The New Abnormal

This week on The New Abnormal, MSNBC political analyst and pollster Cornell Belcher talks the science of polls before we all start pulling our hair out. Then we talk to Radley Balko, publisher of Substack page The Watch, about his latest piece discussing how medical examiners shield violent cops from scrutiny.

New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac joins The New Abnormal to unpack the civil war currently roiling OpenAI. Plus! A conversation with Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella about Joe Biden's chances in the 2024 election.

Former Capitol Police Officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell tells The New Abnormal that democracy is on the ballot in the next election and that America must be protected from a second Trump presidency. Plus former Daily Beast journalist turned communications consultant, Timothy Burke, talks about the FBI raid at his home following the leak of embarrassing videos of Tucker Carlson that ended up in the hands of Vice News and Media Matters for America.

David Roth and Jeb Lund play the Thanksgiving edition of “America 20 Questions,” including answering how thankful they think Donald Trump is for each of his kids. Plus! Danielle Moodie talks to Amelia Nagoski about the book she co-authored with her sister, Emily Nagoski, Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, which examines the scientific factors that determine the different ways men and women deal with stress.

Media Matters President Angelo Carusone joins The New Abnormal to talk through his organization’s recent sparring with Elon Musk and his social media platform, X. Plus! A conversation with award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor about her transformational africanfuturism and the importance of inclusive visions of science fiction.

Bethann Hardison broke barriers in the 1970s by appearing in the top fashion magazines. Her new documentary Invisible Beauty shows how she championed diversity for a new generation of Black models.

Veteran Jason Kander tells The New Abnormal there are two main reasons why Republicans are afraid to take on Senator Tommy Tuberville’s military blockade. Plus, Andy Norma, founder of CIRCE, or the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative, talks about the Mental Immunity Project and how it is trying to combat the crisis of disinformation and people’s susceptibility to it.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Spencer Ackerman stops by the program to talk about Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—and why Congress should consider scrapping it entirely. Deepa Iyer of the Building Movement Project stops by the podcast to share her unique way of visualizing social movements as entire ecosystems—with each person playing a distinct role in various movements and communities. Plus! Guest host Maura Quint who serves as campaign and communications work for Americans For Tax Fairness.

Tech columnist Brian Merchant tells The New Abnormal the Luddites got a bad rap following the Industrial Revolution but all they were trying to do was hold big tech to account.