The Dispatch Podcast

On today’s podcast, our hosts discuss the latest round of statements from former President Donald Trump and new reports about his role after the 2020 election. How are elected Republicans reacting? Plus, President Joe Biden has a Supreme Court seat to fill, and the world turns its eyes toward China as the Winter Olympics get underway.   Show Notes: -TMD: “Trump Doubles Down on January 6 Role” -G-F...

On today’s podcast, Steve moderates a conversation about the politics of replacing Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. Joining Sarah on the panel is Gregg Nunziata, who worked on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and John McCormack, Washington correspondent for National Review. What does replacing a Supreme Court justice look like from behind the scenes? Our panel has that answer and more....

The problems in Ukraine are getting worse. Our hosts discuss what led to the current situation and the role President Biden played in getting to this point. Then Sarah, David, Jonah, and Steve talk about two issues that are not getting enough attention as we head to the midterms: immigration and crime.   Show Notes: -TMD: Germany Drags Feet On Ukraine -Uphill: What Price Will Putin Pay for a Ukrai...

On today’s episode, Sarah and Steve speak with Heidi Heitkamp, former North Dakota senator and founder of One Country Project. They cover everything from the filibuster to President Biden’s first year in office. What doesn’t work about the Senate? Can Biden turn things around before the midterms?   Show Notes: -TMD looks back at Biden’s first year -Uphill looks at the state of Build Back Better Le...

A year ago, almost to the day, Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States. The gang looks back at a year full of shifts to progressive policies from Biden. Is he living up to his promise of restoring normalcy in America? Plus, Gallup says 2021 saw the greatest shift in party preferences for as long as Gallup has been around. What does that mean for the country and our politics? Final...

Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the 10 House Republicans to impeach Trump, joins Sarah and Steve on today’s podcast. They discuss why he is against Biden’s new voting rights legislation and how much influence the federal government should have over elections. Plus, the congressman talks about his view of the filibuster, and the rightward shift of rural America.   Show Notes: -Rep. Newhouse's statement a...

President Biden ran his 2020 campaign on the promise he’d bring back “normal” life in America. Almost one year later, there is still an ongoing pandemic, record-high inflation, and a serious lack of food in grocery stores. The gang discusses it all and what it means for the country. Plus, President Biden spoke about voting rights in Atlanta yesterday and the speech aggravated all four hosts. They...

On today’s podcast, Chris Stirewalt fills in for Steve and Sarah and has a discussion with Josh Kraushaar of National Journal. They talk about the teacher strike in Chicago, which leads to a broader discussion of Biden and the Democratic Party’s unwillingness to challenge the extremes of the party. Plus, they discuss the upcoming midterms and the projected Republican landslide that could be the pa...

On the eve of the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, the podcast is dedicated entirely to the events at the Capitol. The gang recounts their memories from that bleak day in Washington and what it has meant for the country over the past year. A lively discussion about what role Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the left played in the lead-up and aftermath ensues. Finally, what will be different abou...

In the final episode of “The Dispatch Podcast” in 2021, our hosts talk about Joe Manchin’s non-reliability for the Democrats, the increasing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and the growing spread of the more-infectious Omicron variant. They close by asking a question: How will historians in 100 years view the past two decades?   Show Notes: -Give someone a Dispatch subscription this Christmas...

On today’s episode, our hosts discuss the House’s vote to hold Mark Meadows, Donald Trump’s former chief of staff, in criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the January 6 Select Committee. Plus, are we taking threats to vote counting seriously enough? Is Jonah right about Omicron? And, is President Biden being unfairly treated by the media?   Show Notes: -TMD on Mark Meadows tex...

On today’s podcast, Sarah and Steve are joined by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. In 2020, Georgia was at the center of claims of voter fraud that kept President Trump from returning to the White House, and before that in 2018, the state was the site of claims of voter suppression that kept Stacey Abrams from the governor’s mansion. Raffensperger, author of the new book Integrity Co...

In his new book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, Jonathan Karl, ABC News' chief Washington correspondent, details what was really going on in the final months of the Trump administration, and in the aftermath of the 2020 election. What was happening behind-the-scenes as Trump left the White House? How should the press cover a potential 2024 campaign by the former president?   Show Notes...

With all eyes on the Supreme Court today, the gang starts with an explainer of what is happening in the oral arguments of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. What’s at stake? Is it as monumental as some are making it out to be? When might we know how the court rules? Plus, a new COVID variant emerges, Russia builds up its military presence near Ukraine, and blue states fail to live up to...

On today's podcast, our hosts discuss how to solve a problem like inflation. Will Biden's Build Back Better Act actually bring down prices? Plus, Sarah and the guys discuss pandemic fatigue driving voters to the GOP, what's going on at the Naval Observatory, and what the Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery trials tell us about ourselves as a nation.   Show Notes: -TMD: “Can the Build Back Better Ac...

On today's episode, Sarah and Steve sit down with Scott Lincicome, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and author of The Dispatch newsletter Capitolism, to discuss the details of our global supply-chain issues. Plus, Lincicome answers questions about inflation, wages, and problems with our labor force participation. Show Notes: -Make sure you get Capitolism in your inbox -Lincicome’s latest Capito...

On today's show, our hosts discuss issues up-and-down the supply-chain, and the political fallout it brings. Plus, the ripple effects of the House passing the infrastructure package, what we think we know about the 2022 midterms, and the latest news around the Steele dossier. Show Notes: -Lincicome’s latest Capitolism tackles our supply-chain woes -Uphill breaks down the bipartisan infrastructure...

Today’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast is a little bit different than the typical Friday version. Steve interviewed Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse at the Aspen Security Forum on the topic of America’s response to the digital revolution across the globe. Among some of the more interesting topics discussed: China and “chuckleheads,” as Sen. Sasse refers to some members of Congress. Sen. Sasse explains why...

Sometimes the news of the day calls for some good old-fashioned rank punditry and after Tuesday’s elections today’s Dispatch Podcast does just that. Sarah, David, Jonah, and Declan look at the results not just in Virginia, but New Jersey, Minneapolis, and Buffalo, too. What do the results mean for the 2022 midterms? Anything at all? Our hosts break it all down. Show Notes: -TMD on election night i...

On today's podcast, Sarah and David talk with Ian Prior, executive director of Fight for Schools, to discuss what exactly is happening in Loudoun County, Virginia. Critical race theory in schools? A sexual assault controversy? And how will this all affect the race for governor in Virginia? Show Notes: -Prior “More Va. Public Schools Using Kids As Guinea Pigs For Critical Race Theory” -French Press...

On today's episode, our hosts discuss a new proposal from Democrats to tax the unrealized capital gains of billionaires. Is it constitutional? Plus, Taiwan and “strategic ambiguity,” the Facebook files, and who will Virginia elect as governor next week? Show Notes: -The Dispatch: “Washington Should Deter an Attack on Taiwan” -Wall Street Journal “The Facebook Files” -The Sweep: Down to the Wire in...

On today's episode, Sarah and Steve talk with Klon Kitchen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and veteran of the intelligence community to discuss the latest news out of China. What do China’s hypersonic missile tests mean for the balance of power between the United States and China? Are we at the start of a new "cold war?" Kitchen answers these questions and more. Show Notes: -...

On today’s podcast, our hosts tackle a wide range of topics. From China’s hypersonic missiles to the ongoing situation in Loudoun County, Steve, Sarah, Jonah, and David grapple with what those issues mean for the country with heavy doses of concern and skepticism. Plus, some good old-fashioned rank punditry. Sarah asks whether political operatives are responsible for ruining our politics? And some...

Former Rep. Dan Lipinski, Democrat from the Chicago area, and Reid Ribble, Republican from Wisconsin, join Sarah and Steve about how Congress works or doesn’t work, rather. The two former elected officials highlight the failures of the House of Representatives with troubling personal stories and insights. Fair warning, this conversation is as distressing as it is informative. Plus, stick around to...

To quote the great Ozzy Osbourne, “We’re going off the rails on the crazy train.” In today’s podcast, our hosts look at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on vaccine mandates, the DOJ memo aimed at school boards, an update to the January 6 committee, and President Biden's slumping numbers among independents. And finally, what does all of this mean for 2022 and (even though it’s way too early) 2024? Show...