Lessons From 2026 (Live From Crooked Con)
Live from Crooked Con, Lovett talks with top Democratic strategists Morris Katz, Lis Smith, and Danielle Butterfield about what ads and messages worked in the field, their favorite…
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Pod Save America
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Pod Save America
Pod Save America is a no-b******t conversation about politics hosted by former Obama aides Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor. It cuts through the noise to break down the week’s news and helps people figure out what matters and how they can help. They’re regularly joined by journalists, activists, politicians, entertainers, and world leaders. You can watch on YouTube or listen to new episodes every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Subscribe to Friends of the Pod! Your subscription makes Crooked’s work possible and gives you access to ad-free episodes of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World, plus exclusive content and a lively Discord community. Learn more and subscribe at crooked.com/friends or on Apple Podcasts. For a transcript of an episode of Pod Save America, please email transcripts@crooked.com.
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50 Episodes
Latest Episodes
From Anti-Trump to Pro-Something (Live from Crooked Con)
Last week’s midterm landslide was powered in part by Trump voters pulling the lever for Democrats instead. But that doesn’t mean their view of the Democratic Party has…
What Happened on Tuesday? (Live from Crooked Con)
Live from Crooked Con, Dan sits down with leading Democratic strategists to break down the party’s historic midterm victory. The Bulwark’s Sarah Longwell, pollster Carlos Odio, and campaign…
Storming the Capital (with Abdul and JB)
Live from DC, Jon, Lovett, Tommy, Alex, and Dan break down all the latest news from the aftermath of Democrats’ huge wins on Tuesday, from JD Vance’s attempted…
Blue Tsunami!
Holy sh*t! Democrats roll to commanding majorities in both the Senate and House, cruising to wins in deep-red Kansas, South Carolina, and Texas (and just about everywhere else)…
Last Call for Takes!
Election Day is here at last. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy go through the final batch of polls and make the case for optimism (and pessimism) in each of…
What the Final Polls Tell Us
CNN's Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten joins Tommy for one last deep dive ahead of Election Day. They break down the rising chance of a Democratic blowout in…
Trump Puts the Mid in Midterms
Trump campaigns in South Carolina as the polls show Democrat Annie Andrews tied with Senator Darline Graham. Jon and Dan react to the president's incoherent case for the…
Let Them Eat Cheesecake
Campaigning in Michigan, Barack Obama says Donald Trump's White House renovations look like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory" — touching off many rounds of fake conservative outrage.…
Stopping the Steal with Eric Holder
Former Attorney General Eric Holder joins Alex Wagner to game out the ways Trump might try to steal the midterms, from weaponizing the Department of Justice, to sending…
Fake Polls, Real Wave?
Polling's gold standard, the New York Times/Siena poll, releases new data showing Democrats surging far ahead of Republicans with an 11-point lead on the generic ballot, while another…
Vance Bombs at Brutal Town Hall
Vice President JD Vance tries and fails to act normal during a CBS town hall in Michigan — but struggles even harder to explain away his boss's policies.…
Have Republicans Already Blown the Midterms?
With two weeks until the midterms, Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, sits down with Dan to break down what she calls the most…
Donald Trump: Ass Man
Trump makes the case for Jon Husted in Ohio, praising the Republican senator's greatest asset: his athletic behind. Jon and Dan react to Trump's Ohio rally and his…
One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
A right-wing conspiracy theory claiming that James Talarico, who has been off the campaign trail with the flu, was actually at a mental institution in Ohio is immediately…
Democrats' Closing Argument (with David Axelrod)
As Democrats in competitive races across the country try to thread the needle on a closing argument, Jon and legendary political consultant David Axelrod discuss the most memorable…
MAGA's Big Fat Greek Scandal
The Wall Street Journal reveals brazen corruption by Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former Fox News host (and Don Jr. fiancée) now serving as ambassador to Greece — and the…
Trump Plans to Shove What Where?
With less than 30 days until the midterms, Trump hits the campaign trail, promising Republican voters that they're going to "win big" and "shove it up their ass."…
Deep State Rebels v. Trump (with Michael Lewis)
Michael Lewis, the New York Times bestselling author of "Moneyball" and "The Big Short," stops by the studio to talk to Lovett about "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep…
Beardos, Weirdos, and Donald Trump
Pete Hegseth, in an unconventional speech, announces that beardos, weirdos, and wimps are no longer welcome at the Department of War as his boss officially hit the road…
Impeach Pete Hegseth?
Senate Democrats signal they may be open to impeaching Pete Hegseth after the election if the House has the votes for it. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett discuss why that…
Choosin' Texas with Bobby Pulido
Live from the Texas Tribune Festival, Jon, Tommy, Lovett, and Dan discuss the dream of a blue Texas and how the campaigns there are doing, from James Talarico's…
Always Test Your Hopium
The news is full of encouraging signs for Democrats. Is it all too good to be true? Dan and Jon react to Republican candidates running away from Trump on…
Trump Bans Crooked Media
Major television networks halt White House pool coverage after Trump announces that he's banning journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. Jon and Tommy react to Trump and JD…
Fighting with Fox News feat. Jessica Tarlov
Fox News host Jessica Tarlov, the lone liberal voice on "The Five," stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about her new book "I Disagree: Winning Arguments…
Will the Blue Wave Be Bigger Than 2018?
JD Vance begs voters to give the White House "another chance" as a series of new polls show a political environment even more favorable to Democrats than the…
Artificial Intelligence, Actual Idiots
Trump dismisses the AI CEOs at Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI who are calling for a "global slowdown" of AI development, saying the only government regulation the industry needs…
On the Ground in Michigan with Abdul El-Sayed
Tommy flies out to Detroit to talk to Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, asking him about his masculinity-forward campaign, the electorate's appetite for candidates who fight back,…
Dallas Bribers Club
At the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Donald Trump promises that he'll give every American adult a $5,000 check if — and only if — Republicans retain control…
Will Trump's Postal Service Seize This Mail Bag?
Jon, Tommy, Lovett, and Dan answer listener questions, diving into what they’re most hoping to learn from the 2026 midterms, their favorite political ads of all time, and…
Poll Me Twice, Shame On Me
Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke — the hosts of Crooked Media's new show Still Counting — join Lovett to talk about the Senate races they find…
Republicans Suddenly Have Plans Next Week
Dozens of Republican lawmakers tell the press that they won't be attending Trump's midterm convention next week, citing a variety of unconvincing excuses, but the president seems unfazed…
Is Trump Trying to Lose the Midterms?
Weeks after a Republican campaign committee called AI data centers the "anchor hanging around" GOP candidates' necks, Trump weighs in to say that all Americans who oppose data…
Obama's Campaign Manager's 2028 Scouting Report
Jon sits down with legendary Democratic strategist David Plouffe to assess the race for the Senate and House and — why not? — look forward to 2028. The…
Lake America Great Again
With his approval rating 20 points underwater, Donald Trump previews his new midterm strategy: telling voters to pretend he’s on the ballot. Jon and Dan break down how…
Donald J. Plump
As the Trump administration launches economic wars against Iran and Canada, the Washington Post reports on Trump's war with a third adversary: his weight. Jon, Tommy, and Lovett…
How to Reach the Unreachable Voter
How can Democrats reach the elusive swing voter? Danielle Butterfield, executive director of Priorities USA, one of the most important PACs in Democratic politics, joins Dan to talk…
Total Eclipse of the Harp
MAGA world continues to express outrage over Jon Ossoff's "travel with Natalie" remarks, including an over-the-top rant from Scott Jennings that is being seen as the pundit's shameless…
Printer? I Hardly Know Her!
Jon Ossoff attacks Trump for sidestepping his duties to "travel with Natalie," the White House aide known as Trump's "Human Printer," who has a suspiciously close relationship to…
AI Apocalypse... Now?
Is AI set to destroy the world, or could it all just be a bubble? Why does Sam Altman want ChatGPT to monitor everything you do on your…
Trump's Mile-Hide Club
Donald Trump hides in a catering truck and boards a secret plane to evade an Iranian security threat, leaving reporters, White House officials, and Secretary of State Marco…
Can Dems Put Woke to Bed?
Republicans amp up the fear-mongering on "communism" as Democrats try to move past some of their nominees' most controversial past statements. In the words of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:…
Is the Progressive Takeover Real?
MS NOW's Chris Hayes joins Alex Wagner to talk about what Democrats should take away from the progressive movement's big primary win in Michigan and how the party's…
Tucker 2028?
Tucker Carlson, with the help of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, explores launching a third-party bid for president. Jon and Dan discuss how his candidacy could upend the…
Bonus: Abdul El-Sayed Wins in Michigan feat. Bernie Sanders
Abdul El-Sayed wins Michigan's democratic Senate nomination, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens by one point after a heated campaign about the future of the Democratic party. Jon and Dan sit…
From Pirro to Zero
Trump trashes Jeanine Pirro — and may be on the brink of firing her — for admitting in court that his narrative about "vandalism" in the Reflecting Pool…
A Unified Theory of Trumpism
Jonathan V. Last, editor of The Bulwark, stops by the show to talk to Lovett about his "Grand Unified Theory of Trumpism" — that Trump's opponent "will always…
Abolish Bad Tweets
Progressive candidates have serious momentum going into the upcoming primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin — but they'll have to figure out how to explain away some problematic old…
Phones and Blame Fly at the DNC
A slew of new reporting details big problems at the DNC, from deepening financial woes to leaks, paranoia, and an allegation that Chairman Ken Martin threw his phone…
The Search for an Exciting Moderate
What does a positive vision for the center-left look like? Can moderation still excite the Democratic base? Matt Yglesias, who writes the Slow Boring newsletter and hosts The…