172. Raw-Dogging the Air with Matt Welch

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comSmoke ‘Em welcomes favorite repeat guest and self-proclaimed “absolute newspaper romantic” Matt Welch. He talks with Nancy and Sarah about whether legacy papers can ever make a comeback and how they ignore local news at their own peril, plus whether civility might be on the upswing.Also discussed:* Pink hair don’t care* How the Los Angeles Times “changed the physical landscape of the West.”* Scott Jennings joins the editorial board at the LA Times. And?* “Like perestroika, incivility starts in the home”* They’re still counting votes in California!* Is activism dead or just sleeping?* “Throw any Russian in a skirt at Hegseth and he’s going to loosen his tie”* “A dark sky had fallen over Nantucket, Mass., on Saturday evening when President Biden left church alongside his family after his final Thanksgiving as president …”* Meghan McCain, flashpoint* “Mono-politics is bad for governance”* Maybe people should disengage from politics and take up streaking and fart books?* People who voted for Kamala, but were pulling for Trump?* Nancy thinks “raw-dogging” means …* Sarah interviews Ken Burns, American treasureAlso, a wretched New York Times “Ethicist” question, thoughts on why Biden pardoned his son, dick-shaped cookie cutters, and much more!