Our Favorite Things, 2025

from Strict Scrutiny · host Strict Scrutiny

It’s that time of year when Leah, Melissa, and Kate put on their influencer hats and recommend the things that made their days a little brighter in 2025. This year, they’re joined by two special guests: rockstar Strict Scrutiny intern Jordan Thomas to share some of his picks, and former Chair of the Federal Election Commission Ellen Weintraub to discuss two of democracy’s favorite things—independent agencies and the regulation of money in politics. Favorite things: WANT Leah: Cozy Earth Bubble Cuddle Blanket, Jones Road Just Enough Tinted Moisturizer Kate: Aventura electric scooter, Grüns Superfood Greens Gummies Melissa: True Botanicals, e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush Jordan: Tea Tree Leave-In Conditioner, Pink Oil Moisturizer, NEED Leah: Peloton stretching classes, Farmhounds dog treats; Badlands Ranch dog food Kate: custom bobbleheads & action figures, Lilly Allen’s tour, Strict Scrutiny’s upcoming West Coast tour Melissa: Caddis readers, Blackwing Matte pencils, As Ever Rosé Jordan: 2026 Evanescence and Korn tours, these headphones WEAR Leah: Forme Power Bra, Argent, TheRealReal Kate: Strict Scrutiny onesies, Cozy Earth Studio Wide Leg Pant Melissa: Quince yak wool sweaters, Uniqlo White T-Shirt, Clearly Collective Collegiate Scarves, WaySoft Cashmere Beanie Jordan: Crooked Con Merch, Mavi jeans READ Leah: The Wedding People, Alison Espach; Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series; Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series; These Summer Storms, Sarah MacLean; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, V. E. Schwab; The God of the Woods, Liz Moore; Book of the Month Kate: The Power Broker, Robert Caro; Who Is Government? Michael Lewis; Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, Kate Conger & Ryan Mac; The Radical Fund, John Fabian Witt; Isola, Allegra Goodman; Heart the Lover, Lily King; Martyr! Kaveh Akbar; The History of Sound, Ben Shattuck Melissa: Matriarch, Tina Knowles; Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People, Imani Perry; Jane Austen's Bookshelf, Rebecca Romney; Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid; The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Marie Bostwick; The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiran Desai Jordan: Lawless, Leah Litman; The Sirens' Call, Chris Hayes; Bad Law, Elie Mystal; Charles Sumner: Conscience of a Nation, Zaakir Tameez; Just Shine! How to Be a Better You, Sonia Sotomayor Ellen: Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell Mysteries; Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, Benjamin Stevenson; The Black Wolf, Louise Penny; Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench; This Is Happiness, Niall Williams; Elizabeth Strout; Amor Towles Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 3/6/26 – San Francisco 3/7/26 – Los Angeles Learn more: http://crooked.com/eventsOrder your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad VibesFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

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This episode is 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

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This episode was published on December 22, 2025.

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