The Bitchuation Room

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

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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!

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Thanks to Brent Godin and Drew Spears Productions.

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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.

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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 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

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Lindsey Graham will haunt the United States for years to come. Or come back as a ladybug. *shudders*

This week, Lance of SerfsTV joined to talk about Senate democrats fawning over the death of Lady Gray, and what it says about how seriously they take Trump’s fascism. Then, ICE claims another life in less than a week in Maine. Joan Sebastian Guerrero was 26, Colombian, had a social security number, and could legally work in the US. ICE shot him at least four times while he was in his car and accompanied by his toddler. His last words were reportedly "I tried to stop." According to Senator Angus King, they were looking for someone else. Shut it down.

Plus, more Platner post-mortem as Lance explains why he was always dubious of the candidate. We also discuss the Rep. Ro Khanna’s trip to the West Bank, where he was detained by groups of armed settlers who then called in the IDF. Now Benjamin Netanyahu is calling Khanna a liar, claiming that 99.9% of the settlers are not violent. The illegal settlers, taking land by force, are not violent. Mmmhmm. 

Then author and artist Molly Crabapple joins to discuss her new book Here Where We Live Is Our Country, an illustrated look at the Jewish Labor Bund — the secular, socialist, anti-Zionist movement that Zionism has tried to erase.

We discuss how Zionism eclipsed Bundism, how the Bundists were always against the creation of the state of Israel on ethical grounds but also resisted nationalism and the idea that Jews did not belong where they lived.

Featuring:

Lance, founder and host of SerfsTV, https://www.youtube.com/theserftimes
https://www.instagram.com/theserftimes/

Molly Crabapple, artist, writer, and author, https://www.mollycrabapple.com

Buy Molly's book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/here-where-we-live-is-our-country-the-story-of-the-jewish-bund-molly-crabapple/2d1023a8b6a838ab

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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Graham Platner undermined a movement with his recklessness. Centrists, Republicans are using this moment to dunk on the left, while the left itself is obsessing over "I Told you so"s. Emma Vigeland, who advocated tirelessly for Platner before the recent allegations, joins Francesca to explain why recent SA allegations against are unlike his scandals from before.

It's a tough conversation but an important one. What do we expect of progressive candidates and do we have the time to only elevate those who have been tested inside the party apparatus? Especially when the other side spawns unqualified weirdos like rabbitts.  

The two talk about how Jenny Racicot really represents a change in how women will no longer remain silent about powerful men, the gall of Graham Platner coming out with yet another apology video instead of choosing to just say nothing, and why he might have the biggest chance at a redemption arc now...just not one that involves the U.S. Senate.

Then, the war on Iran is back on, costing lives, the economy and likely Republicans in the midterms. Maybe that's why Trump is firing election commissioners? Emma and Francesca talk about why it's so critical to get Zionist warhawk Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker out of office in order to finally extract our country from needless wars abroad.

LIVE SHOWS:

Pasadena Saturday July 11th, New World Disorder at The Ice House. Get tickets here: https://events.leapevents.com/event/New-World-Disorder-07-11-26-8-pm

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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Big yikes — a monster Graham Platner bombshell dropped this week. We talk about the grim news, along with the less-grim news of Mallory McMorrow dropping out of her race against hunky M4A doctor Abdul El-Sayed. Comedian and actor Janesh Rahlan joins for a roundup of the World Cup, and why the Trump Curse has struck again! Also, is Christian Pulisic doing the Trump dance, in support?  

Then, Cayden Mak — publisher of Convergence Magazine and host of Block & Build — joins to discuss what the DSA surge means for left organizing strategy, how movements operate when electoralism feels like the only safe terrain. Plus, what should the left actually be doing about media in an era of total consolidation? 

Featuring:

Janesh Rahlan, comedian, actor, and writer
https://www.instagram.com/janeshrahlan/
https://www.janeshrahlan.com

Cayden Mak, publisher of Convergence Magazine and host of Block & Build
https://convergencemag.com
https://www.instagram.com/convergencemag/

LIVE SHOWS:

Pasadena Saturday July 11th, New World Disorder at The Ice House. Get tickets here: https://events.leapevents.com/event/New-World-Disorder-07-11-26-8-pm

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.