The Bitchuation Room

This is a portion of a bonus show. To get access to the full show and all the bonus episodes, plus our interview series, Hot Button ,become a paying patreon and listen to it at patreon.com/bitchuationroom. The bluenami leads to trouble in Trumpworld as Marco Rubio floats leaving, Pete Hegseth begs for his job, and Stephen Miller takes Susie Wiles' post as Chief of Staff. Then, mass calls flood Congress to choose another Speaker of the House and Leader of the Senate. Anyone but AIPAC-aligned corporate centrists like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. And why Gina Hinojosa might just be the best thing that's every happened to Texas. Francesca digs into her economic populist stances that are pro-education, pro-labor and pro-teacher.  Finally, a look at Los Angeles and Nithya Raman's absolutely incredible and successful run for mayor. What will her priorities be in office, and is she really the Zohran of LA? Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Democrats just took back the House and the Senate in one of the most lopsided midterm routs in modern history. Talarico flipped Texas, and El-Sayed beat Rogers in Michigan despite Haley Stevens’s betrayal. Francesca is joined by Breaking Points co-host Krystal Ball to ask: with this historic win, will the feckless Democratic establishment FINALLY rise to the moment? We get into Chuck Schumer, whether Democrats should work with Trump, and why the party has to break with Israel.Then, the American Prospect’s executive editor David Dayen joins to talk about the new wave of representatives in swing states, who aren’t actually moderates as much as populists! And we look into whether the blue wave can finally mean the end of the Electoral College, and why California has somehow kept itself as a neoliberal hell.Featuring:Krystal Ball, co-host of Breaking Pointshttps://x.com/krystalballDavid Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospecthttps://prospect.org/author/david-dayen/ Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lula crushed Bolsonaro’s son in Brazil by doing everything Democratic consultants say never works, Barack Obama compares Trump’s White House redecoration to “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,” and Trump’s DOJ is openly trying to cover for Orange Man’s disgusting sex pest behavior.Francesca is on the final-week-before-the-midterms beat with Justice Democrats communications director Usamah Andrabi, who explains how AIPAC is hiding its money in pop-up super PACs to save Doris Matsui from Mai Vang, why Haley Stevens still won’t campaign for Abdul El-Sayed, and why feckless Democratic leaders want to “go small” if they take power.Then, TargetSmart’s Tom Bonier joins to break down the fake pollsters flooding the zone with bunk data, and what the 33 million—and counting!—early votes already tell us. We get into Justin Pearson’s fierce campaign, Texas Latino turnout surpassing 2024 presidential levels, and the young Black voters across the Deep South marching miles to the polls after the Voting Rights Act gutting.Featuring:Usamah Andrabi, communications director at Justice Democrats,https://x.com/usamahandrabihttps://justicedemocrats.comTom Bonier, CEO of The TARA Group and senior advisor at TargetSmart, https://x.com/tbonierhttps://tombonier.substack.com***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.***LIVE SHOWS: Saturday November 21st, PasadenaNew World Disorder: Tickets Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a portion of Francesca’s interview with journalist David Dayen. To get access to the full interview by becoming a member by joining the Patreon.David Dayen has a really good brain. He's been tracking and unpacking how corporations have used our government as a door mat for years. In this discussion he, joins Francesca to explains how favoritism and bribery have replaced regulation during Trump 2.0, and how the regime fits the textbook definition of fascism, i.e., corporate control and government authoritarianism. He also explains the state of antitrust cases under Trump, assesses what could have been done under Biden, and mulls over whether progressives should have pushed further under Biden—and what worked under his administration, until it didn't. They discuss the serious real-world impacts on the defunding of Medicare, SNAP and WIC and how the 'vengeance budgeting' of the Trump administration has disproportionately defunded blue states. Dayen breaks down what the Zohran Mamdani administration is doing right, and how interventions like city-run grocery stores 'utterly disrupt' the late-stage capitalist hell we find ourselves in.Featuring:David Dayen, Executive Editor, The American Prospecthttps://prospect.org/Read Francesca’s columns from The American Prospecthttps://prospect.org/author/francesca-fiorentini/***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.***LIVE SHOWS:Saturday November 21st, PasadenaNew World Disorder: Tickets  Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

JD Vance is on an absolute epic run of terrible campaign speeches, recently comparing the U.S. economy to the Titanic and insulting an Iran war widower. Meanwhile Bernie Sanders campaigns in Florida for Angie Nixon, and Abdul El-Sayed beats back the Islamophobic plants in Michigan. Francesca is solo discussing the state of the midterms race, James Carville’s revelatory rant on The Bulwark--an outlet no one should listen to--and the recent white nationalist line when it comes to protests in France. Then, we’re joined Lily Greenberg Call, the first Jewish-American political appointee to resign from the Biden administration over Gaza, to talk about the lessons the Biden Administration isn't learning from supporting a genocide and the olive harvest violence in the West Bank. Greenberg Call is ready for Kamala to start apologizing for enabling genocide—but that still won't mean she wants Harris ‘28.Featuring:Lily Greenberg Call, former Biden administration appointee and first Jewish-American political appointee to resign over Gaza.https://www.instagram.com/lilygreenbergcall/voteforpeace.info***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.***LIVE SHOWS:Saturday November 21st, PasadenaNew World Disorder: Tickets Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The latest blonde press secretary has come and gone but we press on. Francesca and Matt Lieb were in Philadelphia, bitching about how much those cheesesteaks just sit in your stomach, huh? Joined by organizer and activist Nelini Stamp and labor journalist Kim Kelly, much hay was made over an American Idol going full Karen on a local art store in Brooklyn. Then a little Shane Gillis shade and why the Amish are spreading a disease that was eradicated in the year 2000.Plus, Trump is fully in his gay period while the GOP continues to parrot anti-trans insanity. And the media can’t let go of the idea of having a Muslim Senator in Abdul El-Sayed by virtue of their raging Islamophobia.And what do we need to keep in mind as leftists as Democrats appear poised to at least take the House come 2027? Kim Kelly and Nelini discuss their wishlist for democracy in the years ahead. Finally a Matt Lieb-produced round of "Two News and a Lie: Netanyahu Edition".Featuring:Kim Kelly, journalist and author https://www.kim-kelly.com/Nelini Stamp, organizer of fandoms & formerly WFPhttps://www.threads.com/@nelstampMatt Lieb, Bad Hasbara Podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@Badhasbara***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com. Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a portion of Francesca’s interview with podcast host Jennifer Welch. To get access to the full interview become a patron: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom.Jennifer Welch has had it. With Bible thumpers who vote to disappear their neighbors, with incompetent weirdos in the Trump White House, and with Democrats who refuse to fight fascism or oligarchy. A former interior designer turned political podcast host, Jenn and her co-host Angie "Pumps" Sullivan, have struck a necessary chord in the pundit space. There's a brilliant and unfiltered quality to their work, and the kind of refreshing wonk-free speak that so many Americans are responding to. In fact she wrote a book about it called "Not Today, Fascists" that is out now.Francesca and Jenn talk about how she got her star on BravoTV, the success of the Republican Party in red states that Democrats had given up on, and why it's okay to make fun of whatever is happening to RFK Jr.'s throad or Trump's cankles. Having grown up in the Bible Belt, Jenn speaks about what she calls the "recreational cruelty" of the wealthy that the Republican Party caters to. Sure on paper no one wants to look elitist or classist, but behind closed doors they're voting to take away rights from the poor and people of color.Jenn and Pumps have made headlines in their interviews with Democratic leadership like Senator Cory Booker or Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, specifically over the question of AIPAC money and Gaza. There's a soothing aspect to Jenn's frankness and it's not just her Oklahoma accent. There's righteousness, conviction and most of all a wicked sense of humor.***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.***LIVE SHOWS:Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-livePhiladelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-liveBrooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell Househttps://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608 Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump told a Nebraska rally that letting Iran "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego would be "a very small price to pay" — incredibly normal! We break down that bit of light treason alongside why Ms. Rachel and Hasan Piker are both right on Gaza, Tom Morello wrongly getting dragged for saying he didn't vote for Harris in 2024, and Vanity Fair getting reamed by playwright Jeremy O. Harris for glazing tech oligarchs who "want us all dead."Then, Democratic strategist and Bernie Sanders campaign veteran Chuck Rocha joins to break down the Texas elections: why James Talarico is closing in on Ken Paxton, why Gina Hinojosa has a real shot at beating Greg Abbott, and why the state's ICE militarization backfired even on Latino Trump voters who wanted border security but got random kidnappings.Featuring:Chuck Rocha, founder of Solidarity Strategies, https://x.com/ChuckRochahttps://www.instagram.com/chuck_rocha***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***LIVE SHOWS:Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-livePhiladelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-liveBrooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell Househttps://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608 Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a portion of Francesca’s interview with journalist Aaron Cantú. To get access to the full interview become a patron: www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom.No state has been hit harder by skyrocketing oil prices under the war on Iran than California. It is heavily reliant on both fossil fuels and foreign oil, and simultaneously hit with unprecedented fires and droughts every year. This paradox seems to be lost on the Democratic Supermajority in the state. Because while California talks the talk on stopping climate change, it does not walk the walk. Large renewable energy projects sputter out, private energy companies keep jacking up prices, all while their negligence has led to massive fires like the ones in Los Angeles. Aaron Cantú is a climate journalist for State & Main. He writes about climate change and climate policies in California. How do so many of California’s climate failures trace back to Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s AB 32 bill that overly relied on market solutions. This has led to things like cow runoff pits that get turned into tax incentives for factory farmers. What about getting rid of factory farms and moving to regenerative farming? And why are any large-scale projects–from public transit to renewable energy– always put on the back burner? CHAPTERS00:00:00 - Intro00:00:50 - Doing Climate Journalism00:02:52 - Why is California STILL So Fossil Fuel Dependent?00:07:18 - Why Is California So Reliant on Foreign Oil?00:12:50 - Why Renewable Projects Have Stalled00:20:58 - Who's Most Impacted By Climate Collapse00:25:29 - Holding Climate Culprits Accountable00:30:27 - When Do The People Take Over the Grid?00:35:58 - California's Datacenters Are Untenable00:43:18 - A Way Out of This Mess00:45:30 - Hot Button Question!Featuring: Aaron Cantú, journalisthttps://capitalandmain.com/author/aaron-cantu Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

An egregious campus sexual assault case at Cornell is back in the news, with a woman allegedly assaulted by seven fraternity brothers over seven hours, just as the Department of Education guts Title IX protections.Meanwhile, Xavier Becerra refuses to rule out taking corporate money in his California governor bid, and Rahm Emanuel — architect of NAFTA, the 1994 crime bill, and the death of the public option — declares the DSAs "not Democrats" as he eyes 2028. Comedian and union organizer Nato Green joins for the roundup.Then, Movement Voter Project's Kristee Paschall joins to talk about the ground game heading into the midterms: why we can’t just count on a blue wave, how to reinvest in Black political power in the South after redistricting losses, and why the DSCC is slow-walking support for Angie Nixon's Florida Senate campaign even as she out-organizes her opponents in the primary.Featuring:Nato Green, comedian and union organizer, https://www.instagram.com/natogreen/Watch The Darkest Hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_er-hJ8nZh0Kristee Paschall, Director of Civic Engagement at Movement Voter Project, https://movement.vote***See if your SSN is for sale right now. My sponsor Cloaked will tell you for free in 2 seconds here: https://cloaked.com/bitchuation.***LIVE SHOWS:Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-livePhiladelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-liveBrooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell Househttps://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E85608 Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.Listen to the show on:iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuationGoogle Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuationSpotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuationFollow the show on:BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.socialIG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPodFollow Francesca on:IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifioBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.com/@franifioFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.