Pod Save America

Democrats win George Santos’s seat back, the House impeaches the Homeland Security Secretary instead of addressing the border crisis, and Biden joins TikTok. Addisu Demissie joins Lovett to break down the news and Chris Christie talks about what it will take to defeat Trump and whether he will support Biden in order to do it. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Joe Biden and the Democratic Party wrestle with concerns about the President's age in the wake of the Special Counsel's report calling him "a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." Donald Trump pops up at a rally in South Carolina to remind everyone that he's an elderly man with a poor memory who doesn't mean well at all. And later, former Representative Mondaire Jones stops by the studio to talk about disfunction in Congress, how control of the House might hinge on New York races like his, and today's big special election to replace George Santos. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Republicans find creative new ways to humiliate themselves for Donald Trump. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Colorado’s 14th amendment case against Trump, and Special Counsel Robert Hur won't charge Biden for mishandling classified documents. Then, Jon and Dan put their dignity on the line and place bets on the Super Bowl in our new game: All Bets Are (Shaken) Off. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

A vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas fails and Republicans turn on each other over the border fight. Nikki Haley loses Nevada to “none of the above.” And the DC circuit court rules against Trump’s pitch that he’s not beholden to federal laws. Politico congressional correspondent Daniella Diaz, Nevada political reporter Jon Ralston, and Strict Scrutiny co-host Kate Shaw join to walk through the latest. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Lead Democratic negotiator Senator Chris Murphy joins the pod to talk about the bipartisan senate border security bill, GOP push-back, and sending conditional aid to Israel. Later, Trump throws RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel under the bus while praising Xi Jinping. Nikki Haley makes a surprise appearance on SNL and the US launches more strikes against Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria, while Trump stays silent on the conflict. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. 

Nikki Haley's campaign claims she has a path to the Republican nomination without winning Republican voters. The Biden-Trump polls are all over the place. Joe Manchin, RFK Jr. and others continue to flirt with third party presidential bids that could tip the election to Trump. Plus, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown stops by to talk about his high stakes Senate race, the fight for reproductive rights, and the one year anniversary of the East Palestine train derailment. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Strict Scrutiny's Leah Litman joins Jon Favreau to puzzle through the right's new Taylor Swift obsession, take stock of Donald Trump's mounting legal problems, and explain why some Republicans are threatening a new civil war over the Supreme Court's border ruling. Then, Dan Pfeiffer speaks to Biden-Harris deputy campaign managers Quentin Fulks and Rob Flaherty about their plans to mobilize voters, fight disinformation, and win the election. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

On Trump's orders, Republicans in Congress double down on killing the bipartisan border deal. Both Joe Biden and Nikki Haley hit Trump's memory lapses while campaigning in South Carolina. And, the Biden Campaign starts to preview its 2024 strategy—including  a big surrogate operation, empowering social media influencers, and—maybe!—an endorsement from Taylor Swift. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Former Congresswoman and Vice Chair of the January 6th select committee Liz Cheney joins the pod to discuss the dangers of a second Trump term, his chokehold on the Republican party and why she thinks Nikki Haley needs to stay in the GOP primary. Plus, more on Mitch McConnell’s about-face on the bipartisan Senate immigration deal and President Biden's endorsement from the United Auto Workers Union. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Donald Trump wins the New Hampshire primary by a smaller margin than expected and returns to form during his victory speech. Despite her loss, Nikki Haley stays in the race and sets her sights on South Carolina. And later, President Biden kicks off the general election with a rally and ad focused on abortion access. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Ron DeSantis ends his campaign for president and endorses the man who relentlessly bullied him. Nikki Haley questions Donald Trump’s mental fitness after he has a few senior moments on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Trump is up double digits in New Hampshire and winning all kinds of endorsements from Republican politicians. And later, Tommy talks with California Governor Gavin Newsom about Democratic messaging, the Republican primary, and his dream Coachella lineup. crooked.supercast.com For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

With the New Hampshire primary just five days away, Trump attacks Nikki Haley using an all-too-familiar line of attack. The Granite State is Haley's last, best chance—but is she even fighting to win it anymore? New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers stops by to talk about what he's seeing—and what's missing—on the campaign trail. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tim Miller joins Lovett and Tommy to talk about Donald Trump’s blowout win in Iowa and what’s next in the Republican primary. Ron DeSantis defies the media (and common sense) by remaining in the primary. Nikki Haley declares it a two-person race and refuses to debate anyone but Trump or Biden. Meanwhile, Trump is still on track to be the nominee and back in court.

Donald Trump wins a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses and moves closer to capturing the Republican nomination. Ron DeSantis barely wins the race for a distant second place but vows to keep losing, while Lovett's new crush Nikki Haley looks to upset Trump in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy calls it quits and President Biden announces strong fourth quarter fundraising numbers as a re-match with Trump looms. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Less than two weeks before the caucuses, Tommy heads to Iowa to spend a few days going to campaign events, talking with voters, and taking the pulse of the race for second place. He attends two Ron DeSantis events—and learns the Florida governor is as boring as everyone says—interviews Vivek Ramaswamy on his campaign bus, and sneaks into a Nikki Haley event. With just a few days of campaigning to go, do any of these candidates have the momentum to beat expectations in Iowa and defeat Donald Trump? For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Tommy takes a look at the 2024 Iowa Caucuses and their impact on the 2024 presidential race, asking the all-important question — does this even matter anymore? With Trump leading every poll, it can feel like the first-in-the-nation vote is nothing more than a battle for second place. But the Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel, Iowa State University pollster Dave Peterson, and GOP insider David Kochel make the case for how Iowa could still shape the Republican primary. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Biden frames the 2024 presidential race as a fight for democracy while Trump and his allies call the insurrectionists “hostages.” Then, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is hospitalized without informing the White House, conservatives continue to wage war on the Ivy League, and New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni joins to talk about a deal to avoid a potential shutdown and the GOP effort to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. 

Tommy joins Dan from the campaign trail in Iowa to discuss the latest in the GOP primary, Trump's 14th Amendment ballot woes in Maine and Colorado, and Joe Biden's reelection strategy. Then, Dan and NBC News and MSNBC National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki dig into polling and voter data ahead of the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary and look at what the numbers might mean for the 2024 Presidential election. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Here’s a holiday sneak peek of Crooked's new exclusive series for Friends of the Pod, POLLERCOASTER. In this preview, host Dan Pfeiffer and guest Cornell Belcher (Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies and former pollster for Obama) analyze the latest polls, unpack what it means for Trump to be leading Biden, and explore where former incumbent Presidents Obama, Clinton, and others were at this point in their presidencies. New episodes of Pollercoaster drop every other week, so if you want to hear the rest of the episode (or future ones), be sure to sign up for Friends of the Pod at crooked.com/friends.

We're taking a much needed break to gear up for 2024, but we're excited to share an exclusive clip from Friend Of The Pod Sam Sanders' weekly podcast Vibe Check. Each week on Vibe Check, Sam, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford make sense of what’s going on in news and culture – and how it all feels.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.