‘Bedrock, USA’ investigates political extremism, small town life, and democracy in the US
iHeartPodcasts and Bloomberg CityLab present “Bedrock, USA,” a series documenting small town life, political extremism, and battling for democracy in America. The podcast illustrates a divided nation swept in misinformation, conspiracies, and groups that decided to take action when they did not like what was happening in their local governments. They hit the ground with rallies, runs for office, storming the government, recalling officials, or threats.
On this podcast, hear how far right ideologies bleed into local politics and the results when others push back. There are plenty of risks, struggles, and pitfalls involved if you’re actively participating in modern democracy. “Bedrock, USA” also looks at extremist ideologies, profiles individuals fighting in politics, and dissects how these stories impact the nation.
“Bedrock, USA” is hosted by Bloomberg CityLab reporter Laura Bliss. Start the podcast from the beginning to hear the full documentary, with the average episode running less than 40 minutes each.
The first episode discussed mid-pandemic happenings in Sequim, Washington and Shasta County, California. A few days after the Jan. 6th U.S. Capitol attack, Sequim’s QAnon-supportive Mayor William Armacost made the city manager resign. Residents were shocked. In Shasta County, right-wing activists complained about COVID-19 regulations.
Episode 2 introduces listeners to Shasta County Republican supervisor Mary Rickert. She claims far-right activists “used the pandemic as a ‘weapon’ to remake government.” The plan included recalling 3 Republican county supervisors, including Mary. This episode also shares Jeremy Edwardson’s story, a producer of “Red White and Blueprint,” a pro-recall docuseries.
In episode 3, hear how an out-of-state billionaire, Reverge Anselmo, boosted the recall campaign and had a history of fighting with the county. At the same time, local journalist Doni Chamberlain said the campaign was spreading misinformation and worried about the campaign’s possible consequences.
We recommend this series for fans of “Will Be Wild,” “Day X,” and “American Radical.” Tune in weekly for new episodes of “Bedrock, USA” wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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