Crooked Media

skip to main content In This Episode Kate is joined by returning guest and friend of the show, Kim Lane Scheppele, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton, and one of the world’s leading scholars of democratic backsliding, autocracy, and the rule of law.

skip to main content In This Episode How is the world reacting to America’s World Cup? Did Trump’s red card interference ruin all the fun? And will the U.S. men’s national team ever be good? Gary Lineker, host of The Rest Is Football and English soccer legend, joins Tommy to talk about the excitement, anxiety, and geopolitics surrounding the 2026 World Cup.

In This Episode We give up the ghost on knowing what’s up with Mitch McConnell, while Thomas Massie brings out the gallows humor, and Trump puts another nail in NATO’s coffin. This week, Congressman Maxwell Frost talks zombie congress, Gen Z progressives and (sigh) Alf. Margaret Cho and Langston Kerman know the truth is out there – but in here, it’s mostly jokes about Heated Rivalry and trying to poop. And we pay our last respects with a round of Second Thoughts (and one very special kudos).

In This Episode What exactly is happening inside CBS News, and how much is Bari Weiss to blame? How are journalists at CNN feeling about becoming the Ellisons’ next target? And what has corporate consolidation done to the media? Oliver Darcy, founder and writer of Status and former senior media reporter for CNN, joins Offline to break it all down.

skip to main content In This Episode A lot of Democratic voters want fighters in the battle against President Donald Trump and the Trumpified Republican Party, and it’s pretty obvious why. Even when Democrats control Congress and the White House, it feels like they focus more on making common cause with Republicans than on getting anything done.

skip to main content In This Episode Since 84-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell was hospitalized on June 14th after being found unconscious at his home, not one person — not even President Donald Trump — seems to know what is going on. McConnell is one of the most powerful Republican figures in political history. But over the last few years, he’s had a number of health issues, including freezing episodes during press conferences.

In This Episode Erin and Alyssa dissect the fallout from the latest Graham Platner allegations, the vital status of Mitch McConnell, and the BS Americans endured in the name of Freedom 250. Then the president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, Christian Lobue, joins to talk about the organization’s exciting partnership with Olivia Rodrigo’s all-female music festival, Daisy Chain Fields. They wrap up with a World Cup edition of the Sanity Corner and an update about the show.

In This Episode The Maine Senate race has been thrown into complete disarray after serious allegations of sexual assault emerged against Graham Platner. This week Alex speaks to Dan Kleban, former Senate candidate and co-founder of the Maine Beer Company, about how Democratic voters in Maine are feeling in the wake of Platner’s campaign implosion, and why they don’t want Washington meddling in their elections.

In This Episode Belgium throws a red card in Trump’s face and Democrats show Graham Platner the door. Then, Dana Gould and Alanna Ubach take us behind the scenes from “The Brady Bunch Movie” to “The Ben Stiller Show.” Plus, how DO you kill a vampire? The answer may surprise you. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.

skip to main content In This Episode Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner burst into the national spotlight last year with a campaign centering around his supposed working class bonafides and promises to fight the establishment. He easily won his primary despite multiple scandals, ranging from problematic Reddit posts to “unsettling” behavior from past partners.