On Friday, the self-styled “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth announced the US was sending an aircraft carrier to bolster its attacks on Venezuelan boats (which the Trump administration alleges, without evidence, are trafficking drugs). I spoke to international relations scholar Van Jackson (whose work can be found here) about the motives for this new war as well as the muted opposition to it from Democrats.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The fragile ceasefire negotiated between Israel and Hamas hasn’t ended the violence, but it has

for now lessened it. But even if the ceasefire holds, the need for a political solution to

Palestinian dispossession remains. To discuss the issue of accountability, I spoke to Yousef

Munayyer, who is the head of the Palestine/Israel Program and Senior Fellow at Arab Center

Washington DC. We talked about how the shocking events of the last two years have shifted

global public opinion, including in the United States. Both parties are heading towards a long-

delayed debate about the value of the US/Israel relation.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Few movies have ever been as timely as Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film One Battle After

Another, which traces the battle between revolutionary resistance groups trying to protect

immigrants and an authoritarian government run by racists. There are scenes from the movie

that feel like they are being played out right now on the streets of Chicago, Los Angeles and

Portland. Although it presents a stylized version of reality, the film raises important questions

about different strategies of resistance. David Klion, a frequent guest, wrote about the movie

for The New Republic. David and I talked about the film, its roots in actual history but also

variance with that history as well as its relationship with the Thomas Pynchon novel Vineland.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Donald Trump has plunged the nation into another government shutdown. I spoke with my

Nation colleague Chris Lehmann about the larger political stakes. We take up Trump’s shifting

rhetoric, which has started with false and racist claims about undocumented immigrants

receiving benefits and now seems to be about gloating over austerity. We also take up the

Democratic party response, and the way the base of the party has forced the leadership to take

a stronger stance. Chris’ article on the shutdown can be found here.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The United States continues to be roiled by political violence, with the recent shooting at an ICE

facility in Dallas coming hot on the heels of the assassination of Charlie Kirk and a school

shooting in Colorado committed by a neo-Nazi. Some of the best reporting on these events has

been done by Ken Klippenstein for his Substack. I spoke with Ken about what he’s discovered

when he interviewed those who knew the alleged shooters, how his findings go against the

simplistic partisan interpretations offered by both the left and right, as well as the dangerous

ways the Trump administration is using the shootings for a crackdown on civil liberties.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Bari Weiss, founder and editor of The Free Press, has often been profiled in the media, but usually in a superficial way that focuses on her personality and disputes with fellow journalists. She is currently on the cusp of great power, reportedly working on a deal to sell The Free Press and take a senior position at CBS.

David Klion, Nation columnist and frequent guest on the podcast, has written an exceptionally trenchant analysis for The Guardian of Weiss’s politics and the way they align with the Trump administration’s war on critical voices. I was pleased to talk to David about Weiss’s career and how she has used her influence as an ideological enforcer, one that has the support of many wealthy patrons and powerful political allies.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Matt Duss, vice-president of the Center for International Policy, wrote an excellent review for The Nation of Bob Woodward’s book War, which is a celebration of Joe Biden as a foreign policy sage. Duss is rightly skeptical of the book. We discuss Biden’s actual record on Ukraine and

especially Gaza. Matt’s essay on this topic for Foreign Policy is also worth reading.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On August 27, journalist Taylor Lorenz reported for Wired on a dark-money project funded by

anonymous Democratic Party donors to shape social media. Her article documented that,

"In a private group chat in June, dozens of Democratic political influencers discussed whether to

take advantage of an enticing opportunity. They were being offered $8,000 per month to take

part in a secretive program aimed at bolstering Democratic messaging on the internet.

But the contract sent to them from Chorus, the nonprofit arm of a liberal influencer marketing

platform, came with some strings. Among other issues, it mandated extensive secrecy about

disclosing their payments and had restrictions on what sort of political content the creators

could produce."

I talked to Taylor about her article and the considerable backlash it provoked from the people

she wrote about. We also discussed why Republicans have done so well on social media and

why this latest effort is both morally dubious and ineffective.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Iran-Israel conflict in June was terrifying but brief: it lasted 12 days. But that war is not

over. Trita Parsi, vice president and cofounder of the Quincy Institute, has been warning that

both the United States and Israel are planning for another round, with their European allies

providing the groundwork. I spoke to Parsi about the likelihood of war, the rationale behind the

current sabre-rattling, and ways to stop the impending catastrophe.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In April, the Liberal Party of Canada, under the leadership of Mark Carney, won an election that heartened opponents of the right-wing. Carney had run on the promise of fighting Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada and also to bolster the Canadian state to deal with issues like affordable housing. But in office, Carney has been delivering something different than his rhetoric suggested: he has been servile to Trump and is promoting austerity. The journalist Luke Savage has written about Carney’s turn-around for both The Baffler and the Toronto Star. I talked to Luke not only about Carney’s policies but also why centrist technocratic liberals are so inept in fighting the far right. 

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy