King of Stuff

The King welcomes James Pethokoukis to discuss his new book, The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised. America used to be a land of big dreams and bigger accomplishments. But as we moved into the late 20th century, we grew cautious, even cynical, about the future and our ability to shape it. Too many of us saw only the threats from rapid change and not the many benefits. James argues we can turn things around—if we, the people, choose to dream and act.

Jim is a senior fellow and the DeWitt Wallace Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, writing on their website and in his "Faster, Please!" Substack newsletter. You'll also see him regularly on CNBC and elsewhere.

After the interview, Jon shares a few thoughts about Thanksgiving.

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The King welcomes Karol Markowicz to talk about the impact on Jews in America and around the world, not only to the Oct. 7 terror attacks but also the pro-Hamas protests and anti-semitic violence. Karol is a columnist at the New York Post and Fox News and co-author of the best-selling book, Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation. She also hosts a new podcast called The Karol Markowicz Show.

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The King welcomes Andrew Biggio, author of The Rifle 2: Back to the Battlefield. A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan as a Marine infantry sergeant, Andrew bought a 1945 M1 Garand rifle and handed it to his neighbor, a World War II veteran. The rifle unlocked memories, not only for his neighbor, but more than 100 other vets who signed the rifle. Andrew recorded their stories and shared them in his first book, The Rifle, and now's back with the sequel.

Andrew now serves on the police force in Boston and as president of New England’s Wounded Veterans, Inc. You can find his website here.

Then Jon wraps up the news of the week, including the latest from Israel, Capitol Hill, and beyond.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Alexandra Hudson, the author of The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves. Alexandra is an award-winning journalist, creator of “Storytelling and the Human Condition” for Wondrium (formerly known as The Great Courses), and an adjunct faculty member at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She's also the founder of Civic Renaissance, an intellectual community and newsletter dedicated to personal and cultural renewal.

We talk about how civility is different from politeness, its effectiveness in making change, and in improving your own life. Then Jon wraps up the news of the week, including the latest from Israel and the Hamas insurrection on Capitol Hill.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Liz Wheeler, author of the new book, Hide Your Children: Exposing the Marxists Behind the Attack on America's Kids. While complacent conservatives looked the other way, Marxists overthrew our cultural institutions. In Hide Your Children, Liz exposes their war on kids—from teachers unions to school counselors, from Planned Parenthood and “comprehensive sexuality education” to proponents of Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, from the war against homeschooling to the propagandizing of the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, from ESG guidelines to the woke corporations pushing politics and gender ideology on Americans and their kids.


Host of the popular Liz Wheeler Show, she distills the most complex issues of the day and exposes the Left’s murky motives, Liz looks beyond policy to find solutions to our underlying problems. Previously, she graduated high school at 16, earned a degree in Political Science and Homeland Security at Penn State, and hosted "Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler" on OAN for five years.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Cvetin Chilimanov, a journalist living in Skopje, Macedonia, and co-host of the Macedonian Content Farmers podcast. In this Balkan nation, Cvetin lived through a U.S. State Department effort to force a so-called "color revolution" on the country, ousting the sitting government with a more progressive version. The story involves George Soros, Sen. Robert Menendez, Rod Blagojevich, shadowy NGOs, and corruption all around.

Then Jon discusses Wednesday's second GOP presidential primary debate, the dropping polls on Ukraine funding, and why he's the Best of Phoenix.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week’s song is "untitled #3" by Aphex Twin.For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Dan McLaughlin, a.k.a. Baseball Crank, a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute. Before that, he was a contributing editor of RedState, a columnist at the Federalist, and always quick with some baseball analysis. Dan also spent 23 years as an attorney practicing securities and commercial litigation in New York City.

Jon and Dan discuss our aging political class, the rising group of 9/11-era politicians, and the state of the GOP primary. After that, Jon chats about the GOP House impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden and New Mexico's unconstitutional gun grab.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week’s song is “Patio” by Asia Menor.

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The King welcomes David Harsanyi to discuss the American gerontocracy and the state of the GOP primary. David is a senior editor at The Federalist, a nationally syndicated columnist, a Happy Warrior columnist at National Review, and author of five books—the most recent, Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent.

Jon finishes the show talking about Drowning Burning Man, Covid redux, and the growing deficit.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week’s song is "Tengoku No Ōkoku" by ESP Summer.

For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Mark Hemingway to talk about the challenges for the GOP and the Democrats heading into 2024. Mark is a senior writer for RealClearInvestigations, reporting on the key institutions shaping public life, from lobbying groups to federal agencies to elections. His writing has appeared in The Federalist, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, MTV.com, and The Weekly Standard.

Jon finishes the show talking about the first GOP primary debate, Biden's growing troubles, and paper straws.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week’s song is "Exit Flagger" by Guided by Voices.

For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!

The King welcomes Casey Mattox to discuss the conservative shift in the judiciary, especially as it affects the freedom of religion, free speech, and in pushing back the administrative state. Casey is vice president for legal and judicial strategy at Americans for Prosperity, advocating for individual liberty.

Before this role, he spent 15 years defending the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, families, healthcare workers, and religious organizations. He has litigated in 35 states and also testified three times before congressional committees. Casey has a J.D. from Boston College School of Law and a B.A. in Government and History from the University of Virginia. And he has strong views on Christmas music.

Jon finishes the show talking about the first GOP primary debate, Trump’s Thursday arraignment, and why you should never march halfway to Moscow.

Subscribe to the King of Stuff Spotify playlist featuring picks from the show. This week's song is"Scapa Flow" by Drop Nineteens.

For video versions of the interviews, subscribe to Jon’s YouTube or Rumble channel!