Vibes Only

The polls are broken, the stakes are unprecedented, and vibes drive the future of American politics. Every Thursday, political strategist Brian Derrick (founder of Oath) and new media strategist Glennis Meagher (co-founder of Generator Collective) break down the biggest stories in American politics, elections, and culture . This isn't your standard cable news commentary. Get an insider's look at the US political machine , current news of the week , and the digital strategy shaping our world - delivered with the honesty, insight, and humor of two people who've actually worked in the trenches of US politics . Hit follow and stay ahead of the news cycle every Thursday.

Vibes Only is a news podcast hosted by Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher, with 93 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher hosts Vibes Only, a news show with 93 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #22

  Eric Schmitt Mixed Up the Hawks and the Hawkeyes

  Oct 1, 202642 minS3

  Eric Schmitt mixed up the Hawks and the Hawkeyes, Ken Paxton says Trump's convention dropped his numbers, and the Q3 deadline is here. Vibes are up. It's the last day of Q3 and the final major fundraising deadline of 2026, so Brian Derrick breaks down where your money actually moves the map (state legislatures, not U.S. Senate races) and why late fundraising decides which races get October investment. Then Ken Paxton gets caught on tape telling donors Trump's Dallas midterm convention dropped his numbers, and the Department of Homeland Security commits $20 million in taxpayer money to ads starring Donald Trump, some of them near copies of his 2024 campaign spots. Glennis Meagher digs into The New York Times report on Meta claiming billions in research tax credits by calling its AI data centers "pilot models." John Fetterman calls himself a "lifelong Republican" at the Texas Tribune Festival, and Sen. Eric Schmitt tries to catch Jack Smith in a perjury trap, until Amy Klobuchar points out he mixed up the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes. We roll the tape for you. For Clickbait or Double-Click this week… the hacking group ShinyHunters claims it stole data on FBI employees and applicants, the World Cup couldn't stop overseas tourism to the U.S. from sliding, and a new coalition of AI companies and private equity firms targets seven states for data center expansion: Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina. Plus Palantir's Alex Karp gets into it with CNBC. Also: The Oath Candidate of the Week is Jacob Weinberg, an Army veteran running for the Arizona House in LD-13, the seat Oath identifies as the tipping point for flipping the chamber and a Good Vibe Goodbye from Nevada, where Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, and a full Avengers lineup of Democrats are converging to push Aaron Ford past Gov. Joe Lombardo. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Jacob Weinberg Clickbait or Double-Click 1: Embarrassing Breach at F.B.I. Fuels Fears of Harm to Its Employees Clickbait or Double-Click 2: Allies Refuse to Visit U.S. in ‘Mind-Boggling’ Collapse Under Trump Clickbait or Double-Click 3: Exclusive: AI giants, unions join forces for data center fight Good Vibe Goodbye: Dems boost their odds in Nevada Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

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  Episode #21

  What Would Lina Khan Do? The Paramount Merger and Trump's Press Ban

  Sep 24, 202638 minS3

  ProPublica's Susan Collins bombshell, Beau Bayh putting Indiana in play, and every new Sabato rating moving left. 40 days out, the vibes are up. Brian and Glennis dig into ProPublica's report that an FBI anti-corruption squad was examining Sen. Susan Collins over a defense contractor's illegal donations to a super PAC backing her 2020 campaign, until the unit was gutted under Trump. Collins' office denies any wrongdoing, and she has not been charged. Brian breaks down the super PAC "firewall" and why corruption is landing so hard in the Maine Senate race. Then Trump calls MAGA Inc. money his to control. Then the media fight. Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, calling it "my house" before correcting himself… barely. The network pool - including FOX News - have refused to fill in, and the outlets have now sued. Meanwhile, a 12-state attorney general settlement cleared the way for Paramount Skydance's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, putting CBS and CNN under the Ellison family. Brian Derrick asks the only question that matters: What Would Lina Khan Do? On the midterms: James Talarico named Alyssa Edwards as his favorite Texas drag queen without missing a beat, Ken Paxton got mad about it, and the Senate GOP super PAC in Texas just pushed past $100 million to rescue Paxton. Plus Sabato's Crystal Ball moved 10 races toward Democrats, including Josh Turek in Iowa, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Amy Acton in Ohio, and Aaron Ford in Nevada. Also: The Oath Candidate of the Week is Beau Bayh, running for Indiana Secretary of State in a race rated a Toss-up. It's Democrats' best shot at a statewide win there in more than a decade. Find him at oath.vote. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from New York City, where DoorDash agreed to a record $131.5 million settlement for more than 260,000 delivery workers who were underpaid or paid late. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Beau Bayh Reporting Referenced: The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way - ProPublica Good Vibe Goodbye: DoorDash Agrees to $131.5 Million Settlement for Shortchanging Workers - The New York Times Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

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  Episode #20

  "Heavens, No": The Lawmakers Regulating AI Without Using It

  Sep 17, 202642 minS3

  Maxine Waters can't remember if she uses AI, and The Democracy Draft wants your midterm bracket. 47 days out, the vibes are bullish. Primary season is officially over. Brian is bullish on the House and more bearish on the Senate than most forecasters, and Glennis is spending the final 47 days touring Senate battlegrounds. They get into Speaker Mike Johnson's promised plan for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid next year. They also cover the ProPublica report that a Russian oligarch close to Putin paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding celebrations, and the Supreme Court keeping the Postal Service out of mail ballots for November. Then AI. An Anthropic researcher quit with a warning, AI CEOs started asking for a slowdown, and Trump called AI regulation a hoax. Meanwhile, Axios asked Congress whether they actually use AI. Sen. Roger Wicker said "Heavens, no," Rep. Frank Pallone reached for a heroin analogy, and Rep. Maxine Waters couldn't remember. Brian makes the case for generational change on the issues that will define the next decade. Also: Clickbait or Double-Click tackles four headlines: Mitch McConnell back in the Senate after three months Kash Patel refusing to rule out FBI agents at polling sites The $9.5 billion DOGE-era paid leave bill Republicans branding Democrats as communists, where Brian's verdict might surprise you The Oath Candidate of the Week is you. The Democracy Draft is March Madness for the midterms. Pick the winners of the cycle's top races, from Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan to Troy Jackson in Maine, and the closest bracket wins $4,000. It's free to enter at thedemocracydraft.com, and you can start side leagues. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court heard challenges to a congressional map that gives Republicans six of eight seats. That fight could mean fair districts by 2028. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Oath’s Democracy Draft Reporting Referenced: Don Jr’s Wedding Was Paid For By Russians - ProPublica Clickbait or Double-Click 1: Mitch McConnell Returns to Senate After Three Month Absence - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 2: Kash Patel Suggests FBI Agents Could Go to Election Polling Sites - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 3: Thanks to DOGE, Federal Employees Got Paid Billions to Not Work - TIME Clickbait or Double-Click 4: Republicans, Facing Midterm Peril, Try to Brand Democrats as Communists - The New York Times Good Vibe Goodbye: WI State Supreme Court to take up challenge to congressional maps this week Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

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  Episode #19

  Rockbridge in Dallas: Inside JD Vance's 2028 Donor Network

  Sep 9, 202621 minS3

  Why are Republicans holding a convention in a midterm year? Because it costs $250,000 to sit at a table with Donald Trump. Brian Derrick reads the Dallas price list out loud and explains what the first GOP midterm convention is actually for. The Republican National Committee gathered at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on September 9 and 10 for the first midterm convention in modern American history. Trump speaks both nights. A roundtable with him runs $250,000 per person and a photo is another $88,600. JD Vance's roundtable is $75,000 with a $35,000 photo. Brian explains why holding it in Texas is the entire point, and why Republicans in competitive districts are quietly staying home. Then Rockbridge. AXIOS reported this week that the secretive donor network Vance co-founded in 2019 threw the pre-convention party in Dallas, drawing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Senator Eric Schmitt and Dallas donor Ray Washburne. Brian reads it as a preview of the 2028 campaign Vance is already building. On the legal side, two courts split on Missouri's congressional map within an hour of each other. Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the state's emergency application, leaving the 2022 map in place for November, and then a federal judge in Missouri ruled the gerrymandered map must be used. Brian explains why Oath has been anchoring on flipping 11 House seats instead of five, and why the slow churn of the courts is still working in our favor with ballots already moving. North Carolina became the first state in the country to mail them on September 4. Also: New Hampshire picked its nominees. Chris Pappas won the Democratic Senate primary and will face former Senator John E. Sununu in November. Stefany Shaheen edged Maura Sullivan in the First Congressional District. Your Oath Candidate of the Week is Will Lawrence, the Sunrise Movement co-founder running against Representative Tom Barrett in Michigan's Seventh, a Trump-leaning district that just nominated a real progressive. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from New York City, which is on pace for the fewest murders and shootings in recorded history. Brian has a name for it. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning and Glennis is back next week! Hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Will Lawrence Reporting Referenced: AXIOS on Rockbridge and Vance Good Vibe Goodbye: Violent Crime in NYC Hits Historic Low Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

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  Episode #18

  Ed Markey Wins and a USPS Whistleblower Complaint

  Sep 2, 202633 minS3

  Your ballot is not cancelled. Sen. Richard Blumenthal released a 20-page complaint describing a rushed September 1 launch, a federal court order standing in the way, and one move that takes you off the list entirely: vote early. An anonymous federal official, represented by Whistleblower Aid, told Congress the Postal Service built its mail ballot verification system in weeks rather than the nine months to a year a project like this normally takes, with internal staff reportedly describing the process in language we cannot print here. Brian Derrick walks through what the system would actually do, why one bad barcode could reject an entire batch, and why the courts have already frozen it. Glennis Meagher makes the case that the panic is fair and the fix is boring: make a voting plan, vote early, and get your name off the turnout lists so campaigns can spend their time on someone who needs the reminder. Then the machinery. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after months of friction with Pete Hegseth, six months into the Iran war, leaving the Army without Senate-confirmed leadership in uniform or out of it. The White House confirmed the Pentagon's Office of Strategic Capital will take a 35 percent stake in North American Blue Energy Partners, the Venezuelan firm owned by Alejandro Betancourt, in a deal signed by Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth that Sen. Jack Reed called a blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars. New CDC Director Erica Schwartz pulled two Pennsylvania measles deaths out of the federal tally, the first measles deaths in that state in 35 years. And Speaker Mike Johnson (good Christian man, he is - lol jk) told CNN's Manu Raju he still supports Max Miller's re-election and we have the receipts. Ed Markey held off Seth Moulton, which sets up Brian and Glennis on the actual argument underneath the age fight: what a 51-seat Senate majority means when any single absence gives it away. Your Oath Candidate of the Week is Matt Dunlap, running against Paul LePage for Jared Golden's open seat in Maine's 2nd. Also for Clickbait or Double-Click we cover Kalshi suspending Laurie Buckhout for betting on her own race (and George Santos being back in the news whyyy), the RNC scheduling its first-ever midterm convention against the NFL opener, and the NTSB tracing a Marine One close call back to White House ballroom construction. Your Good Vibe Goodbye is Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields, which raised 20 million dollars for ten women's and girls' organizations after Melinda French Gates matched the total. CORRECTION: We describe the recalled Argentine beef as 300,000 tons of spoiled beef. The August recall was issued because roughly 30,000 pounds entered US commerce without required federal re-inspection, not because spoilage was confirmed. UPDATE: This episode was recorded the morning of Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Later that evening the House voted 413 to 2 to formally censure Chuck Edwards. Edwards denies the allegations and is not seeking re-election. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning! Hit that FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Matt Dunlap Clickbait or Double-Click 1: Kalshi Suspends Republican House Candidate for Betting on Her Own Race - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 2: Influencers Have a Lot to Say About Politics. Many Are Quietly Paid for It. - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 3: GOP convention will battle NFL openers for attention - AXIOS Clickbait or Double-Click 4: White House Construction May Have Contributed to Close Call With Trump’s Helicopter - The New York Times Good Vibe Goodbye: Olivia Rodrigo Raises $20 Million With Daisy Chain Fields Festival Thanks to Matching Commitment From Melinda French Gates - Variety Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG Follow Glennis on IG

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