The TPM Social Club

Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. Alex Washburne, a mathematical biologist who studies and writes about many things, most notably how pathogens can be manipulated and spread. We discuss reports of a possible plague outbreak in Siberia, the theory of COVID's origins lying in a lab leak, how easy it is to make mice glow green, and more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Pri...

Josh is out on vacation, and producer Jackie is subbing in! This week the Social Club talks the 'House of Mouse', and we promise it's not as weird as you think. Are Joe and Jackie Disney Adults? Was Toy Story 5 any good? Why are the Bobs arguing? All that and more as we chat all things Disney. (We promise it's not that cringe) The Disney adult is a made-up problem Bob Chapek says he discovered Jos...

Josh and Joe are joined by fellow TPMer Kate Riga who explains how the Supreme Court really works and why it can be so difficult for non-experts to follow cases as they wind through the court system. We also talk a bit about various reform proposals and their respective challenges. Comments, suggestions, ideas for future episodes? Email us here To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube pag...

Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, philosopher, evolutionary biologist, and the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York , to discuss the most fundamental of all questions: How to live a happy life? They discuss his latest book How to be a (Happy) Skeptic, and use ancient philosophy to analyze contemporary problems. We also spend a good deal of time talkin...

Josh and Joe have been doing the show for about a year now. In this episode they chat about a number of things that were on their mind. Why does the Trump admin want to sell off protected land? Why do New Yorkers seem to hate people from Ohio? What's going to happen in the midterms? and more. Comments, suggestions, ideas for future episodes? Email us here To watch this episode on video, go to our...

Josh and Joe are joined by Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova and author of Leo XIV and the Global Church. They discuss the Catholic Church in the U.S., how its split politically, what made it that way, and ancient and modern Rome. Comments, suggestions, ideas for future episodes? Email us here To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have new...

Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. David Kyle Johnson, philosopher at King's College in Pennsylvania to discuss the role of a philosopher in contemporary society. We live in a time where philosophical subjects like what is a person? What is consciousness? and others are front and center in political discourse. But where are the philosophers themselves? We also talk about Artificial intelligence, and a...

Josh and Joe are joined by Liberal Currents' executive editor Samantha Hancox-Li to discuss Hanxcox-Li's analysis of the 2025 Prairieland ICE detention center protest and aftermath. We also talk about Liberal Currents' mission and wrap up with a discussion of speculative fiction. We cover a lot of ground in the Social Club. Comments, suggestions, ideas for future episodes? Email us here To watch t...

Joe is joined by special guest host Derick Dirmaier to talk about the state of sports in America. They talk about the experience of being a sports fan, the state of youth sports, and the effect of money and private equity. To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have newsletters: subscribe here ! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social Fac...

Josh and Joe are joined by Jake Bittle, a reporter covering climate change at Grist to discuss the state of the Colorado River Basin. Seven states depend on this water system, but between overuse and aridification, its sustainability is in question. We discuss this and then touch on some other climate-related issues, such as the relationship between data centers and coal. It was an amazing episode...

Josh and Joe are joined by Joel Christensen, classics professor at CUNY Graduate School to discuss The Odyssey, both the Homerian epic and Christopher Nolan's recent adaptation. The three talk through the differences between the movie and the original, what modern actor could fit the bill for Odysseus, and what Gods we should all be worshipping and sacrificing to. To watch this episode on video, g...

Josh and Joe are joined by Devin Kennedy, history professor and author of the new book "Coding Capitalism: Computers and the Remaking of The Postwar US Economy". Buy the Book Coding Capitalism - Devin Kennedy During our discussion on Soviet scientific management and American scientific management, Joe mistakenly says Goodwin's Law when he really means Goodhart's law . To watch this episode on vide...

TPM's Kate Riga joins Josh and Joe to talk about sports and the right, specifically the tendency of the current administration to make itself the main character. We talk Kash Patel and the Olympics, Trump and FIFA, and everything Caitlin Clark/WNBA. Either/Or US hockey player responds to White House AI video Inside the fallout of the SJSU volleyball scandal: ‘This is an obvious problem’ Folarin Ba...

Josh and Joe are joined by TPM congressional reporter and aspiring Olympic fencer, Emine Yücel about working on Capital hill, training to be an olympian, and how growing up in Turkey helps her as a journalist in the United States. To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have newsletters: subscribe here ! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.so...

The TPM Show and TPM Social Club collide in their first ever crossover episode to chat about the end of the Supreme Court term, the pathetic state fair and how it feels to be American under the Trump regime. To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have newsletters: subscribe here ! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social Facebook: https://...

Josh and Joe are joined by Andrés to discuss the current state of Cuba, how it got so bad, and what comes next. To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have newsletters: subscribe here ! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo Twitter: https://x.com/tpmsocialclub Instagram: https://www.insta...

Josh and Joe are joined by NYT tech reporter Ryan Mac to discuss all things Elon Musk, the world's first trillionaire. Musk’s Next Move May Be a Megamerger of SpaceX and Tesla To watch this episode on video, go to our YouTube page . We also have newsletters: subscribe here ! Follow us on: Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tpmsocialclub.bsky.social Facebook: https://facebook.com/talkingpointsmemo T...

Charles Davis, author of independent news outlet The Redoubt, joins the show today all the way from Vienna, Austria. He's been covering the close ties between the European far-right movement and Americans. It's led most recently to Greg Bovino and the head of the New York Young Republicans meeting with the European hard right at a conference on "remigration," a term that originated from white nati...

TPM Publisher Joe Ragazzo is joined by TPM Executive Editor John Light as they talk about The News, literally, figuratively, and even kind of spiritually. Amazing Grace 2011 - Classical Whimsical by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100820 A...

Josh and Joe are joined by Tom Kludt, special correspondent at Vanity Fair and a former TPMer. They discuss the World Cup, FIFA, corruption, doping, and more, including why Sepp Blatter, as corrupt as he was, may have been better for soccer as a sport than FIFA's current head, Gianni Infantino. We also talk about why America may have hit its ceiling on how good it can get at soccer, and whether th...

TPM's Josh Kovensky and Joe Ragazzo are joined by TPM reporter Layla A. Jones to analyze the state of the economy and why it seems to be working for some people, but against most people. They take some time to eviscerate Jeff Bezos clownshow interview on CNBC earlier this week. U.S. Workers Are Getting Record-Low Compensation Based on Their Productivity Americans still feel pessimistic about the e...

A nuanced look at the current state of the so-called Make America Healthy Again movement and it's relationship with the Trump Administration Number Two Pencil Good Girls and Alpha Males: How Conservative Media Is Targeting Gen Z Breaking: Trump withdraws MAHA darling from Surgeon General nomination I asked MAHA voters outside the Supreme Court if they’d vote Democrat To watch this episode on video...

An honest conversation about AI, language and culture with Leif Weatherby. Knowers of Ball Permanent Decline The decline of Aaron Rodgers (with Leif Weatherby) Attention is All We Need: On Leif Weatherby’s Language Machines TPM's Annual Membership Drive is underway! If you're not a member, now's the perfect time to join! For a limited time, you can get  25% off an annual Prime or Prime Ad Fre...

Josh Kovensky and Joe Ragazzo are joined by TPM contributor and conspiracy theory expert Mike Rothschild (No, not those Rothschilds) to break down the strange reaction to the WHCD assassination attempt and discuss the current state of conspiracy theorizing. And then, believe it or not, we wrap up with some surprising developments from.....Summer House? Mike Rothschild writes Rough Edges for TPM, c...

Talking Popes Memo: Josh and Joe are joined by Deputy Editor Nicole LaFond to figure out why Trump is feuding with the Pope, why Hegseth quoted Pulp Fiction, and what makes the MAGA brand of evangelicalism so different. -- The Real Religious ‘Renewal’ Happening in Gen Z -- TPM's Annual Membership Drive is underway! If you're not a member, now's the perfect time to join! For a limited time, you can...