Share
The New Abnormal
FEVER DREAMS: Why QAnon Is So Bummed to See the Suez Ship Go Free
Did you know that everyone’s favorite Suez-Canal-blocking ship is now the subject of a QAnon conspiracy? The Daily Beast’s Asawin Suebsaeng and Will Sommer lay out why the adrenochrome set is convinced that the stuck ship’s cargo is full of trafficked children on the latest episode of our Fever Dreams podcast (Hint: it has to do with Hillary Clinton’s secret service code name—you guessed it, EVERGREEN.)
Speaking of Hillary conspiracies, Suebsaeng and Sommer discuss why the right just can’t seem to come up with a good Joe Biden conspiracy to smear the new president; Trump’s base seems more interested in reverting to their old hatreds of Clinton and Barack Obama. (As Suebsaeng points out, Biden quite simply is not Black or a woman, and so doesn’t inspire the same level of vitriol from the hardcore racist, misogynistic Trumpites.)
Meanwhile, there’s a tug-of-war going on between those in the Trump administration who want the former president to receive “credit” for the COVID vaccine drive and the rightwing anti-government, anti-vaxx diehards who refuse to believe that their Emperor God actually wants them to get the shot. The tussle is crystallized in Trump’s former HHS staffer Michael Caputo, a “really brash, incredibly Trumpy longtime Republican operative” who has taken it upon himself to prosthelytize about the vaccine in biker bars among the “MAGA Sons of Anarchy”—and who’s running into a lot of resistance.
Keep an eye out for the interview with The Daily Beast’s own Kelly Weill, who walks our hosts through the crazy cast of lawyers and faux-lawyers who have sprung up to defend the Capitol Rioters and anti-masker businesses—one of them quotes from Lord of the Rings, another has never actually passed the bar because he thinks it’s a British conspiracy.
And most importantly, we learn about Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes’ supervillain origin story, how Texas National Guard troops faced a hostage situation with Pizzagate overtones, and how Will Sommer is singlehandedly responsible for bringing the phrase “soy boy” out of the Internet swamp into the national spotlight.
Listen to Fever Dreams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.
More episodes
View all episodes
516. This Is the Exact Moment America Stopped Being a ‘Nation of Laws’
01:05:00||Season 1, Ep. 516The New Abnormal hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie think the Trump administration’s handling of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation is a bad omen for its view of the constitution. Then, Douglas Rushkoff, author of Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, joins the show to talk about all things tech bros. Plus! Formal federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner stops by to explain why America is in the midst of a constitutional crisis—and what to expect next.Trump Suffers Another ‘They’re Eating the Dogs’ Moment
29:41||Season 1President Trump appears to conflate political asylum seekers with mental asylums—much to the chagrin of The New Abnormal hosts Danielle Moodie, Andy Levy, and producer Jesse Cannon. “It's giving, they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats,” added Cannon. Plus, Noliwe Rooks, professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, explores the uneven effects of school integrations in her new book, Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children.515. Trump’s Budget ‘Heist’ Is Robin Hood for Billionaires
01:00:02||Season 1, Ep. 515On this episode of The New Abnormal, Republican math isn’t math-ing for hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy after the GOP-led House passed a budget framework to fund tax cuts for billionaires that would add $5.7 trillion to the government deficit. “That doesn't seem like a recipe for balancing a budget to me,” says Levy. Plus! New York Times chief TV critic James Poniewozik dissects Kristi Noem’s Homeland Security social media dramedy, and Vanderbilt University professor Dr. Jonathan Metzel on higher education’s crash course on authoritarianism.514. Spare Us the Crocodile Tears, Bill Ackman
01:02:30||Season 1, Ep. 514The New Abnormal hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy say MAGA billionaires like Bill Ackman can’t act shocked by the Trump administration’s economic policies when the president ran on them. Then, The Bulwark editor Jonathan V. Last discusses why he believes the American-led world order is over. Plus, Semafor finance and business editor Liz Hoffman talks about why Wall Street is suddenly panicking about Trump's economic agenda.Lauren Boebert’s ‘Stone’ Gaffe Proves She’s Dumb as Rocks
27:01||Season 1On this episode of The New Abnormal, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert’s attempt to throw sticks and stones embarrassingly backfires as she confuses filmmaker Oliver Stone for conservative political strategist Roger Stone in a congressional hearing on the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy Jr. Plus! Author Chad Lewis examines how foreign interests have influenced Trump’s inner circle in his new book The Persuasion Game.513. Trump Did The One Thing That Could Unravel His MAGA Base
01:01:33||Season 1, Ep. 513On this episode of The New Abnormal, Republican dissent against President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs has co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie convinced that this could be the beginning of the end for blind MAGA fealty. Plus! President and executive director of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Damon Hewitt explains how the Trump administration is attempting to dismantle its legal opposition. Then, Columbia Classics Professor Joseph Howley discusses the university's response to student protests and a broader crackdown on dissenting voices.512. There’s Only One Acceptable Response to Trump’s Talk of a Third Term
01:06:01||Season 1, Ep. 512The New Abnormal host Andy Levy and guest host Jeb Lund think there’s only one way to respond to President Donald Trump’s talks of a third term and it isn’t polite. Then, activist and author Sandy Hudson stops by to discuss her new book, Defund: Black Lives, Policing, and Safety for All. Plus! Tech journalist Brian Merchant joins the podcast to talk about all things propaganda and protest in America’s new era.Why Trump Thinks Jan 6ers Deserve Taxpayer Dollars
28:00||Season 1On this episode of The New Abnormal, President Donald Trump gives some very Trumpy reasons for why he wants to give pardoned January 6 rioters taxpayer money—“but they’re all bad,” said co-host Andy Levy. Plus, congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh, a former Media Matters video editor, on how she aims to change the Democratic Party for good.511. Fox News Is Really Struggling to Spin the Signal Chat Leak
01:01:43||Season 1, Ep. 511Fox News hosts are running out of ways to spin the massive Signal intelligence leak, Matt Gertz of Media Matters tells The New Abnormal hosts Danielle Moodie and Andy Levy. Then, Lawfare senior editor Anna Bower talks about the Trump administration’s escalating legal battles over its efforts to test the limits of presidential power.