Politicology

Have you ever thought about what it means to be anonymous?  Have you considered what it means that you can walk down the street or go to the grocery store or out to dinner without someone you’ve never met knowing your name, everything you’ve posted online, or your political leanings? Or when you go on a first date with someone, they’d walk in knowing your dating history, your political affiliation...

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Ron to break down a whirlwind of revelations about Trumpworld’s back-channel contacts with the Kremlin—and what they mean for Ukraine’s survival.  Molly explains the leaked call where envoy Steve Witkoff coached th...

In a special Thanksgiving-week episode of The Weekly, Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid sit down to answer your questions — about the deep fractures emerging inside the Republican Party, the escalating ICE raids in smaller cities, the boundary between sharp-elbowed politics and institutional destruction, the rise of AI, and the future of American civic life.    In Politicology+ they unpack historian Gor...

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus Last week, a “peace plan” to end the war in Ukraine leaked to the press. It would force Kyiv to abandon its NATO ambitions, cap its armed forces and shower Moscow with concessions. In this episode Ron talks to Gabrielius Landsbergis (former Foreign Minister of Lithuania ) and Molly McKew (writer an...

This week, Ron Steslow and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) break down the newly released Epstein emails, what they show, what they don’t and why the national security implications are far bigger than the headlines. They dig into Epstein’s attempts to insert himself into global politics including offering Russia “insight” on Donald Trump and the strange connection b...

Washington just lived through a “Seinfeld shutdown”—a 43-day government closure over… basically nothing. Or was it nothing? This week, Ron Steslow is joined by Peter Suderman (features editor at Reason and host of the Reason Roundtable) to unpack the weirdest shutdown in modern memory and the deeply broken healthcare system underneath it. They dig into why Democrats picked this fight, why they fol...

Ron Steslow and Peter Suderman dive into the battle between the Abundance Agenda (Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson’s answer to America’s scarcity mindset) and the newly ascendant socialist wing embodied by New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Related Reading:  The Atlantic - Mamdani Has a Point About Rent Control - The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ron Steslow and Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert) break down Tuesday night’s election results, Mamdani’s win in New York City, the blowout wins for moderate Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, and how these wins highlight the identity crisis within the Democratic Party.    In Politicology+ they unpack the Trump tariffs and the oral arguments i...

Nick Gillespie and host Ron Steslow discuss AI, what it’s doing to us, and our relationship with what it means to be human. Related media: NBC - Some of her closest relationships are with chatbots. That's more common than you think. Vox - The rise of chatbot “friends” | Vox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) discuss the proposed wealth tax on billionaires in California, the signs of worsening economic conditions, and how class warfare could dominate our politics. In Politicology+ they discuss the redistricting wars, the Supreme Court case that could upend a central part of the Voting Rights Act, how Latinos becoming the largest mino...

This week, Ron Steslow and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) connect a headline-grabbing jewel heist at the Louvre to China’s push to dethrone the dollar. Then, they turn to the escalating conflict with Venezuela: the strikes on alleged “drug boats,” CIA’s new covert action authority, and what’s really at stake for Maduro’s regime. In Politicology+ they discuss the G...

In our digital age, people have grown to see social media platforms as mere tools and applications.  Marcus Collins, the award-winning marketer, former digital strategist for Beyoncé, and author of "For The Culture", argues otherwise.  Join host Ron Steslow as he sits down with Marcus to unravel the deep-seated influence of culture on social media and our daily choices. Marcus elaborates on his as...

This week, Ron Steslow and Susan Del Percio (MSNBC political analyst and crisis communications expert) break down New York City’s mayoral race and what a likely Zoran Mamdani win would signal for Democrats, how “personality politics” and populism are reshaping both parties, and what’s driving the current government shutdown fight.     In Politicology+ they unpack the disturbing revelations surroun...

We live in a loud world that’s getting louder. We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications. But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?  In fact, what is silence, anyway? How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relatio...

This week, Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) trace a through-line from our screen-first, post-literate society to America’s escalating political violence.    In Politicology+ they continue the conversation, discussing the institutions, laws, and norms we’ve put in place to prevent violence from becoming a political tool, how they’re breaking down, and how we move forward....

This week, Ron Steslow and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) break down the headlines and hidden stories from the United Nations General Assembly and the Trump administration’s surprise Gaza peace proposal.    In Politicology+ they discuss the future of Hagar’s show My World, and what it’s like to navigate media and geopolitics in today’s fractured landscape. Not yet...

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode Ron talks to Leopoldo Lopez (Venezuelan opposition leader and co-founder and general secretary of the World Liberty Congress) about his journey fighting for freedom against the Maduro regime. They discuss the collapse of democracy in Venezuela, the importance of grassroots movements...

This week, Ron Steslow and Greg Brower (Fmr. Assistant Director of the FBI and U.S. Attorney in Nevada) unpack what’s real—and what isn’t—in the Epstein investigations.     They walk through the unusual non-prosecution agreement for Epstein in Florida, how victims’ rights weren’t honored, and why additional prosecutions may not have materialized.  Then, they dig into the politics: the House Oversi...

We live in a loud world that’s getting louder. We encounter noise all around us—from the chatter of polite conversations, to street noise in a big city, to the constant intrusion of the dings of notifications. But what is all of this noise doing to us, and what does it mean to find quiet in the midst of it?  In fact, what is silence, anyway? How can it affect our minds, our bodies, and our relatio...

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode Ron talks to Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) about Ukraine’s resilience and global fatigue 3.5 years into Russia’s invasion.  They discuss: (07:56) The Ukrainian refugee murdered in Charlotte(09:52) Ukrainian morale and shifting public...

Richard Reeves (author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It)  joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book and the struggles facing boys and men.  (02:04) The toxicity of “toxic masculinity” (08:00) The “right” at war and the “left” in denial (13:00) How negative partisanship only increases the problem (15:00) The differences in funding and instit...

This week, Ron Steslow and Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) discuss information warfare and the biased reporting about Israel ahead of their ground offensive in Gaza City.    Then, the backlash against parties in power in Europe and why Americans need to care about it. In Politicology+ they discuss China’s military parade, the meetings between the leaders of China,...

Richard Reeves (author of Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It)  joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book and the struggles facing boys and men. (02:13) Richard’s work and how it led to studying boys and men (04:00) The risks if the problems are not addressed (07:30) The gendered education gap(0z8:20) How economic shifts have impacted men(11:20)...

This week, Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) unpack President Trump’s move to remove a sitting Federal Reserve governor,  the overt politicization of the Fed, and how it raises questions about whether it even makes sense for an institution this powerful to exist as it does.    Then, the administration’s deal for a 10% stake in Intel and what it signals about a turn toward...

Ron Steslow and Katherine Mangu-Ward discuss surveillance pricing, the role of government in data collection, the third-party doctrine that allows the government to buy personal data, and the marriage of corporate and state centralized power. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at  ⁠https://www.oneskin.co/⁠ #oneskinpod Related Reading:  Vox - Delta is using AI to give you a personalized airfare....