News & Brews: Recent Episodes
News & Brews
It's like happy hour with your nerdy friends. Every Wednesday, Mike Heslin and Erol Yayboke dive deep into the most consequential news stories of the week. Listen as they mix weighty insights with light hearts, lukewarm takes with cold hard facts, dry wit with frothy brews. No ID required.
Get in touch: thenewsandthebrews@gmail.com
After a lightning first round, Mike and Erol recap the most significant stories from 2022, covering everything from Ukraine to Elon Musk to the World Cup. And of course, we finish off the last episode of the year with some delightfully spicy nuggets.
Mike's drinking: Wandering Bear Cold Brew
Erol's drinking: Great Lakes Brewing Company Christmas Ale
Richard Fontaine on the Lawfare podcast discussing the National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy, and Nuclear Posture Review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biden-administrations-grand-strategy-in-three/id498897343?i=1000584625114
Spicy Nuggets:
Erol: Morocco FTW https://twitter.com/JazzAntics/status/1605409312196763648?s=20&t=V2LqwqWqbC4LYZq1yR09vg
Mike: GOP congressman-elect George Santos made up his entire life story: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/nyregion/george-santos-ny-republicans.html
War crimes and winter weather in Ukraine. Elon unable to get out of Elon's way. A dinner party for the (dark, super anti Semitic) ages. And, for our main story, do you hear the people Xi? Well they're in the streets, singing a song of angry men.
Mike's drinking: Austin Eastciders Original Dry Cider
Erol's drinking: GT's Guava Goddess kombucha
Spicy Nuggets:
Erol: Christian Pulisic goes beast mode https://twitter.com/foxsoccer/status/1597677266330329089?s=46&t=azTPDEK7AkzjfFe_nt7zHg
Show Links:
Link to the Post social network, to save you from googling "post" then "post social" then "post social network" then "post news" without being able to find it, and also use this link to help Mike skip to the front of the wait list: https://post.news/?r=2hh0R
Click here if you speak Georgian and want to know about Russia forcibly removing people from Ukraine https://www.amerikiskhma.com/a/view-from-washington-interview-with-erol-yayboke/6835336.html
China is watching a different World Cup https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-63735923
Mike and Erol are back talking all things democracy. Mike ponders the angles of democratic (and Democratic) slippery slopes while Erol wonders why it seems to be either jail or the presidency for leaders in Brazil and Israel. And both break down a good night* for Democrats (and democracy).
*NOTE: Whenever Democrats are celebrating, an asterisk is required.
Erol's drinking: ANXO District Dry Cider
Mike’s drinking: ANXO Transcontinental Dry Cider
Erol's spicy nugget: Dr. Jen Sciubba, me, and 7,999,999,998 of our closest friends https://twitter.com/NewsandBrewspod/status/1501926072870391816?s=20&t=vq1c3W3R1gRIrJcF3BiJYg
Mike’s spicy nugget: Voting As Fire Extinguisher by Kyle Tran Myhre https://daviddark.substack.com/p/voting-as-fire-extinguisher?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Show Links:
A wild Brazilian election campaign https://www.bbc.com/news/63374100
Election deniers lose https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2022/11/13/election-deniers-defeated-state-races/
538 whoops on WA-3 https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-election-forecast/house/washington/3/
John Bisognano trolling pundits https://twitter.com/johnbisognano/status/1592161150913122305
Isaac Chotiner interviews Don Bolduc about his loss in NH and election denialism: https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/don-bolduc-explains-his-defeat
There was SO. MUCH. NEWS. in the last 2 weeks that Mike and Erol decide to go a bit rogue. The focus is all in the first round today, from Biden and Dems getting their groove back to a really bad couple of weeks for some really bad people.
Erol's drinking: Green tea with honey, squeezed lemon, and freshly picked mint
Mike's drinking: High Noon Guava
Show Links:
The drone that killed Zawahiri will haunt your dreams https://theweek.com/briefing/1015696/how-the-us-killed-al-qaeda-leader-ayman-al-zawahiri-and-only-al-zawahiri-with-a
Gaming out a Taiwan/China conflict https://www.wsj.com/articles/war-game-finds-u-s-taiwan-can-defend-against-a-chinese-invasion-11660047804
Spicy Nuggets:
Erol: Hey, that's my house. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/04/hey-thats-my-house-us-aid-worker-realises-zawahiri-villa-is-his-old-home
Mike's TWO Spicy Nuggets: Trump endorses ERIC in the Missouri Senate primary: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/01/trump-greitens-missouri-senate/
Kamala Harris celebrates passing the Inflation Reduction Act by going to see Lady Gaga: [No link, this hasn't been reported from what I can tell. Did we just break news on this show?? VERY spicy.”]
In this special episode of News & Brews, Mike goes deep on the January 6th hearings, piecing together all the shocks, twists, and turns into a ready-for-prestige-tv script. You won't want to miss it. And by you, we of course mean Netflix (our DMs are open).
Mike's drinking: Wandering Bear Coffee
Erol's drinking: The Corruption IPA by DC Brau Brewing Co.
Spicy Nuggets
Erol: Mike's impeccable skin care regime https://twitter.com/fran_eremeeva/status/1552673248952844290?s=20&t=SDzD9TOxK92GR9LOhdi1cg
Mike's spicy nugget: Something strange is happening with the attack on Republican nominee for NY Gov Lee Zeldin: https://twitter.com/allinwithchris/status/1552094570808238080?s=21&t=Y78AHJSrj-mf9siHWxnqGw
We talk a lot about conflict on this show, whether it's in Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, or the US Capitol Building. But why do some conflicts turn into all-out war, while others fade away? University of Chicago professor Chris Blattman joins us to talk about his findings in his new book Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace. We talk about how the insights from the book apply to two stories we've been tracking specifically — the Russia-Ukraine War and the so-called Cold Civil War in America. And we close with spicy nuggets that tease our next episode, to be released later this week!
Show Links:Chris's book, Why We Fight: The Roots of War and the Paths to Peace: https://chrisblattman.com/why-we-fight/
Chris in USA Today on July 3: Is America on the bring of civil war? Such predictions are overblown and dangerous. https://news.yahoo.com/america-brink-civil-war-predictions-100037432.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&tsrc=twtr
Chris in RealClear Defense on July 9: America's Path to War with Russia https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/07/09/americas_path_to_war_with_russia_841534.html
Spicy Nuggets:
Mike's spicy nugget: The 6 pettiest revelations of the January 6 Committee:
https://twitter.com/mheslin/status/1552331543514959880?s=20&t=MV-cpcIKx9HcwYdO9okcuA
Erol's spicy nugget: The many ways an AI caption generator can interpret "Pat Cipollone" https://twitter.com/Merrillmarkoe/status/1541873391119921153?s=20&t=037ezlAX1I3e_ub1gTNsfg
It's been a month since the last episode... and sh*t got weird. Inflation is at a 40 year high but also not that high (?) depending on how you look at it. BoJo finally rode off screaming into the sunset, a President broke up with his country over email, and somehow there were not one but two Super Marios on this week's episode.
PLUS a new episode next week: Jan 6th Hearings Season 1 recap & interview with author and academic, Chris Blattman, on his new book: Why We Fight.
Show Links:
The Daily episode on Sri Lanka https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/podcasts/the-daily/sri-lanka.html
Michelle Ye Hee Lee on Abe Assasination https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/07/21/japan-mass-shootings-shinzo-abe-gun-violence/
The Everything-Is-Weird Economy by Derek Thompson https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/07/us-economy-inflation-recession-employment/670543/
Spicy Nuggets
Mike: The Orioles and the most unlikely winning streak ever: https://theathletic.com/3424902/2022/07/15/orioles-mariners-winnning-streaks/
Erol: Freya ftw https://twitter.com/steinkobbe/status/1549470090030202885?s=20&t=7SEk_lBwUvtAhd9mHlzJEA
Colombia makes all sorts of history but tbd how history will remember what happens next in Ukraine or whether the Jan 6 commission hearings will result in anything more than good ratings. Meanwhile, Mike walks us through how the economy simultaneously sucks and doesn't suck... spoiler alert: it's all clear as mud. Lastly, listen to this episode on the way to our first IRL happy hour, this Thursday June 23rd at 430p at Sauf Haus near Dupont Circle, DC!
Show links:
- Erol's 2020 policy brief on Colombia https://www.csis.org/analysis/colombia-stabilization-crossroads
- Institute for the Study of War/Critical Threats Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/36a7f6a6f5a9448496de641cf64bd375
- Twitter exchange between Dmitri Alperovitch and Mark Hertling on the state of the war: https://twitter.com/MarkHertling/status/1539043835719962628
Spicy Nuggets
Erol: Blog post from CGD For World Refugee Day https://www.cgdev.org/blog/world-refugee-day-five-things-were-watching-2022
Mike: Sci-fi writer David Brin's take on the news that a Google engineer believes the AI he helped build has become sentient
https://www.newsweek.com/soon-humanity-wont-alone-universe-opinion-1717446
Mike and Erol are back after a short mid-season break. They catch up on the queen's platinum jubilee, the first public hearing from the January 6 Committee, and the Summit of the Americas, which for Biden is shaping up to be…whatever the opposite of a banger is. Then they unpack the most recent series of horrific mass shootings and prospects for something (anything?) to change. And of course, they have some spicy nuggets.
Erol's drinking: San Pellegrino Limonata
Mike's drinking: Wandering Bear Straight Black Cold Brew
Show Links:
Paul Poast thread on the historical context of the 2nd Amendment: https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1529427811429122049
Tucker Carlson cuts away from the hearing when the day-of footage starts to show violence: https://twitter.com/mannyfidel/status/1535091397614870539
Spicy Nuggets:
Mike's spicy nugget: Man throws cake at the Mona Lisa: https://twitter.com/ProfPaulPoast/status/1529427811429122049
Erol's spicy nugget: Brandon watches When Harry Met Sally for the first time: https://twitter.com/blgtylr/status/1531814690355036165?s=20&t=OaBgBYgqMrZibrtFGkETOQ
Mike gives us a solo episode unpacking the one issue on all our minds - the recent leaked draft decision on Roe v. Wade from SCOTUS. He dives into what "due process" really means for the future of Roe v. Wade and a brief history of abortion-related laws in the US. No brews this week, just lots of spicy news. Strict Scrutiny breakdown of the draft Dobbs decision: https://crooked.com/podcast/what-the-scotus-leak-could-mean-for-abortion/ Washington Post annotations to the decision: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2022/dobbs-alito-draft-annotated/ Thread from UCLA Law's Adam Winkler about the implications of Alito's line of argument: https://twitter.com/adamwinkler/status/1521513885949329408
Our main story brings us to Texas and Florida, where GOP governors with their eyes on 2024 are overreaching right past the midterms. In the first round, we'll talk about good news for France, bad news for CNN+, and the ultimate Rorschach Test of news as Elon Musk gets closer to buying Twitter.
Mike’s drinking: Founders All Day IPA
Erol’s drinking: Guava Goddess Synergy Raw Kombucha
Show Notes:Migrants thank Greg Abbott for the free bus ride to DC: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/abbott-immigration-texas-dc-biden.html?referringSource=articleShare
Abbot and immigration in Texas: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/abbott-immigration-texas-dc-biden.html?referringSource=articleShare
Spicy nuggets:Erol: is about the damn housing market.
Mike: Russia's FSB was trying to plant SIM cards as "evidence" for the false flag terrorist plot they "uncovered." Instead, they got The SIMS video games: https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1518810883018829824?s=20&t=_6k1HHkLWkVuwOCSyDzmog
With Erol out this week, Mike is joined by consumer advocate, world traveler, and former staffer to the German parliament Lauren Wolfe of the nonprofit Travelers United. Mike and Lauren take a rhetorical walk through mask mandates on their last legs, the invading Russian forces trying to find their footing in Ukraine, and China stumbling hard as it tries to get a leg up on the ongoing Covid outbreak. For our main story, Lauren takes us through some news she has been making recently: a lawsuit Travelers United is bringing to make the internet and travel destinations safer for consumers.
Mike's drinking: Aslin Beer Company That’s Facts New Zealand Pilsner
Lauren's drinking: Icaro Mint Yerba Mate
Show Notes:
Washington Post story from Taylor Lorenz about the lawsuit Lauren and Travelers United are pursuing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/13/travel-influencer-lawsuit-cassie-de-pocol/
Did Elon Musk get denied entry into one of Berlin's hottest clubs? https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vjpb/elon-musk-berghain-refuses-entry
Spicy Nuggets:
Lauren: Julia on HBO: https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYip0jQfJ7MPDDQEAAAAD
Mike: Capitol evacuated because of...military appreciation night at the Nats game? https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/police-say-no-threat-after-us-capitol-is-evacuated/65-a9a5fc5f-8b15-4e43-9b03-582333fa83ac
Now that we're done binging Bridgerton, we can refocus on the courtship drama of Elon Musk and Twitter. Will they be on-again or off-again by the time you listen?From there, things get progressively more worrisome. The French elections could mean the rise of an authoritarian Putin apologist, Covid is trying to make a comeback, in our main story we look at the world's collective shrug as the IPCC screams into the void.
Erol’s drinking: Right Proper Brewing Company Fear No Art IPA
Mike’s drinking: Victory Brewing Company Sour Monkey Sour Tripel
Show Links:
Pivot podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1073226719?i=1000556639691
The 2,914 page IPCC report: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/
Good Morning Britain segment with Miranda Whelehan of the Just Stop Oil coalition: https://twitter.com/alexandrakuri/status/1513427638928482305?s=20&t=jcOpskhEzqRHoJ3PSyancQ
Climate policy AS economic policy: https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-us-should-treat-climate-policy-as-economic-policy/
Spicy Nuggets:Erol: "Genocide" https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/12/politics/biden-iowa-genocide/index.html
Mike: The Russian warship Moskva finally goes and fucks itself, with the help of Ukrainian missiles: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10717065/Go-f-Russian-warship-BLOWN-Cruiser-Moskva-hit-Ukrainian-missile.html
Elon Musk just became Twitter's largest shareholder and newest board member. We'll all tweet happily ever after, probably. In the first round, we've got lots of news from Congress this week: KBJ has a clear path to the bench, while Madison Cawthorn finds out what it takes in today's GOP to get...benched. And we'll check in on Ukraine, where the atrocities are mounting, force availability is in question, but the international community is providing an ample supply of strongly-worded statements.
Mike's drinking: Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Erol's drinking: Writers' Tears, Walsh Whiskey, Carlow, Ireland
Show Links:
Pitch perfect flyers showed up on Capitol Hill after Madison Cawthorn’s weird interview: https://twitter.com/thegoodliars/status/1511029632669208584?s=21&t=4AJroEL3cCfPMKUB1bttbA
Wait but Why series of articles on Elon Musk: https://waitbutwhy.com/2017/03/elon-musk-post-series.html
Spicy nuggets:
Larry Summers on Ezra Klein’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447?i=1000555567714
Casimir Pulaski, hero of the Revolutionary War, was most likely intersex: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/science/casimir-pulaski-intersex.html
Erol's tribute to his Nene: https://medium.com/p/5bc05cd2b836
Erol’s migration event: https://www.csis.org/events/world-migration-report-2022-deciphering-global-trends-and-complexities
Mike is back! He comes back after only a month off to a 1980s dystopia where Russia is attempting to reconstitute its empire, billionaires are complaining about taxes and pesky laws, and the Oscars are interesting again.
Show Links:
- Steph Curry and Shaq's "The Queen of Basketball": https://vimeo.com/580833148
- Peter Coy's tax explainer: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/opinion/billionaire-tax-biden.html
- Bob Gourley's Russia Ukraine 2022 Twitter list: https://twitter.com/i/lists/1483456727219683332
Spicy Nuggets
Erol: DC's "Bike Man" https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/26/dc-trucker-convoy-protest-bike/
Mike: Like the Ever Given, but right here in the Chesapeake Bay! https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2022/03/29/ever-forward-cargo-ship-remains-firm-in-first-refloat-attempt/
Erol is drinking: Chimay Première Ale
Mike is drinking: Newcastle Brown Ale
Erol’s friends Kristen and Sara join the podcast this week to unpack conflict dynamics, shaky economics, and alternative reality spicy nuggets. Come for supply chain shocks, oily baskets of goods, and Russian academy lifetime achievement awards… Stay for a rousing call to action.
Show Links:
Fiona Hill on the Ezra Klein Show https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/podcasts/the-daily/fiona-hill-ukraine-russia-ezra-klein.html
Russia waged a cheap war in Syria. Here’s what those tactics might look like in Ukraine. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/11/ukraine-civilians-siege-bombing-infrastructure/
Spicy Nuggets:
Kristen: Reality+ https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393635805
Sara: “Mark with a C”
Erol: South Korean Election Graphics https://twitter.com/TheAPJournalist/status/1501588231715901440
Erol's drinking: Power Moves from Aslin
Kristen's drinking: Fennel tea
Sara's drinking: High quality H2O
This week Erol and guest co-host Dr. Jennifer Sciubba wonder whether President Biden can be right and wrong at the same time and why the science says we’re basically getting little right and everything wrong on adapting to climate change. In the main story, Jen talks about her new book “8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World”... during which we find out that basically everything we thought we knew about demographics is... just plain wrong.
Erol's drinking: Manor Hill Brewing Splendeavor Farmhouse Ale
Jen's drinking: Trader Joe's Sauvignon Republic
**Show Links:
Dr. Sciubba’s book: “8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World”** https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324002703
AlkaSeltzer for the Ocean: https://www.wsj.com/articles/harnessing-the-ocean-to-combat-climate-change-11646582410
Population, Climate, and Conflict: New Data Point to Greater Challenges Ahead: https://www.csis.org/analysis/population-climate-and-conflict-new-data-point-greater-challenges-ahead
Spicy Nuggets:
Jen: In Sri Lanka, Organic Farming Went Catastrophically Wrong https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/05/sri-lanka-organic-farming-crisis/
Erol: It Only Tuesday https://www.theonion.com/it-only-tuesday-1819569397
Mike is out this week which means Erol gets to invite a friend on to talk about lots of things that can kill you. Erin Polich guest hosts for a tribute to Paul Farmer and a deadly conversation on Ebola, jet skis in Juba, masks against Covid-19 (this is a joke), accidentally crossing international borders, and yes, Vladimir Putin (this is not a joke).
Erin's drinking: Distraction Brewing Hoppily Distracted
Erol's drinking: Manor Hill Brewing Grain Reaper
Spicy Nuggets:
Erin: https://mymodernmet.com/simon-beck-snow-land-art/
Erol: https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/1497005877555077124
The Super Bowl Halftime Show was objectively perfect, according to our in-show poll of Xennial and Millennial podcast hosts. What's not so perfect? The actual (allegedly!) racist ways the NFL is running its business. Also: truckers menacing people and commerce in Canada, Russia menacing Ukraine, and the Megadrought menacing the Southwestern US. Finally: a surprise spicy nugget... make sure and listen to the end!
Erol's drinking: Leffe Blonde
Mike's drinking: Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA
Show Links:Olaf Scholz and Putin across the big table: https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-crisis-we-dont-want-war-in-europe-putin-says-in-talks-with-scholz/a-60785295
Che Guevara's ghost: https://static01.nyt.com/images/2022/03/10/world/10xp-canada-explainer-new2/merlin_20[…]d-4a94-aa58-9d6bb294a3f8-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp
Megadrought: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01290-z
Spicy Nuggets:
Mike: (listen for instructions before watching) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdsUKphmB3Y&t=181s
Erol: Surprise announcement(!)
It’s hard to overstate what's at stake as states redraw their congressional districts this year. We get a behind-the-scenes look at how redistricting works from David Imamura, chair of New York State's redistricting commission. But first, we fly back to Ukraine for a reminder that civilians are more than just pawns on Putin’s chess board, we throw some fresh powder on the sledding hill that is the Biden Boom, and we bid farewell and good riddance to a radical (and now headless) snake. Erol’s drinking: Li’l Wit by Right Proper Brewing Company Mike’s drinking: Maestro Dobel Tequila Añejo Clasico Show Links: The Civilian Impacts of a Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine: https://www.csis.org/analysis/civilian-impacts-possible-russian-invasion-ukraine Ezra Klein's interview with Jason Furman: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-heck-is-going-on-with-the-u-s-economy/id1548604447?i=1000550421132 Spicy Nuggets: Cold warrior: Why Eileen Gu Ditched Team USA to Ski for China https://www.economist.com/1843/2022/02/03/cold-warrior-why-eileen-gu-ditched-team-usa-to-ski-for-china Globe Game: https://globle-game.com/
What is actually happening with Russia and Ukraine, and why does it matter? Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), joins us to talk about the facts on the ground and the bigger picture. From the brewing crisis in Eastern Europe to the brews flowing constantly on Downing Street, and from Nazi cats to Stephen Breyer’s vine and fig tree, it’s been a big news week and we're here for it.
Mike's drinking: Steady Eddie IPA from Union Craft Brewing
Erol's drinking: ANXO District Dry Cider
Show Links:
- Richard's upcoming CNAS event: https://www.cnas.org/events/special-event-the-world-in-2022
- Map of Russia's military surrounds Ukraine: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/01/27/world/europe/russia-forces.html
- The Daily, We Need To Talk About Covid, Part 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/26/podcasts/the-daily/omicron-coronavirus-behaviors.html
- The Daily, We Need To Talk About Covid, Part 2: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/podcasts/the-daily/we-need-to-talk-about-covid-part-2-a-conversation-with-dr-fauci.html
Spicy Nuggets:
- RadioLab's Latif Nasser's epic tweet thread: https://twitter.com/latifnasser/status/1323341552941371392
- Bo Burnham (fan account): https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkd2xRh/
- Alyssa Limperis:
https://twitter.com/alyssalimp?s=21
https://instagram.com/alyssalimp?utm_medium=copy_link
https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkddPCn/ * Nimesh Patel:
https://instagram.com/findingnimesh?utm_medium=copy_link
https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkddeDU/ * Sam Morrill:
https://instagram.com/sammorril?utm_medium=copy_link
https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdkdrXBM/
Troops are on high alert on both sides of the Ukraine-Russia border, but Tucker Carlson is down to half-mast over the new cartoon M&Ms and that is NOT OKAY. We have more clarity now on the deranged anti-Semitism behind the Congregation Beth Israel attack, and Burkina Faso becomes the latest African nation to jump on the coup bandwagon. In our main story, inflation is driving market volatility and popular hostility; but is it really so different from the last 10+ years?
Erol’s drinking: Lagavulin 16
Mike’s drinking: 1996 West Coast IPA from Hysteria Brewing Company
SPICY NUGGETS:The Economist Checks and Balance Podcast: Why are so many liberals pessimistic about America? https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2022/01/21/why-are-so-many-liberals-pessimistic-about-america
Burns Night: https://www.scotland.org/events/burns-night/the-ultimate-guide-to-burns-night
2022's Big Sick Energy continues, with classrooms shutting down, synagogues coming under siege, and Russia on the war path. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic gets very different receptions in Melbourne vs. Belgrade, and for our main story, we'll check in with Chile, where decades of turmoil and protest are culminating in an energetic young president and a constitutional convention.
Erol’s drinking: Dance of Days Pale Ale from Atlas Brew Works
Mike’s drinking: Z. Morris Blonde Ale from Black Flag Brewing
Spicy Nuggets:Erol: "What Your Favorite Sad Dad Band Says About You" - https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/what-your-favorite-sad-dad-band-says-about-you
Mike: When John Doerr Brought a 'Gift' to Google's Founders: https://www.wired.com/story/when-john-doerr-brought-a-gift-to-googles-founders/
Happy New Year? Mike and Erol are back for a second season, just in time to question whether Putin's telling the truth (he's not), whether Elizabeth Holmes is actually innocent (she's not), whether we're out of the pandemic yet (we're not), and whether we should all just give up and move to Venus (...)
Erol’s drinking: San Francisco Bay Coffee Company French Roast
Mike’s drinking: True Respite Week Away Hazy IPA
Show links:
- "Democracy Talk Is Cheap" https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/world/2022-01-10/democracy-talk-cheap
- "The Agony of Parents With Kids Under 5" https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/kids-under-5-vaccine-parents.html
- "Omicron Means Parents Are Doing It All Again, Except This Time Dead Inside" https://www.romper.com/parenting/here-we-go-again-omicron-edition
- "How to Change" by Katy Milkman: https://www.katymilkman.com/book
For our last episode of 2021, we’ll look back at the news stories that made us laugh and cry the most this year. We’ll also get a head start on next year's cries with a 2022 “advance-spective,” whatever that is. And for good measure, in the first round we'll check in on two dumb-yet-destructive phenomena in this week's news: Omicron and Mark Meadows.
Mike's drinking: Celebration Fresh Hop IPA from Sierra Nevada
Erol's drinking: Partly Cloudy by Solace Brewing Co.
What exactly is Vladimir Putin doing on the border with Ukraine... besides the obvious. Less obvious: the merits of a diplomatic Olympic boycott and how China will maintain zero Covid without tanking its (and the global) economy. Least obvious: what a dairy farmer can do to turn around a social media failure.
Erol is drinking: Grisette Farmhouse Ale from Manor Hill Brewing
Mike is drinking: Dreamland American Lager from Rogue Ales & Spirits
Omicron: not just the coolest Transformer anymore. We'll get into what we know, what we don't know, and what we can recklessly speculate about with the newest variant of Covid-19. In other news, Barbados finally breaks free from the British monarch, Black Friday breaks its winning streak, and Indian farmers break through to Modi.
Erol's drinking: relax [IT’S JUST A HAZY IPA] from Offshoot Beer Co.
Mike’s drinking: Cidre Blanc from ANXO Cidery
Show Links:
Economist graphic on omicron's spread and genomic sequencing of Sars-CoV-2: https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/11/29/omicron-is-starting-to-spread-around-the-world
Hunter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Xuhw9h0v_P6ZwKQ0rp56g
Zeynep Tufekci's Opinion Column: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/opinion/covid-omicron-travel-ban-testing.html
The Economist and Twitter mislead on Omicron: https://twitter.com/mheslin/status/1465766409540194304?s=20
We can't decide if this episode has an M. Night Shyamalan or a Charles Dickens storyline, so we'll just call it Oliver; you have to listen for the twist ending. Mike helps connect the dots between this week's economic news, the headwinds the Build Back Better bill faces in Congress, and promising developments in Covid treatments. But first, Erol marks the return of international travel with a journey back to Glasgow, and then over to the Belarus-Poland border. No twists there unfortunately, just a dictator causing misery, for kicks. Erol’s drinking: Diamonds are Forever Hazy Pale Ale from 3 Stars Brewing Company Mike’s drinking: Pounda Gold from Supreme Core Hard Cider McKinsey's breakdown of the infrastructure bill: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/the-us-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act-breaking-it-down
We get a firsthand report of the good, the bad, and the ugly at COP26 from James Turrito, Campaign Manager for Super Pollutants at the Clean Air Task Force. In a surprise twist, there is actually some good to report! Same goes for the Infrastructure bill passing the House, and the latest on the economy. But lest you think we've gone all rosy-colored glasses, we'll also talk about the latest from Ethiopia.
Erol is drinking: Oban 14
Mike is drinking: Glenfiddich 12
James is drinking: Braumanufaktur Potsdamer Strange
Article in Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2021/01/28/a-very-ethiopian-tragedy-tigray-the-tplf-and-cyclical-history/
Clean Air Task Force: https://www.catf.us/
As Mike and Erol desperately try to avoid looking at live VA governor's race returns, the pair returns to a favorite topic: summitry. In Rome G20 leaders have a plan that involves coinage and actual smart money is on very little at COP26 in Glasgow. Meanwhile, Zuck goes Meta and Alec Baldwin's misfire brings up more than just movie set safety. Erol's drinking: Solace Brewing Company Partly Cloudy Hazy IPA Mike's drinking: Aslin Beer Co. Palace Bohemian Pilsner
Lots of news in democracy this week: Barbados goes all in on it, Sudan backslides from it, and Steve Bannon might actually face some consequences for trying to subvert it. In our main story, Africa’s largest country is becoming a powder keg of inequality, violence, corruption, climate change, jihadism, piracy, cryptocurrency, and more. Can the center hold in Nigeria?
Mike is drinking: Elysian Superfuzz Blood Orange Ale Erol is drinking: Soda Stream H20
Tweet thread Erol mentions: https://twitter.com/SchneidermanDM/status/1452956177957015558?s=20
The Economist article on Nigeria: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/how-kidnappers-zealots-and-rebels-are-making-nigeria-ungovernable/21805737
It was a big week for gangs. The Yang gang starts a third party journey, a Haitian gang kidnaps missionaries, and the sorta gang-like construct that is the Chinese Communist Party faces some economic headwinds. Ok that last one was kinda forced, a bit like our (failed) attempts to not talk about infrastructure.
Erol is drinking: Gute Nacht by Solace Brewing Company
Mike’s drinking: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
Erol on The Truth of the Matter podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-truth-of-the-matter/id214886950
The Economist article on the energy crisis: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/10/16/the-first-big-energy-shock-of-the-green-era
Al Franken podcast episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/economist-austan-goolsbee-on-build-back-better/id1462195742?i=1000538806547
After a week off, Mike & Erol dig in on the most important economic issue of our time: Joe Biden canceling Christmas. In the first round, we check in on millennial world leaders and CEOs (spoiler: we're leaning toward Team Boomer), and we revisit the legislative perfect storm from the last episode (spoiler: still a-brewing).
Mike is drinking: Some High Quality H20
Erol is drinking: Stok Cold Brew Coffee - Unsweet Black
This week, Mike and Erol talk about ancient predators, and also Tyrannosaurus Rex. The US has too many murders, the UK has too few truck drivers, and Germany has just the right amount of democracy. For our main story, a perfect storm is brewing in Congress: #BuildBackBetter is on the brink, the government is about to shut down, and the US is about to default on its debts. But, objectively, it's a lovely time of year in DC.
What Erol’s drinking: Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale
What Mike’s drinking: Port City Porter
Show links:
- LBJ School Outstanding Alumni Awards 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWrCyBqg0JQ
- George W Bush gives Merkel a shoulder rub and Putin a wink: https://youtu.be/i4wKg2Ddoas?t=16
- Twitter thread from Alec Karakatsanis on media coverage of the increase in murders: https://twitter.com/equalityAlec/status/1442548020118097921?s=20
As the UN General Assembly kicks off this week, AUKUS gets awkward. We check in on the Texas 1984-meets-Handmaid's Tale crossover special. Mike wonders what it would mean to bring a galaxy brain strategy to vaccine distribution, while Nicki Minaj's cousin's friend has his own kind of "galaxy brain" problems. Mike's drinking: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale Erol's drinking: Topo Chico Show links: WaPo op-ed from Dr. Alan Braid: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/18/texas-abortion-provider-alan-braid/?no_nav=true Punkin Chunkin: https://youtu.be/dmSyrGsqmg8
We're verging on Upworthy territory this week: Biden's vaccine mandate could be the shot in the arm this country needs, child poverty in America is way down, and we're starting to see some progress on "long haul" Covid. But before we get ahead of ourselves, China may also be pulling from Putin's playbook or worse on LGBT rights, and this week saw current and former presidents mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11 as only they can -- for better or worse.
Mike's drinking: Waterloo Black Cherry sparkling water
Erol's drinking: Founders Brewing, The Amazing Kosmicki’s Highly Acclaimed KBS, A Flavored Stout
Show links:
- Cory Booker photo
- Former President George W. Bush's speech at the 9/11 memorial ceremony
- The Economist Article on "Why nations that fail women fail"
Will Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes make the jury's blood boil, or draw first blood from the prick she used to date? In Earth news, we've got Fire in the west, Wind and Water in the east. America's longest war is over -- not to get all King George about this, but...what comes next? And has Erol finally found his Achilles heel?
What Erol's drinking: DC Brau Oktoberfest
What Mike's drinking: Green Man Cider
The Atlantic article on Afghanistan in the 1950s and '60s: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the-1950s-and-60s/100544/
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Welcome to a Very Delta Back-to-School season. The Kabul Airlift continues and the US Capitol Building comes under threat again, but we’ve got good news on Josephine Baker, a new potential mRNA vaccine for HIV (#anagrams), and…local news in Baltimore?
What Mike's drinking: Ghost of the James APA from Three Notch'd Brewing
What Erol's drinking: Tucher Helles Hefeweizen
Afghanistan is fully broken, with the Taliban's return to power after 20 years. It's a tough week for Haiti too, as natural disasters pile on top of political ones. On the bright side, the U.S. is expanding food stamps, Nancy Pelosi is making it clearer than ever that she has zero time for amateurs, and Erol got to play with some spy gear.
What Mike's drinking: Lagunitas Super Cluster
What Erol's drinking: Leffe Brown
Links referenced in this episode:
Erol Yayboke's op-ed, "The Next Big Refugee Crisis Just Started"
Ezra Klein's interview with Spencer Ackerman about his book, Reign of Terror
The International Spy Museum's exhibit on female spies, including Virginia Hall and Josephine Baker
This week Mike and Erol talk about whether the continuation of the human race is actually a thing according to a new UN IPCC report. Anti-democratic states from Hungary to Florida get the Carlsonian/DeSantisian treatment. And bipartisanship peaks its head out from under the covers while Andrew Cuomo finally realizes that being a dinosaur is not an excuse.
What Mike's drinking: Ginger's Revenge Original Ginger Beer
What Erol's drinking: Solace Brewing Co. Partly Cloudy IPA
This week, Mike and Erol are joined by Dr. Nikki Usher, Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Senior Fellow at the Open Markets Institute. Her new book, “News for the Rich, White, and Blue” traces the decline of local newspapers in cities that don’t have the Times or the Post, and how it has reshaped the landscape of news production and consumption. We talk about how the market for news has failed, what it has meant for our beloved places and papers like the Baltimore Sun and International Herald Tribune, and how we’ll always have croissants, all while Nikki enjoys the “beer of Champaign.”
To order Nikki’s book, “News for the Rich, White, and Blue”, visit: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/news-for-the-rich-white-and-blue/9780231184670
Mike is drinking: DC Brau Joint Resolution Hazy IPA
Erol is drinking: Right Proper Li'l Wit
Nikki is drinking: Blind Pig Brewing Raspberry Wheat
The Olympics kick off this week with fake news about cardboard beds, real news about free condoms, and maybe even some sports. Jair Bolsonaro is in the hospital with the hiccups, while Jeff Bezos is in space with a badass legend of aviation. Joe Biden is flirting with a 2-front cyberwar against China and Facebook, and the only good news out of Cuba is coming from...Guantanamo?
What Erol's drinking: Bell's Official Hazy India Pale Ale
What Mike's drinking: Green Man Demon Dweller Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Radiolab mini series The Other Latif: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/projects/other-latif-series
Joe Biden issues a game-changing executive order to revitalize competition in U.S. industries, while Xi Jinping kneecaps a promising Chinese company's IPO. We're seeing failed states in Haiti, Cuba, and Texas, with some rays of hope in the Euro final, but none at CPAC. Zero mentions of billionaires in space, you're welcome.
What Erol's Drinking: Sun’s Out Hops Out by the Solace Brewing Company in Sterling, VA
What Mike's Drinking: Rock Steady sparkling rosé by Sipwell Wine Co. in Paso Robles, CA
Ryan Berg article Erol mentions:https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/08/opinions/mose-haiti-assassination-unraveling-democracy-berg/index.html Patria y Vida song: https://open.spotify.com/album/11KmjqP7jS1tb7caxTPYHa?highlight=spotify:track:1jOF5X4zw27t9LQltutz9f /
Email us: thenewsandthebrews@gmail.com
This week, Mike and Erol get back to the basics: talking about the news and drinking the brews. Mike's on location in CA while Erol holds down the fort in DC with a conversation that goes from Kabul to the cryosphere. They cover everything from a controversy in South Korea to a super not controversial series of indictments in NY, and from Sha’Carri Richardson’s unbelievable suspension to an eminently believable Russian cyberattack. Tune in for everything you need to know about this week's news... and maybe even some stuff you didn't.
What Mike was drinking: 805 Ale from Firestone Walker Brewing Company, "Properly Chill"
What Erol was drinking: Dance of Days by Atlas Brew Works in Washington, DC
South Korea story ("Sausage Party") as told by an Economist writer who isn't afraid of some good ol' fashioned puns: https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/17/young-men-in-south-korea-feel-victimised-by-feminism
Sundar Ramanujam of the Center for Strategic & International Studies joins Mike and Erol to discuss the infrastructure policy framework agreed to last week by President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators. Come for the fiscal responsibility, spirit of compromise, and 32-oz crowler, stay for a cameo from friend of the show Donatienne Ruy!
What Mike's drinking: National Bohemian Lager aka Natty Boh
What Sundar's drinking: Carlsberg aka Probably the Best Beer In The World (?)
What Erol’s drinking: “Pony Express” from Cave Hill Farms Brewery in McGaheysville, VA
"Rainbows, not Butterflies" comparison of the bipartisan infrastructure compromise and the original American Jobs Plan: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PdXdooJmaewyhSPy-H8QqQCQxymcF5frOv-lujdsY-A/edit#gid=0
This week, Senate Republicans blocked discussion of the For the People Act, while Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) penned an op-ed reiterating her opposition to ending the filibuster. All to say, the easy wins have been won, and Biden's legislative agenda faces an uphill battle from now to 2022, and beyond. To help make sense of it all, Mike and Erol are joined by Andy Reynolds, Senior Vice President at Civix Strategy Group.
What Mike was drinking: Green Man ESB
What Erol was drinking: Power Moves by Aslin Beer Co
What Andy was drinking: Trippel Belgian Style Ale by New Belgium Brewing
Let’s dig into the G7, NATO summit, and the US-Russia meeting in Geneva. Donatienne Ruy of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia program joins Mike and Erol to discuss.
Learn more about Donatienne’s recent work.
What Mike was drinking: Duvel
What Erol was drinking: St. Bernardus Abt 12
What Donatienne was drinking: La Chouffe
Anna McCaffrey of the Global Health Policy Center at CSIS joins Mike and Erol to discuss Biden's announcement that the U.S. is sending more Covid-19 vaccines abroad.