Fever Dreams

The Daily Beast

Inside the right’s push to retake power, from the conspiracy-slingers to the MAGA acolytes to the straight-up grifters. Thought the Trump era was crazy? Wait ’til you hear what they have planned next. Hosted by Kelly Weill and Will Sommer. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app today.

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20 episodes
Updated May 24, 2023
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

May 24, 2023 · 17 min
Miles Klee on The New Abnormal
Rolling Stone's Mile Klee joins The New Abnormal to talk the myth of "go woke. go broke."<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 22, 2023 · 19 min
Erin Reed On The New Abnormal
Erin Reed joins the New Abnormal to talk the lastest in laws targeting transgender rights. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 19, 2023 · 22 min
Cindy Cohn On The New Abnormal
The EFF's Cindy Cohn joins The New Abnormal to talk cyber security. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 17, 2023 · 18 min
Gary Marcus On The New Abnormal
Gary Marcus joins The New Abnormal to discuss the dangers of AI. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 15, 2023 · 17 min
Will Sommer On The New Abnormal
Will Sommer joins The Daily Beast's The New Abnormal to talk the America first movement. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 12, 2023 · 20 min
Kelly Weill On The New Abnormal
The Daily Beast's Kelly Weill joins The New Abnormal to talk the reputation laundering of the Allen, TX mall shooter. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 10, 2023 · 1 hr 1 min
A Fever Dreams Farewell feat. Asawin Suebsaeng
It’s the final episode of Fever Dreams. After sharing some of their favorite moments from the podcast’s years-long run, the hosts tackle the right-wing obfuscation of a mass shooter’s extremist history and a viral prank on the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
May 3, 2023 · 57 min
Steven Crowder Exposed feat. Jason Wilson
Fever Dreams examines the recent headline-grabbing actions of right-wing media darling Steven Crowder, who was outed this week for allegedly exposing his genitals repeatedly to employees. Plus! The latest on Ammon Bundy’s latest brewing standoff attempt.  <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
Apr 26, 2023 · 59 min
Tuckered Out feat. Sam Adler Bell
On this week’s Fever Dreams, a look at the ecosystem of grifters and gadflies who made a living appearing on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show—and what comes next for them. Plus! What is pronatalism, and why are all the Silicon Valley dudes talking about it?<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
Apr 19, 2023 · 57 min
The Ali Allegations feat. Aaron Kleinman
Fever Dreams hosts Kelly Weill and Will Sommer examine a classic style of right-wing outrage—which never seems to back itself up with evidence. Plus! A conversation with Aaron Kleinman of the States Project about all the wacky, extreme characters inhabiting America’s state houses.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
Apr 12, 2023 · 51 min
Trump-Loomer 2024 feat. Garret Graff
 Laura Loomer has been spewing hate online for years—and now Trump apparently wants to hire her. Plus! A look at the way technology has aided the rise of the far right over the past 40 years.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.
Apr 5, 2023 · 59 min
Am I Being Arraigned Feat. Dave Weigel
On this week’s episode of Fever Dreams, hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill discuss how Trump’s decision to fly to New York instead of hunkering down in Mar-a-Lago to face his historic arraignment had the markings of a political scheme—one which denied stoppedDeSantis from making his own big patriotic stand against the charges. Then, national political reporter for Semafor, David Weigel, joins the podcast and weighs in on the latest Trump drama. <hr><p style='color:grey; font-
Mar 29, 2023 · 1 hr
Meme Court ft. Luke O’Brien?
Marjorie Taylor Greene is up to her old tricks—this time, protesting a routine ATF inspection of a Georgia gun store Monday under the guise that there apparently were too many agents from “blue states” conducting the operation. Then, investigative reporter Luke O’Brien joins the podcast to talk about the ongoing trial of Douglass Mackey, a 33-year-old ‘alt-right’ figure <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2023/03/13/alt-right-disinformation-king-faces-trial" rel="noopener norefe
Mar 22, 2023 · 55 min
Pudding Ron feat. Jake Lahut
While prosecutors appear to be closing in on Donald Trump and preparing to file formal charges, he’s been posting up an absolute storm on Truth Social. It’s all happening amid the backdrop of a potential arrest for the former president—which some pundits predict will bolster his re-election campaign. The Fever Dreams team isn’t so sure. Plus! Daily Beast reporter Jake Lahut joins the program to talk about his recent reporting on what appears to be DeSantis’ fledgling campaign—including a numb
Mar 15, 2023 · 58 min
Woke Bank Run fet. Kat Abughazaleh
If Tucker Carlson seems a little lost at the moment—that’s because he is. At least, that’s what Media Matters researcher Kat Abughazaleh says, and she has to watch the fire-breathing Fox News host every day for work. Then, Fever Dreams digs into the obfuscation being performed by Fox and others in the conservative media after one of the country’s worst banking collapses. Plus! In  the podcast’s Fresh Hell segment, Weill and Sommer discuss the worst dressed man in North America—Jordan Pet
Mar 8, 2023 · 55 min
Fake Andrew Tate feat. Isaac Arnsdorf
This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), long a mainstay in Republican politics, wasn’t quite the A-list event of years past.  Isaac Arnsdorf joins the podcast to talk about his own CPAC experience, along with breakout star, Kari Lake, who failed to win Arizona’s governor race last November but propelled herself to MAGA stardom with a Big Lie-style campaign at the state level. Plus, in the podcast’s Fresh Hell segment, Weill gives an update on the leg
Mar 1, 2023 · 1 hr
Dilbert Downfall feat Seth Harp
Hosts Will Sommer and Kelly Weill unpack the QAnon connections behind newly elected <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/kristina-karamo-qanon-spewing-election-denier-to-lead-michigan-gop" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michigan GOP leader Kristina Karamo</a>, who declared Michigan as “ground zero for the globalist takeover of the United States of America.” A wave of more than 100 deaths over the past two years at Fort Bragg has rocked the U.S. military—caused in part by an <a hr
Feb 22, 2023 · 1 hr 2 min
Trust The Host ft. Will Sommer
On this week’s Fever Dreams, James O’Keefe gives his fans and foes a truly memorable send-off, while the Libertarian Party continues to its slide to the right. Plus, co-host Will Sommer discusses his years of reporting on QAnon—as well as his new book <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/trust-the-plan-will-sommer?variant=40493482541090" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America</a>. <
Feb 15, 2023 · 1 hr
James O’Keefe Theater Camp w/ Kim Kelly
For it's 100th episode, Fever Dreams unpacks all the drama engulfing right-wing undercover video operation Project Veritas, including a number of claims about the <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-okeefe-outright-cruel-to-project-veritas-employees-internal-memo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">difficult workplace culture fostered under founder James O’Keefe</a>. Then the podcast is joined by labor reporter and author <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fight-Like
Feb 8, 2023 · 59 min
The Eliza Bleu Saga feat. Trevor Aaronson
What if there was an atomic bomb about to detonate and kill millions of people—and the only way to defuse it was to have an Artificial Intelligence chatbot say a racial slur? Also on the podcast Weill and Sommer interview Trevor Aaronson, the host of the investigative podcast <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alphabet-boys/id1668980612" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the Alphabet Boys</a>, which tells the story of FBI informant Mickey Windecker, who almost single-hande