The Dispatch Podcast

With religion, political corruption, nationalism, and court reform on the ballot, Israel concluded this week its fifth election in three years. Tomer Persico, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, joins Adaam to offer a quick explainer about Benjamin Netanyahu's comeback, the rise of religious nationalism in Israel, and the universal language of populism.  Show Notes: -The Morning Dispa...

With less than a week before the midterms, Sarah, David, and Jonah come together to answer your questions: Can voters push their parties to be better? What’s the best way to engage with your representatives? When is Nick Cattogio joining the pod? Plus: the panel reacts to Biden’s Democracy in Peril, Pt. 2 speech. Show Notes: -Sarah’s piece for POLITICO about the GOP’s election laws -Sarah, David,...

What does the Fetterman-Oz debate reveal about the media? Will the isolationist horseshoe in Congress have an effect on Putin? And are we ready for Kevin’s theory of political cooties? Join Sarah, David, Steve, and Kevin as they embark on the penultimate round of midterms punditry. Show Notes: -The New York Times on the new campaign press aides -The Dispatch is coming to Chicago Learn more about y...

Allan Fung was the mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island for over a decade. Now, he’s hoping to be the first Republican to represent the state in Congress in nearly 20 years. He joined Declan to talk about his “check in those party labels at the door” approach to politics, about the possible agenda of a Republican House, and whether Trump still sets the tone for the party. Show Notes: -Axios on Allan Fu...

In a compressed panel of election punditry, Sarah is joined by Kevin and Andrew to discuss Democrats’ preemptive blame game. They also try to wrestle with what it might mean for the country if abortion doesn’t play the big role in the midterms Democrats had hoped it would. Also: 2024… should we start talking about it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new study shows the stark lack of ideological diversity in elite universities. Lawmakers call to rethink relations with the Saudis after OPEC’s decision to cut oil production. John Fetterman’s NBC interview raises difficult questions. Sarah, David, Jonah, and Declan wrestle with these topics before providing an urgent manatee update. Out of context: “If you stare at 2 + 2 = a duck and you say ‘o...

With OPEC+ committed to gutting production, Americans are bracing for a gas price hike. This leads Sen. Bill Cassidy to wonder, how should the U.S. maintain a relationship with the Saudis when “what they do can make or break a family budget”? On the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Cassidy calls for more market-based solutions to both bolster energy independence and get carbon emissio...

Sparing an hour between driving his “friends” to and from the airport, Declan joins Sarah, David, and Jonah to debate the Herschel Walker saga, whether moral character matters in politics, and whether Democrats enjoy a double standard on hypocrisy. A broader midterms update is then followed by a quick glimpse into the new Supreme Court term. Plus: Elon Musk gets another NWYT mention. Learn more ab...

Axios Senior Political Correspondent Josh Kraushaar joins Sarah to explain what happens when the Democrats’ sugar rush drops. Are the fundamentals still favoring Republicans in the midterms? What's going on in Georgia? Can candidate quality block a red wave? And how’s 2024 shaping up? Join for a healthy fix of pre-midterms political punditry and prognostication. Show Notes: -Josh's Axios piece on...

As the editors of The Morning Dispatch eloquently put it, Nord Stream went boom. But who’s responsible? Sarah, David, and Jonah leave no conspiracy theory unexamined. Turning to the midterms, they discuss the power of low expectations, ask when spending money stops being useful, and wonder what it takes to be a good leader (or at least a good politician) during natural disasters. Also: the trio di...

Understanding The Electoral Count Act, as it’s currently worded, requires a team of legal experts. So we got one! Sarah is joined by John Fortier, senior fellow at AEI, and Matthew Seligman, fellow at the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School. Together they try to make sense of the law’s history, explain the difference between the two reform bills coming up through the House and the Sen...

What happens when Vladimir Putin starts feeling cornered? Sarah, David, Steve, and Jonah react to Russia announcing military mobilization and think through the implications of Putin’s nuclear chest-thumping. They then turn to the politics of immigration (still very bad), and conclude with some rank punditry: is the Democrats’ momentary surge in the polls already bust? Out of context: “To me, it’s...

At long last in the same room, Sarah, Steve, David, and Jonah debate whether the conversation around abortion is changing, why it doesn't feel like Republicans are out of power, and whether lawmakers will ever do the right thing on border security. Plus: Sarah offers a troubling glimpse of the gents' problematic footwear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The rapid developments in the Justice Department’s investigation of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago may be hard to follow, but not to worry, Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and Declan are here to clarify and discuss. Plus: a look at the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the internal battles as both parties look to the midterms.   Show Notes: -TMD: How Sarah Palin Lost Alaska’s House Special Election...

This week saw the Justice Department disclose new evidence that the former president and his legal team likely sought to conceal classified documents from investigators. Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and Declan are here to discuss. Plus: Alaska says no to Sarah Palin, and how should we view Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy?   Show Notes: -TMD: Trump Team Likely Sought to Conceal Classified Documents From Investi...

Steve is joined by Mark Leibovich to discuss his new book Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission. How did the Republican Party get to its present predicament? Leibovich gives us his eyewitness account of how the former president transformed Washington, and a major American political party.   Show Notes: -Thank You for Your Servitude by Mark Leibovich -L...

President Joe Biden announced a plan to provide tens of millions of Americans with student loan debt relief. The fallout was swift. Our hosts are here with their reactions. Plus:  Jonah, David, and Declan discuss the results of this week’s primary elections.   Show Notes: -TMD: Biden’s Base Gets a Student Loan Gift -The Dispatch: The GOP Is Shrink-Wrapping Itself Around Trump -The Dispatch: Tim Ry...

This week's Dispatch Live, which is a weekly live stream for Dispatch members only, ran into some issues because Substack was completely down on Tuesday. So, because most members did not get to hear it we are offering it in its entirety as The Dispatch Podcast. If you're not a member of The Dispatch and liked what you heard here, click the link below to join so you can tune into Dispatch Live week...

Rep. Liz Cheney lost her re-election bid to her Trump-backed primary challenger in the Wyoming Republican primary on Tuesday. Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David discuss the result, and share their thoughts as the primary season wraps up. Plus: What’s the latest from Ukraine? Our hosts discuss the state of the conflict.   Show Notes: -The Dispatch: Liz Cheney: ‘There Is Actually Precedent for ... Vice...

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Scott Lincicome, director of general economics at the Cato Institute, joins Declan to help us better understand the legislation. What’s actually in the law? How questionable is the budget math?   Show Notes: -Uphill: Breaking Down the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 -Read Declan in The Morning Dispatch -Read Scott in Capi...

It was a busy week for the former president, the FBI searched his home at Mar-a-Lago, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in a New York deposition, and Attorney General Merrick Garland moved to make public the legal authorization for the FBI’s search. Sarah, Jonah, and David are here to discuss the fallout. Plus: Our hosts have new inflation numbers, and primary results...

Sarah and David get together for this special Advisory Opinions crossover episode to discuss the FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. What does it all mean? How does a federal investigation of a senior official work, and what happens next? Plus: some possible theories and explanations that might shed some light on the events of yesterday.   Show Notes: -TMD...

Sarah, David, Steve and Jonah are back for an action-packed show today including the primary elections, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, and the demise of al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri on Sunday. Will tensions over abortion issues cause bigger voter turnouts in the future? Plus: The Senate overwhelmingly voted to approve Sweden and Finland for acceptance into NATO on Wednesday with a lo...

David Axelrod, chief strategist for former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns and host of The Axe Files and co-host of Hacks on Tap podcasts, joins Steve to tackle the complex questions about the midterm primary elections this week. What’s up with the Democrat Party’s tactic of funding extremist Republican candidates? And what is the outlook for the upcoming general elections? Plus: A...

Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David are back to discuss big pieces of legislation coming down the pipeline. Will the Inflation Reduction Act find footing in the House? The White House’s stretched definition of a recession is digging the administration into a deeper hole of messaging problems. Plus, Is President Biden gunning for another term in 2024, and are ordinary Democrats distancing themselves fro...