The Discourse Podcast

Sarah Stern is the founder and president of the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), an influential pro-Israel think tank in Washington. She has leveraged her connections on Capitol Hill and elsewhere over the past couple decades to provide her regional expertise of the issues related to Israel and the rest of the Middle East. Topics included President Trump withdrawing from the 2015 Iran deal and formally opening the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Tzvi Kahn is a Senior Iran Analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. His work has appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The New York Post, National Review, The American Interest, Foreign Affairs, World Affairs, The Forward, Middle East Quarterly, and other outlets. Topics include the U.S. withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the path forward, and more.

Jerry Dunleavy is a digital strategy associate at Judicial Watch, a conservative, non-partisan watchdog which strives to hold those in power accountable and expose corruption through investigations, litigation, and other means. Dunleavy volunteered on Texas senator Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign. Topics discussed include Judicial Watch's mission, the latest over President Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paying $130K to porn star Stormy Daniels, who had an affair with Trump, the Trump-Mueller investigation, and more. "Feel free to follow the day-to-day revelations that come out. But understand that there's a lot of people with a lot of different agendas that are leaking, that are pushing different narratives," he said. "And ultimately, you got to wait and see for the actual facts to come out."

Nathan Gonzales is Editor & Publisher of Inside Elections. He was an editor, analyst, and writer for The Rothenberg Political Report for more than 13 years before taking over the company in 2015. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and numerous other outlets. He has appeared on ABC, NBC, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, and other networks. Topics included the 2018 midterms, the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and other issues. "I think it's easier to rally people against something than for something," Gonzales said. "And right now, Democrats have a big rallying cry against President Trump."

Monique Wells is the founder and CEO of the Wells International Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower individuals – particularly women and persons of African descent – by exposing them to educational and cultural opportunities that allow them to experience a richer, more fulfilling life. She discusses how she went from Houston to Paris, where she's lived for the past 25 years, to spread her mission.

Ron Rubin was one of a few Republicans to ever work in the controversial Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He writes frequently, mostly about the CFPB, for The Weekly Standard, National Review, The Wall Street Journal, and other outlets. Along with his expertise on the CFPB and related matters, Rubin is also known for having prosecuted Steve Madden, whose actions were part of the plot behind the 2013 hit movie "The Wolf of Wall Street." Topics discussed included Rubin's time at the CFPB, the regulatory agency's pros and cons, and other related issues.

Matt Mackowiak is a veteran Republican strategist. He has served as a senior communications aide for two U.S. Senators and a governor, in addition to holding other prominent positions in politics. Mackowiak is a weekly columnist for The Washington Times and he hosts a national politics podcast, “Mack on Politics.” He has appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Sky News, BBC, and other outlets. Topics discussed included the 2018 midterms, Cambridge Analytica's impact on future elections, and other issues.

Diliman Abdulkader is the Director of the Kurdistan Project at Endowment for Middle East Truth. He is also is a Masters candidate at American University's School of International Service in Washington, DC. He writes often on issues pertaining to the greater Kurdistan region and has been quoted in various leading news sites such as Newsweek. In addition to being a frequent contributor for The National Discourse, he has written for the Jerusalem Post, the Raddington Report, The Tower, American Thinker, among others. Abdulkader was born in Kirkuk, Kurdistan. Follow him on Twitter: @D_abdulkader.