The Mona Charen Show

By The BulwarkNews News Commentary Politics

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per episode

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The Mona Charen Show episodes

January 19 A Brave and Interesting Film About Repression (w/ Sonny Bunch)
Sonny Bunch joins to discuss “It Was Just an Accident” a film from dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi. It raises profound questions about guilt, judgment, and revenge. Also, amazing that it was made at all.
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Films & References Mentioned:
It Was Just an Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi)
The film discussed throughout the episode — a clandestinely made Iranian dissident film that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30841958/
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (dir. Mohammad Rasoulof)
Recommended by Sonny as further viewing; set during post–Mahsa Amini unrest in Iran.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29362290/
The Lives of Others (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
Cited as a thematic comparison for life under a surveillance state.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
A Hero (dir. Asghar Farhadi)
Mentioned as another standout contemporary Iranian film about truth, lies, and social pressure.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11777738/
36 min
January 12 Venezuela Was Not Liberated (w/ Quico Toro)
Quico Toro offers an insider’s perspective on his lost homeland and the American raid.
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31 min
January 05 Debunking MAGA Myths about the Economy (w/ Catherine Rampell)
Trump promised a manufacturing comeback and cheaper prices. Instead, jobs are shrinking, costs are rising, and America’s economic credibility is taking a hit. Catherine Rampell joins Mona to discuss why the factory revival was always a myth, how tariffs backfired, and why chaos, favoritism, and attacks on rule of law are making the U.S. a riskier place to do business.

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1 hr 9 min
December 29, 2025 MAGA Intellectuals Under the Microscope
Laura K. Field discusses her book, Furious Minds, which dissects the thought of MAGA intellectuals (yes, there are some). Anti-enlightenment, theocratic, racist, misogynistic and yet, claiming to be for the general good.

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51 min
December 22, 2025 A Holiday Greeting from Mona
While there won’t be an episode of the Mona Charen Show this week, Mona sends along this holiday greeting. She will return next Monday, December 29.

1 min
December 15, 2025 Forget ‘Double Tap.’ The First Strike Was a Crime (w/ Rosa Brooks)
Georgetown professor Rosa Brooks discusses the legality (or the lack) of Trump’s drug boat attacks as well as the bonkers National Security Strategy document.

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55 min
December 08, 2025 Grift, Graft, and Groveling: Life in Trump 2.0 (w/ John Prideaux)
The Economist’s John Prideaux discusses the lavish gifts and other forms of corruption in Trump’s Washington.
51 min
December 01, 2025 Trump Keeps Overreaching—And Losing
Mona Charen and Will Saletan discuss the growing resistance to Trump’s agenda—grand juries rejecting his charges, the DOJ stumbling, senators warning troops against illegal orders, and his tariffs and deportations driving prices even higher.

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1 hr 14 min
November 21, 2025 Lindsey Halligan is Malevolence Meets Total Incompetence (w/ Ben Wittes)
Lawfare’s Ben Wittes discusses Lindsay Halligan’s incompetence and malevolence and the importance of grand juries to our liberties.
56 min
November 17, 2025 The Internet's Attack on Reality (w/ Francis Fukuyama)
Francis Fukuyama discusses his theory that the internet, and not economic distress, the Democratic party’s problems, or other things have given rise to populism.

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51 min

About The Mona Charen Show

From the publisher's feed

After a great five year run on Beg to Differ, Mona Charen brings you a new show dedicated to deepening your understanding of complex issues and trends facing society. Each week she'll engage an expert…