We Are Back: The Truth About Our Break

Barrett and Baxa are back to discuss their hiatus and what comes next. Get the full update on our return and the upcoming announcement.After an extended break that stretched from July through September, we are finally returning to the studio. This episode serves as a casual catch-up between Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa, breaking down why we stepped away and what we have been thinking about while off the air. It is a necessary reset before we get back to dissecting media spin and political insanity.We also address the Cal announcement unfolding now, which marks the start of our next chapter. If you have been waiting for the show to return to its regular schedule, this conversation covers exactly what you can expect from us moving forward. We are ready to get back to the circus.Subscribe for more media analysis and commentary, and let us know in the comments what stories you want us to tackle first now that we are officially back.

Watch this replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa and you’ll come away with a sharper eye for political headlines, AI misinformation, media spin, and the strange new ways America argues with itself. What starts as a patriotic Fourth of July conversation about America’s 250th birthday quickly swerves into CNN patriotism numbers, Betsy Ross flag controversy, “Queers for Palestine,” Russia gas-station fights, SNAP soda debates, and the shocking discovery that Donald Trump’s late-night snacking habits are apparently national news.In this episode, Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa break down the stories behind the headlines with the kind of sarcastic, common-sense commentary you only get when two former news guys look at modern media and say, “Wait… this is the story?” They also dig into the DuckDuckGo AI rabies hoax, a real example of AI misinformation/data poisoning that showed how fake internet claims can bubble into search results and look official fast. That issue has been recently reported as a broader AI search reliability problem after DuckDuckGo’s AI falsely claimed Trump died of rabies. 

Dave Portnoy posted a mysterious old protest clip… and suddenly the internet turned into a political episode of CSI: Barstool.Watch this replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa and you’ll come away with a sharper sense of how fast the media, politics, and internet outrage can turn one weird clip into a full-blown cultural detective story. In this episode, Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa break down Dave Portnoy’s mysterious old protest video, the internet’s guessing game over who the masked man might be, and why that clip says something bigger about today’s Democratic Party, socialism, anti-capitalist politics, and the strange rise of political theater.The guys also dig into the Chicago cross-burning story, how local media framed it before the suspect was identified, and why the eventual arrest complicated the original narrative. Along the way, Barrett and Baxa tackle SNAP food stamp restrictions, Dan Goldman’s coffee shop controversy, Obama library mockery, Levi Strauss history, the launch of American Curiosity, and the now-famous executive who allegedly dragged a New York City trash can onto the subway after dumping a load for the rest of the world to clean up.This episode is part political commentary, part media criticism, part internet absurdity, and part “how did we get here?” comedy routine. It is also a live-show replay with a major Barrett and Baxa announcement: the show is heading into a short summer hiatus and preparing for a retooled, upgraded new season.

This replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa on YouTube will help you spot the difference between what the media says America is… and what people actually experience when they show up here with a camera, a soccer scarf, and apparently enough thirst to drain a bar dry. From World Cup fans falling in love with American restaurants to Scottish supporters allegedly turning beer supply chains into emergency operations, Bob Baxa and guest host Mallory Bonbright kick off with the kind of international diplomacy that begins at a Waffle House-adjacent restaurant and ends with everybody singing country music.Then the episode swerves — gloriously — into JD Vance on The View, Trump at the G7, Obama’s post-presidency media tour, Fourth of July boycotts, flag debates, fan behavior, Knicks chaos, Kentucky couch-burning traditions, and why every man in an airport suddenly becomes an aviation mechanic when someone changes a plane tire. It’s politics, culture, sports, media criticism, live-stream gremlins, and dad anthropology all rolled into one episode.If you like sharp commentary, funny political reactions, American culture, live podcast replays, conservative media analysis, World Cup fan stories, JD Vance clips, Trump news, Fourth of July debate, and unscripted moments that prove live shows are held together with duct tape and confidence, this episode delivers.Episode 122Live stream date: June 18, 2026

Want to understand why the modern news cycle feels like Ron Burgundy got trapped inside a robot factory? This replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa takes you from the obvious chaos — Trump sparring with CNN, Scott Pelley’s CBS drama, cable news hand-wringing — to the stranger truth underneath: media people may be the only group on earth more dramatic than a kindergarten graduation with a money roll. Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa riff through the week’s funniest and strangest clips, including Caitlin Collins taking a Trump blast radius, Laura Coates trying to connect UFC to fascism with interpretive hand dancing, Scott Pelley delivering peak broadcast-news gravitas, Nick Shirley getting screamed at in New York, Midwest meat raffle culture, Elon Musk’s space data center idea, robot mouths, robot girlfriends, and a robot that appears to roundhouse kick a child like it just joined Cobra Kai.This is a replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa on YouTube — part media critique, part comedy roast, part warning label for the future. By the end, you’ll know why the funniest clips of the week often explain the serious stuff better than the serious people do.Episode 121Live stream date: June 10, 2026

THC Truck Crashes, Nude Beaches & Media Madness | Barrett and Baxa REPLAYAmerica officially feels like a live-action parody — and this replay of Barrett and Baxa breaks down the weirdest, funniest, and most unbelievable stories dominating the culture right now. From Tim Walz dancing at George Floyd Square on Memorial Day… to a THC truck exploding across a Minnesota highway… to RFK Jr. casually wrestling snakes at Dr. Oz’s beach house — this episode delivers the kind of media insanity you truly cannot make up.Steve Barrett, Bob Baxa, and Mallory Bonbright dive into the collapse of public behavior, media spectacle culture, political absurdity, and why modern America increasingly feels like one giant internet meme. They also react to viral NBC and ABC reporter moments during White House gunfire, Spencer Pratt’s unexpectedly brilliant political-style social media campaign, Chicago celebrating its “least violent” Memorial Day despite multiple shootings, and the viral Netflix documentary “The Crash.”This is a replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa streamed on May 15, 2026 — featuring sharp media analysis, dark humor, cultural commentary, and the kind of behind-the-scenes broadcasting perspective only longtime television journalists can deliver.Episode 120 — May 27, 2026 #BarrettAndBaxa #TimWalz #RFKJr #GeorgeFloyd #MediaBias #CNN #Chicago #THCDrinks #Politics #Podcast #NewsCommentary #ViralNews #CulturalCommentary #TrueCrime #Netflix #SpencerPratt #WhiteHouse #BreakingNews #LivePodcast #YouTubePodcast Barrett and Baxa, Tim Walz dancing, RFK Jr snakes, George Floyd Square, THC truck crash Minnesota, Spencer Pratt campaign ads, NBC reporter gunshots, ABC reporter White House shooting, CNN media bias, Chicago shootings Memorial Day, The Crash Netflix documentary, viral political stories, weird news podcast, cultural commentary podcast, media analysis podcast, political comedy podcast, live podcast replay, Minnesota news, White House gunfire reporters, modern society commentary, funny political podcast, viral internet culture, true crime discussion, podcast clips, YouTube political commentary

From bullied autistic kid to war-zone correspondent — this story hits harder than you expect. This interview from Barrett and Baxa delivers one of the most emotional, revealing and brutally honest journalism conversations you’ll hear all year.Leland Vittert joins Steve Barrett for a powerful discussion about autism, bullying, newsroom pressure, war-zone reporting, and the life lessons that helped turn a misunderstood kid into one of the most recognizable anchors in cable news. From teachers humiliating him in class… to surviving one of America’s toughest TV newsrooms… to reporting from Cairo during the Arab Spring… this conversation goes far beyond politics.Along the way, Barrett and Vittert dive into the collapse of local journalism, newsroom egos, media bias, cable news culture, investigative reporting, and why the future of journalism may actually belong to independent creators and podcasters. It’s funny, heartbreaking, inspiring and occasionally savage — basically what happens when two veteran journalists stop pretending the business makes sense anymore.If you care about journalism, media bias, autism awareness, newsroom culture, fatherhood, bullying, resilience, cable news, NewsNation, Fox News, investigative reporting, local news, political media, or the future of storytelling in America… this episode is for you.Media Schmedia | #119#BarrettAndBaxa #LelandVittert #NewsNation #Journalism #CableNews #MediaBias #AutismAwareness #TVNews #BroadcastNews #InvestigativeJournalism #Podcast #PoliticalPodcast #LocalNews #Newsroom #BornLucky #FoxNews #Media #Journalist #IndependentMedia #FatherhoodLeland Vittert, NewsNation, Born Lucky, autism interview, journalism podcast, TV news insider, cable news truth, media bias, local journalism collapse, investigative journalism, newsroom culture, Fox News reporter, political media podcast, journalism documentary, autism success story, bullying story, television journalism, newsroom bullying, journalism career advice, Steve Barrett, Barrett and Baxa, modern journalism, future of journalism, independent journalism, Arab Spring reporter, war correspondent, media criticism, cable news behind the scenes, father son story, autism and success

If the news cycle feels completely broken lately, this episode of Barrett and Baxa might finally explain why. In this replay of the LIVE May 15, 2026 webcast, Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa dive headfirst into the strange intersection of politics, media, technology, UFO disclosure, and pure American absurdity — all with the humor of two longtime newsroom veterans who’ve officially stopped pretending any of this is normal.This episode covers the “Made in America” Trump phone controversy, AOC speaking behind a bulletproof barrier, a helicopter landing in a park for prom photos, creepy Disney history, dancing robots that immediately malfunction, and claims from former intelligence officials that the U.S. government may have agreements with extraterrestrials. Yes… really.Along the way, Steve and Bob also share hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from their TV news careers, their abandoned Orlando mini golf course, working with future NewsNation anchor Leland Vittert, and why angry political commentary is officially getting old. This replay is part comedy show, part media analysis, part therapy session for people exhausted by modern headlines.Replay of the LIVE Barrett and Baxa webcast.Episode 119 — May 20, 2026.

If you’re exhausted by nonstop outrage and political screaming matches, this replay of Barrett and Baxa might be exactly what your brain needs. In Episode 118, Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa take a hilarious deep dive into the strangest stories dominating the media cycle—and explain why modern news has become completely incapable of laughing at itself.This LIVE replay covers everything from Trump’s China trip, AI-generated “Donnie Donnie Nap” hip-hop videos, and alleged Chinese spies in California politics… to giant squids, bizarre Australian fashion shows, conspiracy theories, and perhaps the most disturbing invention of 2026: the robotic tongue. Yes, really.Along the way, Barrett and Baxa tackle media censorship, COVID-era misinformation, late-night hypocrisy, replacement theory debates, and why humor may actually be the missing ingredient in modern American culture. Think political commentary meets stand-up comedy—with a little late-night AM radio chaos mixed in.This is a replay of a live episode of Barrett and Baxa streamed on YouTube.Episode 118Live Stream Date: May 15, 2026#BarrettAndBaxa #Trump #China #RobotTongue #ComedyPodcast #PoliticalHumor #MediaBias #PodcastReplay #GiantSquid #AITrump #FunnyNews #CultureWars #YouTubePodcast #LiveReplay #CurrentEvents#PoliticalCommentary #Humor #LateNight #PodcastClips #ConspiracyTheory #COVIDDebate #CaliforniaPolitics #FashionWeek #NewsCommentary #Satire #TrendingNews #Rumble #SpotifyPodcasts #ApplePodcasts #YouTubeLiveBarrett and Baxa, Trump China trip, AI Trump song, Donnie Donnie Nap, robot tongue news, giant squid discovery, China spies California, Katie Porter replacement theory, funny political podcast, media hypocrisy, COVID misinformation debate, Jimmy Kimmel censorship, Australia fashion week fail, humorous news commentary, conservative comedy podcast, political satire podcast, weird news stories, live podcast replay, Barrett and Baxa episode 118, Trump meme culture

What if the “crazy UFO conspiracy theories” suddenly became mainstream news? In this episode of Barrett and Baxa, Steve Barrett and Bob Baxa break down the exploding story about pastors allegedly being briefed on alien disclosure, secret government meetings, UFO revelations, and why even major media outlets are suddenly taking the topic seriously. Then things somehow get even crazier.Steve and Bob dive into Spencer Pratt’s viral LA mayor debate performance, California homelessness, open-air fentanyl drug scenes, NYC subway violence, media hypocrisy involving Tucker Carlson and Jimmy Kimmel, and a controversial “Muslim-only” water park event in Texas. It’s part political commentary, part cultural breakdown, and part stand-up comedy therapy session for surviving modern America.Also included: Grady Judd’s legendary prostitution sting press conference, Bob’s brutally honest rant about drug addiction, Steve’s Minnesota beekeeping adventures, and enough UFO speculation to make the X algorithm spontaneously combust.Media Schmedia | #117