American Fever Dream
From under the desk to in your ears, V. Spehar joins Betches Media in a new podcast dedicated to curing the collective malaise brought on by our chaotic political environment. Every week, Spehar and co-host Sami Sage will tenderly guide you through the biggest moments in politics and pop culture with a healing dose of perspective and humor. Rather than spiral over the latest unprecedented event, the hosts dig for the 2024 political tea you *really* want to hear while offering all the information you need to be an empowered citizen, without the side of despair to keep you up at night. For constant news updates, sign up for the Sup email newsletter at betches.com/newsletters and follow us on Instagram at @betches_news. And follow V on TikTok and Instagram @underthedesknews. Watch American Fever Dream On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebetchesnews
Episodes
July 8, 2025 • 70 mins
On this episode of American Fever Dream, V and Sami have their first book club of ‘AFD approved’ beach reads. They’re first joined by author Molly Jong-Fast of How To Lose Your Mother to chat about grief, sobriety, and how to get through the ‘worst year of your life.’ Then, switching gears, David Litt stops by to talk about his new book, It’s Only Drowning, a novel about how surfing with his MAGA-loving brother-in-law led to unexpe...
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July 1, 2025 • 63 mins
This week on American Fever Dream, V and Sami are joined by Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow to talk burnout, billionaires, and why Democrats keep losing the narrative. They unpack the myth of self-made tech moguls and why political performance matters more than ever to take dems out of 1996 into 2025.
Watch this and more today at youtube.com/@thebetchesnews!
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June 26, 2025 • 38 mins
This week on American Fever Dream, V and Sami are joined by Akilah Hughes to break down the mess that is the Democratic Party. They unpack their political atrophy, their lack of authenticity, and how Republicans have mastered political theater over them. And finally, the talk about the power of protest, but most importantly, they want a time machine so that Oprah could win the 2016 presidential election.
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June 24, 2025 • 44 mins
This week on American Fever Dream, V and Sami unpack hell on earth - Hawk Tuah’s live podcast at Vid Con. Then, they deep dive into how President Trump bombed Iran without telling anyone (including Congress) and the implications of Christian nationalism in politics. It’s all getting very 2003 again — but with a president that’s a fascist instead of one that can paint dogs.
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June 17, 2025 • 55 mins
This week, V and Sami unpack the No Kings protests and explore how a grassroots movement sent a powerful message across the country. Then, they discuss what made these demonstrations feel different, why small-town actions mattered, and what Democrats must learn from the moment. Finally, they take a deep dive into the growing collaboration between tech companies like Palantir and the U.S. military—and what it means for the future of...
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June 10, 2025 • 57 mins
This week, V and Sami unpack the ICE protests in LA and dig into the disinformation spreading through on-the-ground reporting and the media ecosystem at large. Then, they’re joined by Charlotte Howard, Executive Editor of The Economist and co-host of the Checks and Balance podcast, for a deeply worrying look at Trump’s economic chaos, crypto grifts, and how the U.S. economy went from best-in-class to dumpster fire. Spoiler: we also...
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In this bonus episode of American Fever Dream, Sami Sage sits down with New Jersey Congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill for a candid conversation about why Congress is stuck, what it’s like trying to change a broken system from the inside, and why the Democratic Party needs a serious reboot. From glitter at Pride to calling out Biden after his debate performance, Congresswoman Sherrill doesn’t hold back.
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This week, V and Sami are joined by Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, hosts of the I’ve Had It podcast, to talk about their new book Life Is a Lazy Susan of Sh*t Sandwiches. They dig into dealing with religious trauma, marriage to a sex addict, and what it’s really like being progressive in the Bible Belt. Then, they deep dive into the overlap between faith and politics, the Democrats' ongoing messaging struggles, and why Trump st...
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May 27, 2025 • 44 mins
This week, Sami sits down with Strict Scrutiny's Leah Litman to discuss her new book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. They unpack the chaos that is the Supreme Court and what can be done to fight back.
Watch this and more today at youtube.com/@thebetchesnews!
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May 20, 2025 • 66 mins
This week, Sami and V talk about the breaking news on Biden’s health. Then, they unpack the Pope’s comments on marriage and the Louisiana plantation that burned down. And finally, they’re joined by Chasten Buttigieg to talk about his new children’s book Papa’s Coming Home.
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May 15, 2025 • 52 mins
In this bonus episode, Sami and V are joined by former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Barack Obama, Alyssa Mastromonaco, to chat about jam-making, Gen Z Catholicism, and key messaging strategies for Democrats. Then, they reveal their picks for Delulu Girlie Of the Month and make 2028 presidential dream tickets .
Watch this and more today at youtube.com/@thebetchesnews!
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May 13, 2025 • 64 mins
This week, Sami and V are joined by independent journalist Tara Palmeri to talk about her recent interview with Lindy Li, a Democratic commentator turned MAGA enthusiast. Then, they deep dive into content creator journalism and Tara unpacks her experience covering the Jeffrey Epstein case. And finally, they play Yay or Nay, where they decide what’s good news and what’s bad with a simple one word answer.
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May 6, 2025 • 51 mins
This week, Sami sits down with Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett to discuss how she is giving her constituents “something to vote for.” They deep dive into what Republicans are afraid of, DOGE cuts, and fights with the one and only, Marjorie Taylor Greene. And finally, Rep. Jasmine Crockett unpacks her vision of government oversight to keep the Trump swamp in check.
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This week, V and Sami unpack why the "Democratic Party is a delusional circle jerk." Well, kinda! They cover the very quiet White House Correspondents' Dinner and deep dive into Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes's 2024 election cycle book, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House. Then, Run For Something's Amanda Litman stops by to give us hope about future Democratic Party wins.
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This week, Sami and V are joined by MSNBC co-host of The Weekend: Primetime Catherine Rampell to discuss the difficulties of a free press in 2025. Then, they unpack top headlines of the Pope’s passing and Harvard vs. Paul Weiss. And finally, Sami interviews MSNBC host of The 11th Hour, Stephanie Ruhle, on business and the rule of law.
Watch today on Youtube.com/@thebetchesnews!
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April 15, 2025 • 73 mins
This week, Sami and V cover Bernie at Coachella and the Chinese propaganda machine that is making social media users distrust European and American brands. Then, they unpack the latest updates on how the Trump administration is literally trying to buy Greenland. Spoiler: it’s as insulting as you think. And finally, Rachel Janfaza of The Up and Up stops by to deep dive into the minds of Gen Z and their political beliefs.
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April 8, 2025 • 72 mins
This week, V and Sami deep dive into yet another financial crisis millennials will live through due to Trump tariffs. Can we not live through an unprecedented time, just once? And then, they play a game called, Delululu Derivatives, where they guess if an economic theory is ‘girl math’ or 'MAGA math'. And finally, Chris Hayes stops by to talk about his new book, Sirens’ Call. Watch this and more today on the Betches News YouTube!
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April 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Alencia Johnson dives into her new book, Flip the Tables, shaking up the status quo of political activism with a heavy dose of spirituality. She talks about why communities need to get messy, the raw journey of self-discovery, and why self-worth shouldn’t be defined by society's bullshit standards. Alencia also takes a hard look at today's democratic leaders, demanding more guts, more heart, and way more action from activists who a...
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April 1, 2025 • 51 mins
This week, V and Sami are joined by the self-proclaimed “Hatch of morning television”, MSNBC host Ali Vitali. Together, they cover the White House Correspondents’ Dinner cancelling of Amber Ruffin, PBS and NPR DOGE cuts, and the Trump administration’s obsession with Greenland. And finally, in an attempt to have a fun diversion from the hellscape we live in, the three of them played ‘Sesame Street Side Hustle’ where they guessed wha...
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March 27, 2025 • 40 mins
In this interview, V sits down with Jillian Olmsted, the Executive Director of The Inn Between, an organization that serves unsheltered individuals by giving them a place to stay, providing necessary medical attention, as well as hospice care. They deep dive into the intersection of end-of-life care, NIMBY-ism, stopping the cycle of homelessness, and how you can help.
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