The Bob Cesca Show

Our last Thursday show of the year! We'll return with new episodes starting January 7. The new Superman trailer was spectacular and emotional. Longing for heroes in the forthcoming dark ride. Superman is about kindness and altruism. New Chipmunks song from Rocky Mountain Mike. Jared Moskowitz isn't going anywhere. President Musk controls both Donald and Congress. Bipartisan members of Congress introduce national anti-SLAPP law. Donald says he's okay with eliminating the debt ceiling. New "You Were Warned" jingle from the great Seth Adam. Here comes bird flu. Majorities oppose Donald's plans. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by CC Grace, Jesse Terry, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tara returns to the podcast for a mutual therapy session with Bob. You might know Tara from her appearances on Hal Sparks Megaworldwide, from social media, and from such podcasts as this one. Sure, the talk will get dark, but the goal is to find ways to deal with the incoming authoritarianism without burning out. Make sure to pick up a copy of Tara's book The Sound of Settling. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by The Gypsy Moths. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some good news -- finally! Judge Merchan refuses to overturn Donald Trump's criminal conviction. ABC News's capitulaiton is chilling. SLAPP defamation lawsuits are a pernicious threat to free speech. Donald makes good on threat to sue the Des Moines Register. AOC loses her bid to be ranking member of the Oversight Committee. RFK Jr ally wants to ban the polio vaccine. Donald's team floats eliminating the FDIC. Alexander Smirnov pleads guilty to laying about the Bidens. The school shooting in Madison. With Cliff Schecter, music by The Wildwoods, Wallis, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Another fun and freewheeling Thursday episode. The conga-line of capitulation. Zuckerberg gives $1 million to Donald's inauguration fund. How Christopher Wray may have stopped Kash Patel from taking over on day one. The Supreme Court conservatives aren't fans of recess appointments. Elon Musk stops by the studio. Heroes of Democracy: Sarah Longwell, Karen Cahall, and the Australian Labor Party. You Were Warned: Donald backpedals on whether he can bring prices down, and can't guarantee tariffs won't raise prices. World premiere song from Astral Summer. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by The Bitter Elegance, Lizanne Knott, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Media historian Donna Halper is back. You might know her from her many visits to our Wednesday podcasts, as well as from her blog -- dhalperblog.blogspot.com. She's one of my dearest friends and an expert when it comes to the inner workings of the American news media. She's also the former radio deejay who introduced my favorite band Rush to American audiences. Today we talked about her analysis of the news media's inability to cover Donald Trump, and how the left can build its own news media infrastructure. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Freekbass. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We discuss the perils of institutionalism and the "steady as she goes" tradition in Democratic politics. Bringing a banana to a knife fight. We need to stop worrying about how Donald and the Republicans will react. Sam Alito tells Donald "no" when it comes to lifting the gag order. Lame Duck Donald? Will they try to monkey with Social Security? Matt Gaetz gets hired by OAN, which still exists somewhere. Rupert Murdoch's plan to keep Fox News as a far-right outlet hits a setback. With Cliff Schecter from the Cliff's Edge YouTube channel, music by Seth Adam, Michael McDermott, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The assassination of the United Healthcare CEO. Blue Cross places limits on anesthesia. The public option. Joe and Mika apologize for "flippant" remarks by David Frum. What's happening to MSNBC? Should President Biden issue preemptive pardons for officials on Kash Patel's enemies list? Donald faces pushback from Senate Republicans, indicating he doesn't have a lot of political capital. Rand Paul and Mike Rounds oppose Donald on deportations and Ukraine. Joe Rogan and Steve Schmidt live in a different reality. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by Freekbass, Everyday Dolores, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After six years, Driftglass and Blue Gal from the Professional Left podcast return to the show! We covered just about everything from the campaign season and the election to the news media coverage to the both-siderism to “no fair remembering stuff” and the forthcoming fascist idiocracy. Support the Professional Left podcast on Patreon – patreon.com/proleftpod. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Powder Pink and Sweet. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're back from the Thanksgiving break! The 90s shows start this Friday! President Biden pardoned Hunter Biden. Walking on eggshells around Donald Trump. He's planning to do terrible things anyway. All presidents issue controversial pardons, including for family members. Kash Patel for FBI director? Really? Will Patel even get confirmed by the Senate? Kash Patel's enemies list. Pete Hegseth is a trainwreck. The email from his Mom. A legal defense fund for dissidents. With Cliff Schecter, music by Hunger Anthem, Dave Molter, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We've taking a break from politics to talk about "Cosmologica," one of the greatest prog rock albums ever made, with musicians Circe Link and Christian Nesmith, the incredible recording duo responsible for it. Cosmologica is a spectacular volume of music whether you're a prog rock fan or not. It was recorded during the COVID quarantine and released back in the Fall of 2021. This episode of the podcast is a deep dive into the album, track by track with insights from Christian and Circe. Download the album on your favorite digital music player or via Bandcamp and Apple Music, and follow their work at circelink.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The great Charlie Pierce from Esquire.com and the Stephanie Miller Show joins me to discuss the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 60 years on. Our theories, our red flags, the conspiracy theories we reject, and why the murder of the president was such a history-changing event. We also get into the Warren Report, the House Select Committee investigation, and new revelations from a former Secret Service agent on duty in Dallas that day. And we also recapped the big election this week. Music by Rene Trossman. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Grab your tricorders and set your phasers to fun, it's another nerdy episode of the interview show. This time, Bob talks with the funny and talented Seán Ferrick, host of TrekCulture's Ups and Downs, a must-watch YouTube show in which Seán reviews episodes of Star Trek, both new and old. Seán is immensely entertaining and positive -- a total blast, even if you're only a casual Trek fan. Today we talked about the culture and politics of Star Trek, plus a little bit about pop culture criticism, online fandom, how Sean produces episodes of Ups and Downs, and a lot more. Follow Seán on Twitter and Instagram. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Circe Link, Christian Nesmith, and Paul Melançon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David is determined to fight back. In time for today's show, Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his nomination for attorney general. Linda McMahon? Are you serious? Pete Hegseth will be next to withdraw. Donald is casting the Red Hat Love Boat. Comcast to sell MSNBC and CNBC. What's next for liberal cable news? Our new segment: Warnings Were Issued! Donald will roll back airline regulations, Muslim groups are shocked, grocery prices will rise, and Walmart will raise prices. Progressive voters targeted with "false positive" ads. We Are the World documentary on Netflix. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by ALEX and Megan McDuffee, John Carbonara, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The acclaimed Japanese anime series Star Blazers, or Space Battleship Yamato, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, so today I welcomed my friend Tim Eldred to the show to talk about the series and its many spinoffs and reboots. Tim is a comic and animation artist who produced a Star Blazers comic book and is the premiere expert in and historian for the series. It's a welcome break from the existential dread of our politics. You can follow Tim's work at OurStarBlazers.com and The Art Vault. If you love animation and comics, chances are you're familiar with his incredible work. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Paul Melançon. . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cliff Schecter joins the Tuesday show. Who is Cliff? Cliff versus Cleta Mitchell circa 2006. Does aggressive push-back work any more? Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski's meeting with Trump at Mar-a-lago. The clock is ticking on the bromance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Boris Epshteyn is already feuding with Elon. Bob is nuking his Twitter account. Donald Trump pledges to declare a national emergency to start his mass deportations. What will that look like? Donald versus the Generals. Muslim-American groups feel betrayed by Donald. With Cliff Schecter, music by The Metal Byrds, Firefall, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How are we holding up? We lost 30 Patreon subscribers and 220 Apple Podcast followers. Please support independent media! Bluesky is an excellent large scale support group. The Onion bought Alex Jones's Infowars. The ACLU's full page ad in the NYT. Donald Trump's cabinet nominees are a McDonaldland of Scooby Doo villains. Elon Musk's DOGE project. Pete Hegseth's disgusting lack of hygiene. Tom Homan looks like the guy who yells at Luke Skywalker in the Cantina. Republicans lining up to oppose Matt Gaetz. Bad news for Polymarket. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by BetamaxDC, Dreamkid, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

JoJo doesn't have any effs left, so she's fighting back hard against the incoming gaggle of incompetent stupids. We talked about her approach to protecting democracy, what we can expect from the new Trump administration, John Thune's Senate leadership, and Fritos for your tomato soup. You can find her on Substack @JoJoFromJerz and all the various social media platforms including Bluesky. Meantime, make sure to support this podcast by subscribing at patreon.com/bobcescashow. Music by Prehab. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We bid farewell to the great Buzz Burbank, who's been our Tuesday co-host since 2017. Our 31 year history together, starting with Bob's internship for Buzz at WJFK in Washington, DC. How we teamed up in the newsroom. Buzz's radio career. How we reunited around politics and the news. Supporting independent news media. What's next for social media. Cliff Schecter steps in as our Tuesday co-host starting next Tuesday, November 19. With Buzz Burbank, music by Elijah Bone, Bob Malone, Michael McDermott, and more! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No Ultimate Edition or Shadow Docket today -- just one long, uninterrupted talk between Bob, Jody, and David about the incoming disaster. We all need to be the friend who jumps in the hole. We recap some highlights from Sexy Liberal LA. And most importantly we get our first big laughs since Election Night Nightmare. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by C.C. Grace, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buzz and Bob react to the catastrophic election results. How do we move forward? How do we hold fast to our American values? How do we cope with the nightmare scenario? The suspicious turnout numbers. Our friends in Ukraine and in the LGBTQ community. The exit polls and the Gen Z vote. And more. With Buzz Burbank. Music by Kyiv, Ukraine's Pasha Black. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.