A Gentlemen’s Disagreement

On the two year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, we reflect on all that has transpired since, including the hostages still held by Hamas, the horrific death toll in Gaza, Israel's international standing, the complicity of the U.S. in the destruction of Gaza, and the potential for peace.

We left feudalism, with it's reciprocal obligations, rigid class structures, and lack of social mobility behind hundreds of years ago, right? Jodi Dean, professor of political science at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, argues that we might be headed back to the future into a system she terms as "neofeudalism."

We reflect on the life, death, and legacy of Charlie Kirk, as well as the reactions to his murder. Where do we go from here?

Tucked inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was a first-of-its-kind provision establishing a federal tax credit scholarship program that has the chance to greatly expand school choice for families across the country. Shaka Mitchell, Senior Fellow for the American Federation for Children, joins us to analyze the implications of this provision and discuss the school choice movement writ large.

The New York Times's Lydia DePillis discusses how the U.S.-led trade war is playing out across the world from both economic and geopolitical perspectives, why reliable economic data matters, and why, despite the seeming warning sirens, the U.S. economy might not be headed for a come down anytime soon.

We talk the takeover of DC, the stakes in Intel & Nvidia, the redistricting push, the control of The Kennedy Center, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the meeting with Putin.   

Boston University Law Professor Jack Beermann analyzes the major topics, trends, and decisions that came from the Supreme Court's 2024-2025 term. We talked about the Court's relationship with the other two branches of government, with the Trump Administration, and within itself. We looked at specific cases and the emergence of specific judges from this term as well as what might be ahead in the co...

Ansley Skipper of Protect Democracy discusses what the ouster of the president of her alma mater, UVA, after a pressure campaign from the Trump administration tells us about the state of higher education as we head into a new school year.

Is the falling global birthrate the actual existential crisis of our time? The Atlantic's Marc Novicoff joins us to discuss why it's a crisis, why that crisis is even worse than you might've heard, and why you should care.

Critical media scholar Nolan Higdon discusses why being discerning about the news you're consuming is so necessary for you, as a citizen of a democracy, and for democracy, as a system, to succeed. We talk about the history of fake news, its current incarnation, and tips for becoming a more discerning consumer of news and, therefore, a better member of our democracy.

Is the controversy around the Epstein files the straw that broke the back of the MAGA coalition? Or is this just another example in a long line of "this time it's different!" wishful thinking for the anti-Trumpers?

We analyze the "One Big Beautiful Bill" from all the angles: from the process and potential precedent, to the actual impact the bill will have on people's lives, to the messaging of the bill from both parties. We also try to look at the long term effects of the bill: how did it change how our government will work for the people going forward and what does it mean politically for the midterms and b...

Lura Forcum of The Independent Center joins us to discuss how we might be able to turn the white whale of many American voters--independent candidates--into a reality.

We had planned to debate whether the U.S. should or shouldn't get involved in the Israeli-Iranian conflict. Well, President Trump did, so the debate turned into whether it was the right move and how it might play out both internationally and domestically.

Two of our great friends, Perry Laberis and Ray Mooney, join us to discuss what the breakdown in the Trump-Musk relationship means for the future of both men, the future of this administration, and the future of politics in the U.S. We also hit on some other items in the news towards the end of the conversation.

The constant barrage of news coming from this administration has been weighing heavily on Ricky. Is it at bad as it seems? Can Brendan offer any hope or simply commiserate? 

Director of the Global Linkages Lab and Brown University professor Dr. Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan makes the case for why tariffs are not the solution to U.S. trade deficits or U.S. job losses and explains why America First might soon mean America Alone.

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about AI. And a lot of talk about climate change. But where and how do these two forces life-changing forces collide? Dr. Joseph B. Keller of the Brookings Institution helps us answer these questions and tells us what policy makers should be thinking about as both forces continue to advance.

Matthew Knych joins us to reflect on the wild, whirlwind, and incredibly consequential first 100 days of the second Trump Administration.

Jesuit priest and Boston College Professor of History Oliver Rafferty takes us beneath the surface of the simple narratives surrounding Pope Francis's life and legacy to examine the pope he really was, the church he ran, and the one that he leaves us.

Benjamin Kramer and Gustavo Nascimento, two of the Executive Producers behind "The Apprentice," a movie about Donald Trump's rise to prominence as a real estate businessman in New York City that earned multiple Oscar nominations, take us behind the scenes of the fascinating process to make this outstanding and provocative film.

Going to a game used to be affordable for an average family. It's not anymore. We are joined by Groundwork Collaborative's Emily DiVito and Elizabeth Pancotti to discuss why that is and what policy makers could do to fix it.

Five months after the election, two months into the Trump Administration, what does The Resistance 2.0 look like? What do the various approaches of the leaders of the Democratic Party tell us about where the Party is now and where it is headed?

We begin by discussing the detention and possible deportation of Mahmoud Khalil before looking at the retreat of the stock market, in general, and of Tesla, in particular.

We discuss our biggest takeaways from the start of the second Trump administration including DOGE, tariffs, and Ukraine. Then we recap our first book club where we read "Poverty, by America" by Matthew Desmond.