American Fever Dream Betches

2:30 TEMP CHECK: New take on Temp Check where we cover 8 wild headlines. Does your fever spike or sink?
25:15 MAIN NEWS: In honor of Memorial Day, they sound the alarm against the treatment of veterans and the proposed changes to veterans’ benefits under Project 2025. But don’t worry, Biden dropped a new fiscal budget with $369 billion for the DoD and VA.
43:00 DOWN BALLOT: Our Down Ballot bestie this week goes to VoteVets.org. Vote Vets elevates the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members and their families.
44:30 AMER-I-CAN’T: Sami and V air their frustrations with the lack of etiquette around voice notes and the changing nature of communication among the different generations. How do you use voice notes? Let us know at AmericanFeverDream@betches.com
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Topics:

Representative Colin Allred discusses his vision for a more equitable Texas and his campaign to unseat Ted Cruz, stressing the need for a more engaged and representative leader.

Allred shares his journey from being an NFL linebacker to a lawyer and now a representative, driven by a desire to represent all 30 million Texans.

Sami and V ask Allred to address looming issues such as the Texas power grid, paternity leave, and the near-total ban on abortion.


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4:27 TEMP CHECK: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s foreign minister, and six passengers were found dead at the site of a helicopter crash on Monday, one month before the next election. Was it foul play or an inevitable accident?
20:30 MAIN NEWS: After uncovering the brutality of P. Diddy’s assault on Cassie Ventura and Sami, V exposes the deadly problem of not believing women, the uniquely American “Boyfriend Loophole,” and the need for comprehensive legislation like the Violence Against Women Act.
43:40 DOWN BALLOT: Our down-ballot girlies of the week are the organization Run for Something, community leader Dulce Vasquez, veterans Marche and Marquetta Johnson, and accomplished Afro-Latino organizer Brandon Fletcher Dominguez.
48:07 AMER-I-CAN’T: Sami and V rant about the state of American healthcare highlights the inefficiencies, lack of communication, and disregard for patient care that they recently witnessed.
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Sami is joined by Sharon McMahon, the author of “The Small and the Mighty,” to share how history can be constructed and verified as accurately as possible.

Sharon stresses the importance of local journalism and how it has been the backbone of America’s microcultures.

How different generations navigate gathering information, disseminating it, and learning that the best way to be right is to be wrong first.


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15:55 TEMP CHECK: Vice President Harris spoke at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ annual legislative leadership summit and imparted some honest words to the group.
24:30 MAIN NEWS: Sami and V give a rundown of the MANY threats to the 2024 election, from AI and disinformation, to election denial, to voter suppression by Trump’s army of poll-watching volunteers. Plus, what the hell is an incidental election and what are the odds of one happening?
58:07 DOWN BALLOT ERA: Our villain of the week is Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over Trump’s Fulton County, Georgia election interference case and is running for reelection.
1:00:00 AMER-I-CAN’T: Senator Katie Britt of Alabama created the More Opportunities for Moms to Succeed Act, which proposes to establish an online government database listing agencies and pregnancy care providers, but excluding abortion-related services. It also collects your health and pregnancy information…what could go wrong?
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Sami and V are joined by the hosts of Strict Scrutiny to talk about how the Supreme Court’s handling of important cases like Mifepristone and EMTALA raises concerns about standing and the potential impact on reproductive rights.

They predict the risks of the Supreme Court undermining federal supremacy over state law as constitutional principle and what the long term ripple effects are.

What can we do about it? Sustained public attention and pressure are crucial in influencing the court’s decisions and how democratic political officials should be pushed to take action.


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