right-wing politicians have leaned into. Plus! The former editor at the Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times, Mark Jacob, will tell us all about a piece he recently wrote about how journalists in the media in general seem bored covering the upcoming election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fox News Buried Its Own Mike Pence Story to Benefit Trump

Fox News Buried Its Own Mike Pence Story to Benefit Trump

Matt Gertz from Media Matters for America tells The New Abnormal that Fox News’ handling of its exclusive Mike Pence story shows how it's become a “Trumpian propaganda outlet.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Looming Standoff in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Case

The Looming Standoff in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Case

“The Washington Post” reporter Devlin Barrett joins The New Abnormal to discuss what happens next in the former president’s contentious classified documents case. Plus, a conversation with Cornell Belcher, the founder of Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies, about all the reasons to ignore recent polling which shows Black and Hispanic voters may be moving to the right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump’s Coming for Your Granny’s Health Care

Trump’s Coming for Your Granny’s Health Care

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodiediscuss a recent interview in which Donald Trump discusses cutting social security. Then, Justin Baragona, senior media reporter for The Daily Beast, spills the tea on a weekend full of Trump mishaps. Plus! Shannon Vavra, national security reporter for The Daily Beast, explains both the laughable and alarming world of Russian disinformation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s Latest Clinton Conspiracy About BleachBit and Hillary’s Emails Is a Total Trip

Donald Trump’s Latest Clinton Conspiracy About BleachBit and Hillary’s Emails Is a Total Trip

Donald Trump’s unfounded new claim that Hillary Clinton used acid to delete her emails shows the former president doesn’t quite grasp how the BleachBit software program works. Plus! Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman join The New Abnormal to talk about their New York Times best-selling book, White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump’s Huge Debts Make Him Even More Dangerous

Donald Trump’s Huge Debts Make Him Even More Dangerous

NewsNation contributor Kurt Bardella joins The New Abnormal to discuss the state of the 2024 presidential election—and the complete failure of American journalism to adapt to Republicans’ strategy of spewing falsehoods. Plus, a conversation with Josh Kovensky, an investigative reporter at Talking Points Memo, about the Society for American Civic Renewal—a men’s only secret society of prominent far-right Christians. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Real Reason Why Trump Is Trashing Kimmel and the Oscars

The Real Reason Why Trump Is Trashing Kimmel and the Oscars

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie discuss Donald Trump’s Jimmy Kimmel Oscars diss. Then, Bill Clinton's Secretary of Labor and substacker Robert Reich is here to talk about the State of the Union, economic populism and the rise of Trumpism. Plus! Host of the Undistracted podcast, Brittany Packnett Cunningham, tells us more about Senator Katie Britt's rebuttal to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.