The Banter Roundtable Podcast

There are a couple of serious geopolitical analysts I follow to make sense of the ever shifting power dynamics of global politics, and Pyotr Kurzin is one of them. The London based journalist has a fantastic Youtube channel called the Global Gambit , and has recently started a rapidly growing Substack newsletter. You can subscribe here: I spoke to Pyotr about Trump’s foreign policy and what it act...

A quick note to Banter readers: I’m making this video free because I think it’s a super important topic. If you’re not a video person here’s a lightly edited transcript: by Ben Cohen I wanted to talk a bit today about the attacks on the Jewish synagogue in Manchester, because we have a big anti-Semitism problem in the UK. Is this a problem about Islam? Is it a problem about the Israel–Gaza war? Th...

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In Justin’s final appearance on the podcast we discuss ABC caving to Trump who now plans on suing every media outlet into submission. Also: Elon Musk yanks Trump’s leash and orders a government shutdown, and why are people paying attention to what Trump says? We have ‘The Backstabbing Sellouts of the Week’, and then ‘The Last Ray of Sunshine!’. For Banter Members: The Emergency Meeting Podcast: Ju...

In the show today: the coup in Syria - a bad day for Russia and a potentially good day for the Middle East? Christopher Wray obeys in advance. What does this means for the rule of law in Trump’s America? Also: Pete Hegseth is still in contention to be secretary of defense. Then we have “The stupidest thing you will hear all week” segment followed by our “Sunshine of the Week” story! For Banter Mem...

In the show today: we have South Korea’s bizarre attempted auto-coup, the epic Hunter Biden pardon freakout, and then Kash Patel’s insane nomination to run the FBI. Also, Pete Hegseth’s nomination is in real trouble, but Trump’s alternative could be worse? Listen on Substack or on iTunes/Spotify! For Banter Members: Is Shooting Health Insurance Executives Ever Justified? America’s healthcare syste...

In today's episode of The Banter Roundtable podcast, I spoke to Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky. A veteran political consultant with over two decades of experience, Julie has emerged as a compelling voice in Democratic circles for her candid analysis of party strategy. She recently gained widespread attention after her appearance on CNN, where her frank assessment of Democratic messaging sent...

In the show today: We talk about the ludicrous picks Trump has made for his cabinet. What will the consequences will be? Also, how big is Trump’s mandate? Not big, despite his bragging about it. Also, we discuss the MAGA legal theory that will strip millions of US citizens, including children, of their citizenship. In these dark times, we have a ‘Ray of Pure Comedy Gold’ involving psychotic madman...

In this special episode of The Banter Roundtable Podcast, we talk to prolific progressive author and radio host Thom Hartmann about what went wrong for the Democrats. Why did Trump beat Harris so easily? What role did Joe Biden play, and why did working class Americans abandon Democrats? Thom’s insights into the election are fascinating and his advice to liberals reeling from the election is inval...

In this very special episode of The Banter Roundtable Podcast, we have a secret guest on to discuss the state of the 2024 election! In the show we talk about Kamala Harris’ enormous rally on the Ellipse, Trump’s fascist rally in NYC, and the panic in MAGA land where Trump supporters have been arrested for the very things they are accusing Democrats of. Who is going to win the election, and are the...

In the show today: Trump loves Nazis and his former chief of staff called him a fascist. Now the media is finally willing to use the f-word! LA Times won’t endorse Kamala Harris, because a South African billionaire thinks fascism is ok. We have our super creepy fascist of the week Tucker Carlson in one of his weirdest, most deranged monologues yet, then we have ‘Ben’s Belly Laugh of the Week’: Rus...

In the show today: Trump is in the middle of a full Nazi meltdown, but the press isn’t holding him to account. Also, what exactly happened at Trump’s “music concert”? Republicans flood the zone with bullshit polls. Who is actually winning the race? We have out ‘Shameless Propagandist of the Week’ Ron DeSantis and then finally ‘Sunshine Story of the Week’: Bob Woodward’s extraordinary account of Jo...

In the show today: Donald Trump and Elon Musk are sabotaging hurricane relief efforts for political gain. Trump gave Putin Covid tests while Americans were dying, Republicans on the Court double down on cruelty to women, we have our ‘Grifting Scumbag of the Year’ and finally our ‘Sunshine Story of the Week’ featuring the Billion Dollar Baby Kamala Harris! For Banter Members: The Tucker Carlson PSY...

In the show today: we talk about the vice presidential debate. Who won? Did it matter? Is JD Vance a sociopath? Also on the show: Judge Tanya Chutkan and special Counsel Jack Smith give the corrupt Republicans of the Supreme Court a giant middle finger, we talk Israel’s execution of Hasran Nasrallah and the new war in Lebanon. What does this mean for the region, and is Israel justified? For Banter...

In the show today: Harris quadruples Trump’s fundraising in August, we do a polling deep dive, Trump is strangling House races, and there is no government shutdown. Then we have our “White Nationalist of the Week” and our “Sunshine of the Day” involving the IRS? We then head into the Emergency Meeting where we talk about the politics of the death penalty, and why it matters if Trump gets elected....

In the show today: We talk the latest assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the new Republican government shut down, and then the consequences of the Supreme Court’s abortion ban. Also, we look at the latest polls, discuss our “Racist of the Week”, before ending with an amazing “Sunshine of the Week” story of Jill Stein being destroyed by Medhi Hassan! For Banter Members: The Emergency Meeting: T...

In this special episode of The Banter Roundtable Podcast, Ben and Justin do a deep dive on what was one of the most impressive debate performances in modern history. How exactly did Kamala Harris take Donald Trump apart last week, and what made her strategy so ruthlessly effective? We look at the post debate polls, look at the media reaction, and discuss what the aftermath of the drubbing means fo...

And we’re back!! In the show today: Tucker Carlson shills for Nazis, Trump is still missing in action, and RFK Jr. is frantic to stop ratfucking Trump (and it’s not going well). We have our “Useful Idiots of The Week” segment, and a bleak but very encouraging Ray of Sunshine”! Listen to The Emergency Meeting Podcast For Banter Members and get 50% off a Banter Membership!: The Ultimate Poll Breakdo...

In the show today: We do an EPIC breakdown of Elon Musk’s podcast with Donald Trump, we talk about the co-author of Project 2025 caught on hidden camera being a lying fascist, we discuss Trump’s emails and the press refusing to publish them, and then we vent on the press some more! We also have our ‘Grifter of the Week’, and then finally our ‘Sunshine Story’ of the week featuring one of the crazie...

In the show today we talk Tim Walz and his meteoric rise to fame. Did anyone know who the governor from Minnesota was before Kamala Harris picked him for her running mate? Why did Harris pick him over Josh Shapiro? Furthermor, who is Tim Walz, what does he stand for, and why is his presence freaking Trump out so badly? We also try their Minnesota accents out, discuss a brilliant fan website, and l...

In the show today: we talk Trump’s racist disaster in Chicago, Israel assassinates Ismail Haniyeh, we talk Josh Shapiro and antisemitism, Trump tells Christians they won’t have to in four years, the albatross sinking GOP prospects in November, and we have our new segment, “election rigger of the month”, followed by a hilarious Ray of Sunshine story! In our podcast for members: DC Gossip — Are Repu...

In the show today: Joe Biden is an American hero. Kamala Harris hits the ground running, the GOP is freaking out, and the alt weirdos are busy trying to figure out their lines of attack. Also, JD Vance is a weirdo, and finally, who is the old man in the race now? Listen by clicking the play button above, or in iTunes/Spotify! For Banter Members: Emergency Meeting Podcast: The Risk of a Right Wing...

In this special episode of The Banter Roundtable Podcast, I spoke to progressive giant Thom Hartmann. We covered a range of topics, from whether Joe Biden should stay in the race, to how Kamala Harris would do against Donald Trump, and the extraordinary dangers of Project 2025. We also spoke about the media’s role in normalizing Donald Trump, the impact of the assassination attempt last weekend, t...

In the show today: UPDATE: Ben shares his thoughts on the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Also: we talk Project 2025 and why Republicans are running away from it, Biden’s survival week, a deep dive on the polls (is New York really a swing state now?), Justin praises The New York Times (yes, really!), and the hypocritical attempts by the GOP to subpoena the White House! For Banter Members: E...

In this special episode of The Banter Roundtable Podcast, Ben and Justin go through the appalling Supreme Court decisions this week that will fundamentally change the trajectory of American democracy. How bad can this be? Bad. Very, very bad. From legalizing bribery to making the president king, the activist court has delivered a stunning blow to democracy and the rule of law. We break down the de...