You can pre-order Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation now at https://www.jonwardwrites.org/

Jon Ward (Journalist and author of Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation)  joins Ron Steslow to discuss growing up in the Evangelical Church, “Christian Trumpism,” and his new memoir.

(06:05) Why Sarah Palin resonated with so many Christians 

(10:36) What having difficult conversations can teach you engagement and defensiveness  

(20:00) Evangelicals showing more fear than faith 

(28:50) How the structures in evangelical communities enabled Trump to distort reality 

(31:06) Right Makes Might vs Might Makes Right 

(36:32) How can outsiders engage positively with Evangelicals on reforming the movement 

Pre-order Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation—https://www.jonwardwrites.org/

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https://twitter.com/jonward11

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You can pre-order Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation now at https://www.jonwardwrites.org/

Jon Ward (Journalist and author of Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation) joins Ron Steslow to discuss growing up in the Evangelical Church, “Christian Trumpism,” and his new memoir.

(03:28) Why Jon wrote the book

(08:10) Being a “border-stalker”

(14:36) The Jesus Movement

(21:07) Understanding the different motivations (abortion and race) for Evangelicals joining the Republican party

(23:00) The insular church community and how it impacted his worldview

(30:00) How Christian belief in the end times impacts action

(32:50) The connection between being a spiritual warrior and a political warrior

(36:15) Spiritual ecstasy as a sign of devotion to God (and the burnout it caused)

(41:41) How anti-intellectualism reinforced the social bubble

Pre-order Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation—https://www.jonwardwrites.org/

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https://twitter.com/jonward11

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Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid discuss the redistricting wars, the Supreme Court case that could upend a central part of the Voting Rights Act, how Latinos becoming the largest minority group will make us rethink what being a “minority” even means, and how partisanship is becoming our primary identity.

Related Reading: 

Axios - Virginia judge lets Democrats' redistricting plan move forward - Axios Richmond

Politico - The Republicans thwarting the White House’s redistricting hopes - POLITICO

Sac Bee - Prop. 50 in California is trivial compared to this U.S. Supreme Court case | Opinion

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Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid unpack historian Gordon S. Wood’s recent Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the United States is built on shared ideas, not shared bloodlines—and what that means in an era of rising “blood and soil” nationalism and demographic change.

They dig into whether the American creed still has enough power to hold a multi-ethnic, multi-faith democracy together. 

Related Reading: 

WSJ - Why America Is a ‘Creedal Nation’ - WSJ

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In this episode, Ron is joined by Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) to break down the Trump administration’s 2025 National Security Strategy—and why it reads like multiple agendas stitched together.

They dig into the document’s big shift toward the Western Hemisphere, what “partnership without shared values” really implies, and how the administration’s internal split—isolationists vs. internationalists—creates real risk when the U.S. can’t speak with one voice.

The conversation moves to China and Taiwan, where the NSS repeats long-standing policy while the administration’s actions suggest a tougher, more transactional posture. Then they hit the blind spots: Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai, the chilling signal sent by a collapse of opposition space, and what it means when human rights drops out of the national security frame.

Finally: Islamist extremism and antisemitic violence, including the Bondi Beach shooting and a foiled bombing plot in Southern California—and why ignoring incitement doesn’t make it disappear.

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Related Reading:

The Atlantic - The Longest Suicide Note in American History - The Atlantic

NYT - Hong Kong Media Tycoon Jimmy Lai’s Conviction Was Years in the Making - The New York Times

NYT - Heng Guan Documented China’s Detention of Uyghurs. The U.S. Wants to Deport Him. - The New York Times

Kharon -Hypersonic Secret: ‘China’s MIT’ Worked with U.S. while Developing Weapons to Use Against It | Kharon

WP - Bondi Beach gunmen appear inspired by Islamic State, authorities say - The Washington Post

Compact Magazine - The Lost Generation | Compact

NY Times - Opinion | Does Discrimination Explain the Rightward Shift of Young Men? - The New York Times

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In this episode, Ron is joined by Lucy Caldwell (Board Advisor to the Renew Democracy Initiative) to confront the question hanging over Democratic politics: Can the Democratic Party keep pretending we’re not in a populist era? 

Lucy breaks down the party’s internal struggle between centrists and insurgents—and why both sides are wildly overinterpreting recent election results. Using the Maine Senate race as a case study, they examine how primaries reward disruption and narrative power, often at the expense of general-election viability, and why nationalized politics makes it harder than ever for candidates to outrun the Democratic brand.

Finally, Ron and Lucy dig into affordability—the disconnect between elite economic narratives and everyday experience—and why dismissing those pressures only fuels the kind of toxic populism Democrats say they fear.

In Politicology+ they talk about the current healthcare landscape and the ongoing debate about how we pay for healthcare. They critique the ACA’s effectiveness, the challenges of health insurance coverage and explore market-based solutions. They also highlight the importance of personal advocacy in navigating healthcare and the evolving discourse around health and wellness, particularly in the context of AI's role in healthcare advocacy.

DONATE FOR UKRAINE

To support equipment requests for our frontline communicators and psyop-ers in Ukraine, you can use this link: paypal.me/MollyKMcKew

POLITICOLOGY+

Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus.

CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY

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Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬

Listen to The Last Invention: https://bit.ly/4pob891

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Related Reading: 

Noah Smith - The "$140,000 poverty line" is very silly

The Free Press - Big-Tent Politics Won’t Save the Democrats

The Free Press - Has the Democratic Tea Party Arrived? - by Gabe Fleisher

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Last weekend, eleven Politicology listeners from all over the country joined Ron and Mike in person for a salon style retreat called Unscripted: A Politicology Gathering.

They explored big questions like “What is the point of America?” and “What does it mean to be a citizen in the digital age?” 

In this episode, those same listeners share what they learned and how it’s changing how they think about the evolving world we’re all living in.

Stay in the loop about Unscripted gatherings: https://bit.ly/3XK4tub

Find our sponsor links and promo codes here: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at  https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬

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Have you ever thought about what it means to be anonymous? 

Have you considered what it means that you can walk down the street or go to the grocery store or out to dinner without someone you’ve never met knowing your name, everything you’ve posted online, or your political leanings?

Or when you go on a first date with someone, they’d walk in knowing your dating history, your political affiliations, your credit score or what groceries you buy?

Advancements in facial recognition and a secretive startup could end privacy as we know it. 

In this two-part conversation, New York Times Tech Reporter Kashmir Hill joins host Ron Steslow to discuss privacy, anonymity, facial recognition software and her book Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It.

In part 2:

(01:40) “Technical sweetness” and the lack of ethical considerations by the people building these new technologies 

(12:30) Privacy laws in the U.S. and Europe 

(15:24) The trend of law enforcement agencies skirting constitutional protections by buying information from private companies.

(27:20) Balancing security and privacy in the age of ubiquitous surveillance

(30:50) What the future of privacy might look like 

Read Your Face Belongs to Us: https://bit.ly/49qsbQm

Follow Ron and Kashmir  on X (formerly Twitter):

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https://twitter.com/kashhill

Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬.

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Have you ever thought about what it means to be anonymous? 

Have you considered what it means that you can walk down the street or go to the grocery store or out to dinner without someone you’ve never met knowing your name, everything you’ve posted online, or your political leanings?

Or when you go on a first date with someone, they’d walk in knowing your dating history, your political affiliations, your credit score or what groceries you buy?

Advancements in facial recognition and a secretive startup could end privacy as we know it. 

In this two-part conversation, New York Times Tech Reporter Kashmir Hill joins host Ron Steslow to discuss privacy, anonymity, facial recognition software and her book Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It.

In part 1:

(01:43 ) Ron and Kashmir discuss anonymity and privacy and the erosion of both in our daily lives 

(00:00 ) Balancing convenience and privacy 

(11:00) The origins of ClearviewAI 

(13:30) Genetic determinism in the development of facial recognition 

(18:20) Kashmir dives deep into the history of facial recognition software and how it developed. 

(22:37) How Facebook crowdsourced training facial recognition technology

(25:00) How much privacy should we have and who should be able to use facial recognition software? 

Read Your Face Belongs to Us: https://bit.ly/49qsbQm

Follow Ron and Kashmir  on X (formerly Twitter):

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https://twitter.com/kashhill

Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬.

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Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Ron to break down a whirlwind of revelations about Trumpworld’s back-channel contacts with the Kremlin—and what they mean for Ukraine’s survival. 

Molly explains the leaked call where envoy Steve Witkoff coached the Kremlin on how to influence Donald Trump. She details why this behavior is wildly outside diplomatic norms and directly weakens Ukraine on the battlefield. 

Then, they unpack Russia’s rejection of a new “19-point plan,” what Putin actually wants, and how these negotiations are designed to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe. 

Molly shares harrowing firsthand updates from Ukrainian units living under “complete drone saturation,” and delivers a clear message from the front: Ukraine is still fighting for its democracy—and they need U.S. support now more than ever.

Giving thanks for Ukraine! To support equipment requests for our frontline communicators and psyop-ers in Ukraine, you can use this link: paypal.me/MollyKMcKew

Related Reading: 

WSJ - Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine

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