Pete Hegseth’s Trial by TV, Why College Football Wasn’t Ruined, and the Story That Inspired ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’

Hello, media consumers! Bryan and David kick off the show with reactions to some morning headlines, including the following:

• Suspect in the shooting of the insurance executive in NYC (1:12)
• Bashar al-Assad’s reign in Syria ends (6:44)
• Juan Soto signs with the New York Mets (8:41)

Then they react to the news about Pete Hegseth and his mom (14:00) and discuss a plan for saving TV news (28:16).

Later, in the Notebook, they discuss the following:

• College football’s first year with 12 playoff teams (36:33)
• The magazine article that inspired National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (44:56)

Plus, the Overworked Twitter Joke of the Week, Only in Journalism, America’s Softest Target, and David Shoemaker Guesses the Strained-Pun Headline.

Hosts: Bryan Curtis and David Shoemaker
Producer: Brian H. Waters