Commentary Magazine Podcast: Recent Episodes
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Commentary is America's premier monthly magazine of opinion: General, yet Jewish. Highly variegated, with a unifying perspective.
Noam Blum joins the podcast today to discuss the strategy Hamas is pursuing to stave off the Israeli action in Rafah—the use of a hostage video to freeze Israeli society in place and turn the conversation away from victory and toward rescue. What are the consequences? Give a listen.
Today we discuss the state of play between universities and the pro-Hamas encampment movement, and we consider Mike Johnson's seeming declaration of a counter movement. Speaking of encampments, why are tents proliferating in urban areas and what does it say about society? We also talk about the terrible new GDP numbers, why no one took a victory lap after Joe Biden signed the foreign aid bill, and much more. Give a listen.
The refusal both of Columbia University officials and New York City's mayor to confront and end the siege of the school's campus and the open threats to Jews is the culmination of 40 years of academic rot, and we describe why. Also: The House passes aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and moves to end Chinese Communist control of TikTok. Is this a new path forward or a one-off success for House Speaker Johnson? Give a listen.
Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast for an immediate after-action report on the details of the Israeli strike on Iran, whether deterrence has been reestablished, and how last night might represent the most significant game-changing moment in recent Middle Eastern history. And what's this? Columbia University throws the book at the Hamas-supporting tent city on its campus and has the NYPD arrest more than 100 people? Is this a game-changer too? Give a listen.
That's the advice of podcast guest Liel Leibovitz, zooming in from Tel Aviv to discuss the Columbia hearings before the House yesterday and how the anti-Semitism revealed there has unmistakable echoes of past horrors—and threatens future horrors. Give a listen.
Joe Biden is having a good month at the polls, but Donald Trump is finding new and inventive ways to campaign for president despite his humiliating courtroom experience—will it help? And do Israelis want a strong strike against Iran or not? And what is Mike Johnson doing? Give a listen.
Yesterday's protests in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle suggest again that the pro-Hamas Left is moving into a new and more dangerous phase, one in which they are openly chanting "Death to America" and may be readying violent acts of "resistance." The parallels to the 1960s are unmistakable. And things are only going to get more heated as Israel does what it has to in Rafah and against Iran. Give a listen.
A full house of COMMENTARY podcasters today as we try to reckon with the many possibilities relating to Iran's repelled attack on Israel—and the fact that America now seems fixated yet again on holding Israel back rather than making Iran pay for its aggression. Give a listen.
The death of OJ Simpson this week prompts us to discuss everything that changed in the wake of the murders he committed, the escape he bungled, and the trial at which he was acquitted. Also, what are we to make of the chatter about Iran striking Israel imminently? Give a listen.
Iran is said to be preparing or on the verge of a direct strike on Israel, and it's not clear Americans know about it. They will when it happens, and we discuss why they'd do it and what Joe Biden has done to suggest to them it might be worth the cost. Republicans in the House continue to display paralysis. Sonia Sotomayor continues to serve on the Supreme Court despite liberal efforts to get her to quit. And the Japanese prime minister is here! Give a listen.
Joe Biden tells an interviewer Israel should do a unilateral ceasefire for six to eight weeks. Tom Friedman of the New York Times explains there's a 5 percent chance for a Palestinian state and that we should focus on that 5 percent. People are yelling "Death to America" inside America and the president says nothing. What on earth is going on here? We try to explain. Give a listen.
Did Donald Trump help or hurt his chances in November with his statement yesterday that he did not want federal action on abortion? Did Joe Biden help or hurt his chances in November by announcing a new effort to pay off student-loan debt? Did Wolodymyr Zelensky help or hurt his nation's future by saying Ukraine would lose the war if the American aid package stalled in the House didn't pass? Did Bibi Netanyahu help or hurt his nation by acceding to Joe Biden's demands over the weekend and then declaring there is a date certain for the invasion of Rafah? Give a listen.
Today's podcast tries to make sense out of the Biden administration's now-undeniable harsh turn against Israel and the incomprehensible behavior of the Israeli government over the last 48 hours in relation to the war in Gaza, the negotiations over the hostages, and the threat from Hezbollah. Give a listen.
Today's podcast reels in horror from the administration response to the tragic errors that led to the Israeli attack on a food convoy and how it represents what may be the final turn of the Bidenites against the war effort to extirpate Hamas. Give a listen.
Today we talk about the increasing failure of Joe Biden's contradictory position on Israel. He's now all but accused Israel of a war crime but will continue to supply it with weapons of war. Israel's supporters are fed up with his rhetoric and Israel-haters are fed up with his policy. Moreover, his incoherence is inviting Iranian aggression. We also discuss the unique success of NATO as it turns 75 and what Mike Johnson may or not do to push Ukraine aid. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question of the Biden administration's problematic response to the tragic strike on a food aid convoy in Gaza—something for which Israel took immediate responsibility and for which it apologized wholeheartedly at the highest levels with little effect on the condemnations that continue to pour on its head. Meanwhile, Biden's polling continues to suggest a loss in November with no changes in strategy from Biden or his people. Give a listen.
Today we discuss unforgivable acts of Jew-hatred—including a riot outside a synagogue where money was being raised to help a Jewish burial society—and forgivable tragic events that occur during war. There is a difference. A big difference. Also, a beautiful statement by a grieving Israeli father and Donald Trump's very good day in and out of court. Give a listen.
Today Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast to talk about what's been going on in public and behind the scenes between American and Israeli officials regarding a ground operation in Rafah. How much longer can Israel afford to wait? And what can we learn from the drone attack on an Israeli naval base over the weekend? But first we discuss the White House's declaring Easter Sunday Transgender Day of Visibility. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the 25 year sentence for the $8 billion fraud committed by "effective altruist" Sam Bankman-Fried, and what his law-professor mother's effort to excuse away his criminal conduct tells us about the mindset of the leftist elite. Give a listen.
Today's podcast pays tribute to the life, times, and political wisdom of Joe Lieberman, who died yesterday at the age of 82. What was so special about him and why are we unlikely to see his style of politics and political interaction at work in American public life any time soon? Give a listen.
Today's podcast talks about how the bridge collapse in Maryland may accelerate the trust crisis in the country, already accelerating because nobody really knows or understands the condition and strength of the president of the United States. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss the American abstention from yesterday's UN Security Council ceasefire resolution. Why is the Biden administration saying the policy hasn't changed when the policy has changed? Who exactly is being gaslit and how does this make an Israeli operation in Rafah any less likely? We also talk about the rise in violent crime and how it relates to the larger sense of unraveling. Give a listen.
Today's podcast considers the terrorist attack in Russia and what it means for the war in Ukraine—and what the chaos in Congress means for the war in Ukraine as well. Also, lesson #257 in what happens if you try to get a job in mainstream media when you're on the right, and what the new Netflix show Three-Body Problem might tell us about our coming debt cliff. Give a listen.
Today we start out discussing a new Pew poll that shows, contra Chuck Schumer and others, American Jews overwhelmingly approve of Israel and its efforts to defeat Hamas since Oct. 7. We then get into the latest World Happiness Report, which finds the U.S. ranking below the 20 most happy countries for the first time in the report's history. What's behind our recent unhappiness and why are Americans under 30 most unhappy of all? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up a conversation between Israeli official Ron Dermer and our friend Dan Senor in which Dermer says a failure to secure victory in Gaza means Israel "has no future." Might this be true also of Jewry itself—especially due to the Jews who are now blaming Israel for their feeling of a lack of safety in the West? Give a listen.
Today we note that it was just about four years ago that this podcast went daily, and we consider the lasting impact of the pandemic and the prospects of a political reckoning. But before that, we get into the significance of Bernie Moreno's primary win in Ohio and Donald Trump's inability to make bond. We close on a discussion of Joe Biden's Israel policy and the forgotten goal of war: victory. Give a listen.
Today's podcast begins with the Biden administration's increasing schizophrenia on the Gaza war and then proceeds to a powerful discussion of the elite war on the American middle class, based on our own Christine Rosen's landmark article in the current edition of COMMENTARY. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the weekend kerfuffle over Donald Trump's use of the word "bloodbath" and how quickly his opponents in the media and elsewhere rose in horror at a word they themselves used just a week ago to describe the firing of staffers at the Republican National Committee, for example. What's going on here? And what about the continued fallout from Chuck Schumer's strange speech last week calling for Israel to depose Bibi Netanyahu? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the podcast to discuss the politics behind Chuck Schumer's dumbfounding speech calling for the deposition of Benjamin Netanyahu. What does it tell us about Democratic party politics and Israel's standing with the party Jews have historically supported by huge margins? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs, our tech columnist, comes on to discuss the amazing rapidity with which a bipartisan coalition formed around the idea of forcing the Chinese-Communist company Bytedance to divest itself of TikTok. Who says the parties can't work together? But why did they manage to work together so easily this time? Give a listen.
Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast to note how, just in the last week, things have been heating up between Israel and Hezbollah on the northern border of the Jewish state. We also discuss the peculiarities of the Biden administration's approach to Israel finishing the job in Gaza—and whether there might be a weird Egyptian component at work. Give a listen.
Andrew C. McCarthy joins the podcast today to talk about how the prosecutions of Donald Trump may be violating critical Constitutional and procedural protections for defendants who stand accused of crimes before the bar—and why that matters. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins today's podcast to discuss the world's now-most-prominent "AsAJew," the writer-director Jonathan Glazer, who "refuted" his "Jewishness" on the Oscar podcast on Sunday night. What did he mean? And what does what he said reveal about the nature of progressive Jewry and the fact they elevate their own self-infatuated politics over the safety and history of the Jewish people? Then we turn to the continuing mystery of Joe Biden clearly wanting to separate himself from Israel but then contradicting and undermining his own efforts at distance in a manner that reminds us of the Biblical character Balaam. How? Give a listen.
Chris Stirewalt joins us for our State of the Union recap, including the "how do you build a pier and a road without having someone on the other side to sink in the pylons" and other thrilling topics raised by a substantively wretched but performatively successful presidential address. Give a listen.
Ruthie Blum joins the podcast from Israel to discuss the Biden administration's rough treatment of Benny Gantz, ceasefire negotiations, Bibi's political future, Israeli public opinion, and what's holding up the Rafah offensive. Also, what is Joe Biden going to say about Israel in tonight's State of the Union address? Give a listen.
The podcast takes up the Super Tuesday results—the beginning of the Palmer era in American Samoa! No, seriously, the national race begins today and Biden is behind and, we speculate, maybe he ought to toughen up his stance on Israel and Gaza. No, not by turning on Israel, but by championing Israel and letting it win. Also, the GOP veepstakes! Give a listen.
Adam White joins us to discuss the Supreme Court's seemingly authoritative (9-0!) and confusing (5-4) ruling that willl prevent any efforts to keep Donald Trump off the ballot this year. What's with the confusion? And we delineate the 20 year campus war on Jews and how the chickens are now coming home to roost as these college administrators face the wrath of the victims. Give a listen.
Today we take up the very confusing statement by Kamala Harris yesterday that the media are treating as a change in administration policy with its seeming call for an immediate ceasefire. The problem is that while Harris surely wanted the headlines she's getting, the policy itself was not changed by her words at all. Then again, who can tell what is going on in an administration whose head is now viewed by a significant majority of the American people as incapable of actually being president? Give a listen.
Today David Bahnsen joins the podcast and we talk about the aid-convoy stampede in Gaza, the career of Mitch McConnell, and finally David's new book, Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life. How have we come to such a poor understanding of the meaning of work? And what are the sources and consequences of today's anti-work movement? Give a listen.
Steve Kornacki joins the podcast to explain how we might be reading too much into Nikki Haley's support in Republican primaries, and he breaks down the difference between voters in the those primaries and Republican voters generally. We also get into Republican gains among Hispanics, the continued partisan sorting of Americans, the fluidity of political coalitions, and more. Give a listen.
Today we take up the puny results of Michigan's "Uncommitted" campaign against Joe Biden and his handling of the war in Gaza. Is a 13 percent protest vote what had the Biden camp so rattled? Maybe it's time the administration peeks outside the bubble and takes a look at American popular opinion on Israel. Give a listen.
Yuval Levin joins us to talk about how, on Friday, a quarter of the government is going to shut down and a week from Friday, the rest of it will—barring a deal between Congress and the president no one seems to be negotiating. As Joe Biden wants to run against a do-nothing Congress, is this a gift to him? And why are people celebrating suicide on social media? Give a listen.
Henry Olsen, election-watcher extraordinaire, joins us today to analyze the results of the interesting South Carolina primary and the fact that across three Republican primary contests, Donald Trump is winning decisively, even overwhelmingly—but with around 40 percent of the primary electorate choosing someone else (mostly Nikki Haley). What does this portend for November? Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out that, as we move into the third year of Russia's effort to swallow up Ukraine whole, the great dysfunction seems not to be taking place in Ukraine, or Russia, or on the battlefield, but inside the American political process—with majorities supporting aid to Ukraine but the House unwilling to allow a vote. Can this stand? What is going on? And what is going on with AI? Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us today to discuss the bomb dropped in the middle of the Joe/Hunter/Jim Biden investigation with the indictment and arrest of a confidential source who alleged direct payments to the Bidens around $10 million. Does this kill the case? And what about the Squad's electoral hopes in the wake of October 7? Give a listen.
The podcast today takes note of Nikki Haley's interesting announcement that she will be staying in the GOP race until she is mathematically eliminated. What's the purpose of such a move and what does it reveal about the relative strength and power of Donald Trump in the race? Is she exposing an underbelly just at the moment when Trump is liable for $87,500 a day in fine money he has to pay? And what about this poll showing Trump winning with Jews in New York? Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks what the practical effect of the murder of Alexei Navalny might have on the general debate over how to handle Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine. Then we go into the judgment against Donald Trump in a New York courtroom and whether Joe Biden is turning on Israel at the UN. Give a listen.
An essay in New York Magazine that tells the story of a 40something writer and the mental breakdown that leads her to want to divorce her husband tells the entire story of 21st century elite and pop culture singlehandedly. It's called "The Lure of Divorce," and we devote most of the podcast today to explaining its inadvertent importance as a cultural document that defines our time. Give a listen.
Adam White joins today to discuss his article "The Power Broke Her," about the powerful Washington bureaucrat Lina Khan and her agenda. We begin, though, with the alarming word of an undefined national security threat and the fact that conventional opinion now seems obsessed with denying Israel a victory in its war on Hamas. Give a listen.
The special election in New York not only went to Democrat Tom Suozzi—he also won by eight points. We debate whether this means Republican hopes for immigration as a killer issue for them might be problematic, and whether the behavior of the Republican House these past two weeks is giving Democrats a serious chance of putting meat on the bones of running against the "do-nothing GOP." Give a listen.
Tucker Carlson went to a conference in a Mideast oil city and announced that America was the dad of the world and was perpetuating evil the way a dad would if he took sides in a fight between his children. We ask some questions about this bizarre notion of proper parenting before raising more questions about what it says in relation to the rising New Right and its attitudes about this country. Give a listen.
Was the RFK Jr. Super Bowl ad good or bad? Was the game good or bad? Was Biden's effort to get himself into the news on Super Bowl Sunday without being interviewed good or bad? Is the polling for the Squad good or bad? Was what Trump said about NATO and Nikki Haley's husband good or bad? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the consuming disaster that was Biden's day yesterday and what on earth will happen going forward. Can he stay on the ticket? Will someone in his ambit bring up the 25th amendment? Will Democratic enthusiasm begin to resemble a flatline? And why did he throw Israel under the bus? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss new revelations about the possible cover-up of the origins of COVID and the role of leading figures in politics and science who participated in it. And we lament the Secretary of State's words in Israel. Give a listen.
Well, that was quite a day for House Republicans, losing two votes in 15 minutes the chamber's leaders didn't seem to know they were going to lose. What does this portend? Will this help Biden—or will the image of a dysfunctional Washington help Trump? And how about that trip to the Middle East with Secretary of State Blinken getting his hat handed to him by Saudi Arabia? Give a listen.
The collapse of the border deal that Republicans negotiated and then killed themselves; the trouble now with aid to Ukraine and Israel; and a general sense that things simply don't work in American politics any longer—these are what we discuss today. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the NBC News poll that shows Biden not only losing to Trump, but with only 23 percent of Americans saying he has the mental and/or physical stamina to be president. Yikes. How will this affect the discussions over the Senate's version of a new bill dealing with the border crisis? Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at some very good economic statistics on job and wage growth and wonders whether fortune is favoring the president and his chances in November. Then again, what about the fact he said he was going to strike in response to the deaths of Americans in Jordan and hasn't done so? Also, the Commentary Podcast Mailbag! Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the relationship between superstars Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and expresses both annoyance at their omnipresence and disgust at the effort by MAGA to turn their relationship into something pernicious and evil. And speaking of pernicious, what about the latest American "peace plan" as laid out by Thomas "I Talked to a Cab Driver" Friedman? Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the beating of a Chabad rabbi by a ride-share driver in DC and what it suggests about the spate of violent acts against Jews after 10/7, how this might tie into the border issue, and Congressional races in which this kind of thing will play a role. Give a listen.
Today we get into the growing UNRWA scandal and how it exposes the deep, structural absurdities of the agency's very existence. We also talk about the American elite's twisted view of U.S.-Israeli relations and whether Joe Biden should pay attention to younger Americans who oppose his support for Israel. Give a listen.
Today's podcast worries over Joe Biden's next steps relating to Iran and its proxies attacking Americans in the Middle East and the temptation to do just a little bit and not a lot to respond, which will only make things worse. It's even more puzzling given how vulnerable Biden is in an election year against Donald Trump on this issue because Trump can favorably contrast his record on Iran with Biden's in a way Biden will be hard-pressed to counter. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses all the efforts to end things in DC—negotiations over border legislation, the Nikki Haley campaign, the process by which the Republican Party functions—and why everybody who's working to stop things might be acting in a short-sighted and self-destructive manner. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the peril to Ukraine and Israel aid now that the Republicans in the Senate are turning away from any kind of deal with Joe Biden on the border. Does this give Biden a talking point on the border against Trump? And where exactly is there an argument against Ukraine aid that isn't disingenuous? Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins the podcast to discuss the strange triumphalism of Nikki Haley's loser speech last night in New Hampshire and the strange negativity of Donald Trump's winner speech a few hours later. Does this portend a season in which Haley exposes Trump's flaws as she continues her run? Give a listen.
With the Republican contest all but over and almost ten months to go to the election, there are so many variable possibilities for 2024 it's impossible to game them out. Could this be the most interesting year ever? Give a listen.
Chris Stirewalt joins the podcast to talk about the DeSantis departure from the race, whether Ron is angling for veep, and the composition of the two parties over the past 20 years. Also, Harvard goes pernicious yet again. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at a stunning new poll of the attitudes of Americans who earn more than $150,000 a year, have a graduate degree, and live in in densely populated areas. Those attitudes are so profoundly in opposition to those of Americans who make less and have less education that they explain a great deal about the continuing strength of Donald Trump. Give a listen.
Today we take up the news that Nikki Haley's most prominent endorser has announced that he expects her to come in second in New Hampshire. Is it over? It kinda feels like it. But this opens up a slim path for Ron DeSantis. We also discuss the Biden administration's wrongheaded foreign policy and wonder whether Joe Biden and Antony Blinken even mean what they say about a Palestinian state. Give a listen.
Political savant nonpareil Steve Kornacki joins the podcast today to break down the Iowa results, look ahead to New Hampshire, and make recommendations about what to look for on Tuesday if you want to get a real sense of where this race (if it is a race) might be going. Give a listen.
Today's podcast wrestles with questions relating to Donald Trump's smashing victory in Iowa last night. Does the tiny number of caucusgoers represent anything? Does anyone have a path besides Trump now? Where do Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, and the obscure movie Clockwise come in to the discussion? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up a jaw-dropping New York Times article that asks how important, really, is Israel to the religion of Judaism. Yes, you read that right. Also, the Iowa caucuses are upon us, and it looks like the Republican coronation might be commencing. Give a listen.
Today we discuss the American strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Was it enough to deter terrorism in the Red Sea? What does it accomplish so long as the Biden administration continues to ignore the Iranian threat? We also take up the matter of American apologists for terrorism and propose a Biden-Trump debate. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks why Chris Christie ran in the first place, and come to think of it, why did DeSantis run when he clearly had people telling him he couldn't actually beat Trump by, you know, arguing he should be president and not Trump? And should Nikki Haley take up a second career as a tobacco auctioneer? Give a listen.
Today's podcast goes through some of Trump's legal shenanigans—and the apparent shenanigans of his Atlanta prosecutor, Fani Willis—and offers a new interpretation of his life and history. Clue: It's like Damn Yankees. Also, the first Commentary DisRecommends! Give a listen.
Today's podcast finds a connection between the pro-Palestinian protests closing bridges and tunnels and inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of people and the kinds of petty shoplifting that make going to stores in urban centers more and more hellish. What's the connection? And why should kids take the SAT? Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out the wet, limp noodle that was Joe Biden's supposedly "fiery" speech about democracy at Valley Forge before joining the world in wonder at the disappearance into a hospital by the Defense Secretary with the world on fire. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the current state of the race on the day Joe Biden will deliver a speech on Donald Trump's threat to democracy, and we ask: Is Biden doing this to make sure Trump keeps talking about the supposedly stolen election, which is the subject Biden believes can propel him to a second term? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the appalling self-defense of the ousted Harvard president Claudine Gay in the New York Times before a discussion of the 2024 matchup and whether Al Gore should have run in 2004 the way Donald Trump is re-running in 2024. Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins today's podcast to talk about the major developments in Israel over the past few weeks—the assassination of a top Hamas terrorist in Lebanon and the Supreme Court's overturning of judicial reform there. Then we get to the larger meaning of Claudine Gay's resignation from Harvard. Give a listen.
On the first podcast of 2024, we discuss what is already the dumbest opinion piece of the year. And we catch up on the presidential race. How damaging was Nikki Haley's answer about the Civil War? How bad was Joe Biden's New Year's Eve appearance? How much did Maine's secretary of state help Donald Trump? Give a listen.
On our final holiday week podcast, we choose the people we think represented 2023, in good ways and in very bad ways as well. From a heroic fighting man to a monstrous and foolish military leader, and others in between. Give a listen as you have a Happy New Year!
Today's holiday week podcast offers our picks for the most interesting television offerings of the year, which include vampires, cannibals, pizza, comedians, zombies, and space explorers. Give a listen.
On today's holiday-week short podcast we offer you our selection for the best or most meaningful books we've read in 2023, from a 1978 discourse on lying to an Israeli novel about American anti-Semitism to a book about American breakdown to the best play of the century—and a comedian's memoir. Give a listen.
The first in a series of special shows this holiday week features the movies we thought the most about in 2023, some from 2023, some from earlier, and one from 2024! How does that work? Well, you gotta give a listen.
Today we discuss how the Washington Post, New York Times, and other outlets are revising their coverage of established facts from the war in Gaza to be even more credulous toward Hamas than they've already been. And what do we make of Trump's Michigan phone call and Nikki Haley's rising poll numbers in New Hampshire? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the meaning of Harvard's president being a plagiarist and nonetheless holding on to her job—what does this mean, what are the ramifications, and how deeply does it seem to represent a rot that goes down to the root of America's foremost private institution? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the headshaking decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to try and keep Donald Trump off the presidential ballot, basically asking the deep and profound question: What the hell???? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines polling on Joe Biden, polling on American youth and Gaza, polling on Nikki Haley, polling on Donald Trump, polling on abortion, and reckons that everything is very, very confusing. We try to clear up that confusion. Give a listen.
Today we talk about a new poll that found a majority of Americans under 25 view Israel as an oppressor and believe that the October 7 massacre could be justified. We get into the history of these poisonous ideas, their rise in American universities and American culture, and what needs to be done about it.
Today we talk about the twists and turns at the Biden White House as it articulates its position on Israel. What does it mean that Israel has until the end of the year to get more precise with its targeting? And what is Kamala Harris up to in pushing for more vocal consideration of the Palestinians? Finally, we take up James Bennet's massive new essay on the New York Times' turn toward illiberalism. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks whether Joe Biden has turned on Benjamin Netanyahu and what role Bibi's own electoral hopes and fears are playing in this seeming new confrontation. And: Will there be a big border/Ukraine/Israel funding deal, given that it's in everybody's interest to get the deal? Give a listen.
Today we talk about House Republican plans to hold a vote on the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. How does the latest impeachment saga stack-up against the impeachments of Donald Trump? Will it hurt Biden or embarrass the Republicans? And what does it—along with Trump's ongoing legal woes—say about Americans' faith in the system? Give a listen.
Today's podcast goes into detail about an inadvertently hilarious tweet from the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and what it reveals about him, Jewish people like him, and the problem Kamala Harris poses for Joe Biden. And, again, why are Trumpy politicians going all in on opposing Ukraine aid—and why is Biden not acceding to stricter border control ideas in exchange for that aid? Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins the podcast today to discuss the startling NBC News poll of Iowa that finds Trump with an absolute majority of Republican voters and Ron DeSantis going exactly nowhere fast. Why did DeSantis run if he was never going to challenge Trump in the first place? What about the poll numbers from CNN today that show Trump beating Biden by ten points in Michigan? And maybe the college presidents said what they said at the hearing last week because they believe it. Give a listen.
Today we discuss the indictment of Hunter Biden. Does this, along with the inquiry into Joe Biden's connections to Hunter's business, effectively neutralize the president's chief argument against Donald Trump? What will Joe Biden do now? What's in the best interest of the country? Also—mailbag! Give a listen.
On today's podcast, I am filled with nihilistic despair about the state of the Republican race after last night's probably final presidential primary debate, while Matt Continetti and Seth Mandel try to convince me not to curl up in a ball. Plus: College presidents and their hostage videos! Give a listen.
Today we take up the prevarication and plain dishonesty of university presidents during the House committee hearing on campus anti-Semitism. One claims not to know about foreign funding and another doesn't think incitement to anti-Semitic violence is a conduct violation. For Harvard, UPenn, MIT, and others, this was a watershed moment. Give a listen.
Why can't Joe Biden face down the protestors on his left? Why is he hedging in his support of Israel? Why hasn't he responded to Iranian attacks on the U.S.? Why doesn't he give Ukraine what it needs to win? And why is he losing to Donald Trump? He's afraid. Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes that the end of the fighting "pause" in Israel almost denotes the end of the idea of "ceasefire." And now the disingenuous efforts to oppose Israel's self-defense are going by the wayside. This is now leading to outright calls for "intifada" here in the United States—which is the term used over the past 35 years to describe Palestinian efforts to attack Jews for being Jews with any means at hand. And the attacks on American Jews and Jewish public life are only accelerating. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is a hybrid. The first part, about the appalling rhetoric used by Antony Blinken about Israel and its conduct of the war that has now restarted, was recorded Friday morning, December 1. The second half, about the passing of Henry Kissinger and my trip to the massacre site in Israel, was recorded Thursday afternoon, November 30. Please be understanding as you give a listen.
Today we talk about Chuck Schumer's bold Senate-floor speech warning about anti-Semitism from the left. He said the right words at the right time, but how will it impact the calls from his own party to condition aid to Israel? And what's up with Joe Biden's tweet seeming to nod toward the ceasefire crowd? Give a listen.
Today we dig into the stories about U.S. hopes for a grand deal leading to a ceasefire. What are negotiators up to? Does Biden think this is going to help him politically? And we talk about the disconnect between Israeli security imperatives and American war weariness. Give a listen.
On today's podcast, I provide the first of my impressions on a weeklong trip to Israel and what it feels like to be in a country at war—even during this strange period when the rocket fire has stopped and the hostages are being dribbled out by Hamas. The podcast crew joins me in wondering how stiff the spines of Joe Biden and the Israelis can and will remain as Hamas continues to play the hostage card. Give a listen.
Today we ask whether the daily release of Israeli hostages threatens to obscure the main point: Israel must defeat Hamas. And with fighting paused, how much pressure will the world put on Israel to abandon this aim? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the pre-Thanksgiving podcast to discuss the contours of the deal to release hostages from Gaza, along with some of the horrifying details of how the soldiers in Israel who will take custody of the children are being instructed to deal with them and the questions they ask, like "Where are Mommy and Daddy?" Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the purported deal to free hostages from Gaza—why it's happening, what has impelled a deal that doesn't look rational on paper, and what might come of it. Also, why did the White House release a birthday-cake picture with Joe Biden in it that looked like the White House was going to be set on fire? Give a listen.
Today we get into new polling that shows Joe Biden losing to Donald Trump in about 50 different ways. What are Democrats to make of this? Is it too late? The poll also reveals broad American support for Israel and Ukraine. And what's up with talk of a hostage deal with Hamas? Give a listen.
The full podcast crew is back today to discuss the weird moment when people started to crow about how the Israelis weren't finding the Hamas tunnels at the hospital—only to fall silent when they were found. And the anti-Semitism explosion just gets worse, with Elon Musk, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, and Tucker Carlson playing along. Give a listen.
Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to examine polling data both national and state-level and concludes that Trump is winning the race against Joe Biden and Democrats are kidding themselves if they believe otherwise. Give a listen.
Caution: Today's podcast has a lot of cursing on it—cursing about the shockingly bad coverage of the extraordinary March for Israel yesterday and the effort by the mainstream media to bury it in an avalanche of "but really policymakers are concerned" coverage that is, frankly, bull---. Give a listen.
William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, joins the podcast to give us genuinely helpful advice about how to get around Washington today as so many of us will be traveling to be at the March for Israel on the Mall—where not to park, what Metro stop to use, where to get in, and generally how to have the best time at the most important event for American Jewry since the days of the Soviet Jewry protests. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast as we ask what the fallout from Tim Scott's decision to depart the Republican race for president will mean and sketch out a long-shot scenario that would give Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley a real chance to challenge Donald Trump. Then we discuss Meigs's extraordinary article, "They Forgot to Be Afraid," about the systemic failure of Israeli deterrence at the Gaza border and how it parallels so many other disasters. Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins today's podcast to discuss the various scenarios in which Nikki Haley really does have a shot at taking the Republican nomination from Donald Trump. We even do a lightning round on whether her successful debate appearances mean her chances are real or illusory. And what does the Israeli agreement to a four-hour "humanitarian pause" mean? Give a listen.
Today's podcast begins with a discussion of the Republican debate before we turn to the astonishing revelations that trusted stringers for a series of Western news organizations, among them the AP, Reuters, and CNN, were actually with the Hamas monsters who slaughtered and wounded 5,000 Israelis on October 7—and were, at least until last night, still collecting checks from these organizations. How could this happen? The answer: Decades of reliance on local "stringers" who are actually operatives for the bad guys. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the results of the 2023 elections and show how abortion is still winning for Democrats and how Republicans just keep losing and losing and losing and why. Also, why it matters that Rep. Rashida Tlaib was censured—or did she want this? Give a listen.
Today we talk about the ramped-up anti-Semitic violence exploding almost simultaneously across the country, including the fatal attack on a Jewish man in Los Angeles. What's going on and how did we get here? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins us to talk about his new book, The Genius of Israel, co-written with Saul Singer, and why its portrait of the war-torn country—finished long before the war—offers an explanation for the country's extraordinarily cohesive response to the October 7 attack and shows Israel its own way forward to victory. Give a listen.
Meghan McCain joins the podcast to help buck up our spirits about how ordinary Americans really feel about Israel and Hamas as opposed to the elites on campuses who are siding with evil. And we discuss, yet again, the politically suicidal nature of Joe Biden's courtship of the forces who want to keep Israel from winning the war. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the horrible story of the still-unsolved murder of Samantha Woll and the haste with which Detroit police said it had not been a hate crime—but never said why they believed this and have not yet even apparently found a person of interest in the case whose presence would refute the idea that a young synagogue president was stabbed to death without apparent cause. And where are the Cambridge and Harvard police when it comes to the president of the Harvard Law Review menacing and possibly assaulting a Jewish student? Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks what kind of condition the presidential race is in a year before we vote, and whether the gravity of a deteriorating world is being met with the kinds of political figures up to the challenge. Then....hotel showers! Why are they so terrible? Give a listen.
Today's podcast features three listener questions about the success of Hamas's PR strategy, how the Jewish community can protect itself, and whether Jews should demonstrate the way the anti-Semites are demonstrating. And Commentary Recommends is back! Give a listen.
oday's podcast takes up the fact that the kosher dining hall at Cornell University was closed yesterday out of an "abundance of caution" because of some online threats. We discuss the danger represented by this attitude and how people need to move out of the pre-October 6 idea of how to handle things into the post October 7 fact of how Jews are to protect themselves, be protected, and fight back against those who would do us ill. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is about how the idea that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism are two different things has been completely demolished by the targeting of Jews worldwide in the wake of a massacre...of Jews. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us today to continue our conversation about the nature of the rhetorical and protest attacks on Israel and how they are meant to befuddle, confound, and depress Israel's followers. The only real solution: Israel needs to win in Gaza. Plus: A new speaker! Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the psy-op the Left and the anti-Zionists and others are working on everyone who wants the world to stay focused on the threat to Israel and the Jewish people—and offers some tips on how to help combat the psy-op and give it back to them. Give a listen.
Today we talk about the Biden administration's sudden alarm about Israel's war on Hamas. Where is this coming from? Is this what the president meant by standing with Israel? We also touch on Trump's rise in some new polls and try to make sense of what's happening among Republicans in the House. Give a listen.
We have with us Michal Cotler-Wunsh, who is Israel's envoy for combatting global anti-Semitism. If there is one COMMENTARY podcast we've ever done that you should listen to from beginning to end, this is the one. So don't just, as we say, Give it a listen. Listen.
COMMENTARY senior editor Seth Mandel makes his debut on the podcast to discuss Joe Biden's strange and unfortunate address from the Oval Office last night. What should the president have said about assisting Ukraine and Israel? What did he say instead? And why was the whole thing so all over the place. Plus mailbag. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks askance at, and is horrified by, and laughs at, the protest at the Capitol yesterday by "Jewish organizations" working as propagandists for Jew-killing organizations. And then we take apart, word by word, the New York Times's effort to exculpate itself for responsibility for the violence in the wake of its false reporting of the hospital rocket strike. Give a listen.
Jonathan Schanzer, author of this month's lead article, joins us to discuss Biden's visit to Israel and the seeming delay in Israel's moves to begin the war it must fight in Gaza. What's happening and why? And we spend some time commending the people who are putting their money and their words where their ideas are and hitting colleges and universities in their pocketbooks. Also, nepotism be damned, I recommend my father Norman Podhoretz's legendary article, "J'Accuse." Give a listen.
We are joined today by the American-Israeli tech entrepreneur Michael Granoff, who is organizing an unprecedented effort to provide Israel with a supply chain from the United States. It's called Operation Falcon, and you can find out more at tinyurl.com/operationfalcon. We talk about the mood in Israel, the mood in America, and why Israel will not be easily buffeted by the inconstancy of American and American-Jewish public opinion. And we make some announcements about changes at the magazine and the website. Today's recommendation: the seminal 1968 COMMENTARY article, "Jewish Faith and the Holocaust: A Fragment." Give a listen.
Today's podcast raises the question: Are we dwelling too much on the trauma being suffered in the wake of the Hamas slaughters and on the humanitarian-crisis nature of war in general rather than stiffening our resolve and readying ourselves for a long and necessary conflict? Give a listen.
Noam Blum of Tablet joins us to discuss Tablet's effort to collect the testimonies relating to the massacre of Jews on October 7. Can we bear to listen? Can we bear not to? (Warning: We use some explicit language on this one.) Give a listen.
Sen. Tom Cotton joins the podcast today to discuss Israel's path going forward, the potential inconstancy of the Biden administration in supporting Israel's prosecution of the war, the president's fecklessness toward Iran, and other cheerful items. Give a listen.
Today's podcast commends Joe Biden's speech about Israel and Hamas, worries over the durability of his commitment, and cites the astonishing level of pro-Hamas support from places like...MSNBC, owned by Comcast, a multibillion-dollar cable company that seems to be OK with a network it owns providing propagandistic emotional support for Jew-killers. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about the fecklessness of the Biden administration and how that may have given Iran a sense it could act with impunity—and whether, once again, America will go wobbly when it comes to Israel defending itself. Only this time, will Bibi Netanyahu's country allow its leaders to go wobbly in response? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins today's podcast to mourn with us at the horrors in Israel, to reflect on the burdens and the courage of Israeli people, and worry about the world's inconstancy in the face of a long and possibly brutal war Israel must win. You will note there is no intro music and no outro music, and no ads. This is a grim day. Give a listen.
Today's podcast dives deeply into the change in Joe Biden's attitude toward the border wall, noting a promise he made in August 2020 that his administration would not add "a foot of wall" to Trump's barrier. Well, here we are, and many feet of wall are about to be added. What gives? Give a listen.
Today's podcast scratches its head at the news that Joe Biden is...building a border wall? And throwing $9 billion in debt-relief aid at student loans even though the Supreme Court said his last plan was unconstitutional? Meanwhile, in New York, Trump's argument that the fraud case against him is "election interference" is getting pretty good support from...the judge in the case? And the state attorney general? Give a listen.
Josh Kraushaar of Jewish Insider joins the podcast today to survey the wreckage of the House Republicans in the wake of the defenestration of the Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and the triumph of his adversary, Matt Gaetz. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at three shocking crimes committed in American cities in the past two days and wonders if this might be the turning point for the liberal dominance on these matters in urban areas. And Trump's on trial—how bad will this be for him or will it be bad at all? Give a listen.
Chris Stirewalt joins today's podcast to talk about the House shenanigans over the past week, from Republicans at war with each other to radical Democrats pulling fire alarms. Give a listen.
Rob Long joins the podcast to talk about the career of the late Dianne Feinstein, the end of the WGA strike, and the stunning success of Sound of Freedom. Plus Mailbag! Give a listen.
What on earth did we see last night at the Reagan Library? Did it change the race at all? Who, if anyone, benefitted from the shambolic but dull second Republican debate? And is there any utility to the format at this point in our politics? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the podcast to talk about the upcoming Republican debate and what the strategies of the various debaters should be, what they should talk about, and how to maximize their own gains. Also, the Iran echo chamber turns out to have been created by...Iran? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines Joe Biden's trip to Michigan to stand in solidarity with the United Auto Workers strikers and how it might affect his standing with Americans on the economy. And polls, polls, polls! Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up two important articles in the new issue of Commentary—Christine Rosen's "Criminals and Their Apologists" and Matthew Continetti's "The Left of the Right." Plus: Listener mail! Give a listen.
Today's podcast assesses Merrick Garland's appearance on Capitol Hill, the continuing Democratic conviction that someone somewhere needs to shut Donald Trump up, and what's going on between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up three speeches at the UN this week: there's the one by President Biden, there's the one by Iranian thug Ebrahim Raisi, and the one by Wolodymr Zelensky of Ukraine. Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out that while all the talk of a government shutdown centers on Republican infighting in the House of Representatives, the idea that the government must shut down if Republicans are not unanimous is based in the idea that no Democrat will vote to keep the government open. If that's true, won't they get some of the blame? And with the debt topping $33 trillion, can spending remain a secondary issue in our politics? Give a listen.
Today's podcast finds commonalities in a congresswoman's disruptive conduct at a Denver theater, a would-be Virginia politician's selling sex acts on a website, and a new Senate code of conduct ending dress requirements for members of the world's oldest deliberative body. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up the Hunter Biden indictment and how it's just the latest bad news for a presidency that seems awash in bad news and increasing fears among Democrats that Joe Biden cannot carry the banner to victory next year. Plus: What's going on with the strikes, and with gambling? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the podcast today to give his view of both the domestic and foreign-policy challenges and opportunities facing the state of Israel over the next few months. We also talk about the U.S. courts and the executive branch's overreach and more Trump-friendly polling. Give a listen.
Today's podcast tries to suss out the political motivations behind House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's "authorization" of an impeachment inquiry and what they say about his power and the upcoming budget battle. Also, did Biden really have a good trip to India and Vietnam? Give a listen.
The podcast takes up the president's latest whopper, about being in New York on September 12, 2001 and seeing the wreckage of the Twin Towers. We all know Trump lies like he breathes, but Biden's lies have a different quality—they're not denials of things he did but efforts to aggrandize and mythologize himself. Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes the remarkable confluence of two events. First, an appeals court finding that the Biden administration staged what a lower court judge called the worst assault by our government on First Amendment rights in this nation's history. And second, the decision by a Democratic governor to declare an emergency power suspending the Second Amendment in her state for 30 days. This is not good. Give a listen.
Mark Halperin joins us to figure out why Democrats are scared to step up and challenge Joe Biden even as Democratic voters beg for an alternative. And why are Republican candidates, except for Donald Trump, scared of traditional media? Plus the second installment of the Commentary Magazine Podcast Mailbag. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss the news that Hunter Biden will be indicted...on a gun charge, and not on anything that has to do with influence-peddling and his father the then-Vice President. Give a listen.
Yuval Levin joins the podcast to discuss an extraordinary piece in the New York Times alleging that the cost of Medicare has fallen radically to such an extent that it is no longer the budgetary monster looming on the horizon. Is that true? Or is it just a way of denying a danger and pushing it forward? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the stunning WSJ poll that has Trump up 46 points over DeSantis and asks whether, five months before the first electoral contest in the GOP and 14 months before the 2024 election, the Republican race is all over but the shouting. Give a listen.
Today's podcast considers the weak job numbers and the persistence both of inflation and higher interest rates and asks whether Joe Biden is making a mistake touting "Bidenomics." And...oh boy, the NYT story about the DeSantis consultant and the $50 million ask from donors. Plus the first installment of the Commentary Magazine Podcast Mailbag! Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks what political benefits or liabilities a politician can accrue from their behavior in the wake of a natural disaster, with specific reference to Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden...and Chris Christie. And Mitch McConnell's second moment freezing before a camera in five weeks raises the question of how much longer our gerontocracy can go on. Give a listen.
James Kirchick joins today's podcast to discuss the overdue outrage about our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and a new book that's surprisingly critical of Joe Biden. We also get into the border crisis, its connection to terrorism, the pressure it's putting on blue and red states, and what it portends for our politics. Give a listen.
The podcast today worries over the fact that the judge in the January 6 case set Donald Trump's trial date for the day before Super Tuesday next year, and what this portends about the politics of 2024 and the very real possibility that we are going to face a constitutional, or a political, or even a revolutionary crisis. Give a listen.
Today Eli Lake joins the gang to consider what some of us got wrong about last week's Republican primary debate. According to polls, Ron DeSantis did himself a bit of good. What did we miss? And why did DeSantis's performance work as well as it did? Then we talk about Eli's new COMMENTARY article "Profiles in Malarkey" and why Democrats are unable to face the significance of the Hunter Biden scandal. Give a listen.
On the last day of listener-questions week, we take up the war on drugs. Was it doomed? Have we surrendered? What are the consequences? Then we respond to a listener who challenges Tip O'Neill's famous observation about all politics being local. Give a listen.
We interrupt this week's listener-questions podcasts with our analysis of last night's Republican debate. The talk centers on Vivek Ramaswamy, and as such, what does that mean for the race going forward? What effect will Nikki Haley's knockout performance have on her campaign? And whither DeSantis? Give a listen.
On today's listener-questions podcast, we first discuss efforts on the right over the past 20 years to address issues of concern to working-class Americans and where they went wrong—before we get into a big, heated, passionate argument about the future and AI and the Internet and a lot of juicy stuff. Give a listen.
Today's listener-question podcast finds us discussing how the COMMENTARY crew gathers the information we gather during the day and how and when we read books. And we talk about the relation between faith and liberalism. Give a listen.
Today's podcast marks the first in a week devoted to listener questions. First up: How do we manage to stay friends with people we disagree with so strongly—or do we? Next: What writers and political figures have inspired us? Give a listen.
I start today's podcast saying I'm sick of talking about Trump and then...we talk about Trump. Which is suggestive of everything about American politics at this moment. Then: did Maui's emergency management chief do an honorable thing or a cowardly thing quitting his job in the middle of the disaster? Give a listen.
Yes, the original Commentary podcast band is back together for one night only! Noah Rothman joins Abe and me for a delightfully crushingly morose hour of worries about Ukraine, fears about Biden and Trump, and general gloom about everything. Don't miss it! Give a listen!
Chris Stirewalt joins the podcast today to examine Donald Trump's immediate future in the wake of the latest indictments and whether they make it more likely Trump will participate next week in the first Republican primary debate. And how much time does Ron DeSantis have to save his candidacy? Give a listen.
Andrew C. McCarthy joins the podcast yet again to help us go through the indictments of Donald Trump and 18 others in Fulton County, Georgia. We ask three questions. How strong is the case legally? How effective is the case politically as a cudgel against Trump? And how just is the case? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the fire catastrophe in Maui and the fact that, once again, ordinary people are doing the work to help those in need while government just can't get itself organized—and the president of the United States thinks it's all right to say "no comment" when asked about it. Also on the president's mind: The weird hijinks surrounding the legal case against his son. Give a listen.
Today we talk about the record spike in American suicides, particularly those of adult men. What cultural, political, and economic forces are merging to create this tragedy? And why are the psychiatric and psychological communities falling down on the job? Then we discuss a new initiative in Louisiana to keep online pornography away from kids. Give a listen.
Today's podcast connects new inflation numbers to a general feeling of uneasiness in the body politic reflected also in the way certain types of criminal conduct (shoplifting in particular) not only have an effect on rising prices but on the national mood. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the results of an election in Ohio in which liberals blew past conservatives on an issue related to abortion. Will this encourage them to try to use the techniques with which they won this election on other issues besides abortion—trans matters especially? Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the politics surrounding a strange special election today (Tuesday the 8th) in Ohio, which is a proxy for how voters feel about abortion rights. Then we discuss Mike Pence's emergence as an open critic of his former boss, and what happens when anti-establishment right-wing males get caught out for their racist and misogynist pasts. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the raging "truths" (tweets) released by Donald Trump this weekend on his social-media site, which seem reckless and possibly threatening to his defense strategy and to his ability to stay out of jail. Is there a strategy here? And foreign policy has taken a backseat for months—but now guess what? The Chinese, the Russians, and others are testing and prodding us to see how we respond. How are we responding? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to talk about what a D.C. jury might think of the fraud charge against Donald Trump, what's really happening with all this UFO stuff, and what's significant about a new commercial nuclear reactor in Georgia. Give a listen.
Today we have Dan Senor on to talk about the state of the GOP primary, the prospects for the general election, the unpredictability of it all, and whether the polls tell us anything useful this far out. We also get into the legal and political crises in both the U.S. and Israel. Give a listen.
Andrew C. McCarthy joins us today to discuss the indictment of Donald Trump released on August 1st and how its spate of novel approaches makes it extraordinarily problematic not only as a matter of law but also as a political matter. Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins us today to talk about the bombshell "interview" behind closed doors of Hunter Biden's partner Devon Archer and his revelation that Hunter's vice-president father got on the phone 20 times with clients. And, um, what exactly is Ron DeSantis doing with his campaign? Give a listen.
Today we recall the mother of all sweetheart deals—Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick wrist slap—and what it says about our unsavory political moment. We get into the new poll showing Donald Trump's dominance of the GOP and discuss Ron DeSantis's standing among voters and Hunter Biden's effect on his father's prospects. Give a listen.
Today we discuss the new charges leveled against Donald Trump in the classified-documents case and what his legal misfortunes mean to voters. We also consider Mitch McConnell's alarming health episode at the Capitol, American gerontocracy, and the long reign of the Boomers. Give a listen.
Andrew C. McCarthy joins today's podcast to try and make sense out of the astonishing events in a Delaware courtroom where the Hunter Biden plea deal with the Justice Department fell apart before the judge's eyes and the eyes of the world. And see if you can spot my blunder at the very end of the podcast. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the rebooting of the DeSantis campaign and tries to find analogies to such a reset in both successful and unsuccessful election bids in the past. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about Hunter and Joe Biden. We have questions: Who is Devon Archer and what does he know? Why has it taken so long for details to emerge? Who are the friends and Democratic donors buying Hunter's paintings? And what's up with Joe Biden's dogs? We also catch up on the latest Covid-origin science. Give a listen.
Liel Leibovitz joins the podcast today to talk about the unprecedented showdown between the duly elected democratic government of Israel and mass protestors claiming to speak for the true spirit of democracy. Also, the Hunter Biden story gets closer and closer to Joe. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the newly released uncorroborated account to the FBI of a supposed payoff to Joe Biden himself in 2015 from the Ukranian energy company Burisma. The company wanted Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired, and Biden did later convince the Ukrainian president at the time to fire Shokin. How seriously should we take this? How damaging is it for Biden? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the spectacle of angry Democratic representatives yelling at IRS whistleblowers in order to defend Joe Biden on the Hunter matter. Hmmm. Remember when they loved whistleblowers? And how strong does the "target letter" suggesting a Trump indictment on January 6 sound? Give a listen.
Tevi Troy joins the podcast to talk about what it's like to work in a White House when the president seems infirm or out of touch or in a lot of trouble. And he discusses his important article, "How to Combat Anti-Semitism." Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the surprising Democratic snapback against the anti-Israel words of the Squad, which includes Joe Biden inviting Bibi Netanyahu to Washington. Dems do not only seem scared about that radicalism; they're scared of No Labels, protest candidacies, and Trump the supposed totalitarian. Should they be? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the Secret Service's baffling announcement that it was closing its investigation into the cocaine at the White House—or is it baffling? And the naked anti-Semitism expressed by RFK Jr. and the squad: Will there be any consequences for it? Give a listen.
Today we talk about the WHO's declaring aspartame a possible carcinogen. Is it overreach or prudence? Then we consider Tucker Carlson's new media venture and his current standing on the right. We also discuss the culture warring over the defense bill and the fate of DEI in the private sector. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the heartening news about declining information and advises caution when assuming it will help Joe Biden. And can anything help Ron DeSantis and Christopher Wray? Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us again today to discuss the gathering storm over Hunter Biden that was not stilled by his guilty plea two weeks ago. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins today's podcast to talk about the anniversary of the ten-dollar Founding Father's death in a duel, the NATO meeting and how much credit is due Joe Biden for its apparent successes, and a historical matter: Were the investigations into intelligence-community malfeasance back in the 1970s necessary or harmful—or both? Give a listen.
Today Yuval Levin joins the podcast to discuss why no one seems interested in avoiding the fiscal cliff, why Joe Biden may or may not resemble King Lear, and how sweeping social change makes the case for the liberal society. Give a listen.
Meghan McCain (not Markle) joins us to talk about cocaine in the White House, the 500th day of the war in Ukraine, and why Ron DeSantis's commercials are, um, bad. Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins our podcast today to give us insight into the Israeli military actions on the West Bank, the current political standing of Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition, and what the apparently collapsing prosecutions of Israel's prime minister might have to teach us about the indictments of Donald Trump. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question: Why are progressives so sour on the idea of American progress? Aren't they believers in progress? Well, not really any longer, and we try to explain why. Also, why do we know that cocaine was found in the White House? And why did a judge block the Biden administration from consulting with social-media companies? Give a listen.
On this Independence Day, we (joined by our friend Adam White) talk about how the Supreme Court rejected the Biden Administration's attempt to arrogate powers of Congress in the student loan case, and supported free speech rights in a case involving a website designer and gay marriage. The Constitution may not have been signed on July 4, but we celebrate nonetheless! Give a listen.
Adam White joins us today to discuss the landmark Supreme Court decision ending the use of race as a factor in higher-education admissions. Give a listen.
The last listener-questions podcast of the week features our friend Eliana Johnson, who helps us answer a very heartening query: What are some of the best articles and essays in COMMENTARY's own archives? Also, did we make Russia invade Ukraine somehow? Give a listen.
Today's listener questions include one from the husband of a young teacher who informs us she's leaving her profession. Also: What's the best ride at Disney World? And what about online gambling? Give a listen.
Today's entry in listener-questions week features James B. Meigs, who helps us consider the case of Sam Bankman-Fried, charged with all sorts of crimes in relation to the cryptocurrency exchange he started and claimed was only running in order to be an "effective altruist." And is The Dark Knight the most neoconservative movie ever made? Give a listen.
Today we answer listener questions about our favorite comics, the influence of Leo Strauss on conservatism, the loss of Victorian virtues, and what to do about Americans who don't want to work. Give a listen.
Today begins a week of podcasts in which we answer listener questions. The questions today are about where to find good writing about the Left, whether today's progressives are similar to the original Progressives in the early years of the 20th century—and what about all these outer-space aliens? Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins today's podcast with a scoop from her publication, the Washington Free Beacon: A photograph makes it clear Hunter Biden was in proximity to his father on the day in 2017 he threatened a Chinese energy executive with Joe's wrath should a deal between Hunter and the Chinese company not go through. Is this the smoking gun? Also, a year after the Dobbs decision, where stands the abortion issue? Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast today to discuss the official House of Representatives censure of California Rep. Adam Schiff. He lied, repeatedly, about having seen intelligence information proving Donald Trump colluded with Russia. Was that enough to justify the House action against him? And what about the testimony yesterday of John Durham, the special counsel who investigated the behavior of Democrats in 2016 relating to Trump and Russia? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about the submersible that seems to have disappeared on its way to the bottom of the ocean on a Titanic viewing expedition. Why are we so obsessed with this story, and what does it say about our view of exploration as a whole? And what do the horrific learning-loss statistics tell us about where America is going when our kids are learning nothing? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines both the plea deal of Hunter Biden with prosecutors and Donald Trump's seeming admission of the charges against him in the documents case in an interview with Bret Baier. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast questions the meaning and the results of the trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China, where he engaged in two days of talks intended to ratchet down tensions between our two countries. But should tensions be ratcheted down if that means we don't confront China about its reckless behavior? And what does William Barr's condemnation of Donald Trump's actions mean politically? Give a listen.
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The podcast today is devoted to a discussion of our colleague Abe Greenwald's seminal article, just out in COMMENTARY, called "The Trust Crisis." Why have Americans gone from being people who trust in the country and its institutions to being so wildly skeptical and indeed distrusting? Is there anything to be done about this problem? Give a listen.
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Today's podcast tries to make sense of the reports that the Biden administration is about to relax sanctions and provide money to Iran in exchange for which Iran will...have highly enriched uranium? What's the point of this, and how is it even thinkable given the explicit letter of U.S. law on the subject? Also, in what way is the Republican race like the Harlem Globetrotters? Give a listen.
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Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to discuss Trump's terrible day in Miami and Bedminster and what it portends not only for his future but for 2024. Give a listen.
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James B. Meigs joins us to discuss how some GOP candidates have shifted their tone on Trump's indictment. We also go into the contingencies that could complicate his troubles. And then some frightening revelations about the likely origins of Covid. Give a listen.
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Eli Lake joins us with a skeptical take on the Justice Department's decision to indict Donald Trump, and things between him and the podcast crew get spicy. Give a listen.
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Chris Stirewalt joins the podcast today to discuss the federal indictment of Donald Trump and how much it matters that it appears to be a stronger case than the Manhattan indictment, given Trump's sway over the Republican Party and the instantly defensive response of GOP politicians to the news Thursday night. Give a listen.
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Today we discuss the news that Jack Smith's office informed Donald Trump that he's the target of their classified-documents investigation. What does it mean for Trump? How do the other Republican candidates respond? And we try to figure out what Mike Pence is up to. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast considers the defenestration of CNN's new chief and the declining ratings of the Fox News Channel along with Tucker Carlson's new experiment on Twitter and asks whether this is the moment that the cable-news era ended. Also: Chris Christie! Give a listen.
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Today's podcast watches the rise of RFK Jr. and asks how it is that the ultimate Establishment family—the Kennedys—has produced a trans-ideological anti-establishment candidacy and what that says about how our politics is ordered. And are things starting to shift in the Republican primary? Give a listen.
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Today we discuss the sonic boom heard over Washington D.C. yesterday and what it says about our defense preparedness. We then take up the worrisome provocations by China in the Taiwan Strait and new signs of sagging support for Ukraine. The gang also analyzes a puzzling New York Times article on Joe Biden's age. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast considers the potential larger meaning and effect of Joe Biden's trip-and-fall in Colorado Springs yesterday—and whether Ron DeSantis is finding his sea legs as a candidate. Give a listen.
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Today’s podcast features legal eagle Adam White previewing the upcoming decisions of the Supreme Court. But first, the grudging media acknowledgement of Kevin McCarthy’s political triumph—and is Trump now certain to be indicted by Jack Smith? Give a listen.
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Today's podcast continues to consider the political fallout from the debt limit deal, examines the idea that Chat GPT is the end of school homework as we know it, and wonders at the strategy of Chris Christie as he enters the presidential race. Give a listen.
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The debt ceiling deal has been reached, and the podcast crew suggests that it's a big but modest win for Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy—but what does it do for Joe Biden? Does McCarthy's triumph mean he's lost, or is there a political upside for the president in the terms of the deal. And has the situation in Ukraine escalated over the weekend? Give a listen.
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In commemoration of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot today and Memorial Day on Monday, we will not be releasing episodes of the Commentary Magazine podcast. We'll be back to annoy you on Tuesday.
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We are fortunate to be joined on today's podcast by Fred Kagan, military historian at AEI and analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, to explain to us the incredible complexities of the present moment in the Russia-Ukraine war. But first we assess the first day of the DeeeSantis (as the governor of Florida himself pronounces it) presidential campaign. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast looks ahead a few hours to the Ron DeSantis announcement of his presidential candidacy. Why is he doing it on Twitter Spaces? What's his strategy for victory? And then—what on earth are the Los Angeles Dodgers thinking in relation to a group that is in every particular a defamation of religious Catholics? Give a listen.
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Today's podcast examines the entry of Tim Scott into the presidential race and asks what he can do to enhance his position. Also, the debt ceiling talks and the apparent progress being made there. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast rolls its eyes at Joe Biden's sudden conversion to the idea that he, as president, can invoke the 14th amendment to solve the debt-ceiling crisis—something three weeks ago he said he could not do. Is this more grist for the mill of his chances in 2024? Not so fast; there are data that suggest the Republicans have more to worry about than Democrats next year. Give a listen.
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Eliana Johnson joins the podcast today to discuss the media campaign against Dianne Feinstein, the refusal of the media to examine the condition of John Fetterman, and how Fetterman's clothing choices signify something about the nature of fashion in American politics. Also, next week's Republican-presidential-candidate-Palooza. Give a listen.
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The podcast crew drops its collective jaw at the clearly questionable "near catastrophic" car chase through New York starring Harry and Meghan that clearly didn't quite happen. What do the Sussexes have in common with the movie Addams Family Values? Give a listen.
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Today's podcast points out yesterday's daily double in the Senate, with John Fetterman delivering a garbled round of questioning for bankers hastily and foolishly cleaned up by a Washington Post reporter and Dianne Feinstein claiming to have been voting in the Senate during months when she was in California supposedly recovering from "shingles." What effect will this have on voter views of Joe Biden, himself the object of questioning about his compos mentis? Give a listen.
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Eli Lake joins the podcast today to discuss the findings and fallout of the Durham report on the FBI's conduct during its investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016 and after. Give a listen.
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Jonathan Schanzer joins us today to discuss the firing of 1,400-plus rockets at Israel from Gaza and why this time is different from, say, 2021 in the nature of the enemy, the nature of the threat, and the nature of the geopolitical efforts being made against Israel led by Iran. Also, the Turkish elections. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast takes up, again, the baffling refusal of Republicans running against Donald Trump to...run against Donald Trump. How do they think they can beat him if they don't try to beat him? Also, the immigration crisis and the indictment of the subway chokeholder. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast reviews Donald Trump's performance at the CNN Republican Town Hall in New Hampshire—and not only his, but the hysterical Twitter reaction to it and the waves of liberal hostility generated against CNN's Kaitlan Collins for somehow not preventing Trump from being effective. And what's this about the Biden family earning millions and hiding it? Give a listen.
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Today's podcast discusses the jury verdict in the civil case against Donald Trump and how it might affect his chance—and the mien of his chief rival, Joe Biden, during a press conference yesterday about the debt ceiling. And Tucker Carlson going to Twitter. Give a listen.
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Today's podcast delves into the list of the Pulitzer-prize-winning journalism of 2022, announced yesterday, and notes that the list comes at a time when Americans are more disenchanted with the field than ever—and for good reason! Also, the border. And Abe Greenwald offers an out-of-left field "Commentary Recommends." Give a listen.
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The podcast descends into disagreement on the pomp and circumstance of King Charles's coronation before rising in agreement in a group analysis of the absolutely horrendous poll for Joe Biden released Sunday. And then we discuss the subway chokehold and the liberal response. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up a Pew Research poll showing a majority of Americans believe things were better 50 years ago than they are now. Why would people say this about a time when America was sunk in a losing war, living under wage and price controls, and dealing with Watergate and an oil embargo? And in our new "Commentary Recommends" feature, I make the case you should read Anthony Trollope's Phineas Finn. Give a listen.
TV showrunner and our Hollywood Commentary columnist Rob Long joins today's podcast to give his view of the Hollywood writers' strike in which he is now a shockingly willing participant—but before we get to that we discuss the weird drone event over the Kremlin and the reaction to the chokehold death of a menacing subway schizophrenic in New York City. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the Biden administration's effort to do something—anything—to address the crisis at the southern border and examines how the problems we face really began with the Obama administration's determination to do something good and noble. Beware! Also, why is the Surgeon General talking about loneliness? And Day Two of our new feature, Commentary Picks. Give a listen.
The podcast today discusses Joe Biden's change of tactics in inviting Republican leaders to the White House next week to talk about the debt ceiling and how this suggests the new standing as a political player of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But will Donald Trump and his town hall next week on CNN play a role too? And we debut our new feature: Commentary's Daily Pick. Give a listen.
Today's podcast tries to find the link between bank failures, tech failures, moral failures on the part of politicians and tech giants, and the growing lack of trust in American society. Also, why the pessimism on Ukraine may be unwarranted. Give a listen.
Today we talk about the battery and defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump and what it could mean if he loses. Then we take up the matter of Joe Biden's age, its possible effect on his reelection prospects, and how it shapes America's current role in the world. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the larger political meaning of the Republican success in getting a debt-ceiling bill through the House of Representatives, the larger media meaning of the fact that major news organizations are supplying the president with questions in advance, and the larger social meaning of Ron DeSantis having some trouble with his anti-woke campaign. Give a listen.
On the occasion of Israel's 75th anniversary, the podcast takes a look at why Israel has become a financial powerhouse while India (which gained independence in the same year) remains so economically problematic. And then, speaking of being economically problematic, we talk about the debt ceiling. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast today to talk about what on earth is going on with the Georgia investigation into Donald Trump, the meaning of Joe Biden's reelection video announcement, and the defenestration of Tucker Carlson. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the upcoming Biden reelection announcement and the fact that it is happening just as the hijinks surrounding the media and intelligence efforts to suppress the news from Hunter Biden's laptop become ever more scandalous. Also, why is Biden's press secretary criticizing Americans trapped in the middle of a Sudanese civil war? Give a listen.
On today's podcast we reflect on the kinds of coercive policies advocated by Americans on the Left that harden our resolve as conservatives, taking off from the news that people with good credit are about to be charged extra money to support people with bad credit. Give a listen.
Jonathan Schanzer, Middle East expert, joins us to discuss a four-pronged threat to Israel led by Iran. But before we get to that we talk about the spate of false stranger-danger shootings across the country and what it might mean. Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins the podcast today to assess the damage to Fox News Channel from its colossal settlement with Dominion, after which we look at the damage done to Ron DeSantis over the past couple of weeks. Give a listen.
Liel Leibovitz joins the podcast today to discuss his lead article in the May COMMENTARY, "The Return of Paganism." But before that, he gives us his impressions of the political situation in his native country, Israel. Give a listen.
On today's podcast, the leak story gets more complicated, Chicago gets more lawless, and the New York Times gets more gaslighty. Give a listen.
Today's podcast expresses bewilderment at the developing facts surrounding the terrible military leaks and the arrest of Jack Teixeira, gamer and social-media guy. And views the increasing bewilderment of Joe Biden on his Ireland trip with alarm and what it might portend for his reelection. Give a listen.
Our tech columnist, James B. Meigs, joins the podcast today to talk about the kid who leaked the intelligence documents, the lab-leak hypothesis and those who lied about it, and fact-checking the fact checkers. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks what the big intelligence leaks actually tell us about the war in Ukraine, how Donald Trump is speaking about foreign policy, and what it means that Sen. Tim Scott might be poised to enter the presidential race. Give a listen.
Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to talk about the cascade of leaked intelligence documents online, what they say about the Biden administration's policies, and how both the issue set facing the American people and the fact of Joe Biden's decline may affect the 2024 election. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the political nonsense in Tennessee and how it's a way to move the conversation about the horrifying shooting in Nashville away from the shooter's motivations to other, more politically palatable subject matter for Democrats and liberals. And yes, we talk about the Trump indictment again. Eli Lake joins us. Give a listen.
Trump is indicted, arrested, arraigned, and gives a speech. Chicago votes for a progressive. Wisconsin elects a progressive to the State Supreme Court. Fun! Give a listen.
Today we discuss the elections in Chicago and Wisconsin and what they may reveal about the issues of abortion and crime. We also cover new and unsettling revelations about that Chinese spy balloon. And then we drill down on Donald Trump's coming arraignment, the media spectacle, and Trump's next move.
Donald Trump's looming indictment has united the Republican Party behind him, it seems, and that may be everything the Democrats could possibly have wanted. We talk about that. Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out the unprecedented nature of Joe Biden's attack on Benjamin Netanyahu, as it involves not international conflict but internal domestic Israeli government structures. And David Bahnsen joins us to discuss the banking crisis three weeks after the run on Silicon Valley Bank. Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at Joe Biden making ice cream jokes and anti-Republican quips in response to the school shooting in Nashville and how it is he is not held more to account for his simple bad taste. Also: are we going to see the shooter's manifesto and if not, why not? Give a listen.
Today’s podcast examines the horrible school shooting in Nashville and the steps that must be taken to protect institutions at risk of future assault. What is the connection between Nashville and the shock poll that reveals a decline in American attitudes on marriage, patriotism, churchgoing, and other essentials? Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the podcast to talk about the protests in Israel, how we got here, the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the choices now facing Benjamin Netanyahu and the government. Give a listen.
Today we journey from the mess in Israel to the hearing on TikTok to the continuing crisis of John Fetterman to the banking story. Give a listen.
Today's podcast ends with a conversation about the growing consensus that the Chinese military should not be dominating American social media. But before we get to that, we got some Trump, we got some DeSantis....Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the change in tactics by the Biden administration when it comes to sending tanks to Ukraine. Then: DeSantis and Trump. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines Ron DeSantis's first real salvo against Donald Trump for his personal conduct even as he criticizes the prosecutor who is apparently about to indict the ex-president—and Trump's return volley. And: China's Xi makes his move internationally. Give a listen.
Monday's podcast is all about the apparently weak case Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg intends to prosecute against Donald Trump and why—if the leaks are correct about the nature of the proceedings—all it will do is strengthen Trump and hurt the country. Also, Iraq 20 years later. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the breathless claim that a new source of the COVID pandemic has been located—it comes from a raccoon dog! Hmmm. Meanwhile, China is making moves in the Middle East and with Russia as it continues to elude responsibility for its role in the deaths of 7 million people from the virus. And why is Janet Yellen saying she'll bail out some banks but not others? Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at the notion that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg might be bringing a case against the former president whose star witnesses for the prosecution would be a convicted felon and a porn-star-sex-worker. Is that wise, or just one string in a Lilliputian trap for Donald Trump? Also, will there be extended fallout from the Silicon Valley Bank collapse? Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the geopolitical impact of Russia's harassment of an unmanned American drone, what this suggests about Ron DeSantis and his foreign-policy views, and the assault on free speech and simple good manners at Stanford Law School. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features our old friend Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, who joins us to discuss Ron DeSantis's characterization of the war in Ukraine as a "territorial dispute" in which we should not become entangled. And then we talk about the stunning news that China has brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia and what this says about American foreign policy, in line with Schanzer's 2021 COMMENTARY article, "Diplomatic Arson in the Middle East." Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the political impact of the sudden bank crisis in the United States before turning to the Oscars. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the astonishing effort by the research organization that found COVID masking to be ineffectual to deny that its own study said what its lead investigator says it said. (To follow the logic, listen to the podcast.) Also, jobs numbers and Chinese balloons. Eliana Johnson is in for Christine. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is about a shameful New York Times story that offers a cheerful and positive look at a stroke victim in a profound depressive state and wonders why the paper did it. And why it is that Democrats on the committee investigating the origins of COVID took out after a journalist rather than deal with his reporting. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes apart Joe Biden's op-ed in the New York Times that proposes to "save" Medicare. And then we talk about Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at how extremists of the Left are going to make it hard for Joe Biden to get himself in a good position when it comes to crime—and how Tucker Carlson and others are going to make it hard for the GOP to get independent voters when it comes to soft-pedaling what happened on January 6. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about his article, 'The Iraq War, 20 Years Later." But first we discuss Donald Trump's stemwinder at CPAC over the weekend and whether a New York Post story on Anthony Fauci's conduct in February 2020 is a smoking gun. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's decision to violate his own party's principles and refuse to veto a Congressional move against bad crime rules in the District of Columbia. Does this herald a new era of pragmatic politics inside the Biden White House? Give a listen.
Today we talk about Congress's move against the left's ideological repurposing of retirement funds and what it means for the future of ESG investing. We also discuss Ron DeSantis's Disney slap down, the wild success of his new book, and what he may or may not do to check Donald Trump's gains. Give a listen.
The podcast today examines the stunning rejection of incumbent Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot in a Democratic primary that ended with her getting 15 percent of the vote after a landslide four years earlier. Why did it happen? And what does it say about municipal governance and crime? Also, student loans and the feeling that you're a sucker if you work hard and play by the rules. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the New York Times story about how the Biden administration is going to layer on regulations and rules directing companies it supposedly wants to strengthen the semiconductor industry to do nice progressive things. Is this constitutional? More to the point, is it stupid? Give a listen.
The podcast today examines how three pillars of the American COVID response—masking, vaccination rather than natural immunity, and the denial of Chinese responsibility for the outbreak—are all collapsing at once under the harsh light of actual scientific reality. Give a listen.
Today's podcast marks the year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the order of battle—and the order of the ideological and partisan battles inside the United States—right now. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses Trump's trip to the site of the train derailment in Ohio—which came at the same time it began to dawn on those hopeful he would be taken down by a Georgia prosecutor that the grand-jury foreperson in that case might have been destroying the possibility of a successful proceeding against him. Also, will a Supreme Court decision ending affirmative action have the same, or the opposite, effect on the public discourse as the overturning of Roe v. Wade? Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the political impact of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, especially as regards Democratic darling Pete Buttigieg; considers the presidential candidacy of Vivek Ramaswamy (who?); and assesses the presidential chances of Republican Sen. Tim Scott. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast as permanent co-host today as we discuss the president's trip to Kyiv and just what it was Ron DeSantis was saying about it exactly—and how the early 20th century's politics in America might be an eerie parallel to what's happening right now. Give a listen.
Today we say a fond farewell to our colleague Noah Rothman, who is off to National Review. We do so by discussing his favorite recent story, the continuing balloon madness. Then we move onto debilitated senators and what to do about them, and the astounding filing by Dominion Voting Systems in its case against Fox News. Give a listen.
Today's podcast: More balloons, why is the Right growing pessimistic about Ukraine when the Russians are experiencing catastrophes anew, and the New York Times gets attacked for not being...sufficiently pro-trans? Really? Give a listen.
Today's podcast finds us all feeling gaslighted by the blizzard of weird and contradictory details coming out about the UFO incursions. We also discuss whether it's now inevitable that Donald Trump will be indicted by the federal special prosecutor. And why aren't soft-on-crime politicians facing consequences? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines former South Carolina governor/UN ambassador Nikki Haley's announcement video for her presidential candidacy. Are the themes good ones? How directly does she take on Trump? And what about inflation and the balloons? Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes three more incidents in which American missiles downed unidentified flying objects and wonders what is worse: That we knew about all this and are lying about it now or that we knew nothing and are scrambling in the darkness to figure it all out. Also: McConnell takes care of business and a really fun Super Bowl. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks why the Biden administration declassified information regarding the Chinese surveillance flights via balloon and what they might suggest about the White House's posture toward China—or whether we even have a posture toward China. Also, the Fetterman fears may have come home to roost. And what about Nikki Haley getting 11 percent in a three-way poll? Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes Joe Biden's pleasure at having drawn Republicans out into yelling at him during the State of the Union and how Bidenites are telegraphing that this is how they intend to win in 2024. Good strategy or not? Give a listen.
We analyze Joe Biden's State of the Union, the Republican heckling, and the interesting response from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on today's episode featuring Matthew Continetti, who will join the podcast as a permanent daily co-host in a few weeks. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the coming State of the Union speech and the fact that President Biden will have to make an accounting for himself on the bizarre week of balloon intelligence hijinks. Give a listen.
The director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at AEI and National Affairs editor, Yuval Levin, joins the show today to talk about why experts didn’t see last Friday’s jobs numbers coming. Also, what the Chinese surveillance balloon says about American national security and the Biden administration’s handling of it.
Today's podcast discusses a Chinese balloon, removing House members from committees, and Russia's gambit in Ukraine. Give a listen.
Hunter Biden's legal team not only acknowledges that the "laptop from hell" was Hunter Biden's but is now trying a newly "aggressive" strategy to go after the people who disseminated its contents—without ever stopping to acknowledge the two-plus years of lies about it. We take this up, as well as the assault on Ron DeSantis for his efforts to repair a flawed African American studies curriculum. Give a listen.
Tevi Troy joins the podcast today to talk about his article in COMMENTARY, "Ed Koch, Ten Years Gone." And Tevi puts on his health-care hat as a former high-ranking official at the Department of Health and Human Services to help us understand the baffling Biden White House announcement that the COVID emergency will be over...in three months. Give a listen.
Mark Halperin of Wide World of News joins us today to discuss his must-read newsletter, the probabilities of both Trump and Biden being the 2024 nominees, what the change in White House chiefs of staff might portend, Kamala Harris's trials, and whether Ron DeSantis is overvalued. Give a listen.
The brutal beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police has reignited the debate around over-policing and race in America. But “reform” doesn’t seem to be the objective critics of police culture and those pushing a racial narrative in this killing want. Also, thoughts on the Palestinian violence against Israeli worshipers and the Israeli strike on Iranian military facilities.
The arrest-related shooting of a black suspect has captured the attention of racial activists, but the narrative is complicated by the race of the police involved, who are also black. Also, is Donald Trump’s resurgence in the polls cresting, or has it only just begun?
Today's podcast brings up good economic numbers and asks whether we're just now measuring everything badly—and how the political system is uniquely incompetent when it comes to resolving future economic crises before they happen. Also, some news about our show's future. Give a listen.
Frederick Kagan joins the podcast to help us understand the breakthrough in NATO thinking that has led Germany and the United States to commit high-tech tanks to the war in Ukraine, how the war is going, and what America's understanding of the war should be as we approach the end of the first year of fighting. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us to talk about the indictment of the former head of the counterintelligence unit of the FBI in New York and what it might tell us about the FBI, the Justice Department, and the ongoing obsession with the 2016 elections. Give a listen.
Joe Biden says he has "no regrets" about his handling of classified information. Really? Why not? Seems like a big deal to us on the podcast. Also a big deal: Ukraine. And the Supreme Court's inability to find the leaker of its most important decision in decades. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the successful war by New York leftists against their own Democratic governor, Kathy Hochul, and her choice for chief judge of the state's court of appeals. Why are they attacking her? And why is the left ganging up on a hockey player who didn't want to wear a warmup jacket of their choosing? Give a listen.
Editor, author, and columnist at the Jewish News Service and the Jerusalem Post, Ruthie Blum, joins the podcast today to explain why so many American Jews, in particular, are in a panic over the alleged threat to democracy in Israel posed by the country's new government.
Today's podcast asks whether it's just a January funk or are we in an extended period of American social depression—from quiet quitting to mass shoplifting. Also, China's in a funk too! Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Noah Rothman's lead February article, "The Worldwide COVID Revolts," and what it says about the political fallout from the restrictions on human activity over the past three years. And we begin with the pickle the Biden people find themselves in if the special counsel pursues criminal charges against Donald Trump relating to classified documents. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss the Biden-documents revelations that caused Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special prosecutor to look into the matter. And we pay tribute to the late Paul Johnson. Give a listen.
The allegation that Joe Biden also mishandled classified documents expands to include a second tranche discovered at an undisclosed location, which raises questions about the legal exposure of the president and his team. Or does it? And if it doesn’t, what does that suggest about the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s alleged misconduct?
Today's podcast considers a startling quote from Fed chairman Jay Powell, the nature of liberal vs. conservative beliefs about government power and regulation, and why classified documents in Joe Biden's post-veep office were in a manila envelope marked "personal." Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the bizarre accusations against the GOP that it is somehow acting in an illegitimate way by fulfilling a campaign promise to stand against the growth in the size and aggressiveness of the IRS. And what's this—Joe Biden took classified documents out of the Obama White House? Give a listen.
The podcast today asks what exactly the future holds for Kevin McCarthy and the House Republicans in the wake of McCarthy's 15th-ballot election as House Speaker. Nothing good, it seems. Give a listen.
Today's podcast considers the argument made by the House rebels that they are merely practicing "democracy" as it was meant to be practiced—when, in fact, they are a tiny minority using the powers of obstruction, not majority opinion, to try and get their way. Give a listen.
We're joined today by the journalist Nancy Rommelmann, whose shocking article, "A Murder in Portland," exposes the nature of the existential threat posed to ordinary people by progressives committed to freeing criminals. Give a listen.
Matt Continetti joins the podcast to talk about Kevin McCarthy's horrible day and what that day portends for the Republican party over the next days, weeks, and years. Give a listen.
As the new year begins, the podcast looks with wonder and horror at the really insane start of the new Congress, in the hands of a tiny Republican majority—and controlled, it seems, by a tiny minority within the majority that wants to see the world burn. Give a listen.
It turns out 2022 wasn’t entirely irredeemable. We reflect on some of the year’s silver linings and positive developments.
Noah: The revitalization of NATO.
Abe: A bad year for autocrats.
Christine: Candidates who deserve to lose lost.
John: Nuclear fusion.
The gang discusses the movies they enjoyed (or really didn’t enjoy) in 2022.
Abe: “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Moonage Daydream”
Christine: “Top Gun: Maverick”
Noah: “Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers” (yes, seriously).
John: “Singin' in the Rain”
Today, we dive into the television shows we watched and loved—or, at least, liked—in 2022.
John: “1883” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”
Abe: “Mr. Inbetween”
Christine: “Severance” and “Slow Horses”
Noah: “The Dropout” and “Inventing Anna”
To open up a week of special Christmas week podcasts, we talk about the books we read and loved in 2022.
The podcast today asks whether the January 6 report is an example of overreach or whether its findings may be morally merited if not a proper legal blueprint for action against Donald Trump. Give a listen.
Volodymyr Zelensky came to the nation's capital, and, in our nation's Capitol, he crushed it with a speech that was both substantive and heartening. We break it down and break down the resistance to it among elements of the Right. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the rank politics being played around the visit of Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Zelensky's stunning one-day trip to Washington to meet with Joe Biden and speak to Congress. Also, seriously? We're supposed to mask up again? Give a listen.
Was it just grandstanding, or did the committee make its case for the criminal referrals it made to the Justice Department relating to Donald Trump? And does the final grab-bag spending bill actually have some good stuff in it? Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the accelerating crisis at the southern border of the United States, and the fact that the Biden administration is putting its head in the sand and trying to ignore it—which other Democratic politicians dealing with the fallout will not allow. And, we wonder, how will the January 6th committee recommendations coming out on Monday affect Donald Trump's standing in the GOP? Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out that Donald Trump's bizarre announcement that he's selling NFT images of himself was completely overshadowed later in the day by Elon Musk banning some journalists on Twitter. Does this mean Trump is now, literally, yesterday morning's news and will remain so? Give a listen.
From Rep. Ralph Norman’s calls for “marshall law” to prevent Republican officials from certifying 2020’s election results, to House Republicans’ attacks against Kevin McCarthy, to Kevin McCarthy’s attacks against Mitch McConnell, the GOP is at war with itself. And maybe that’s all they want to do.
With Ron DeSantis pretty firmly taking the lead in 2024 matchups against Donald Trump, there also comes news of DeSantis seeking to convene a grand jury to investigate possible false claims about the efficacy of the COVID vaccines. Is this just pandering to anti-vax lunatics, or is something more interesting going on here? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about his January COMMENTARY column, "Twilight of the Tech Gods," and how the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX represents another example of the way in which the Silicon Valley techno-optimist culture has done injury to capitalism. And how about them Twitter files? Give a listen.
There has been a breakthrough in the development of sustainable fusion-generated power. Will this be a welcome development, or will there be a backlash? Also, Twitter’s weekend information dump confirms the persecutory nature of content moderation in the Trump years.
Just when you thought it was safe to stop thinking about politics, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona shows up and throws a wrench into Joe Biden's Democratic machine by announcing she is becoming an independent. Does it matter? Noah says no. I say it might matter a huge amount. For this debate, and talk about the Twitter transparency project, give a listen.
AEI fellow and author Matthew Continetti joins the program today to talk about the deal that has freed WNBA player Brittney Griner from Russian captivity. Also, why the president’s recent string of successes creates the conditions for a happy Biden, and why that could be a disaster in the making.
Get ready for some harsh language as we discuss the final nail in the coffin of the Republican wave and the question of whether the GOP is on the verge of healing itself or spending 20 years in the relative wilderness politically. Give a listen.
The podcast welcomes Tablet Magazine's chief technology officer and co-host of the “Ambitious Crossover Attempt” podcast, Noam Blum, to the program. We discuss Tuesday’s runoff election for U.S. Senate in Georgia, the behavior of clout-chasers on Twitter, and the relative menace posed by vampires and werewolves.
Does it matter that Donald Trump explicitly called for extra-Constitutional means to reinstall him as president somehow? Does it matter that Republicans aren't lining up to denounce him? And does it matter that the Iranian regime announced it would disband its "morality police"? Give a listen.
Today we discuss the horrifying Kanye West interview with the horrifying Alex Jones and how nearly two decades of treating West with kid gloves has led us to this pass. Also, is there going to be a new political calendar in 2024? Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out that for the first time since 2015, every piece of American news doesn't somehow revolve either directly or indirectly around a certain ex-president. Is this the sign of his new irrelevance? And will this make being a Republican less embarrassing? Give a listen.
Today we discuss New York City Mayor Eric Adams's decision to seek the involuntary commitment of mentally ill street and subway people. How did we get to this point, and why, and will this help? And is the Senate's vote to enshrine gay marriage into federal law a landmark—and in what way? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the bizarre behavior of Republican election supervisors in a small county in Arizona who do not want to certify their election results—and the fact that if they were to succeed, a House seat would flip to the Democrats. How crazy is that? Not as crazy, perhaps, as the anti-Semitism-enabling behavior of a former president of the United States. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs, our Tech Commentary columnist, joins the podcast today to talk about the protests in China and how they relate to what we know about the Chinese government's response to COVID—and our own government's response. Plus, is Elon Musk just acting crazy or is he up to something interesting? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's extension of an "emergency" allowing him to suspend college loan payments, the revelation that the shooter in Colorado Springs is "non-binary," and our true feelings about turkey. Happy Thanksgiving and give a listen.
Today we take up the reaction to the horrible shooting in the Colorado Springs club, which has already been blamed on people concerned about the rise of transgenderism rather than on the fairly evident psychosis of the shooter, who sought to bomb his own mother. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up the news of Donald Trump's weekend—first the announcement of a special prosecutor and then the way other Republican politicians started firing at him at the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas. What does it mean? Give a listen.
What will Nancy Pelosi’s legacy be? Savvy political operator? Anti-progressive obstacle? Or will she have a legacy at all? Also, Elon Musk continues to drive everyone insane.
Trump’s backers in the world of professional politics appreciated the limited restraint the former president employed in his speech announcing his new presidential run. Trump’s fans liked everything else. Which Trump will win? Also, do Democrats have any reason to think crime is a problem?
Frederick Kagan of the Critical Threats Project is one of the leading American authorities on the war in Ukraine. He joins us today to discuss the astonishing Ukrainian triumphs against the Russian military and where things might go from here. He also tells us about the ongoing and unprecedented protests in Iran and why we need to pay closer attention to them. Give a listen.
Today's podcast continues to examine the details of the midterm disaster for Republicans and what Donald Trump's putative announcement of his 2024 campaign portends. Give a listen.
Political analyst and all-around great guy Chris Stirewalt joins the podcast today to discuss the bet he made with me on Election Day he won—because I swallowed the conventional wisdom about the midterms and he didn't. We try to figure out what Donald Trump is doing by saying the white governor of Virginia has a Chinese-sounding name, among other kinds of crazy stuff. Give a listen.
Meghan McCain joins the podcast today to talk midterms, Arizona and anti-McCainiac Kari Lake, about whom Meghan has some harsh, dare I say even unprintable, words. Give a listen.
The podcast today looks at the astounding results of the midterms and asks Republicans whether they are going to continue to remain in an intimate relationship with a pathological loser narcissist who has now been humiliated by the American electorate in three separate national contests. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast on the eve of the midterm elections to discuss, you know, the midterm elections—and we conclude with a pretty heated discussion of Eli's new COMMENTARY piece, "Can the FBI Be Saved From Itself—And Can We Be Saved From The FBI?" Give a listen.
Steve Kornacki joins us a day before he will instruct all of America on the midterm elections from his Big Board to express final thoughts on these tumultuous midterm elections, why the polls are so hard to understand, and what we might expect. He uses Virginia as the test case for Republican gains—you'll find out why if you give a listen.
Author, columnist, and co-host of the “Not Even Mad” podcast, James Kirchick, drops in to talk about Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg’s searing indictment of his party’s record on crime. Also, stronger than expected jobs numbers, and what they say about inflation.
Joe Biden delivered another speech last night about the threat Republicans pose to the health of American democracy, this time drawing a straight line from the January 6 riots to the attack on Paul Pelosi. Is he right? Or are Democrats as conditional as Republicans when it comes to their affection for the mechanisms of self-government?
AEI scholar and George Mason University assistant professor of law, Adam White, rejoins the program today to discuss the Supreme Court’s deliberative process ahead of what looks to be a momentous decision on the legality of Affirmative Action. Also, the left finally allows itself to notice Joe Biden’s gaffes.
Dan Senor joins the podcast today to map out five scenarios for the Israeli election results—Israel is voting today. And then we discuss why professional Republicans seem a little more anxious than thrilled about the clear pattern in the polling about what's going to happen next Tuesday here in the American elections. Give a listen.
The horrific attack on Paul Pelosi, and the abhorrent response to it from those who think it might convey political advantage and want to maximize or neutralize it. Also, what to make of polling discrepancies with eight days left before the midterms.
Did Elon Musk just conclude the most ill-considered financial transaction in human history when he purchased Twitter? We’ll soon see. Also, the frenetic effort on the left to claim that crime is a manufactured election-year issue.
Democrats struggle to reconcile the data, which doesn’t suggest a massive Republican wave is inbound, and the general sense of the political landscape. And it’s driving them crazy. Also, how a New York judge’s ruling against a vaccine mandate for municipal workers scuttles the Democratic Party’s confused Covid narrative and the amazing life of the late Lucianne Goldberg.
Tuesday night’s senatorial debate in Pennsylvania treated voters to a voyeuristic spectacle that was painful to watch. Can voters look beyond John Fetterman’s infirmities on November 8? Also, Lee Zeldin shines in the New York state gubernatorial debate.
Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon joins the podcast today to talk about the jaw-dropping letter from House progressives to Joe Biden on Ukraine and how this sudden attack from his left suggests nothing good about Democratic prospects two weeks hence. And a lot of other stuff. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the devastatingly bad findings of the latest educational assessment of American schoolchildren—and how they show the need for a true reckoning on the costs of the COVID regimes put in place in March 2020 and then kept in place even as the scientific facts made it clear they were unnecessary and injurious. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up an article in The Federalist arguing that the New Right should stop calling itself conservative because conservatives reject using state power to punish your enemies. Also, the Democratic Party’s “precriminations” have begun, but the most potent excuse for the party’s loss in November is to blame voters for putting their economic situation above American democracy.
Today's podcast begins with talk about the potential Red tsunami before taking up a genuinely shocking and disgusting New York Times article that accuses Israel of stealing Palestinian recipes as a form of cultural genocide. Give a listen.
As Democrats stare into the abyss they avoided staring into for many months, Barack Obama has emerged to scold them for being "buzzkills." He's right. But on today's podcast, we explain why he was the author of the Democratic Party's current woes. Oh, and we extend a surprise invitation to our roast to one James Bennet. Why? Give a listen.
Today's podcast features a conversation about Kanye West and Donald Trump and their incendiary comments about Jews. And, again, the midterm elections. And, again, COVID. Give a listen.
In John’s absence today, New York Sun columnist and host of “The Reeducation” podcast, Eli Lake, joins the show to talk about how nuclear deterrence works and why. Also, an update on the Durham probe, the state of play ahead of the midterm elections, and a nascent revolution in the streets of Iran.
The podcast debates Trump’s role on January 6 and whether, to borrow 9/11 conspiracy theory lingo, he LIHOP (let it happen on purpose) or MIHOP (made it happen on purpose). And what was the January 6 commission’s goal? To establish Trump's culpability or to create the conditions for accountability down the road. Also, John Fetterman is one of a handful of Democrats in America who wants to be seen with Joe Biden, which tells you something.
Today's podcast takes up the latest hit on Donald Trump—someone's moving boxes around? Really? And the latest on the FBI's behavior toward Trump. And the latest on the January 6th hearings. And the latest on inflation. Give a listen.
The podcast breaks down Joe Biden’s interview with CNN host Jake Tapper and Democrats circling the wagons around John Fetterman.
The possible indictment of Hunter Biden. Hints of polling momentum for Republicans. Democrats bringing up ancillary issues in hopes they can distract. It's four weeks until the midterms. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the news from the Ukraine War—the bridge attack followed by terrorist strikes on cities—and weird things politicians and intellectuals are saying about it. And the crime issue really comes home, literally, in the case of New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Give a listen.
Today's podcast begins with a recitation of 18—count 'em, 18—different news stories all from yesterday and all deserving of attention, beginning with Joe Biden musing about "armageddon," which is maybe not what you want a president to be doing? Give a listen.
With the news that OPEC+ plans to pare back oil production, the Biden administration has to worry about gas prices again at the worst possible moment. Also, the Georgia GOP’s process of rationalizing themselves into voting for Herschel Walker.
Today's podcast picks up a conversation from yesterday about Ukraine, nuclear weapons, Putin, and the United States's response, and more fireworks explode! Plus, Herschel Walker and the long dark night of the pro-life voter's soul. We're off tomorrow for Yom Kippur. Back Thursday. Give a listen.
Today's podcast begins calmly with a conversation about whether people and voters take issues seriously or are now primarily motivated by negativity toward the other side. Then we start talking about Ukraine and Russia—and all hell breaks loose. If you dare, give a listen.
Today's podcast begins with a horror story from Chicago—a criminal run amok just a day or so after a judge released him on his own recognizance—and broadens it out to wonder whether the seeming halt in the Democratic polling surge is due to Republicans hitting them hard on crime. Then we get pretty dark about the possibility of bad stuff happening with nukes in Ukraine. It's crushing morosity! Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast to discuss the alarming behavior of President Biden, who called out to a member of Congress who died in a car crash this summer. Not to mention the alarming behavior of Vladimir Putin, whose flailing in the course of his world-historic mistake may have a nuclear component. Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes the $400 billion cost of Joe Biden's student debt "forgiveness" program and notes the irony of a supposedly progressive party favoring the well-to-do at the expense of the poor. Then there's the comic denouement of Joe Manchin's career and the approaching hurricane horror in Florida. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain's shocking attempt to claim Joe Biden came into office with an unemployment rate 40 percent higher than it was in point of fact—more evidence they're looking to retrofit the truth to help them in the midterms. And what's this about "long COVID"? Give a listen.
Today's podcast goes through the bad news the ex-president received yesterday and whether the focus on Trump in the news is forestalling and covering up a shift back toward Republicans in the 2022 elections. And: Will Putin use a nuke? Give a listen.
American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Adam White joins the podcast to take on the courts. Did Joe Biden step on a legal landmine when he declared the pandemic “over?” Did Donald Trump err in pushing for a special master to review the classified documents he kept at Mar-a-Lago? And how can the Supreme Court preserve its legitimacy? Adam makes the case in his cover article in the October issue of Commentary, “God Save This Honorable Court—and We Can, Too.”
Commentary contributor and former deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tevi Troy, joins the podcast today for a wide-ranging conversation on his latest for the magazine, “The CDC’s Inadequate ‘Reform Plan.’” Did Joe Biden step in it when he declared the pandemic “over,” and can the CDC reform itself to avoid the failures it stumbled at the onset of the Covid outbreak?
The Commentary podcast reviews Joe Biden’s first one-on-one interview in a long while with CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Our verdict: meh. He didn’t set himself on fire, but nor did he defuse the issues that may cost Democrats control of Congress in November. Is “just fine” good enough for Joe Biden?
Today's podcast looks at a New York Times poll suggesting Democrats increasingly think the country is on the "right track." If so, what does the phrase "right track" actually mean, if anything? And more on illegals being treated so horribly they get to spend their first days in America on Martha's Vineyard. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the breakthrough that will apparently prevent a nationwide rail strike and what it means for the upcoming elections. And we discuss the transport of illegal immigrants from red Texas to blue Martha's Vineyard. Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at Joe Biden's decision to celebrate the "Inflation Reduction Act," complete with James Taylor warbling a 50-year-old ditty about drug abuse and suicide, on the day a terrible inflation number is released. The question: Will the media succeed in turning attention away from that and toward Republican extremism and abortion rights? Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the worse-than-expected inflation numbers and the determination of the media and Democrats to frame them as some kind of new normal and wonders what kind of strategy this might be for November. Best way to play a bad hand, or handing an opportunity to their Republican rivals to beat them about the face and neck? Give a listen.
Liel Leibovitz joins the podcast today to discuss the New York Times's hit piece on Hasidic schools in New York state and why it is so egregious. But we begin with the startling news out of Ukraine and what it portends. Give a listen.
The passing of Queen Elizabeth provides us with an opportunity to consider the question: Is there any figure left on the world stage who is known and admired for restraint rather than oversharing? And we express amazement at the current state of play in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to expose the hypocrisy of "sanctuary city" mayors like Lori Lightfoot of Chicago by sending illegal immigrants northward to live where they are supposedly more "welcome"—which has caused Lightfoot to sputter in outrage. Also, issue polling: Does it tell us anything? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the leak about a highly sensitive document found in the Mar-a-Lago search and the Washington Post's characterization of it. Then we go after Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters with a rhetorical two-by-four. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the politics of the judge's decision to appoint a special master to deal with the documents taken from Donald Trump's home and who will be helped or hurt by that. Plus, can it really be true that Democrats are viewed more favorably on COVID response than Republicans? Give a listen.
Joe Biden’s speech outlining the threat to democracy posed by pro-Trump Republicans was bad. How bad? Let us count the ways.
Noah Rothman returns from vacation as we consider every piece of bad political news for Republicans and the indictment trap Donald Trump seems to be laying down for himself. Give a listen.
The Hudson Institute's Tod Lindberg joins us to discuss the question of what kind of world-historical figure Mikhail Gorbachev actually was—a purposeful change agent or fortune's fool? Also, will Joe Biden suffer or gain from his harsh attacks on Republicans? Give a listen.
Today, we're joined by the great Chris Stirewalt to discuss the media frenzy over the redacted Mar-a-Lago affidavit, the transformation of the news business, the birth of the news cycle, and how it all relates to Chris's new book, "Broken News: Why the Media Rage Machine Divides America and How to Fight Back." Take a listen.
Today's podcast features political-data sage Steve Kornacki as we try to make sense of the very clear change in the direction of the 2022 elections and why it might be happening. Give a listen
Today, we take up the matter of Joe Biden's executive order on student loans. How bad is the policy? How good is the stunt? How cynical can you get? And, anyway, will it actually happen? Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson joins the podcast today to talk about the verrrry interesting results in last night's primaries and special elections and what they portend for November. Give a listen.
Matt Continetti joins us today to talk about the $1.6 billion donation to a new conservative entity to push conservative ideas and how it still doesn't come near the money liberals spend. We also go into today's primaries...and the new Game of Thrones show. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question of what people mean when they refer to "threats to democracy," Anthony Fauci's resignation, and what the whole "I don't want to work no more" movement is all about. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us to talk Trump, FBI searches, attorneys general, stupid ideas about classification, and how the media aren't dealing well with good news from Ukraine. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins us to talk Trump, FBI searches, attorneys general, stupid ideas about classification, and how the media aren't dealing well with good news from Ukraine. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the stunning news that the Centers for Disease Control is going to undergo a complete overhaul. The question is: Is this the right overhaul, or are senior officials just covering themselves because they don't want to be held accountable? Give a listen.
Today's podcast was recorded last night—which led to ruminations on friendship, obnoxiousness, principle, conflict, and how these things might help explain the result in Wyoming that saw Liz Cheney lose her primary. Give a listen.
There are early indications that Republican candidates and campaign committees are languishing in the fundraising department, which could put a damper on their prospects in November. But Donald Trump isn’t. Will he make up the difference and support the candidates he’s endorsed? Also, will we get a reckoning with what we did during the pandemic in 2023?
Today's podcast takes up the highly volatile political situation of the past week following the warrant search of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago and the monstrous attack on Salman Rushdie. Give a listen.
What we know (and what we don’t know) about the warrant that justified the search of Mar-a-Lago. Is Donald Trump being targeted unjustly, or is there something there? Also, Mr. Science himself resurfaces to praise himself, the personification of empiricism and logic.
Today's podcast asks whether the people who really decide elections—the ones in the middle—look at partisans and ideologues on both sides and ask whether their visions and descriptions of American life as it is lived day to day are accurate or bonkers. Give a listen.
The Biden administration tries to convince you that inflation came in at “0%,” and Donald Trump’s persecution narrative sets the stage for his political comeback.
A fiery podcast today in which we take up the FBI search at Mar-A-Lago and the very real questions it raises about overreach and public distrust in our institutions. Give a listen.
Mark Halperin joins the podcast to talk about the Democratic triumph with its big spending and climate change bill and how it looks like Republican candidates for the Senate (and for gubernatorial mansions) may not be able to capitalize on big liberal spending initiatives and other aspects of the supposed progressive surge this month. Give a listen.
Matt Continetti joins the podcast today to discuss his piece, "The GOP Summer Swoon." Republican nominees for Senate are running behind, Kansas delivered a stunning blow to pro-lifers, and the Democrats are getting legislation through. Has everything changed? Give a listen.
This is one for the ages. Meghan McCain joins us to talk about her home state of Arizona and its Republican primary results and then gives us the backstage skinny on why she left "The View," and it's a stunning story. Give a listen.
In John and Christine’s absence, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson and COMMENTARY contributing editor and “The Reeducation” podcast host Eli Lake join the show to talk about Tuesday's Republican primary elections and Kansas’s decisive rejection of a ballot initiative that would ban abortion. Also, we discuss the strangely apoplectic response to Nancy Pelosi’s stop in Taiwan, al-Qaeda’s new state, and taxpayer-funded crack pipes.
The podcast celebrates the neutralization of al-Qaeda operative Ayman al-Zawahiri, and wonders where the right is on the global war on terrorism these days. Also, the MAGA movement on the march in today’s primaries.
Tech commentary columnist James B. Meigs is back on the show today to talk about how the scientific community’s conduct creates environments where anti-scientific conspiracy theories thrive. Also, the hosts discuss the Democrats’ climate change/inflation bill and the attack on Republicans who voted against the PACT Act.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to discuss the strange surge of stories about how Joe Biden is on the verge of triumph just as inflation is getting worse and we're in a recession (probably). Is any of this rational? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the mainstream media carry water for the Biden White House after the sobering news of a second straight quarter of negative economic growth. And what's this? Two gargantuan spending bills just at a time when the Fed is laboring to deal with inflation? Are we taking crazy pills? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the absolutely horrible polling for the president this week, showing him at an all-time low for post-war presidents at this stage of their tenures and Democrats openly saying nationally and in New Hampshire that they do not want him to run again. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the startling new media tour undertaken by Anthony Fauci and a gobsmacking article in the New York Times that essentially tells everybody to go back to living as though it were Summer 2020. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the show today to discuss a crisis of legitimacy among elite institutions that don’t believe you can handle the truth. From the economy, to Covid, to climate change, you must be gently guided to their preferred conclusions.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's COVID diagnosis and some of the most appalling moments from the January 6 hearings. Give a listen.
The various manias that have overtaken popular political culture, which we itemize, are beginning to incur backlashes the likes of which we would not have seen two years ago. Is that a response to commercial incentives, or are Americans fed up?
Partisans on both sides of the spectrum are increasingly disinclined to recognize the legitimacy of political outcomes they don’t like. How did this happen? And can it be reversed before it’s too late?
After a three-show break, the COMMENTARY crew is back to talk about the crisis engulfing the world of progressives, which is to say, the crisis that crises are not causing ordinary people to become crisis-mongers. Call it "crisis fatigue." Give a listen.
Dan Senor joins the podcast today to talk about the horrible inflation numbers and the meaning of Biden's Mideast trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia. Then the podcast crew talks about the January 6 hearings. Give a listen. NOTE: We are off Thursday, July 14, Friday, July 15, and Monday, July 18. We'll be back on Tuesday the 19th with more fun blather.
Today's podcast features Matt Continetti and Jim Meigs talking about Jill Biden's jaw-dropping gaffe in addressing a "LatinX IncluXion Luncheon" in Texas, Elon Musk's strange Twitter behavior, and the astounding images of the universe being generated by the Webb Telescope. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up a shocking New York Times poll that finds the president's approval rating at a catastrophic 33 percent, with nearly two-thirds of Democrats wanting another candidate in 2024. And what's this about the January 6 committee not bothering to ask Trump's White House counsel what he might have said on that day? Give a listen.
Today's podcast concerns the killing of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe—and takes particular note of a shocking Associated Press piece about him and his death. Is there no decency left anywhere? Also, why the good jobs number is also bad. Give a listen.
Peerless historian and political analyst Andrew Roberts joins the podcast today to give us the skinny on Boris Johnson's resignation as prime minister of Great Britain—what occasioned it, what Johnson might do now, and who will succeed him. Give a listen.
For the first time, we have two guests on the podcast—Eli Lake and Eliana Johnson—to talk about the strange emergence all at once of anti-Biden stories in the mainstream media and what they portend. Give a listen.
On the publication day of Noah Rothman's The Rise of the New Puritans, Matthew Continetti joins the podcast to discuss Noah's book, the horrible massacre in Highland Park at the July 4th parade, and the troubling news out of Ukraine. Give a listen.
The Supreme Court’s final day of a consequential term ended no less consequentially. Legal scholar Adam White joins the podcast once again to break down the Court’s ruling in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and its sweeping implications for the administrative state.
Today's podcast ranges unusually from the coming release of the last hours of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things—and its welcome embrace of anti-Communism—to the expansion of NATO in the wake of the war in Ukraine and why Joe Biden can't figure out how to take political advantage of the one thing he's actually done well. Give a listen.
Cassidy Hutchinson’s bombshell testimony before the January 6 committee contained many new details about Donald Trump’s conduct during the riots. Some of her claims have been disputed. Many others have not yet been even contested. But if the president’s allies don’t want her testimony to stand, someone close to him is going to have to testify.
Adam White, legal scholar extraordinaire, joins us to discuss the impact of the Dobbs abortion decision and why we should credit and take seriously the concurrences by Justices Roberts and Thomas—and what Clarence Thomas's program as the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court actually is. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features the return of Christine Rosen, who was set to be gone all summer but who has returned early due to popular demand—and helps the rest of us continue to come to grips with the Dobbs decision and how it might affect American society and our elections. Give a listen.
The Supreme Court has overturned the precedents in Roe and Casey and sent the issue of abortion back to the states to decide. What comes next? We haven’t the slightest idea.
Today's podcast takes up the historic Supreme Court decision on guns today and asks what it might portend for the American political system in its wake. And we discuss Biden's latest stupidity. Give a listen.
Today's podcast explores the political ramifications of the gun legislation that seems to have had a bipartisan breakthrough in the Senate, and also considers the horrifying details laid out in yesterday's hearing on the January 6 riot. Give a listen.
We welcome Dan Senor to today's podcast to explain the collapse of Israel's government and how it represents a brilliant new political play by Bibi Netanyahu. Then we talk about our own Noah Rothman's lead essay in the July-August COMMENTARY, "You Are What You Don't Eat." Give a listen.
What the 2024 Republican presidential primary with Donald Trump in the race could look like, and what the Texas GOP tells us about the mood among party activists.
James Kirchick, author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, joins the podcast today to discuss his book as well as the January 6 Committee’s ongoing hearings and the revolt of the “woke” in the workplace.
CNN data guru Harry Enten joins the podcast to talk about polls, numbers, and the history of midterms and parties. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the results of last night's primaries and elections and wonders at the Democratic head-in-the-sand reaction to the way Hispanic voters are moving to the Republican party. Give a listen.
The Bahnsen Group’s David Bahnsen joins the podcast today to talk about the bear market, inflation, energy geopolitics, and why we may be overly optimistic about our long-term economic fortunes.
Democrats are attempting to convince voters that inflation is A) everyone else’s fault and B) something that Republicans could do something about if they had a plan. Will it work? Also, Ron DeSantis’ impressive showing at the Jewish Leadership Conference and the January 6 Committee’s unwise decision to set high expectations for their performance.
American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Matthew Continetti joins the program today to break down the January 6 Committee’s first hearing. What did we learn? What did the Committee prove? And what does it matter? Also, what the firing of Washington Post reporter Felicia Sonmez says about the future of “wokeness.”
The January 6 Committee holds a primetime hearing tonight to make the case for conspiracy. What can we expect to see from the proceedings? Also, the assassination attempt targeting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the need to take the temperature down.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about the staggering results in the California primary last night, in which a progressive prosecutor was recalled and an all-but-in-name Republican came in first in the Los Angeles mayoral race. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the punishment of a Washington Post reporter for the crime of retweeting a provocative joke—and what it says about journalism, the Post, and America. Plus: what Georgetown Law School hath wrought in its treatment of a conservative scholar. And we talk January 6. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines exculpatory articles about Joe Biden's troubles and the Democratic Party's "messaging" and asks the following question: Are you kidding me? Give a listen.
Joe Biden’s speech lobbying for new gun laws was emotional and affecting, but is that enough to convince the Senate to enact his policy preferences? Plus, good jobs numbers and student loan debt relief as evidence of the White House’s ideological capture. COMMENTARY tech columnist James B. Meigs joins the show today to talk about all this and more.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to talk about OPEC's move to release more oil just as Joe Biden is "considering" a visit to Saudi Arabia. Gee, we thought Saudi Arabia was beyond the pale! And we talk baby formula, abortion, and guns, so you know nothing controversial will be said. Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon joins the podcast today to talk about Joe Biden's walk-back of his firm statement—on Monday!—that the U.S. wouldn't supply Ukraine with certain weapons. Why does he keep doing this? What on earth is going on? Plus, what happened with the John Durham investigation? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up an NBC News story about how Joe Biden isn't getting enough credit. Credit for what, you may ask? Give a listen.
The new timeline of events in Uvalde, Texas has upended the debate over what can be done to prevent another massacre like it. Also, New York City’s surrender to the opioid/opiate crisis.
Yuval Levin joins us to discuss what larger meaning may or may not attach to the horrific mass murders afflicting the United States. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses how we should view the Texas school massacre and to what extent the actions of its perpetrator serve as an indictment of American society and American policy. Then, what did Tuesday's primary results say about Donald Trump's hold on the GOP? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the horrific story of the firing of tenured Princeton professor Joshua Katz—defenestrated for holding views considered unacceptable by the university leadership, which then went on a hunt for pretext to fire him. The question: What good are universities any longer? Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks how seriously we are to take President Biden's flat statement that we would be involved if China attacked Taiwan, and also how seriously we are to take his new economic initiative with eastern nations. Plus, immigration, racism, and Georgia! Give a listen.
Eli Lake, the host of “The Reeducation” podcast, joins the show today to talk about Congress’s provision of $40 billion in arms and aid to Ukraine, and why the ascendant populism on the right failed to derail that effort.
The podcast today regards the coming of the bear market and the increasing signs of economic turmoil with horror and interest, wondering at their political effect. And we discuss disinformation and baby formula. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the fascinating and complex results of last night's primary elections across the country before delving into the Ukrainian ways of war—both on the battlefield and on the airwaves. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the changes in the electorates on the eve of primaries across the country, and wonders why people are so addicted to theories about America rather than looking at the evidence of their own eyes. And we discuss baby formula again. Give a listen.
The podcast today opens with thanks for kind words about the passing of Midge Decter before turning to the evil perpetrated by a mass shooter in Buffalo and what the larger political impact will be. And we discuss the baby formula shortage and abortion polling. Give a listen.
Commentary contributor and author Naomi Schaefer Riley joins the podcast today to discuss the life and work of the late Midge Decter, her signature on an open letter defending liberty from its many detractors across the political spectrum, and the last vestiges of Covid mania.
National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar joins the Commentary podcast today to break down what we’ve seen so far from Democratic and Republican primary voters, and what we can expect their choices will mean for the 2022 midterm elections.
The Democrats find themselves increasingly confounded by the mysteries of political life in 2022. Where did all the gun crime come from? What’s the Republican Party’s plan to address inflation? Why can't Joe Biden manifest his will like the Green Lantern? It’s all an irresolvable riddle, especially when you have no intention of solving it.
The program welcomes contributing editor Eli Lake back on the show to discuss the new lend-lease legislation providing arms and aid to Ukraine and the air of menace around the homes of the Supreme Court’s justices.
Today's podcast looks at the weekend's direct action against the homes of Supreme Court justices and asks whether those engaged in such protest understand what it looks like and feels like to the average American. Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes that all the talk of the Supreme Court now being illegitimate because of the expected overturning of Roe v. Wade has triggered defensive actions to ensure the safety of the justices. Where's the outrage? Why aren't liberals more exercised by this? Why, in fact, are some of them actually tickled? Also: Who benefits from the leak of information about American intelligence being used in Ukraine? And how dare the Museum of Jewish Heritage refuse to allow the rental of its facility for an event at which Ron DeSantis will speak? Give a listen.
Will voters become as consumed with the issue of abortion rights in the same way the political class has, even to the detriment of more urgent issues like inflation and crime? We discuss and debate. Also, the perpetual Covid mitigation regime in Democrat-dominated locales, the New York Times’ failed hit on Elon Musk, and why we know what we shouldn’t know about Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Adam White joins the podcast—a blockbuster of a podcast, by the way—to discuss JD Vance's victory in the Ohio Republican Senate primary and the continuing fallout from the Supreme Court leak. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast to talk about the unprecedented leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. We discuss the immediate politics, the constitutional logic, and the meaning of the leak itself. Give a listen.
Kentucky State University Professor Wilfred Reilly joins the podcast today in Christine’s absence to discuss his new piece in COMMENTARY¸ “The New Definition of Racism,” and why Democrats have made neurosis into a political brand.
Today's podcast provides a litany of examples of liberals and the left giving themselves permission to do brazen and sometimes outright illegal things because, in their view, conservatives did them first and not to do them also would be a form of unilateral disarmament. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes in the horrible news about America's shrinking GDP and the Biden administration's responses to things over the past couple of weeks and asks the question we've been circling around for months: What if the top dogs in the White House are... stupid? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the new taped revelations about Republican leaders worrying over the role Republican elected officials may have played in the January 6 insurrection—and how they show the kind of chance Joe Biden had to revise the boundaries of American politics and failed to do it. Also on tap: J.D. Vance's surge in Ohio and what it might portend. Give a listen.
Today's podcast revels in the anti-Musk tantrums being thrown by establishmentarian liberals and leftists while pointing out that he didn't just spend $20 billion of his own money on Twitter to promote free speech. What is he up to? And is the fact that Trump's favored gubernatorial candidate in Georgia cratered in the latest poll a sign that the ex-president is refusing to engage with the issues that really matter to people? And what about the Russians threatening nuclear war? Give a listen.
When the sun goes down, the Commentary podcast gets loose. In today’s episode, the hosts convened after dark to talk about what Emmanuel Macron’s victory means for Western populist movements and debate the merits of Ron DeSantis’s shot across woke corporations’ bows.
Today's podcast asks which is the bigger story: Biden unable to tell the difference between border problems and mask mandates or leading House Republican Kevin McCarthy proved to be a liar when it comes to January 6. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is totally raw. We didn't even discuss what we were going to talk about. And yet talk we did! Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the nationwide confusion over the meaning of the mask decision, the Biden administration's mishandling of Saudi Arabia, and Ron de Santis going after Disney. Give a listen.
Adam White, legal guru, joins the podcast today to discuss the stunning decision of a Florida district judge to end the Biden administration's mask mandate. Were the grounds sufficient? What will the political fallout be? And why is New York City maintaining the mandate with 87 percent of its residents vaccinated? Then we talk about the administration throwing environmentalists under the bus. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the decision of the RNC to pull out of the presidential-debate commission system before we rise in outrage at the disgusting pre-Passover op-ed in the disgraceful New York Times about how Judaism is supposedly a celebration of mass murder. Give a listen.
Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake joins the podcast in John Podhoretz’s absence. Today, we discuss the shift from asymmetrical warfare in Ukraine to conventional battles, the perpetual state of Covid emergency, and the many minor irritations imposed on voters by progressive activist politicians that, cumulatively, will produce a major backlash.
Today's podcast explores the fact that on this date in 2018, Donald Trump's approval rating was 42.8 percent—and today Joe Biden's is 40.6 percent. The Republican Party was battered in the 2018 elections, but Biden and the Democrats are still hopeful they can ward off disaster through "small ball" tactics. We examine them, and the continuing madness of the CDC's efforts to keep masks on Americans. Also, Elon Musk and Twitter. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to talk about the larger meaning of yesterday's horrific subway shooting—and why the media are unlikely to make hay out of it because the key suspect doesn't fulfill a liberal narrative. And then we discuss Matt's seminal article, "Is There A Right Left?," from the May issue of COMMENTARY. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the gimmicky measures a panicked Biden administration is throwing at the inflation/economic crisis and why on earth they think they're going to help. And why on earth is Philadelphia reimposing a mask mandate? Do that city's Democrats want to elect a Republican to the Senate in 2022—because that could be the result? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the latest COVID numbers and how they reveal the end of the pandemic—so much so that even Anthony Fauci is effectively saying so. Then we talk about astounding Ron De Santis fundraising, French politics, and a disgusting assault on student journalists by the editor of the Atlantic. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the revisionism in the mainstream media when it comes to the chicanery of Hunter Biden and his uncle—and asks what did his father know? And we delve deep into this week's descent into Obama nostalgia and why such good feelings on the part of Democrats are unwise. Give a listen.
Today’s podcast is only our second before a live audience. Dan Senor joins us to talk about Israel’s collapsing government and the electoral prospects for the GOP in November. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the Biden administration's strange decision to use COVID-19 as an excuse to continue a "student loan moratorium"—and we ask what good this will serve and what the political fallout might be. Then we discuss the upcoming elections as a possible binary choice between bad Democratic policy and crazy Republican politicians. Give a listen.
Jim Meigs, our Tech COMMENTARY columnist, joins us today to explore the motivations of Elon Musk in taking the largest single ownership stake in Twitter. Why do people hate him so much? Is it just envy? And then we talk about cyberwar. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks whether establishment opinion is now beginning to turn slightly against Zelensky on the grounds that he really needs to have a path to surrender—even though Ukraine is winning. Also, why is the tradcon right celebrating the victory of a Hungarian politician who sides with Putin? And why is Disney diving headfirst into the culture wars? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the failure of gerrymanders in both Democratic and Republican states, and why both parties are so committed to egregious efforts to tilt legislative maps in their own favor—notwithstanding the real possibility that they will be embarrassed and shot down when they do so. Then we talk about the latest research into the lab-leak hypothesis and the continuing cultural battles over COVID. Give a listen.
Bloomberg columnist and host of the upcoming podcast, “The Reeducation,” Eli Lake joins the show today in John’s absence. We talk about the news from the front in Ukraine, Joe Biden’s releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and the Democrats in genuine disarray.
Yuval Levin joins today's podcast, a very special episode in which we delve deeply into a revelatory conversation between the New York Times's Ezra Klein and leading liberal economist Larry Summers—in which Klein reveals his horrified discomfort at the fact that many of the policies he thought were going to save America are instead driving us into an economic ditch. Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at the fact that 36 hours after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, the world is still obsessed with the story; could it be that we are precisely because it's frivolous? And why is Joe Biden claiming not to have said what he said about Putin and Russia—and why did he say what he said in the first place? And what about the budget? And John Eastman? And COVID? Give a listen.
Matt Continetti joins the podcast to discuss the Oscar slap and what larger meaning it might have, before we discuss what larger meaning Joe Biden improvising a regime-change policy for Russia might have, and what meaning we should assign the texts by Clarence Thomas's wife. Give a listen.
Covid may not be at the forefront of most voters’ minds anymore, but has the frustration with the mitigation measures imposed on the country faded? Or will there be a reckoning in November? Also, Joe Biden’s evolving nuclear weapons policy.
Today's podcast expresses aghastness at the very idea that this week's Supreme Court confirmation hearings were somehow more unfair than the ones in 2018 involving Brett Kavanaugh. And we worry over Ukraine. And see shoots of hope in New York City. Give a listen.
The podcast today takes up the fascinating fact that Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson said she was not a biologist and therefore could not define what it meant to be a woman. What does this self-evidently disingenuous demurral tell us about the state of play inside the progressive-liberal-Democratic coalition? And what does watching Volodymir Zelenskyy's TV show Servant of the People on Netflix tell us about the Ukrainian resistance and battle plan? Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast to discuss his COMMENTARY column, "Believe Them." We also talk about Ketanji Brown Jackson's first day of confirmation hearings and Eliot A. Cohen's optimistic salvo against pessimism, Give a listen.
Did Volodymyr Zelensky commit a tactical error in his address to the Israeli Knesset? Has Russia’s advance in Ukraine stalled out? And will Republicans overreach, as so many observers appear to hope they will, during Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings?
Today's incendiary podcast goes after the mainstream media's (and social media's) disgraceful handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story before moving on to an unexpected New York Times editorial attacking "cancel culture" and the question of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the astounding death and casualty estimates relating to the Russians in Ukraine and what they portend. Then we talk about my article in the April issue of COMMENTARY called "Neoconservatism: A Vindication." Give a listen.
Today's podcast features an insta-reaction to Wlodymir Zelinskyy's speech to Congress and what effect it will have on the already overwhelming American support for more involvement in the effort to turn back Russia's evil. Give a listen.
The news of a “stealth variant” emerging in Asia has news media on edge, but are they the only constituency left in America who is still bracing for renewed Covid restrictions? James B. Meigs joins the podcast to discuss this and more.
Iran’s missile attack on U.S. positions in Iraq only highlights a problem the West has been reckoning with since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; that is the seeming impotence of diplomatic and institutional conventions when they are confronted by bad actors willing to destroy them. Also, the return of Covid in East Asia and its ripple effects in the West.
Newly minted COMMENTARY contributing editor Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss his blockbuster article, "The World Has Changed and We Must Change Along With It." What must America do now not only in relation to Russia but in relation to China as well? And we have some fiery arguments! Give a listen.
The Biden administration’s response to the crisis in Europe goes wobbly. Between the administration trying to demonize fossil fuel producers even as they demand more production and their warnings that Russia may use chemical weapons in Ukraine without suggesting a way to deter such an unthinkable attack, can the public’s confidence in the White House’s competency survive?
The January 6 committee’s signal that it’s going to try to criminalize the very notion that the 2020 election was stollen suggests a temptation toward overreach. Will the committee’s members squander public goodwill? Also, an update on the war in Ukraine and thoughts on Cormac McCarthy’s life and work.
The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy’s Jonathan Schanzer joins the podcast to discuss the state of play in Ukraine and the West’s headlong rush into a new nuclear deal with Iran. Does isolating Russia have to come at the expense of efforts to isolate Iran?
The podcast crew gets into it today over whether the American people are going to demand and force their politicians to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine and whether that would spell disaster. And we discuss the Republican party's move toward a more familiar kind of hawkishness. Give a listen.
All expectations are that the Russian advance in Ukraine will only grow more brutal in the coming days and weeks. Will the West’s resolve to avoid direct engagement in the conflict weaken if we are witness to those atrocities? Also, has the January 6 Committee overstepped its bounds in a way that will only strengthen Trump?
Andrew Roberts, the foremost Churchill biographer, joins the podcast today to discuss Ukraine and grants his imprimatur to analogies suggesting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is a present-day Winston. We also discuss the military strategy or lack thereof of the Russians and the surprising nature of the West's response. Give a listen.
Matt Continetti joins the podcast today to do a post-mortem on Joe Biden's SOTU—featuring an Abe Greenwald rant about how cheap the speech was that you simply gotta hear. As you have to hear the rest of it. Give a listen.
With the Russians changing tactics and advancing relentlessly on population centers in Ukraine, the podcast crew wonders how the West will react when the horror begins to escalate. And why can't the media accept the good news about COVID? And what can Biden do to make his State of the Union address a success? Give a listen.
By all accounts, Russia’s war in Ukraine is going badly for Moscow. Vladimir Putin is now confronted with a geopolitical environment that is wholly arrayed against Western interests. That’s good for civilization, but Putin may feel he has no choice but to engage in a standoff with the West in response.
Today's podcast takes up the early moments of the Ukraine war and whether things are going well or badly for Russia. We also talk about Biden's speech, the lifting of COVID restrictions by the CDC, and the new Supreme Court nominee. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast to discuss the outbreak of the Russian war on Ukraine and what the next steps might be—and what it all portends for the future of American politics and the Right. Give a listen.
Bret Stephens joins the podcast today to discuss the latest on Ukraine and Biden, and later, we finally take on the "nat-cons." Give a listen.
After weeks of waiting, Russia is making its move on Ukraine. Will the Western response meet the measure of the moment? Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss this and a report alleging that the CDC is withholding relevant Covid data because they’re afraid of what you might do with that information.
The COMMENTARY podcast welcomes tech columnist James B. Meigs back to the show as Russian troops converge on Ukraine ahead of what looks like a pivotal weekend. Will Russia invade, or will it allow the exercises that have served as a pretext for mobilization to end quietly? Also, the return of “herd immunity” as a Covid off-ramp and Jim’s astute article in the March issue on “Good NASA vs Bad NASA.”
So we're supposed to be concerned about Donald Trump and his accountants but we're supposed to dismiss special prosecutor John Durham and his findings—this, anyway, is what the mainstream media are telling us. The podcast takes up this gaslighting as well as the gaslighting by the CDC when it comes to masking. Give a listen.
The podcast crew expresses our heartbreak at the untimely and sudden loss of our friend and contributor P.J. O'Rourke. We discuss his legacy—and guess at how excited he would have been to see the news this morning about a recall of leftist school board members in San Francisco and what that recall might portend. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks why we should care about Canada's decision to abrogate civil liberties in an unprecedented fashion. And why we should care about Ukraine. And why we should care about kids masking. Why. Why. Why. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks why the media are so curiously silent about the explosive allegations in the "finding" issued by special prosecutor John Durham in his investigation into efforts to interfere with the good working order of the Trump 2016 campaign. And why is Joe Biden saying it's "probably too soon" to take off the mask? Give a listen.
So the podcast has noticed how liberal views are now starting to reflect opinions about inflation and COVID expressed by us FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS. Do we welcome the newly enlightened or condemn them for their Johnny-Come-Latelyism? Give a listen.
On today’s podcast: An update on Noah’s descent into activism, the brewing backlash against the political class’s reluctant decision to start paring back Covid mitigation measures, and the moral atrocity of China’s winter Olympics.
The Republican National Committee’s foolish January 6 committee resolution has now drawn Mitch McConnell back into the fight over what to call that day’s violence, illustrating the idiocy of the RNC’s resolution. Also, we’re now confronted with the discomfiting fact that all it took for the Covid regime to dissolve was for Democrats to be over it, too.
Today's podcast asks why progressives are actively trying to depress kids and their constituents and give them the sense that nothing they do will make a difference. And we try to suss out what the Biden administration's strategy is when it comes to stopping Putin from invading Ukraine. Give a listen.
The campaign against Joe Rogan enters a new phase; one that has successfully forced Spotify to remove some episodes of his show from their library. Is this the price you pay for getting in bed with mainstream platforms? Also, the RNC’s hideous blunder and Stacy Abrams’ foolish photo op.
January’s unemployment report beat all expectations, and December’s upwardly revised employment figures suggest the Omicron variant isn’t the societal disruptor many expected it would be. Democrats could make political hay of that if they wanted. But do they? Also, an update on the CNN scandal.
Tablet Magazine’s senior writer, Liel Leibovitz, joins the podcast to dismantle Amnesty International’s report alleging that Israel is an apartheid state.
Today's podcast takes up the case of Whoopi Goldberg and what her dismissal of the racial component of the Holocaust actually means—and the horror of her defense at the hands of the Anti-Defamation League. And there's more! Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the precipitous decline in Omicron and wonders at the fact that the media aren't trumpeting the end of the surge and the possible return to normalcy that should follow it. Why isn't this the headline of all headlines? We try to answer the question, and we discuss Georgetown Law School's shameful violation of academic freedom and Whoopi Goldberg's moral idiocy. Give a listen.
The effort by Laurel Canyon soft-rock hippie totalitarians to suppress America's leading podcaster—with the support of mainstream media figures who now side conclusively with the idea that views they don't like should be suppressed—takes up much of today's episode. Give a listen.
The left is beginning to engage in the debate over the efficacy of masking, long after that debate definitively ended on the right. But can Democrats and their progressive allies give up the talisman if it means retroactively confirming that Republicans were right all along? Also, the bizarre conflicting stories around Joe Biden’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Legal scholar Adam White joins the podcast today to talk about Stephen Breyer's retirement, his legacy, his accomplishments (or lack thereof) on the court, the fact he gets no respect from liberals, and fun facts about previous confirmation battles. Give a listen.
Josh Kraushaar of National Journal joins the podcast today to discuss the electoral dangers to Democrats of their increasingly desperate efforts to talk down or belittle or deny the growing disenchantment of the nation with the status quo. Give a listen.
As Democrats gradually awaken to the political detriments posed by their efforts to cling to Covid hawkishness, we wonder when or if they will decide that self-preservation demands that they loosen pandemic-related restrictions. Do Democrats even have a vocabulary that would allow them to do that?
As the prospect of a Russian move into Ukraine looks more and more imminent, how will American voters respond to that threat to the post-Cold War geopolitical order? Can the neo-isolationism preferred by elements on the right and left win a majority, or does the voting public have a firmer grasp on what the loss of American hegemony would mean than the intellectual class?
Today's podcast goes through a spate of criticisms of parents for daring to speak out about the education of their children and how spectacularly self-destructive such efforts are on the part of the critics. Give a listen.
Today’s show is dedicated to Joe Biden’s ponderously long press conference, in which the president made more news in a shorter period than perhaps any of his predecessors, and none of it good.
With a rare Biden press conference commemorating his first year in office coming up, the podcast crew tries to imagine what on earth he can say that won't dig his various holes any deeper. Give a listen.
The Democratic Party’s efforts to pass just one progressive reform bill in the Senate are now verging on the comical. The hosts discuss their strategy, or lack thereof, as well as the imminence of 5G internet and its complications and the implications of the nascent feud between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump.
On today’s podcast, we lay out a veritable smorgasbord of depressing developments. From the reaction to the Texas hostage crisis to horrifying violence in New York City to the West’s inability to prepare for and deter a Russian attack on Ukraine, the news is going from bad to worse.
Today's podcast begins with a lengthy reminiscence of our colleague and critic-at-large, Terry Teachout, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday. Then, with our columnist James B. Meigs, we take up his blockbuster piece, "The Pandemic Public Health Disaster." And conclude with thoughts on Biden's terrible week. Give a listen.
The podcast discusses the various fronts on which conservatives and ordinary sane Americans are fighting back against the revolutionary forces that are trying to rewrite the rules of American society. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the fact that inflation is rising at the fastest rate in 40 years while Joe Biden...desperately tries to change the subject to something pleasing to the Democratic base. Good luck with that. And we discuss Abe Greenwald's blockbuster piece from our February issue, "Yes, There Is a Counter-Revolution." Give a listen.
Yuval Levin joins the podcast to talk about the Biden trip to Georgia to promote "voting rights"—and how the ideas promulgated by Democrats are both non-starters and have the effect of delegitimizing...Biden's own victory in 2020! Give a listen.
Today, the gang discusses the bleak choices available to the U.S. in the face of Putin's unceasing demands. Then there's the incoherence of the CDC on vaccines and the Democrats' attempt to paint Republicans as anti-democratic. Check it out.
Today's podcast takes up the Congressional treatment of January 6, including the bizarre interpolation of a song from Hamilton that offers a positive view of...a man who staged a seditious conspiracy against the United States? Also, public-health people call for more public-health people, and a bad jobs report. Give a listen.
In Noah Rothman's absence, we're joined today by Matthew Continetti to discuss the president's speech about the January 6 riot and what it portends for the Democrats, the Republicans, and Donald Trump. Give a listen.
The podcast today takes up the astonishing case of the new Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who has announced he will do everything he can to keep convicted criminals out of jail. What will this do to Democrats? And what will the Chicago teachers union and its refusal to return to school do to them and to the party that serves them? Give a listen.
From cars stuck on a frozen highway in Virginia to the constant revisions of the public-health leaders to the conviction of Elizabeth Holmes in California, the question arises yet again: What happened to competence? Give a listen.
We're back live and on topic, and the topic is the weird shift in tone among the COVID hawks over the past week and how it may be a reflection of just how badly they think they're doing in the public's eyes—and just how badly Democrats are going to do in November. Give a listen.
The podcast crew concludes a week of politics-free podcasts (sort of) with a look back on the best culture wars of 2021.
Though the podcast hosts have chosen nothing from the year 2021 to highlight as the best holiday fare of 2021, we nevertheless have some timeless seasonal recommendations for you to check out.
The podcast’s hosts explore their favorite television shows of 2021 and provide some binge-worthy recommendations for your holiday week.
The podcast’s hosts discuss their favorite movies of 2021 and why they found them particularly moving, interesting, visually exciting, or just not as bad as what they were expecting.
This week, the podcast will be doing something a little different: We’re talking about our favorite contributions to the culture this year. In this episode, the hosts discuss their favorite books they read over the last year, whether they were published in 2021 or not.
The podcast today goes far afield, into the cooking plans of our crew, Charles Dickens and his greatness, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and, of course, COVID. Give a listen.
In Joe Biden’s interview with ABC News, the president sought absolution for his failure to anticipate another surge of Covid. That suggests the elite consensus around this virus really did believe their were behavioral rites that would ward off the disease, and, as a corollary, that contracting the disease is a personal failure.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's peculiar speech yesterday, which did absolutely nothing to reassure anyone about anything (save a hopeful Dr. Monica Gandhi, who thought it said what she would want it to say). Why did he give it? What was the purpose? What gives? Give a listen.
On today's podcast, we discuss the options for how to get around in the world today if someone in your household has contracted the virus. Do you just go about your life? Do you quarantine? Do you isolate? What? And what about Trump finally saying conservatives and his followers should express pride in the vaccines? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the continuing disbelief on the part of Democrats that Joe Manchin meant what he said and said what he meant, and what the simple act of refusing to hear him has cost them and will continue to cost them. And more Omicron craziness. Give a listen.
From Covid to climate change, from the optimal functioning of the judicial system to normalcy itself, it has become a mark of sophistication on the left to reject good news and the happiness that accompanies it. This is madness, and Democrats will pay a steep price for inculcating depression in their voters.
The multi-trillion human, social, metaphysical Build Back Better boondoggle has been officially “shelved” for 2021, and good luck pulling it off that shelf in the election year of 2022. Indeed, that was the most likely outcome, as we repeatedly said was the case. Permit us a victory lap, because we’re already halfway around the track.
The crime wave is real, and even the most cosseted of archetypical leftwing reformers are noticing and resenting it. The backlash against permissive liberal governance is building, and they see it coming. But so, too, is the backlash against Covid mitigation measures that seem to ignore the nation’s vaccination rate. Will they wake up to that, too, in time? Kentucky State University Professor Wilfred Rielly joins the podcast today to discuss these matters and more.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to talk about his piece in the January COMMENTARY, "Disaster of the Senate," about Chuck Schumer. But first, we discuss, and express our horror at, the texts to Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as the January 6th riot was going on—and wonder at their long-term effect. Then we talk omicron. Give a listen.
The disparity between the Omicron variant’s apparent severity and the public health response to it suggests that the pandemic isn’t really about the pandemic anymore. What we’re witnessing is a competition between incompatible visions of societal organization. Also, Christine Rosen on her cover article in the new issue of COMMENTARY: “The New Misogyny.”
Today's podcast takes up the larger meaning of Jussie Smollett's attempt to use the criminal-justice system as his catspaw and how it reveals a crisis in the liberal understanding of crime in general. Then we discuss the inflation crisis and what it means, and offer a few choice words about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton. Give a listen.
On today's podcast, we discuss Donald Trump's oddly casual revelation that he believes Russia stole our hypersonic technology research—and then that research got into China's hands. Isn't this the biggest story ever? And why is Biden giving Putin what he wants with a big summit? And why are Democrats losing Hispanics? Give a listen.
Did Senate Republicans make a mistake by giving in to a one-time debt ceiling increase that circumvents the legislative filibuster? Is Biden responding with appropriate force to the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine? And what do we make of the leftwing effort to frame the sinking of Saule Omarova’s nomination to the position of comptroller as cynical red baiting?
A report out of South Africa confirms the rumors: the Omicron variant is less severe even though it is more contagious. That is good news, so why isn’t it being treated as such? Also, the national crime wave continues to build and Joe Biden’s existential test in Europe.
Daniel Casse, president of the G100 Chief Executive program, joins the podcast this morning to discuss the trap in which Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats find themselves. Namely, the idea that their political fortunes are tied to Covid case rates, over which they have no control. Also, a look back on the life of the late Sen. Bob Dole.
The Biden administration is improvising its way through a new Covid panic, projecting impotency along the way. Speaking of impotency, Russia is sending signals indicating that another invasion of Ukraine is imminent, and the White House’s response so far has consisted of sternly worded letters.
Constitutional law scholar Adam White joins the podcast today to discuss the abortion rights case before the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. What are the merits of the arguments before the Court? Will the conservative justices dismantle the precedents established by the decisions in Roe and Casey? And will the country descend into political combat when the ruling comes down?
It's a busy podcast today as we take up the limited evidence that the new variant justifies the draconian measures now being imposed in Europe and being floated here at home. Then we go into the "indefinite suspension" of Chris Cuomo at CNN and what it means for the future of the network, whose new boss has already indicated he wants to take it in a different direction. And will the new West Side Story get canceled? Give a listen.
The podcast wonders at Joe Biden's inability to pronounce the name of the variant he went on national television to warn against—and tries to sort through what little evidence we have about how dangerous this thing really is. Then we come to Chris Cuomo: Why does he still have a job exactly? Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks whether there's a crazed overreaction to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. We then discuss the car that killed people in Waukesha and the continuing effort by the media to whitewash its role in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story. And a final word on Stephen Sondheim. Give a listen.
Today's pre-Thanksgiving episode offers our own crushingly morose tribute to the United States as we battle the phenomenon of prosecutors letting people loose to commit horrible crimes and elite opinion-wielders trashing the United States when this country provided them with bounties untold. Happy Turkey Day and give a listen.
The Biden administration is making the strategic petroleum reserve available to the markets seemingly only in response to his sagging polls, which observers believe is a response to rising consumer costs. But this is not an energy policy. Also, thoughts on the public response to the verdict in the Rittenhouse trial.
On today's podcast, we discuss the reaction to the Rittenhouse verdicts, the continuing effort to talk up the Biden social-spending bill, and the horror in Waukesha. Also, Christine explains how she is the podcast's successor to the Karate Kid. Give a listen.
David Bahnsen joins the podcast today to talk about the Build Back Better bill and why its passage in the House might be at best politically meaningless for Democrats and at worst their Armageddon before we go on to discuss his book, There's No Free Lunch, about economics and human flourishing. Give a listen.
Did Paul Gosar deserve to be censured for tweeting out an anime video that appeared to threaten his colleagues? Does Lauren Boebert have a point about Eric Swalwell “sleeping with the enemy?” Did Ilhan Omar go too far with her semi-literate attack on Boebert? Or have we just elected ourselves a nightmarish reality show with no redeeming value? Also, an update on the Kyle Rittenhouse trial.
Yuval Levin joins the podcast today as we mark the fact that 70 percent of the population of the United States 12 and over is fully vaccinated—a point when we were told we would reach herd immunity and see the end of the pandemic. But clearly, the powers that be won't say so—even though everything we see says Joe Biden desperately needs to claim a victory, any victory. Why won't he? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question of what the mainstream media deem permissible and praiseworthy when it comes to political coverage—and how discipline is enforced when other media professionals don't do what the self-appointed critics and finger-waggers want them to do. Then we talk about how the same is going on, in an even more pernicious form, in academia. Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the Washington Post-ABC poll that has Democrats curled up in a fetal position today and the efforts to happy-talk it down. Will they work? Come on, man. Give a listen.
The podcast today takes up a new poll that suggests Democrats and independents are entirely at cross purposes when it comes to big spending, so if Joe Biden pleases his own base, he alienates the non-aligned voters he desperately needs as well—and vice versa. And what happened to the 2020 revolutionary moment? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the political fallout from inflation and continued COVID restrictions and the surprising events in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse. Give a listen.
The podcast crew is joined today by our pal Jonathan Schanzer, whose illuminating new book Gaza Conflict 2021 provides an eye-opening account of the hostilities earlier this year—and a guide to the state of play in the Middle East more broadly. We also talk about the sudden insistence of the mainstream media on especially evil Republicans just a week after Democrats got dunned in the elections—how convenient, no? And why inflation is a politician killer. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast crew today to talk about the stunning developments in the investigation into the 2016 efforts to demonstrate the Trump campaign's collusion with Russia—a charge we now know to have been entirely without foundation, notwithstanding the lives this false charge affected and nearly destroyed. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks if we should eat crow because Democrats did pass a big spending bill. We say we have no crow to eat, but you might disagree! Give a listen.
Today's podcast goggles at the prospect of Democrats in the House passing a gigantic spending bill that will be dead on arrival in the Senate—and hand Republicans every weapon they need to destroy Democratic hopes in 2022. Give a listen.
Chris Stirewalt joins us on the podcast today for continued analysis of the electoral trainwreck for Democrats this week and what on earth they think they're doing with the two bills in Congress in its wake. Give a listen.
The startling results in Virginia and New Jersey—not to mention on Long Island and in Buffalo and Minneapolis—mean that we're living in a different country politically today from the one we were living in yesterday. We have many explanations for why. Give a listen.
More evidence of Democratic disarray in Washington yesterday, and the confusing apparent decline of Democratic hopes in the Virginia governor's race, bring to mind Casey Stengel's plaint about managing the 1962 Mets: "Can't anyone here play this game?" Meanwhile, Afghanistan falls into hellfire. Give a listen.
Today's podcast covers a panoply of topics, from the foolishness and corruption of the "Lincoln Project' to whether a three-word slogan should be considered an act of terrorism to the Washington Post's gargantuan January 6 investigation and on. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features a cautious victory lap from the crew—who pretty much predicted the slapstick collapse of Joe Biden and the Democrats yesterday on Capitol Hill. The lap is cautious because we still can't quite believe they're as bad at this as they look. Give a listen.
On Tuesday, Joe Biden and his allies sent political observers into a frenzy with the announcement that a deal had been reached on a social safety net bill. But there was no deal, and there will be no votes. Is there anything that explains this behavior but abject incompetence? American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to discuss this and more.
The Democratic Party is flirting with failing to meet a deadline to pass both physical and social infrastructure in precisely the same way they failed weeks ago. Is that really possible? Also, the Chinese hypersonic missile threat and American complacency.
Today's podcast takes up the so-called "billionaires tax" that is the hot topic in Washington and subjects it to scrutiny—is it constitutional? will it generate sufficient revenue? what will the consequences be for ordinary people?—which is maybe the worst (or best!) thing you could do to such a concept. Then, it's education and why Democrats and liberals seem unable to understand why it may be hurting them. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to discuss his two articles in the November issue of Commentary. One, "COVID and the Authorities: It's Even Worse Than We Thought," has only gained momentum over the past week as more has emerged to suggest leading figures in the public-health community might have been involved in a major cover-up at the beginning of the pandemic. The second, "How Alan Sokal Won the Battle but Lost the Science Wars," tells the story of a brilliant satirical early effort to confront Wokeness and how time has shown wokeness's horrifying strength. Give a listen.
Bari Weiss joins the COMMENTARY podcast to discuss her article in the new issue: “We Got Here Because of Cowardice. We Get Out With Courage.” She outlines the threat posed by wokeness, and how dissenters against this authoritarian dogma can reverse course.
Can laughter survive the scrutiny of self-serious social justice activists? Director, producer, and screenwriter of such hits as “Airplane!” and the “Naked Gun” series, David Zucker joins the show to discuss his article in the new issue of COMMENTARY, “Destroying Comedy,” and the woke threat to humor.
The podcast welcomes former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Tevi Troy back to discuss his article in the latest issue of COMMENTARY, “Wokeness, M.D.” We discuss the ideological threat to the dispassionate conduct of medical science and how ideology is guiding public health practitioners’ approach to the pandemic.
Wilfred Reilly joins the podcast today to talk about his essential article, "The Whiteness of Wokeness." As we discuss the phenomenon of well-to-do Caucasians supposedly speaking on behalf of the needs of African-Americans and those of color, we delve into the brilliant observations of George Orwell 85 years ago in his book, The Road to Wigan Pier. Then we talk about the Virginia governor's race. Give a listen.
Today's podcast pays tribute to Colin Powell's extraordinary American story and asks why his memoir isn't taught in schools while memoirs about racial bitterness are. We also wonder at the larger meaning of the DC comic book company's decision to remove the words "American way" from the Superman slogan and what it means about the possibilities of a conservative counterculture. Give a listen.
The last podcast of the week finds us in a ruminative mood as we discuss Dave Chappelle's controversial special and the finger-wagging response to it—and wonder at the finger-wagging being done in response to the journey of William Shatner into space. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Donald Trump's statement that Republican voters will not turn out to vote unless the 2020 vote is somehow resolved in his favor. What does this portend? Will the results in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections suggest a different future? And what about all this "national divorce" stuff? Give a listen.
A discussion about the lingering and unknowable negative health effects of mid-pandemic mitigation measures that may not even be fully visible to us for years. Also, the center-left’s new obsession with the political strategist David Shor and his prescription for Democratic success: “popularism.”
The podcast crew takes up the new effort in Texas to prevent private businesses from requiring employees to vaccinate, and what it says about the politics of the jab nationwide. Give a listen.
Liberals are beginning to panic about the decline of Joe Biden's popularity and what it might mean, and we're there to help explain it to them! Also, what's going on with the supply chain, and is Trump playing a role in Biden's troubles? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question of whether McConnell blinked, why Schumer attacked a deal that gave him a face-saving way out, why Manchin put his head in his hands while Schumer did that, why Donald Trump is doing what he's doing, and why the Chinese are doing what they're doing in Taiwan. Oh, and some COVID stuff. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at a Quinnipiac poll that has very bad news for Joe Biden in it and wonders at the choices he's made that have led him to this pass. How are we to understand him? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the charges of the Facebook whistleblower and asks whether her perspective is the right one or whether she misunderstands the nature of Facebook's challenge to American society. And what exactly are Democrats up to when it comes to raising the debt ceiling? Give a listen.
The podcasters today consider crime up close and personal—yesterday I was in proximity to four different acts of violence and another was nearly burglarized. Is there a larger meaning to these actions? Do they connect somehow to the president's seeming acceptance of the harassment of Kyrsten Sinema? And how are we to understand them in light of the Justice Department's decision to focus on supposedly terroristic efforts to intimidate school-board members? Give a listen.
The podcast crew expresses puzzlement at the Democratic party spin that the failure of both big spending bills this weekend needs to be viewed as some kind of ideological and partisan triumph. Why? How? What on earth is going on here? And why is Anthony Fauci threatening Christmas? Give a listen.
Today's podcast notes that liberal opinion seems determined to cast the left's refusal to spend $1 trillion because it wants to spend $4.5 trillion as some kind of victory—and asks whether that makes any sense. Give a listen.
Today's podcast explains why Joe Manchin will never, ever, ever, ever do anything near what the progressives in his party want—because it would be the end of him and he wants to remain his state's dominant politician. We also discuss the finger-pointing among Bidenites about the Afghanistan disaster, whether it's OK to desire the political failure of your adversaries, and why we're no longer talking about herd immunity. Give a listen.
The revelations yesterday that emerged from Congressional testimony featuring two top officials involved in the Afghanistan debacle reveal Joe Biden to be as mendacious as Donald Trump when it comes to matters of policy. Is this something new for the presidency or is this just more evidence that all politicians lie? And does that kind of lying have a corrosive effect on America's social fabric? Give a listen.
Between rising crime rates and contradictory reporting on how the Afghanistan pullout failed so spectacularly, the COMMENTARY podcast could use what Donald Trump reportedly relied upon to calm him down: a “music man” who would soothe him with the score of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, “Cats.”
Today's podcast asks the question: What do America's most famous leftist member of Congress and Anthony Trollope's fictional 19th-century political character Phineas Finn have in common? Also: What's more popular among Democrats, spending a mere trillion dollars or spending many trillions of dollars? And: Why didn't the Tony Awards bestow their largesse on a Black Lives Matter play? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Robert Kagan's much-discussed Washington Post piece claiming a Trump constitutional crisis is already upon us. Is it, though? Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks whether the signs of Democratic crackup are so pronounced that those who oppose Biden and Company should just sit back and watch in amusement as their opposite numbers dissolve into acrimony and paralysis. Or is this bad for the country? And now that 75 percent of all Americans over 12 are at least partially vaccinated, why can't we celebrate this achievement? Give a listen.
Today's podcast points out the continuing scandal of the media's and Big Tech's efforts to suppress stories they don't like—both about Hunter Biden and about China's role in the promulgation of COVID—and what the practical consequences for them both may be. And then we get into the Democratic party's courtship of political meltdown, shown in part by an effort to defund Israel's anti-missile efforts. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks why the Biden people immediately assumed horseback Border patrol officers trying to deal with the overwhelming problems in Texas were doing wrong, and what it says about the administration's desperate efforts to hold on to its progressive base. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Biden's horrid Friday afternoon, with three bad pieces of news in an hour—and the coming crisis within the Democratic party over its ambitions to pass more than $5 trillion in spending in a month. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the increasing Republican-conservative tendency to support the actions of the mob on January 6, the consequences therefrom—and asks whether Peggy Noonan's provocative column today in the Wall Street Journal is right that America has somehow "lost the thread." Give a listen.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom easily survives the effort to recall him from office. Are there lessons for Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterms here? Also, the revelations in a forthcoming book that Gen. Mark Milley conducted his own foreign policy and violated the chain of command under Donald Trump.
Today's podcast takes up the dishonesties of Secretary of State Blinken, the self-discrediting idea of "over the horizon" intelligence, fake polls supporting a president whose poll numbers have gotten very bad, and a horrible and instructive event at Barnard College involving observant Jews being told to violate the tenets of their faith to fill out a COVID form. Give a listen.
In the wake of a somber 9/11 anniversary, the COMMENTARY podcast surveys the depressing intellectual and political landscape that typifies American discourse. Is the reaction against classical Western liberalism reversible? The “crushing morosity” is thick in this episode.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's COVID speech and plans and asks how we are to understand a president who says you have nothing to fear if you're vaccinated but he's going to protect you from the unvaccinated. And we discuss the enduring impact of 9/11. Give a listen.
We're back after the Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah break to discuss the Biden administration's negotiations with terrorists and the praise it's getting for doing so; the fact that Biden is now trying to put us on a war footing against COVID; and the Biden team's effort to change the plotline of the last month by firing Trump officials. And what is going on with Trump and boxing? Give a listen.
Today's podcast deals with the onslaught of lousy headlines and developments surrounding the president, from horrible jobs numbers to Delta fatalities to polls showing a significant decline in his support. Why is this happening? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the Supreme Court's refusal to stay Texas's new restrictive abortion law and asks whether its existence heralds the beginning of a grassroots liberal movement on par with the grassroots conservative movement that arose when the Court made abortion a constitutional right nearly half a century ago. And, yes, more on Afghanistan. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes a long, hard, close, serious, and polemical look at Joe Biden's self-justifying address to the American people on the Afghan catastrophe. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is about consequences: Who deserves to be held responsible for the debacle in Afghanistan and why. Give a listen.
Today's podcast tries again to take up the ludicrous argument that our purpose in Afghanistan was to install a liberal democracy. We also talk about the labor shortage and the end of the eviction moratorium. And are movie theaters too loud? Give a listen.
On Thursday, at least 13 Americans and over 100 Afghan civilians were killed in two suicide attacks on the outskirts of Kabul’s international airport. The response to that event by Joe Biden and his administration wholly failed to meet the gravity of the circumstances with which they are confronted.
The whole crew is back together to discuss an inadvertently telling op-ed by Ezra Klein that defends the dishonorable behavior of the United States in the present moment by falsely characterizing the entire past twenty years and the purposes of the fight in Afghanistan, among other places. And we discuss whether liberals have entirely lost the thread of their connection to ordinary Americans. Give a listen.
Between the debacle in Afghanistan, the return of pandemic-related pessimism, and what Nancy Pelosi admitted was the “controversial” $3.5 trillion budget deal that may not even pass the Senate in its current iteration, what are Democrats leaving behind? It may not be much after voters get their say next November.
Author and editor emeritus of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro, joins the podcast today to talk about the ongoing nightmare in Afghanistan, which is evolving from a debacle into a hostage crisis. But Americans get no respite at home as COVID has evolved from a pandemic into a lifestyle brand.
John Podhoretz is out today enjoying some well-deserved time away from the microphone. The nightmare in Afghanistan continued over the weekend and, despite the administration’s outward displays of confidence, the prospects for a disaster loom larger than ever. But will the emerging domestic political crisis over our disastrous pullout evolve into something that threatens to derail the Democratic political agenda? We discuss and debate.
Joe Biden’s behavior over the course of the Afghanistan crisis he precipitated is inexplicable. But we do our best to try to explain it anyway. Also, is there anything to be done about the increasingly deadly pandemic of the unvaccinated?
Today's podcast considers George Stephanopoulos's jaw-dropping interview with the president and his assertions that he knew the chaos in Afghanistan was coming. We also wonder at the words of Joint Chiefs Chair Mark Milley and Defense Secretary Austin and at the COVID behavior of New Zealand prime minister Ardern. Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at the bet Joe Biden has placed on the possibility that the chaos in Afghanistan relating to the exit of Americans will be short-lived and that he will suffer no long-term consequences from it. Is that bet likely to pay off? Give a listen.
The founding editor of National Affairs, Yuval Levin, joins the podcast today to talk about the implosion of Afghanistan and Joe Biden’s shame as well as his article in the September issue of Commentary: “What We Have Gotten Right in the COVID Fight.”
The Afghan government has fallen to the Taliban, and only over the course of a single weekend. The Commentary podcast on the terrible implications of America’s humiliation in Central Asia.
Bloomberg columnist Eli Lake joins the program today to talk about America’s decision to scrap 20 years of work and progress in Afghanistan. Why it didn’t have to be this way, and what comes next for the United States.
Will the so-called “Squad” of House progressives really want to block the Biden administration’s signature achievement, infrastructure, if they can’t get their $3.5 trillion wish list along with it? Also, perplexing COVID numbers and the spiraling disaster in Afghanistan.
Today's podcast brings up the question: Why did Andrew Cuomo date his resignation fourteen days away? What is this Machiavellian schemer up to? And as the infrastructure bill passes the Senate, what will Nancy Pelosi do in the House—and is she any good at her job? And why, oh why, do the data on the Delta variant simply not suggest what the COVID hawks want them to suggest? Give a listen.
We've reconvened today to offer our quick thoughts on the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, the bipartisan nature of sex scandals, the way people try to save themselves from disgrace, and what happens now. Give a listen.
Democrats are placing a big bet on the American voting public’s desire for a radical transformation of the social compact with their $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. The risk seems far more pronounced than the rewards. Also, Andrew Cuomo seems to be the only person in America who doesn’t know he’s done.
Today's podcast takes up the desertion of Andrew Cuomo by his closest aide, the unfolding horror in Afghanistan as America bugs out, and the COVID panic. Give a listen.
Today's surprising podcast doesn't feature the news of the day; instead, we talk about Smokey and the Bandit. And Last Exit to Brooklyn. And 42nd Street. And For All Mankind. And a Woodstock documentary. It's a weird show! Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the glee with which Democratic legislators greeted Joe Biden's decision to...usurp legislative authority. What's going on here? And what will happen with Andrew Cuomo? And why are we talking about the COVID threat posed by the Sturgis bike rally again? Give a listen.
Karol Markowicz joins us today to discuss the damning report on Andrew Cuomo's behavior toward women, the meaning of the victory of the less radical candidate in an Ohio Democratic primary, and the Biden administration's open embrace of unconstitutional lawlessness with its continuance of the rental moratorium. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about, what else, the bizarre behavior of the CDC in relation to the pandemic. And we have a fun argument about the question of mandating vaccination passes. Give a listen.
Today's podcast is a threnody of denunciation: Of the CDC, of the Biden administration's haplessness, and of the seemingly deliberate disinformation regarding the Delta variant in the New York Times and on CBS News, among many other places. Plus: Will Democratic leftists kill the infrastructure bill? And how delusional was the Biden negotiating team when it came to dealing with the Iranians on the Iran nuclear deal? Matt Continetti joins us. Give a listen.
Today's podcast offers a Talmudic perusal of a slide show created by the CDC on how to talk about the vaccines that evidently was the trigger for the new mask guidance—and how it contradicts itself and sows even more confusion and therefore mistrust. Give a listen.
There is a bipartisan infrastructure deal, and it looks likely to pass. The smorgasbord of other progressive wish list items that was supposed to follow its passage, however, is more imperiled than ever. Couple this with a disappointing second-quarter GDP number, and you have to wonder if the government spending to which we’ve committed ourselves over the course of the pandemic is the problem.
Today's podcast takes up the fulfillment of what we've been warning against—the public-health people are lowering the boom again in a self-defeating effort to control the spread of the COVID variant by controlling the behavior of... the already vaccinated. We take apart the reasons proffered by the CDC director for this bizarre guidance. Then we talk about the shame of the attacks on the Capitol policemen who testified at the 1/6 hearing yesterday and more on the Olympics as psychodrama. Give a listen.
American athletes are having a tough time at the Olympics. On today's podcast, we suggest various causes, among them that there is no longer a psychic benefit to be gleaned from representing your country in these games. We also wonder at the competency of American politicians and the potential horrors awaiting Afghanistan as we pull out. Give a listen.
As the pressure grows to return America to a condition of mini-lockdown, we examine the words and ideas of the public-health bureaucracy that is horrified by the prospect of America just...governing itself. Plus: transgender athletes and Jackie Mason. Give a listen.
With municipalities around the country reimposing indoor masking recommendations or even mandates, no one seems to be asking whether the fully vaccinated will welcome much less endure restrictions they shouldn’t have to observe. Is a backlash brewing? Also, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recall election is looking more and more like a tossup.
Did Nancy Pelosi make a mistake by rejecting two more pro-Trump Republicans from the January 6 commission? Or is she once again making a strategic blunder? Also, inflation has become one of voters’ primary concerns, and the threat it represents to Democrats is growing.
Today's podcast continues our conversation from yesterday about the Jeff Bezos expedition and the hunger among elite liberals to heap scorn and derision upon it, him, and the very idea of technological progress. Why? And are there really breakthrough infections? And what can we learn from Eric Adams, NYC mayoral candidate, and his commonsensical neocon remarks? Give a listen.
Today's passionate podcast features praise for the American people when it comes to vaccination and serious querying why we are turning this amazing national mobilization success into a neurotic failure. And we celebrate Jeff Bezos's trip into near-space and ask again why it is that we are being told by the liberal establishment that it is a pointless and vainglorious effort. Cheer up, people! Give a listen.
Michael Brendan Dougherty of National Review joins us today to discuss his controversial NR piece, "Convincing the Skeptics," which caused a firestorm on Twitter for supposedly showing undue sympathy for those who aren't getting the vaccines. We also talk about bad polling and the very bad Kenneth Roth of Human Rights Watch. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features COMMENTARY columnist Matthew Continetti joining us to ruminate upon the Biden administration's response to the events in Cuba, the outrageous imposition of an indoor mask mandate in L.A. county, and why liberals seem to think the only way to be properly sexual these days is to be in a throuple. Give a listen.
The podcast crew expresses skepticism at the notion that Biden and the Democrats have a brilliant strategy to get their $3.5 trillion spending bill passed. And we express skepticism about Joint Chiefs chair Mark Milley's self-portrait as the man Who Saved America from the New Nazis. And we praise Olivia Rodrigo, who's great. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to discuss the Delta variant surge and the continuing refusal of many on the Right to act to contravene it. We also talk about the weirdness of Democratic senators announcing they had agreed to a $3.5 trillion deal that, in fact, they hadn't all agreed to—and why on earth the Biden administration is giving into Iran. Give a listen.
Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-Chief Elianna Johnson joins the program today in Christine Rosen’s absence to talk about Texas Democrats’ tactical retreat from their jobs, Cuba’s ongoing protests, and troublingly high inflationary signals.
Noah Rothman is back after a week away from the podcast to offer his two cents on the Delta variant surge and how it's affecting conservative media and Republican politics. We also discuss the revolt in Cuba and why it's important to support democratic rebellions abroad... and Black Widow. Give a listen.
Today's hodgepodge of a podcast takes up our personal histories of summer camp, Joe Biden's speech on Afghanistan, the conversion of COVID into a seasonal flu, and bad documentaries. Give a listen.
We talk about the recent uptick in U.S. COVID cases, the ever-elusive end of the pandemic, and the skepticism around vaccines and lockdowns. We touch on Donald Trump's move against Big Tech, and we close out with some old sitcom gems. Hint: Chuckles the Clown. Give a listen.
Our friend Steve Kornacki joins the podcast today to talk about the results of the New York City primary in the Democratic party and what they say about the party's ideological makeup—and about the future of ranked-choice voting. It's great. Give a listen.
The leftist attacks on America around July 4 may prove to be the unforced error of all unforced errors, or so we say on today's (sadly Noah-free) podcast. We also talk about tenure for critical race theorists, who really knows about critical race theory, and who should be talking about the vaccination problem. Give a listen.
It's the Fourth of July weekend and we spend the podcast defending America from the nonsense of NPR, the liberal notion that America is a bad actor on the world stage, and the idea that COVID is some form of rough justice for America's sins. Have a glorious weekend as you give a listen.
On today's podcast: What happened in the Bill Cosby case? How best can we discuss the extraordinary life of Donald Rumsfeld, RIP? What is ballot harvesting? Will people believe elections are fair ever again? Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the disaster of the New York Democratic mayoral primary and what it says about the way liberal cities and states work. And more repulsive blather from Ilhan Omar. Give a listen.
Today's podcast concludes with a commemoration of the life and career of 95-year-old Mel Brooks and what they have to teach us—and how we need to restore what he brought to American life and American comedy. Before that, we ask why Democrats and Republicans have such wildly divergent views about the end of the pandemic—and the thickets into which the Biden administration has wandered with Iran. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins today's podcast, which features a conversation about aliens and God so deep that you may think we were high or drunk while recording it. We weren't. Give a listen.
On the final podcast of the week, we try to make sense out of Joe Biden praising bipartisan dealmaking before promising to pass everything left out of the bipartisan infrastructure deal—which will likely destroy that deal. What's the game here? Is there one? And did Mike Pence just end his Republican political career? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the conundrum of the politics within the Democratic Party that led to fantasies of a new New Deal, which have been subjected to various reality tests this week injurious to Joe Biden and his agenda going forward. Also, more reader mail about vaccinations and whether we're mean about them. Give a listen.
Today's podcast tries to make sense out of the apocalyptic rhetoric emanating from Democrats about the failure of their largely unconstitutional voting bill before pointing out that progressives had a setback in the New York City primary on Tuesday and what that might mean. Give a listen.
James. B. Meigs joins us again to discuss the important question of just why it was the idea of COVID originating from a lab leak was deemed undiscussable. We also point out that the press has a historical habit of believing that corporations will do all sorts of evil scientific things... but not Communist regimes. Give a listen.
The evidence is everywhere: An extraordinary number of people seem to prefer living under masks rather than accepting the data that say the pandemic is over. Why? We go into that, and the extraordinary story of the lab leak in the Soviet Union that American "experts" agreed was a naturally occurring phenomenon... because saying so was taking a side in the political-cultural-ideological war of the time. Sound familiar? Give a listen.
Today's podcast discusses the amazing fact that conservative justices on the Supreme Court often go against what people say their political allies demand of them—but this happens far more rarely among liberal justices. Now, why would that be? Also... Donald Trump is running. Give a listen.
Today we begin the podcast with talk about Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin before getting to the hot topic of the day—an apology proffered by a showbiz legend for saying something entirely commonsensical and true. Why did Rita Moreno feel it necessary to abase herself before the gods of wokeness? Give a listen.
Today's podcast features a response from all of us to a great letter from a listener who believes I am far too harsh about the question of who gets vaccinated. See whom you agree with! And, again, when will they say the pandemic is over when the pandemic... is... over... NOW. Give a listen.
What did Biden say about the GOP and Vladimir Putin on foreign shores? Attacked one and praised the other? We talk about that on today's podcast, as well as shameful public pronouncements by columnist Michael Gerson and former Biden COVID guy Andy Slavitt. Give a listen.
Bret Stephens joins the podcast crew today to discuss the change in Israel's government—and the complex legacy of Benjamin Netanyahu. Then we talk NATO, Biden, and the end of the pandemic. Give a listen.
Does Jeffrey Toobin deserve to be treated with compassion and forgiveness when woke culture is busy showing the opposite of both to anyone that crosses it? And how will the media atone for their false coverage of what happened in Lafayette Park in 2020? Give a listen.
The progressive left is having a fit over its more moderate members, who have failed to support their transformative designs. But aren’t they saving Joe Biden’s presidency from the unforeseen consequences of pursuing a sweeping agenda on which he didn’t even run? Also, the journalistic backlash against reporting on Israel objectively.
Chris Stirewalt joins us today to discuss his brilliant COMMENTARY article, "Republicans, Stop Believing Your Own Election Myth," before we get to the question of what's worse, wokeness or the new American aristocracy that is enshrining it? Give a listen.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a hilariously bad response to NBC’s Lester Holt when she was asked why she hadn’t visited the border yet amid her efforts to oversee the ongoing border crisis. The episode adds to the mounting evidence suggesting that Harris is not great at politics.
Today's podcast points out our continuing cultural confusion when it comes to political correctness, law, and the mistreatment of women before moving on to the Democratic party's insistence that Republicans are trying to destroy the voting franchise. And what spicy thing did Biden say about war? Give a listen.
The disappointing jobs report will be answered by an explosion of cliches, we say on today's podcast, but the ability of the Biden administration and liberals in general to make excuses for the failures of their own policies is waning by the day. As is, perhaps, Donald Trump's sanity. Give a listen.
Tech Commentary columnist James Meigs joins the program to talk about his latest piece for the magazine “Thank God for Big Pharma.” We discuss the “lab leak” hypothesis and the terrifying consensus within the scientific community that shut its advocates up.
Financial guru David Bahnsen joins us today for a deep dive into the COVID numbers and offers his fascinating take on why the threat to the future is not inflation but deflation. Give a listen.
The numbers don't lie. We're weeks away from the pandemic being over in the United States, and yet the bitter clingers still threaten our future. Why? And why are Trump fans saying he will be "reinstated" as president? And why, if it happens, is Bibi Netanyahu on his way out? Give a listen.
The rehabilitation of the “lab leak” theory of COVID-19’s origins in the press is now accompanied by the Biden administration calling for an investigation. But what will his administration do with that information if the worst is proven correct?
We channel Sally Field's notorious Oscar speech in offering thanks to listeners for their kind words in response to our inquiry yesterday about whether we should continue to record daily podcasts. Then we react with horror to the Biden budget proposal! Give a listen.
Though it is particularly true of New York City, it’s apparent across this country: The political class has lost its enthusiasm and affection for the nation. They are focused not on revivifying and reinventing it, but on divvying up what’s left while you can. It’s not just a Democratic fixation, either. The GOP’s obsession with relitigating the 2020 election prevents them from looking forward, and that needs to be throttled out of the party.
New positive COVID tests are at or approaching historic lows across the United States. Deaths and hospitalizations are reaching rates associated with a typical flu season. The pandemic is on the eve of its conclusion. The only question is when elected officials will acknowledge it. Also, the Democratic Party’s advocates in the press have discovered the real problem with anti-Semitism: it detracts from the progressive project.
Today we try something new: Each panelist chooses a topic. We talk about the effort to equate anti-Semitism with Islamophobia. We talk about whether the Biden administration will hold China accountable on the virus. And we talk about the state hijacking of a commercial European jetliner. Give a listen.
Street violence targeting American Jews is on the rise across America. It is being provoked and condoned by progressives within the Democratic establishment, and the party is doing nothing about it.
Today's podcast goes over the latest in the ideological war of the Left against Israel, the political hijinx over the January 6 commission, and what on earth is going on with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Give a listen.
All the news is good. All the trends are great. Why are the media focusing their sympathetic attention on people who seem to want to live in perpetual lockdown? And why isn't the Biden administration turning on Israel (yet)? Give a listen.
The first podcast of the week takes up the continuing assaults on Israel's defensive action against Hamas in Gaza and the continuing confusion over the lifting of the masking rules by the federal government. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks what changed that made it possible for the president to announce the end of masking for vaccinated Americans? Was this the result of the "science" or a naked political move to distract from the bad news of the week? And why are liberals clinging to their masks? Give a listen.
Inflationary signals are glowing red hot, and it’s starting to scare the markets. Will the Biden administration and Democrats be similarly spooked? Also, the contrived effort on the part of Trump critics to use the conflict in Israel to run down the Abraham Accords, which misunderstands their purpose.
On today's podcast, I read my exchanges yesterday with my sister from her bomb shelter in Tel Aviv to give listeners a real-time sense of what it's like to be under rocket attack. And then we express our outrage at the liberal effort to blame Israel for the assault upon it before we take up the ouster of Liz Cheney from House leadership and what it portends about the Republican future and Donald Trump. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the catastrophic error made by the Centers for Disease Control in assessing the risk from outdoor transmission of COVID, as detailed by David Leonhardt in the New York Times. Then we go into the catastrophic error made by Joe Biden on pumping unemployment money into the economy, which he tried to correct on Monday. And then into the potentially catastrophic error made by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in assuming the West would come to their aid when they're firing hundreds of rockets at Israel. Give a listen.
Today's podcast exults in what can only be called exit-velocity numbers about the pandemic and a shift in tone from the panjandra of the public-health community given the good news. Then we tell you the truth about what's going on in Jerusalem before making fun of liberals trying to explain the reasons for the bad jobs report. Give a listen.
On today's podcast: Unfortunate job numbers—job creation expected to be around 1 million coming in at 266,000 instead—may be the perfect expression of how intrusive government policy in the form of direct unemployment benefits from the federal government are actually encouraging people to stay home rather than go out to work. More bad policy is in the potential offing through the infrastructure proposals. More bad policy is being made by the notion of waiving patent rights for the vaccines. Give a listen.
Joe Biden’s administration has inexplicably decided to abrogate the intellectual property rights of vaccine manufacturers to satisfy a fringe progressive demand. Why? And the New York Times has all but declared the pandemic behind us as vaccination rates in the U.S. crater.
The long knives are out for Liz Cheney within the GOP, but does ousting this meddlesome priest from her role in leadership really serve Republican interests ahead of the 2022 midterms? And Joe Biden supposedly revamps his vaccine strategy, but his statements make it plain that the administration has no idea what to do about declining demand for inoculations.
Blue states like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are following the leads set by Texas and Florida and racing to reopen, regardless of the Biden administration’s desires. Also, the census data showing that racial characteristics aren’t immutable—they can change over time—and why it shows how the theory of Intersectionality as an organizing principle is a dead end.
Is wokeness creating anew the force Richard Nixon called the "silent majority"? And why are fully vaccinated people still wearing masks after the CDC said they don't have to? And what about Andrew Yang? Give a listen.
According to Joe Biden, wearing a mask even if you’re fully vaccinated and everyone around you is fully vaccinated, is now patriotic. But is patriotism so conditional? Also, how Republicans become culture warriors when they notice Democratic culture-warring, and the effort to disenfranchise minority children in the name of “equity.”
Joe Biden made a lot of promises in last night’s semi-State of the Union address, most of which involved spending vast sums of money. But will this promissory note that is unlikely to materialize in the real world energize Democratic voters as much as it drives Republicans to the polls in opposition? Also, Sen. Tim Scott’s clever and impressive rebuttal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their long-anticipated masking guidelines for the fully vaccinated and it turns out that your privileges are… functionally indistinct from those afforded the unvaccinated. If anyone is still listening to this agency, it isn’t the people public health officials need to reach. Also, Human Rights Watch’s embarrassingly unconvincing allegations against Israel.
The podcast discusses a heartening display of defiance in France to protest the unjust verdict rendered in the anti-Semitic murder of Sarah Halimi, which further reinforces the case for Zionism. Also, the racial condescension on display among progressives who heap scorn on white vaccine holdouts but handle skeptical minorities with kid gloves. And finally, countering the narrative that Joe Biden is no culture warrior.
Today's podcast discusses what it means that the Oscars were so badly executed, whether we're about to be released from having to wear masks outside, and what John Kerry told the Iranians that should have him hauled up before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up Joe Biden's determination to cut carbon emissions in half in nine years and what such a ludicrous promise means politically. What does it tell us about what he thinks his job as president is and what he wants the history books to say about him? Give a listen.
The COMMENTARY gang expresses its shock and disbelief at the ability of liberals and the Biden White House to disregard the unmistakable evidence in the police shooting in Columbus, Ohio in favor of their preferred narrative about how cops are systemically racist—and how they might be giving birth to an "Enough Already" Party. Give a listen.
A jury of 12 peers listened to the evidence and rendered a verdict. Before the verdict, the jury's impartiality was questioned by the Left. After, it's being questioned by the Right. And what of the efforts to turn a shooting in Columbus, Ohio, into a new George Floyd case? And what of the vaccination numbers slowing way down? Give a listen.
The first COMMENTARY podcast in 14 months with three regulars in our podcast studio at our New York offices! Is normalcy returning? Ehhh.... not really. Give a listen.
Why does Rep. Maxine Waters get to call for "confrontation" in case the verdict in the George Floyd case doesn't go the way she wants? Shouldn't she be named and shamed? Or is that just to be left to liberal reporters who get to pick and choose who's named and shamed? And here's one for you: Why aren't Fauci et. al. naming and shaming the Americans who won't get the vaccine? Give a listen.
Is inflation coming? The answer is "yes," but the experts are saying not to panic. Really? Ever lived through an inflationary spiral? We discuss that, the refusal to distribute conservative books, and the media's refusal to hold itself accountable for false stories about "Russian bounties on American soldiers." Give a listen.
Our friend Yuval Levin joins the podcast today to talk about Democratic House members moving to pack the Supreme Court and pushing an extreme agenda in general—what's going on there? And what on earth is happening with a United States Ambassador to the United Nations attacking... the United States? Give a listen.
Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake joins the podcast today to discuss Joe Biden’s plan for withdrawing all NATO forces from Afghanistan on, of all dates, the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. What are they thinking? Also, the fallout from the decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the news that the FDA and CDC have "paused" the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and what it might mean. We also discuss infrastructure bills and polling misses. Give a listen.
Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon joins the podcast today to discuss the recent shooting near her hometown of Minneapolis, the worry about the South African variant, and how liberals are reacting to the degrading of the Iran nuclear program. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the media coverage of the murder trial of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis with the clear suggestion that the full story of what is going on in the courtroom is not being made clear enough to the American people. And will moderate Democrats hold Joe Biden accountable for moving farther to the Left than he suggested he would during the campaign? Give a listen.
On guns, illegal immigration, and schooling, Democrats from Joe Biden to Stacey Abrams to Andrew Cuomo to Randi Weingarten are pushing policy prescriptions and spending that seem entirely out of whatever the political center is. Will they pay a price? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the moves by the Biden administration to reopen talks with Iran, as well as the evidence that the crime spike of 2020 was not about economic hardship but rather an offshoot of the war on the police. Also, what is the difference between voter depression and voter suppression? Give a listen.
The gang engages in a series of generalized rants about the class-based COVID theatrics to which some are more committed than others and Joe Biden’s transformative agenda, which he did not run on and for which no one voted.
Today's podcast takes up the outrageous "60 Minutes" effort to defame Gov. Ron DeSantis and the vaccine rollout in Florida before we go on extended rants about the way the success with the COVID vaccine is being twisted into a new crisis in general by a media determined to continue to force us into lockdown life. Give a listen.
Noah Rothman returns from vacation to help us make sense of the Biden administration's claim we need trillions in "infrastructure" spending at a time when job creation is going through the roof and the American economy is about to soar. Also, what on earth is going on with Matt Gaetz? Give a listen.
Wilfred Reilly, author of this month's COMMENTARY cover article, joins us to talk about "The Good News They Won't Tell You About Race in America." Give a listen!
We're joined today by Israeli journalist Ruthie Blum to discuss the bizarre phenomenon of Israel likely heading toward a fifth election in two years despite the multiple triumphs in the past year attributable to the leadership of embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Why hasn't Israel's success in national vaccination carried Netanyahu to new heights? And we continue to discuss vaccine hesitancy and its problems. Give a listen.
Matthew Continetti joins the podcast today to discuss the interesting decision of the Biden administration to go apocalyptic about the COVID threat even as vaccinations accelerate—and we discuss the objections by listeners to the idea that they should get vaccinated. And a whole lot more. Give a listen.
Today we take up the dangers posed by the trial of Derek Chauvin, charged with the murder of George Floyd, and the controversy over so-called "vaccine passports." Give a listen.
How did President Biden do at his press conference? What went on at the Journal of the American Medical Association that will horrify you? Most important, how abjectly did I apologize for criticizing my colleagues wrongly the other day? Give a listen.
A press conference is coming. How will the media try to shield the new president? What questions will they ask—and won't they ask? Give a listen.
The news that former Trump campaign attorney Sidney Powell is arguing that no one should have taken her claims regarding election fraud seriously suggests an interesting crisis of confidence is upon us. Both parties are beholden to exculpatory narratives for their own failures that are, in essence, lies, but do any of them possess the capacity for shame? Also, progressives with an ingrained hatred of the pharmaceutical industry face a conundrum.
Should we feel sorry for the poor Biden people who find themselves on the knife's edge when it comes to border security? And should we feel sorry for ourselves that our path out of COVID is being blocked by those with social anxiety? And should we care about cancel culture canceling liberals when liberals don't care about conservatives getting canceled? Give a listen.
The podcast today takes up the alarming spectacle of the first major diplomatic meeting of the Biden administration, at which senior Chinese officials lambasted the United States and our shocked senior diplomats found themselves at a loss. Why were they at a loss? We explain. And talk about a bunch of other stuff. Give a listen.
On today’s COMMENTARY podcast: The mass murder of Asian-American women in an attack in Georgia, the apparently sexual motive behind those killings, and the sources of racial tension in America. Also, the Biden administration’s endorsement of a “three-foot rule” in schools and the conflict between educators and their union representatives.
After yesterday's podcast highlighted Biden's homeland security secretary all but inviting illegal aliens to cross the border—but later on–George Stephanopoulos helped the president fix the problem his underling had created. But is this really a fix, or just a dodge? And why would Biden endorse making the filibuster a "talking filibuster"? And why did he sort of say and not say that Andrew Cuomo should resign? And more. Give a listen.
The Biden administration's homeland security secretary went on Good Morning America and suggested to those streaming across the border and the parents who are sending their kids across that they might want to wait until the administration sets up a better system. Are they kidding? No. Meanwhile, the Washington Post corrects itself on Trump and Dr. Fauci offers praise for his own supposed truth-telling. Give a listen.
Christine goes to a demonstration. Liberals act like the Biden administration has brought Christmas every day. Andrew Cuomo sends his sub-goon to scare New York state politicians. And the Oscars are still kinda white. Today's podcast is a smorgasbord of delights. Give a listen.
Today's podcast analyzes Joe Biden's speech to the nation regarding the pandemic and asks whether he's remaining funereal about the present and immediate future in order to be able to claim victory after victory because of underpromising or out of a desire to keep people under control until we can be sure the virus is fading away. And what's this about New York Democrats in the House wanting Andrew Cuomo to resign? Give a listen.
Today's podcast reflects on how the purpose of social media is increasingly as a forum for cruelty–and why that is so seductive to so many people. Also, the reinvention of Joe Biden as the second coming of FDR: will it stick? We warn about the possibility of violence surrounding the trial of Derek Chauvin, and wonder who hasn't been molested by Andrew Cuomo. Give a listen.
The popular "relief" bill and the vaccine rollout accelerations put Joe Biden in the catbird seat, setting himself up to take credit both for our emergence from the pandemic and a roaring economic recovery. Will it work? Also, what did Dr. Fauci mean when he said the CDC would be liberalizing its guidance over the next few weeks—was this an implicit admission it was slowing the roll until the relief bill is signed into law? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the question of whether Bernie Sanders could have been as functionally left-wing as president as Joe Biden is being. And what is this game in which liberals create culture wars and then say conservatives are crazy for reacting to them? Give a listen.
The $1.9 trillion relief and stimulus bill returns us to the era of big government, as we discuss today on the podcast. We also talk about the problems of royal families both real (the Sussexes) and imaginary (the Zamundans in Coming 2 America) and, yes, Andrew Cuomo. Give a listen.
The news just keeps getting worse for New York's governor, with state officials saying they feared for their jobs if they did not participate in a cover-up of COVID death data and a powerful and credible interview with a woman whom he allegedly harassed. And what's this: Connecticut opening up? Is its Democratic governor a Neanderthal in Joe Biden's eyes? Give a listen.
A day of confusion in Washington as the Biden administration says it wants schools reopened but then also seems to implicitly agree with the teachers' unions that schools can't reopen until everyone is vaccinated by insisting on "prioritizing" teachers. How to make sense out of this? And what's this huge story out of Israel about a mammoth oil spill? Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the decision of Texas Gov. Abbott to loosen all state-level mandates relating to the coronavirus and asks whether this is a worthy experiment or a dangerous threat. And what about what's going on with American policy toward Iran and Saudi Arabia? Give a listen.
Today's podcast wonders at the possibility of Andrew Cuomo being destroyed not by his nursing-home scandal but because of sexual harassment. What's a bigger problem? And we take up the phenomenon of elite panic deepening even as the vaccine news gets better and better. Give a listen.
Today's podcast expresses optimism and relief at the continuing good news on the vaccine front and expresses schadenfreude at the continuing troubles of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Also, Trump returns to CPAC. Give a listen.
The podcasters end the week arguing over the meaning of the Biden administration's decision to strike Iranian targets even as they attempt to reenter Obama's Iran nuclear deal. And wonder as well at the bribery and fecklessness in the $1.9 trillion relief/stimulus bill and what it portends. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the consequences of Andrew Cuomo's unambiguously repellent sexual harassment of an Albany aide as well as the nightmarish false accusations of racism against workers at Smith College. Oh, and Trump at CPAC. Give a listen.
With the good news about the vaccine, the question that faces us (and the podcast crew today) is how will the politicians who have exercised such extraordinary powers over the past year behave now that they should no longer be used or necessary? Once they've tasted the sweet ambrosia of control, can they give it up? And hey, notice that Biden now has "kids in cages" too? Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the latest blowup in the Cultural Revolution overtaking journalism, as Slate defenestrates a staffer who actually did something woke—but thought it over first. Should we care, or does this mean no one is safe from this marauding band of cancellers? How about the Biden people trying to use ethnicity and gender to protect and advance the cause of a controversial appointee's confirmation? And how did Biden do in commemorating the horror of half a million American lives lost to COVID? Give a listen.
The vaccine news, especially out of Israel, is startlingly good—especially as regards the transmissibility of the coronavirus. So why, the podcast crew asks, are the elites focusing on the bad, bad, very bad? Is this just a matter of habit, or is there something political going on? And why did Biden even nominate Neera Tanden, who is almost certainly not going to get confirmed as OMB director? And why do liberals think there's no dignity in work? Give a listen.
The podcast crew enjoys watching Andrew Cuomo's halo turn into a shackle, and wonders at the larger meaning of Ted Cruz's self-inflicted disaster of a trip to a beach while his constituents freeze in their homes. Give a listen.
Congressional Democrats haven’t even passed their proposed $2 trillion COVID relief package and they’re already talking about teeing up a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure bill. Are Democrats repeating the mistakes of Barack Obama’s first term? Also, the delusions of Ben Rhodes and Rush Limbaugh’s legacy.
The podcast dissects Joe Biden’s CNN town hall and tries to parse his administration’s conspicuous fear of affirming that society will ever return to something resembling “normal.” Also, the battle for the soul of the GOP continues with Trump in the wilderness.
Why are Andrew Cuomo's poll numbers still strong? Why is Joe Biden making anti-Israel personnel moves at the State Department and refusing to talk to Benjamin Netanyahu? Why is Nancy Pelosi forming a commission to investigate the January 6 storming of the Capitol? And why is a 16-year-old's mental health fodder for a reality show? Give a listen.
The podcast achieves new heights, or lows, of crushing morosity today as we contemplate the botched impeachment trial—botched by Democrats!—and the new "how to open schools" guidance from the CDC that seems not to follow the science but rather the desires of liberal and leftist "stakeholders." Oh, and some interesting Democratic appointments round it all out. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the third day of the impeachment trial and raises questions about the effectiveness of the Democratic case. Then we talk about the admission of guilt by Andrew Cuomo's top aide relating to the undercounting of nursing-home deaths. And Christine Rosen's brilliant new article. Give a listen.
Today's podcast looks at the narrative presented at the impeachment trial and how it reveals the disturbing nature of a riot whose participants seemed to have themselves taken on the roles of avenging angels and villains in a dark superhero movie. What does this say about us? And what does it say about us that a doctor trying to find willing arms into which he could inject a rapidly expiring vile of COVID vaccine was fired and charged with a crime for not pursuing "equity"? Give a listen.
How bad were Trump's lawyers? Does it matter? How good were the House managers? Does it matter? Does anything matter? How about opening schools—and why are John's kids' schools open while yours are closed? And what does Philip Larkin have to tell us about the world under COVID? Give a listen.
The podcast today takes note of the Democratic hunger to get the Senate impeachment trial over with as quickly as possible so they can hand out $2 trillion worth of goodies to the public and what this says about the seriousness of the liberal conviction about Trump being a threat to the republic. And what on earth is going on at the New York Times? Give a listen.
Can we ever enjoy ourselves again? That's the question the podcast crew says was raised by the lame commercials at last night's Super Bowl—and by the continuing efforts of the public-health bureaucracy to tell us we will never emerge from the COVID regime. Give a listen.
The Commentary podcast on the risks in the new stimulus, Ben Sasse’s admonition of his state’s Republicans, and warmth of the spotlight on public health officials.
Here’s the good news: The House Republican conference voted overwhelmingly against punishing Rep. Liz Cheney for her vote to impeach Donald Trump in defiance of the GOP’s populist wing. Here’s the bad news: That same conference also gave Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a standing ovation and is disinclined to anathematize her conspiratorial paranoia. So, is everything completely terrible or just really bad? The COMMENTARY podcast debates the proper level of despair.
Have liberals finally had enough? Are they going to break discipline once they get the vaccine and stop insisting everyone wear three masks? And why does the Biden administration not want to participate in legal action against racial discrimination? Give a listen.
The podcast says Joe Biden's choice of negotiating with Republicans or ramming his own COVID deal through represents a hinge moment for his presidency only 13 days in! And the impeachment trial and what Donald Trump will require of Senate Republicans may be the historical hinge moment for the GOP. Give a listen.
Today's podcast raises the specter of a negotiation between the new president and ten Republicans who offer the possibility of a bipartisan deal on COVID relief. Will he take it as an opportunity to prove he can work across the aisle or view it as a political trap? Also, more on Andrew Cuomo's perfidy and Donald Trump's GOP blackmail. Give a listen.
The podcast goes at Andrew Cuomo hammer and tong as the whistle is blown by a fellow Democrat in New York state on his handling of the coronavirus. But that's not all! What about Trump and Kevin McCarthy? What about Nancy Pelosi's enemies list? What about hedge fund guys yelling on TV about people who have no right to invest the way they invest? Give a listen.
The COMMENTARY Podcast is not the place you want to turn for stock market tips but we do have something to say about the political and cultural meaning of the extraordinary events surrounding the Gamestop stock and the runup in its value. And we wonder at the Biden administration's foot-in-mouth disease when it comes to job-destroying executive orders. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the executive order frenzy of the new administration and Biden's embrace of critical race theory and the teachers' unions' view of how no school should reopen (watch this jaw-dropping video from the teachers union in Chicago) until they decide it's safe. And, of course, the looming Senate trial in the Trump impeachment. Give a listen.
Today's podcast asks whether the Democrats are both overplaying their hand politically and setting themselves up to seem like extremists in 2022 or whether Republicans in places like Oregon are setting up the GOP for disaster because of their embrace of conspiracy theory and lies. And what does this mean for the politicians who like to straddle fences? Give a listen.
Today's podcast gets into the COVID confusion of the moment and the continuing refusal of elected officials and public-health people to speak the simple truth about what they know and what they don't—and the fact that tradeoffs are difficult and painful and horrible. Also, the Biden administration gets tested abroad and the GOP continues to eat its own. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features the gang playing psychiatrist as we try to analyze the claim of a New York Times columnist that she has been in an emotional prison since the election of 2016. How will they get over their addiction to Trump hatred? And how will we be able to deal with the fact that our leaders in Washington now insist everyone wear masks but take theirs off at the least opportunity? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up Joe Biden's early executive actions and the complaints by his COVID czar that they've been left no plan to implement, which is a falsehood but politically very much in keeping with the way incoming administrations try to lower expectations. The question is: Will Biden go woke when his entire candidacy was a feint toward the non-woke? Give a listen.
Host of ABC’s “The View,” Meghan McCain, joins the podcast today to talk about Joe Biden’s inauguration as president, the fallout from the January 6 Capitol Building riots, and what it will be like to host a daytime talk show without President Trump.
Today's podcast takes up the surreal fact that Joe Biden will be president, and Donald Trump will not be president—and yet it still feels like Trump is the only news game in town and nobody cares what Biden will say or do. Also some football talk! Give a listen.
Bret Stephens, newly minted COMMENTARY contributing editor, joins the podcast today to discuss his blockbuster article, "Memo to President Biden: Please Don't Mess Up the Abraham Accords." Give a listen.
Today's podcast examines the Biden promise to see 100 million vaccinations in 100 days and asks whether that's actually ambitious enough. And we take on the disgraceful assault by a Biden spokeshack on a grieving constituent. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the second impeachment and the quandary facing the Senate as regards the trial of Donald Trump. Will it involve an assault on free speech? Why are liberals so intent on cracking down on speech anyway? And what about the GOP and Trump's continued popularity? Give a listen.
Today's podcast anticipates the House's vote to impeach Donald Trump a second time and where things go from here—is this the worst possible way to do something our crew does think is vitally necessary? And how badly will the Republican Party fracture over this? Give a listen.
Congress once again compelled to take up an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump, and the old political calculations are making a comeback. Republicans have a gun to their heads—if reports are to be believed, in a very literal sense, and are increasingly less inclined to support such a motion. But Democrats don’t seem inclined to make betraying Trump an enticing prospect. Is everyone going to blow it?
Our podcast today is supersized as we take on the aftermath of the riots, the removal of Trump from Twitter and the removal of Parler from the Internet, the Republican Party's challenge, the prospects for impeachment and removal, and the very nature of reality itself. Get a cup of coffee and give a listen.
With the fallout settling from the siege of the Capitol Building, it has become clear that there should be serious consequences to render that event unthinkable. But what should they be? From impeaching the president, to shaming the lawmakers who allowed this to happen, to the fight for the soul of the GOP; the podcast discusses and debates next steps.
The insurrection staged by Donald Trump yesterday is the focus of our podcast today, and what remedies should or could be adopted to deal with one of the most disgusting events in American political history. Give a listen.
The podcast considers the meaning of the Democratic victories in Georgia and the fact that four years ago Republicans had secured control of the House, the Senate, and the White House—and have now, four years later, lost them all. Give a listen.
Today's podcast steps back from day-to-day politics to feature our friend Daniel Casse discussing his fascinating Wall Street Journal op-ed, "The Future Turns 50 This Year." How did 1971 change everything? Give a listen.
First podcast of 2021: Trump's astounding phone call, Cuomo's COVID response, conspiracy theorizing... What year is this again? Give a listen.
Outgoing President Donald Trump issues two final insults to the American people on his way out the door by throwing a wrench into negotiations over a new COVID relief bill when the deal is already done and by pardoning three convicted former Republican officeholders. Also, Christine’s adventures in music, John and Abe’s take on film, and Noah’s abject dullness. Give a listen, and we’ll see you all in the new year.
Increasingly, the progressive left has abandoned the cause of decriminalization in favor of decarceration, expanding the terms of the debate around criminal justice reform to include the virtual abolition of criminal justice as we know it. What was the genesis of this idea, and what could its political consequences be?
The new round of stimulus, a more infectious strain of COVID-19 emerging in the U.K., Donald Trump’s latest episodes of impotent flailing in the general direction of November’s election results, and Joe Biden’s diminished presence on the public stage. It’s all here in the latest episode of the COMMENTARY podcast.
The podcast takes up the horrendous "medical ethics" talk surrounding the distribution of the vaccine, as well as the roles of luck and gratitude in American life, a surprising reversal of fortune for AOC, and the incoming Senator whose name makes him sound like a character on "Captain Kangaroo." Give a listen.
Today's podcast concerns Biden-team attacks on "terrible" Republicans, whether Biden himself was too negative in his "I won" speech earlier this week—and why it is that Democrats have become the enemies of fun. Give a listen.
Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about his blockbuster COMMENTARY essay "Guilty and Framed." Also, we ask: Why are talking-head doctors and public health officials telling everybody we'll all have to keep living this way even after we get the vaccine? Are they crazy? Give a listen.
The podcast raises the prospect that it's really Joe Biden's presidency that will be unprecedented—because he'll be the first president in many decades who won't become the sun around which all the political planets revolve. Give a listen.
The podcast takes up the question of whether the Right's refusal to accept Joe Biden's victory is genuinely revolutionary or more of an enraged howl against systemic media bias—which also has shown its true colors in the attack on one of COMMENTARY's most valued contributors, Joseph Epstein. Give a listen.
Dan Senor, co-author of Start-Up Nation and host of the new "Post Corona" podcast, joins us today to talk about the electoral college and who intimidated whom (answer: Democrats sought to intimidate Trump electors in 2016) and how the transformative Abraham Accords might be derailed by a Biden administration just as Bibi Netanyahu finds himself in existential trouble as his trial is getting ready to begin. Give a listen.
Tech COMMENTARY columnist James B. Meigs joins us today to discuss his piece, "We're Living in a New Space Age"—and the launch of the massive rocket yesterday by Elon Musk's SpaceX that was both a triumph and a disaster. Give a listen.
The hosts look back on all the many crises Donald Trump’s behavior was expected to yield. And while his behavior is doubtlessly dangerous, it has not produced the kind of perilous legal circumstances Trump’s critics feared. Also, Abe Greenwald posits a unified theory of protest movements.
The COMMENTARY gang welcomes P.J. O'Rourke, first-time magazine contributor with his wonderful and acid piece "Shamalot" in our December issue, to the podcast to talk about JFK, Chinese spies, and Biden cabinet picks. Give a listen.
Andrew Ferguson joins the podcast today to discuss lockdown culture and what it's doing to small businesses, what's behind the idea that the election was "stolen" from Donald Trump, and why the story about American diplomats being attacked by foreign intelligence agencies using microwaves isn't a bigger deal. Give a listen.
Will we split into a vaccinated/non-vaccinated society next year? That's the key subject of today's podcast, along with conspiracy theories, that old favorite. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the bizarre situation in the Senate runoffs in Georgia and the developing fights inside the Democratic party pitting actually popular national political figures (like Barack Obama) against radical local politicians (like Missouri's Cori Bush) who seem to think they know better. Give a listen.
What did the president-elect mean when he invoked treating Trump voters with "dignity" in an interview? And how desperate is he to go back into the Iran nuclear deal? All this, plus pardons and some really disgraceful behavior by Roger Stone and Michael Flynn on today's podcast. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up elite condescension—in advice on how to use words to convince people to be more responsible pandemic citizens and on the credentialism that limits social mobility and privileges the already privileged. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the Supreme Court's ruling on religious shutdowns, the COVID spike that doesn't quite seem as horrendous as the conventional wisdom says, and the crocodile tears being shed over the Iranian nuclear scientist who was assassinated in Tehran. Give a listen.
Today's pre-Thanksgiving podcast concludes with our heartfelt expressions of gratitude for family, friends, co-workers... and our readers and listeners. Before that, we take up new CDC guidance on quarantining and an astonishing thing Barack Obama said about Latino voters. Give a listen.
With the news that Donald Trump is allowing the transition to begin, the post-election madness has pretty much come to an end. What will its long-term consequences be, if any? Give a listen.
Our podcast crew wonders at the disintegration of the Trump case and the dissolution of the Trump legal team and asks whether it is comic or tragic and what the fallout will be. And then we take up the incoming Biden foreign policy team and how woke or not-so-woke it will be. Give a listen.
What, our podcast asks, does it mean when the best thing you can say about the Trump fraud allegations are that the president is crazy and not that he's up to something politically? And what are the consequences going to be for teachers' unions as they attempt to prevent schoolchildren from, you know, learning? Give a listen.
Today's podcast features some out-and-out ranting against the egregious behavior of New York's Andrew Cuomo before we go on to rant about the egregious headline writing in the New York Times and the egregious ideas of some Democratic officials regarding Israel and the Palestinians. Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up a promising proposal for a home "contagiousness" test that everyone can take, as described by Harvard's Michael Mina in this article in Time. Will empowering the American people in this way work? We disagree on that. And we disagree on the consequences of the continuing dispute about the election results. Give a listen.
Recent revelations involving Iran’s nuclear program will leave Joe Biden with some hard choices to make about America’s foreign policy toward the region. But Biden will face resistance from his party’s left flank if he is to embrace and navigate the new geopolitical reality in the Middle East. Also, the podcast hosts discuss their articles in the forthcoming post-election issue of COMMENTARY.
2020 Election Superstar Steve Kornacki joins our podcast today to discuss the fascinating and unprecedented political situation now facing Joe Biden—with what is likely to be a Republican Senate and a teeny-tiny Democratic majority in the House. How can he govern? Also, I complain about Nate Silver. Give a listen.
What is driving the political world’s fixation with the president even as he has largely ceded the spotlight to his rival? Is it Trump’s still menacing but largely banal self-affirmations on Twitter, or is Joe Biden just such an unenthusiastic prospect for the left that they are milking the final weeks of the Trump era for all they are worth?
So the COVID surge has Andrew Cuomo banning in-home gatherings of groups larger than 10. Can he do this? Can the surge cause new lockdowns that people will follow? And what will the economic consequences be? Give a listen.
The podcast today examines how Joe Biden came out and calmly said he'd be president soon and didn't much care what Donald Trump was doing—and three seconds later the political world had a collective nervous breakdown over a weird series of firings and new installations at the Department of Defense. Biden wants to cool things down, but he seems to be the only one. What's going on here? Give a listen.
Today's podcast dives deep into the hypocrisy of those who are decrying the Trump effort to claim voter fraud when they spent four years saying Russians stuffed our ballot boxes and Stacey Abrams won Georgia in 2018 when she lost by 60,000 votes. More hypocrisies abound. We go through them and get pretty riled up. Give a listen.
The podcast considers how we can turn the page on the Trump presidency now that Biden is president-elect—and how conservative ideas of manliness should both govern the president's behavior going forward and what his most loyal supporters should actually expect of him. Rest assured we do not let Joe Biden off the hook—despite moderate talk during his acceptance speech, he's already kowtowing to his party's left, and we show how. Give a listen.
The podcast crew talks about how things will function in a brave new world in which Joe Biden will be president—while at the same time the Republican Party lives to fight another day with an unexpected surge below the presidential level. Give a listen.
The podcast today examines the polling results that show net gains for the GOP in the House and surprising holds in Senate races suggesting the Republicans will maintain their majority next term. At the same time, Donald Trump seems to have lost at least three, and maybe as many as five, of the states he won last time—while issue-less Joe Biden won more votes than anyone ever by a large margin. We unpack the meaning of all this. Give a listen.
Yes, we Commentary podcasters were up all night, like you, and so we spend some time trying to speak coherently about what happened, what is happening, and why pollsters should be put in a rocketship and fired directly at the sun. Give a listen.
On the Election Day podcast, when it's all over but the results, we stop the punditry and look back to elections past with our friend Daniel Casse, veteran Republican campaign hand. What happened with Clint Eastwood and the empty chair? How about Chris Christie's entourage? How Bob Dole chose the seating chart on his plane? And lots more. Give a listen.
The COMMENTARY podcast does something a little different to celebrate Election Day eve. We went back into the archives to reexamine the last podcast ahead of Election Day 2016 and, upon review, there are a lot of eerie similarities between then and now.
A few more hours...that's all the time we've got. (As Alfred Doolittle sings in "My Fair Lady.") So we discuss the final numbers—presidential job approval—that offer a pretty solid sense of where the election might end up. And the weird Senate situation in Georgia. And the paradox of the shy Trump voter. Give a listen.
Today's podcast begins with a huge economic number—33-plus percent growth. And yet we all agree the president is unlikely to get much credit and explain why. Also, why liberals are increasingly moving toward the view that anyone who disagrees with them is evil. Give a listen.
Today's podcast deals with the astonishing media attitude toward the rioting in Philadelphia and the continuing refusal to cover the story being told about Hunter Biden and the Biden family by Tony Bobulinski—a story we don't even really think is on the money, but that should not be ignored. Give a listen.
Today's podcast reels in disbelief at the liberal disingenuousness in claiming the Right has violated norms in relation to Supreme Court nominations when the norm violators are...liberals. And then we tackle the ludicrous lengths to which liberal media bias is working to defend Joe Biden even when he might need no defense. Give a listen.
Do the Trump campaign’s efforts to appeal to the COVID fatigued voter suggest they know something about the electorate that isn’t showing up in the polling? Or is the president just flailing about in the final days of a losing campaign?
The final debate of the 2020 presidential cycle featured a surprisingly competent Donald Trump and a listless Joe Biden. And that lopsided performance has led Biden’s tacit or overt supporters in the press to approach the subject of Biden’s mendacity gingerly and with trepidation. But that abdication will have profoundly negative consequences if Joe Biden becomes president.
Do the revelations involving Hunter Biden’s emails that purport to implicate his father in efforts to profit off foreign interests matter? The COMMENTARY podcast debates the issue and previews tonight’s final presidential debate.
The suffocating anxiety in liberal circles and the weird complacency in Trumpian circles derives from the same unconscious belief—the belief that Donald Trump possesses supernatural powers that either threaten to or will happily make him unstoppable.
Data from New York City shows without question that schools must be opened. Meanwhile, in Fairfax County, Va., the union is demanding schools remain closed until next September. Something very, very bad is going on here. Give a listen.
The podcast today takes up the subject of liberal panic that they are being lulled into a false sense of security by the polling suggesting a big Biden win before we discuss the American obsession with conspiracy theories and ask the question: Has it ever been thus? Have we always loved nutso ideas? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the rival Trump-Biden town halls and their overall effect and then tries to come up with a scenario under which the president wins an election almost all the polls say he is on the way to losing. Give a listen.
Today's podcast dives deep into the behavior of the mainstream media and tech companies in response to a New York Post story about Joe Biden's son Hunter—about the naked and deliberate way they sought to shut down access to the story and choke the oxygen out of it before it went viral. What conceivable defense can there be for such behavior? And why did they do it? Give a listen.
Today's podcast takes up the ludicrous and offensive efforts to brand Amy Coney Barrett a colonizer and a homophobe, even as polls show the American people (and Democrats!) are taking to her. Also, what on earth was Nancy Pelosi doing attacking CNN's Wolf Blitzer for being a...Republican? Give a listen.
The podcast crew takes up the idea that American liberals have collectively hit upon their closing message for the election: The GOP is the party of the disease. The question, then, is: Will they change their tune and their approach to the virus if their team wins on November 3? Give a listen.
As the Senate begins the process of hearing the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the capacity of partisan Democrats to internalize and adopt whole or partial untruths is being tested to its limits.
In this episode, the COMMENTARY crew unloads on everyone. Can Joe Biden make it all the way to Election Day without saying whether he supports or opposes his party’s threats to pack the Supreme Court? Will Donald Trump ever answer for his incitements and the atmosphere to which he’s contributed, which has recently culminated in a plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer?
The crew breaks down Wednesday night’s vice-presidential debate and talks a little poetry.
Donald Trump’s decision to announce that he was walking away from the table amid negotiations with Democrats over another tranche of COVID relief sent shockwaves through the markets and the political landscape. Did he have a plan, or, as his subsequent tweets suggest, was this a fit of pique? Also, forecasting the highlights from tonight’s vice-presidential debate. AEI scholar Matthew Continetti joins the show to discuss all this and more.
The president’s diagnosis has shattered the unreality of this presidency and reminded Americans of the very real consequences that result from public policy.
What has Donald Trump’s COVID diagnosis done to the national political landscape? Will the public respond with sympathy or does the event merely reinforce the belief that the president’s recklessness has contributed to the longevity of this pandemic?
How will Donald Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis reshape the political landscape? No one knows. But we do have some speculative thoughts on how this could play out.
With the polls seeming to be moving away from the president, it’s time to prepare for the prospect of a Biden presidency and a Democratic Congress. What will that look like? What will Biden do and what won’t he be able to do? And how will Republicans respond to their loss?
The COMMENTARY crew breaks down the unholy spectacle to which we were all privy during Tuesday night’s first presidential debate. Strap in.
The revelations about how little Donald Trump paid in income taxes may be a central issue in tonight’s debate, but that could overshadow other issues that are more beneficial to Joe Biden and his party. What do the candidates need to do to “win” the first presidential debate?
The gang convenes on a Sunday morning for a very special episode of the COMMENTARY podcast, and it’s all about Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court seat last held by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amy Coney Barrett.
Donald Trump’s apparent decision to make people apprehensive about whether he will vacate his office should he lose the election has lent credence to some otherwise insane theories about how the election will play out. Also, the looming threat of a second lockdown and the psychology of COVID malaise.
Does Donald Trump have a plan when he does absurd things like refuse to entertain the prospect of a peaceful transition of power if he was to lose the election? Of course, he doesn’t. But that doesn’t make it any less contemptuous. Also, the indictment of a Kentucky police officer in connection with the death of Breonna Taylor, cosmic injustice, and our culture’s inability to handle moral ambiguity.
What is the Biden campaign’s pathway to victory? The campaign is sending plenty of signals about what demographics it needs to win, but Biden’s party and its preferred preconceptions have become an obstacle in that pursuit. Also, the looming backlash against the cultural dominance of Critical Race Theory.
What is the principle at stake if Republicans pursue a raw exercise of power over Democratic objections to confirm a new justice to the Supreme Court? We’re not sure. But it’s also possible that the equilibrium some fear might be overturned by such a course of action doesn’t exist because there is no normal anymore.
The podcast reflects on the life of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and discusses the nervous breakdown to which Democrats have succumbed following her death.
Today's Noah-less podcast features the Commentary crew's horrified disbelief at Alex Ross's astounding claim in the New Yorker that American classical music originates from white supremacy, moves on to the justice or lack thereof in the coming ban on Chinese social media platforms in the United States, and then judges Joe Biden's town hall performance on CNN. Give a listen.
With Noah Rothman out today, we podcasters are joined by Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt, polymath and creator of colorful metaphors, to discuss this important question: Does anything matter? Is the election still up in the air or is the result baked in the cake? To find out, give a listen.
The COMMENTARY crew is having none of the efforts on the part of some in the press to downplay historic developments in the Middle East. Also, the hosts debate whether Donald Trump’s performance during Tuesday night’s ABC News town hall was up to par.
The realignment of geopolitics in the Middle East has many fathers, and Donald Trump was only one of them. What the thaw in Sunni states’ relations with Israel means for America moving forward. Also, for all the talk of the president’s “white grievance” politics, he’s performing better among minority voters in polls than he did in 2016 while white voters are fleeing his coalition.
The media can't bear to report it, but the polling over the weekend shows movement toward Donald Trump and rising concern over urban unrest—and they're going hand in hand. Can the Biden people see what's happening or are they blinded by their press coverage? And we discuss Christine Rosen's important article, "You Will Be Re-Educated." Give a listen.
The 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has been met with a campaign to compare the deaths from that day to those attributable to the pandemic, which is rather gross. Also, is Donald Trump’s campaign showing signs of life? And, finally, film and television recommendations from the COMMENTARY crew.
President Donald Trump stares into the storm as revelations he himself gave to Bob Woodward about how he deliberately downplayed the threat posed by COVID-19 dominate the news. He is, as ever, his own worst enemy. Also, the absurd and highly politicized reports around how gatherings of Trump supporters (and seemingly only Trump supporters) represent a public health emergency.
From entertainment to the academy, the COMMENTARY podcast takes note of the many cultural institutions that are hoisting themselves on their own petards.
The violence in American cities has done nothing for Donald Trump’s polling. But if voters have determined that Biden is a remedy for urban unrest, among other things, and that remedy proves ineffectual, the counterreaction may be profound.
The madness continues, with the Antifa suspect in a point-blank assassination of a Trump supporter shot dead by federal marshals as police officers find themselves in the crosshairs in various cities—and Donald Trump is accused of calling dead Americans who served and died for their country "losers." We talk about what it all means—and why you should watch "Cobra Kai" on Netflix—on today's podcast. Give a listen.
Does anything we talk about on a daily basis really matter? The COMMENTARY podcast confronts the existential question: Maybe this election is already decided, and neither events nor campaign strategy can alter the trajectory of this race.
Is Donald Trump’s effort to brand Joe Biden both an agent of the chaos we’re seeing in American city streets and a champion of harmful and unnecessary pandemic-related restrictions working? The polls don’t seem to suggest as much.
Did Joe Biden help himself with his statement against violence and looting? Will Donald Trump help himself by traveling to Kenosha? Are the polls tightening? Is the violence going to get worse? It's our podcast. Give a listen.
On today's podcast, we ask: Is the presidential race turning due to the growing disorder and chaos in our cities? There's every indication Democrats and Joe Biden are worried it might be, and that Donald Trump is hoping that he can use the violence as a lever to change his fortunes. Give a listen.
The final night of the Republican National Convention reached beyond the base with affecting speakers and profoundly compelling themes. And then, Donald Trump sucked all the air out of the room with a disappointing acceptance speech. Will it matter, though, as the nation becomes increasingly consumed with anxiety over the violence in American cities. National Affairs editor Yuval Levin joins the show to discuss these issues and more.
The Republican Party’s nominating convention has been efficiently produced and effective at communicating to conservatives why they should come home to the GOP. That combined with declining concern over the pandemic and ongoing violent crime in even small American cities seems to have unnerved Democrats.
Night one of the Republican National Convention featured many interesting dynamics. Foremost among them has to be that the most effective elements were the Republican Party’s pre-Trump themes and old guard establishment politicians.
The GOP gets the opportunity to make their case to the nation on the first night of the Republican National Convention. The Democratic Party’s failure to address rising rates of violent crime and episodes of civil unrest around the country represents a prime opportunity to strike the contrast they want.
Joe Biden closed the final night of the Democratic National Convention with his pitch to voters, which is, essentially, that he’s a nice guy and Donald Trump is not. But will that be enough?
The podcast breaks down the third night of the Democratic National Convention, which featured prominent speeches by President Barack Obama and Sen. Kamala Harris.
The second night of the Democratic National Convention, while better staged and presented than night one, has frustrated Democratic partisans because it once again featured too many Republicans. But if the conventions no longer serve as events at which a nominee is chosen and a platform is settled upon, what’s their point if not to make the party’s pitch to voters outside their tent? Also, Laura Loomer’s primary victory and the slow death of the institutional apparatus once known as the GOP.
The first night of the Democratic National Convention was… weird. The hosts of the podcast discuss the speakers, the spectacle, and the misconception of politics as an extension of activism that has overtaken the Democratic Party.
Is the violence in the streets getting worse? Is Trump trying to corrupt the election by handcuffing the U.S. Post Office? Is the national conversation being defined by paranoids?
The historic announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will pursue a peace accord reflects changing dynamics in the Middle East that the European and American left simply refuse to acknowledge. But there will be no turning the clock back.
Abe Greenwald discusses his lead article in the September 2020 issue of COMMENTARY, “Yes, This Is a Revolution.” Also, the hosts break down the debut of the Biden-Harris ticket.
Joe Biden has chosen Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, and the center-left press is finally excited about the Democratic ticket. But Harris’s maladroit run for the presidency shows that she is a risky choice. Also, the hosts of the podcast share their obsessions of the day.
Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick is, apparently, imminent. The podcast discusses the most likely candidates—what do they bring to the table, and how could they undermine Biden’s candidacy. Also, New Zealand’s draconian response to a new COVID-19 infection raises questions about the viability of lockdown enthusiasm.
This weekend’s violence in Chicago exposes the extent to which the rioting never stopped even though the press has long ago moved on from the story. Also, the podcast debates the legal and principled arguments both for and against Donald Trump’s executive orders expanding unemployment benefits and deferring payroll taxes.
The Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, is suing the National Rifle Association and seeking the group’s dissolution. But, politically, the issue of gun rights has always favored gun owners, and the effort may backfire on Democrats. Also, Donald Trump is seeking to force Chinese firms with holdings in certain apps to sell their stakes, but those firms also have a stake in several popular gaming platforms. That, too, threatens to mobilize a constituency that Republicans don’t understand. Are both parties awakening sleeping giants?
Negotiations over a new pandemic relief package in Congress stalls as Democrats expand their demands. Will they suffer political consequences as a result of this calculation? Also, we discuss what we’re reading—if we’re reading anything—and the future of college education after the Coronavirus recedes.
Democratic voters in Missouri went to the polls on Tuesday and ejected another longtime incumbent from federal office. This has become a trend—one that suggests the Democratic Party is undergoing an ideological makeover, and that process is being driven from below. It looks like the Democratic Tea Party they said could never happen is upon us.
Has the Biden campaign succumbed to a false sense of complacency around the state of the 2020 race? There is still a lot of game left to play and events yet to occur that will alter the trajectory of the race, but is the Democratic candidate nimble enough to meet them?
It’s November 3. Much of the country has re-imposed lockdown restrictions. Businesses are failing in record numbers. The nation’s education system is teetering on the brink. And Election Day is typified by long lines at a truncated number of polling places and a record number of absentee ballots that will take weeks to tally. This perfectly thinkable scenario could have disastrous results.
Tech commentary columnist James B. Meigs joins the program to break down Thursday’s congressional hearing on Silicon Valley. How consolidation in the tech world makes disasters more likely. Also, Barack Obama’s politicized eulogy for the late Rep. John Lewis and his naked effort to raise the temperature on a nation already near the boiling point.
The purveyors of crushing morosity at the COMMENTARY podcast get really morose with this one. Donald Trump’s suggestion that the election should be postponed is an assault on the American civic compact and illustrates his lack of fitness for the office he holds. Also, how the arrest of a transgender teen in New York City exposed the mania of the talker class.
Attorney General William Barr faces a grilling on Capitol Hill that seemed to serve no higher purpose than allowing Democrats to vent and giving Republicans a chance to demonstrate their fealty to the administration. Which leads the podcast to ask the question on every political observer’s mind: What good are congressional hearings? Is this what majoritarian democracy becomes?
CNN senior political writer and analyst Harry Enten joins the podcast today to discuss the dynamics of the 2020 presidential race. Can Donald Trump turn this thing around? Does Joe Biden really have to worry about his left flank? Is there a shy Trump vote? We ask, Enten answers.
As America’s summer of civil disorder intensifies, those who are discomfited with urban violence and a culture of intolerance on the political left do not fall neatly along ideological lines. Does this moment have the makings of a political realignment? Also, Eli Lake joins the program to update us on the scandal within the FBI.
Andrew Cuomo launches a war on chicken wings in a poorly veiled attempt to prevent restaurants and bars from criticizing his overreaching edicts. Also, has Donald Trump become resigned to losing? His tonal shift suggests as much.
What is federalism? How can it be applied to correct this moment of lawlessness in American cities? The hosts of the COMMENTARY podcast engage in a spirited discussion over what voters who reject this lawlessness to do in this moment.
Trump’s tone shifts as he returns to delivering pandemic-related press conferences. The congressional GOP turns its eyes toward the post-Trump era. And the diplomatic crisis with China deepens as the U.S. shutters a Chinese consulate.
The data continues to belie the notion that the country is facing a Coronavirus crisis akin to what the Northeast experienced in the spring. Also, a debate over just how sincere the nation is in its commitment to addressing “systemic racism.” And the auspicious return of Donald Trump’s COVID briefings.
Rising COVID case rates have still not yet manifested in overwhelming hospitalization rates or even rising mortality figures. Donald Trump continues to fail to represent the interests of Americans who fear and resent lawlessness in American cities. And the social justice movement comes for classical music and the meritocracy that elevates the deserving to positions of prominence. The question looms large: How much is enough?
In American cities, the incentives for reopening appear to conflict with the interests of privileged Democratic constituencies. Guess which side of this conflict elected officials are siding with? Also, the subtle bigotry of anti-racism theories like Intersectionality.
As the president’s poll numbers continue to decline, Donald Trump’s campaign has replaced its campaign manager. But the campaign has been far more focused on making the case against the president’s opponent than the president himself. Also, has the public’s anxiety over a new surge of COVID cases outpaced the rate of new infections?
New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss has resigned her post and, in so doing, indicted the entire enterprise of modern journalism and its woke arbiters. The podcast on that and the epistemological crisis afflicting the left.
Why is the press still covering for Andrew Cuomo’s disastrous COVID-19 response? And why is the White House going to war against its own public health advisor, Dr. Anthony Facui? The answer may be the cults of personality surrounding them both.
Donald Trump’s Friday night commutation of his associate, Roger Stone, further reinforces the public’s apprehension about his presidency. Parsing the statistics that contribute to the impression that the country is in the grip of a new surge of COVID-19 cases. And Peter Beinart’s attack on Israel even as the Jewish State is again saving the world from the prospect of a rogue nuclear power in the Middle East.
Today's podcast features COMMENTARY columnist Matthew Continetti, who joins us to talk in part about his piece, "The Winds of Woke." Do the Democrats have a civil war ahead of them if they win the presidency in November? And what have we learned about leadership from the past few months? Give a listen.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on here, iTunes, or Stitcher.
On today's podcast, Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson joins us to discuss the possible fallout from the Supreme Court's ruling on Donald Trump's financial records. We also weigh in on the fight over reopening schools, Trump's missed opportunities, and the sorry state of mainstream journalism.
Today's podcast takes up the attack on a letter published by Harper's featuring dozens of prominent liberals and leftists defending free expression—ah, the irony! Also, the Cook Political Report all but declares Trump's reelection effort doomed, and whether schooling in the fall is doomed. Give a listen. And, don't forget to subscribe here, on iTunes, or Stitcher.
Today's podcast takes up the fact (as detailed in a chart made by David Bahnsen for his indispensable website Covid and Markets) that deaths and ICU admissions in this supposed dangerous new wave of Covid cases simply don't track with the crisis numbers of a few months ago—something undiscussed in the press. Also, why spend on college when there's no college? Give a listen. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast on here, iTunes, or Stitcher.
Today's podcast goes into the mystifying coverage of the Coronavirus—mystifying because the public is being misled about the fact that the virus's deadliness is (at the moment) on the wane, not on the rise. And we discuss the wild misrepresentation of Donald Trump's speeches this weekend. Could it be that both share the same root: A desire to deliver the knockout blow against Trump now that he's reeling and on the ropes? Plus crime goes crazy in cities and the craze to cancel "Hamilton." Give a listen.
We begin with an effort to sort through the conflicting data and partisan clamor that is guiding policymakers toward potentially ill-considered but extremely important decisions about their respective lockdowns. We end with an impassioned attack on the forces of revisionism, which have gone to war to destroy the idea of American goodness.
The rise of new COVID-19 infections around the country has led states to roll back their plans for reopening, which has left the hosts of the COMMENTARY podcast depressed. Also, as Trump’s political position deteriorates, how will the GOP approach populism in the post-Trump era?
The president faces a growing scandal around his response to the allegation that Russia offered bounties to Taliban insurgents for the killing of U.S. troops. But how sound is that intelligence and why do we know about it? Also, Joe Biden skates without any scrutiny of his rapidly self-radicalizing political coalition, but how long can he get away with it? Will the revolution dissolve if he wins in November?
Contrary to popular pronouncements, it does seem as though the national protests around the killing of George Floyd contributed to the rise of COVID-19 infections. The allegation that Russia has been bankrolling the killing of U.S. service personnel in Afghanistan. Also, the national spasm of madness—from the president on down—continues unabated.
COVID-19 cases are rising around the nation, but it is increasingly difficult to get a sense of the pandemic from a media culture that is invested in wrapping the data up in a political narrative. Also, Donald Trump faces a revolt from his right flank amid sagging poll numbers. Can he run an effective campaign against Joe Biden, and what would it look like?
The COMMENTARY podcast takes a look back at where it all began on this, the 500th episode. Also, an exploration of the demands for social leveling inherent in ideas promoted by those advocating a national racial reconciliation and why they may have a point.
The news for the president goes from bad to worse as the pandemic, economic crisis, and sense that the country is on the wrong track are compounded by a scandal in the Justice Department. Can Trump pull out of this tailspin? And, if he can’t, will the progressives who are generally hostile toward Joe Biden perceive his victory as their own?
Donald Trump makes a hash of his administration’s COVID-19 testing regime. Why is the president handing his opponents a wedge issue by suggesting he wants fewer tests to present a false picture of the outbreak in America? Also, as the assault on American statuary continues in the streets, elected officials are joining with the mob in their attack on the nation’s history.
The rage against statuary dedicated to weighty figures in American history continues, both in the streets and in liberal institutions. Also, Trump’s first post-Coronavirus rally was a bust. What that portends for the rest of the 2020 election cycle.
Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University Wilfred Reilly joins the podcast today to talk about his article in the latest issue of COMMENTARY, “America Run Riot.” A data-driven conversation about the allegations made by some Black Lives Matter activists that there is an epidemic of race-related police violence against minorities in the United States.
In today’s episode: The revelations about Donald Trump in John Bolton’s new book, the efforts to reform the culture within America’s police departments, and some early indications that the Coronavirus epidemic in America is on the cusp of a resurgence.
In today’s episode, the debacle involving an attempt by NBC News to compel Google to “demonetize” The Federalist, a dissection of what activists mean when they advocate “community policing,” and the introduction of the COMMENTARY podcast drinking game.
The COMMENTARY podcast expounds upon the principles set forth in a rare editor’s letter published in the upcoming issue of the magazine: “We Must Stop the Great Unraveling.” A political and legal philosophy that reduces individuals to the categories they were assigned at birth and treats them as representatives of a collective has once again risen to the fore. It must be stopped.
The COMMENTARY podcast on the violence in Atlanta following what may have been a perfectly justified arrest-related shooting and the unequal enforcement of lockdown measures in New York City.
The Democratic Party is self-radicalizing. The Republican Party seems unable to capitalize on that. And the country waits to see which radical group will govern it next.
The COMMENTARY podcast discusses the Hobbesian state of nature into which Seattle is descending as the protesters' demands shift away from racial justice and toward the abolition of capitalism. The anti-police backlash increasingly appears to view human nature and the institutions mankind creates as perfectible, which is a fallacy that can only exist (somewhat counterintuitively) in the absence of ideals.
The COMMENTARY podcast discusses the return of “radical chic” among the liberal intelligentsia, the tension between advocates of incremental reform and revolutionary political activists, and how general election voters will respond to it all in November.
Amid a sea change in public attitudes toward perceived racial disparities in American institutions, what is the proper balance between restorative justice and retributive policies? Can it be struck or even pursued in an age typified by paranoia, mistrust, and political combat?
The COMMENTARY podcast breaks down what the new talking point about the need to “defund the police” is about, which is also ultimately what the staffers’ revolt at the New York Times was about: power. How the public discourse over necessary reforms to policing strategies has been hijacked.
Some shocking (and confusing) good news today on both the economic and pandemic fronts: the nation’s staggeringly high jobless rate began to recovery in May and New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in America, recorded zero deaths related to COVID-19 on Thursday. What are the political implications of all this? Also, it’s day two of the meltdown inside the New York Times over the placement of a sitting U.S. senator’s op-ed.
Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake is back on the show to talk about why recently released transcripts from 2016 only support the conclusions his article on the railroading of Michael Flynn by the Justice Department. Also, the elite liberal revolt against the notion that law and order should be restored by all available means, and the political backlash that may be brewing among the law-abiding when it is clear that abiding by the law is a voluntary condition.
What are the animating philosophies at the heart of the protests that have rocked American cities for the better part of a week? Where does the pursuit and equality before the law run up against vogue academic theories that buttress social justice activism and more closely resemble ethnic determinism and stereotyping? The COMMENTARY podcast discusses and debates.
Amid another night of violence around the nation, it has become apparent that America’s elected officials—from the president on down—have either abdicated their duties or are unable to execute them.
The nation experienced a weekend of civil unrest, including COMMENTARY podcast host Christine Rosen whose home was on the frontlines of the violence. We discuss the conditions that have rocked the country to its foundations and the abdication of our political elites in a moment of chaos.
The COMMENTARY podcast debates the downstream political relevance of what increasingly looks to be a summer of urban unrest fueled by protests against the conduct of police toward racial minorities. Will Donald Trump’s efforts to frame himself as the champion of law and order reactivate his 2016 coalition? Or will these events simply compound a general sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo and, thus, the incumbent president?
Along with a reflection on the current state of discourse around the national move toward reopening society, the COMMENTARY podcast discusses the ongoing assaults on the old orders. Abroad, China has abandoned its traditional caution and is testing its parameters, aggressively, in every direction. At home, domestic violence has erupted over the arrest-related killing of George Floyd. Where does it all end?
The COMMENTARY podcast discusses how online arguments create incentives to make disproportionately high investments in the outcome of those engagements. Whether the stakes are low or high, the level of tension remains static. A dissection of recent controversies and how they take on a more intense dimension when they are rendered abstractions in the arena of the internet.
The single, all-consuming story of our time continues to dominate the press, but there appears to be an increasing hunger among news consumers for distractions from it. And, so, we discuss them. Trump’s aggressive behavior on Twitter. Viral videos. Joe Rogan and the backlash to his success. We discuss it all.
The COMMENTARY podcast dives into the debate over the bounds of liberty as every state in the Union moves in the direction of reopening their societies and economies. Meanwhile, China’s crackdown presents opportunities for the president to strike politically advantageous contrasts.
The COMMENTARY podcast performs some rank punditry, dissecting the polls that look rather abysmal for Donald Trump and the Senate Republican majority. Also, the hosts discuss how the pandemic’s models deceived policymakers, and how disinclined they and the press appear to be to confront that fact.
Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake joins the podcast to talk about his latest article in the latest issue of COMMENTARY, “The Railroading of Michael Flynn.” How Trump’s former national security advisor was targeted and squeezed by the Justice Department, and what it means for the rule of law in the United States.
Hollywood veteran Rob Long joins the program to discuss his latest piece in the new issue of COMMENTARY, “How Right-Wing Characters Become Sitcom Sensations.” Also, a didactic discussion about the promise and peril of self-medicating with Hydroxychloroquine.
NBC News’ National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki joins the COMMENTARY podcast for a discussion about the political fallout that will settle over the country ahead of the 2020 elections. Has the pandemic transformed our politics, or will the full impact of this event not be felt for years to come?
The scandalous allegations against Joe Biden are not going away, and his ability to defuse the issue is in doubt. But the big question is: Will anyone care about it in November? Also, the podcast debates wonder whether Americans ever really police conspiracy theories when those theories reinforce their preferred biases.
The Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro joins the podcast today to talk about lockdown from the perspective of the West Coast. With his hometown of Los Angeles now planning to extend shelter-at-home guidelines well into the summer and early fall, what are the prospects that the public will abide by those recommendations? And what are the chances that those who do will preserve their sanity?
With economic activity likely in the doldrums for some time and the state wielding virtually unprecedented power to suppress individual liberty, some advocates of a nationalist “common good” philosophy are chafing. But we have to ask: Isn’t this what promoting “the common good” looks like?
Will Donald Trump debate Joe Biden? Or is it to his benefit to deprive the Democratic nominee of oxygen? Also, what will be the fate of the movie-going experience? Has the pandemic dealt the movie theater a fatal blow?
Reflecting on the unmasking scandal and the railroading of Michael Flynn by the Justice Department, the COMMENTARY podcast wonders what Barack Obama could have been thinking at the time? Were the last administration’s concerns noble, or at least understandable, but their execution terribly negligent? Or was there something more nefarious at work? Also, we respond to listener emails.
Joe Biden’s running mate will have to meet many criteria: Young enough, experienced enough, and possess the right mix of demographic traits. Or not. The COMMENTARY Podcast welcomes Matthew Continetti back on the show to discuss Biden’s dilemma.
Has the state of lockdown become a strategy for coping with the pandemic in the absence of any real substantive guidance from public officials? The COMMENTARY podcast discusses the backlash against those who question lockdown orthodoxy and asks if those voices have a compelling and rational point? Also, a bit of background on Noah Rothman.
President Donald Trump sat down for an interview with ABC News host David Muir and, depending on what you think of him, he either did reasonably well or poorly. But what is the president to say at a moment when, whatever the question, there are truly no good answers? Also, an exploration of the life and times of COMMENTARY podcast co-host Christine Rosen.
The COMMENTARY podcast gets its morose on with a review of the increasing stress on the nation’s critical supply chain. With shortages persisting and the threat to the food supply becoming urgent, an honest conversation about the trade-offs associated with the lockdown is coming, whether we like it or not. That, and some background on the podcast's man of mystery, Abe Greenwald.
The COMMENTARY podcast examines all the contradictory notions we’re being asked to overlook. How do you reduce the overall COVID-19 caseload and, also, gradually reopen society? How will reopening local businesses lead to a spike in infections if most people are still too scared to patronize them? How can Democrats rally around Joe Biden and, also, profess their belief that women who claim to be victims of sexual assault deserve society’s deference? The conundrums abound.
Joe Biden is finally made to account for his side of the story today on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” What kind of impact will the controversy involving allegations of sexual assault involving a Senate staffer have on the media landscape, to say nothing of the 2020 race?
Eliana Johnson, editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, joins the COMMENTARY podcast talks about the story that gripped American media—the allegation that an Arizona couple had poisoned themselves with fish tank cleaner in observance of President Trump’s advice. The real story is, we have learned, much more sordid. Also, can American politicians be trusted to competently balance the needs of a functional society amid this pandemic?
Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake joins the hosts of the COMMENTARY podcast to give New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio a thorough reaming over his decision to threaten and single out the city’s Jewish community. That, and the exculpation of Trump’s former NSA Michael Flynn, on an exciting new episode.
In New York City, the nation’s premiere Coronavirus hotspot, there is a visible light at the end of the tunnel. When does the national debate turn away from onerous lockdowns and toward individual case-based mitigation? Also, Joe Biden's problems mount as assault allegations against him gain credence.
Author and columnist Andrew Ferguson is back to talk about America in isolation. The cracks in the nation’s resolve to remain locked down in perpetuity are beginning to show, leading to blowback from the busiest of the nation’s busybodies. Do the politicians who resorted to extreme measures to prevent an outbreak follow the logic of “flatten the curve” and ease restrictions despite a prolonged plateau of COVID-19 cases in American hospitals?
Author, editor, and scholar Yuval Levin is back on the COMMENTARY podcast to talk about the many difficult choices facing Americans in the next few weeks. With no good options before them in the near-term, will the country find a balance between lasting economic despair and death on a terrible scale? It sounds bleak, and it is, but the jaunty Levin navigates the issue as reassuringly as anyone could.
AEI scholar, journalist, and editor Matthew Continetti rejoins the COMMENTARY podcast. How has Donald Trump managed the crisis? In what ways will the pandemic reshape America’s ideological camps? And who will Joe Biden pick as his running mate? All will be revealed.
As the nation descends further into a passionate debate over how to balance public health with the needs of a functional society, the intractable conflicts between these two outlooks collide and manifest in bad-faith attacks on each side’s capacity for empathy and compassion. Can the country find an equilibrium between these two valid but competing interests?
The hosts of the COMMENTARY podcast minus one Christine Rosen, who is contributing to the moribund economy today, discuss the modest examples of good pandemic news on the horizon and what seems like the antipathy to it among thought leaders.
This can’t go on forever, right? Or can it? The COMMENTARY podcast debates the lockdown, and when the public will determine that the economic risks outweigh the public health concerns.
Former COMMENTARY editor and op-ed editor for the New York Post, Sohrab Ahmari, joins the podcast to talk about his article in the latest issue, “They Blinded Us with Science.” Also, the hosts break down the White House’s new phased guidance for states to pursue as they look to reopen their economies.
The Foundation for the Defense of Democracy’s Jonathan Schanzer joins the COMMENTARY podcast to talk about his article in the latest issue, “Countering a Corrupt China.” How Beijing has come to dominate international institutions, and how to roll back their influence after the COVID-19 outbreak.
Can You Trust People in a Pandemic? Writer, editor, and author James B. Meigs joins the COMMENTARY podcast to discuss his essay in the latest issue of the magazine, “Elite Panic vs. the Resilient Populace.” How one disaster tells the tale of American ingenuity and how they are so often not trusted to do the right thing by their leaders in government.
Donald Trump’s oversensitive comportment at his daily press conferences. Joe Biden’s familiar manner with women comes back to bite him. The New York Times’ embarrassing capitulation to the Biden campaign. The prospect of nationwide mail-in balloting. The sustainability of open-ended lockdowns. This episode of the COMMENTARY podcast has it all!
COMMENTARY's daily podcasters are joined by the inimitable Andrew Ferguson for a wide-ranging consideration of this question: Will we go to the mall? Can we go to the mall? What will it be like when we go to the mall? Also, we hear about Andy's decision to stop doing television, why I left government and how Noah Rothman may have convinced Jaoquin Castro to grow a beard. Give a listen.
The COMMENTARY podcast emerges from Passover hibernation for a special podcast to discuss the collapse of Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign and speculate on the Democratic Party’s future.
We (mostly Noah) describe our slow descent into madness as the public guidance and state-level lockdown policies grow stricter even as the long-term projections about the pandemic’s trajectory begin to look a little better. Also, the scandals involving the resignation of the acting Secretary of the Navy and Donald Trump’s vendetta against his inspectors general.
American-Israeli journalist Ruthie Blum joins the podcast to discuss how the Coronavirus pandemic has reshaped Israeli society and politics.
Jonathan V. Last, journalist, author, and executive editor of The Bulwark, joins the COMMENTARY podcast. With some qualified good news coming out of infection rate modelers, the hosts wonder if the worst—which is yet to come—will be as terrible as was once forecast.
Hard to tell, as we consider the issue on today's podcast. On the one hand, the curve is flattening in New York City. On the other hand, we're about to see terrible things happen. And the disease's spread will follow slowly across the country. If you're looking for a bright side, we conclude talking about Broadway musicals! Give a listen.
The bottom falls out of the labor market with over 6 million new unemployment claims. How will the country dig out of this mess and, when it does, what will the world look like?
Andrew Ferguson joins the podcast today to discuss the White House shift toward the grim realities of the next couple of weeks, as we consider whether sheltering-in-place can continue indefinitely without driving everybody mad. Then we recommend books and discuss the problematic character of Woody Allen. Give a listen.
Steve Kornacki, author, journalist, and national political correspondent for NBC News, joins the Commentary podcast to talk about politics in a time of pandemic. Are there any historical models that provide some guidance for analysts forecasting the events of 2020? How can Joe Biden navigate this moment? Does Donald Trump have a chance in November? Will we even be able to refer to this crisis in the past tense by Election Day? Tune in for answers to these questions and more.
Rob Long joins today's podcast as we consider the question of how the public will react to Donald Trump's leadership in the long term—will he be given credit for making hard choices or will he be so associated with the virus that America is going to want to turn the page? Plus, Hollywood takes advantage of the virus to reset itself, and Tiger King. Give a listen.
As the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States gets worse, the president’s job approval ratings continue to rise.
The all-but-presumptive Democratic nominee for president released an ad yesterday attacking Donald Trump's response to the virus. We discuss it and the question of what Joe Biden can do politically now in this most sensitive time. And we talk about other stuff too. Give a listen.
Yuval Levin joins us on today's podcast to discuss his argument in "We Need a Hard Pause, Followed by a Soft Start." We respond with the usual crushing morosity. Give a listen.
What exactly are the Democrats thinking or doing in holding up the coronavirus bill? We try to make sense of it on today's podcast, in which we also answer listener questions about essential conservative books, writers who don't seem to like women, Chinese communism, and hair. Give a listen.
Jonah Goldberg joins the podcast today to discuss his argument in his piece "The Moral Heroism of Our Coronavirus Response." We try to make sense out of the political chaos on Capitol Hill and whether it would have been possible to ramp up the response to the coming crisis. Give a listen.
Today's podcast features COMMENTARY columnist Matthew Continetti bringing his own wonderful brand of crushing morosity to our happy band as we consider a 25 percent drop in the economy, the possibility of violence in the streets, and war profiteering! Fun times! Give a listen.
Terry Teachout, COMMENTARY's critic at large, joins our podcast today to talk about what we're all talking about—and then we veer into some fascinating cultural territory that should prove especially diverting at this moment. To hear some of the songs we're talking about, check out these YouTube links:
"Gee Officer Krupke"
"Someone in a Tree"
"Not a Day Goes By"
Give a listen.
On this day 2 of the daily COMMENTARY podcast, we are joined by White House historian Tevi Troy, whose book Fight House you should all read, to talk about how White Houses deal with crises, the possibility that we are all overreacting to the virus, and a little bit on the Democratic primary. Give a listen.
In a time of pandemic, the COMMENTARY podcast is here for you. During the acute crisis, the podcast will be producing episodes every weekday. Today, the hosts discuss the efforts of those who want to utilize this moment of national concern to advance their parochial policy objectives.
Live from self-quarantine, the COMMENTARY podcast wonders… just how is this thing going to work for weeks on end? Analysis of public policy amid the outbreak and dissecting what might be the last Democratic presidential primary debate.
The COMMENTARY podcast brought to you by the miracle of Skype out of an abundance of caution, which seems to be the phrase of the day. As Coronavirus grinds American economic and social activity to a halt, the president tries to calm the waters and fails in spectacular fashion. Also, Democratic voting patterns suggest an uphill battle for the president in November.
What can you say about a maybe-pandemic? We try to say something interesting on today's podcast. Also about Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden and their maybe-infirmities. And Trump's. Give a listen.
The results of the Super Tuesday contests are in, and they were especially ugly for Bernie Sanders. There’s no disguising the COMMENTARY podcast’s satisfaction with this generally unforeseen turn of events. But does Joe Biden’s revival mean that the Democratic Party’s drift toward socialism has been stopped or is it merely postponed?
Joe Biden resoundingly defeated all his opponents in South Carolina by substantial margins, and his campaign is enjoying renewed signs of life. But Bernie Sanders remains the favorite in many of the states that will vote this week. Can Biden emerge the last anti-Bernie candidate in the race after Tuesday? Also, the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the markets and American politics.
...than to be a Democrat in South Carolina in the evening. Last evening. We take apart the train wreck of a debate on today's podcast. Give a listen.
If Sanders runs away with the Democratic nomination, doesn't this mean the Democratic Party is fundamentally in ideological sympathy with his economic, political, and foreign policy views—or is he winning simply because he's next in line? Also, Harvey Weinstein falls a mighty fall. Give a listen.
Today's podcast (sadly Noah-free) delves into the Nevada debate, the distortions Michael Bloomberg has introduced into the nominating process, and whether his bid is the best thing that ever happened to Bernie. Give a listen.
Mike Bloomberg is spending untold sums to boost his political fortunes, and it appears to be working. But is the former New York City mayor just making Bernie Sanders’s path to the presidential nomination easier? Also, the Coronavirus has put serious strain on China’s economy and autocratic government. Is this 2020’s black swan event?
Today's podcast features special guest star Andy McCarthy, who tells us about his important new COMMENTARY article "The Progressive Prosecutor Project" and schools us on what's really going on when it comes to the sentencing of Trump intimate Roger Stone. Give a listen.
Donald Trump’s post-impeachment glow among voters and donors is frightening Democrats. Bernie Sanders seems set to win the New Hampshire primary, and the primary voters who oppose him are divided among several alternative candidates. Is his victory a foregone conclusion?
Donald Trump struck an interesting note in his State of the Union address, highlighting the gauzy if oversimplified version of American history out of favor in intellectual circles. Was it a savvy move? Also, Iowa’s mess of a caucus did send one clear signal: Joe Biden isn’t the frontrunner anymore.
Will Republicans regret not calling witnesses or have voters priced Trump’s summary impeachment acquittal into their electoral calculations? Will Bernie Sanders’ “surge” in the polls manifest in a victory for him tonight, or is his appeal too narrow to win converts beyond his base? And was this the most scandalous Super Bowl ever? Give a listen and find out.
With Republicans recovering from the s in John Bolton’s book, it seems like impeachment will conclude this week with an acquittal of the president. Is that the end of the Ukraine scandal, or is there more news yet to break? Also, some halfhearted predictions about the results of Monday’s Iowa caucuses.
What does John Bolton's book mean for the impeachment trial? What does Bernie Sanders's polling surge mean? Once you hear today's podcast, you will know everything. Give a listen.
The opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump and a surge of support for Bernie Sanders precisely when he needs it most.
Guest podcaster Eli Lake is with us to talk about the opening of the impeachment trial, the inability of the New York Times to make a decision, and his own blockbuster article, "The FBI Scandal," which you should read. Give a listen.
The final debate before Democrats caucus in Iowa might have been the most boring debate of the 2020 primary cycle, excepting the feud between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Also, new revelations about Rudy Giuliani’s conduct and the Senate GOP’s apparent willingness to entertain new witnesses throws a new wrench into the impeachment process.
How on earth can people blame Donald Trump for the fact that Iran shot down a passenger plane taking off from its own airport in its own airspace? We take up this question on today's podcast, as well as how significant the Bernie Sanders polling surge is. Give a listen.
Trump seems to have taken Iran’s calibrated response to the U.S. strike that took out Qasem Soleimani as an opportunity to take the temperature down in the region. Will cooler heads prevail? And does the Democratic narrative, which suggests that Trump is itching for a war with Iran, make any sense?
Today we take up the aftermath of the killing of Qasem Sulemani and the American political response to it as well as the politics of the coming impeachment trial. And we pay tribute to Gertrude Himmelfarb, who passed away last week at the age of 97. Give a listen.
A special episode of the COMMENTARY podcast unpacks the events of the last several weeks in the Middle East, culminating in a targeted strike on Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Commander Qasem Soleimani.
The shock over the violence against Jews on the streets of New York City and in its suburbs might be welcome but, we ask on today's podcast, where were people when all this started two years ago? Where were the media? Where were the Jewish organizations? We also discuss Iran's shenanigans in Iraq and how the Democratic party is slouching toward nominating Joe Biden. Give a listen.
The COMMENTARY podcast attempts to predict the future. What will be the biggest events of 2020? Who will become the Democratic presidential nominee? Who will win the presidency? What trends will shape the way we live in the next decade? And how wrong were all the predictions we made last year?
The reasons Democrats gave for impeaching Donald Trump are many and various and we try to go through them systematically to see which ones hold water and which just seem factitious. Then we ask: Should reporters appear to be celebrating "Impeachmas"? The ensuing controversy might shock you. Give a listen.