Democrats won big in off-year elections across the country on Tuesday, and Erin and Alyssa give the rundown on all the victories that are giving us hope. They also round up the latest MAGA bullsh*t from Trump’s social security changes to Nancy Mace’s airport freakout. Then they provide some Solicited Advice on dealing with workplace bitterness and how to conquer your pushup goals. They wrap up in the sanity corner with a discussion of the Bruce Springsteen biopic and Jennifer Aniston’s new man.

Trump Administration to Send Only Partial Food Stamp Payments This Month (NYT 11/3)

USDA Threatens Stores Giving Discounts to People on Food Stamps (The New Republic 11/3)

Red State Workers Could Lose Out on Disability Benefits as Trump Administration Rewrites Eligibility Rules (Pro Publica 10/31)

Why the Hell Did JD Vance and Erika Kirk Hug Like That? (The New Republic 10/31)

Rep. Nancy Mace berated Charleston airport police due to missing escort, incident report says (CNN 11/1)

Trump feels ‘very badly’ for British royal family after Prince Andrew was stripped of titles (The Guardian 11/3)

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New York Governor Kathy Hochul joins to discuss the end of SNAP Benefits, ICE raids, and how NYC’s progressive swing affects the rest of the purple state. Astrologer Chani Nicholas also stops by to share insights on the stars, Scorpio season, and what to expect in the sky in 2026 (watch out for August!). Then Erin and Alyssa react to Cheryl Hines’ deeply strange appearance on charisma black hole Katie Miller’s podcast, spoiler alert: they reveal the details of RFK Jr.’s disgusting diet.

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.

US government says it will stop paying for food aid next week (BBC 10/26)

Some new ICE recruits have shown up to training without full vetting (NBC News 10/22)

SNAP’s Contingency Reserve Is Available for Regular SNAP Benefits, as USDA and OMB Have Ruled in Past (CBPP 10/27)

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Erin and Alyssa dive into the past of the father of white Christian Nationalism, Jerry Falwell. From founding Liberty University, to taking advantage of pregnant teens, to spreading his bigoted and homophobic beliefs like wildfire, this is may be our most shameless guy yet.

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.

Sources:

https://wondery.com/shows/liberty-lost/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jerry-Falwell

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/jerry-falwell

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-biography-of-jerry-falwell/

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/inside-jerry-falwell-jr-unlikely-rise-and-precipitous-fall?srsltid=AfmBOoqLERGUjQ07rO9_PVqsOujPeHa3c7TDKqJX5Un4ev1snV7NCqvJ

https://www.npr.org/2006/05/15/5519116/timeline-a-half-century-of-falwells-ministry

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/09/26/the-rise-of-the-falwell-empire/9dda636e-3475-4b64-899a-650a1d6dbb89/

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/07/us/falwell-s-gospel-hour-fined-for-political-activity.html

https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1993/rt9304/930403/04030069.htm

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/01/inside-jerry-falwell-jr-unlikely-rise-and-precipitous-fall?srsltid=AfmBOoqLERGUjQ07rO9_PVqsOujPeHa3c7TDKqJX5Un4ev1snV7NCqvJ

https://www.salon.com/2020/12/15/jerry-falwell-jr-funneled-millions-of-dollars-from-nonprofit-liberty-university-to-gop-efforts-rpt/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/19/september11.usa9

https://www.au.org/the-latest/church-and-state/articles/a-troubling-legacy-revealing-the-white/

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/agent-intolerance/

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/moral-majority-founded

https://www.pewresearch.org/2007/05/17/rev-falwells-moral-majority-mission-accomplished/

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/

https://theconversation.com/revisiting-the-legacy-of-jerry-falwell-sr-in-trumps-america-79551

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/hustler-magazine-v-falwell

https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-507-0v89g5gw13

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Being an American right now is a wild ride. Every day brings a new controversy, with breathless media narratives and the same loud voices rushing in to score political points. Then another Truth Social post drops and the circus moves on. But all that noise is drowning out the actual story. On Crooked Media’s new podcast Runaway Country, veteran journalist Alex Wagner talks to the voices at the center of the headlines: from the fringes of the resistance, to the marrow of MAGA, to the many people who’ve found themselves smack-dab in the crosshairs of a fight they never asked for. Because if you want to understand our unreal times, you’ve got to talk to the very real people who are experiencing it all first-hand. Join Alex as she brings together the stories of everyday Americans trapped in our national car with no brakes, alongside conversations with some of the smartest thinkers in politics. Buckle up, this road could lead anywhere.

New episodes every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts, and @RunawayCountryWithAlexWagner on YouTube. Make sure to subscribe, so you don’t miss an episode.

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Erin Ryan and guest host Reshma Saujani (Moms First) poke holes in Trump’s flimsy IVF plan, discuss RFK Jr.’s creepy obsession with teenage boys’ sperm counts, and the realities of women leaving the workforce. They also get into the insanity of Trump’s ballroom construction and dissect the differences between the moms with boys and Boy Moms.

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.

Nearly half a million women have left their jobs so far this year. Here’s why, in their own words (CNN 10/17)

Embattled Trump Nominee Paul Ingrassia’s Mom Tried to Meet With Lawmakers Who Criticized Her Son (NOTUS 10/21)

RFK Jr uses platform during Trump event to go on rant about teenager’s sperm (The Independent 10/17)

Trump Unveils Plan to Expand Access to ‘Fertility Insurance’ and IVF Drugs (TIME 10/16)

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Erin and Alyssa react to the strangest of Trump’s second “routine yearly checkup” of 2025, the sweeping federal layoffs impacting the CDC, and Katie Porter’s PR nightmare. Then they check in on Marjorie Taylor Greene’s new anti-republican schtick and what will become of Alex Jones now that the Supreme Court has rejected his appeal. The show concludes with a salute to the late Diane Keaton and a peek into what the f*ck is going on with Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau.

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.

Trump's second checkup describes "exceptional health" (AXIOS 10/11)

‘The damage is beyond repair’: The CDC is facing another round of deep staff cuts (CNN Health 10/11)

Katie Porter Videos Give California Rivals a New Opening (NYT 10/11)

Supreme Court rebuffs Alex Jones’ effort to overturn $1.4 billion Sandy Hook judgment (CNN 10/14)

What’s Going On With Marjorie Taylor Greene? (The Atlantic 10/9)

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The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Mayci Neeley dishes on her new book, becoming a feminist, and what #MomTok is really like off-screen. Erin and Alyssa also cover Trump’s Ghislaine Maxwell amnesia, Bari Weiss’ CBS News takeover, and the future of the Democratic Party. Finally, in the Sanity Corner, they sound off about the new Taylor Swift album and warn against Instagram Reels Greek yogurt chicken salad recipes.

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.

It’s Time for Soft Secession (Mother Jones)

Americans remain wary of electing a female president, new poll reveals (Politico 10/6)

CBS News names Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief (Politico 10/6)

Turning Point USA Hosts Campus Event Pushing Death Penalty for Abortion Patients (Abortion, Everyday 10/3)

F.D.A. Approves Generic Abortion Pill as Opponents Push Trump for New Restrictions (NYT 10/2)

Supreme Court rejects Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her criminal conviction (NBC News 10/6)

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