The Mona Charen Show

Dave Wasserman joins Mona to discuss what’s changed and what hasn’t since 2018, including electoral map, redistricting, public discontent, and likely turnout.

Mona speaks with David Brooks (author, contributor to PBS NewsHour and opinion columnist for The New York Times) about why so many Americans feel unseen, how loneliness and moral drift are reshaping society, and what we lose when human connection is replaced by screens, algorithms, and artificial companionship. How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen: https://ww...

Sonny Bunch joins to discuss “It Was Just an Accident” a film from dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi. It raises profound questions about guilt, judgment, and revenge. Also, amazing that it was made at all. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpod #ad Films & References Mentioned: It Was Just an Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi) The film dis...

Quico Toro offers an insider’s perspective on his lost homeland and the American raid. Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box - PLUS free croissants for life - when you go to https://Wildgrain.com/MONA to start your subscription today.

Trump promised a manufacturing comeback and cheaper prices. Instead, jobs are shrinking, costs are rising, and America’s economic credibility is taking a hit. Catherine Rampell joins Mona to discuss why the factory revival was always a myth, how tariffs backfired, and why chaos, favoritism, and attacks on rule of law are making the U.S. a riskier place to do business. Go to https://Quince.com/MONA...

Laura K. Field discusses her book, Furious Minds, which dissects the thought of MAGA intellectuals (yes, there are some). Anti-enlightenment, theocratic, racist, misogynistic and yet, claiming to be for the general good. Get up to 30% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpod

While there won’t be an episode of the Mona Charen Show this week, Mona sends along this holiday greeting. She will return next Monday, December 29. 

Georgetown professor Rosa Brooks discusses the legality (or the lack) of Trump’s drug boat attacks as well as the bonkers National Security Strategy document. Head to https://GhostBed.com/mona and use promo code MONA at checkout to get an EXTRA 10% off—on top of their already-reduced prices.

The Economist’s John Prideaux discusses the lavish gifts and other forms of corruption in Trump’s Washington.

Mona Charen and Will Saletan discuss the growing resistance to Trump’s agenda—grand juries rejecting his charges, the DOJ stumbling, senators warning troops against illegal orders, and his tariffs and deportations driving prices even higher. Go to https://quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN...

Lawfare’s Ben Wittes discusses Lindsay Halligan’s incompetence and malevolence and the importance of grand juries to our liberties.

Francis Fukuyama discusses his theory that the internet, and not economic distress, the Democratic party’s problems, or other things have given rise to populism. Go to https://Oneskin.co and use code: MONACHAREN for 15% off! Take our quick listener survey and help us make The Bulwark even better. https://bit.ly/bulwarkaudio

This week on the Mona Charen Show, Mona is joined by Nico Perrino, Executive Vice President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), for a crucial conversation about the unprecedented assault on the First Amendment under the Trump 2.0 administration. During GhostBed’s Black Friday Sale, you can get 25% off already-reduced prices, for a limited time. Just go to GhostBed.com/mo...

The Atlantic’s Idrees Kahloon discusses the worrying learning losses of the past decade and some signs of hope. Go to https://Quince.com/Mona for free shipping and 365-day returns.

Mona Charen and Financial Times columnist Ed Luce discuss how Trump’s second term has gone from chaos to control — from a fake war in Venezuela to a culture of fear in Washington.  They talk about the money, the mobs, the East Wing demolition, and how power in America is now moving at “the speed of light.” Go to https://Quince.com/Mona  for free shipping and 365-day returns.

Mona Charen sits down with defense expert Kori Schake to unpack Donald Trump’s latest stunt with the military, the danger of turning U.S. troops into political props, and how Congress has let civilian control slip away. They also discuss Trump’s foreign-policy “own goals,” America’s fraying alliances, and why China and Putin are cheering him on. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code: MONACHAREN at htt...

Bill Galston joins Mona to discuss his new book about the vulnerabilities of liberal democracies and how to relearn the importance of rhetoric. Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech: https://a.co/d/9OPWkKP

Damon Linker on just how crazy awful things are, but with some optimism for climbing out of the abyss.

The Atlantic 's Jonathan Chait discusses how MAGA is using Kirk's tragic death as a pretext for full-on authoritarian repression of dissent. Sponsors: For a limited time, you can try OneSkin with 15% off using code MONACHAREN at oneskin.co . Get 25% off sitewide at GhostBed for a limited time. Just go to GhostBed.com/mona and use promo code MONA at checkout.

The Bulwark 's Jonathan Cohn discusses the harm RFK has already done, and what he's planning, which may be worse. Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/monacharen50off and use code monacharen50off to get 50% off your first box, plus Free Breakfast for 1 Year.

Holly Berkley Fletcher explains the mindset of white evangelicals from a unique perspective—that of missionary kids. She was one. Her new book sheds light on a key MAGA constituency.

Mona welcomes UVA's Brad Wilcox to discuss the latest stats on marriage, what singlehood means for kids, men, and women, and marriage's new alt-Right foes. Head to moshlife.com/MONA to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack or the NEW plant-based trial pack. REFERENCES:  Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization — W. Bradf...

Third Way's Matt Bennett and Sarah Longwell join Mona to talk about tanking Democratic voter registration numbers, words you should never say, the working class, the donors, and more. REFERENCES:  Was It Something I Said? A memo to All Who Wish to Stop Donald Trump and MAGA from Third Way.

FREOPP's Michael Tanner joins Mona to discuss homelessness causes and potential cures. For a limited time, you can try OneSkin with 15% off using code MONACHAREN at oneskin.co . Go to Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns.

Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck joins Mona to unpack the Justice Department’s attack on Judge James Boasberg, Trump’s efforts to bend universities to his will, the Supreme Court’s retreat into procedural evasions, and the broader erosion of guardrails in American governance. What happens when process itself—the foundation of the rule of law—comes under assault? Head to moshlife.com/MONA t...