The new American pope is here, Trump is fast-tracking white South African refugees, the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial has begun, and Erin and Alyssa are here to break it down. They also do a deep dive into wellness influencer Casey Means, who might just be the next U.S. surgeon general. They wrap up with a conversation about Karoline Leavitt’s super mom status and Adidas’ new down syndrome accessible shoe program.

“She Was Tearful About It”: The Nuances of Casey Means’s Medical Exit and Antiestablishment Origins (Vanity Fair 5/9)

Casey Means: influencer, RFK Jr favorite – and Trump’s pick for surgeon general (The Guardian 5/11)

How a post #MeToo law opened the floodgates for allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs (NPR 5/7)

The trial of Sean Combs: What you need to know (NPR 5/12)

Quakers march against Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, carrying on a long tradition (LA Times 5/11)

Episcopal Church says it won’t help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status in US (AP News 5/12)

Pope Leo XIV calls for Gaza ceasefire in first Sunday message (Al Jazeera 5/11)

Pope calls for journalists to be released from prison (BBC 5/12)

Erin and Alyssa are together IN PERSON to discuss the latest news from the Texas bill that would mandate wastewater testing for mifepristone, to how Janet Mills’ resistance to funding cuts paid off, to a preview of the papal conclave. Then Parker Molloy, author of The Present Age newsletter, joins for a conversation about the problems with the mainstream media’s coverage of the Trump administration’s attacks on transgender youth. Finally, in Sani-Petty they discuss podcasts that are keeping them sane.

The Debt Gala

Assigned Media

Erin in the Morning

'We won': Maine Gov. Mills celebrates state's legal settlement with USDA over funding freeze (WMTW 5/2)

NIH cancels participation in Safe to Sleep campaign that decreased infant deaths (Stat 4/30)

Former Vice President Pence defends Constitution after getting Profile in Courage Award (AP 5/5)

Bizarre Texas Bill Wants to Test the Water for Birth Control, Abortion Pills (Jezebel 4/23)

Major News Outlets Can't Bring Themselves to Call Conversion Therapy What It Is (The Present Age 5/5)

Who are the main contenders to be the next pope? (Al Jazeera 5/5)

Vatican to deactivate mobile phone signal ahead of secret meeting to elect new pope (CNN 5/6)

Erin and Alyssa unpack how the suspension of the de minimis exemption will affect our shopping habits, Trump’s exploitation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and conservative women’s media desire to “make America hot again.” Then the Pitt’s Katherine LaNasa, aka Nurse Dana, joins to talk about the making of America’s favorite TV show and where she drew inspiration from for her kick ass character. They finish up with a very petty examination of Bill Belichick’s age-gap relationship.

Trump is ending this tariff loophole for low-cost packages. Here’s what that could mean for consumers (PBS 4/24)

Trump’s Tariffs Prompt Wave of Lawsuits as States and Businesses Fight Back (NYT 4/27)

The Women Who Want to Make America Hot Again (Glamour 4/25)

Now comes the ‘womanosphere’: the anti-feminist media telling women to be thin, fertile and Republican (Guardian 4/24)

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.