The Dispatch Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Desperate Despots Club Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

With the war not going as smoothly as he might have hoped, Putin turns to Iran for help replenishing Russia's arsenal. Frederick W. Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins David to explain the nature of this alliance-of-convenience and where things could go from here.Show Notes:

-Critical Threats: Ukraine Stream

Critical Threats: Iran Crisis Updates

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The DeSantis Dilemma Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

With Donald Trump officially running for president, Ron DeSantis faces a twisted decision tree. Sarah, David, and Kevin are here to make sense of it. Plus: how should the U.S. respond to the deadly missile incident in Poland?

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All Bow to the God of Conventional Wisdom Nov 11, 2022

Show notes

Sarah, Jonah, and David come together to give the midterms a post-mortem to end all postmortems. They discuss the vibe theory of political trends, the presidential prospects of Republicans Not Named Donald Trump, and the lessons both parties took away from the elections.

Oh, and of course: do all roads lead to Georgia..? Again??

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The Secret Mass Killer Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

On today’s explainer, Declan is joined by RAND Corporation senior researcher David Luckey. A retired Marine Corps officer, David is now devoted to getting congressional attention to the thing that killed tens of thousands of Americans last year: fentanyl. David explains the scope of the overdose epidemic, its force multipliers, and the ways to fight it.

Show Notes:

-The Morning Dispatch on the Fentanyl Crisis

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Bibi's Back, Baby Nov 06, 2022

Show notes

With religion, political corruption, nationalism, and court reform on the ballot, Israel concluded this week its fifth election in three years. Tomer Persico, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, joins Adaam to offer a quick explainer about Benjamin Netanyahu's comeback, the rise of religious nationalism in Israel, and the universal language of populism.

Show Notes:

-The Morning Dispatch on the Israeli election

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Your Midterms Questions, Answered Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

With less than a week before the midterms, Sarah, David, and Jonah come together to answer your questions: Can voters push their parties to be better? What’s the best way to engage with your representatives? When is Nick Cattogio joining the pod?

Plus: the panel reacts to Biden’s Democracy in Peril, Pt. 2 speech.

Show Notes:

-Sarah’s piece for POLITICO about the GOP’s election laws

-Sarah, David, and Jonah’s report for the National Constitution Center

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Rise of the Vote Bots Oct 28, 2022

Show notes

What does the Fetterman-Oz debate reveal about the media? Will the isolationist horseshoe in Congress have an effect on Putin? And are we ready for Kevin’s theory of political cooties? Join Sarah, David, Steve, and Kevin as they embark on the penultimate round of midterms punditry.

Show Notes:

-The New York Times on the new campaign press aides

-The Dispatch is coming to Chicago

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The 'Most Moderate' Republican in the Race Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Allan Fung was the mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island for over a decade. Now, he’s hoping to be the first Republican to represent the state in Congress in nearly 20 years. He joined Declan to talk about his “check in those party labels at the door” approach to politics, about the possible agenda of a Republican House, and whether Trump still sets the tone for the party.

Show Notes:

-Axios on Allan Fung

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A Time and a Place for Pettiness Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

In a compressed panel of election punditry, Sarah is joined by Kevin and Andrew to discuss Democrats’ preemptive blame game. They also try to wrestle with what it might mean for the country if abortion doesn’t play the big role in the midterms Democrats had hoped it would. Also: 2024… should we start talking about it?

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Not at Dartmouth Anymore Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

A new study shows the stark lack of ideological diversity in elite universities. Lawmakers call to rethink relations with the Saudis after OPEC’s decision to cut oil production. John Fetterman’s NBC interview raises difficult questions. Sarah, David, Jonah, and Declan wrestle with these topics before providing an urgent manatee update.

Out of context: “If you stare at 2 + 2 = a duck and you say ‘oh I get it,’ that’s a problem for you.”

-American elite students study

-Fetterman’s NBC interview

-Manatees update

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