The Good Fight

Latest Episodes:

The Good Fight Club: Mamdani Mania, the Neverending Shutdown, and the Trump-Xi Summit Nov 01, 2025

Show notes

Richard Aldous, Sabina Ćudić, and Damon Linker join Yascha Mounk to dissect this week’s news.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk, Richard Aldous, Sabina Ćudić, and Damon Linker explore the future of the Democratic Party, from midterm predictions to the unstoppable rise of Zohran Mamdani, the impact of the ongoing government shutdown, and the recent meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Richard Aldous is Eugene Meyer Distinguished Professor of History at Bard. His latest books are The Dillon Era and Schlesinger. He hosts Persuasion’s books and ideas podcast, Bookstack.

Sabina Ćudić is elected member of the National Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, vice president of the Foreign Relations Committee, vice president of the European liberals in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and the president of Naša stranka, a progressive, social-liberal political party.

Damon Linker is a senior lecturer in political science at the University of Pennsylvania and writes the subscription newsletter “Notes from the Middleground” at Substack.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Geoffrey Hinton on Artificial Intelligence Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Geoffrey Hinton discuss how AI works—and why it’s a risk.

Geoffrey Hinton is a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist known as the “godfather of AI.” He was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with John Hopfield.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Geoffrey Hinton discuss what neuroscience teaches us about AI, how humans and machines learn, and the existential risks of AI.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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The Good Fight Club: Trump’s New Ballroom, a Looming Attack on Venezuela, and Why Social Media Explains the Rise of Populism Oct 25, 2025

Show notes

Francis Fukuyama, Mona Charen, and Yascha Mounk dissect this week’s news.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk, Francis Fukuyama and Mona Charen discuss Trump’s latest actions, from demolishing the East Wing of the White House to demanding compensation from the Justice Department; whether the Trump administration’s bombing boats in Venezuela might lead to further military action; and the link between social media and populism.

Francis Fukuyama is the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University. His latest book isLiberalism and Its Discontents. He is also the author of the “Frankly Fukuyama” column, carried forward from American Purpose, at Persuasion.

Mona Charen, syndicated columnist and author, is Policy Editor of The Bulwark and host of two weekly podcasts: The Mona Charen Show and Just Between Us.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Lulu Meservey on How Media Has Changed Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Lulu Cheng Meservey is the founder of Rostra, advocate of going direct, and writer of Flack.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Lulu Meservey explore why the traditional communications playbook is no longer effective, why so many politicians come across badly on TV, and how to be a great leader.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Randall Kennedy on Racism in America Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Randall Kennedy is the Michael R. Klein Professor at Harvard Law School where he teaches courses on contracts, criminal law, and the regulation of race relations.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Randall Kennedy discuss the history of racism in the United States, the shortcomings of critical race theory, and whether we should be optimistic or pessimistic about the trajectory of racism in America.

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Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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Quico Toro on Charlatans Oct 18, 2025

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and Quico Toro explore why we fall for them—and how to protect ourselves.

Quico Toro is a contributing editor at Persuasion, the Director of Climate Repair at the Anthropocene Institute, and writes the Substack One Percent Brighter. He is the author, with Moisés Naím, of Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Quico Toro explore whether fraudsters are motivated by self-deception or the desire to scam, how the internet and our society enable charlatans, and how to resist them.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Bret Stephens on Why the Democrats Are Despairing Oct 16, 2025

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Bret Stephens is an opinion columnist for The New York Times and the founder and editor-in- chief of SAPIR, a new quarterly devoted to issues of Jewish concern.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha and Bret discuss how Donald Trump has changed political culture, why moderates around the world are struggling, and what makes the United States uniquely innovative.

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Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Mickey Freeland and Leonora Barclay.

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The Good Fight Club: Gaza Ceasefire, U.S. Government Shutdown, and America’s Slouch Towards Autocracy Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s episode of The Good Fight Club, Yascha Mounk, Garry Kasparov, Russ Muirhead, and Quico Toro discuss the ceasefire in Gaza, the impact of the U.S. government shutdown, and the extent to which America under Trump mirrors Russia and Venezuela.

Garry Kasparov is the chairman and founder of the Renew Democracy Initiative (RDI), which publishes The Next Move.

Russell Muirhead teaches Government at Dartmouth College. He is the author, with Nancy Rosenblum, of Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos. He serves in the New Hampshire House of Representatives where he focuses on election law.

Quico Toro is a contributing editor at Persuasion, Director of Climate Repair at the Anthropocene Institute, and writes the Substack One Percent Brighter.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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Oren Harman on the Magic of Metamorphosis Oct 11, 2025

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Oren Harman is a Senior Fellow at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and teaches at the Graduate Program in Science Technology and Society at Bar Ilan University. His latest book is Metamorphosis: A Natural and Human History.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Oren Harman explore the evolutionary benefits of altruism, metamorphosis in the world around us, and how it impacts our perception of human growth.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠⁠this link on your phone⁠⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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David French on The Mess We’re In Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Yascha Mounk and David French have a therapy session about politics.

David French is a columnist for The New York Times. His most recent book is Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and David French discuss how politics has changed since 2017, where the Democrats have gone wrong, and how Donald Trump’s second term is different to his first.

If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠.

Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community

Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay.

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