The American Mind Podcast

The Supreme Court has upheld Tennessee's right—and by extension, the right of other states—to regulate or ban trans medical procedures for children. Meanwhile, Trump’s precision strike against Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities has succeeded in extracting a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. The possibility of diplomacy and peace now exists—but will it materialize? The hosts are joined this wee...

In a two-man Roundtable throwback, hosts Spencer Klavan and Mike Sabo offer some initial reaction to Israel’s precision strikes against Iran and the subsequent fallout. Memories of past military failures and fear of Mideast regime change swirl online, but Trump seems prepared to back Netanyahu’s attack on Iranian nuclear capacity . Meanwhile, protestors took to the street to declare opposition to...

This week, special guest Peachy Keenan rounds out the cast with a report from LA, where riots are breaking out (again). Governor Gavin Newsom failed to gain control on the ground, so Trump inserted himself and the National Guard to enforce law and order. Meanwhile, it’s not news that Trump and Elon’s bromance has concluded in a spectacular social media exchange, but Elon’s public tailspin in the a...

Artificial Intelligence threatens to storm the office as tech companies compete to replace entry-level workers with “agent” underlings. Will this be the next major technological displacement in the workforce? And to what end? Meanwhile, this “Pride month” has lacked the eruption of rainbows typical of June. Is a Pride Shift to go along with the Vibe Shift underway? This week, Blaze Media editor-in...

Michael Anton—newly dubbed “MAGA’s Machiavelli”—gets a profile in  The Free Press  and some well-deserved recognition. Well-read, well-spoken, and well-dressed, Anton has done more than many realize to shape U.S. policies and political thought in the Trump Era. Meanwhile, Trump seems to sour on Putin and takes flak from some for not catching wise on Putin. But will he suffer any political conseque...

The sad announcement of Joe Biden's advanced cancer diagnosis has thrown fuel onto recriminations and speculations about his condition during his presidency, especially with the publication of a new book on the subject by none other than Jake Tapper. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino, on a Sunday interview with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo, disavowed the conspira...

As Europe withers and China rises, Trump makes a trip to the Middle East and charts out a new course. In a speech that raised some interventionist hackles, he delivered a sharp critique of nation building and signaled his intentions to approach the region differently. Meanwhile in Washington, a struggle continues to digest the concept of Congress doing... its job? And the Supreme Court will hear o...

To cap off the first 100 days of his administration, Trump sparred at length with Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press over his record so far—from immigration successes to choppy economic waters. Alarmed by Trump’s use of emergency powers in rolling out this agenda, David Linker at the New York Times draws some loose connections—to say the least—between Trump, Claremont, and Carl Schmitt. Meanwh...

As Trump exerts federal pressure from without, the culture of some Ivy League universities may be changing from within—or maybe not , as Harvard seems determined to fight the administration in court. The nation’s elite colleges have been dominated by a Jacobin spirit for decades, and now they seem committed to defending violent radicals. Will their prestige hold? This week, the guys sit down toget...

Knives are out as Pete Hegseth’s wife is let in on sensitive information about U.S. operations against the Houthis. Amid rumors of staff churn and conflicts within the right over foreign policy, Trump maintains his prudent approach. Meanwhile, on Easter Monday, Pope Francis passed away, spurring an assessment of his legacy and speculations about the future as the Church faces a critical juncture....

A new global order emerges . China grows bolder in the East, while Europe and Canada drift culturally and economically away from America. Will Trump’s tariffs add more chaos to this new multipolar world, or set the U.S. up for success within it? Back home, Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation continues to stir controversy . The guys sit down this week with Ron Dodson, president and portfolio manager...

Trump announces a sweeping tariff regime, then pauses it for 90 days —why? As a tactic to renegotiate trade deals? To reshore manufacturing? Some combination of both? With midterms just over the horizon, the stakes of this gamble to reorient global trade are high. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court lifts District Judge Jeb Boasberg’s temporary restraining order on deporting members of the Venezuelan gan...

Attempting to retroactively set the narrative of U.S. involvement in Ukraine on behalf of the intelligence community, journalist Adam Entous of the  New York Times  has painfully revealed in his latest piece the utter inability of the Deep State to accept reality at home and abroad. The hosts are joined this week by Claremont senior fellow Jeremy Carl to read between the lines and unpack the previ...

Atlantic reporter Jeff Goldberg was mistakenly added to a national security group chat, leading to a DC media feeding frenzy—is there anything of substance to be gleaned from this goof? Meanwhile, Jay Bhattacharya—an early opponent of the 2020 lockdowns—was confirmed by the Senate to direct the National Institutes of Health, hopefully  marking a turn back to sound health policy. This week, the guy...

You’re fired. Trump, by executive order, has moved to terminate federal contracts with law firm Perkins Coie for its role in promoting the 2016 Russiagate conspiracy and otherwise influencing elections —sparking fervorous debate in and across the aisle. Meanwhile, the administration invoked the emergency powers of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport members of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Ar...

First, they came for the green card-holding terror groupies—then they came for...us? Not exactly. But the recent detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University protest organizer who fought "for the total eradication of Western Civilization," has prompted cries of fascism. Again. Meanwhile, California governor Gavin Newsom sheds his skin and snakes his way toward the center of the political spe...

The Trump administration’s approach to governance presents an opening for a n ew federalism to take hold . S tates may now be incentivized to aggressively take charge of education ; ambitiously compete for businesses planting themselves in the   U.S. due to tariffs ; and cut oppressive regulatory red tape . Rounding out the Cincinnatus Series, Ryan Williams sits down with Scott Yenor , Jeffrey And...

In his first address to Congress, President Trump goaded Democrats into a limp, performative resistance while he rattled off an impressive list of achievements. Previously, at the White House, Trump had met with Ukrainian President Zelensky in a dramatic confrontation that ultimately helped improve Trump’s position in negotiations over rare earth minerals in exchange for military aid. The guys giv...

Silicon Valley elites have pushed school-provided tablets and phones into K -12 schools , replacing textbooks, real human interaction , and traditional education, undermining children's ability to focus —and parents' power to regulate screentime . Guests Scott Yenor, Freder ick Hess, and Clare Morell sit down with h ost Ryan Williams to consider the limited pros and many cons of devices in the cla...

The White House has taken charge of issuing press permissions, prompting wails of horror from the White House Correspondents’ Association—but who’s really compromising the media’s authority and independence? Meanwhile, Trump removes Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown, to be replaced by retired Lieutenant General John Daniel Caine—prompting further histrionics from the military elite. The hosts discu...

Following the social revolution s of decades past , liberal sex education reforms , and the devalu ation of marriage , Conservatives can no longer ignore the soci al aspects of family life — paramount to preserv ing and promot ing the traditional household — and must recognize the use of laws to heal our culture . Host Ryan Williams is joined by Scott Yenor, Kathleen O’Toole, and Chris Bullivant t...

After an Afghan national drove his car into a Munich crowd, J.D. Vance delivered a stern rebuke of the European ruling class. Unsustainable immigration, Islamic extremism, and censorship raise the question whether once-great nations can be relied on as true Western allies. Meanwhile back home, Democrats struggle to decouple from woke, but best not interrupt their mistakes. The guys sit down to tal...

I n vitro fertilization   (IVF) has presented a moral dilemma   as its processes discard embryos as a matter of course, end ing more lives than even abortion . Emma Waters, Natalie Dodson, and Inez Stepman join host Ryan Williams to discu ss th is and other concerns surrounding   IVF: g e netic selection, the creation of human life for profit , the potential use of AI in dictating which embryos li...

Elon Musk's DOGE continues to sweep through the bureaucratic minefields, accompanied by the howling of entrenched progressives. Legal battles are surely ahead, which many on the left equate — absurdly — with a constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, the media comes around to what was labeled right-wing conspiracy just months ago: employment data was cherry-picked before the 2024 election to deceive in f...

T ime to tighten the belt. As federal funding scrutiny increases — and with an enrollment cliff fast approaching— state legislators, not internal experts, must take action to put universities under the microscope and ensure faculty hours equate to student academic mastery, promoting attendance . H ost  and Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams sits down with   returning guest Scott Yenor and...