We tend to use logic to reach conclusions that agree with our biases. Psychologists call this motivated reasoning. Today, Nate and Maria talk about motivated reasoning in the Biden campaign and Silicon Valley. Also: Conspiracy theories and the NBA draft.
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Today Eliana Johnson joins us as we try to figure out what the real story is behind Joe Biden's tragic cancer diagnosis. And we discuss the media's group effort to look away, yet again. Give a listen.
When you think about great political comebacks, maybe you think of Donald Trump, or Richard Nixon, or “comeback kid” Bill Clinton.
You might soon add Andrew Cuomo to that list. In 2020, Cuomo was at the top of the world. He had been governor of New York for a decade. He had an illustrious career in New York politics—which is sort of the Cuomo family business. He learned how the state worked from his father, three-term Democratic governor Mario Cuomo.
When COVID hit, Governor Cuomo’s star just kept rising. Millions of Americans—even outside of New York—tuned into his COVID briefings, and his CNN segments with his brother, Chris Cuomo.
He was “America’s Governor.” On the cover of Rolling Stone. Women and men were even self-identifying as “Cuomosexual.”
But then it all came crashing down. With two scandals—one personal and one political.
As Covid was peaking in New York City, Andrew Cuomo was hit with a wave of allegations. In the end, state Attorney General Letitia James brought forward a report that alleged Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. (Cuomo denies wrongdoing.)
The other scandal, as many will recall, had to do with Covid—specifically, Cuomo’s administration was accused of mishandling the readmission of elders who’d had Covid into nursing homes, and many alleged that he misrepresented the nursing home death count. The governor disputes that, as you’ll hear today.
By August 2021, Cuomo announced his resignation. His political career appeared to be over.
For a time, he totally disappeared from public life. He went from having an audience of 59 million tuning into his Covid briefings to zero.
But today, in May of 2025, the picture is dramatically different. Andrew Cuomo is now the front-runner to be the next mayor of New York City. Among Democrats—the party that tore him down—he has a commanding lead, polling at around 37 percent ahead of next month’s primary. His closest competitor, 33-year-old socialist state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, is hovering around 18 percent, according to a Marist Marist poll from just last week.
So, what is it about Andrew Cuomo? Will New York choose Andrew Cuomo again? And if so, why? What does that say about the state of the city and our political choices? And why does he want the job of mayor at all?
Today on Honestly, Bari asks former governor Andrew Cuomo about all of it—Covid and the harassment allegations, but also his vision for New York City, addressing public safety and affordability, his thoughts on school choice, Eric Adams’s tenure, the state of the Democratic Party, Donald Trump, illegal immigrants in New York City, Zohran Mamdani, and his plan for getting NYC back on track.
Go to groundnews.com/Honestly to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and unlock world-wide perspectives on today’s biggest news stories.
President Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer—news that lands in the middle of a media cycle already consumed with questions about Biden's decline thanks to a buzzy new book and the release and of the audio from Biden's special counsel interview. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy unpack the fallout: the questions, conspiracies, criticisms, and some truly disgusting reactions. Plus: Trump's "excellent call" with Putin, his new attacks on the media and Kamala Harris's celebrity endorsers, and Kash Patel and Dan Bongino disappoint MAGA's conspiracist base.
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.
We planned this episode to cover the spate of stories revealing just how out of it and diminished Joe Biden was during his term, and new details about the political flunkies and media stooges who were complicit in covering it up. But yesterday Biden’s team announced an almost certainly life-ending cancer diagnosis. So we’re joined by David Roth to discuss how it’s finally well and truly Joever.
Find David’s work at Defector here: https://defector.com/author/david-roth
New merch for the summer up at https://chapotraphouse.store/
The editors discuss the first days of the pontificate of Leo XIV, the first American pope. Then, a report on the pope’s brothers. Rusty Reno, editor Dan Hitchens, and Virginia Aabram join Julia Yost.
The horrible news about Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis—coming as it did amid the release of a new book about his infirmity as president—raises even more questions about who knew what and when. Give a listen.
The Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, ended its relationship with noted Brown University economist Glenn Loury after he was critical of Israel's actions in Gaza. The cancelation followed an appearance from fellow Brown professor and Israeli historian Omar Bartov on his podcast, during which Bartov offered an analysis of the Gaza genocide that reflected international consensus on Israeli violations of international law. Professor Loury joins Briahna Joy Gray for a must-watch two hour discussion in which Loury reflects on his career as a Black conservative, Ta-Nehesi Coates' book The Message, and the fact that his own Blackness informs his sympathetic attitude toward the Palestinian people. Does identity matter after all? As conservatives attempt to strip funding from the National African American History Museum and obstruct educators from teaching diverse histories, does Loury have any regrets about supporting attacks on "woke" pedagogy? Also, Loury debriefs on his viral interview with Tucker Carlson, and how his lefty wife has helped him to become more establishment in recent years.
