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Hey folks,
Katie Phang joined me for another episode of Breaking Bread and honestly, this one covered everything. We talked about Memorial Day, family, Hamilton, democracy, war, Trump, disappearing members of Congress, and what it feels like to try to stay human while the internet wants all of us to become avatars screaming at each other 24/7.
There were moments that got deeply personal. There were moments that got fiery. And there were moments where both of us were just trying to process how completely upside down this country feels right now.
Here’s what we got into:
[00:01:13] Mike and Katie kick things off by talking Memorial Day weekend, burnout, family time, and why it feels impossible to disconnect from the political machine anymore.
[00:04:30] Katie shares an emotional story about taking her daughter and mother to see Hamilton in New York — and how the audience reaction turned into a powerful reminder about democracy and resistance.
[00:16:49] The conversation turns to Iran, Trump’s chaotic messaging on war, and the terrifying reality that Congress feels completely absent while major military decisions are happening in real time.
[00:23:00] Mike and Katie debate Republicans like Tom Massie, the Epstein files coalition, and whether any kind of anti-MAGA bipartisan alliance is actually possible in this political environment.
[00:42:10] They close out by ripping into the performative outrage machine in American politics, laughing about George W. Bush’s “nuclear strategery,” and reflecting on why authenticity matters more than ever.
This episode is really about something bigger than politics. It’s about exhaustion. It’s about trying to hold onto your values while everything around you feels engineered to make people angrier, more isolated, and less human. We talked war, propaganda, power, media, and the Democratic Party’s identity crisis — but underneath all of it was a conversation about how we keep showing up for each other anyway.
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With urgency,
—Mike
