Thanksgiving Mailbag: Trans Rights, Progressive Media, and Skinny Jeans

President Biden pardons his son Hunter—a move he'd once promised not to make—and the backlash is immediate. Republicans are calling it a political favor, while some Democrats argue it undermines trust in the justice system. Meanwhile, Trump promises to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, a loyalist known for wanting to prosecute Trump's enemies (including journalists), even as his pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, faces new allegations of workplace misconduct—and a scathing email from his own mother. Plus, Bernie Sanders finds surprising common ground with Elon Musk, and Cheryl Hines posts a Black Friday thirst trap. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

It’s our annual Thanksgiving Mailbag episode! Jon, Lovett, and Tommy dive into some of your smartest, funniest, and most thought-provoking questions. They tackle everything from concerns about the Democratic Party’s stance on trans rights and Biden’s legacy to ideas for boosting left-wing media and getting more people to run for local office. Plus, they share their thoughts on the fate of skinny jeans in 2025, favorite holiday movies, and their fitness routines.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Lovett sits down with Hasan Piker, the massively popular progressive streamer, to talk through (and argue about) the hard questions about where the Democratic Party needs to go from here, the liberal media landscape, what the Harris campaign told us about why they lost, and yes, a jobs program for incels. Then, Jon talks to Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton about the fight for the House, why blue states like his swung right, and the controversy he kicked up with his comments about trans athletes. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

In this candid interview, the leaders of the Harris-Walz Campaign speak for the first time about the challenges they faced and why they made the decisions they did. Dan sits down with Jen O'Malley Dillon, David Plouffe, Quentin Fulks, and Stephanie Cutter to talk about the campaign's roadmap, their approach to nontraditional media outlets like Joe Rogan, the voters they most needed to win over, why they fell short in the end, and what Democrats should do differently next time. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Matt Gaetz is out as Trump's attorney general pick after the mounting questions about past interactions with young women cost him the support of key senators. Nominated in his place: former Florida AG Pam Bondi. Meanwhile, House Republicans have decided their top priority is prohibiting incoming Congresswoman Sarah McBride from using women's bathrooms in the Capitol. Jon and Dan break down what the Gaetz debacle says about Trump's Cabinet picks, his rocky relationships with Senate Republicans, what the bathroom stunt means for LGBTQ rights, and how McBride and her colleagues should respond. Then, Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez talks with Jon about how she pulled off another win in her rural, Trump-supporting district, and what Democrats can learn from her success. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

The problems dogging attorney general pick Matt Gaetz don't seem to be going away, as new leaks expose a history of thousands of dollars in Venmo payments to two women at the center of the complaints against him. Meanwhile, newly unearthed video of RFK Jr., Trump's choice for health secretary, shows him speculating about whether the Covid pandemic was planned by the government. Tommy is joined by Democratic strategist and media expert Lis Smith to unpack all the chaos, plus what the Dems are missing, what needs to shift in their media strategy, and the big questions driving the race for DNC Chair. Then, Dan sits down with Sen. Jon Tester to reflect on his re-election battle in Montana, how Democrats can win in the heartland again, and the best way to connect with voters in red states. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Donald Trump completes his journey from outcast to cool kid, showing off his MAGA clique at a glitzy UFC fight and even getting nemeses Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski to come groveling to Mar-a-Lago. Meanwhile, it may not be such smooth sailing for two of his top cabinet picks, Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, as questions mount about sexual misconduct. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy break down all the latest, including Democratic governors' plan to constrain Trump's power, the upcoming race for DNC chair, and under-the-radar moves at the FCC. Then, Tommy talks with NBC News's Brandy Zadrozny, an expert in misinformation and the rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about RKF's plans for the medical care you get and the food you eat. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Donald Trump goes all in on naming his biggest political boosters to Cabinet posts, whether they're qualified or not (they're not!). Trump wants alleged sex offender Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, vaccine skeptic RFK Jr. for HHS Secretary, dictator sympathizer Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy for the newly invented Department of Government Efficiency. Jon and Dan discuss the odds of Senate Republicans blocking any of these nominations, why Trump picked them in the first place, and how Democrats can respond without defending the status quo. Then, Jon sits down with Senator-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey to talk about how Democrats can listen and learn after the election, what Kim thinks of Trump's Cabinet picks so far, and learning to be comfortable with uncomfortable politics. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Jon and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, host of The Ezra Klein Show, talk through what we know about how Democrats started to lose working-class and lower-information voters—even before 2024—how social media and interest groups drive those divides, why blue states and cities shifted right, and what progressives can do to tackle the affordability crisis. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.

Trump begins staffing top roles in his second administration with loyalists and sycophants—and demands that the senators running for majority leader agree to embrace a process that would allow him to appoint whoever he wants without Senate confirmation. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy discuss whether Trump's opening moves are as chilling as we thought they'd be, what we do and don't know about his second-term plans, and how he might pursue revenge on his opponents. Then, Tommy speaks with New York Congressman Pat Ryan, who hung on in a tough district, about the lessons the Democratic Party needs to learn in order to win.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] and include the name of the podcast.