The Bitchuation Room

This week: Twitch streamer and cultural commentator Caroline Kwan joins to talk about Abdul El-Sayed's fight through Islamophobic attacks, and why fandoms can be good? Plus former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya on the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger that could kill Hollywood.

Francesca unpacks the online fight over "Woke 1.0" — performative identity politics versus material policy — and how AOC threw the Black Lives Movement under the bus. Also, the Abdul El-Sayed freakout continues, but the candidate has a comeback for every ounce of hate. Then, MSNOW’s Joe Scarborough has a next-level meltdown over Hasan Piker. Also, AOC opens up about her IVF journey and the right of course has a problem with it.

Then, former FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya joins to break down the Skydance-Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger — $80 billion in debt, promised "synergies" (lmao), an insane round of cuts, and what it means for creatives, contractors, and the future of what gets made when one family controls CBS, CNN, and HBO. 

Featuring:

Caroline Kwan, cultural commentator and Twitch streamer, https://www.instagram.com/carolinekwann/
https://www.twitch.tv/carolinekwan

Alvaro Bedoya, Senior Advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project, https://x.com/BedoyaUSA

Take Action: https://blockthemerger.com/

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Let’s eat real. Head to FACTORMEALS.com/bitchuation50off and use code bitchuation50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until 10/31/2026. That’s code bitchuation50off at FACTORMEALS.com/bitchuation50off at FACTORMEALS.com. See website for more details

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Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.

***

LIVE SHOWS:

Minneapolis August 20th: The Bitchuation Room will be LIVE! at The Parkway Theater. Get tickets here: https://theparkwaytheater.com/all-events/bitchuation-room

Seattle Friday Sept 4th & Saturday Sept. 5th
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-show-francesca-fiorentini-and-matt-lieb-laughs-comedy-club-tickets-1989424855296

Portland, OR September 7th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/373712

Portland, OR September 8th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/372818

Los Angeles, October 4th at 1pm: The Bitchuation Room LIVE with Emma Vigeland at The Lodge Room

https://www.lodgeroomhlp.com/shows/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live/

Philadelphia, October 13th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline The Punchline: https://www.livenation.com/event/vvG1FZ_uLomA9S/francesca-fiorentini-the-bitchuation-room-live

Philadelphia, October 14th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At The Punchline. https://tr.ee/etd9vCkRQN

Brooklyn, October 15th: Francesca and Matt Lieb Co-headline The Bell House

https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064F43E856080

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

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Michigan results are thrilling as Abdul El-Sayed wins the Senate primary race and William Lawrence wins in MI-7, and Donavan McKinney in MI-13. Still, a tough loss for Cori Bush in Missouri. Francesca and Matt assess the money and the Israel of it all in this late night rant.

***

Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.

***

LIVE SHOWS:

Minneapolis August 20th: The Bitchuation Room will be LIVE! at The Parkway Theater. Get tickets here: https://theparkwaytheater.com/all-events/bitchuation-room

Seattle Friday Sept 4th & Saturday Sept. 5th
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-show-francesca-fiorentini-and-matt-lieb-laughs-comedy-club-tickets-1989424855296

Portland, OR September 7th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/373712

Portland, OR September 8th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/372818

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week: Andrea Flores on the ethnic cleansing at the heart of Trump's immigration regime, and Iran War Season 2 is BACK with fresh war-crimes.

First, Andy Beshear says two sources told him Mitch McConnell is dead. Oh nooo. Meanwhile, the right is accusing Canada of climate warfare over wildfire smoke. 

On top of that, the Iran war is back on for ten straight nights, with the US striking desalination plants and civilian infrastructure in Tehran. In retaliation, Iran killed three more American servicemembers, bringing the total death toll to 18. And it only cost the taxpayers $37.5 billion dollars?! Plus, the SAVE Act's voter suppression push is now somehow related to The Olive Garden? And Zohran Mamdani triples down on his promise to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in New York.

Then, immigration attorney and policy expert Andrea Flores — who advised both the Obama and Biden administrations before resigning in frustration — joins to break down the violent racial profiling defining ICE enforcement right now, the deafening lack of investigations into detention deaths, and why Democrats' decades-long habit of treating immigration as a technicality rather than a moral question has left them with a bankrupt playbook.

Featuring:

Andrea Flores, immigration attorney and policy expert
https://x.com/Arosaflores
https://americaspromise.substack.com

***

Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.

***

LIVE SHOWS:

Minneapolis August 20th: The Bitchuation Room will be LIVE! at The Parkway Theater. Get tickets here: https://theparkwaytheater.com/all-events/bitchuation-room

Seattle Friday Sept 4th & Saturday Sept. 5th
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-show-francesca-fiorentini-and-matt-lieb-laughs-comedy-club-tickets-1989424855296

Portland, OR September 7th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/373712

Portland, OR September 8th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/372818

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

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This is a portion of a one-hour interview with comedian Aida Rodriguez. To get access to the full interview and the rest of the Hot Button series, become a patron www.patreon.com/bitchuationroom

"I get my likes in person", says Aida Rodriguez, who is difficult not to like in person. Aida is a stand up comedian who has been on HBO, Peacock, and a phenomenal special on HBO, an actor, and political commentator who is also the host of the Say What You Mean Podcast. She joins Francesca to talk about being a touring woman comic in an industry chalk full of mediocre white guys who are now glazing Donald Trump. Aida says she wants women in comedy to squad up in solidarity and stand up for one another. They talk about the toxic culture of celebrity, the lack of truly outspoken celebrities, and what it means to "make it" in the industry. 

Aida is also starring in an upcoming feature film called Hurricane Seasons set in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. They discuss the legacies of colonialism, the political complexities of Puerto Rican and Cuban identity, and the ways that differing waves of Latino immigrants can turn on one another. They talk about why the left shouldn't fetishize Cuba and why Latino voters face so much scrutiny over voting for Trump, when Democrats have failed to reach them. 

Featuring:

Aida Rodriguez, comedian

https://www.funnyaida.com/

Go see Aida LIVE: https://punchup.live/aidarodriguez

Watch Say What You Mean Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@aidarodriguez

00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:05 - Little Aida

00:08:06 - The Beauty (and Infighting) Of Latinidad

00:19:00 - Puerto Rican Visibility

00:25:04 - Stop Romanticizing Cuba

00:28:01 - Road Comic Warrior

00:43:00 - On Reactionary Comedy

00:48:44 - Aida's New Film

00:53:13 - On "Making It"

01:00:29 - Hot Button Question

***

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support of The Bitchuation Room. Be sure to check out all the exclusive Hot Button interviews you get access to!

***

Thanks to Brent Godin and Drew Spears Productions.

***

Rock the pod on your bod. Get a brand new “Abolish ICE” t-shirt and a brand new mug at: www.bitchuationroom.com.

***

LIVE SHOWS:

Minneapolis August 20th: The Bitchuation Room will be LIVE! at The Parkway Theater. Get tickets here: https://theparkwaytheater.com/all-events/bitchuation-room

Seattle Friday Sept 4th & Saturday Sept. 5th
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comedy-show-francesca-fiorentini-and-matt-lieb-laughs-comedy-club-tickets-1989424855296

Portland, OR September 7th: The Bitchuation Room LIVE! At Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/373712

Portland, OR September 8th: Francesca Fiorentini & Matt Lieb, co-headline Helium Comedy
https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/372818

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week: Joey D'Urso on the politics of the 2026 World Cup, and Wajahat Ali on the 103 Democrats who just voted to end $3.3 billion in military aid to Israel.

Francesca is wearing an Argentina jersey and she IS NOT apologizing! Football and politics journalist Joey D'Urso joins to discuss the historical and political fault lines running through this World Cup: why the US can't host the world's biggest tournament without its immigration enforcement making headlines, what Argentina's racial history actually looks like versus the internet's version of it, the Malvinas/Falklands question, and more. 

Then, Wajahat Ali of The Left Hook joins to break down Trump's announcement that China rigged the 2020 election in Georgia, Pete Hegseth's testosterone screening program for service members, and the National Security Presidential Memo 7 groundwork being laid to declare a national emergency over "election interference." 

Plus, a vote that actually matters: 103 Democrats — including Nancy Pelosi?! — backed Thomas Massie's bill to end ALL U.S. military aid to Israel, while AIPAC is spending $40 million to sink Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan? Democrats are evolving… just slowly. Still sometimes it feels like the establishment would rather lose the Senate than admit the left is winning.

Featuring:

Joey D'Urso, football and politics journalist, https://joeydurso.substack.com
https://www.instagram.com/joey.durso/

Buy Joey's book More Than A Shirt: How Football Shirts Explain Global Politics, Money and Power https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/joey-durso/more-than-a-shirt/9781399622837/

Wajahat Ali, host of The Left Hook, https://thelefthook.substack.com
https://www.youtube.com/@wajahatali

Watch The Bitchuation Room LIVE on Tuesdays 1pm PT/4pmET on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/franifio or Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/franifio.
Listen to the show on:
iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesbitchuation
Google Music: http://bit.ly/GoogleBitchuation
Spotify: http://bit.ly/spotifybitchuation
Follow the show on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bitchuationroom.bsky.social
IG: https://www.instagram.com/bitchuationroom/
Twitter: https://x.com/BitchuationPod
Follow Francesca on:
IG:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/franifio/⁠
Twitter: https://twitter.com/franifio
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/franifio.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@franifio
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Franifio

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.