Rare is the person these days who thinks of airlines as sexy. Sure, Virgin brought some cool back and some of the Middle Eastern and East Asian airlines can be luxurious. But the airlines are generally more utilitarian now. That wasn’t always the case, and that’s why the latest selection for our series on gorgeous travel coffee table books (Just Booked) is the updated Airline Visual […]
The Daily Beast
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In this members-only episode of “The New Abnormal,” host Molly Jong-Fast sits down with award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien to chat about the media’s role in covering elections. “So is the media doing a better job in 2020 than they did in 2016?” asks Jong-Fast. O’Brien gets straight to the point: “Obviously, they’re not.” She then suggests that the media didn’t understand they had a lesson to […]
It’s bad enough that we have to deal with one Donald Trump here in the U.S. of A. What’s worse, Mehdi Hasan explains on the latest episode of The New Abnormal, is that Trump has become a template for a whole planet full of bad-faith actors and wannabe strongmen. Before he became the host of his own TV show in America, Hasan interviewed all sorts of […]
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) helped get Trump impeached, but now there’s a new battle: his SCOTUS pick. She worked within the government’s Internal Affairs department and became one of the impeachment managers in Trump’s case after 27 years as an Orlando police officer. And impeached he was. So on this members-only bonus episode of The New Abnormal, co-host Molly Jong-Fast asks for her thoughts on Trump’s […]
President Donald Trump isn’t a threat to American democracy on a metaphorical level. He’s a threat to the country’s entire political structure, literally, according to two academics who have studied American democracy throughout history and wrote a whole book on the topic. Dr. Robert C. Lieberman, Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy, joined […]
“People are dying, tens of thousands of people are out of work—he’s embarrassing,” is not only the quote of the year from former Hillary Clinton senior adviser Philippe Reines, but also sums up how he, Rick Wilson, Molly Jong-Fast, and Lincoln Project co-founder Mike Madrid feel about Donald Trump’s dwindling support among his own base. To make matters worse for the president, he is set to […]
The coronavirus pandemic has managed to affect nearly every facet of life in America. Bars are certainly not exempt and the industry will find itself dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic for years to come. So how will this unprecedented period change the layout of bars and how they function? On this special episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and […]
Dems say that the Russians hacked into our political system to help Trump win. Trump and associates blame former President Barack Obama for the interference. But the truth is, both sides have it wrong. Filmmaker Alex Gibney (known for documentary films like “Enron and “Taxi to the Dark Side”) has been immersed in the world of foreign hacking, troll farms, and most importantly, what happened in […]
Innovation has been a hallmark of Jefferson’s Bourbon from its very beginning. When Trey Zoeller and his father founded the brand 23 years ago, they were focused on understanding how far they could push the boundaries of bourbon. Zoeller first experimented with blending finished bourbons he bought from other distillers. “Nobody was blending bourbon at the time,” he says. “That was kind of the first realm […]
Since people first started making bourbon, arguably the easiest part of the whole production process has been selecting the type of barrel used for aging the whiskey. As decreed by the United States Congress in 1954, bourbon must be aged in a new, charred American oak container. Most distillers opt for the standard 53-gallon American white oak barrel, add their spirit to it and, after a […]
During times like these, how are bars across the country changing their drinks menus? Is it better to go with tried-and-true classics or to offer innovative and creative concoctions? On this special episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum talk to three top bartenders—Claire Sprouse from New York, Erick Castro from San Diego and Omar Yeefoon from Dallas—about what […]
When Trey Zoeller founded Jefferson’s Bourbon with his father in 1997, he knew it was time to try something new. There were only eight bourbon distilleries operating in Kentucky at the time—10 total in the U.S.—and the industry was looking for a way to pull itself out of a nearly 30-year decline. To Zoeller, the way forward wasn’t found in the spirit’s history but in its […]
Peter Strzok, the FBI agent who helped launch the Trump-Russia investigation, says the current occupant of the Oval Office “poses the greatest counterintelligence threat of any president in modern history.” It’s not just that Trump and all of his top people have lied about their connections to Moscow, Strzok tells Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson in the latest episode of The New Abnormal. (Although that is […]
Lev Parnas has been a major character in the ongoing Trumpworld corruption saga and was even arrested for his role in it all. These days, he is choosing to spill the tea. The former ally of Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani joined this bonus members-only episode of The New Abnormal to come clean about his complicity in the Trump “cult,” how he started to “drink the Kool-Aid” […]
What is the secret to making delicious bourbon? Most folks talk about the mix of grains it’s made from, the type of still it’s produced on or even the calcium content in the water used by the distillery. Finally, the humble barrel that the whiskey is aged in is mentioned. Perhaps, that’s because the barrels used by most distillers are fairly standard. But, to put it […]
If hiring, training and managing a staff is one of the hardest parts of running a bar, try doing it during a pandemic. On this special episode of the award-winning podcast Life Behind Bars, co-hosts David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum talk to three top bartenders—Ryan Fitzgerald from San Francisco, Anu Apte from Seattle and Derek Brown from Washington, D.C.—about their experiences during the coronavirus pandemic and […]
Even a former member of Trump’s Department of Homeland Security thinks he is batshit, and surrounded by actual racists. It would be funny if some of the stories that former DHS official Elizabeth Neumann told Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast on this episode on The New Abnormal weren’t so terrifying. She admits that she did “hold her nose” and vote for him in 2016 and really […]
You thought what happened on-screen during the first night of the Republican National Convention was crazy? It’s nothing compared to Trump behind the scenes. Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, joined Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast on this episode of The New Abnormal to share the eye-watering tales of what Trump is really like when the cameras are switched […]
Actor, comedian and activist Billy Eichner totally gets why Taylor Swift took so long to get publicly political. In this bonus episode of The New Abnormal, the “Billy on the Street” star explains why celebrities may take a long time to speak up—and how Trump is changing that. “It’s easy to sit back from a distance and say like, ‘Why doesn’t so-and-so get more political.’ And […]
This week’s online 2020 Democratic National Convention felt like the best PBS telethon since they threatened to publicly execute Elmo, according to The Daily Beast’s senior White House correspondent Asawin Suebsaeng in this episode of The New Abnormal. But it also, and finally, turned the “senile Biden” trope on its head. And as a special treat, Steve Bannon went down in the middle of it all. […]
Delayed prescriptions, mailboxes being toted away, Americans dying and families wondering if they’ll get evicted. The nation in multiple major crises seems like a great time for the Senate to go on vacation, at least in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s eyes. In this members-only episode of The New Abnormal, Sen. Gary Peters, Sr. (D-MI), who is leading the investigation into the United States Postal Service backlog, […]
In case you missed it, we launched a new podcast in April called The New Abnormal, hosted by your favorite troublemakers, Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast. Packed with blunt truth and dark humor, it covers everything from that grifter in the White House to COVID truthers and deniers. When we first released the podcast, it was clear things had gone off the rails, but even we couldn’t […]
The job of a White House reporter is no easy feat, especially under an administration which constantly refers to the press as “the enemy of the people.” But CNN Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta knew early on he would not back down from President Donald Trump and his administration. “When he started to call us fake news and Sean Spicer was calling us fake news […]
Whether it’s making protective masks or feeding those without access to food, compassionate bartenders across the country are stepping out from behind the bar to support their customers and communities in unprecedented ways through the Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting shutdowns. “I think it’s more or less taking what we’ve learned from hospitality and applying it to being community planners and to community aid assistance,” says […]
What inspired you to create this cocktail? “I was inspired by the warm summer weather and some ingredients I had in my kitchen. I wanted a drink that was approachable for anyone to make in their homes.” When would you serve this drink? “I would serve this in the afternoon or right before dinner. It’s a great way to entertain people before a long evening.” What […]
Every summer, countless thousands head to the port of Piraeus to flee Athens for the Greek islands. Most are blissfully unaware that Piraeus is in fact an entryway into Greece’s best kept secret—the Athens Riviera. That’s why our latest selection for our series Just Booked (where we highlight gorgeous new travel coffee table books) is Assouline’s Athens Riviera. The envy-inducing (especially for trapped Americans) tome is […]
Can the Jeffrey Epstein case get any deeper? Oh, yes, it can indeed. Julie K. Brown, the Miami Herald reporter who helped expose Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, joins the latest episode of The New Abnormal to talk about what’s next now that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s right hand, is behind bars. “There’s a lot of women right now that are coming forward a lot and they’re talking to […]
Thank you to the House of Suntory for partnering with Half Full and sponsoring this Bartenders At Home cocktail video. What inspired you to create this cocktail? “The drink was inspired by my love of watermelon in the summer. I eat it almost every day.” When would you serve this drink? “I’d serve the drink to anyone on a hot summer day.” What music would you […]
Feeling comfortable or relatively unbothered about the state of the world? Then we’re sorry to remind you that the President of the United States, who holds at his fingertips a devastating nuclear arsenal, is bragging on television about acing a dementia test that involves remembering five whole words and counting backward by seven. That’s one of a number of pleasant reminders Rick Wilson and Molly Jong-Fast […]
Thank you to the House of Suntory for partnering with Half Full and sponsoring this Bartenders At Home cocktail video. What inspired you to create this cocktail? “I wanted to emphasize the delicate, smooth, and mildly silky characteristics of the vodka, partnering it with other delicate Japanese ingredients (yuzu, sake, rice vinegar), to create a crisp, simple, yet nuanced cocktail.” When would you serve this drink? […]
Thank you SKYY® for partnering with Half Full on the Bartenders At Home cocktail video series. What inspired you to create this cocktail? “A Bee’s Knees is a drink that I recommend for folks that are interested in making simple yet delicious cocktails at home. It’s three ingredients that most folks have at home or can easily go to the store to buy. The one element […]
Thank you Frangelico® for partnering with Half Full on the Bartenders At Home cocktail video series. Why do you like making and serving this classic cocktail? “The Birthday Cake shot is pure nostalgia for me, and takes me back to my early days tending bar.” When would you serve this drink? “When it’s somebody’s birthday.” What music would you pair it with? “If you’re drinking these, […]
Thank you Wild Turkey® for partnering with Half Full on the Bartenders At Home cocktail video series. What inspired you to create this cocktail? “I love researching vintage tiki recipes when looking for inspiration, but as much as I enjoy rum and gin cocktails, it seems that there are very few recipes in the tropical canon that feature American whiskey as the base spirit. So this […]