A new study shows the stark lack of ideological diversity in elite universities. Lawmakers call to rethink relations with the Saudis after OPEC’s decision to cut oil production. John Fetterman’s NBC interview raises difficult questions. Sarah, David, Jonah, and Declan wrestle with these topics before providing an urgent manatee update. Out of context: “If you stare at 2 + 2 = a duck and you say ‘oh I get it,’ that’s a problem for you.” - American elite students study - Fetterman’s NBC interview ...
Oct 14, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 253
With OPEC+ committed to gutting production, Americans are bracing for a gas price hike. This leads Sen. Bill Cassidy to wonder, how should the U.S. maintain a relationship with the Saudis when “what they do can make or break a family budget”? On the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Cassidy calls for more market-based solutions to both bolster energy independence and get carbon emissions under control. He joins Sarah to wrestle with all these problems –– and their political implicati...
Oct 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 252
Sparing an hour between driving his “friends” to and from the airport, Declan joins Sarah, David, and Jonah to debate the Herschel Walker saga, whether moral character matters in politics, and whether Democrats enjoy a double standard on hypocrisy. A broader midterms update is then followed by a quick glimpse into the new Supreme Court term. Plus: Elon Musk gets another NWYT mention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 251
Axios Senior Political Correspondent Josh Kraushaar joins Sarah to explain what happens when the Democrats’ sugar rush drops. Are the fundamentals still favoring Republicans in the midterms? What's going on in Georgia? Can candidate quality block a red wave? And how’s 2024 shaping up? Join for a healthy fix of pre-midterms political punditry and prognostication. Show Notes: - Josh's Axios piece on the state of play for November Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 05, 2022•47 min•Ep. 250
As the editors of The Morning Dispatch eloquently put it, Nord Stream went boom. But who’s responsible? Sarah, David, and Jonah leave no conspiracy theory unexamined. Turning to the midterms, they discuss the power of low expectations, ask when spending money stops being useful, and wonder what it takes to be a good leader (or at least a good politician) during natural disasters. Also: the trio displays heroic restraint in today’s Not Worth Your Time, as they refrain entirely from making any kin...
Sep 30, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 248
Understanding The Electoral Count Act, as it’s currently worded, requires a team of legal experts. So we got one! Sarah is joined by John Fortier, senior fellow at AEI, and Matthew Seligman, fellow at the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School. Together they try to make sense of the law’s history, explain the difference between the two reform bills coming up through the House and the Senate, and debate whether either one goes far enough to prevent a constitutional crisis in 2024. Show ...
Sep 30, 2022•47 min•Ep. 249
What happens when Vladimir Putin starts feeling cornered? Sarah, David, Steve, and Jonah react to Russia announcing military mobilization and think through the implications of Putin’s nuclear chest-thumping. They then turn to the politics of immigration (still very bad), and conclude with some rank punditry: is the Democrats’ momentary surge in the polls already bust? Out of context: “To me, it’s a little like the fight: Hiter-Stalin – who is worse?” Show Notes: - NBC poll showing decline in GOP...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 247
At long last in the same room, Sarah, Steve, David, and Jonah debate whether the conversation around abortion is changing, why it doesn't feel like Republicans are out of power, and whether lawmakers will ever do the right thing on border security. Plus: Sarah offers a troubling glimpse of the gents' problematic footwear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 17, 2022•58 min•Ep. 246
The rapid developments in the Justice Department’s investigation of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago may be hard to follow, but not to worry, Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and Declan are here to clarify and discuss. Plus: a look at the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the internal battles as both parties look to the midterms. Show Notes: - TMD: How Sarah Palin Lost Alaska’s House Special Election - The Dispatch: Trump Is Hurting the GOP’s Midterm Prospects Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Sep 09, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 245
This week saw the Justice Department disclose new evidence that the former president and his legal team likely sought to conceal classified documents from investigators. Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and Declan are here to discuss. Plus: Alaska says no to Sarah Palin, and how should we view Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy? Show Notes: - TMD: Trump Team Likely Sought to Conceal Classified Documents From Investigators, DOJ Says - The Sweep: How Will Abortion Play in the Midterms? - G-File: Grading Gorby on a Cu...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 244
Steve is joined by Mark Leibovich to discuss his new book Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission. How did the Republican Party get to its present predicament? Leibovich gives us his eyewitness account of how the former president transformed Washington, and a major American political party. Show Notes: - Thank You for Your Servitude by Mark Leibovich - Leibovich’s page at The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 243
President Joe Biden announced a plan to provide tens of millions of Americans with student loan debt relief. The fallout was swift. Our hosts are here with their reactions. Plus: Jonah, David, and Declan discuss the results of this week’s primary elections. Show Notes: - TMD: Biden’s Base Gets a Student Loan Gift - The Dispatch: The GOP Is Shrink-Wrapping Itself Around Trump - The Dispatch: Tim Ryan Keeping the Pressure on J.D. Vance in Ohio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Aug 26, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 242
This week's Dispatch Live , which is a weekly live stream for Dispatch members only, ran into some issues because Substack was completely down on Tuesday. So, because most members did not get to hear it we are offering it in its entirety as The Dispatch Podcast . If you're not a member of The Dispatch and liked what you heard here, click the link below to join so you can tune into Dispatch Live weekly on Tuesdays at 8pm ET. In this episode, David, Declan, Andrew, and Audrey discuss the Senate GO...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 241
Rep. Liz Cheney lost her re-election bid to her Trump-backed primary challenger in the Wyoming Republican primary on Tuesday. Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David discuss the result, and share their thoughts as the primary season wraps up. Plus: What’s the latest from Ukraine? Our hosts discuss the state of the conflict. Show Notes: - The Dispatch: Liz Cheney: ‘There Is Actually Precedent for ... Vice Presidents to Testify’ - The Dispatch: Choosing to Lose - The Sweep: Warning Signs for the GOP’s Sena...
Aug 19, 2022•57 min•Ep. 240
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Scott Lincicome, director of general economics at the Cato Institute, joins Declan to help us better understand the legislation. What’s actually in the law? How questionable is the budget math? Show Notes: - Uphill: Breaking Down the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 - Read Declan in The Morning Dispatch - Read Scott in Capitolism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 18, 2022•48 min•Ep. 239
It was a busy week for the former president, the FBI searched his home at Mar-a-Lago, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a New York deposition, and Attorney General Merrick Garland moved to make public the legal authorization for the FBI’s search. Sarah, Jonah, and David are here to discuss the fallout. Plus: Our hosts have new inflation numbers, and primary results to chew on. Show Notes: - TMD: The FBI Raids Trump’s Home - French Press: Thinking Through the Trum...
Aug 12, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 238
Sarah and David get together for this special Advisory Opinions crossover episode to discuss the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. What does it all mean? How does a federal investigation of a senior official work, and what happens next? Plus: some possible theories and explanations that might shed some light on the events of yesterday. Show Notes: - TMD: The FBI Raids Trump’s Home - Andy McCarthy in National Review: The FBI’s Mar-a-Lago ‘Raid’: It’s ...
Aug 09, 2022•47 min•Ep. 237
Sarah, David, Steve and Jonah are back for an action-packed show today including the primary elections, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and the demise of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri on Sunday. Will tensions over abortion issues cause bigger voter turnouts in the future? Plus: The Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve Sweden and Finland for acceptance into NATO on Wednesday with a lone dissent from Sen. Josh Hawley. Show Notes: - The Sweep: What We Learned - TMD: Another Blockbuste...
Aug 05, 2022•56 min•Ep. 236
David Axelrod, chief strategist for former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and host of The Axe Files and co-host of Hacks on Tap podcasts, joins Steve to tackle the complex questions about the midterm primary elections this week. What’s up with the Democrat Party’s tactic of funding extremist Republican candidates? And what is the outlook for the upcoming general elections? Plus: Axelrod gives listeners the big picture of what’s happening in Kansas as well as what the abortion ri...
Aug 04, 2022•50 min•Ep. 235
Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David are back to discuss big pieces of legislation coming down the pipeline. Will the Inflation Reduction Act find footing in the House? The White House’s stretched definition of a recession is digging the administration into a deeper hole of messaging problems. Plus, Is President Biden gunning for another term in 2024, and are ordinary Democrats distancing themselves from his leadership? Show Notes: - The Dispatch: Who Decides What a Recession Is? - G-File: Merrick Gar...
Jul 29, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 234
Mo Elleithee, founding executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, joins Sarah to talk about the complexities of politics. Results from a new Battleground Poll are in, and it’s clear that most Americans believe that the state of our politics is “really bad.” What happened and what can we do to fix it? Also on the agenda: Alaska’s interesting nonpartisan primary system, and the Democratic National Committee’s recent decision to make states bid for early...
Jul 28, 2022•56 min•Ep. 233
Sarah and David are joined by The Morning Dispatch editors Declan Garvey and Esther Eaton to discuss the vivid testimonies during Thursday night’s January 6 committee hearing. Also on the agenda: In the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Republicans are wary of giving Democrats a win with a contraception bill currently on the Senate floor, and a same-sex marriage bill faces an unclear way forward after Tuesday’s House vote. Show Notes: - TMD: The January 6 Committee Presses th...
Jul 22, 2022•48 min•Ep. 232
Images from the James Webb Space Telescope have taken the internet by storm, and Declan is here with two guests who worked on it for a fascinating conversation about its long journey into reality. Dr. John Mather, a Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the senior project scientist for the JWST, and Dr. Scott Acton, a physicist at Ball Aerospace and JWST’s Wavefront Sensing and Controls scientist, relay their exploits in achieving the most incredible and am...
Jul 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 231
Sarah, David, and Jonah reflect on the problem of inflation, which surged to 9.1 percent this week and look ahead to the presidential race in 2024. Will there be a showdown between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump to win the Republican nomination? Our hosts wrap up with a discussion of shifting coalitions within the political parties. Show Notes: - TMD: June’s Very Bad, No Good Inflation Report - New York Times: Most Democrats Don’t Want Biden in 2024, New Poll Shows -...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 230
Robert O’Brien, former U.S. ambassador and national security advisor to President Donald Trump, joins Klon Kitchen for a discussion of international politics from a bird’s-eye view. They discuss his time working for the former president, and the job of national security advisor. Plus: How can the United States protect itself from Chinese economic espionage? China’s threat to Taiwan? And what is the future of the war in Ukraine? Show Notes: - Uphill: The Showdown Over the China Competition Bill -...
Jul 13, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 229
Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David discuss two major events from the last week, including the chaos across the pond with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation on Thursday morning. Near Chicago, at least seven are dead and dozens injured after the July Fourth shooting at Highland Park, prompting questions about whether red flag laws really work. An update on Ukraine is also in order, as well as 2022 midterm implications for the House of Representatives and the Senate. Show Notes: - TMD: B...
Jul 08, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 228
Tim Miller, writer-at-large at The Bulwark, joins Steve to talk about his new book: Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. Miller gives listeners a breakdown of the Washington, D.C. political culture and how it’s not what you might think. Plus: the book sparks a lively debate about the divides within the Republican Party, and whether there’s a way forward in the midst of the murk. Is there a place for center-right journalism to thrive? Show Notes: - Why We Did It: A Travel...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 227
Jonah and Chris Stirewalt join Sarah to talk about the political aftermath of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization as states begin to grapple legislatively with the post-Roe era. Will we reach a consensus on what life means in the womb? Our hosts also discuss the nature of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony during the surprise January 6 select committee hearing and the risks with the Democrats’ 2022 election strategy. Show Notes: - TMD: Surprise Witness Blows January 6 Investigation Right Op...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 226
This is the audio version of the story documenting the creation and passage of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The story is based on more than 21 hours of interviews with more than two dozen people involved, including lawmakers, staff, and human rights advocates. Show Notes: - PDF: How the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Became Law - Introduction and Part 1 - Parts 2 and 3 - Parts 4 and 5 - Parts 6 and 7 - Parts 8 and 9 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jun 27, 2022•2 hr
Sarah, Steve, and Jonah dive into a delightful political potpourri, tackling everything from the Biden administration’s possible gas tax holiday to immigration and the Georgia congressional runoffs. They also discuss the House Select Committee’s January 6 hearing on Tuesday, which produced some interesting testimonies. Show Notes: - TMD: “Biden’s Mixed Messages on Oil” - Karl Rove in the Wall Street Journal: “Biden Got the Energy Market He Wanted” - Capitolism: “Fueling Uncertainty” - TMD: “How ...
Jun 24, 2022•50 min•Ep. 225
