Pod Save America

Trump cheers on violent supporters in Kenosha and Portland, Joe Biden gives a speech in Pennsylvania condemning violence and Trump, Covid outbreaks on college campuses get worse, and the White House weighs a strategy of herd immunity and a quick vaccine. Then Obama pollster Cornell Belcher talks to Jon Lovett about the state of the race after both conventions.

Jon, Jon, Tommy, and Dan break down Donald Trump’s acceptance speech and discuss how the Republican National Convention will shape the final 67 days of the 2020 campaign.

The protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin after the police shooting of Jacob Blake provide the backdrop to a Republican National Convention where the party tries its hardest to stoke division and deny reality. Then Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes talks to Jon about police brutality, the protests, and what Joe Biden needs to do to win Wisconsin.

The Republican National Convention lineup is heavy on Trump and light on policy, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris see their favorability rise after last week’s convention, Trump touts another unproven Covid treatment, and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testifies before Congress. Then New York Times reporter Kevin Roose talks to Tommy about Trump’s embrace of the QAnon cult.

Jon, Jon, Tommy, and Dan reflect on Joe Biden’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, reflect on the week of speeches and moments, and look ahead to next week’s Republican National Convention.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/psa.For a transcript of this episode, please email hey@crooked.com.

The first three days of the Democratic National Convention features a wide variety of locations, segments, and speakers, including major addresses from Bernie Sanders, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Barack Obama, and Kamala Harris. Then Elizabeth Warren talks to Dan about her convention speech and her efforts to save the U.S. Postal Service.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/psa.For a transcript of this episode, please email hey@crooked.com.

The Postal Service warns states that mail-in ballots might not be counted in time, Democrats plan an emergency hearing with the Postmaster General, and the first all-virtual Democratic National Convention begins with speakers ranging from John Kasich to AOC. Then voting rights attorney Marc Elias talks to Jon Favreau about his legal fight against Donald Trump’s efforts to sabotage the election.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, please visit crooked.com/psa.For a transcript of this episode, please email hey@crooked.com.

Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris to be his Vice President, and Hysteria’s Alyssa Mastromonaco joins Jon and Dan to break down the choice, the rollout, and the reaction of Donald Trump. Then Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown talks to Jon about the historic nature of Kamala Harris’s selection, and how the Democratic ticket can organize and energize voters this fall.

Donald Trump announces a few fairly useless executive actions, forges ahead with his plan to steal the election, and dismisses new reports of foreign interference by Russia. Then New York State Attorney General Letitia James talks to Jon Lovett about her lawsuit aimed at shutting down the NRA.

Tuesday’s primaries lead to Missouri victories for Medicaid expansion and Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush, the Biden campaign announces the biggest advertising buy in history across 15 states, and the Trump campaign makes debate demands while lowering expectations for Joe Biden. Then Manny Garcia and Cliff Walker, the leaders of the Texas Democratic Party, talk to Dan about what it will take to turn the state blue in 2020. And Ben Rhodes talks to Tommy about his new Crooked Media podcast, Missing America.

The Trump campaign smashes that reset button, the President tries to undermine the election by attacking mail-in voting and the Postal Service, Republicans refuse to extend unemployment benefits, and Joe Biden gets close to selecting his running mate. Then journalist Kara Swisher talks to Jon Lovett about Trump’s threat to ban TikTok and the tech CEOs who recently testified on Capitol Hill.Subscribe to Missing America: apple.co/missingamerica

Alyssa Mastromonaco joins Dan to talk about Trump's promotion of more conspiracy theories, jealousy of Dr. Anthony Fauci, inability to help himself politically, and failure to confront Vladimir Putin, even when American lives are at risk. Then, they take your most pressing questions on the VP selection process, the 2020 election, and whether karaoke is actually fun.

The Intercept’s Mehdi Hasan joins to discuss the state of the presidential campaign now that we’re less than 100 days out, how COVID reached deep into the White House and forced major changes to Trump’s campaign, the latest with COVID relief in Congress, how Trump’s message went from calling Biden soft on China to member of Antifa, and how the media can learn from the mistakes of 2016. Then Jon F. interviews Mother Jones' Ari Berman about voting during the pandemic.Make sure you're registered, request an absentee ballot, and get involved at votesaveamerica.com/everylastvote.

Dan and Tommy talk about the new tone that President Trump is not adopting now that daily White House coronavirus briefings have resumed, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling out a culture of misogyny after a Republican accosted her on the steps of the Capitol, the latest on the negotiations over pandemic relief in Congress, and the new plan Joe Biden has proposed to help caregivers and parents.

Donald Trump’s 40-minute interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace is perfection, the Administration is sending unidentified paramilitary troops to crack down on protesters in Portland, and America says goodbye to Congressman John Lewis and CT Vivian, two giants of the Civil Rights Movement. Then Voto Latino’s María Teresa Kumar talks to Tommy about organizing the Latino community ahead of November.

Trump replaces his campaign manager as his re-election bid hits a rough patch, Joe Biden rolls out an ambitious new climate plan, and his campaign decides whether to expand the map by competing in states like Texas and Georgia. Then Dr. Abdul El-Sayed talks to Jon about his America Dissected interview with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and his role on the Biden-Sanders health care task force.

Roger Stone is rewarded for covering up Trump’s corruption with a commuted prison sentence, the White House orchestrates a hit job on Dr. Anthony Fauci for telling the truth about the pandemic, and Congress debates the next round of pandemic relief as the economy stalls. Then Pod Save the People’s Kaya Henderson talks to Jon Lovett about the debate over re-opening schools this fall.

On the third, and final, installment of That's the Ticket, Dan and Alyssa talk about what factors a candidate has to consider once they've vetted potential VPs, how the vice presidential announcement process has evolved over time, and finally who they think Biden will pick. Dan also talks to Perry Bacon Jr., a senior writer from FiveThirtyEight, about what polling does and doesn't tell us about the impact of a VP pick.

The Supreme Court rules on Native rights and Trump’s taxes, the President bullies schools to re-open, Joe Biden and progressive Democrats find common ground, and Kanye West flirts with a presidential bid. Oklahoma journalist Rebecca Nagle talks to Jon about the legal victory for tribal nations, and Color of Change’s Rashad Robinson talks to Dan about Facebook’s handling of hate speech and misinformation.

The President commemorates July 4th with a racist speech at Mt. Rushmore, the Biden and Trump campaigns focus on the pandemic response, and Senate Republicans weigh distancing themselves from Trump as they fall behind their Democratic challengers in the polls.