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When podcasts do what the legacy press won’t
From Rahm to Ritchie Torres, unconventional hosts are cornering politicians in ways legacy outlets rarely attempt.
Kyle Tharp
September 04, 2025
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New media brings new levels of accountability
“Do you feel in your heart that what you're saying is right?"
That was just one of many tense exchanges in a heated, emotional conversation between Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and comedian Adam Friedland last week. The two sat down for a wide-ranging interview on The Adam Friedland Show, a web series that shifts between funny and awkward, coming off like a contemporary blend of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns.
After a fairly warm opening, where Friedland tried to connect with the often-guarded Torres on his coming-out story and the arc of his career, the subject turned to Israel’s war in Gaza, a topic Friedland, who is Jewish, is deeply invested in. Torres, one of Congress’s most vocal defenders of Israel, grew visibly uneasy as Friedland pressed him on both the brutal violence of the war and his own experiences with antisemitism. The painful exchange left many viewers wondering: why would Torres agree to this kind of interview in the first place?
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