Politicology

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How does murder during a robbery-gone-wrong become an international conspiracy theory?

What even is a true crime story in the post-truth era?

Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica, former DC Bureau Chief for Rolling Stone) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss his new book, A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy.

(01:34) What drew Andy to the Seth Rich story

(08:48) The facts of the Seth Rich case

(12:44) How conspiracy theories have changed in the 21st Century

(21:08) Russia, the DNC leak, and the need for a scapegoat

(24:22) The intersection of conspiracy theories

(29:06) The conspiracy theory economy

You should read A Death on W Street: https://andy-kroll.com/

Follow Andy  and Ron on Twitter:

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Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to take stock of the war shifting beneath the surface.

They begin with the state of the fighting: Putin’s nuclear theater around Victory Day and the quiet vibe shift on the battlefield as Ukrainian resilience compounds. 

From there, they turn to Ukraine as a laboratory for the future of war: unmanned systems, data hubs, and the battlefield coordination American defense companies are scrambling to get their hands on.

They also weigh the dual-use dilemma of companies like Palantir, whose tools help Ukraine target Russian commanders abroad while building surveillance architecture at home.

Then, they examine Europe’s slow awakening from its post-World War II illusions and the persistent reach of Russian hybrid influence. 

Finally, they unpack the pro-Russian talking points that are proliferating on both ends of the political spectrum and refuse to die. 

In Politicology+, they dig into what Viktor Orbán’s defeat means for European unity on Ukraine, the differences between healthy and toxic nationalism, and how Europe is quietly rebuilding its defense planning where Article 5 can’t be assumed.

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Check out Molly’s Newsletter: https://www.greatpower.us/

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

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https://x.com/MollyMcKew

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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.

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

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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Nicholas Anthony (Research Fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine how the stablecoin legislation moving through Congress is quietly remaking the financial system and expanding the surveillance state in the process.

They dig into the Bank Secrecy Act and the third-party doctrine, the legal architecture that lets the government access Americans' financial records without a warrant.

Next, they examine how AI is turning mass financial surveillance from aspiration into operational reality, and how political designations can be weaponized against ordinary Americans through their banks.

Then they unpack the contradictions in the Trump administration's posture—anti-CBDC in name, enthusiastically pro-stablecoin in practice—and why programmable private money is functionally a central bank digital currency at arm's length.

Finally, they discuss the prosecutions of open-source developers behind privacy tools like Tornado Cash and Samurai Wallet, and what's at stake if the precedent that code is protected speech gets tested in the Supreme Court.

In Politicology+, they unpack a 2021 federal mandate that will require every new car sold in America to passively monitor its driver for "impairment" by next year.

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

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Mike Madrid and Susan Del Percio dig into why housing affordability has become the central economic and political problem heading into the midterms.

They discuss how housing and cost of living concerns are driving the anxiety voters are feeling. 

Then, they look at populism on both sides of the aisle, from Trump’s embrace of “no tax on tips” and credit card caps to Mamdani’s promises to freeze the rent, and why neither party is being honest about the long-term supply problem at the heart of the housing crisis. 

Then, they break down what actually moves the needle—regulation, infrastructure, public housing maintenance, and local governance—and why Democrats are ceding the affordability debate while Republicans struggle to reconcile Trump-era rhetoric with conservative orthodoxy.

Finally, Susan lays out the tactical reality: national messaging won’t fix this, the economy won’t turn around quickly, and the candidates who win will be the ones who can translate affordability into concrete, local results voters can actually feel.

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Ron Steslow continues his discussion with Izabella Kaminska to unpack one of the biggest assumptions behind the AI boom: that it will generate enough growth to justify the enormous capital being poured into it. Also, how much does America’s enormous national debt really matter? And, what’s really going on with gold and the new efforts—by China and private corporations—to remonetize it?

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Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine America’s growing crisis of purpose and how that crisis is showing up across politics, technology, corruption, religion, and war

They begin with Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent speech on the Declaration of Independence, natural rights, progressivism, and the proper role of government.

From there, they turn to Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s vision of a “technological republic,” Silicon Valley’s moral obligations to national defense, and the dangerous temptation to sacrifice individual rights in the name of preserving the West.

Next, they examine the normalization of corruption, from tariff refund profiteering and market manipulation to political betting and the broader cultural shift toward “get yours before the system collapses.”

Then they discuss President Trump’s clash with Pope Leo XIV over the war in Iran, the use of religious language to justify military action, and the battle inside American Christianity over nationalism, moral authority, and political power.

In Politicology+, they discuss Virginia as the latest front in America’s redistricting wars and what it reveals about the deeper rot in our politics. 

POLITICOLOGY+

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

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

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https://x.com/madrid_mike

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You may know him from his dazzling dishes showcased on the hit Netflix TV series, “Chef’s Table,” but three-Star Michelin Chef Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Blue Hill NYC) has a relationship with ingredients far deeper and more complex than pretty plates of food. In this episode, Chef Dan joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics and future of food and the consequences of how America feeds itself.

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(02:32) The current state of American agriculture

(06:15) What is the Third Plate?

(11:44) The connection between flavor and nutrition

(14:24) The importance of crop rotation 

(34:14) Lab grown meat 

Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate?

Follow Dan on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/chefdanbarber/

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https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) is back in studio with Host Ron Steslow for a conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, conflict, and accountability in real time.

They discuss Ukraine’s first successful capture of a Russian position using only unmanned ground robotic systems and aerial drones and the rapid integration of AI into warfare and national security.

They also examine the growing clash between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon after Anthropic refused to allow its AI tools to be used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance, and the Trump administration responded by labeling the company a supply chain risk.

Then, they dive into a new AI model that can discover and weaponize previously unknown software vulnerabilities and what that will mean for the government, banks and businesses. 

Finally, they debate the future of AI-powered mass surveillance and the looming reauthorization of FISA Section 702. 

In Politicology+ they dive into several big corruption stories: Viktor Orbán’s election loss, suspicious oil-futures trading, and the Trump family using World Liberty Coin as their personal ATM.

POLITICOLOGY+

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Listen to Hagar’s new podcast, The Threat: https://bit.ly/4cRf2DO

CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY

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SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8

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

Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter):

https://x.com/RonSteslow

https://x.com/HagarChemali

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In the second episode of this two part series, Øptimus co-founder and Data Science Director for Decision Desk HQ Scott Tranter joins Ron Steslow to talk about data science, polling, and modeling

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(00:59) The non-response bias and how data scientists must deal with it 

(02:55) The decrease in response rates over time

(10:47) Likely vs eligible voters in polls and how to predict who’s likely to vote

(15:55) Finding respondents to fill cohorts 

(28:05 ) Innovations in data science

(31:14) The numbers Scott is watching

My conversation with Mike Madrid about Latino Voting Trends: https://link.chtbl.com/CgkltIhG

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https://twitter.com/stranter

https://twitter.com/RonSteslow

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