Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessy, and Chris Ryan revisit Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion in the context of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, focusing on how uncannily the film captures modern pandemic anxiety through its early depiction of transmission, public panic, and everyday hygiene behaviors. They discuss Soderbergh’s stylistic choices—fast global structure, grounded realism, and withholding “day one” until the end—as well as the unusually stacked cast and the decision to play the material completely straight rather than as a star-driven hero narrative. The conversation digs into the movie’s research-based approach to epidemiology and vaccine development, and how its portrayal of institutions and global cooperation now feels both plausible and more fragile than it did in 2011. They also highli...

Unidentified, militarized officers confronting protesters in Washington, D.C., highlight how sprawling and opaque federal law enforcement has become, especially as agencies have expanded steadily since 9/11 with limited public oversight. Attorney General William Barr was able to rapidly assemble thousands of personnel by drawing from the capital’s dense patchwork of federal police forces and specialized agencies, some of which have been granted enhanced surveillance roles. The federal government employs more than 132,000 civilian law enforcement officers across roughly 80 agencies, many outside the well-known “brand name” departments, alongside sizable military investigative and policing arms and even vaguely labeled security forces like the CIA’s protective service. This fragmented system...

The hosts break down the Republican National Convention’s messaging and production, noting a split between speakers who lean into Trump’s grievance politics and others who deliver more traditional Republican themes aimed at suburban voters, along with a debate over whether tactics like using the White House for convention content (and potential Hatch Act violations) matter to actual voters. They then explore what they call the 2020 election’s central paradox: polls show a steady Biden lead, yet the mechanics of voting and counting—especially mail ballots, litigation, and delayed results—could make the outcome unusually uncertain and contested. The conversation turns to the shootings and unrest in Kenosha and how ongoing protests, looting, and armed civilian presence are shaping public opin...

The hosts discuss fears that the Trump campaign could contest or undermine election results in key swing states by challenging mail-in ballots, pressuring Republican legislatures, and sowing distrust even in a clear Biden win. They debate how realistic worst-case scenarios are, but agree that sustained claims of fraud could erode democratic legitimacy and normalize an alternate reality for a sizable share of the country. The conversation then shifts to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death and the GOP’s push to confirm a replacement, with attention to how vulnerable Republican senators may be prioritizing loyalty to Trumpism over electoral strategy. They argue Democrats should keep the focus on process fairness and, more importantly, on practical stakes like the ACA and Roe rather than attacking a n...

The episode unpacks a cascading week of political crises culminating in President Trump and the First Lady testing positive for COVID-19, arguing that the diagnosis reflects the White House’s sustained disregard for basic public-health precautions and the administration’s broader pattern of denial and spin. Sykes and Miller also revisit the first presidential debate—especially Trump’s refusal to clearly condemn white supremacists and his lack of empathy toward Biden—while examining how Republicans privately express “concern” yet continue enabling him. They discuss election- and governance-related fallout including stalled stimulus negotiations, the GOP rush to confirm Amy Coney Barrett amid potential exposure, escalating vote-suppression tactics in Texas, and looming ballot-count controver...

The episode uses a darkly comic doctor–patient dialogue to satirize how people weigh expertise against charisma, fame, and “outsider” appeal when making high-stakes decisions. As Mr. Thomas distrusts credentials and institutions, he’s swayed by a confident clown, conspiracy thinking, and emotional defiance even in the face of clear evidence that the trained surgeon is the only safe option. The conversation ultimately argues that flawed systems still require reality-based choices, and that rejecting competence for spectacle can compound harm and remove better options for everyone.

The episode centers on the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, mixing relief at Joe Biden’s win with anxiety about Donald Trump’s refusal to concede and Republicans’ reluctance to acknowledge the result. The hosts discuss how close the race remained in key states, what the margins suggest about Trump’s enduring influence, and the likelihood that claims of a “stolen” election become a loyalty test within the GOP. They also dig into practical risks of a delayed transition, including the role of the GSA in formally starting it and the potential public-health consequences as COVID surges and a new vaccine headline collides with partisan incentives. A major theme is whether political reality and governance can reassert themselves once Trump loses presidential power, or whether a post-p...

The episode centers on Trump’s post-election efforts to overturn the 2020 result, with the hosts describing a “low-energy” but still dangerous attempt involving legal theatrics, pressure on certification boards, and officials being punished for disputing fraud claims. They argue that while the effort looks incompetent and is unlikely to succeed because the margin wasn’t close, it has been politically effective at binding much of the Republican Party and its voters to the narrative that the election was stolen. The conversation turns to Georgia, praising Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for resisting intense pressure from Trump allies while warning that ongoing “rigged election” rhetoric could depress GOP turnout ahead of the Senate runoffs. They also discuss how Republican ambitions f...