Best Steve Zee Podcasts (2025)

Mike joins Yascha Mounk's Good Fight Club to debate the mid-midterm results: Democrats' surprisingly strong showings in Virginia and New Jersey, Zoran Mamdani's charisma-vs-governance problem in New York, and whether moderates like Abigail Spanberger can still carry a national coalition. Also: the Seattle mayoral race tightens, and the "Dems in dis…

1
Funny You Should Mention: Dusty Slay 1:08:57

Play Pause

2d ago1:08:57

1:08:57

Dusty Slay drops by with "Wet Heat" fresh on Netflix to talk Opelika lore (a.k.a. Snopalika), becoming parade Grand Marshal, and how a onetime pesticide salesman turned country-music linguist builds jokes from tiny word quirks. We get into his love of language (Carlin vibes), song-lyric autopsies ("It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," Brooks & Dunn's "Har…

1
Sadie Dingfelder on "Hair, Feathers, and the Theater of Disgust." 27:08

3d ago27:08

27:08

We test whether a hair in your hummus is truly hazardous, compare bacterial counts on hair shafts vs. feathers, and trace America's hairnet obsession back to Edward Bernays' spin. We play: Is That BS? Hair/Feather Edition. Also: Seattle mayoral race updates, and in the Spiel: the Philadelphia Art Museum's chunky griffin rebrand, the PHAM backlash, …

1
11-6-2025 Random Thoughts & Comments 29:15

4h ago29:15

29:15

.

1
Colin Woodard: The Federation Is the Fault Line 42:47

14h ago42:47

42:47

Woodard maps America's clashing "nations," from American Nations to Nations Apart, arguing that our deepest divides are regional and newly combustible. He makes the case that post–Cold War policy, social media, and a fraying social contract turned long-standing cultural seams into political fracture zones. We press whether his framework explains wh…

1
Commie In NYC, Lessons To Be Learned 31:14

23h ago31:14

31:14

11/5/2025 The Fall of New York City

1
The Wars Trump Says He Ended, and the One Cheney Began 30:24

5d ago30:24

30:24

The veteran media strategist reflects on Chuck Schumer's once-golden Sunday pressers and how his "price-of-milk politics" model needs updating for 2025. He discusses New York Democrats' strategic silence in the Mamdani race, Hillary Clinton's 2000 outreach to Hasidic women, and why he can praise Trump's Middle East diplomacy without voting for him.…

1
How Drum Sample Packs Are Created with Shawn Fields and Darrell Thorp 1:08:57

2d ago1:08:57

1:08:57

In this episode, Bart talks with Shawn Fields, founder of Drumatica, and Grammy-winning audio engineer Darrell Thorp (Radiohead, Beck, Foo Fighters) about the creation of the groundbreaking Black Oyster drum sample library. Shawn shares how his lifelong obsession with capturing the perfect drum sound evolved from sampling friends’ kits in the ’90s …

1
Matthew Hiltzik on the Craft of Crisis Communications 33:01

3d ago33:01

33:01

Hiltzik, founder of Hiltzik Strategies, explains how his background in law, politics, and media shaped his methodical, fact-based approach to strategic communications. He describes the importance of understanding audiences and using social and digital tools with "precision," rather than relying on broad or emotional appeals. Drawing on experiences …

1
Car Shows, Shutdowns, and more 11-3-2025 29:59

3d ago29:59

29:59

.

1
Mike Pesca on "Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em" 48:31

8d ago48:31

48:31

Mike joins Nancy Rommelmann and Sarah Hepola for a rowdy, caffeine-fueled dive into the NBA betting scandal—where marked decks, mobsters, and million-dollar contracts collide. They unpack how legalized sports gambling reopened old mafia doors, what drives athletes to risk it all, and why men chase competition even from the couch. Also: Karine Jean-…

1
Art Cullen on Iowa's Corn Gospel, Cancer, and Capture 32:09

9d ago32:09

32:09

Iowa's rivers run brown, its cancer rates climb, and its politics tilt redder. Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Art Cullen joins to discuss his new book Dear Marty: We Crapped in Our Nest — Notes from the Edge of the World, Iowa, which serves as both lament and call to arms for a farm state choking on its own abundance. Cullen traces how corn and hogs…

1
Halloween, Welfare, Shutdowns - More than 30 minutes can hold 33:48

6d ago33:48

33:48

10/31/2025

1
Beth Macy: "When the Local Paper Dies, the Community Follows" 42:21

10d ago42:21

42:21

Journalist Beth Macy, author of Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, returns to her Ohio roots to chart what's been lost in the hollowing-out of middle America. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America follows Macy's hometown of Urbana through addiction, poverty, and political drift, and her …

1
Random Thursday Thoughts From The F350 30:15

11d ago30:15

30:15

10-30-2025

1
Karine Jean-Pierre: "Independent," Evasion, and the Party She Says Left Her 43:08

11d ago43:08

43:08

Former Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joins to promote her memoir Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House Outside the Party Lines—and faces pointed questions about contradictions between her praise for Biden, her criticism of Democrats, and her claim of newfound political independence. Asked what makes her truly "independent," she…

1
Dems Losing, Trump Winning 10-29-2025 30:14

12d ago30:14

30:14

.

1
EP 29 | Steve Hayes & Damon Linker 1:07:51

9d ago1:07:51

1:07:51

Steve Hayes and Damon Linker debate whether Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is another norm-busting outrage or just a gaudy renovation. They argue over visuals versus substance in anti-Trump outrage, Trump's manipulation of public opinion, and whether Congress's abdication of power is the true engine of American authoritarian drift.…

1
Steve Hayes & Damon Linker: The Hole Truth 1:04:42

9d ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Steve Hayes and Damon Linker debate whether Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is another norm-busting outrage or just a gaudy renovation. They argue over visuals versus substance in anti-Trump outrage, Trump's manipulation of public opinion, and whether Congress's abdication of power is the true engine of American authoritarian drift.…

1
Economy Booms Despite Dem Lies, Looting If EBT Runs Dry 29:59

13d ago29:59

29:59

10/28/2025

1
Barista Michelle Eisen on Face Tattoos, Short Staffs, and Union Shots Fired 34:24

13d ago34:24

34:24

Michelle Eisen, barista-turned-organizer from Buffalo's first unionized Starbucks, breaks down how Workers United grew from one store to hundreds—and why the real fight now is over pay, scheduling, and the right to keep your piercings. She pushes back on what she calls "the most aggressive union-busting in modern labor history." Plus, examples of g…

1
Football Follies, Golden Parachutes, Ballroom Blitz 29:59

11d ago29:59

29:59

The 53+ Million Dollar Firing, What IS and What Should Never Be 10-27-2025

1
Jeremy Workman — "Walking Every Block, Hiding in a Mall" 38:11

16d ago38:11

38:11

Two conversations with documentarian Jeremy Workman: first on The World Before Your Feet (a quest to walk every NYC block), then on Secret Mall Apartment (artists who built a hidden flat inside Providence Place Mall). Curiosity, urban change, and the quiet stunts that reveal a city. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us…

1
Funny You Should Mention: Ariel Elias 1:07:33

13d ago1:07:33

1:07:33

Kentucky-raised, New York-forged, and newly "A Jewish Star," Ariel Elias breaks down how outsider status becomes comic superpower. We talk growing up Jewish in the Bluegrass, explaining Kentucky to New Yorkers, the "Earl" name bit, airline misery (farewell, Southwest), and writing cleaner for synagogue gigs without losing edge. She unpacks her vira…

1
Friday, Oct 24, 2025 Trump Policies Making America Great, Dems Hate Every Bit Of It 29:59

16d ago29:59

29:59

.

1
No Capes, Real Peace: U Thant's UN and What We Lost 42:15

17d ago42:15

42:15

Historian and grandson of third secretary-general of the United Nations U Thant, Thant Myint-U, discusses Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World—how the UN once brokered real ceasefires (Cuban Missile Crisis, India-Pakistan 1965), why its stature faded, what decolonization changed, and Myanmar's present. A reminder that boring…

1
Not Destroying White House, Media Lies and more 30:26

18d ago30:26

30:26

10/23/2025

1
Alicia Wanless — "The Ecology of Information" 33:15

18d ago33:15

33:15

Carnegie Endowment's Alicia Wanless argues that disinformation isn't new—it's just our latest pollutant. In The Information Animal, she maps centuries of "information ecosystems," from King Charles I's pamphlet floods to the social-media deluge, and shows why attempts to "detoxify" them often fail. We trace the analogies between DDT and digital out…

1
No Kings Joke, Politics Divides Families, and more 29:59

19d ago29:59

29:59

10/22/2025

1
Michael Kirk — "RFK Jr.'s Latest Addiction: Attention" 43:46

19d ago43:46

43:46

Frontline's Michael Kirk discusses The Rise of RFK Jr., charting Kennedy's path from sex and drug addiction to what Kirk calls "an addiction to validation." He describes a man driven by grievance, and details how the alliance between Kennedy and Trump built the so-called "MAHA movement," and why it may collapse under its own contradictions. Plus: a…

1
Gullible Sheeple, The American People 29:59

20d ago29:59

29:59

A History Of Falling For Democratic Party Lies October 21, 2025

1
35 Minutes You'll Never Get Back, Oct 20, 2025 34:48

20d ago34:48

34:48

.

1
Michael Townsend & Jeremy Workman: "Secret Mall Apartment" 33:26

20d ago33:26

33:26

Michael Townsend and director Jeremy Workman tell the wild true story of an eight-artist collective that built a hidden home inside Providence Place Mall—part prank, part art project, and a pointed reply to gentrification. They revisit grainy 2003–07 footage, a tape-art 9/11 memorial, and the logistics (and ethics) of living behind a cinderblock wa…

1
Chris Murphy: "Congress needs to take war powers back." 23:26

23d ago23:26

23:26

Mike revisits his 2019 conversation with Senator Chris Murphy on the AUMF — the two-decade-old law still used to justify U.S. military strikes from Yemen to the Caribbean. Plus, a new strike on a Venezuelan vessel raises questions about presidential authority and transparency. We trace how "temporary" wartime powers became permanent policy, and wha…

1
Lisa Graves: On The Roberts Court's Power Play 39:17

23d ago39:17

39:17

Lisa Graves joins to discuss Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights—from court "capture" networks to why she sees the recent immunity ruling and emergency-docket moves as system-tilting, not umpiring. She and our host spar over what counts as a "constitutional crisis," con…

1
EP 28 | Jonah Goldberg and Zee Cohen-Sanchez 1:03:11

21d ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Hamas hostages, Trump and autocracy, and the strangely quiet shutdown — we tackle all three. Why Trump's blunt style played in the Middle East, whether "competitive authoritarianism" really fits his second-term instincts and enablers, and who's taking the fall for Obamacare-premium brinkmanship. Plus: goat-grinders (pointless rebrands at Max and Ap…

1
Not Even Mad: Jonah Goldberg & Zee Cohen-Sanchez 1:06:06

24d ago1:06:06

1:06:06

Hamas hostages, Trump and autocracy, and the strangely quiet shutdown — we tackle all three. Why Trump's blunt style played in the Middle East, whether "competitive authoritarianism" really fits his second-term instincts and enablers, and who's taking the fall for Obamacare-premium brinkmanship. Plus: goat-grinders (pointless rebrands at Max and Ap…

1
Some Random Thoughts For Thursday 29:59

25d ago29:59

29:59

Oct 16, 2025

1
Jonathan Mahler: The Tabloids That Made The City That Made the Country 48:14

25d ago48:14

48:14

Mahler walks us through The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986–1990—how a late-'80s crucible of crime, crack, and tabloids minted characters like Spike Lee ("the coolest guy in America"), Al Sharpton, Donald Trump, Ed Koch, and Rudy Giuliani. We revisit Howard Beach, Yusuf Hawkins, Do the Rig…

1
Charlie Kirk Memorial, Dispicable Dems, NOLa Rebirth and more 29:59

26d ago29:59

29:59

10 15 2025

1
Cory Doctorow: Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It 35:52

26d ago35:52

35:52

Doctorow lays out his "enshittification" playbook—how tech platforms lure users, trap businesses, then extract value from both—tying it to interoperability, right-to-repair, and DMCA lock-ins, with Facebook as Exhibit A. He explains why incremental state laws can break Big Tech's coalitions better than sweeping federal reforms. Meanwhile, Venezuela…

1
No Peace Prize, Shumer Shutdown, Winning In Middle East 29:53

27d ago29:53

29:53

RIP Burt Reynolds Oct 14, 2025

1
SCOTUS's Shadow Docket, Calibrated + Steven Vladeck 35:22

30d ago35:22

35:22

Mike previews the new Supreme Court term: Colorado's conversion-therapy ban, transgender athlete cases out of Idaho and West Virginia, a Louisiana Voting Rights Act fight, and a Rastafarian grooming claim, then dials in the panic meter on the "shadow docket": what it is, why Trump's emergency-order wins look so lopsided, and where concern beats cat…

1
Funny You Should Mention: Steph Tolev 1:07:34

27d ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Season 3 of Funny You Should Mention begins with the "Filth Queen" herself Steph Tolev to explore why gross can be smart, how crowd work goes viral, Bill Burr's boost to her career, and the Canadian comedy grind. Big laughs, sharp ideas, adult themes. We also get into slapstick dummies, family lore, and why Boston brings the best chaos. Come for th…

1
October 10, 2025 Ramblings 29:59

1M ago29:59

29:59

.

1
Plestia Alaqad: "The Eyes of Gaza," Witness and Journalist 51:48

1M ago51:48

51:48

Today on the Gist, a tough conversation with Plestia Alaqad about what she saw in Gaza and how she frames it for a global audience. They dig into sympathy versus credence, terminology like IDF versus IOF, the Al-Ahli Hospital claim, and whether journalism requires shared vocabulary. Plus, a spiel on U Thant, transliteration, and the "clean" versus …

1
Oct 9, 2025 Ramblings 31:38

1M ago31:38

31:38

.

1
Jake Tapper and the Race Against Terror 35:55

29d ago35:55

35:55

Today on The Gist. Jake Tapper breaks down the first U.S. criminal trial of a foreign combatant: why prosecutors chose court over Gitmo, and the painstaking sleuthing that turned a shaky confession into a conviction. We talk DOJ institutional memory, the politics orbiting the Comey case, and why trials rather than commissions lock terrorists away. …

1
Asphalt or Concrete debate, Trump Nobel Peace 29:48

1M ago29:48

29:48

10 8 2025