The Fifth Column - Analysis, Commentary, Sedition

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Bret Stephens, Mexican?-Bret's naked grandmother and the Trotsky/Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo connection-The family saga of Stalinists, refugees and Reagan Republicans-Learning to love America through tap water and cops you don't have to bribe-Belgium, a sick little, horrible place-America, land of late bloomers-The socialist Sweden Bernie remembers no lon…

-The many sins of fattie John J. Cafaro-The Moynihan Report will return-Hand jobs and the intellectual life of West Hollywood-Release the Welch canceled-songs playlist-The Iran deal is dead. The war is back.-Why did Iran blow it up? Why does a dog lick his balls?-Air power has never toppled a regime-The anti-globalists discover the Strait of Hormuz-Israel's secret Ahmadinejad project-In partial defense of the late Lindsey Graham-Politics is gross. Stop loving politicians.-Fellating is best done behind closed doors-“There is no they. There is only we. And we usually don't know what the fuck we're doing.”-Midterm Madness comes to Michigan-Haley Stevens brings a little bit of stick-it-to-'em-Is this DSA thing real?-Colorado nominates a man who first killed at seven (he thinks)-Two fatal ICE shootings in two weeks-Ann Widdecombe is murdered. Britain shrugs.-Kmele attempts the Caitlin Clark/data center crossover. It does not land.Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comRobert Wright's new book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning, is out now (Bookshop | Amazon)•“Conference” = group sex•21 years of successfully avoiding podcast wealth•Interviewing the godfather of AI•A tiger and a rattlesnake•Matt gets quizzed on LLMs•The God Test•The shock of vibe coding•China and the superintelligence arms race•Re…

The great Kat Rosenfield joins us to discuss the ongoing fallout from rape allegations against Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner published Monday by Politico.When you're a star, they let you mispronounce their name.•The Fifth Column (whiskey) sells out!•America's birthday month•Loathing Graham Platner before it was cool•The least weird thing about Platner•The Times is on it•A working class hero is something to beA•bout that beard•The flaws are a feature, not a bug•We all know a guy like this•Christine Blasey Ford enters the chat•Michael Tracey exists•Kmele expresses skepticism•It's not consensual, it's DiGiorno•On second thought, let's not play the Fuentes clip•Michell Goldberg's mea culpa•Fruit baskets•Midterm Madness… the Graham Platner edition•Stephen King for senate? •Missing MoynihanFollow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

-The Fifth Column whiskey racket begins-Matt moves during a heat wave… Peter Meijer reports for duty-Meijer, class traitor, explains the pied-à-terre tax-Mayor Mamdani balances the budget, if you ignore the bailout-Kmele gets Hayek'd-Machine politics was bad, but graduate student politics is worse.-Bannon's old Leninist fantasy, now available in DSA packaging-Kamala Harris genuflects toward Mamdani-world-MAGA wants the factories back. The robots have other ideas.-Ro Khanna's children: landed gentry-Midterm Madness, Rocky Mountain High-Melat Kiros justifies 9/11-Scott Wiener gets yelled at for insufficient revolutionary fervor-Stalinism, but make it customer-facing-The revolution will be staffed by PhD candidates-Speaking of revolution: happy birthday, AmericaPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a viewer/listener supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAlso: a serious discussion of the cinematic category known as “movies where they clearly came up with the title first.”-The N-word trap at the Hudson Yards gym-Joe Jackson dressed for the evil dad part-Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound defense-Richard Simmons slaps a cage fighter-How to respond to an asshole-Con Air, Face/Off, and insane '90s movies-Pr…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comWe are lucky to be joined once again by Executive Editor of SCOTUSblog, Sarah Isgur, and on a day when the Supreme Court gave everyone a lot to argue about.-Trump loses, birth tourism maybe does not-Anchor babies and America's soccer future-The 14th Amendment gets weird-A color-blind Constitution, except when it isn't-Immigration is the culture war now-Executive p…

-Welch enters his Charles Nelson Reilly era-Laura Branigan, Happy Mondays, and songs you didn't know were covers-Puerto Rico's revenge-The cadres are closing in-Reihan Salam and Larry Flynt-DAC hits the media circuit and refuses to answer the easiest question in politics-Aber Kawas explains 9/11, in a Miss South Carolina sort of way-Vaporware word clouds masquerading as policy-No borders, no prisons, no TSA PreCheck… no joke-Nationalizing airlines, abolishing comfort, and calling it justice-Mamdani's machine, the DSA bench, and the Democratic Party's growing nervous breakdown-Polymarket vs. the polls-The internet is not a socialist invention, no matter how hard socialists try-Senate Republicans discover Trump skepticism several years too late-The SAVE Act tantrum and the incredible courage of people who already lost-Tucker, Trump, Iran, inflation, and the limits of MAGA obedience-Peter Thiel's terrifying secret network of people talking at conferences-Moynihan goes to Dialog and accidentally joins the Illuminati-Kmele reports back from the alleged cabal-Bohemian Grove was cooler because at least you had to break inPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a listener/viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMichael A. Cohen is a columnist for MSNOW, a senior fellow at Tufts University's Fletcher School, and co-director of its Afghanistan Assumptions Project. He also writes the Truth and Consequences newsletter. He is not the former fixer of Donald Trump.-The correct Michael Cohen stops by-Mamdani flexes in the primaries and three congress critters cometh-DAC gets worse the more…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Ethnicity as performance-Manhattan politics with the president of the Manhattan Institute-Dan Goldman orders coffee, receives moral instruction-The many political personalities of Brad Lander-Taxpayer-funded activism and the Office of Mass Engagement-Mamdani and the borg beneath the campaign-AOC, cadres, and disciplined political parties-Gaza as the om…

-Kmele debuts his Sebastian Bach beach jeans-The Iran deal is like the JCPOA, but a lot worse-Lebanon sneaks into a U.S.-Iran deal-Strait of Hormuz, 60-day promises, and negotiating with hostage-takers-Why can't the hawks ever learn?-Ukraine brings the war home to Russia-Drones, oil refineries, and the new cost of war-Europe wakes up… sort of-Meloni jabs her digits at Trump-Polymarket checks the damage in Israeli politics-as well as NY-13 and the rise of the DSA-Hamilton Heights is Gaza now-Mamdani's little machine comes for Dan Goldman-Gaza replaces BLM as the Democratic purity test-The long-term problem with Mamdani economics-Gavin Newsom vs. Trump's DOJ-The New York Times makes the Epstein suicide case-Tucker, Trump, Loomer, and the inevitable reunion-Baseball is gay in JunePrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a viewer/listener supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comBatya Ungar-Sargon, host of Batya! on NewsNation, returns!!! And with a new book, The Jews and the Left, about antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and why so much of the modern left has made Jews the enemy. -JD Vance, Tucker, and the anti-Israel right-The Iran deal, Rubio's silence, and Trump's trial balloon-What Batya got wrong about the war-Could Trump have sold the war better?

-The Knicks give New York its greatest night in years and OG makes his MVP case-Valid destruction or peaceful rioting?-A brief detour through America's dumbest college mascots-Dave Chappelle and Shane Gillis give Moynihan a perfect Comedy Cellar night-Kmele roots for the Spurs, but only to punish Knicks fans-Spike Lee has been on the court long enough-Which celebrity row courtsider gets booed?-Mamdani gets into the affordable soccer jersey business-The World Cup comes to New Jersey by boat-Introducing Midterm Madness -LA's mayoral race and the Spencer Pratt stolen-election fantasy-California's governor's race and the strange usefulness of market signals-The race to watch-Platner's character problem is not going away-Jodi Kantor explains when MeToo does and does not count-Bill Pulte gets pulled, Jay Clayton gets nominated -A fully fledged disgusting party on a federal level-UFC 250 comes to the White House because this is who we are now-Bullshit, postmodern Trumpism, and the infinite liesThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a listener/viewer-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comThroughout this entire interview, Ana remains furious that our office was stocked with whiskey, but only half a bottle of white wine and absolutely no pizza.-The White House press corps just takes it-Kristen Welker gets the Trump treatment (and would Trump have tried that with Tim Russert?)-Ana Navarro is here, from one of them Mexican countries-Charles…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comNoah's new book is Blood and Progress… not to be confused with “Blood and Soil,” a phrase Moynihan has been muttering to himself around the office.-A book squarely in the TFC wheelhouse-The teens, the twenties, the sixties, the seventies, and now-The forgotten history of left-wing violence-Italian anarchists and “propaganda of the deed”-Is Noah handwavi…

-a dog is on set and Kmele should be wearing a helmet-Bernie Sanders wants to collectivize AI-The boys bask in the warmth of collectivism-Never trust a politician giving something back to “the people”-The centrist Democrat goes missing-It's still a Nazi tattoo, goddammit-Character is out. Winning is in-Andy the Ogre Ogles has thoughts on the gays and Ted Cruz answers the question and keeps walking-A few more problems for the Oyster Man from Maine-Welch was the victim of a French flag hate crime-Speaking of Nazis, let's talk about Bari Weiss-Scott Pelley defends democracy from the new guy and privileged peacocking at CBS-Ali Velshi feels weird about America's birthday-Defending America through the Bob Crane storyThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a viewer/listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comChris Murphy's book, Crisis of the Common Good, is out now-Murphy opens his book by dunking on his son's NHL prospects-Pitching the common good-Trump is not the disease. He's the symptom-Buy more stuff, feel worse, repeat until democracy collapses-Kids, phones and the algorithmic hell machine-Congress wants to regulate tech. Congress may want to log on first-Can In…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comBe sure to check out Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, Australia's greatest podcaster and interviewer, which apparently counts.-90 minutes of Kmele cleaning his glasses-Josh is on drugs now-RIP Jack Karlson, hero of democracy manifest-we will be referring to limp penis throughout this show-Erect until the end-Kmele doesn't really know the Beach Boys-Who is the best Australian to ever …

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribeCheck out Ben Rhodes new book: All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches-Ben Rhodes, wounded '90s Knicks fan-Are we winning in Iran yet?-what should the President do with Iran right now?-Sanctions suck, mostly-Cuba and the Obama opening-Libya and the regime-change trap-Kosovo worked-ish-Responsibility to protect yourself from over-learning lessons-Rhodes wants institutions, not impulse wars-Is Ben Rhodes Tucker-adjacent?-Soft power, hard questions-Navalny didn't want America's money-When Reagan said “Evil Empire”-Reagan also change his mind-Moynihan accuses Rhodes of America pessimism-Ben says it's because he loves America-Private equity killed the vibes-Nostalgia-nomics-The left-populist temptation-JD Vance talks pretty-National identity without a monoculture-Ben Franklin and the virtue of doubt-Experts are annoying but sometimes usefulRead All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches(Bookshop | Amazon)Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.After 10 years, we've finally found a sponsor we actually like. Ground News pulls coverage of the same story into one place so you can compare headlines across sources and see how framing changes depending on the outlet.Subscribe for 40% off our Vantage plan using our unique link https://groundnews.com/fifth

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comThe podcast is called Stay Tuned with Preet, and if you find yourself wanting more legal analysis from someone who knows the system from the inside and still has a sense of humor about it.-Trump 2.0 & the frictionless DoJ-The one thing Jeff Sessions did right-Even Bill Barr had his limits-Why do smart lawyers follow stupid instructions?-You don't have to win to scare people…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAfter 10 years of doing this podcast, this week we had our first ever DC show at the Miracle Theatre on Capitol Hill. We were joined onstage by Robby Soave of Reason, and Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times' The Interview. Join us as we wax nostalgic about the city we love to hate, and so much more.•The Curse of The Fifth•Thomas Massie takes the L…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMatthew Yglesias is a liberal policy writer and longtime blogger. He co-founded Vox, now writes the Slow Boring newsletter, and is known for wonky-but-readable takes on housing, economics, Democratic politics, foreign policy, and the abundance agenda.-Matty finally makes it through the firewall-What type of gay is Kmele?-Yglesias says Welch gave him his career-Substack's right-wi…

We talk about broken housing markets, broken healthcare, broken Congress, Trump's corruption, a broken Cuba, Epstein, UAPs, and the tragedy of being a drummer with no place to practice.-Making music is for rich kids now-From jazz drummer to Hillary field organizer-Sandy Hook, March for Our Lives, and the road into politics-Florida's felon disenfranchisement fight-Guns, swamps, Confederate flags, and talking to people who don't like you-Florida's politics are red… its ballot issues are a lot messier.-Gaining political power is easy. Keeping it is the hard part.-The case for going big, whether Congress likes it or not-Housing abundance, rent hikes, and the great pet-fee wars-Donald Trump's extremely lucrative career in public service-Biden's DOJ, Brazil's crackdown, and the problem with accountability theater-Political violence, Trump's rhetoric, and blaming the victim-UAPs, Epstein files, and the bipartisan hunt for weird stuff-Cuba, war powers, and why Frost doesn't want another Venezuela-style adventurePrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Thanks for reading The Fifth Column (A Podcast)! This post is public so feel free to share it.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe-Why “common knowledge” is much stranger than it sounds-The social machinery behind weddings, money, and power-How a norm starts to die once someone breaks it and gets rewarded-Trump as the great destroyer of polite restraints-The institutions that lost the authority to enforce trust-How new taboos appear without anyone admitting who created them-The sp…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comHis next book, China Whisperers (out in November), looks at the diplomats, journalists, scholars, and China hands who shaped America's understanding, and misunderstanding, of its chief geopolitical rival. But we pretty much cover the entire globe in this conversation.-The experts had it coming-Federalists, anti-federalists, and America's oldest argument…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe-Kmele gets glasses-The return of Soho legs-Matt's movie-theater race science-Trump sends a letter to Congress saying the war is over, Iran says, “wtf?”-Little Marco, Fog of War correspondent-A very leaky White House-Strange new respect for the anti-war MAGA set-Little Marco puts the best face on Iran-Welch discovers gas prices-The affordability caucus …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comWe're joined by Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital, former White House Communications Director, and one of the more memorable casualties of Trump 1.0-The Mooch reads the stars-The truth is out there, allegedly-954,000 seconds in the White House-The Ryan Lizza thing, briefly-the reason God made Steve Bannon look like this-Why Bannon scared …

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe …and how raising a black daughter changed the way he sees America.-David French returns to the Fifth Column-SCOTUS drops of a few ruling-Free speech wins 9-0 (First Choice Women's Resource Centers v. Davenport)-The Voting Rights Act gets another trim (Louisiana v. Callais)-Racial gerrymanders vs. political gerrymanders-Smart racists, dumb racists, and …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAfter the failed shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the boys sift through bad manifestos, assassination discourse, microlooting, conspiracy politics, and the strange moral permissions of America's bored radicals.-Matt's 15-year Werner Herzog hangover workshop-judging the newest failed killer manifesto-America's stupidest assassination d…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe-have we met before, or did we just share a zip code?-Iran is a disaster from basically every possible angle-you don't go to war with this president-maybe just crawl back to a worse JCPOA and call it historic-Venezuela “worked,” which is exactly why it made the next disaster easier-take the oil, burn the soft power, call it realism-Europe gets lectured,…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comComedian Ryan Long stops by to join the guys at their very special 10th year anniversary. A few live mics, a non-stop flow of mystery drinks, and audience participation: what could go wrong? -10 years later, the grievance ledger is still very much active-Brett Weinstein cannot think his way back from the moon-Andrew Schulz proves the real mistake was le…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comThe border, the bombs, and can you guess how many Baldwins there are? -up at 2:30am, in by 4am, then 6 straight on-air hours before the fill-in shift even starts-Glenn Beck saved 5pm and accidentally birthed The Five-Fox News finally discovered the internet-2020 was insane and everyone got dumber-if the facts change every ten minutes, your monologue pro…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comHe has spent a lifetime around fame, a heroic father, football mythology, and old Hollywood… and somehow still comes off like the calmest guy in the room.-Steve McQueen and a Mini Cooper-what Carl Reiner was really like, and why Summer School still rules-growing up with Tom Harmon: Heisman winner, broadcaster, fighter pilot, legend-the war story Mark on…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe-Where have ye gone Chris Matthews?-California's governor race is a freak show (Fang Fang rides again)-Bring Kevin Spacey to the table?-Barney Frank, Ted Kennedy, and different standards-The anti-gambling jihad-Talks about talks about talks-The good ‘ole days of Lebanon, Libya, Valerie Plame, Bob Novak-Dr. Jesus-Trump versus the Pope-From melting pot to…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comSarah Isgur, Executive Editor of SCOTUSblog, has a book! Last Branch Standing is out today. -The Ted Lasso version of the Supreme Court-The Supreme Court is not the 6-3 cartoon people think it is-RBG thought Roe was built on weak foundations-The Court decides legal questions, not good policy vs. bad policy-Congress is now mostly bookers, comms staff, and 535 Inst…

-The wrong Greenwald, but the actual Abe-Everyone loves our ad spots-Iran's deranged peace menu-Ceasefire, with extra missiles-The joint Hormuz tollbooth fantasy-What Iran lost, even if nobody can sell it-Regime change, but not the fun version-Vanceworld (probably) leaks to the Times-Trump threatens apocalypse, then shrugs-Pakistan, Vance, and easier marks-Groypers and other forms of loser energy-The anti-Jewish right stops pretending-Sovereignty for me, not for thee-When the right starts sounding like the left-Israel's image problem, and America's deeper one-RFK Jr. enters the podcast economyPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.After 10 years, we've finally found a sponsor we actually like. Ground News pulls coverage of the same story into one place so you can compare headlines across sources and see how framing changes depending on the outlet.Subscribe for 40% off our Vantage plan using our unique link https://groundnews.com/fifthThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a reader & viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comBEHOLD, the Mailbag (aka male-bagging, aka you-yell-at-us-and-we-tell-you-to-fuck-off)-The Easter Bunny claps for the Iran rescue-Lie long enough and eventually your conscience taps out-about that Rahm moment-who remembers Jazz Hands?-maybe woke actually is over-Bret Weinstein, vindication for the Evergreen psychos-Helen Keller and her commie ventriloqu…

The Fifth Column marks ten years with a live, loose, alcohol-assisted celebration featuring Thor Halvorssen, Pete Meijer, Olivia Reingold, Nick Gillespie, and Nancy Rommelmann, with stops along the way for Venezuela, culture war absurdity, Jewish identity, sexual politics, old stories, new grievances, and the usual refusal to keep anything on the rails. WATCH IT on Youtube:The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a reader & viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comOh, and Wednesday marks the 10th anniversary of this show, yes, on April Fools'. Can you fucking believe it? Join us for the only appropriate celebration, a LIVE late-night shitfest of alcohol, probable technical mishaps, and some very special guests.-Theodore Henken, plantanified yuma-Why America still can't quit Cuba-Cuba and the full moon were made f…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Maybe I wasn't exactly a prince* Why nobody should want to stay in Washington too long* The worst job in politics* The ACA, “the three children,” and the birth of the Tea Party* The Great Recession and losing your ticket to the American dream* Trump didn't invent the anger, he captured it* The no-drinking-until-the-mics-are-off rule* In the Oval Office, the choice is…

Kmele loves Apple products…maybe a little too much. But what a perfect guest to talk all things related to this monster company and how it's shaped American culture and the globe as a whole.-The Newton saved Apple-What Kmele does with Apple products in the shower-The underdog with taste-Why Matt Welch hates Macs-On getting access to Apple-Project Titan and the $10 billion heartbreak-Apple as a medical device company-Still a Steve Jobs disciple of focus-Apple made China and China made Apple-Where there is no will, there's a way-New locations for Apple manufacturing-On the fantasy of bringing it back to the US-Apple Intelligence, deepfakes, and doing AI the “right” way-All it takes is a Congressperson having sex with a sheep-Anthropic, cheating, and the possible jobs apocalypse-The long runwayRead Apple: The First 50 Years by David Pogue (Bookshop | Amazon)Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a reader/viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Celine Dion, slightly less stiff-Every headline out of Hungary is insane-The Orbán character arc-The Polish miracle-Conservative 2Pac in the Borat republic-Cuba is falling apart, Hasan Piker is thriving-Cuba's healthcare miracle, minus aspirin-Why pseudo-intellectuals love communist field trips-The pig whose vocal cords had to go-Trump's zigzagging is …

-Joe Kent's weird texts and the “Israel did Iraq” brainworm-The Jews are so fucking clever-Iraq 2003, back from the dead yet again-There's always a new monster to destroy-Iran, nukes, and the problem with crazy people holding civilization hostage-A Ron Paul guy with a war boner-Don't you realize you're losing America?-Norman Finkelstein has no phone-Mearsheimering, Robert Pape, and the incentives to go full crank-Megyn Kelly, the anti-Israel turn, and the warm bath of total nuttiness-Mark Levin's penis size enters the chat-Louis CK and a Michael Barbaro hit job-the origin of Tough CrowdPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.After 10 years, we've finally found a sponsor we actually like. Ground News pulls coverage of the same story into one place so you can compare headlines across sources and see how framing changes depending on the outlet.Subscribe for 40% off our Vantage plan using our unique link https://groundnews.com/fifthThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a reader/viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Gov. Chris Christie debrief-Kmele nearly dies after seeing the new hidden painting on set-K-Pop Nazi Hunters and Sinners-Joy Reid says America is basically Iran now-Straight from The Communist-Lights out in Cuba-The Gains of the Cuban Revolution-”I got my job from the New York Times”-The old broken Cuban system finally starts to crack-Hasan Piker talks…

-Gov. Chris Christie says Kmele has no excuse-Getting drunk with Colbert-No drugs, ever-RFK Jr.'s drug use-The only things Trump believes in-something is a little off about John Kasich-Olivia Nuzzi is a Freak, Crumb Cake edition-Michael Barbaro tried to take the Gov down with food-Bon Jovi, Bruce, and New Jersey loyalty tests-The Little Marco Florsheim Fib-The ultimate Kushner lore, aka The Prostitute, the Motel, and the Alarm Clock-Profiles in cowardice, Republican edition-The biggest threat to Democracy according to Chris Christie-The case for letting Republicans lose badly-Why Democrats keep blowing it-Debate prep with Trump and being with him when the Access Hollywood tape dropped-This is what Hillary should have said -Chris Christie insists Bruce Springsteen likes him now-That Obama Sandy cold embrace-Bill Clinton will hold your hand, stroke your wife's elbow, and you'll fucking like it-W, Barbara, and elite family-level savageryPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a reader & viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comHe also weighs in on populism, inequality, private credit, and why a country can be prosperous on paper while still feeling bleak to the people living in it.-“Blankfein hates minorities”-the economy is strong, unless you don't own anything-get a grip, it's not 1968-semi-charmed kind of life-from Russia to China, the cycles come fast-where are the Hayeki…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comFrom the multiverse to time travel to bad studies and internet “experts,” and then all the way to metaphysics and belief, Sean Carroll explains why modern life makes everyone sound so sure about things they barely understand.-Moynihan is genuinely unnerved by space-a theoretical physicist's favorite music is prog rock, which seems about right-what a physicist reads…

Hooman Majd comes from a family that reads like a parable about modern Iran: a grandfather who was an ayatollah, an uncle who worked for the Shah, and a folk-singing aunt. Everyone's family has a version of this, right?-Iran is a tragedy-the sense of triumph has already faded-is Hooman happy the Supreme Leader was killed?-Trump's motive: regime change, or only regime adjustment?-a ring of fire around Israel-hijab mandates, strict social rules, and the morality police using facial recognition-did the 1979 Islamic Revolution fail on its own terms?-MEK is a cult-is there room for a homegrown anti-regime revolution, or does war smother it?-who ends up in the IRGC?-the girls' school bombing, and the propaganda machine-internet shutdowns, VPN life, and tweeting through a war-if you want to be an authoritarian, you cannot tolerate a free press-how to consume war info without getting played-outlets reporting on the new Ayatollah-sanctions: efficacy, blowback, and who they actually punish-Can Iran function like a normal state, and can it have workable relations with Israel?-Oct. 7 and Iran's role-concerns about civil war-the mullah stereotype-“translating” for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad-death threats, anonymous phone calls, and “don't ever come back”-defending against charges of being a regime apologistBuy Minister Without Portfolio: Memoir of a Reluctant Exile (Bookshop | Amazon)Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Matt takes off his glasses, Kmele panics-Moynihan is furious we started a war during his aggressive vomiting window-The Great Unwrapping of Liberated Iranian Women as the most convincing reason for war-Marco Rubio sells the rationale in Möbius-strip logic-the Dee Snider Doctrine-The Death of the War Powers Resolution-Is Rep. Anna Paulina Luna serious r…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comJournalist Nadav Eyal joins Welch and Moyniahn to game out the Iran strikes, why Gaza's endgame is still murky, and why the “no boots on the ground” promise matters more than most hot takes admit. -Zen and the Art of Strategic Surprise-Everyone who's anyone in the region knew this was going to happen.-Why the US was convinced this was a good idea-Death to America…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comI first met Ken Layne sometime in 1991, back when Vanilla Ice ruled the pop charts, the Soviet Union was still a thing, and Canadians still had a reasonable expectation of winning the Stanley Cup.We have been collaborating and experimenting ever since -- a little newspapering here, some music there, various dot-com shenanigans, all of it in a spirit of …