Pablo Torre Finds Out

A staggering number of death-row inmates have used their last words to do the same thing: pay tribute to their favorite sports teams. So we sent correspondent Dave Fleming to a supermax prison in Texas to find out why. Charles Flores — Inmate No. 999299 at the notorious Polunsky Unit in Livingston — has maintained his innocence for over 25 years and counting… while living in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. And Flores agreed to take us inside his hidden world of game-day enchiladas, trash talk, and fantasy football. Where there isn’t always next year.= To learn more about the case of Charles Flores: https://www.freecharlesflores.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The national vibes are... fraught. So, Pablo asks: What do you watch to make yourself feel better? Plus: athshletes, Uncrustables, the world's largest kaleidoscope, thicc televisions, and Understanding It Now. Further soothing content: Björk talking about her TV Zombie Kid Likes Turtles The CEO of Corn Grape Lady falls Eve of Saint Crispin's Day SHOOTING GUMMIE BEARS INTO A WATER BOTTLE We Couldn't Be Derailed in Brooklyn LeBron James Rides the New York City Subway Wait, NFL players eat how many Uncrustables? (Jayson Jenks) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After lint-rolling through post-election coverage, Pablo tries to makes peace with Trump 2.0, with a little help from the future president of Grenada and the host of The Bulwark Podcast: Have Joe Rogan and the manosphere become the new fourth estate? How did a Suicide Squad of psychopaths become Washington's starting lineup? And how much is Elon Musk’s science fiction really fictional anymore? Plus: Grumpcoin, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Stephen A. Smith 2028, and Canon Curry 2052.  Further reading: About That Press Conference (Tim Miller) Elon Musk: The Evening Rocket (Jill Lepore) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turning on the news right now feels utterly surreal. But it didn’t always have to be this way. Because Connie Chung — tenacious TV broadcaster and author of a new memoir — set a gold standard in the pre-internet era. For being unafraid of powerful men. For getting scoops at the bar. For trash-talking. For calling out Donald Trump’s childishness to his face. For withstanding the boorish behavior of Bobby Knight and unearthing the inner pain of Michael Jordan. And, yes, for shutting down the richest man on Earth... even after he jumped over a chair. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices