Episodes

  • Why One Never Trumper Can't Endorse Kamala Harris

    Why One Never Trumper Can't Endorse Kamala Harris
    Oct 25 2024
    New York Times columnist Ross Douthat joins the regular group to discuss his objections to Harris, the likelihood of a Trump fascistic reign, and which party has gone crazier.

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    Highlights / Lowlights

    Ross: Can AI be blamed for a teen’s suicide? (NYT)

    Damon: Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (MAX)

    Linda: The Ghosts of John Tanton (ProPublica)

    Mona: The Envy of the World (The Economist)

    Bill: The Fight for a New Israel (Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs)
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • An Underrated Threat: The Trump Corruption

    An Underrated Threat: The Trump Corruption
    Oct 18 2024
    The New Yorker's Susan Glasser joins the group (plus Philip Bump) to discuss Harris's Fox interview, Trump's spiraling mental state, and the oligarchy/corruption a second Trump term would usher in.

    Highlights / Lowlights

    Mona: Harris Needs a Closing Argument. Here's One. By Bret Stephens
    The FTC is making it easier to cancel subscriptions.

    Damon: Confessions of a Republican Exile by David Brooks

    A spate of recent content from Matthew Yglesias

    Susan: The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon

    Philip: A preview of this weekend's "How to Read This Chart" newsletter

    Linda: The General's Warning by Tom Nichols
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • What Would a Second Trump Term Mean for US Leadership?

    What Would a Second Trump Term Mean for US Leadership?
    Oct 11 2024
    NY Times columnist Bret Stephens joins to discuss the Iranian threat (to Israel and the US), the amazing Israeli penetrations of Hezbollah and Iran, and the fate of NATO, Ukraine, etc in a Trump 2.0 world.

    TV Recommendations of the panelists:
    Mona: Call My Agent
    Damon: Game of Thrones
    Bill: Babylon Berlin
    Linda: Slow Horses / Pachinko
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    55 mins
  • Vance Impersonates a Decent Guy

    Vance Impersonates a Decent Guy
    Oct 3 2024
    The Financial Times's Ed Luce joins to discuss the VP debate, the future of MAGA, and the Israel/Iran war.
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    56 mins
  • The Gender Chasm

    The Gender Chasm
    Sep 27 2024
    Mona’s highlight: The impartiality of the DOJ, indicting members of the sitting party in power when they commit crimes.

    Tim’s lowlight: The failure to have more than one debate.

    Tim’s highlight: The young, hungry, improbable turnaround of the Detroit Tigers.

    Sonny’s highlight / lowlight: Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis.

    Sam’s highlight: Ohtani’s historic 50-50 season.

    Sam’s lowlight: The indictment of Eric Adams.

    Bill’s highlight: VP Harris’s economic speech on building and permitting overhaul.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Does Trump's Tough Guy Persona Really Work in World Affairs?

    Does Trump's Tough Guy Persona Really Work in World Affairs?
    Sep 20 2024
    AEI's Kori Schake joins the group to discuss Trump's "crazy guy" strategy, the 111 GOP leaders endorsing Harris, and Hezbollah's exploding pagers.

    Show Notes:

    Referenced: U.S. Shrugs as World War III Approaches, by Walter Russell Mead (WSJ)

    Highlights / Lowlights

    Kori: Gov. Mike DeWine defending Ohio against MAGA’s lies about Springfield (ABC)

    Damon: The tired dance of the demagogue by Matthew Yglesias (Slow Boring)

    Mona: How an AI ‘debunkbot’ can change a conspiracy theorist’s mind (Popular Science)

    Linda: The Exotic Cat-Eaters of Springfield, Ohio by Kevin Williamson (The Dispatch)

    Bill: The Future of Free Speech by Lee C. Bollinger and Geoffrey Richard Stone (Dædalus)
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    55 mins
  • The MAGA Bubble Burst

    The MAGA Bubble Burst
    Sep 13 2024
    Third Way's Matt Bennett joins to discuss the debate, Harris's centrism, and which candidate would be better on inflation.

    Highlights / Lowlights

    Mona: Why Mike Lee Folded by Tim Alberta, The Atlantic.

    Matt: The lies being pushed about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, and the political opportunism of a young boy’s death.

    Damon: Behind the Catholic Right's celebrity-conversion industrial complex (Vanity Fair)

    Linda: What led to rumors Trump shared about Venezuelan gangs taking over a Colorado building? (NBC)

    Bill: Stolen Pride: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Tucker Carlson: Anchor on Trump/Vance?

    Tucker Carlson: Anchor on Trump/Vance?
    Sep 6 2024
    Lawyer Kim Wehle discusses her book on the pardon power. The group then delves into Israel/Gaza, campus protests redux, and Tucker Carlson "Just asking questions" about Holocaust denialism.

    Highlights / Lowlights

    Mona: Andrew Egger's "Pennsylvania Man Speaks" reporting.
    Bill: The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America
    Linda: Republicans Seize on False Theories About Immigrant Voting (NYT)
    Damon: DOJ alleges Russia funded US media company linked to right-wing social media stars (CNN)
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    1 hr and 25 mins