Jonah and Mike join Sarah for an episode-long digression about Taylor Swift.
The Agenda:
—Tech CEOs at Congress
—Regulating children's access to social media
—Performance vs. results at the border
—Trump says the quiet part out loud
—Immigration in psychological terms
—The Taylor Swift conspiracy theories
—The issue with Benny Johnson
—Why Trump should demonize Taylor Swift
—Not Worth Your Time Extended
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The Taylor Swift Grift | Roundtable

Host Sarah Isgur is joined by Steve Hayes, and Jonah Goldberg for a weekly thoughtful discussion on politics, policy, and culture.

News

Politics

Robert Costa, chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News, joins Jamie to discuss what a second Trump administration would look like.
The Agenda:
—GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s previous Dispatch Podcast appearance and Costa’s response
—How Trump pressured different Republican leaders leading up to January 6
—Steve Bannon’s motivation and role
—Trump’s ongoing legal cases and how they affect his campaign
—Trump’s possible VP picks
Show Notes:
—NYT "Could Trump Go to Prison? If He Does, the Secret Service Goes, Too"
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The Second Coming of Trump | Interview: Robert Costa

Can you compare the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses to January 6? What about 1968? Or 2011? Sarah is joined by Jonah and Steve to debate these questions and discuss Trump’s Time magazine interview.
The Agenda:
—Nostalgia for the Civil Rights protests
—Do we have political parties anymore?
—Protests become violent
—Whose fault is this?
—No Jewish hummus
—The UNC frat bros’ Iwo Jima moment
—Trump’s Time interview
—Ron DeSantis bans lab-grown meat
Show Notes:
—Kaitlan Collins interviews J.D. Vance on CNN
—Serge Schmemann: Student Protest Is an Essential Part of Education
—UCLA wins the award
—Jonah’s Wednesday G-File
—McKay Coppins: You Should Go to a Trump Rally
—Ross Douthat: There Will Be No Trump Coup
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The Cult of The College Protest | Roundtable

Qatar hosts a major U.S. air base, but its patronage of radical Islamist terror groups has some Americans questioning the alliance. Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins Jamie to explain.
The Agenda:
—Introduction to Qatar
—Various actors and terrorist organizations in Qatar
—Qatar’s financial influence in Washington
—Al Jazeera's relationship with Qatar
—Responding to Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s comments on Qatar
Show Notes:
—Jonathan for The Jerusalem Post: Qatar: ‘The arsonist who then claims to be the firefighter'
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Is Qatar an Arsonist or a Firefighter? | Interview: Jonathan Schanzer

Derek Thompson of The Atlantic joins Victoria to answer the question: Why did Americans stop hanging out? The two discuss the steep decline in face-to-face socializing, the rise of loneliness, and the fraternizing role of protests.
The Agenda:
—The decline of social institutions in America
—Smartphones’ effect on teenagers’ lives
—Women turning to pets
—Challenges of raising kids in the digital age
Show Notes:
—Derek for The Atlantic: Meritocracy Is Killing High-School Sports
—Derek for The Atlantic: Concerts? I'll Pass
—Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community
—Watch this episode on YouTube

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All the Lonely People | Interview: Derek Thompson

Congress did their job—for now. Sarah is joined by Steve and Jonah on today’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast to discuss Speaker Mike Johnson’s successful passage of Ukraine and Israel aid and explain the intellectual history of the illiberal right.
The Agenda:
—Ukraine aid passed
—Heritage Foundation vs. Erick Erickson
—What is conservatism?
—Columbia protests
—Will history prove them right?
—Genocidal language at Columbia
—Looking Jewish
Show Notes:
—Ukraine: The Latest with Jonah
—Jonah's recap of the Mike Johnson saga
—Erick Erickson’s article on free markets
—The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left
—Norman Rockwell painting
—Why are we protesting?
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The Taylor Swift Grift | Roundtable

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