Grifty

Grifty Side Hustle How America Lost Its Mind, and Do We Even Want It Back? We Lost Our Mind 160 Years Ago When We Failed the Test of Reconstruction Show Notes Welcome to Grifty Side Hustle. Between regular Grifty episodes, one or two of us take a closer look at something we're really into. Each episode stands on its own, whether we're following someone's career, revisiting a period in history, or examining an idea or institution that gets us asking bigger questions. Sometimes it's an obvious grift. Sometimes it's a political promise or a national myth that refuses to stay in the past. The cast may be smaller, but the suspicion is fully staffed. We're looking at who gets power, who lives with the consequences, and how old ideas keep being repackaged as common sense. Did America lose its mind? And if it did, what if it actually happened 160 years ago? Grifty Pod co-host Aaron McCall launches the series' first-ever Grifty Side Hustle to dig deeper into that question by looking to the Civil War and the…

HOW AMERICA LOST ITS MIND, AND DO WE EVEN WANT IT BACK? Episode 2: The Long Con In 2009, Ashton Kutcher beat CNN to a million Twitter followers. CNN had reporters around the world. Ashton had Punk'd. Somehow, we'd found a way to compare them. Azi follows The Gong Show, The Real World, and American Idol into a culture that sells humiliation and mistakes watchability for authority. The Apprentice gave Trump a carefully edited business reputation, and being good at television could get you taken seriously in a completely different job. Political loyalty can start to look a lot like attachment to a TV character. Paris Hilton didn't cause fascism. We're not putting that on the woman who gave us "that's hot." We wanted celebrity access, then found ourselves expected to post our breakfast, our divorce, and our opinion on a controversy eleven minutes old. Even silence needed an explanation. Aaron traces slavery and Reconstruction through Obama's presidency and the racial backlash that came with it. Obama organized…

HOW AMERICA LOST ITS MIND, AND DO WE EVEN WANT IT BACK? Episode 1: It's Not a Horseshoe. It's a Business Model. The wellness people think your toothpaste is poisoning you. Finance bros think empathy is bad economics. Somebody on the far right thinks Taylor Swift is a Democrat psy-op, while someone on the far left thinks your aunt buying hummus is personally funding colonialism. On parts of both fringes, everything is somehow Israel's fault. The old antisemitic conspiracies apparently have remarkable staying power among people who think they're having brand-new thoughts. Then, while the MAGA right was helpfully laying out its intentions in Project 2025, a corner of the online left looked at Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, a regime that jails journalists, murders protesters, brutalizes women, and executes gay people, and thought, "Maybe these guys have a point." It's impressive how much authoritarianism you can overlook once you've decided the authoritarians hate the right people. Different politics,…

Grifty Pod Bonus Episode "Beating a Dead Horse" We're back because the group chat got out of control. This week we break down the Eric Swalwell allegations, Azi's firsthand experience as a whistleblower in the Eric Bauman scandal, and the bigger issue of power, patriarchy, and why "believe women" suddenly comes with exceptions. We also get into cult of personality politics and what happens when the left gets its own Joe Rogan with Hassan Piker. Messy, honest, and very online but with a real point. Stop worshipping individuals and start holding systems accountable. Listen, then log off and go do something useful.

Episode Summary Welcome back to Grifty Pod. If you are listening to this episode without a helmet or a seatbelt, you are far braver than we are. This week felt like the entire nation had a stroke while standing upright. The Epstein documents dropped and inside that cursed file dump we discovered the soul bending phrase Trump and Bubba which was not on any of our bingo cards. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried to pick a political fistfight with Trump and it looked like two malfunctioning Roombas colliding in a hallway. Every headline seemed to be written by a bored demon trapped in a newsroom. So today we are taking you on a tour of American unreality. First we slide back into the nineties to revisit the DARE program which gave entire generations a deeply misplaced sense of safety. Then we blast forward to the current moment where right wing influencers are turning on their own in something called transvestigation which is exactly as deranged as it sounds. The circus is in town. Let us begin. What You'll Learn in…

This week on Grifty, we are heading north… way north. where climate change, government chaos, and corporate greed have collided at once. Alaska is in free fall. A typhoon has slammed the western coast, wiping out villages and food stores that took generations to build. The federal government is shut down, freezing aid and cutting off SNAP benefits for tens of thousands. While people are trying to keep their families fed, the Trump administration is approving new oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This is not about the weather. It is about what happens when a government built on extraction leaves its people to fend for themselves. It is about sovereignty, survival, and the politics of pretending the climate crisis is still up for debate. We are joined by Dr. Brian Heaslet, a lifelong Alaskan who knows what it takes to keep food and supplies moving across the most isolated parts of the state. Also joining is our own Sierra Montoya, bringing her sharp Alaskan insight and humor to unpack what…

This week's episode dives straight into the No Kings protest, where nearly eight million people took to the streets to push back against Trump and the creeping rot of authoritarianism. It was the largest protest in American history, a moment that felt like the country briefly remembered what collective power looks like before the morning hangover set in. And on the other side, we had the tankies those chronically online, do-nothing leftists who spent the weekend insisting that protest is pointless. The same self sabotaging geniuses who told people not to vote in 2024 because "it wouldn't matter," which sure helped Trump slide right back into power. They call it radical theory and praxis. We call it performative nihilism and contrarianism with WiFi.

August 31, 2025 Welcome back to Grifty, the podcast where cult wellness, corporate greed, and authoritarian politics meet at a potluck dinner nobody wanted. Tonight's theme is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again plan, better known as MAHA. The Trump team is branding it as a health revolution. But peel back the organic avocado sticker and it looks more like the same old MAGA project: pretend to fight for wellness while quietly dismantling the science and institutions that actually keep people alive. Let's dig in. ⸻ Segment 1: The Food Fight Nobody Ordered Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving as Trump's Health Secretary, launched MAHA to target ultra-processed foods, artificial dyes, and chemical additives. Big food corporations such as Kraft Heinz, Mars, and Kellogg have already pledged to remove synthetic dyes by 2027 under mounting pressure (Axios (https://www.axios.com/2025/08/31/rfk-robert-kennedy-maha-food-plan)). Supporters frame MAHA as consumer protection. Critics see Kennedy using it to…

🚨 New Grifty episode just dropped with our new co-host @mrneuropolitan! We're diving into the most chaotic month in American politics, when the Supreme Court drops their worst rulings like they're hot. This week: ⚖️ SCOTUS June doom is upon us. Will we survive it? 👹 Senator Joni Ernst outdoes herself & casually shrugs off deadly Medicaid cuts 🥛 RFK Jr. teams up with a raw meat influencer to rewrite public health Plus: @theycallme_ms_j & @the.wellness.therapist tell us their goose stories and @saribethrose tells us one about turtles 🐢 Oh, and we play Real Grift or Fake News and yes, "Spiritual Ozempic" might be real. Tap the link in bio to listen or find us wherever you hear your fave podcasts (iTunes, Spotify, etc). Stay sharp. Stay suspicious. Stay Grifty. 🧠🎙️

A conversation with Federal Advocacy Coordinator Aaron McCall.

It's a new year! Anything could happen 🤗… Anything could happen 🤔… Anything could happen 😨 We kick off our third season discussing post-election coping strategies, the New Right Tech Bro Overlords who are thrashing democracy to make their Optimized new world order happen, and the items got us through the liminal period before Inauguration.

The Grifty crew was joined by Dr. Nini Munoz to talk about all things grifty. Dr. Nini is an electrical engineer and data scientist specializing in sensor design and integration. Her expertise ranges from inertial navigation systems to biosensors, and she integrates AI for pattern recognition and systems risk analysis. She completed her doctorate at Cornell University, where her research at the intersection of electrical engineering and microbiology focused on designing neural interfaces. Nini is passionate about teaching and science communication. She has built a social media platform, @niniandthebrain, to make complex topics more accessible and understandable for a broad audience. Nini offers a data-driven approach. She teaches people how to critically appraise data by examining flawed studies, providing datasets, and demonstrating how data can be analyzed and manipulated to fit a predetermined conclusion, often going as far as replicating study findings. Given the amount of health misinformation out…

GENERAL ELECTION–STATE OF PLAY The 2024 presidential debates have been unveiled "The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that the three 2024 presidential debates will be held next year on Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9. "(https://www.axios.com/2023/11/20/2024-election-debates-biden-trump-republicans ) Swing states that are expected to decide the 2024 presidential election "The titanic Biden-Trump election likely will be decided by roughly 6% of voters in just six states, top strategists in both parties tell us." (https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/biden-trump-election-swing-states ) POTUS CANDIDATE: BIDEN Biden's historic marijuana shift is his latest election year move for young voters PHOENIX (AP) — President Joe Biden may eventually ban TikTok, but he's moving to give something back to the young people who dominate the popular social media app — a looser federal grip on marijuana." (https://apnews.com/article/biden-young-voters-marijuana-reclassification-dea-193e97fc2dd7b32b7d7ad50b4ea80aa0 )…

On this episode, the gang is joined by the one and only Dr. Inna Kanevsky to discuss all types of grifty misinformation floating around online about pop psychology and science. Dr. Inna Kanevsky has over 1.1m followers on TikTok (@dr_inna) and her videos have garnered over 36 million views, which according to some estimates places her in the 99.75% percentile of U.S. Tiktokers. When she's not being a social media influencer, Dr. Inna is a Psychology Professor at San Diego Mesa College with her doctorate in experimental psychology. Be sure to follow Dr. Inna on TikTok @dr_inna and on Instagram @_dr_inna.

GENERAL ELECTION–STATE OF PLAY States where abortion is on the ballot in the 2024 election "Voters in about a dozen states could decide the fate of abortion rights in November with constitutional amendments on the ballot in a pivotal election year — including in several battleground states that will be key to deciding the presidential race and which party controls Congress." (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/abortion-ballot-measures/ ) RFK Jr. rules out Libertarian presidential run "Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Saturday ruled out running as a Libertarian." (https://apple.news/AOtthZk48RtOWffIxyUgfLg ) THE RFK JR. STRATEGY CLICKS INTO FOCUS As the race between Trump and Biden gets uglier, Kennedy is focusing on ballot access. (https://apple.news/A0Fa-JwuMSnKaKTtMZ8_qPA ) SCOTUS The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states "It is no longer safe to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas."…

She's just a girl, a girl in the world. Join Azi as she has a fun two part chat with Caroline Calloway about everything and nothing. Tune in for the second part of this interview next week. Find us on all social media platforms @griftypod or visit www.grifty.org for more

KING CAUCUS - On this episode of the Grifty Tribune, Azi, Sari and Taryn discuss the outcome of the Iowa Caucus where Trump won (with a lower turnout than previous years), reviewed the tick tock of Trump's busy 2024 trial schedule, and discussed how they'd characterize the 2024 electorate.and what exactly will motivate them to vote and save our democracy from the man who wants to be King. History behind Caucus System History Behind the Iowa Caucus The Caucus System in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process Trump's big Iowa win included some signs of trouble with moderates, younger voters Polling of Republicans at Iowa Caucus Trump also continued his pattern of racist dog whistles against Nikki Haley (who is slightly gaining on him in the polls), referring to her by her first name, Nimarata, in a Truth Social post. A judge in Maine decided to hold off on ruling on the case of Trump's ballot eligibility until the Supreme Court issues a decision on the Colorado case. DeSantis's super PAC, Never Back Down,…

Episode 1 of Season 2 features Taylor Lorenz discussing influencers and Taylor Lorenz is a prominent journalist who has made a name for herself covering topics related to technology, internet culture, and social media. She has worked for major publications such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Her work covers the intersection of technology and society. Lorenz is known for her in-depth reporting on issues such as online harassment, influencer culture, and the impact of social media on various aspects of society, including politics, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. Her work often delves into the ways in which technology shapes contemporary life and the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Amanda, Sari Beth & Kea sat down with Taylor Lorenz author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet to discuss the grifty origin story of the World Wide Web and discussed how it forever shapes our daily lives today. Follow us on…

Episode 9 Grifty Tribune: The Grifty Old Party On this episode of Grifty, we are kicking off our new ongoing series- The Grifty Tribune. In ancient Rome, the Tribune was a person who upheld or defended the rights of the people. And we plan to do the same with this ongoing series. In this edition of the Grifty Tribune, Azi and Sari break down the latest in American politics with a focus on how the GOP got so darn grifty - from Sarah Palins's $150,000 wardrobe back in 2008 to the Obama Birther Conspiracy to the Trump Mug Shot of 2023. Azi and Sari even go back to the Roman Empire - yes, the Roman Empire - and try to figure out how we got to this place in America, once founded on lofty principles of republican virtue, to one where Trump is able to galvanize and grift off of an anti-intellectual, conspiracy theory obsessed, and bigoted voting bloc. IN THIS EPISODE Bidens impressive record $150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image Who the hell is Orly Taitz The Mug Shot Is a Warning How Conspiracy…

Grifty Pod Episode 8: Boys Don't Cry Boy's don't cry, and that is precisely the problem. On this episode of Grifty, all the gang is back in town for our back-to-school episode of exploring the Manosphere – an interconnected echo chamber of men and boys where the themes of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and homophobia are platformed and normalized in online forums, podcasts, and articles all over the web. A large part of the appeal of the manosphere is that it acknowledge the increasing rates of depression, suicide, and incarceration among men. However, they take this sliver of truth and leverage it into a fear-mongering grift where they make the false link that these issues plaguing our boys and men are the result of some global conspiracy. Find us on all social media platforms @griftypod Learn more www.grifty.org IN THIS EPISODE On the History of the Manosphere: The Evolution of the Manosphere across the Web "To Learn About the Far Right, Start With the 'Manosphere'." The Atlantic On the Ideology and Content…

Gather 'round as we delve into the world of life coaching. Apparently in these modern times, for the average person, craving a new life implies seeking the assistance of a so-called life coach. These self-proclaimed saviors promise to guide you towards a life of success, wealth, and popularity. But let's not be fooled for beneath their veneer of expertise there may be nothing more than a shameless grift. In the tumultuous landscape of late-stage capitalism, where the weight of societal pressures and economic inequalities bears down on individuals, the quest for a new and improved life has taken on a peculiar form. Enter life coaching, the beacon of hope for those yearning to optimize themselves and strive towards the elusive next level. Join us on this episode as we navigate through the treacherous terrain of personal transformation in an unforgiving system. We dissect the woven web at the intersection of life coaching, new age spirituality, and the so-called wellness industry. As people grapple with the…

Indictment Day: Part Deux Donald John Trump has been indicted and arraigned for a second time in three months, with at least two possible ones to come. (Insert clip of Kimberly Guilfoyle bellowing out "The Best is Yet To Come!"). Although Trump invited all of his fans to the Miami Federal Courthouse on his Arraignment Day aka Flag Day aka his 77th Birthday, there was reportedly more press than MAGAs in attendance. Where's the QAnon Shaman when you need him? Oh, right, freshly out of prison. Azi and Sari speak with a very special guest, Little Miss Marxist to discuss Indictment Day Part Deux as well as the current state of the GOP. Only time will tell who will be the Republican candidate up against incumbent Joe Biden, but we know that every Trump indictment - and arraignment - is the gift that keeps giving for the Grand Old Party. Don't forget to follow @Littlemissmarxist, @saribethrose, @the.wellness.therapist, and @griftypod on all social media platforms.

Do you believe in magic? On this episode of Grifty, friends of the pod explore America's mass shooting problem thru the lens of the magical thinking that fuels both gun and wellness cultures, as well as discuss the latest news about GOP grifters Donald Trump and George Santos. The market for Toxic forms of wellness exists because people are feeling disempowered with their health and lack trust in the medical community in the same way that the consumer market for military-grade weapons exists because people are feeling disempowered with their safety and lack trust in the government. Gun and wellness cultures center YOU in the discussion, as both the main contributor and detractor of your safety and well-being. It's giving main character energy in the worst way possible. These dogmatic views and binary solutions towards self-sufficiency and empowerment have led to extremism not just by predatory grifters but also by other well-meaning but misinformed individuals, especially in this chronically online era where…

The 2024 Presidential election is officially underway. Joe Biden Part 2 is in full effect. Dude is old, get over it. Ron DeSantis went and got himself sued by Disney and is running 30 points behind Trump. Tucker Carlson got himself fired from Fox News and now has to report from his basement bunker. RFK Jr. and Marianne Williamson bringing old-school wellness grifts back into politics. Azi and Sari share their own conspiracy theories about the REAL reason why RFK Jr. is running, and Larry David is to blame.

On this episode, Friends of the Pod discuss the pseudoscience that can be chiropracty wacky backy quacky, which is the perfect place to trap gullible people looking for some relief. Of course, like many wellness practices chiropractice care lives in the in-between of therapeutic health modalities that can be effective and can also become iffy when mixed with pseudoscience. At times the field has been about ignoring evidence-based medicine. Various systematic reviews of controlled clinical studies of treatments used by some chiropractors has also found no evidence that all of the work that they do is effective, with the possible exception of treatment for specific kinds of back pain. Very little reproducible evidence exists to indicate that maintenance chiropractic care adequately prevents anything. While some chiropractors limit their practice to short-term treatment of muscle conditions, many falsely claim that they ARE able to treat a myriad of other conditions, including mental and spiritual health. Final…