Episode #1863: Sign up to support Allison's future BRAND-NEW podcast at patreon.com/allisonkilkenny for as little as $1/month!

Melissa Gira Grant (@melissagira) joins the show to discuss Ivanka addressing sex work and to offer media recs: The Alienist, Babylon Berlin, Jessica Jones Season 2 (no spoilers), Black Lightning, Spotify's thunder sound effects, Slate's After Burn, Anne Rice's The Witching Hour, and Dylan Jones' David Bowie. Also, Patreon questions about the new podcast's memberships and CR Google music ads, Steve Bannon says "let them call you racist...wear it as a badge of honor," a list of things Betsy DeVos doesn't know, Trump finally says Russia was probably behind the poisoning of a former spy in the UK, and National Geographic confronts its past: "for decades, our coverage was racist"

Special guest: Valarie, the cat

*** Only a few Desi calendars are available for the next Patreon supporters who sign up or upgrade to $10/month! patreon.com/allisonkilkenny