🔴 James Lindsay: How the Woke Right Is Leading Conservatism Toward Collapse In this episode, Lindsay lays out how “wokeness” has re-emerged on the right in a new form — one defined by victimhood, forbidden knowledge, conspiratorial thinking, and identity-based power claims. Using concrete examples, he explains why this mindset undermines truth-seeking, corrodes political judgment, and ultimately leads to electoral defeat. Tucker, Candace, Fuentes, Mental Illiness, anti-Semitism... All of it. AI Chapters: 00:00 Introduction – James Lindsay and the Grievance Studies Affair 01:48 How Absurd Academic Hoaxes Got Published 06:12 The Dog Park Rape Paper Explained 09:56 Why Exposure Didn’t Lead to Reform 12:58 What Lindsay Means by “The Woke Right” 15:41 The Epistemology of Forbidden Knowledge 16:52 “Just Asking Questions” as a Worldview 18:06 Identity, Victimhood, and Resentment Politics 22:47 Conspiracy, Demons, and Fringe Beliefs Going Mainstream 27:10 Cult Capture, Narcissism, and Incentives 32:55 Nick Fuentes and the Acceleration Trap 37:58 Antisemitism, Immigration, and Scapegoating 44:38 The Political “Third Rail” Problem 49:22 Rogan, Podcasts, and Influence 01:01:35 Why This Leads to Electoral Defeat 01:10:48 The “Abscess” Metaphor – Internal Collapse 01:18:12 Final Warning and What Comes Next

Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Nate Soares, President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) and author of the New York Times bestseller If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. Prior to MIRI, Soares worked as an engineer at Google and Microsoft, as a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and as a contractor for the US Department of Defense.Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Nate Soares, President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) and author of the New York Times bestseller If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. Prior to MIRI, Soares worked as an engineer at Google and Microsoft, as a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and as a contractor for the US Department of Defense.

An Explosive Debate on Trump’s Brain. Dr. John Gartner, former Johns Hopkins psychiatry faculty member and a vocal critic of Donald Trump, joins Live From the Table. We challenge Gartner directly on his claims that Donald Trump is exhibiting malignant narcissism, psychopathy, and accelerating dementia. The debate spans science, politics, ethics, medical bias, and the media’s treatment of both Trump and Biden. This episode includes extended transcript-verified clips, counter-arguments, and some of the most heated exchanges we’ve aired. Chapters below. Chapters 00:00 – Intro: Who is Dr. John Gartner? 01:00 – Goldwater Rule & Diagnosing Public Figures 03:20 – Trump, Narcissism & Malignant Personality Disorders 07:00 – Is Trump a Psychopath? Criminality, Lying & Abuse 11:20 – Noam Pushes Back: What Counts as Evidence? 14:15 – The Dementia Question: Language, Gait & Decline 16:55 – “He’s Not the Same Man”: Claims From Former Officials 18:45 – Noam’s Counterargument: Bolton, Kelly, McMaster, Woodward 22:30 – Cognitive Decline vs. Strategy: What’s Real? 26:05 – Trump’s Speeches Examined: Word Salad or Something Else? 29:30 – The “Skedaddle” Story & Loose Associations 33:00 – Kamala Harris, Biden & Claims of Asymmetrical Scrutiny 37:10 – Debate Clips: Biden Then vs. Now, Trump Then vs. Now 41:50 – Variability & Sundowning: How Dementia Presents 45:00 – Trump’s Stamina vs. Trump’s Disorganization 48:20 – Is This Cognitive Decline or Just Aging? 52:00 – Impulsivity, National Security & Dangerous Decision-Making 56:10 – The Hakeem Jeffries “Very Nice Man” Story 59:00 – Biden Wandering Clips & Why the Medical Community Stayed Silent 1:02:00 – Is Medical Bias Real? Noam Pushes Gartner 1:04:00 – Would Trump’s Inner Circle Have Noticed Decline? 1:07:00 – Narcissism, Children & Why His Family Keeps Distance 1:10:00 – “Do You Feel Sympathy for Him?” 1:14:00 – Closing Thoughts & Invitation to Visit the Cellar

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Richard Hanania. Hanania writes a newsletter about American politics, ethics, international relations and culture. He is the author of Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy and The Origins of Woke. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, The Economist, and other publications. His book, Kakistocracy: Why Populism Ends in Disaster, is forthcoming.

Noam Dworman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by former spokesman for the State of Israel, Eylon Levy. They discuss anti Zionism, anti Semitism, what Hamas really wants and Levy's hope for the future of Israel and Gaza.

While Noam Dworman is away, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by The Atlantic's Helen Lewis. They discuss The Riyadh Comedy Festival, Lewis's book, The Genius Myth and The Beatles. Then Sheba Mason drops by to talk about her play about her late father, The Jackie Mason Musical.

Were the Jews Really Behind the Iraq War? David Wurmser Responds. Dr. David Wurmser, former senior advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney and co-author of the infamous “Clean Break” memo, gives us a first-hand account. Wurmser addresses the persistent claim that Israel and “neocon Jews” manipulated the Bush administration into invading Iraq. The discussion expands to include Dick Cheney’s character, the psychology of 9/11, the myth of dual loyalty, and the new wave of anti-Semitism being mainstreamed by voices like Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, and John Mearsheimer. 0:00 Intro – Who is David Wurmser? 1:18 Remembering Dick Cheney: The Real Man Behind the Myths 5:59 Israel, Iraq, and the Origins of the “Clean Break” Memo 8:21 Was the Iraq War Fought for Israel? 15:16 The Strategic Case for Israel as America’s Ally 17:19 Forgetting the Cold War: How the West Lost Context 22:05 Israel’s Strategic Genius and America’s Dependence 26:00 What the “Clean Break” Memo Actually Said 33:28 Sharon Warned Against the Iraq War—Why No One Listened 38:12 Were Jewish Advisors Too Influential? 43:25 9/11, Fear, and the Psychology of the Iraq War 50:05 WMDs and What the Bush Administration Really Believed 57:27 Why the Middle East Couldn’t Stay “Over There” 1:01:15 Dual Loyalty and American Jewish Patriotism 1:06:00 John Mearsheimer and the New Conspiracy Culture 1:14:00 The “Friendly Fire” Lie About October 7th 1:20:00 Israel’s Role in Protecting the West 1:26:00 Was Iraq a Mistake—or Just Done Wrong? 1:28:20 The Mainstreaming of Anti-Semitism 1:35:00 Why Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism Are Converging 1:47:00 Closing Thoughts: Gratitude, Patriotism, and Reality

While Noam is away, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand discuss free will (do we have it?), The Riyadh Comedy Festival, originality in comedy, trans girls and how Jewish is too Jewish when it comes to comedy shows.

Former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz joins Noam Dworman and Dan Naturman to dissect the failures behind October 7, the moral and strategic crises of modern Israel, and the political culture that allowed catastrophe to take root. Based on his new book While Israel Slept, Katz lays out how a nation of elite intelligence, defense technology, and Iron Dome confidence was blindsided by its own assumptions. Buy Yaakov Katz’s book — While Israel Slept — on Amazon: http://bit.ly/4o3b7XE He addresses: Whether Israeli journalism should expose government failures during wartime The growing rift between American and Israeli public opinion Why Israel misread Hamas for decades Netanyahu’s political survival and the myth that Israel “built up” Hamas How AI is used in IDF targeting and whether it saves or costs civilian lives The accusations of an Israeli “stand-down” on October 7 The uncomfortable moral math of urban warfare in Gaza Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – Journalism in wartime Israel: Patriotism vs Accountability 04:40 – Why Israelis didn’t see Gaza’s destruction 08:10 – Media bias and trauma after October 7 13:00 – AI targeting, 972 Magazine, and how truth gets distorted 21:10 – “While Israel Slept” – The Premise and Title’s Origin 22:30 – Israel’s strategic blindness: Containment and Complacency 26:50 – The myth that Israel “wanted” Hamas 30:00 – Netanyahu, Qatar, and paying for quiet 34:00 – The failure of imagination on October 6 35:10 – Hezbollah and the deterrence paradox 38:20 – Can Israel learn from this? Preemption vs Occupation 40:50 – The Right, the Left, and the Gray Zone 44:00 – Morality, civilian deaths, and propaganda math 50:00 – The antisemitism question and media narratives 56:00 – Netanyahu’s communications failure 57:20 – Conspiracy theories: the “stand-down” myth 01:00:00 – Friendly fire and the Hannibal Directive 01:03:20 – Why Israel must investigate itself 01:06:10 – Closing thoughts and the future of Israeli democracy

A Live Interview from Inside Gaza. In this exclusive Live From the Table conversation, we speak directly with Moumen Al-Natour, the Gazan lawyer and founder of the We Want to Live movement. Al-Natour describes daily life under Hamas rule, the corruption of aid, hunger during the war, and his escape from repeated torture. An unfiltered account of courage, suffering, and the fight for a peaceful future.

With his son Yoav Oren (former IDF special‑forces soldier) Ambassador Michael Oren (historian; former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.) sits down for anunvarnished assessment of the war what “victory” actually means. Highlights: Psychology of war & the IDF: A deep dive into moral erosion under prolonged combat; how rage, fear, and fatigue are managed; why some units choose capture‑over‑kill in close quarters; and the IDF practice of embedding psychologists with frontline units during Gaza operations to stabilize judgment in real time. Oren’s two‑line verdict: “Emphatically yes” on military success; “tragically no” because the fight mutates if Hamas retains weapons and cover. The “Hezbollah model” in Gaza: why a foreign peacekeeping shield + undisbursed weapons equals a forever threat. Hostages, Doha, and leverage: what actually forced movement — and what happens next if disarmament stalls. Gaza casualty math, explained from Oren’s perspective (the 1:1 claim and why the numbers are contested). How Hamas turns humanitarian aid into a war economy; the logistics and the alleged skimming. On restraint under fire: Yoav’s close‑quarters firefight, triage under fire, and the decision to capture, not kill. Anti‑Semitism’s uncensored return in the West — and why, according to Oren, arguments and “hasbara” often misfire. USS Liberty: Oren’s step‑by‑step rebuttal to the “deliberate attack” narrative. The strategic endgame: surgical strikes, cutting aid diversion, and whether disarmament is possible without a full re‑invasion. 00:00 Intro 01:50 Did Israel “win”? 04:30 Gaza’s tunnels and the unique urban fight 06:10 Multi‑front picture (Hezbollah, Iran, Houthis) 07:45 From battlefield gains to regional diplomacy 08:50 Hostages and the “diplomatic shield” 12:50 Why Hamas released hostages (and why it mattered) 15:10 Will Israelis accept another ground push? 15:40 Surgical strikes vs. re‑invasion 16:30 Aid diversion and UN logistics 23:00 Doha strike debate 32:10 IDF conduct under fire; Yoav’s firefight 41:00 Rules of engagement, restraint, and misinformation 55:20 Psych support embedded with IDF units 59:00 USS Liberty — the case against conspiracy 1:09:10 Closing thoughts: victory, vigilance, and what comes next