The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 38.2: How Moira Escaped and Where It All Went Wrong
Moira finishes the story of how she got out of the Red Center. She goes from a Quaker safe house to a mail sack to a truck full of carsick chickens, and she gets within sight of a boat to freedom. The escape plan runs into a problem, and what Moira chooses next tells you everything about where th...
Jack Smith Fights Back—and Why the Midterms Matter (with Rep. Ted Lieu)
Jack Smith turns the tables on his congressional questioners and doubles down on why he indicted Donald Trump. Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang break down the fiery hearing, the threats of prosecution against Smith, and what this battle over accountability reveals about the upcoming midter...
Impeachment, Integrity, Indigenous Day and the Illusion of Power
In this episode, John digs into the pressing issues surrounding the upcoming midterm elections as we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day. He talks about the federal raid on Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's home and the ongoing turmoil in Ukraine. Then, he interviews, Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-Exec...
The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. 39: The Last Time She Saw Her Mother | Banned Books Comedy
The Commander finally gets the Handmaid alone in a hotel room, and it’s the same hotel where she used to meet Luke. Hiding in the bathroom, she remembers the news Moira just gave her about her mother. Then she has to walk back out and face the man waiting on the bed.
This episode includes AI-voic...
The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 40: What Really Happened Over the Garage? | Banned Books Podcast
At midnight, Serena Joy walks the handmaid out the kitchen door and sends her up the back stairs to Nick. The handmaid tells us what happened in that room. Then she tells us she made it up, and tells it again.
This episode includes AI-voiced content, including our trusty fact-checking robot, Robo...
Impeach Trump? Rep. Al Green Makes the Case
Congress has the power to impeach Trump. Will it use it?John Fugelsang and Corey Brettschneider discuss the attack on Ilhan Omar, calls to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Elon Musk’s DOGE assault on USAID and Congress’s constitutional powers. Why should accountability stop with the pr...
Trump's Taxonomy: Inflation, Invasions, and the Illusion of Diplomacy
As the midterms draw near, John emphasizes the importance of voter turnout, noting significant increases in early voting across several states. He passionately critiques Trump's foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia, arguing that Trump's actions prioritize the interests of dic...
The Handmaid’s Tale Chapter 41: The Kitchen Door Clicks Shut Behind Her | Banned Books Podcast
In Chapter 41, the handmaid wishes her story were different, then tells us what she did next: she kept going back to Nick, on her own, without Serena Joy knowing. Dan and Jennifer try to work out whether the man over the garage is a lonely guy, a trap, or something else. The handmaid is risking a...
The Handmaid's Tale Chapter 42: The Wooden Stage on the University Lawn | Banned Books Podcast
In Chapter 42, the handmaid goes to a Salvaging, and it is nothing like a rummage sale. Dan and Jennifer try to figure out what the word even means, what the crowd is really there to see, and why the people running Gilead decided to stop saying out loud what the condemned did. Jennifer calls it t...
Report the News, Risk Deportation? Stanford Students Take On Trump
Can writing an article put you at risk of deportation? The Stanford Daily editor George Porteous joins Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang to explain how deportation fears are silencing student journalists—and why his newspaper took the Trump administration to court. After a major district-co...
