The Lincoln Project

This episode was originally released on July 18, 2023. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Pulitzer Prize winning and New York Times bestselling author, Stacy Schiff to discuss the life of Founding Father Samuel Adams, his role in the American Revolution, and the legacy he leaves behind (despite his best efforts not to). Plus, what are the parallels between our nation's infan...

This episode was originally released on August 22, 2023. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by Jon Ward , Author and Senior Political Correspondent for Yahoo News . They discuss the rise of the American evangelical movement, the types of people it attracts, and how it became so closely tied to Trumpism. To hear more from Jon Ward, be sure to check out his latest book ( Testimon...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author, Historian, and Boston College History Professor, Heather Cox Richardson . They discuss the road the Republican party took to reach its current status, why Donald Trump (and those in his image) offer a dangerous/autocratic future, and why democracy (while imperfect) is the best path to achieve the America we want. For more from Heather Cox Richardson, check out...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Trygve Olson to discuss the always growing division in the GOP, how a second Donald Trump term is a guarantee of American autocracy, and why it continues to be crucial for the pro-democracy movement to play the game we’re in…and not the game we know. Plus, what our democracy can learn from the recent elections in Poland. For more from Ree...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Halie Soifer , the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America to discuss the latest in the Israel/Hamas War, how to defend against the rising levels of antisemitism in the United States, and how the choice between Joe Biden and Donald Trump has never been more clear. Plus, why antisemitism is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to the degradation of democrac...

Host Reed Galen is joined by George Conway, a Lincoln Project Co-Founder, attorney, contributing columnist for the Washington Post , and Board President for the Society For the Rule of Law . They discuss the manipulative nature of Donald Trump, the latest with his numerous trials, and the tangible dangers of a second Trump term. Plus, how the GOP became the perfect vessel to embrace Donald Trump a...

Host Reed Galen is joined by fellow Lincoln Project Co-Founder Rick Wilson to look back on why we began the Lincoln Project four years ago, what we’ve witnessed in the four years since our launch, and where we go from here…in 2024 and beyond. To hear more from Rick Wilson, be sure to check out his Substack , listen to The Enemies List , and check out his books, Running Against the Devil & Ever...

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the GOP and its cognitive dissonance, the presidential field in the 2024 election, and why this election is a choice election. Plus, we got him again! For more from Reed Galen, be sure to subscribe to “The Home Front” . If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project , send an...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Stuart Stevens and Joe Trippi to discuss where we currently stand as a nation, why our democracy continues to face an existential threat, and why the pro-democracy movement must remain laser-focused on 2024. Plus, our biggest worries…and what we’re most optimistic about. For more from Stuart Stevens, be sure to check out his new book, Th...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Jeff Kosseff , Author and Associate Professor of Cybersecurity Law in the United States Naval Academy’s Cyber Science Department . They discuss Jeff’s latest book, Liar in a Crowded Theater: Freedom of Speech in a World of Misinformation , which examines and defends legal protections for false speech. You can pick up LIAR IN A CROWDED THEATER wherever fine books are fo...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Martin Pengelly , Author and Washington Breaking News Correspondent for Guardian US . They discuss Martin’s latest book, Brotherhood: When West Point Rugby Went to War , a story of American rugby and a story of the U.S. Army created through intimate portraits of men shaped by West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.” Plus, examining the U.S. Army as an organization i...

This episode was originally released on August 4, 2023. In this encore presentation, host Reed Galen is joined by the Political Scientist, Humanitarian Expert, and now member of the Polish Parliament, Aleksandra K. Wiśniewska to discuss the importance of humanitarian aid on the international stage, her first-hand account of the current state of Ukraine (the people, the politics, and the military),...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and Journalist Brian Stelter to discuss the political media landscape, why the right-wing media ecosystem is so big and how it’s so effective in its messaging, and what really goes on behind the scenes at Fox News…especially during Donald Trump’s “Big Lie”. Plus, how does the media combat the flattening effect of cable news as a medium? Be sure to pick up Networ...

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the 2024 election, third party candidates, the Israel/Hamas conflict, Trump’s bevy of legal cases, and so much more. Plus, thoughts on Donald Trump’s “Vermin” speech and why the mission of the pro-democracy coalition is more important now than ever before. Be sure to read the New York Times article about...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Ashley Ehasz , the Democrat running for the U.S. House to represent Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District. They discuss how being a combat veteran informs her approach to leadership, why Democrats are the party of national security, and how the GOP governs through fear and subterfuge. Plus, a look at Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional district and Ashley’s 2024 match...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author, Television Writer/Producer, and Former Federal Prosecutor…Jonathan Shapiro. They discuss the life, mind, and leadership of our nation’s 16th president as well as the seven steps to being Abraham Lincoln as told through Shapiro’s newly released book, How to Be Abe Lincoln: Seven Steps to Leading a Legendary Life . The seven steps are laugh, improve, navigate, co...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Author and National Opinion Columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer , Will Bunch. They discuss how the far-right’s call for a “Red Caesar” means welcoming chaos and dictatorship with open arms, the media’s discomfort with directly covering MAGA’s autocratic actions, and why a failure of imagination continues to be one of the greatest dangers to our nation’s democracy....

Host Reed Galen is joined by Daniel Barkhuff, Former Navy SEAL and Founder of Veterans for Responsible Leadership to discuss the latest in the Middle East, why American leadership continues to be so crucial on the world stage, and why it would be so dangerous if our nation re-elected Donald Trump (or another authoritarian) in 2024. Plus, some tough love for Democrats…and what can an emergency room...

Host Reed Galen is joined by McKay Coppins , an Award-Winning Author and Staff Writer for The Atlantic . They discuss McKay’s latest book, Romney: A Reckoning (a biography of Mitt Romney), Romney’s opposition to Donald Trump, and how Romney ultimately became a pariah in the GOP. Plus, now that Mitt Romney has announced that he’s not seeking another term in the U.S. Senate, what can we expect from...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisor Stuart Stevens to discuss the series of historical events that led the Republican party to being the autocratic party that it is today, the GOP’s current state of dysfunction (especially as exemplified by the recent Speaker race), and how Donald Trump instilled an ethos of victimhood in the modern-day Republican. Plus, why young people wi...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Lincoln Project Senior Advisors Trygve Olson and Jeff Timmer. They discuss the current state of the Republican party (especially the House GOP who’s going on 3 weeks without a Speaker), the national security and foreign policy strength/leadership of President Joe Biden, and how to counter MAGA messaging targeted at Bannon-line voters. Plus, what recent news out of Mich...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Joe Walsh , Former Congressman and Director of Mission: Democracy , an organization whose mission is to educate Americans about the dangers posed by MAGA fascism and to encourage them to use democracy to help diminish MAGA influence. They discuss the latest with Jim Jordan’s bid for the speakership, the resultant dysfunction in the GOP, and the continual dangers of MAG...

Host Reed Galen is joined by Liam Kerr , the Co-Founder of Welcome PAC , a Democratic-aligned PAC that applies insurgent tactics to support pro-democracy/center-left candidates in swing districts and also build a “big tent” Democratic party. They discuss the latest in the House Speaker race and the dysfunction around the GOP, why the labels of “moderate” and “centrist” often go hand-in-hand with “...

Host Reed Galen answers questions asked by the members of the Lincoln Project community about the recent Hamas attacks in Israel, upcoming elections (both 2023 and 2024), GOP infighting, and Donald Trump’s mountain of legal troubles. To hear more from Reed Galen, subscribe to his brand new Substack, The Home Front . If you’d like to ask a question or share a comment with The Lincoln Project , send...

Host Reed Galen is joined by New York Times bestselling author Michael Lewis to discuss the rise of Sam Bankman-Fried, his (and his crypto exchange FTX’s) rise to prominence, and how it all unraveled. Plus, what seems to draw Americans to the likes of Sam Bankman-Fried, Elon Musk, and Donald Trump? For more on this topic be sure to pick up Michael Lewis’ latest book, Going Infinite: The Rise and F...