Bedrock, USA

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Bedrock, USA

Bedrock, USA is a podcast about political extremism, small town life and the fight for democracy, hosted by Laura Bliss, a reporter at Bloomberg CityLab.  In a super-divided, pandemic-era America awash in conspiracies and misinformation, it’s about a group of people who didn’t like what they saw happening in their local governments, and decided to get involved - whether that meant holding a rally, running for office, recalling an official or storming their government with bullhorns and threats.  Their stories show how far-right ideologies enter into local politics - sometimes quietly, other times at full volume - and what it takes for regular people to fight back. They show the beauty as well as the risks, struggles and pitfalls of being an active participant in democracy today. And together they create a human-level portrait of a democracy that is fracturing, and the role that extremist ideologies are playing. (And they’re not going away.) Where do their stories point us as a country? 

  1. EPISODE 1

    A Tale of Two Cities

    In "Bedrock, USA" Bloomberg CityLab investigates how the far right is making inroads into local government, and profiles the people fighting back. Reporter Laura Bliss introduces us to Sequim, Washington and Shasta County, California. In Sequim, the QAnon-boosting Mayor William Armacost forces his city manager to resign, just days after the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol shocking residents. Meanwhile in Shasta County, California, right-wing activists accuse local leaders of too many rules around the Covid-19 pandemic. One of them threatens “blood on the streets.” But the county had barely enforced Covid mandates at all. So why are people so angry? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    30 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Recall the Supervisors

    We meet Mary Rickert, a Republican county supervisor in Shasta County who believes that far-right activists used the pandemic as a “weapon” to remake government. Their plan: to recall three Republican county supervisors, including her. We also meet Jeremy Edwardson, the producer of the pro-recall docuseries, “Red White and Blueprint,” who wants to spread the word. But do recall organizers have enough money to succeed? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    The Vengeful Billionaire

    The Shasta County recall campaign gets a boost from a vengeful out-of-state billionaire named Reverge Anselmo, who fought with the county years before. The campaign struggles to get off the ground. Meanwhile, Doni Chamberlain, a local journalist, accuses the campaign of spreading misinformation and having no plan to govern. She worries, if the campaign succeeds, the consequences will be dire.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    36 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Winner Takes All

    The recall succeeds in removing one county supervisor, Leonard Moty. But it’s enough to gain the majority on the county board of supervisors. What do far-right leaders plan to do with their newfound power? One thing is clear: Top officials from across the county government leave in a mass exodus, as threats intensify. Far-right activists mount another campaign – this time for more elected county positions: The sheriff, the registrar of voters, school superintendent. What happens to Shasta as they try to take over? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Not In My Backyard

    We leave Shasta for now. We will come back in a later episode to find out the election results. Meanwhile, we return to Sequim, where Mayor Armacost reveals his love of QAnon on live radio and later forces his city manager Charlie Bush to resign, in what some residents see as an act of troubling partisan bias. It turns out the beef between Armacost and Bush has roots in a controversial proposal to build an opioid addiction treatment clinic in the heart of Sequim. We find out why that project divided the town and how that division sowed the seeds for Bush’s ouster.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    35 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Good Governance

    With their beloved city manager Charlie Bush gone, a group of Sequim residents unites to fight the intrusion of partisan politics in their local government. They call themselves the Good Governance League and mount a campaign for an upcoming city election. Their plan? To get their own candidates into office, and to vote out the QAnon mayor. But it’s not easy. It turns out the mayor has allies. Will they succeed? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Election Day

    Election day in Sequim. The Good Governance League wins by a landslide. A new mayor will be installed. However, down south in Shasta, the future is uncertain. We go back to the far-right activists who are trying to install more of their candidates into elected office. Will their takeover be successful? In both Shasta and Sequim, some residents have awakened to the importance of local government. But can that engagement last? And what does it mean for the fraying trust that is essential for democracy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    33 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    How Secure Are America’s Midterm Elections?

    Bedrock, USA returns with an interview about election security. New hosts Kathleen Quillian and Samantha Storey talk to the editorial director of VoteBeat, Jessica Huseman, about what to expect at the polls. Going into the midterms, cybersecurity is top of mind, so is physical security for both the paper ballots and the people handling them. Huseman breaks down why the American election system is one of the most secure in the world, but with misinformation running rampant across the internet, will it stay that way? For more information visit bloomberg.com/bedrock-usa. Have a suggestion or comment? We’d love to hear from you: kquillian@bloomberg.net or sstorey17@bloomberg.net.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    31 min
See All Season 1 (13)

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About

Bedrock, USA is a podcast about political extremism, small town life and the fight for democracy, hosted by Laura Bliss, a reporter at Bloomberg CityLab.  In a super-divided, pandemic-era America awash in conspiracies and misinformation, it’s about a group of people who didn’t like what they saw happening in their local governments, and decided to get involved - whether that meant holding a rally, running for office, recalling an official or storming their government with bullhorns and threats.  Their stories show how far-right ideologies enter into local politics - sometimes quietly, other times at full volume - and what it takes for regular people to fight back. They show the beauty as well as the risks, struggles and pitfalls of being an active participant in democracy today. And together they create a human-level portrait of a democracy that is fracturing, and the role that extremist ideologies are playing. (And they’re not going away.) Where do their stories point us as a country? 

Information

  • Channel
    Bloomberg
  • Creator
    iHeartPodcasts and Bloomberg CityLab
  • Episodes
    15
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Bedrock, USA
  • Provider

    Bloomberg L.P. has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 731 Lexington Ave New York New York 10022-1331 United States Phone Number +1 9177273274 Email dbennett64@bloomberg.net

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