Vibes Only

COURIER

The polls are broken. The stakes are unprecedented. And the future of democracy, like it or not,  hinges on one thing – VIBES. Vibes Only is here to check the vibes of American politics and break down the need-to-know news of the week. And while one of the two major parties in the country has overwhelmingly embraced a right-wing movement whose whole vibe is undermining democracy and social progress, it’s clear we need voices that can meet voters where they are and clearly and effectively call that BS out for what it is.

Co-host Brian Derrick has earned a reputation for his ability to break down political news and define the stakes to his sizable and dedicated social media audience. Co-host Glennis Meagher is a digital media savant who has built platforms to encourage millennials and gen z to engage with politics, some for the first time. Even when the news of the week could easily kill the vibe, Brian and Glennis are like those needed friends that have the unique ability to keep it real AND pull us out of a doom spiral.

New episodes of Vibes Only are available on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts.



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Episodes

Everything You Need to Know About Trump's Legal Hot Water (This Week)
Apr 26 2024
Everything You Need to Know About Trump's Legal Hot Water (This Week)
Join the group chat! Send us a text!Not a judge or a jury. Not fake electors. Nope. The ‘24 election and the fate of democracy hinges on… say it with us… Vibes.  The vibes this week:Joe Biden signed a foreign aid bill into which also included a forced sale of TikTok. Donald Trump faced a litany of legal battles including the 2016 Election Interference (hush money) trial which is underway,  a hearing on whether he is in contempt of the court for violating his gag order, and he (and his cronies - Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani) were named un-indicted conspirators in TWO State's false elector's plots (MI and AZ).  In addition to ALL OF THAT, SCOTUS heard his "immunity" claim.Speaking of SCOTUS, they also heard a case to decide whether women could receive (and doctors could give) an abortion in case of EMERGENCY in state's with bans.Finally, we discuss two prominent, legacy GOP politicians who took the same information about Donald Trump and his attempts to steal the 2020 election, and even arrived at the same conclusions, but made two very different choices for how to handle the upcoming 2024 presidential election.  That's Bill Barr and Liz Cheney.Listen for all that, a round of IT'S GIVING,  a stop in our GROUP CHAT, and a GOOD VIBE to say goodbye on. Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Bracing for an “Extremely Online” Election with Taylor Lorenz
Apr 10 2024
Bracing for an “Extremely Online” Election with Taylor Lorenz
Join the group chat! Send us a text!This week, we are pleased to be joined by Taylor Lorenz. Taylor covers technology and social media for the Washington Post. She is the author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence and Power on the Internet, and she hosts a new podcast, Power User. Before our vibe check with Taylor on the TikTok legislation,  how social media shapes the vibes of politics, and all things online - we dive into Trump’s “new” statement on his position on abortion, and the RFK Jr. staffer who said the quiet part out loud. Stick around after our chat with Taylor for an IT’S GIVING, our GROUP CHAT, and a good vibe on student debt. Further reading: AXIOS: New effort to "inoculate" U.S. voters against AI misinformationNYT: China’s Advancing Efforts to Influence the U.S. Election Raise AlarmsTaylor’s column in the Washington Post: Meet the 25-year-old who TikToked his way onto RFK’s campaign teamCNBC: 25 million student loan borrowers could see their balances shrink under Biden’s new forgiveness planSubscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Republicans are Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
Apr 3 2024
Republicans are Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud
Join the group chat! Send us a text!SPECIAL GUEST to talk through the vibes of the week: Katie Grossbard. Katie is an attorney, founding member of I am a voter and This is About Humanity. She is a digital creator that aims to empower people to be more informed and less overwhelmed. We love that. Brian, Glennis and Katie talk about Trump’s Easter meltdown coupled with right-wing media’s freakout over the Trans Day of Visibility landing on Easter Sunday and their insistence that everything they don’t like — including the Baltimore bridge accident –  is all Biden’s fault. They also discuss a new by the Florida Supreme Court that upends decades of legal precedent and will effectively allow for a 6-week abortion ban in the State. But they also said a proposed amendment to protect abortion access can appear on the ballot. We’ll talk about what it all means for abortion seekers in the state and for the 2024 election. They'll talk about some shocking literature produced by extremists from The Heritage Foundation and a publication called The American Conservative that lays out the right-wing agenda.All that before IT'S GIVING, a GROUP CHAT, and a GOOD VIBE GOODBYE. Further reading: Newsweek: Donald Trump's Easter Truth Social Meltdown Raises AlarmAP: The Trump camp and the White House clash over Biden’s recognition of ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’CNN: Expanded gag order lays down the law as Trump returns to the campaign trailWIRED: Online Conspiracies About the Baltimore Bridge Collapse Are Out of ControlMedia Matters: Project 2025 partner floats repealing the 22nd Amendment and allowing Trump to serve a third termPOLITICO: Republicans are rushing to defend IVF. The anti-abortion movement hopes to change their minds.The 'Gander: Whitmer signs bills to support IVF patients, legalize paid surrogacySubscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
After Super Tuesday, GOP Officially the Party of Trump (Again)
Mar 6 2024
After Super Tuesday, GOP Officially the Party of Trump (Again)
Join the group chat! Send us a text!This week we’re joined by Annie Wu Henry. Annie is a political consultant & digital strategist from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She - like us - is chronically online and has helped craft digital strategies for organizations like the Working Families Parties and AOC. She received high praise for her role in John Fetterman’s Senate campaign - leading his TikTok content and strategy. If anyone knows digital messaging - it’s Annie.  Annie helps us check the vibes this week:If it wasn’t clear before, Super Tuesday proved that the GOP belongs to Trump and we’re set for a re-match of 2020 - media fantasies be damned. A series of national polls generated bad headlines for Biden. What, if anything, are the polls and the media missing?SCOTUS unanimously ruled that States can’t remove Trump from ballot + SCOTUS agreed to hear Trump’s immunity claimMitch McConnell announced last week that he’s stepping down from the top position for Senate RepublicansAnd Kyrsten Sinema officially closed the door for her re-election campaignIn “It’s Giving” we react to Marianne Williamson un-suspending her presidential campaign. In our group chat we discuss:Jason Kelce's retirement announcement. Taylor Lorenz’s interview with Chaya Raichik who created “Libs of TikTok”And lastly, we leave you with this good vibe: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is canceling $2 BILLION in medical debt for 1 million residents.Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Biden Calls Republicans’ Border Bluff
Feb 7 2024
Biden Calls Republicans’ Border Bluff
Join the group chat! Send us a text!The VIBES THIS WEEK: A 3-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit unanimously ruled that citizen Donald Trump does not have immunity in the DC elections case saying  “we cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter.”Also: Last week we talked about Trump and his congressional loyalists work to tank the bipartisan border deal that was hashed out in the Senate before they even knew what was in it. Well the details came out earlier this week, and we fill you in on what’s IN it and the latest in the political saga.We also give you a brief update on presidential nomination contests in South Carolina and Nevada. Popping off in the group chat: Lesbian bar fights on TikTok (not what you might think)The GrammysRuPaul's Drag Race dramaand Lance Bass and Marianne Williamson's TikTok liveFinally, some unexpected guests leave you with a good vibe.**UPDATE** -- Nikki Haley did NOT win the meaningless  (delegates would not have been given to any winner) Nevada primary which Trump did not appear on the ballot. She lost, instead, to "none of these candidates." Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Iowa Caucus Was Over Before It Began
Jan 17 2024
Iowa Caucus Was Over Before It Began
Join the group chat! Send us a text!The Iowa caucus was so noncompetitive that the story the media were selling was not who would win, but who would place second. Trump did indeed dominate, as expected. Networks called the race about 30 minutes into the process - before most votes were cast. We’ll break down the Iowa caucus results, and what the numbers suggest (if anything) about the general election. We’ll also discuss: The stopgap bill, agreed to by Congressional leaders including Senator Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson, to potentially keep the government open. The House Freedom Caucus response to said bill. The Emmys: RuPaul, Neicy Nash. The bipartisan bill that would expand the child tax credit, and more. Show notes: New York Times: Congressional Leaders Unveil Stopgap Bill to Head Off ShutdownNBC News: Congress announces major tax deal to expand child tax credit and revive breaks for businessesCorrections: - We mentioned 14 appropriations bills. *There are 12. *- We referred to Marjorie Taylor Greene as a member of the House Freedom Caucus. *She was voted out of the caucus.*Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Trump’s Lawyers: Assassination Is OK, Actually
Jan 10 2024
Trump’s Lawyers: Assassination Is OK, Actually
Join the group chat! Send us a text!Vibes Only is a brand new podcast from COURIER that will check the vibes of American politics and break down the need-to-know news of the week.The vibes this week: The three year anniversary of January 6th just passed. We disuss the politics of the insurrection and the state of democracy 3 years on…A Trump lawyer made a stunning assertion that presidential immunity would cover the chief executive in the hypothetical case of having a political opponent assassinated.SCOTUS has agreed to weigh in on Trump’s eligibility for the ballot in Colorado - after the state’s Supreme Court deemed him ineligible for violating section 3 of the 14th Amendment which bars those who had taken an oath “to support the Constitution of the United States” from holding office if they then “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”The Iowa caucus is less than a week away and GOP voters appear poised to overwhelmingly choose that candidate ^Fox News had an interesting guest on to predict "what's in store for 2024."In her latest "public performance," Lauren Boebert allegedly punched her ex-husband in the face multiple times at a restaurant. Mayra Flores, a Republican seeking to win back her old seat in the Rio Grande Valley, has been accused of routinely stealing photos of Mexican cooking to pass off as her own.Golden Globes, Taylor Swift, Jo Koy, and more all popping off in the group chats.And finally, activists and organizers in Florida secured enough signatures to put a referendum on next year's ballot to secure abortion rights. Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com
Dropping in 2024: VIBES ONLY
Dec 14 2023
Dropping in 2024: VIBES ONLY
Join the group chat! Send us a text!INTRODUCING: VIBES ONLY. First episode drops on January 10, 2024!ABOUT: The polls are broken. The stakes are unprecedented. And the future of democracy, like it or not,  hinges on one thing – VIBES. Vibes Only is here to check the vibes of American politics and break down the need-to-know news of the week. And while one of the two major parties in the country has overwhelmingly embraced a right-wing movement whose whole vibe is undermining democracy and social progress, it’s clear we need voices that can meet voters where they are and clearly and effectively call that BS out for what it is. Co-host Brian Derrick has earned a reputation for his ability to break down political news and define the stakes to his sizable and dedicated social media audience. Co-host Glennis Meagher is a digital media savant who has built platforms to encourage millennials and gen z to engage with politics, some for the first time. Even when the news of the week could easily kill the vibe, Brian and Glennis are like those needed friends that have the unique ability to keep it real AND pull us out of a doom spiral. New episodes of Vibes Only  will be available on Wednesdays wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Vibes Only wherever you get your podcasts (probably wherever you're reading this). If you enjoy the show, please consider giving us a rating and review so others can find it. You can WATCH full episodes of Vibes Only on YouTube. Follow COURIER on Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Facebook, and Twitter/X.You can find out more about COURIER at couriernewsroom.com