Mailbag: The Lindsay Clancy Trial, Tariffs, and Evangelicalism in Politics

Mailbag: The Lindsay Clancy Trial, Tariffs, and Evangelicalism in Politics

Author: Sarah & Beth September 4, 2026 Duration: 1:11:58
It's a mailbag day, and Sarah and Beth work through everything the Substack Premium community sent in — starting with the Lindsay Clancy jury deadlock and whether the legal system is built to answer a question like this one, then into a new round of tariffs and how this administration keeps finding new legal doors no matter what the Supreme Court says. They spend real time on a listener question about whether the evangelical church can repent from Trumpism, working through what happens when politics and religion try to answer the same question about human freedom on two completely different timelines — and where they land differently along the way. They set the record straight on what Project 2025 actually says about the FDA, talk about who benefits from a weakened food and drug regulatory system, and take on the bigger question of how to keep functioning when people can't agree on the same reality anymore. Then it's the midterms: Sarah's optimistic, Beth's braced for anything, and both explain why. Outside of Politics, they get into what's worth correcting in kids and what's worth letting go of as they get older, the particular chaos of the first weeks back at school, and a rapid-fire round covering summer highs and lows, on-camera style, Sarah Bareilles's new album, early holiday traditions, and who they'd most like to interview under truth serum. If you missed our live show in Minneapolis, the full recording is available in our shop for $15 — a substantial discount, and well worth your time. That virtual option exists because of the generosity of Fearless Finance and Substack. And if you haven't already, check out this week's bonus live conversation with Jen Hatmaker on Substack. One quick heads up: next week is Labor Day, so we're recording Tuesday instead of Monday, which means the next episode lands in your feeds on Wednesday instead of Tuesday. New episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe so you never miss one. Support the show and get access to News Briefs, Spicy Live bonus episodes, and community: https://pantsuitpolitics.substack.com Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pantsuit-politics/id1055348656 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/37qY4LmXijGefBvzR0lWKt Follow us on Instagram: @pantsuitpolitics — Pantsuit Politics is hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers. Produced by Studio D Podcast Production. Our theme music was composed by Xander Singh with inspiration from original work by Dante Lima. This podcast and every episode of it are wholly owned by Pantsuit Politics LLC and are protected by US and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a media landscape often defined by shouting matches and partisan trenches, Pantsuit Politics offers a different kind of conversation. Hosts Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, two friends from Kentucky, built this independent podcast on a simple but radical premise: you can discuss the news and culture of the day with both conviction and genuine curiosity. What you’ll hear here isn’t debate for its own sake, but a sustained effort to understand the complexities behind the headlines. Sarah and Beth approach each topic with a blend of thorough research and personal reflection, modeling how to engage with difficult subjects without surrendering to outrage or anxiety. Their dialogue proves that thoughtful disagreement and common ground aren't mutually exclusive. This podcast provides a consistent, calming space for listeners who feel exhausted by the usual political noise but still want to stay meaningfully informed. New episodes arrive every Tuesday and Friday, offering regular check-ins that prioritize nuance over kneejerk reactions. It’s the kind of compelling listening that doesn’t just analyze the world, but quietly suggests a better way to talk about it.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Pantsuit Politics
Podcast Episodes
Nobody Trained AI on a Soul [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:34
After a weekend when an Anthropic researcher quit and warned AI could wipe out humanity within a decade, Sarah and Beth take on the questions listeners sent them about artificial intelligence, starting with what is actua…
Bush Wasn't a Bad Man. He Was a Bad President. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:43
Twenty-five years ago today, and Sarah and Beth close out the re-share of their 2018 series on September 11 with the two hardest parts. First, the road from 9/11 to Iraq, from "we will wipe terrorism off the face of the…
9/11 Wasn't Unimaginable. It Was Unprocessed. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:56:38
This week marks twenty-five years since the September 11 attacks, and Sarah and Beth are re-sharing the five-part series they made in 2018 to do what they felt the country never quite did: process it. Today's episode hol…
Meta's $17 Billion Settlement and Flock Cameras [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:37
Meta just settled with 47 states for roughly $17 billion over claims it built a product designed to addict teenagers, and Flock cameras are facing a backlash that runs from Lexington's city council all the way to Capitol…
Make America Unvaccinated Again [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:52
Sarah and Beth dig into the new executive order on childhood vaccines and the request for information the Department of Health and Human Services issued on August 24 — what "shared clinical decision making" actually mean…
Dolly Parton Was Never Afraid of Change [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:02
Sarah opens by calling it what it is — a national day of mourning — and she and Beth spend the hour on the only thing anybody's feed is showing them: Dolly Parton, dead at 80. They trace the fork in the road that turned…
Why Everything Feels Unhinged for Women [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:20
Sarah opens with a simple question — what's going on with the ladies? — and she and Beth spend the hour discovering that you can't answer it without first describing the sexism everyone is swimming in. They walk through…
Was This Summer the Worst? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:52
Sarah and Beth are back together after summer break, and they're starting with the question everyone seems to be asking: was this summer the worst? They work through the cyclospora outbreak and what it means to not trust…