I had a chance to sit down at the end of last week with Bridget Brink, who served as Ambassador to Ukraine under President Biden—the first woman to serve as ambassador in a war zone.

Bridget is now running for Congress back home in Michigan, in a district that could determine control of the House.

We talked about Trump’s war in Iran, and what Putin’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine means both for international security and for Americans every day. We also covered Bridget’s campaign—why she’s running, and what she’ll do once she gets to Washington.

I couldn’t help myself: I also had to ask her about Netflix’s hit show The Diplomat.

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Earlier today I sat down with Elaine Godfrey from The Atlantic, who just returned from Texas after covering the Democratic primary between James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett.

I asked about that coverage, as well as her ongoing series reporting on conservative women in the MAGA movement, the Democrats efforts to build a “big tent,” and new groups like the Searchlight Institute making the case for heterodox approaches to winning elections.

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Thank you to all who tuned in live for the chat with Jason Zengerle!

To recap, Jason is a staff writer with The New Yorker, and author of Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind

In my twenties, I worked for Tucker and the other three hosts of CNN’s Crossfire, and saw first-hand many of the stories recounted in Jason’s new book.

Jason Zengerle and I went through Tucker’s origin story, his rise as a right-wing media figure, and the special role he plays in far-right conservative politics today. We also touched on Tucker’s role in Christopher Rufo’s career, and how racial resentment helps explain the Tucker Carlson phenomenon.

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Thanks to everyone who tuned into the chat with Katherine Stewart! You can watch the full conversation linked to this message.

To recap: Katherine’s the author of the New York Times bestseller Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy.

In just a half-hour, we went through a whirlwind of history on the Christian Right, billionaires, schools, and democracy itself.

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Thank you to everyone who tuned in live. Here’s our full conversation on how Milton Friedman’s DIY economy hurts kids and families across the country. Check out Jess’s book Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net for more.

On Thursday, watch for my next 5 Questions newsletter interview with MN State Rep. Kaela Berg, running for Congress in the Minneapolis suburbs. She talked about ICE raids in her city, working as a flight attendant while running for a competitive seat, leading in her union and what to do about schools.

-Josh

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit joshcowen.substack.com/subscribe