Derek Thompson of The Atlantic joins Victoria to answer the question: Why did Americans stop hanging out? The two discuss the steep decline in face-to-face socializing, the rise of loneliness, and the fraternizing role of protests.

The Agenda:

—The decline of social institutions in America

—Smartphones’ effect on teenagers’ lives

—Women turning to pets

—Challenges of raising kids in the digital age

Show Notes:

—Derek for The Atlantic: Meritocracy Is Killing High-School Sports

—Derek for The Atlantic: Concerts? I'll Pass

—Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

—Watch this episode on YouTube

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Congress did their job—for now. Sarah is joined by Steve and Jonah on today’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast to discuss Speaker Mike Johnson’s successful passage of Ukraine and Israel aid and explain the intellectual history of the illiberal right.

The Agenda:

—Ukraine aid passed

—Heritage Foundation vs. Erick Erickson

—What is conservatism?

—Columbia protests

—Will history prove them right?

—Genocidal language at Columbia

—Looking Jewish

Show Notes:

—Ukraine: The Latest with Jonah

—Jonah's recap of the Mike Johnson saga

—Erick Erickson’s article on free markets

—The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left

—Norman Rockwell painting

—Why are we protesting?

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Adaam is joined by Shai Davidai, an Israeli-born assistant professor at Columbia University, to discuss a viral moment in which he was denied entry to Columbia’s campus and how the university’s administration is failing to protect Jewish students.

The Agenda:

—Shai Davidai’s background, from Israel to Columbia

—The antisemitism he was warned about

—Dialogue with protesters

—The administrative involvement in the protests

—Play-by-play of Davidai's experience on Columbia's campus

—Are Jewish students safe on college campuses?

Show Notes:

—Davidai's "Rape is never ok" tweet

—Petition calls for Davidai's termination

—Davidai's appearance on 60 Minutes

—Rep. Ilhan Omar questions Columbia University president

—Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia

—Time to Condemn's website

—Resistance 101 event at Columbia

—Joseph Borgen, Jewish man assaulted in 2021

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Jamie is joined by Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark Podcast, for a debate on the impact of social justice principles in the American education system.

Jamie invites The Bulwark Podcast host Tim Miller to debate the impact of social justice principles in the American education system.

The Agenda:

—Younger people's support of Palestine

—Woke curriculums in elementary and middle schools

—Debate on sexual education

—Why Miller thinks Donald Trump's second term would be worse than the first

—The difference between The Bulwark and The Dispatch

Show Notes:

—Steve Hayes on The Bulwark Podcast

—Jamie Weinstein on The Bulwark Podcast

—The Bulwark Podcast featuring Ross Douthat

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As Congress devolves into high school drama, Sarah, Jonah, and Mike discuss the fight over aid to Ukraine and Israel and the resulting threats to oust Speaker Mike Johnson.

The Agenda:

—Internal drama and blocks to getting foreign aid passed

—Polling shows Trump losing his lead in swing states

—Trump’s bodega campaign tactics

—Latinos’ affinity for Trump: real or media illusion?

—The need for messianic figures in politics

—Assessing the Biden administration’s public-facing stance on Israel

—Does spanking children reveal a cultural divide between the elites and working-class people?

Show Notes:

—Mike Johnson’s interview with Jake Tapper

—National polling

—Nick Catoggio’s Boiling Frogs on Mike Johnson

—This week’s Collision

—The Commentary Magazine podcast

—Jonah’s G-File on the messianic temptation

—The Remnant with Eli Lake

—Matthew Yglesias on “the spanking gap”

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Jamie is joined by New York Times opinion columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Carlos Lozada to discuss his new book, The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians. The two discuss how to read a politician’s memoir and the failures of The 1619 Project.

The Agenda:

—Does everyone use a ghostwriter?

—Insights from the acknowledgments section

—Inside Obama’s presidency

—Has The 1619 Project harmed the NYT’s brand?

—The worst books by politicians

Show Notes:

—Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama

—Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose

—Decision Points

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Sarah, Steve, and Jonah react to Donald Trump’s milquetoast yet controversial statement on abortion and how it's confusing Republican abortion policy at large.

The Agenda:

—What do people really think about abortion?

—Conviction vs. convenience on the abortion issue

—Israel’s pullout from southern Gaza

—Is Israel making the same mistakes as America?

—Craziness on college campuses

—Trump’s “Sister Souljah” moment

—Does Hamas have “enough” living hostages?

—How NPR lost America’s trust

—What have we gotten wrong?

Show Notes:

—Trump’s “rogue cops” comment

—2022 midterm exit polls

—David French’s writing on a “pro-life culture”

—The Dispatch editorial on the lesser of two evils

—Trump: “Take the guns first, go through due process second.”

—The Dispatch Podcast with Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns

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Mehdi Hasan, former MSNBC host and co-founder of the media outlet Zeteo, joins Jamie for a heated debate about Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 attack and the accusations that the IDF is committing war crimes.

The Agenda:

—Laying out the current situation in Gaza

—The issue of proportionality in the use of force

—Debating casualty numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry

—The feasibility of a two-state solution

—The question of war crimes

—The United States’ role in the conflict

Show Notes:

—"Mansour Abbas Is an Arab and a Proud Israeli"

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Jonah the usurper invites Kevin, Mike, and Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle on today’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast for some unfettered, wide-ranging punditry stretching from Biden’s wobbling support of Israel to the political implications of Florida’s abortion law.

The Agenda:

—World Central Kitchen deaths in Gaza

—Biden’s balancing act between addressing concerns from the pro-Palestinian crowd and supporting Israel

—The Florida Supreme Court upholds the state’s six-week abortion ban, but the pro-life victory could be short-lived

—California's housing crisis and the state's regulatory barriers

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Jamie is joined by John Spencer, an author, former colonel in the California State Guard, and urban warfare expert with 25 years of experience in the Army, to examine Israel’s tactics in Gaza and weigh in on allegations the IDF is committing genocide and/or war crimes.

The Agenda:

—Joe Rogan accuses Israel of genocide

—John’s experience in Gaza

—War is not quantitative

—How to determine proportionality

—"High threshold of civilian death"

—We are at war with ignorance

—H.R. McMaster’s “zero-dark-thirty fallacy”

—Reception of his expertise in Ukraine vs. Gaza

Show Notes:

—John: Israel Has Created a New Standard for Urban Warfare. Why Will No One Admit It?

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The hiring and firing of Ronna McDaniel at NBC News brought up mixed feelings for the staffers at The Dispatch. Sarah, Jonah, Steve, and David (French!) open up about their own complicated relationships with mainstream media, the problems with hiring partisans into newsrooms, and whether McDaniel is a good avatar for any of these questions.

The Agenda:

—Roles of ideological purity in media

—The crew’s experiences at their respective news outlets

—Steve’s behind-the-scenes insight into McDaniel’s Meet the Press interview

—The changing definition of RINO

—The lack of truthfulness in news outlets

—Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ballot-access dilemma

Show Notes:

—Meidas Touch article on Ronna McDaniel hiring

—Vox hit piece on Sarah Isgur following CNN exit

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