The Dispatch Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Bring Back Shaming | Roundtable Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Sarah Isgur is joined by David French and a tanned Jonah Goldberg to discuss the legacy of cancel culture, the impact President Trump’s negotiating style will have on the future of Gaza, and the sorry state of American public schools.

The Agenda:

—Cheap grace when forgiving people

—A lot of FAFO’ing in the Middle East

—Solving the public education crisis

—Ending proceduralism

—Pro-penny lobby: Talk to us

Show Notes:

—Tom Friedman's piece on Trump and Gaza

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Nuking the Overton Window on Gaza | Interview: Einat Wilf Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Dr. Einat Wilf, a former member of Israel’s Labor Party and co-author of The War of Return, joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy once again to discuss President Donald Trump’s supposed plan to encourage Palestinians to voluntarily self-deport from the Gaza Strip—and what it means for the future of the conflict.

The Agenda:

—Consequences for aggressors

—Where does the money go?

—No one knows Gaza’s future

—What is Gaza?

—The drip, drip, drip of hostages

Show Notes:

—Friday’s Dispatch Podcast Roundtable mentioning the Trump-Netanyahu meeting

—Dr. Wilf on The Remnant

—Dr. Wilf and Adaam discuss the history of UNRWA

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Bluffing With Bravado | Roundtable Feb 07, 2025

Show notes

Sarah Isgur is joined by Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes to discuss President Donald Trump’s latest saber-rattling tactics against our allies and enemies—and whether his bluffs will pay off.

The Agenda:

—Did free trade policies fail?

—Global saber rattling (IEEPA?)

—Scott Lincicome: Why Donald Trump is wrong about tariffs

—Trump fishes with dynamite

—Gaz-a-Lago

—Will Trump ever follow through?

—USAID: Carrot-and-stick or waste?

—Let’s not commit war crimes

—David Hogg as Democratic National Committee vice chair

Show Notes:

—Thank God for the stock market.

—Our fact check on the Politico-USAID story

—Lara Trump to join Fox News

The Dispatch Podcast is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including members-only newsletters, bonus podcast episodes, and weekly livestreams—click here.

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When A Weak Iran Goes Nuclear | Interview: Michael Singh Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

Jamie Weinstein is joined Michael Singh, the managing director and Lane-Swig senior fellow at The Washington Institute, to explain how the Trump administration can take on a weakened—but potentially nuclear—Iranian regime.

The Agenda:

—Preventing a nuclear Iran

—Iran’s “ring of fire” strategy

—Iranian proxies operating abroad

—A maximum pressure campaign

—Regime change

—How to build a nuclear warhead

—America’s red line

—Relations with Russia and China

—Is Iran apocalyptic?

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Ordo Amoris | Dispatch Faith Feb 02, 2025

Show notes

This is an unlocked episode of our weekly Dispatch Faith podcast, which is typically released on our members-only podcast feed, The Skiff. If you enjoy the conversation, we hope you’ll consider signing up as a full Dispatch member today.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders related to immigration disrupted the operations of several faith-based charities that aide migrants and refugees—and Vice President J.D. Vance’s comments on CBS News’ Face the Nation further drove a wedge between those groups and the new administration. Michael Reneau is joined by Mark Seitz, Bishop of El Paso and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, and Matthew Soerens, vice president of advocacy and policy at the Christian humanitarian organization World Relief, for discussions about how their respective groups operate and how they’re preparing for what’s next.

Show Notes:

—Michael Warren on the clash between J.D. Vance and the Catholic Church

—Michael Reneau on Evangelicals and their outlook on immigration reform

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Great Men of History. Small Men of Congress. | Roundtable Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, and Kash Patel went before Congress this week, and Sarah Isgur, Steve Hayes, Mike Warren, and David French consider whether confirmation hearings are a giant waste of time. Also, Donald Trump’s shaming of Colombia’s president made Sarah rediscover the allure of Great Men of History theory.The Agenda:

—The hearings that weren’t worth your (and the nation’s) time

—Gerrymandering isn’t the problem you think it is (or is it?)

—Everything is broken and I didn’t break it

—Trump bullies his way to foreign policy wins

—The power of leadership over the human heart

—Is DeepSeek our Sputnik moment? (And should we retire Sputnik comparisons?)Show Notes:

—John McCormack on RFK's confirmation process

—The Dispatch explainer on Trump's Colombian feud

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MAGA's 'Personal Libertarianism’ | Interview: Jane Coaston Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

Jamie Weinstein is joined by Jane Coaston—New York Times contributing opinion writer and previous host of The Argument—to share her expectations for the second Trump term and how she covers the conservative movement.

The Agenda:

—January 6

—Trump's relationship with voters

—Done With Never Trump

—"Personal libertarianism"

—Manifest destiny and military intervention

—Evolution of Trump's Allies

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Is This What Retribution Looks Like? | Roundtable Jan 24, 2025

Show notes

Sarah Isgur is joined by Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes to react to Donald Trump’s first few days in office and Joe Biden’s final act of lawlessness.

The Agenda:

—President Trump’s pardons

—Is it time to fix the pardon power?

—Whose pardons are worse?

—Birthright citizenship

—Revoking security details

—"The Right Is Winning the Battle for Hearts and Minds"

—Is conservatism cool now?

Show Notes:

—Indictment of Genesis Lee Whitted, Jr.

—Advisory Opinions on Birthright Citizenship

—The Volokh Conspiracy

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Will Trump Lower Your Taxes? | Interview: Grover Norquist Jan 20, 2025

Show notes

Kevin Williamson is joined by Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, to explain the tax policy of the second Trump administration.

The Agenda:

—“I want to be left alone”

—Unionization

—State income taxes

—Republican record on tax cuts

—Tax exempt tips

—SALT deductions

—Government bullying

—Tariffs and deregulation

Show Notes:

—“Right-wing zealot”

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Confirmation Kabuki | Roundtable Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

Sarah Isgur is joined by David French, Jonah Goldberg, and Steve Hayes to discuss the first round of confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet. Are they worth our time?

The Agenda:

—The Mount Rushmore of Putzes

—Senate hearings and “transparency”

—The stupidity of our times

—The Laken Riley Act

—Joe Biden's farewell address

—The Joe Biden legacy

—The Jill Biden legacy

—California fires and policy failures

—Should you attend a presidential inauguration?

Show Notes:

—WSJ: Tulsi Gabbard mixed up details about a key surveillance law