The Derek Hunter Podcast

Quite a day for news.

Dude is a creep with issues.

In this guest-hosted episode of the Derek Hunter Podcast, columnist Dean Karayanis — New York Sun columnist and longtime member of Rush Limbaugh’s “highly overrated staff” — dives into a wide-ranging, culturally sharp monologue exploring how modern society has cheapened life, diluted powerful historical lessons, and substituted serious political discourse with empty media crosstalk.

Dean reacts to the Democratic Nazi candidate for Senate in Maine, Graham Platner, smearing Senator Collins (who voted to convict President Trump in his second impeachment trial) “set me to die” in Iraq, contrasting it with General George S. Patton’s authentic, uncompromising World War II ethos. He explores how the cinematic portrayal of Patton by George C. Scott has shaped our collective memory of war, and how Hollywood narratives have warped our understanding of historical conflicts like Vietnam.

Turning a critical eye toward the media landscape, Dean dissects the tragic passing of hockey legend Claude Lemieux, using it to launch a stark, data-driven critique of Canada’s controversial MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) program. Drawing from his own professional background in veterinary medicine, he explains the profound psychological toll that ending life takes on the human brain and warns against a culture that treats human existence as a mere "clump of cells."

Finally, Dean analyzes the upcoming Texas Senate race involving James Talarico, the pitfalls of Republicans relying on cheap mockery instead of serious policy persuasion, and the return of The Washington Star. He wraps up the hour with a refreshing media contrast: Michael Keaton’s viral, purely entertaining commencement speech at Kent State, proving that public figures can still choose to uplift an audience rather than make everything about themselves in service of left-wing politics.

In fact, it's impossible.

They're both as honest as they are smart.

Well, that was interesting.

Was it a win or a loss?

Dean Karayanis steps behind the microphone for Derek Hunter on Memorial Day 2026. Reflecting on a successful stint hosting on WMAL, Dean balances a deep reverence for America’s fallen heroes with a sharp, unfiltered look at the nation's current political and cultural landscape.

A New York Sun columnist and former Rush Limbaugh staffer, Dean delves into a recent New York Times report regarding sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, dismissing the specific reporting as an "open secret" and a "system protecting itself" while demanding actual accountability and the release of protected names from lawmakers. The monologue shifts to look at media double standards, the weaponization of the term "election deniers," and a critical review of climate journalism after scientists officially retired their most extreme, long-term global warming scenario.

Bringing the episode back to the core meaning of Memorial Day, Dean plays a clip from his History Author Show interview with Jeff Gottesfeld on his beautifully illustrated children's book, “21 Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.” The book explores the history, exactitude, and absolute dedication of the Tomb’s Honor Guard that stands watch in silence, honoring those who sacrificed everything — including their names — for American liberty. Dean closes the show with a heartfelt thank you to Gold Star families and a call to protect the American experiment from ongoing domestic division.

I can see why the show was cancelled.

The asshole leaves the stage.