Episodes

  • S5 Ep15: Nothing is True, Everything is Possible (with Anne Applebaum)

    S5 Ep15: Nothing is True, Everything is Possible (with Anne Applebaum)
    Apr 26 2025
    Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been marked by a lot of aspiring autocratic behavior...like deporting a legal resident without due process, targeting his political enemies, to walking right up to the line of ignoring the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, it's not a given that voters will care...or even clock that what they're seeing is bad. Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum joins Sarah to discuss how voters are seeing Trump, and how he's comparing to autocratic regimes around the world.

    show notes
    Anne on Substack

    By Anne Applebaum:
    Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
    Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
    America’s Future Is Hungary
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    52 mins
  • S5 Ep14: Trump's Luxury Beliefs (with Scott Lincicome)

    S5 Ep14: Trump's Luxury Beliefs (with Scott Lincicome)
    Apr 19 2025
    Trump has plunged the markets into chaos over the last couple of weeks with his tariffing, and un-tariffing, and possible re-tariffing. The Biden-to-Trump voters we've talked to were a mixed bag on this. Scott Lincicome, author of The Dispatch's economics newsletter Capitolism and Vice President of general economics at the Cato Institute, joins Sarah to listen to how the trade war is trickling down to voters and where it all might go from here.

    show notes
    By Scott Lincicome:
    Capitolism Newsletter

    This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co #oneskinpod
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    58 mins
  • S5 Ep13: America's Moral Moment (with Lauren Egan)

    S5 Ep13: America's Moral Moment (with Lauren Egan)
    Apr 12 2025
    We've heard from a lot of Democrats who want the party to be more moderate, and many who want the party to be more progressive. But they all agree that the party needs to fight harder in this moment. Lauren Egan, author of The Bulwark's newsletter, The Opposition, joins Sarah to listen to some Democrats talk about the threats they see from the Trump administration, and how they think elected Democrats should respond.

    By Lauren Egan:
    Chuck Schumer Is Facing a Biden Moment
    Where Have All the Pussyhats Gone?
    Some Weird Alliances Are Breaking Out Among Democrats

    This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
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    47 mins
  • S5 Ep12: Telling MAGA It's Raining (with Will Sommer)

    S5 Ep12: Telling MAGA It's Raining (with Will Sommer)
    Apr 5 2025
    Donald Trump is facing some headwinds. His staff accidentally leaked war plans to a reporter, and the promised price cuts are nowhere to be found. We check in with Biden-Trump voters on Signal-gate, and talk to Trump's base about whether they want him running for a third term, how they feel about the economy (which may surprise you), and the state of the MAGA media ecosystem. The Bulwark's MAGA-knower Will Sommer joins Sarah to sift through it all.

    show notes

    By Will Sommer:
    • When ‘Owning The Libs’ > The Constitution

    • A Crack in Ben Shapiro’s Daily Wire
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    1 hr
  • S5 Ep11: The Kyrgyzstan PhD Problem (with Jen Psaki)

    S5 Ep11: The Kyrgyzstan PhD Problem (with Jen Psaki)
    Mar 29 2025
    We're checking in with 2024's non-voters, and Sarah has a (friendly) fight with our guest over whether Kamala Harris should have closed the 2024 campaign with Liz Cheney. They also talk to some of 2024's non-voters, who have some thoughts on how Democrats should be fighting back right now. Jen Psaki, host of MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki and the podcast The Blueprint with Jen Psaki, joins the show.
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • S5 Ep10: It's Really Good and Really Bad (with Mark Leibovich)

    S5 Ep10: It's Really Good and Really Bad (with Mark Leibovich)
    Mar 22 2025
    We're checking in on first-time Trump voters as Trump's reign of chaos continues. Some love what they're getting and think Democrats are out over their skis. Others are wondering when Trump will get around to fixing the economy. Atlantic staff writer and legendary DC chronicler Mark Leibovich joins Sarah to discuss what to make of it all.

    Show notes:
    Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic:
    • Greenland’s Prime Minister Wants the Nightmare to End
    Books by Mark Leibovich:
    • Thank You for Your Servitude
    • This Town
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    53 mins
  • S5 Ep9: Unresolved COVID Trauma (with Dr. Leana Wen)

    S5 Ep9: Unresolved COVID Trauma (with Dr. Leana Wen)
    Mar 15 2025
    Five years ago this week, the COVID-19 pandemic came to the United States, and with it a level of suffering and distrust of authority (and each other) that we haven't fully reckoned with. Indeed, the pandemic was a major factor in what made Donald Trump's political comeback possible. Dr. Leana Wen, public health expert and author of the Washington Post newsletter The Checkup with Dr. Wen joins Sarah to discuss the lessons learned from the pandemic, how it changed Americans, and its implications for the future of public health.

    Show notes:
    The Checkup with Dr. Wen

    This show is #sponsored by OneSkin. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THEFOCUSGROUP at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
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    59 mins
  • S5 Ep8: Free World 'Family Meeting' (with Tommy Vietor)

    S5 Ep8: Free World 'Family Meeting' (with Tommy Vietor)
    Mar 8 2025
    Trump shouted down Zelensky in the Oval Office last week, and many pro-Ukraine Trump voters wished it hadn't happened like that...publicly, at least. So, we wondered, what did the remaining pro-Ukraine Republicans think of America's role in the world? Pod Save America and Pod Save the World host Tommy Vietor joins Sarah to discuss the future of foreign policy in Trump 2.0.
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    42 mins
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