Lunatic In the Newsroom

With midterm elections approaching, this is the prime time for hot political candidates to... show some skin. Josh Spiegel assesses the reality of bipartisan shallowness, because let's not kid ourselves. A strong jawline doesn't hurt.   Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now that April 15th has come and gone, Americans can breathe a sigh of relief. Or can they? Leave it to Josh Spiegel to dive into the chaos, delusion and panic that dreaded season leaves behind. This month’s nightmare is over but the IRS and your bad habits aren’t.Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ten days away from Earth sounds like heaven to Josh Spiegel. He never knew he had an adventurous side until he watched Artemis launch into the sky. But between confusing space lingo, nauseating optimism about humanity, and the nightmare of sharing a toilet, reality sets in, leading Josh to ask, is space the future or just a complicated way to avoid people?Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everything you buy costs more. Despite talk of “inflation” cooling, you know better. So, Josh is looking for solutions. He stumbles on a bold plan that might just work. Josh sets out to prove he can beat inflation. But can this lunatic survive outside the newsroom?Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh goes all out to care for his best friend, Farfel the Terrier. He would do it even if his dog were a wanted criminal. Would you? If your pet killed you, how much money would they get from your life insurance payout? Don't act like either of you isn't lunatic enough to think about it. Insurance can't deny your dog if he doesn't remember whodunit.Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Would people take tornadoes more seriously if they had names? Because “Tornado Brandon” sounds like a problem. In this episode, Josh kicks off tornado season exploring the weird world of extreme weather. From “partly cloudy” feeling like emotional manipulation, to buying a survival kit he doesn’t know how to use, to the questionable decision to yell at hurricanes in spray paint.Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh confronts a harsh reality he’s never said out loud before: he might be going bald. Well, let’s call it thinning or maybe just a hairline restructuring. Josh explores the cruel trade-offs of life, South Korea’s wild idea to treat baldness as a national crisis and the surprising comeback of toupees.Josh is also back with a follow up on the war in Iran. He says, if you’re going to chant “Death to America”, at least make it rhyme. He also breaks down the shocking headlines surrounding the new Supreme Leader and reminds Iranians who hate the U.S., that nobody demeans Americans better than Americans themselves.Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!Attribution Code"Move Forward" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

To Josh Spiegel’s delight, this may be the year some states repeal the legal recreational use of marijuana. Why are some people who once supported legalization now changing their minds? Josh explores the politics behind the pushback, the economics of legal weed, and reveals his totally reasonable plan to solve the problem once and for all.Links:Sign up for the free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head”Email here.See Josh's picture!Attribution Code"Political Action Ad" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel exposes the national thief as Daylight Saving Time and questions the time adjustment's value. Josh also dreams of a life without it and how that would bring more sleep and create a safer society.Links:Sign up for Josh's free weekly newsletter “5 Things Rolling Around In My Head” Email us hereSee Josh's picture!Attribution Code"Onion Capers" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We interrupt your life for a surprise episode of Lunatic In The Newsroom. Josh breaks down the chaos, questions the shifting explanations for the attack, and after exploring the possibilities for the late Ayatollah’s funeral, he outlines his own funeral plans.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Are fraternities just harmless college traditions or outdated institutions that keep producing the same messy and deadly scandals over and over again? In this episode, Josh asks the uncomfortable question nobody in higher education seems willing to answer: Why do fraternities still exist at all?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel looks at the human side of Warren Buffett who recently retired: what it must’ve been like having him as a grandpa, what advice he’d give over ice cream, why he drank gallons of Coca-Cola, and how a man who understood the future better than anyone never bothered to upgrade his lifestyle. Along the way, Josh breaks down Buffett’s unconventional investing philosophy-patience, boredom, doing nothing-and why his real genius might not have been money at all, but temperament.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The countdown has already started as Josh Spiegel breaks down what returning to the Moon and surviving on Mars means for the future of humanity. Mars babies are in the forecast, but they're threatened at the prospect of America's next great war: aliens with super soakers. Josh explores NASA's Artemis II mission, lunar hotels, and much more. Is humanity's space escape plan genius or a disaster brewing to destroy another planet?Attribution Code"Robobozo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Attribution Code"Mesmerizing Galaxy " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel investigates scandalous workplace affairs during America's Love Week. Government official, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is accused of cheating on her husband with her bodyguard. Josh discusses how Valentine's Day could save her marriage that's hanging on by a hyphen. Attribution Code"Spy Glass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Attribution Code"Scheming Weasel (faster version)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Let's place a bet: Josh Spiegel races down the grocery store aisles on his shopping cart before you can figure out what "Latin Trap Rap" is during the Big Game on Sunday. The winner (Josh, of course) attends work bright and early on Monday!Attribution Code"Eighties Action" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel predicts the biggest trends of 2026. We're shopping at physical stores again, but it's not 2016. That's just a trick of the algorithm. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Josh Spiegel bravely asks the most important geopolitical question of our time: Could I downsize to an icy, government-subsidized apartment where no one talks to me-and should America help make that happen?Attribution Code"Enchanted Valley" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"Fuzzball Parade" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

During recent holiday travel, Josh Spiegel noticed America has stopped getting dressed. From spandex to sweatpants to pajamas and slippers, this episode asks, when did public spaces turn into bedrooms. This isn’t about fashion. It’s about safety. And pants.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel has been thinking about what it must have been like for Venezuela’s President when he was captured by U.S. Forces over the weekend. He wonders what life is like for Maduro now that he’s in custody and how the future will play out. But the words you’ll hear will not be the regurgitated rants of the media’s talking heads from this weekend. This episode could only come from the mind of Josh – a Lunatic In The Newsroom. Josh also veers into a conversation about smells and the horror of realizing your home might have an odor problem. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do we do when planes vanish without a trace? This week, Josh Spiegel explores two aviation mysteries that won’t go away. In fact, new searches are about to begin for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and Amelia Earhart’s plane. Josh breaks down what we know, what we don’t, and why these disappearances still nag at us. He even offers his own theories on what happened to these doomed flights and wonders if some mysteries are simply not meant to be solved.Attribution Code"Mysterioso March" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you haven’t purchased your holiday gifts by now, don’t panic. Josh Spiegel is here to help. Not only will his last minute gift guide save you from becoming an outcast among family and friends, it’s also budget friendly. There’s something for everyone. Consider this episode Josh’s gift to you.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Waymo’s continuous problems with its autonomous cars are making Josh Spiegel stop and wonder if he needs to intervene and save the world. From close calls with school buses to driving through a police standoff and a shocking cat homicide, Josh is demanding change. Come along for an unforgettable ride with Josh - a ride that you’ll at least survive.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fasten your seatbelt for Josh Spiegel’s year-end spectacular. He’ll unnecessarily go back and review the moments that made us gasp, laugh, and cry. The panic, the chaos, the ridiculousness - it’s all here. And who better to break it down and have a breakdown while doing it than Josh Spiegel?Attribution Code"Unlight" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Attribution Code"Cloud Dancer " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel embarks on a voyage on the high seas. Unfortunately, he soon finds himself at the center of a very loud misunderstanding. This week’s episode is a fictional story loosely tied to a real headline and Josh’s paranoia.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel says it’s time to reinvent Thanksgiving. Turkey has had one heck of a run but there needs to be a new centerpiece: Catfish. Does this revolutionary idea have any chance of catching on? Absolutely not. But Josh makes a strong case for it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s been 55 years since a beached whale was blown up with dynamite on an Oregon beach. In this episode, Josh Spiegel gets the legendary story firsthand from a newspaper reporter who was there and saw it happen. Food recalls seem like an everyday occurrence.Josh says, it’s not just because of salmonella or listeria. It’s pieces of golf balls found in food. Plus, Josh imagines how politicians celebrated the end of the government shutdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel’s faces his fear of public bathrooms as he interviews a public bathroom historian. Professor Bryant Simon of Temple University knows everything about bathrooms. He’s even writing a book on the subject. Josh also calls for a ban on men fathering children after the age of 65. Finally, he expresses his shock and annoyance at Dictionary.com choosing 6-7 as its word of the year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel gets life advice from a 75 year old man who lives in a retirement home. He also talks about people who bought shoes that are so squeaky, they’re suing the shoe maker. Also, Josh wonders if your retirement savings are about to vanish and expresses his cautious optimism about a big change at Snapple. There’s also talk about Bigfoot and much more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel revisits the touchy subject of legalized marijuana. He can’t stand the stench, as he described at length in Episode Two. Now, it’s time for solutions. In this episode, Josh offers ideas that could make both smokers and non-smokers happy.He also calls in the big gun and interviews Lizzie Post, the great, great Granddaughter of Etiquette Icon Emily Post. Lizzie is Co-President of The Emily Post Institute and weighs in on the topic. Listen to Lizzie Post co-host Awesome Etiquette anywhere you get your podcasts every Monday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week’s episode, Josh Spiegel wages war on spam callers, expresses disappointment at a breakthrough that could protect swimmers from sharks, discusses the rigorous training it must take for people to learn how to protest, and interviews a man obsessed with the sport of darts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The government shutdown continues as Congress refuses to compromise on healthcare. Josh Spiegel has his own ideas on healthcare reform that should immediately be enacted including ending nonstop texts about appointment confirmations. He also talks about the widespread panic over Starbucks closings and the dilemma he faces whenever his bar of soap melts in the shower.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel worries about the rise of robots, natural disasters, and new pandemics as they threaten civilization as we know it! Lewis Dartnell, author of "The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm" helps Josh prepare for survival.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel loves getting mail.  He serenades the Postal Service a la Marilyn Monroe.  Celebrate 250 years of continuous delivery as Josh hopes the joy of opening parcels will last forever. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s Back To School! From phones, the threat of a new pandemic, embarrassing test scores and Josh’s own horrible school days, this episode is packed with issues facing our nation’s education system. Josh is also outraged with a woman who has started signing her emails “Hugs” so he gets her on the phone. Available wherever you get your podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel refuses to age gracefully. He imagines a secret society of the elderly led by their scooter riding leader and has nightmares about creepy synchronized swimming. There's so much more to the horrifying scenarios that keep him awake at night. He would also appreciate it if AARP would stop harassing him. He's not going down without a fight.Music Credits"SCP-x3x (I am Not OK)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Changes made: mixed with … "Unseen Presence" and "Gateway to Hell" by Kevin MacLeod "SCP-x2x (Unseen Presence)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Changes made: mixed with... "I am Not OK" and "Gateway to Hell" by Kevin MacLeod "SCP-x1x (Gateway to Hell)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Changes made: mixed with "I Am Not OK" and "Unseen Presence" by Kevin MacLeod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Josh Spiegel can’t take it anymore. The smell of marijuana is everywhere and it’s time to fight back. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

“Lunatic in the Newsroom” Host Josh Spiegel is exasperated with air travel. Everything bothers him:  fellow travelers, planes with loose bolts and a potential pandemic caused by someone at an airport’s fast food kiosk.  All of it feeds into Spiegel’s neuroses and it’s pure torture. You’ll probably enjoy hearing about it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.