Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, Sarah Isgur, and Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle debate whether Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Donald Trump exhibit similar authoritarian tendencies, discuss the role of elites in democracies, and explore the Democratic Party’s ongoing identity crisis.

The Agenda:
—Trump’s first and second terms
—Can the president do whatever he wants?
—Historical context of presidential power
—Weak democracies and crisis
—Is this all our fault?
—The future of Democratic messaging

Show Notes:
—Nick Catoggio's Boiling Frogs newsletter
—Megan McArdle's column on lawfare

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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In Jamie Weinstein’s final Dispatch Interview Podcast, he invites Matt Lewis, podcaster and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, to grade President Donald Trump's foreign policy, national security, and economic policy objectives.

The Agenda:
—The raid of John Bolton’s house
—The new three legs of conservatism
—D.C. crime and the national guard
—California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trolling
—Who will be the presidential candidates for the 2028 election?

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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Steve Hayes invites Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle, and famed New York Times columnist David French to discuss the latest in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and dive into the ingredients for a potential financial collapse.

The Agenda:
—Post-Alaska analysis
—Tease 'em, goad 'em, kill ‘em
—Security guarantees
—We're in debt!
—Tariff rebates
—NWYT: Backer inners

Show Notes:
—Listen to Kevin Williamson's interview with Tim Mak on Ukraine

—Read Kenneth Rogoff's Foreign Affairs article on the debt crisis

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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Tim Mak, Dispatch contributor and founder of The Counteroffensive, joins Kevin Williamson to discuss the details of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladamir Putin in Alaska.

The Agenda:
—Life in Kyiv amidst war
—Analyzing the outcomes of the summit
—Trump’s “diplomatic” approaches
—The fragmentation of European unity
—Mak’s reporting on human interest stories in Ukraine

Show Notes:

—Tim Mak's piece for The Dispatch on war machines

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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Steve Hayes returns to the host chair, joined by coastal elitists Jonah Goldberg, Michael Warren, and Megan McArdle to discuss a wild week in Washington.

The Agenda:
—The crime debate in D.C.
—Shifting toward state capitalism
—Does the GOP even believe in free markets anymore?
—Best- and worst-case scenarios from the Trump-Putin summit
—The DC's 4H has to be pretty modest

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of our articles, members-only newsletters, and bonus podcast episodes—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here.

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What happens when America’s Middle East policy collides with conservative skepticism? Jamie Weinstein goes head-to-head with Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, to unpack the politics, power plays, and high-stakes history behind U.S.–Israel relations.

The Agenda:
 —Why some on the right don’t back Israel
 —Israel-Iran tensions
 —Israel’s endgame in the region
 —How U.S. politics gets shaped from abroad
 —The problem with “forever wars”
 —Epstein, Mossad, and the right-wing connection

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here.

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Jonah Goldberg grabs the host’s chair and steers Megan McArdle, Chris Stirewalt, and Kevin Williamson through a lively discussion into the political turbulence in Texas.

The Agenda:
—How upset should we be about redistricting in Texas?
—Collin Allred versus Ken Paxton
—Megan McArdle is mad about the BLS firing
—Nielsen ratings are fake, but they are reliably fake
—'It's a race to the bottom and everyone loses.'
—The impact of postmodernism on politics
—NWYT: Rule followers are suckers

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here.

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Jamie Weinstein sits down with Emmy-winning journalist and bestselling author Bernard Goldberg to discuss the evolution of conservative journalism over his career and the modern-day news influencers taking over media.

The Agenda:
—The three buckets of news media eras
—How political interviews are changing
—The rise of antisemitism
—Covering the Israel-Hamas war
—The future of CBS

Show Notes:
—Bernie’s Substack

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here.

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Megan McArdle joins Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and Sarah Isgur to discuss President Donald Trump’s various trade deals and their effect on the latest economic numbers.

The Agenda:
—Thank you, Scott Bessent
—Texas’ mid-cycle redistricting
—DoorDash discourse
—Parsing Israel news coverage
—Famine is a plural word
—The new political tribes
—NWYT:What are our hosts’ favorite movies?

Show Notes:
—John McCormack for The Dispatch: ‘We’re Just Hoping the Ship Sinks’
—Michael Brendan Dougherty’s National Review
—Jason Furman’s New York Times piece

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here.

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General H.R. McMaster joins Jamie Weinstein to discuss Iran’s weakened military state, the United States’ backtracking in Ukraine, and the conditions needed for a new Palestinian political order.

The Agenda:
—Iran’s nuclear program: Maybe not obliterated, but definitely devastated
—Israeli and U.S. coordination
—“Whenever an Iranian leader is speaking, they’re lying to you.”
—War in Ukraine
—Transparency of the modern battlefield
—Putin doesn’t have all the cards
—Pressuring Egypt to open their border to Gaza’s population

Show notes:
—Tucker Carlson interview of President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian
—H.R. McMaster’s piece for The Dispatch: Trump Ends the Folly of De-escalation
— H.R. McMaster’s book: Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here.

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