The Hysteria team is off this week. But we’re excited to bring you a recent episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams.

In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, we’ve watched Republicans erode American democracy with alarming speed. While this political moment may feel unprecedented, it isn’t new. America has dealt its share of far-right movements, fascist provocateurs, and anti-democratic threats. But time and again, heroes have risen to meet those moments. In this episode, Stacey unpacks how we’ve fought fascism before – and won. She’s joined by the host of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism.

Subscribe to Assembly Required wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Learn & Do More:

Be Curious: History can be an extremely useful tool to help us navigate the present. Pick up Rachel Maddow’s book Prequel — now available in paperback anywhere books are sold. Also pick up the Assembly Required Recommended Read: The Dictator’s Learning Curve by William Dobson.

Solve problems: The best thing we can do right now is show up and use our voices. There are two key ways to do this. First: call your representatives! Democrat, Republican, Independent — it doesn’t matter. Tell them where you stand and why it matters. Second: get involved locally. Join a protest, volunteer to support a community that is particularly vulnerable right now, donate to a grassroots group in your area. Change starts with showing up, so let’s get to work.

Do Good: Not only has Trump waged a war on books, he’s waged a war on independent businesses. So if you’re interested in reading any of the books I mentioned today, or want to pick up our weekly recommended reading, purchase them at a local bookstore. If there isn’t a local option near you, or you just prefer the convenience of online shopping, check out small businesses that operate online — like Octavia’s Bookshelf.

Erin and Alyssa discuss the latest on the fertility clinic bombing in Palm Springs, the horrific consequences of Georgia’s strict 6-week abortion ban, and the Liver King. Then The Atlantic’s Sophie Gilbert joins to chat about her new book Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, they talk about everything from the impact of Spice-Girls-feminism to the rise of the #girlboss.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert

Georgia mother says she is being forced to keep brain-dead pregnant daughter alive under abortion ban law (NBC News 5/15)

25-year-old suspect in fertility clinic bombing left behind ‘anti-pro-life’ writings, officials say (AP 5/18)

Trump tells Walmart to ‘eat the tariffs’ as retailer expects prices to increase (CNN 5/17)

Walmart Selling Solid Gold Bars Is the Recession Indicator We Didn’t See Coming (Rolling Stone 5/16)

Judge overturns Michigan’s 24-hour waiting period before an abortion (CNN/AP 5/13)

The Tech Guys Are Fighting. Literally. (NYT 5/16)

The ‘Manosphere’? It’s Planet Earth. (NYT 2/1)

The Liver King story chillingly shows how bad role models are manufactured (The Independent 5/13)

The new American pope is here, Trump is fast-tracking white South African refugees, the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial has begun, and Erin and Alyssa are here to break it down. They also do a deep dive into wellness influencer Casey Means, who might just be the next U.S. surgeon general. They wrap up with a conversation about Karoline Leavitt’s super mom status and Adidas’ new down syndrome accessible shoe program.

“She Was Tearful About It”: The Nuances of Casey Means’s Medical Exit and Antiestablishment Origins (Vanity Fair 5/9)

Casey Means: influencer, RFK Jr favorite – and Trump’s pick for surgeon general (The Guardian 5/11)

How a post #MeToo law opened the floodgates for allegations against Sean 'Diddy' Combs (NPR 5/7)

The trial of Sean Combs: What you need to know (NPR 5/12)

Quakers march against Trump’s crackdown on immigrants, carrying on a long tradition (LA Times 5/11)

Episcopal Church says it won’t help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status in US (AP News 5/12)

Pope Leo XIV calls for Gaza ceasefire in first Sunday message (Al Jazeera 5/11)

Pope calls for journalists to be released from prison (BBC 5/12)