The American Mind Podcast

The FBI has raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Are Merrick Garland and the ruling elites at the justice department so convinced of their political invulnerability that they don’t care how this looks? Maybe the Democrats just think they can buy voters off: in a transparent ploy to do so, the Biden administration has promised a $10,000 student loan cancellation plan. Conservatives are sputtering w...

In this edition of The Stakes, Michael Anton, lecturer in politics and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center, and a Claremont senior fellow, is joined by Michael Millerman of the Millerman School. The two discuss the teachings of the Claremont Institute's ideological lodestar, Leo Strauss. They also discuss how and to what extent Strauss' teachings, and those of other twentieth centu...

This week,  The American Mind  team is off, with the exception of Seth Barron who has volunteered to bring you a short and sweet one-man show before we return to a full complement next week. Against the background of Liz Cheney's crushing defeat in the Wyoming primary, Seth analyzes the ever-widening rift between the New Right that is taking over the GOP and the old guard who are now finding thems...

This week, while  The American Mind 's editors are off, Ryan Williams took the opportunity to sit down with Dr. John Marini. Against the background of the FBI's unprecedented raid on Mar-a-Lago, which took place on the 48th anniversary of Richard Nixon's resignation, the pair look back at Nixon's experience with the administrative state as it relates to today. Plus: what can we do to bring governm...

In a move that predictably has China perturbed, Nancy Pelosi is in Taiwan on a state visit to “reaffirm allies” in the South China Sea, triggering fears of WWIII (again) across the Twitterverse. But does anyone really want an armed conflict with China? And even if they did, would our “yassified” armed forces be up to the task? Meanwhile, the Tavistock Clinic, a gender clinic in the UK, has been or...

Woke academics are trying to tear down the last barriers against total ideological conformity. Seth and Spencer are joined by Professor Amy Wax, who has ample firsthand experience of witch hunts in the academy and recommendations for change. Meanwhile, monkeypox is on the rise in New York among a certain group of people who apparently shall not be named. And the Biden administration is trying to f...

A religion of fantasy requires imaginary martyrs. So this week we were treated to the spectacle of AOC and other members of Congress pretending to be handcuffed for the cameras. But that’s just the beginning of the rabbit hole. Wikipedia is being edited to conform with woke piety, and Merriam-Webster has added a new definition to “woman.” Plus:  at least  163  billion  dollars of COVID relief mone...

Inflation topped out at over 9% this month, which both exceeded the expected 8.8%, and poses huge issues for everyday Americans. From the working class to the not-so-working class, people are coping, or something like it, by deadening their senses and hoping it will all go away. Some believe transhumanism is the answer, but we need stronger medicine to save our souls. Plus: new video shows Hunter...

The Dutch government has limited emissions so severely that many farmers will have no choice but to stop farming. The farmers, unsurprisingly, are not happy—turns out kulaks, awkwardly enough, don’t like to be liquidated. Meanwhile, the Dobbs  case is starting to animate state politics and will test just how red the red states are. Plus: is trans language shoving women out of the Overton Window? T...

The Supreme Court has handed down ruling after glorious ruling, most notably overturning Roe and Casey in their landmark abortion case, but also defending the right to bear arms in self defense and the right to free expression of religion. Is gutting the administrative state next? Plus: the latest from Impeachment Part III, the Revenge (i.e., the January 6 hearings). This is a public episode. If y...

The Biden Administration seems determined to make good on its promise to put “equity” at the center of all it does, prompting the editors to wonder how much daylight there is between equality of outcomes, race-based reparations, and a total restructuring of American society. But will voters—and in particular those minorities not singled out for favored status—go for it? Meanwhile: a new Supreme Co...

Ted Cruz grills the FBI on its potential participation in January 6, as Insurrection Hearing: The Musical Showtime Extravaganza drags on. Meanwhile, Google’s AI chatbot has some things to say about the soul that sound suspiciously like a Silicon Valley guru’s wish fulfillment fantasy. Plus: Matt Peterson joins the show to talk about so-called “blue locusts” and how to keep red states red. This is...

There is a God-shaped hole in the American soul. We’re not going to fill it with tech, or entertainment, or drugs, or violence--but lots of people might try. Big Tech wants the bots to whisper sweet nothings at you, others are on a quest to worship the ultimate superdrug, and still others would simply burn the system down just to feel  something . Our editors discuss how we can come back down to r...

Social media has proven unsustainable as a digital way of life, plunging many internet moguls into an identity crisis. As we enter the age of Web3, it seems some regimes are doubling down on managed decline…but will others find a better way forward? Meanwhile, the verdict is in on  Depp v. Heard , but the important takeaway is how far celebrity cachet—much like the cachet of every other special id...

Eighteen-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire in an Uvalde, TX elementary school in a horrific act of violence. Naturally the political firefighting began within minutes, and Congressional Democrats made gun control the order of the day. But is there really a political solution to the evil we’re up against? Meanwhile, is humor the antidote to the woke revolution, or just a temporary escape valve? A...

This week, a deranged young man killed ten people in Buffalo, New York. While pointing fingers at Tucker Carlson and the Right, the legacy media is actively feeding the public disinformation. Speaking of disinformation, the Dept. of Homeland Security's Ministry of Truth is being put on the backburner, but it's unlikely we've heard the last of federal censorship. Plus: is Claremont behind...  every...

Inflation hovers near record highs at 8.3%, the debt skyrockets out of control, and even talking about it can feel like it’s making the problem worse. It gets harder every day even to conceptualize the extent of the economy itself, let alone make moves to counteract its myriad dysfunctions. Meanwhile, Trump is emerging as GOP kingmaker…and more? Spencer and James discuss the failures of central pl...

In a leak unprecedented in modern history, Justice Samuel Alito’s draft decision overturning  Roe v. Wade  has been published by Politico .  But the leak is only part of the story. If  Roe  really is overruled, the political landscape of America’s states will be more important than ever. Our editors, joined by both Matt Peterson and Helen Roy, have thoughts on the logic of the draft decision, as w...

The  Know Your Enemy  podcast recently accused Claremont of misunderstanding the old civil war, and irresponsibly predicting--or perhaps yearning for--a new one. The editors respond with the help of special guest Glenn Ellmers, Claremont Scholar and author of  The Soul of Politics , a book on Claremont’s intellectual godfather Harry V. Jaffa. Plus: Elon Musk officially bought Twitter and conservat...

Disney is at risk of losing its self-governing fiefdom in Florida after coming for Ron DeSantis over his Parents’ Rights bill. Meanwhile, Taylor Lorenz doxxed the owner of the Libs of TikTok account for the crime of doing journalism and showing parents what radical teachers are saying. Plus: Tucker Carlson is bringing right-wing digital vitalism to the older Right. This is a public episode. If you...

Wouldn't it be great if a nameless technocrat could force you to starve inside your home because they support the current thing and you don't? Oh, and they can both monitor and preach at you with drones. It's happening in Shanghai right now over COVID and a developing online hivemind is drooling at the prospect for the West. But is a hive inevitable? Meanwhile, a horrendous shooting in New York ha...

Won't somebody, please, anybody, shake hands with Joe Biden? Apparently not, as Obama's visit to the White House focuses all the attention immediately back on Barack. One wonders who is in control, and what the regime's endgame is. Meanwhile the effort to crush the ruble doesn't seem to be working very well. Plus: the editors discuss the merits of "OK, groomer." This is a public episode. If you'd...

The Left isn’t trying to groom your six-year-old in school, you conspiracy theorist. On an unrelated note, Disney has created a task force to do exactly that as an end run around Florida’s explicit ban on discussing  sex with kindergarteners. How can and should the Right respond? Meanwhile, California is seemingly trying to legalize killing newborns. The editors discuss whether to take a white or...

What is a woman? Whatever Joe Biden says it is, bigot. Even Supreme Court nominees can no longer state the painfully obvious: the fog of woke religion obscures all. Meanwhile, the Hunter Biden laptop story is now officially real news. It’s a little late, but oh well--water under the bridge! The editors discus transhumanist tecnho-fervor at home, and liberal imperialism abroad. This is a public epi...

There are no biolabs in Ukraine, and it’s good that there are. Also, it is apparently treason to discuss the issue--even though we’re not at war. How much of this is really about Ukraine, and how much has to do with punishing enemies at home? Plus: the feds have written a fascinating report about an incel shooting. Seth and Spencer discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this w...