The Mona Charen Show

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Steve Vladeck on Trump, the Courts, and the Rule of Law Aug 18, 2025

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Georgetown law professor Stephen Vladeck joins Mona to unpack the Justice Department’s attack on Judge James Boasberg, Trump’s efforts to bend universities to his will, the Supreme Court’s retreat into procedural evasions, and the broader erosion of guardrails in American governance. What happens when process itself—the foundation of the rule of law—comes under assault?
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They Should be Ashamed of this Manifesto Aug 11, 2025

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Walter Olson of CATO discusses the Manhattan Statement on Higher Education, which would license Trump to ignore law, procedure, and precious liberties.
REFERENCES:

The Manhattan Statement on Higher Education
A Troubling Right-Wing Manifesto on Universities, by Walter Olson at Persuasion

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Fact-Checking Zohran Mamdani Aug 04, 2025

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AEI's Sadanand Dhume joins the podcast to discuss Zohran Mamdani's ideological origins, why government stores are not a fresh, new idea, Indian democracy, poverty, capitalism, and how Bangladesh went its own way.

The Greatness of Bill Buckley Jul 28, 2025

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Author Sam Tanenhaus discusses his new biography of the multi-talented Buckley and the movement he did so much to create.

Can We Unpolarize? Jul 21, 2025

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Mona Charen speaks with More in Common co-founders Tim Dixon and Mathieu Lefevre about rising polarization, the “exhausted majority,” and how loneliness, media incentives, and misinformation are fueling division. (Full disclosure: Mona is on More in Common’s board of directors.)They discuss global trends, practical solutions like refugee sponsorship, and the urgent need to rebuild community and trust in democratic societies. Genuine reasons for hope.
REFERENCES:

Must Geniuses Be Ass-----? Jul 14, 2025

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The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis joins Mona Charen to discuss The Genius Myth, her new book exploring whether genius is a real phenomenon or a socially constructed label. They examine how society elevates certain individuals—often more for charisma or timing than raw talent—and how the genius myth can excuse bad behavior while undervaluing empathy, humility, and collaboration. The conversation also touches on the “genius wives,” prodigies, the costs of fame, and Lewis's recent piece on the Skrmetti decision.
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ICE is Coming for All of Our Rights Jul 07, 2025

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CATO's David Bier explains who ICE has scooped up—93 percent are not criminals—and what's coming next. Bier describes aggressive, anonymous arrest tactics and overcrowded detention centers with inhumane conditions, and warns of efforts to undermine birthright citizenship and due process.
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References:65% of People Taken by ICE Had No Convictions, 93% No Violent Convictions, by David Bier at CATO.

Why Nothing Works and What to Do About It Jun 30, 2025

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Author Marc Dunkelman discusses his new book Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back.Dunkelman contrasts past centralized efficiency with today’s slow, decentralized system full of procedural roadblocks. They close with a hopeful look at reform efforts, like Josh Shapiro’s in Pennsylvania, as one potential model.
The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

This episode of The Mona Charen Show is sponsored by Putting Families First.
They won’t forget that certain legislators betrayed families by cutting Medicaid and public school funding. Putting Families First is trying to put a stop cuts to Medicaid and public education, and are working to elect leaders who agree. Learn what’s at stake at PutFamilies1st.org.
References:

Why Nothing Works– by Marc Dunkelman
Stuck– by Yoni Appelbaum
Abundance– by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
The Power Broker– by Robert Caro
The Power Elite– by C. Wright Mills
The House of Truth – by Brad Snyder

A Novel About the Spanish Inquisition Jun 23, 2025

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Linda Chavez joined Mona Charen to discuss her debut novel The Silver Candlesticks, inspired by a personal revelation during an appearance on Finding Your Roots that her ancestors were secret Jews persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition. The novel explores themes of religious identity, repression, and survival, drawing on her family's history in Spain and the New World, as well as her own experience converting to Judaism. Their conversation also delved into parallels between historical persecution and contemporary immigration policies, warning against rising authoritarianism in the U.S.
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Stop Making Excuses for Americans Jun 09, 2025

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Kevin D. Williamson of The Dispatch muses about the voters' culpability for Trump, socialism, and the "Abundance" agenda. They explore the cultural and economic decline of American civic virtue, the bipartisan slide into demagoguery, and Williamson’s disdain for both Trumpism and technocratic central planning.
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