The Dispatch Podcast

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, David French, Sarah Isgur, and Mike Warren to reflect on President Donald Trump's first year of his second term and look ahead to his final three. The Agenda:—Trump's use of executive orders—Trump's legislative "agenda"—The retribution tour—What will last beyond Trump?—Are we the (global) baddies?—Sarah's Not Worth Your Time ambush Pre-order Sarah Isgur's n...

Steve Hayes returns and invites Declan Garvey, Jonah Goldberg, and Michael Warren on to discuss President Donald Trump’s letter to the prime minister of Norway about not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, the future of NATO, and the end of the conservative movement. Plus: Are NFL teams firing coaches too quickly? The Agenda:–What is Trump thinking?–International reactions–Economic ramifications–Fore...

Michael Warren takes the host chair from Steve Hayes to lead a panel discussion with Jonah Goldberg, Sarah Isgur, and Grayson Logue on the recent fatal shooting involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis, its effect on public opinion around immigration enforcement, and the broader ramifications of aggressive immigration enforcement. The Agenda:–Polling on public reaction to the ICE shooting of Renee Go...

Steve Hayes invites Michael Warren, John McCormack, and James Sutton on the podcast to discuss the Department of Justice's investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, how President Trump's tariffs are affecting interest rates, and the deadly protests in Iran. The Agenda:—Jerome Powell investigation—The fallout of Trump's economic policies—Trump’s approval numbers fall over immigration—GO...

Steve Hayes is joined by Kevin Williamson, Jonah Goldberg, and David French to revisit the Trump administration's operation in Venezuela nearly one week later and discuss the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. The Agenda:—U.S. intervention in Venezuela—Oil, drugs, or immigrants?—Legality of Maduro's arrest—Does international law matter?—The future of U.S. interventionism—ICE sh...

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Dispatch contributor Gil Guerra, and retired Army Special Forces officer Mike Nelson to discuss the Trump administration's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and what happens next. The Agenda:—Gil for The Dispatch: Why We Toppled Maduro—The administration's rationale—Mike for The Dispatch: Causes for Concern and Celebration—The White House's mud...

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle, and Mike Warren to discuss their favorite books, TV shows, movies, meals, and products from 2025. Show Notes:—Megan McArdle's podcast, Reasonably Optimistic—Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer—The Lost History of Liberalism: From Ancient Rome to the Twenty-First Century—And a Bottle of Rum: A History of th...

Steve Hayes invites Megan McArdle, Mike Warren, and Jonah Goldberg to review the biggest stories of the year, people we don’t want to hear from in 2026, and the best writing not from The Dispatch. The Agenda:—Most important news story—Most undercovered story—Who is the most exposed?—Best piece of non-Dispatch journalism—Best good news of the year Show Notes:—Is the AfD Too Extreme for Democracy?—T...

Steve Hayes is joined by Kevin Williamson, Jonah Goldberg, and Grayson Logue to discuss recent reporting on the Biden administration’s handling of the asylum crisis and the Vanity Fair interview with top Trump administration staff. The Agenda:—Reporting on Biden’s immigration failure—Indecision in the Biden admin—Fixing the asylum crisis—When Democrats gave up—Susie Wiles’ interview with Vanity Fa...

Megan McArdle joins Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and Mike Warren to tell the story of her mother’s deathbed confession and how it informed her opinions on abortion. Then, a brief discussion on the failed redistricting attempt in Indiana and a reflection on Rob Reiner's filmography. The Agenda:—Megan’s Monday Essay: The Brother I Lost—Megan’s thought experiment on abortion—Childhood and regrets—Do...

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and Sarah Isgur to discuss the Minnesota welfare fraud scandal, the $160 million AI chip smuggling operation, and pull-up bars in the airport. The Agenda:—Immigrant welfare fraud—1990s throwback—Woke intimidation—China and AI chip smuggling—Clientelism in Trump's administration—Airport gyms Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Steve Hayes invites David Drucker, Michael Warren, and The Hill Sunday host Chris Stirewalt to perform an autopsy on the remains of the two major parties. The Agenda:–Big picture of American politics–Not a good time to be a Congressman–Midterm elections and future projections–The Texas Senate race–The parliament of pundits–J.D. Vance’s 2028 election chances–Renaming the NFL The Dispatch Podcast is...

Steve Hayes invites Jonah Goldberg, David French, and Kevin Williamson to discuss the ‘double tap’ order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that may violate the laws of war. Is this another issue where Trump can ‘win’ because we’re an outcomes-over-process society? The Agenda:–We’re not at war–Legality of airstrikes–What is narco-terrorism exactly?–Megyn Kelly likes violence for some reason–A dam...

John McCormack and Michael Warren join Steve Hayes to discuss their reporting on how the Intercollegiate Studies Institute is downgrading traditional conservatism, and Charles Hilu reports on how lawmakers on Capitol Hill are really feeling about the changes on the right. The Agenda:—The state of the conservative intellectual movement—John and Mikes new reporting on ISI—Postliberalism and key figu...

Steve Hayes is joined by Megan McArdle, Kevin Williamson, and Jonah Goldberg to discuss the confusing peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, the current state of the U.S. economy ahead of the holidays, and their least favorite Thanksgiving dishes. The Agenda:—Diplomatic developments in Ukraine—JD Vance, the Vice Poster—Corruption and personal influence in diplomacy (How’s the Clinton Found...

Mike Warren is joined by Dr. Jean Twenge, author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, for a discussion about what modern research says about parenting in the digital and A.I. age. The Agenda:—Screen time before sleep—Conversations with children about tech—What phones and at what age—Social media regulation—Wait Until Eighth Pledge—Laptops vs. smartphones—Celebrating parental wins The...

Michael Warren is joined by Megan McArdle, David French, and Kevin Williamson to discuss the popularity of President Donald Trump and whether he's influential in the MAGA party. Show Notes:—Media fatigue and Miss Piggy allegations —Cracks in the MAGA coalition—Trump's foreign policy agenda—Understanding Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia—'The most populist black tie dinner ever'—Silicon Valley...

Andy Mills, host of The Last Invention podcast, joins Dispatch CTO Steve Hayes to discuss the artificial intelligence revolution, the competing visions of utopia among the tech bros, and where AI will take us next. The Agenda:—The great conspiracy theory of our time—Understanding AI, AGI, and ASI—Alan Turing and the birth of AI—The Cold War’s influence on AI—Race against China—Where is the biparti...

Mike Warren is joined by Megan McArdle, Sarah Isgur, and Jonah Goldberg to discuss the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, what we’ve learned from the latest Epstein files drop, and the debate over postliberalism currently raging in the conservative movement. The Agenda:—Who won the shutdown?—Donald Trump’s approval rating—The latest Epstein files—“The dog that hasn’t barked”—D...

Michael Warren speaks with Mike Cosper, host of the podcasts Devil and the Deep Blue Sea and The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, to discuss ideological shifts in mass shootings, extremism among young conservative men, and the role of figures like Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson in shaping narratives. The Agenda:—The Great Unbundling of Humanity—The rise of ideological mass shootings—Nick Fuentes and h...

Steve Hayes is joined by Megan McArdle, Jonah Goldberg, and Mike Warren to discuss the level of Tucker Carlson-philia displayed by Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and what it means for the right moving forward. The Agenda:—Democrats steal November 4 elections—Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts tries to clean up his mess—Groyper staffers are a problem—Jonah is not unc!—Dick Che...

Steve Hayes invites seasoned conservative Tim Chapman, president of Advancing American Freedom, to discuss the controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson’s recent interview of Nick Fuentes, the current state of the conservative movement, and the impact of populism on the political landscape. The Agenda:—A crisis of consciousness—Populism and the New Right—Nick Fuentes is not a good person—What happene...

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Megan McArdle to discuss the strength of the current U.S. economy, the prospect of an A.I. bubble, and President Donald Trump’s recent trip through Asia. The Agenda:—How's the economy doing?—The A.I. bubble—Why presidents can’t save the economy—American investor confidence—Bonzo goes to Busan—Losing the trade war with China—Trump’s gif...

Steve Hayes interviews Jonathan Karl and our very own executive editor, Declan Garvey, about Karl's new book Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America, which delves into Donald Trump’s 2024 political campaign. The three discuss insights from Steve Bannon’s prison experience, the decisions behind ending President Joe Biden’s campaign, and the authenticity crisis in modern poli...

Join newly minted Dispatch contributor Megan McArdle as she joins Steve Hayes, Jonah Goldberg, and David French to discuss the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug runners in Latin America, the confusing messaging over Russia and Ukraine in the space of one week, and the freak out over the East Wing remodel. The Agenda:—Some good news and bad news—Breaking down Article II—Reading th...