The New Abnormal

Bestselling author and “Morning Joe” anchor Mika Brzezinski shares “as much as [she] can” about her and co-host Joe Scarborough’s recent date with president-elect Donald Trump, and pushes back on the backlash to their get-together. Hear from The Daily Beast’s executive editor Hugh Dougherty, who returns to the pod to share more scheming and subterfuge among the Mar-a-Lago regulars also jockeying for Trump’s favor, and learn who caught RFK Jr. ordering more junk food.

A look at Brendan Carr, Trump’s pick for chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and the way he has incorrectly been pitched as a “free speech advocate.” Then, Lucy Dean Stockton, an editor and reporter at The Lever, joins the program to discuss the very specific way Trump could erase many of President Joe Biden’s recent regulatory wins. Plus! a conversation with Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, about the growing threats of hate, extremism and misinformation online.

President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth could provoke a purge of career military experts from the Pentagon—which appears to be exactly what he wants, explained The New Abnormal co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie. Plus! Stephanie Mencimer, senior reporter at Mother Jones, delves deeper into the controversies and allegations surrounding Trump’s attorney general nominee, former congressman Matt Gaetz.

As President-elect Trump continues to announce surprise pick after surprise pick for his Cabinet, The New Abnormal co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie discover what they have in common. Plus! Melissa del Bosque, investigations editor at Lighthouse Reports, talks about the implications of Tom Homan’s appointment as “border czar.” Then we'll talk to journalist Noah Hurowitz about the legislation that would be able to declare nonprofits terrorist organizations.

Organizational psychologist and author Adam Grant joins this week’s podcast to help unpack America’s political baggage, sharing leadership advice and coping strategies for the current moment. The Daily Beast’s executive editor Hugh Dougherty offers insight into the “patio power games” playing out at Mar-a-Lago as president-elect Donald Trump assembles his new administration—which may be filled with outlandish, cable TV personalities, but is ruled behind the scenes by a 67-year-old grandmother in aviator shades.

Mike Davis, the man who many expect to be Donald Trump’s Attorney General, has outlined who exactly is on the president-elect’s hit list. Plus! Davis told Johnson he has five lists ready to go but appeared to only name four. Plus! Former Los Angeles Times journalist and President of Media Guild West Matt Pearce joins the podcast to talk about the purpose of the press during the second Trump administration.

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election, co-host Samantha Bee has some tough talk for President Joe Biden and his team. Former Daily Beast editor-in-chief John Avlon joins the podcast to discuss the lessons learnt from his own run for Congress, and comedian Michael Ian Black has news for everyone.

This week on The New Abnormal, co-hosts Andy Levy and Danielle Moodie aren’t pinning a lot of the blame on Kamala Harris’ election loss on the vice president. Plus! Podcaster Jared Yate Sexton joins the show to discuss how Trump will affect the country years beyond his upcoming term. Then, Nicholas Grossman, an international relations professor at the University of Illinois and senior editor of Arc Digital, discusses his latest piece, “America Chose This.”