Podcast appearances and mentions of Ross Douthat

“Interesting Times” is on a brief hiatus. Before we return next month, we're bringing you an interview from “The Ezra Klein Show” with Ross Douthat about his 17 years as a conservative columnist at The New York Times. But Ross and Ezra go back even further, to the nascent days of political blogging. They talk about the seismic changes they've witnessed in the media industry over the years and the art of changing minds. (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website here.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Luke Burgis left Wall Street after two years, founded a few successful companies in his twenties, then walked away to spend three years in a Roman seminary on the path to the priesthood. He now runs the Cluny Institute and teaches at Catholic University. His book Wanting made René Girard legible to a general audience; the new one, The One and the Ninety-Nine, takes mimetic theory into the dynamics of self and crowd in an age of social contagion. He joined Tyler to discuss whether the age of pessimism is ending, why the Anglo world in particular seems so unhappy, whether Dostoevsky or Thomas Mann better diagnoses modernity, the kind of reader his own book would ruin, why he thinks AI will make social contagion weaker, what put him off consulting with Anthropic on Claude's constitution, what effective altruism misses, why men and women are drifting apart, what he'd fund in every American city, the case for reintroducing friction, whether a Gnostic reading of the lost sheep explains our moment, what Rod Dreher gets right about withdrawal, why Genoa is Italy's most underrated city, what confession times reveal about a church, why Italians seem tired of their Catholicism, why he didn't become a priest, where he differs from Ross Douthat, why exorcists appear to be on the rise, the sudden mimetic antisemitism on the right, the book his 23-year-old self would have hated, what he secretly admires about Silicon Valley, why Michigan never left him, what the original Cluny can teach a modern talent network, how he hopes to face his own death, what he'll do next, and more. Read a transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video on YouTube. Recorded April 30th, 2026. Other ways to connect Follow us on X and Instagram Follow Tyler on X Follow Luke on X Sign up for our newsletter Join our Discord Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu  Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts here. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:08 - On overapplying mimetic theory 00:06:35 - On AI and social contagion 00:07:53 - On declining Anthropic's invitation 00:09:36 - On the widening gap between men and women 00:12:25 - On anti-mimetic postures, jazz, and porn 00:16:46 - On Genoa, Naples, and societal escape fantasies 00:18:31 - On Italian Catholicism 00:26:59 - On not becoming a priest 00:29:13 - On beauty, enchantment, and the Gnostic sheep 00:40:22 - On what Wall Street taught him 00:43:50 - On Michigan 00:45:12 - On the Cluny Institute 00:48:41 - On dealing with death and what else is next 00:51:21 - Outro Image credit: Kirth Bobb

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. What is going on with the right? Why are they so mad at each other? What accounts for their apparent malaise? Why are they arguing about the price of burritos? Is anyone qualified to replace Ross Douthat at the NY Times? How is Reihan Salam's Manhattan Institute gearing up to combat Mayor Zohran Mamdani? Will it work? And why is Chris Rufo suddenly so worried about the far-right fever swamp, which he did so much to cultivate?  Matt and Sam check in with their favorite enemies — and find them wanting. Sources: Ezra Klein interview with Chris Rufo, New York Times, June 30, 2026 Rufo & Lomez, "Trump Won...Now the Online Right Is Falling Apart," BlazeTV, Jul 28, 2026 Eliza Shapiro & Nicholas Fandos, "Can This Man Stop the Mamdani Agenda? Reihan Salam Loves New York. He Loves the Free Market. And He's Very Worried," New York Times, July 29, 2026 Sohrab Ahmari, "Trump Was the Never the One," UnHerd, Mar 19, 2026. Natalie Allison & Isaac Arnsdorf, "Trump Privately Tells Donors to Back Vance While Publicly Keeping 2028 Open," Washington Post, Aug 6, 2026 Dan Adler, "Tucker Carlson Threw Down the Post-MAGA Gauntlet. Can He Actually Build a Movement?" Vanity Fair, Aug 6, 2026 Amos Barshad, "Tucker Carlson: 'I'll I Have Is the Power to Talk and Be Heard,'" Columbia Journalism Review, July 1, 2026 Brendan Rascius, "MTG and Tucker Carlson Announce New ‘Movement' in Photo Packed with MAGA Renegades," The Independent, Aug 1, 2026 Russ Buettner, "Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags," NYTimes, Aug 9, 2026 Christopher Hitchens & Christopher Caldwell, eds., Left Hooks, Right Crosses: A Decade of Political Writing (2002) Reihan Salam & Ross Douthat, Grand New Party: How Republicans can Win the Working Class and Save The American Dream (2008)

For my final episode as host of “Interesting Times,” I wanted a fitting finale — a conversation that encapsulates the ambition of this show: examining how seemingly radical ideas are steadily entering the mainstream of American politics, technology and culture. Few ideas are as radical as the hope of significant life extension and the quest to live forever. My guest today thinks he can outrun death. After selling his tech company for hundreds of millions of dollars and experiencing a profound religious crisis, Bryan Johnson turned his own body into the ultimate science project, centered on an explicit mission: Don't die. But why does Johnson want to live forever, and what lessons can his algorithmically driven lifestyle bring to the rest of us? It's been an honor hosting this podcast and navigating these strange waters with you. “Interesting Times” will be back with new episodes and new hosts in the fall. 0:00 Why Bryan Johnson Wants to Defeat Death 1:18 The Core Premise of "Don't Die" vs. Immortality 3:26 Selling Braintree/Venmo & Personal Collapse 6:33 Leaving the Mormon Church & Searching for Meaning 7:45 Launching Project Blueprint: Body as Philosophy 11:35 Bryan Johnson's Daily Longevity Routine & Biological Age Metrics 15:06 How AI Builds "Autonomous Health" for the Human Body 17:58 The Best Habits to Optimize Health: Sleep & Heart Rate 21:32 Blueprint Products, Supplements, & Testing 23:46 Reversing Biological Aging: Saunas & HBOT 25:24 Can Psychedelics Extend Lifespan? Psilocybin Longevity Trials 31:07 How Falling in Love Has Changed His Perspective 34:06 Diagnosed with an Incurable Autoimmune Disease 35:51 The Risk of Gerontocracy 53:53 Can Humanity Defeat Death? Societal & Philosophical Impacts (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode on the Real Life Theology Podcast you'l hear a review of the book 'Believe' by Ross Douthat.'   A brief review of Ross Douthat's book defending religious belief, explaining how it argues that belief best fits reality (through design/fine-tuning, consciousness, and widespread spiritual experiences).   Download the free RENEW.org App - https://renew.org/renew-app/  Visit RENEW: https://renew.org/   Check out the following from RENEW.org: Events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ Videos: https://renew.org/media/videos/ Podcasts: https://renew.org/media/podcasts/ Articles: https://renew.org/articles/ Free eBooks: https://renew.org/resources/free-ebooks/ Books: https://renew.org/resources/books/ Audiobooks: https://renew.org/resources/audiobooks/ Sermon Tools: https://renew.org/resources/sermon-tools/ Job Board: https://jobs.renew.org/ Renew University: https://renewuniversity.org/ Real Life Theology Conversations: https://renew.org/rltc/ Sign up for our newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/

VR40 - This Vapid Response Wednesday, we note the end of Ross Douthat's 17-year run as the resident New York Times conservative columnist with a drive-by review of some of his most willfully clueless work--and a closer look at his recent farewell message in which he provides a fitting capstone to a long career of willfully ignoring everything about how and why the American right went full MAGA. You can WATCH this episode, too! “Europe's Minaret Moment,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (12/6/2009) “Confessions of a Columnist,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/2/2016) “The Necessity of Stephen Miller,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/27/2018) “There Will Be No Trump Coup,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (10/10/2020) “Why Do So Many Americans Think the Election Was Stolen?” Ross Douthat, New York Times (12/5/2020) “How Donald Trump Made the Fantasy Real,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/9/2021) “Why Nikki Haley Would Be the Most Dangerous President,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/20/2024) “What Would Peace on Immigration Look Like?” Ross Douthat, New York Times (1/10/2026) “Who Are the Good Guys and the Bad Guys? I'm No Longer Sure,” Ross Douthat, New York Times (8/8/2026) Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!  

​ @EzraKleinShow   @InterestingTimesNYT   Ross Douthat on the Seismic Changes in Media, Religion and Politics | The Ezra Klein Show https://youtu.be/lGDy768D9io?si=WD_VXrrQDNMSQyOP   @HeliocentricOfficial   @NEMOTHEMORMON   I'm an Atheist. Mormonism is Not What You Think It Is. https://youtu.be/vzwc1NQuH7A?si=Pl-qoC81E13qMOAF   @KristinaWiltsee  Why Nolan Turned The Odyssey Against Itself https://youtu.be/mdMJDM1QVwg?si=j1C47vQ6Q7jeLr1n   @Pangburn   @rationalityrules   @SpeakLifeMedia   STEPHEN WOODFORD ‪@rationalityrules‬ VS GLEN SCRIVENER | Does Religion Poison Everything? https://youtu.be/8J-WOwrq6bE?si=3Kr2_d3s1VzVHRUN   @HeliocentricOfficial   Why British Christianity Hits Different https://youtu.be/9-ft6IJGeQc?si=IW7ud5WEMibtGf0e   @BreakwaterEvents   ‪@PaulVanderKlay‬ Randos Conversation: Wrestling with Raw Human Existence https://youtu.be/QSov6RG90ZU?si=3CVmH1e7qSxhhcQZ  Sacramento Estuary Conference Oct 16 and 17 https://www.livingstonescrc.com/events/sacramento-estuary-conference-2026/2026-10-16 What is the TLC? ("This little corner of the Internet" also know as "the corner" https://youtu.be/Y3vqSjywot8?si=IVS3bnriwje5syPO TLC Search tool. https://thislittlecorner.net The Flotilla List: https://thislittlecorner.net/channels https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg https://www.meetup.com/sacramento-estuary/ My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Bridges of meaning https://discord.gg/UKg8k93c Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A  

My colleague Ross Douthat is leaving The Times after 17 years to become a correspondent on “60 Minutes.” Before he goes, I'm asking him a few questions. Douthat has had a unique vantage point on the news media and politics over the last few decades. He's typically held the role of explaining the right to more liberal audiences, starting as an undergrad, when he was a conservative columnist for The Harvard Crimson. Douthat has also lived through the seismic changes in the media from the both the inside and the outside: He's made his career at legacy media institutions, but I first got to know him – and spar with him – as an early-2000s blogger (and I have the 20-year-old Bloggingheads.tv clips to prove it). So what does Douthat make of the transformations he's lived through? How did blogging change journalism? How did a Republican Party powered by evangelical Christians become a political party dominated by Catholics and pagans? What has he learned about persuasion from writing for liberal audiences? And with the resources of “60 Minutes” behind him, will he finally crack the U.F.O. story once and for all? Mentioned: Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV “Is It Time for a New Sexual Revolution?” with Louise Perry, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat “Christopher Nolan's Finest Trick” by Ezra Klein Grand New Party by Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam Book Recommendations: Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov De Gaulle by Julian Jackson Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin, Marie Cascione and Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker and Julie Beer. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Johnny Simon. Our recording engineer is Johnny Simon. Cinematography by Marina King. Video editing by Arpita Aneja and Julian Hackney. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show's production team also includes Jack McCordick, Kristin Lin and Emma Kehlbeck. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Co-hosts Jared Yates Sexton and Nick Hauselman open on the Iran war officially entering quagmire territory, with refineries and tankers getting hit at will while the US has essentially run out of missiles to respond with. They then tear apart Scott Bessent's solution to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which is to just build underground pipelines and make it irrelevant, a fantasy on par with nuking hurricanes. Todd Blanch gets confirmed as attorney general on the deciding vote of Bill Cassidy, the same man who voted to convict Trump and now can't swallow shit fast enough for him, while Susan Collins pulls her signature move of discovering her conscience only after the votes are already locked. They bid a fond farewell to Ross Douthat, whose 17 years at the New York Times were spent giving conservatives permission to drift further right under the guise of just asking questions. Now he's leaving one of the most influential posts in American media for a cratering 60 Minutes because Bari Weiss told him he'd be a star. The episode closes on Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White declaring themselves eligible for the WNBA, a bad-faith stunt that reveals less about trans athletes than about the right-wing compulsion to hijack anything women build and make it about themselves. Support the show by signing up to our Patreon to hear the full Weekender episode each Friday as well as special Live Shows and access to our community discord: http://patreon.com/muckrakepodcast

With less than 90 days until the 2026 midterm elections, Trump may have finally found a lawyer with no limits — and Todd Blanche is only getting started.In this episode of "Election Watch," Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general and why he compares Blanche to Trump's ruthless former lawyer, Roy Cohn. Plus some good news: the Department of Justice is now 0-21 in court battles over access to state voter files. He also covers the Save Act's failure in the Senate, the Supreme Court's pending ruling on Trump's mail-in ballot order and why Ross Douthat's farewell New York Times column got it backward.

Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg and Kevin Williamson to discuss Ross Douthat's departure from the New York Times to CBS News and reflect on the times in their careers where they got an issue wrong.The Agenda:—Who Will Replace Ross Douthat?—MAGA representation in media—Intellectual honesty vs. partisan loyalty—Dangers of political journalism—What Kevin's got wrong—What Jonah's got wrong—What Steve's got wrong—NWYT: Good adviceShow notes:—George Will: Defeating Trump should be top priority of conservatives—Kevin: Why I Was Wrong About Head Start—Steve's Florida piece—Nick Catoggio: Which Republicans are deserting Trump? And why? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rich is obsessed with the new Spider-Man movie. We have an update on Brenda Dickson's HOA drama that now involves the police. The View's 30th anniversary is coming up, which brings some Rosie O'Donnell drama with it. Martha Reeves gives an unforgettable performance of "The Star Spangled Banner." And in terrible news about the news: Bari Weiss hires Ross Douthat as a 60 Minutes correspondent.Further reading:The disturbing rise of ‘gooner' assaults at Dollar Tree stores: ‘They find it funny to degrade women'To access video episodes, bonus episodes and our premium series WAWU check out our Patreon.Tracie's SubstackInstagramTikTok ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

​ @CosmicSkeptic   Religion is an Obligation - NYT Columnist Ross Douthat https://youtu.be/Zp4xlI6-dlY?si=zdQUyMA4zb6WYMkg    Sacramento Estuary Conference Oct 16 and 17 https://www.livingstonescrc.com/events/sacramento-estuary-conference-2026/2026-10-16 What is the TLC? ("This little corner of the Internet" also know as "the corner" https://youtu.be/Y3vqSjywot8?si=IVS3bnriwje5syPO TLC Search tool. https://thislittlecorner.net The Flotilla List: https://thislittlecorner.net/channels https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg https://www.meetup.com/sacramento-estuary/ My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Bridges of meaning https://discord.gg/UKg8k93c Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A

The Morning XTRA with Tug and Los delivers conservative talk on the biggest political, cultural, and news stories of the day. Smart analysis, unapologetic opinions, and real conversations every weekday morning. Every weekday from 6a to 10a! Tug and Los discuss the latest developments involving Dr. Anthony Fauci and whether accountability could finally be coming after being voted in contempt of congress, examining the Democratic Socialists of America's views on parental rights and voter weight, and break down why they believe the Muslim Brotherhood and the Chinese Communist Party have adopted similar long-term political strategies. The guys are also joined by Tom Mitchell, The Honest Car Guy, for his weekly visit. On today's show:• Politics during football season and the Braves continuing to silence the critics• Why Hunter Biden is suddenly sounding more reasonable• Storytime with Los• Hasan Piker is using the left's tactics against them• Why British accents seem so convincing• What real Wealth really isAtlanta's ONLY All Conservative News & Talk Station.: https://www.xtra1063.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Morning XTRA with Tug and Los delivers conservative talk on the biggest political, cultural, and news stories of the day. Smart analysis, unapologetic opinions, and real conversations every weekday morning. Every weekday from 6a to 10a! The 8 o'clock hour is brought to you by Central Heating & Air, your Atlanta Carrier Experts. 770-GET-HEAT, Centralheat.com First thing to know: Now the DSA thinks parents confuse their interest with the interest of their kids There is a chance for some poetic justice with Fauci Why is the british accent so convincing? Atlanta's ONLY All Conservative News & Talk Station.: https://www.xtra1063.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour Three of A&G Features... Michigan gets their Democratic Socialist... The Anti-Aging freak makes a confession... Ross Douthat & the nutty Yale prof... Jack buys stock in a very famous company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour Three of A&G Features... Michigan gets their Democratic Socialist... The Anti-Aging freak makes a confession... Ross Douthat & the nutty Yale prof... Jack buys stock in a very famous company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comThere's this movie everyone is talking about, have you heard of it? The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, he of the sweeping historical sagas. Sarah's theory is that it's the male Barbie, with something for everyone. Whether the ultimate hero's journey is still relevant in the age of TikTok might/might not be answered by the movie taking in $727+ million in its first 12 days. Nancy and Sarah debate whether the three-hour film is too long (no/yes), whether it needed the Eliot Page character (yes/no), and did Nolan drop the ball on the Sirens (YES!!!!). Sarah delivers some light and loving pushback on the recent episode about Fauci. Then, what do people say behind your back? Sarah and Nancy ponder. Also, we introduce a new segment, "This Week in Kyle Chandler” because … Kyle Chandler.Also discussed:* Grease is the word.* Kaboodles are still a thing* Mary Katharine Ham is a star* “It's gross how cute you are.”* “Fauci was rubbing it …”* Cat Damon!!* You're welcome back any time, Scott Greenfield* Sarah refuses to pronounce Ross Douthat's name properly until he comes on the pod* No sex for Circe* Samantha Morton is not Emily Watson …* “Sarah with the tits, Nancy with the eyes”Plus, why Nancy and Sarah are taking a road trip to a ranch near Austin, Nancy on that weird Stockard Channing movie, a hot box where every relationship is transactional, and much more!Paid subscribers get a picture of a cat that looks like Matt Damon, what more can we say?“I wonder if I can get people to click over and subscribe to the Smoke ‘Em YouTube?”

Shadi and Damir have been circling a question for weeks: is the American left's moment real? To find out, they invited Sam Adler-Bell, co-host of Know Your Enemy and a socialist since it was, in his words, about as fashionable as collecting model trains. Radicalism keeps outperforming caution. Sam admits he used to advise against using the socialist label, against making Gaza a litmus test, against letting the movement's fringe run loose — and history embarrassed him each time. So should the left keep pressing? Damir hears something ominous in the pattern. Maybe these positions won because the whole country has slipped into a revolutionary mood, right and left together, and the adults in the room are simply gone. Shadi wants to know whether a movement can inherit the future while losing working-class and black voters, the constituencies it claims to speak for. The Democratic establishment gets a vote too, and Michigan is where it plans to cast it.Required Reading:* Sam's July 4th tweet. (X)* Know Your Enemy, Sam's podcast with Matthew Sitman. (Patreon)* Zohran Mamdani's July 4th speech.* Bhaskar Sunkara on Ross Douthat's Interesting Times. (New York Times) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wisdomofcrowds.live/subscribe

Sarah and JVL have a It's a super-sized, instant classic:The Trump administration is using ChatGPT for everything.Why are Cornyn and Tillis even bothering with their fake protest of Todd Blanche?The Dem Senate map is looking . . . possible?Trump has raised $800 million from “donors” since coming back to office.And JVL finally explains why he's obsessed with 60 Minutes investigative reporter Ross Douthat.Plus: Emo JVL needs your advice in the comments!Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/thenextlevel to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.Full episodes of the Secret Podcast are available to paid members of the Bulwark through Substack, YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Come ride with us!

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at ⁠https://ground.news/AlexOC⁠ - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: ⁠https://www.alexoconnor.com⁠.TIMESTAMPS:(0:00) Is Religious Belief An Obligation?(17:44) Pantheism vs Theism(23:35) The Connection Between Mind and Universe(43:32) The Fine-Tuning Argument(49:18) The Problem of Evil(1:06:26) Is Belief in God Enough?(1:20:53) Animal Suffering(1:34:37) Is Heaven Hierarchical?CONNECT:My Website YouTubeInstagramTikTok⁠TwitterFacebookCONTACT:Business email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

American leaders are staying in office past their prime. Boomers are reluctant to relinquish control — from political offices to corner offices — to the detriment of their juniors. In a society where the elderly hold so much power, should younger generations revolt?  My guest today is Samuel Moyn, a professor at Yale Law School, and he argues that American democracy is distorted by the power of the old. We discuss how seniors have hoarded wealth and influence and how Americans can renew an intergenerational compact. 0:00 The Tyranny of the Elderly 2:01 From Joe Biden to Mitch McConnell 4:19 Europe's Anti-Gerontocracy 5:15 Politicians are the ‘Tip of the Iceberg' 7:07 The Dark Side of Longevity 9:40 How Age Impacts Policy 15:10 The Age Wealth Gap 20:21 How About Millennials? 23:28 Age Limits and Youth Power 38:14 Care Hoarding and Family Burdens 44:54 The Assisted Suicide Debate 50:14 Personal Stakes (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's a NOTUS on NOTUS conversation, as Matt welcomes veteran columnist Dana Milbank to the podcast to discuss:— Is Donald Trump pulling the Todd Blanche Attorney General nomination... for now?— Fresh Michigan reporting: Dana finds all the energy and enthusiasm behind Abdul El-Sayed, not Haley Stevens — Wildly conflicting polls: Stevens led by 7, now El-Sayed up by 14 — turnout models are the wild card — Why El-Sayed isn't the DSA radical disaster conventional wisdom claims: “I'm not a socialist, I'm a capitalist” — Israel divide looms large: $30M AIPAC money for Stevens vs. El-Sayed's call for full aid cutoff — Broader signal: Is this Democrats' Tea Party moment as left-wing energy overwhelms the establishment? — Implications for the general election against Mike Rogers and the entire Senate map— Plus, Ross Douthat's move to "60 Minutes," Dana's battle against rumble strips, and more!Subscribe to Matt Lewis on Substack: https://mattklewis.substack.com/Support Matt Lewis at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mattlewisFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattLewisDCTwitter: https://twitter.com/mattklewisInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattlewisreels/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVhSMpjOzydlnxm5TDcYn0A– Who is Matt Lewis? –Matt K. Lewis is a political commentator and the author of Filthy Rich Politicians.Buy Matt's books: FILTHY RICH POLITICIANS: https://www.amazon.com/Filthy-Rich-Politicians-Creatures-Ruling-Class/dp/1546004416TOO DUMB TO FAIL: https://www.amazon.com/Too-Dumb-Fail-Revolution-Conservative/dp/0316383937Copyright © 2026, BBL & BWL, LLC

Howie Kurtz on Dr. Anthony Fauci's contentious Capitol Hill testimony regarding COVID-19 lockdowns and private journal entries, joint U.S.-Saudi airstrikes against Iranian proxies in Iraq as Trump scolds Benjamin Netanyahu, and major anchor overhauls at 60 Minutes as conservative columnist Ross Douthat joins the broadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex examines what Barry Weiss's decision to hire Ross Douthat says about the future of 60 Minutes. Rather than focusing on Douthat's conservative views, he explores whether a growing trend toward intellectualized "both-sides" journalism risks replacing the moral clarity and fearless reporting that made the program one of America's most respected news institutions.

Is President Trump's grand strategy unraveling? The United States is at war with Iran, China is ascendant, Russia and Ukraine are stalemated and American allies are openly questioning our commitment to them. Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, joins me to discuss the state of America's foreign policy and he makes the case that Trump's approach to our allies and adversaries is making us stronger. 0:00 - Intro  1:24 - What Is Trump's Approach to Foreign Policy? 5:00 - Is China Still America's Main Rival?  7:08 - Colby's Strategy of Denial in the Pacific 9:58 - How to Avoid a War with China & Taiwan 12:18 - Can U.S. Aircraft Carriers & Bases Survive a Pacific Conflict? 16:43 - Is the Iran War Draining Our Weapons and Resources? 17:49 - The U.S. Military Strategy in Iran War 19:44 - Does the Middle East Conflict Help or Hurt China? 22:04 - Trying and Failing to Reopen the Strait of Hormuz 28:13 - The Parallels of Iran to the Vietnam and Iraq Wars 33:17 - Trump's Strategy With Russia & Ukraine 40:49 - "NATO 3.0" & Returning to the Cold War 43:21 - Did the Pentagon Try to Cut Support for Ukraine? 46:28 - How "Middle Powers" Fail  49:30 - Greenland, Canada, and the Monroe Doctrine 52:22 - Canada: Neighbor or 51st State? 54:23 - What We Expect From Allies (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back to The Majority Report On today's program: Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez travel to Michigan to rally for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and House candidate Will Lawrence. Bernie and AOC both emphasized the $50M in dark money being spent on Haley Stevens' campaign. AOC asks if anyone believes that this money does not come with expectations from the donors. Bernie says this Senate race is not between Stevens and El-Sayed but El-Sayed and the billionaire class. Kira Ganga Kieffer, visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Fairfield University, joins the program for a conversation about her book, "Unvaccinated Under God: Religion and Vaccine Hesitancy in Modern America". In the Fun Half: Bhaskar Sunkara says on Interesting Times with Ross Douthat that he wants to recover the optimism the left once had about America and reclaim narratives about racism. The Tate brothers are arrested in Miami and extradited to the United Kingdom where they are wanted for rape and human trafficking charges. Donald Trump tries to shoehorn himself into Spain's world cup celebration. Trump is very nonchalant about the three (that we know of) servicemembers that were killed by Iranian drone strikes over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal reports on a $50M "experiment" Israel is undertaking to change public perception of the apartheid state. all that and more. Tell your Senators to block the NDAA until it is stripped of the proposal to integrate U.S. and Israeli militaries. To connect and organize with your local ICE rapid response team visit ICERRT.com The Congress switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. You can use this number to connect with either the U.S. Senate or the House of Representatives. Follow us on TikTok here: https://www.tiktok.com/@majorityreportfm Check us out on Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/themajorityreport Find our Rumble stream here: https://rumble.com/user/majorityreport Check out our alt YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/majorityreportlive Gift a Majority Report subscription here: https://fans.fm/majority/gift Subscribe to the AM Quickie newsletter here: https://am-quickie.ghost.io/ Join the Majority Report Discord! https://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store: https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ Get the free Majority Report App!: https://majority.fm/app Go to https://JustCoffee.coop and use coupon code majority to get 10% off your purchase Check out today's sponsors: DELETEME: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to www.joindeleteme.com/MAJORITY and use promo code MAJORITY at checkout. BLUELAND: Get 15% off your first order by going to Blueland.com/MAJORITY. ROCKETMONEY: Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster: RocketMoney.com/MAJORITY SUNSET LAKE CBD: Use coupon code "Left Is Best" (all one word) for 20% off of your entire order at SunsetLakeCBD.com.  Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattLech On Instagram: @MrBryanVokey Check out Matt's show, Left Reckoning, on YouTube, and subscribe on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/leftreckoning Check out Matt Binder's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/mattbinder Subscribe to Brandon's show The Discourse on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ExpandTheDiscourse Check out Ava Raiza's music here! https://avaraiza.bandcamp.

Democratic socialists are having a moment. But can they actually remake the Democratic Party — and the American economy — in their image? My guest today, Bhaskar Sunkara, is longtime democratic socialist, and he makes the case that socialism has a universal appeal that transcends our current politics and will ultimately triumph against capitalism. 0:00 Intro 1:24 The rise of democratic socialism 5:00 Why is this a breakthrough moment for Democratic Socialism? 8:24 Class Realities: The demographics of socialist voters 9:26 The intellectual foundations of the American left 11:02 What socialists want: Affordable housing, Medicare for All 15:55 Socialist housing policy: construction, rent control, public housing 18:17 The socialist approach to AI and technological change 22:16 The case for unions 24:18 Is Democratic Socialism compatible with capitalism? 25:57 Class conflict vs. the identity politics of the wokeness era 29:00 The ideological conflict between Hillary Clinton liberals and the Bernie Sanders left 30:40 This Socialist wants the left to stop hating America 36:38 Why Israel-Palestine and anti-imperialism are central issues for Democratic Socialists 45:51 Luigi Mangione and the illiberal left 50:37 Is Zohran Mamdani a moderate? 51:54 Was Joe Biden's presidency a socialist experiment? 55:42 Raising taxes to expand the welfare state (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Voice Of GO(r)D is happy to bring you a new roundtable discussion on the ongoing project of replacing America's truckers with robots, a subject my podcast has investigated frequently since it's inception. This episode touches on many areas, including the narrative spin on safety failures of numerous types and models of this technology, the naivety (or complicity) of politicians in various proposed legislation which would remove public oversight of their deployment on our roads, opportunities within the interregnum between now and when the flip gets switched on human truckers, and the seeming thin skin of at least one major motor carrier who are not pleased about drivers criticizing them in public.My guests brought a great deal to bear for this information thick presentation.Returning guilty parties include James Year, who has now been on this podcast at least half a dozen times, is behind the ongoing research project Stealing Fire which he started while at Syracuse University, and was the host of this super viral mini-documentary from More Perfect Union last year - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQrQrOPmszEPaulette Nobles is a trucker and former employee of Hirschbach Transportation, and former because she refused to be treated as a guinea pig in training the autonomous systems built to replace her.You would have heard Paulette on a previous episode of the show, along with our other returning guest, Mitchell Riesgraf.https://open.spotify.com/episode/28Z0w2YHahINyB7Il4yGRL?si=365d3a34d6124442Mitchell has been very busy investigating as much as he can about the companies, politicians, and ideologies behind the push for these systems to be imposed on our highways, and is a co-founder of a new group dedicated to standing up for the American trucker, The American Transportation Co-Op, who you can find on Facebook.And new to the show is Mr Josiah Henry, aka Wild Beard, a YouTuber who has become a thorn in the side of the autonomous truck industry through his very incisive videos exposing the misinformation and misdirection of some of the actors involved, and also pointing out the losses and failures accruing to the folks at Hirschbach as they transition to this technology … poorly.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcUnky77K6chttps://www.truckinginfo.com/news/hirschbach-announces-plan-to-deploy-500-aurora-autonomous-trucksA fascinating study from Japan suggests working a manual gearbox gives the aging brain a daily workout automatics simply can't.https://www.wired.com/story/us-law-enforcement-warns-of-anti-tech-extremism/State of California Autonomous Vehicle Crash Dashboardhttps://experience.arcgis.com/experience/80957b812f8245538a883970ee31d103/page/AV-Crash-Dashboardhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/06/18/waymo-recalls-nearly-4000-robotaxis-to-stop-them-driving-into-highway-construction-zones/Vice President JD Vance mentions Autonomous Trucks in interview with Ross Douthat of the New York Times podcast ‘Interesting Times'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z63oBGtmnWIhttps://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15948231/married-couple-killed-tesla-semi-truck.htmlhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/feds-demand-autonomous-vehicle-companies-stop-interfering-with-first-responders/https://aurora.tech/newsroom/inside-auroras-photonic-engine-engineering-lidar-for-automotive-scalehttps://everythingispolitical.com/readings/autonomous-trucks-american-middle-class-photo-essayWith the recent NHTSA letter, AV companies are asked to go beyond basic technology (measured in crash rates) and demonstrate tangible social and economic responsibility.Questions, comments, suggestions, corrections and Hate Mail are always welcome and strongly encouraged - gordilocks@protonmail.comIf you haven't yet, please avail yourself of a copy of my book, which features an entire chapter on autonomous truck technology -

​ @InterestingTimesNYT   Rod Dreher on Preparing for 'Weimar America' | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat https://youtu.be/KMknfC29guI?si=FleiqJRJvkZp8Zad  @GrimGriz  AR&D INGRESSION - 20260709 https://www.youtube.com/live/5B8N2df5k8k?si=rqyNd1ZjrGh5KMTs    What is the TLC? ("This little corner of the Internet" also know as "the corner" https://youtu.be/Y3vqSjywot8?si=IVS3bnriwje5syPO TLC Search tool. https://thislittlecorner.net The Flotilla List: https://thislittlecorner.net/channels https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give Paul Vander Klay clips channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0jIcadtoxELSwehCh5QTg https://www.meetup.com/sacramento-estuary/ My Substack https://paulvanderklay.substack.com/ Bridges of meaning https://discord.gg/UKg8k93c Estuary Hub Link https://www.estuaryhub.com/ There is a video version of this podcast on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/paulvanderklay To listen to this on ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/paul-vanderklays-podcast/id1394314333  If you need the RSS feed for your podcast player https://paulvanderklay.podbean.com/feed/  All Amazon links here are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program. Amazon pays me a small commission at no additional cost to you if you buy through one of the product links here. This is is one (free to you) way to support my videos.  https://paypal.me/paulvanderklay Blockchain backup on Lbry https://odysee.com/@paulvanderklay https://www.patreon.com/paulvanderklay Paul's Church Content at Living Stones Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh7bdktIALZ9Nq41oVCvW-A To support Paul's work by supporting his church give here. https://tithe.ly/give?c=2160640 https://www.livingstonescrc.com/give

The work of Rod Dreher has a consistent theme: doom. He believes the collapse of Christianity has ushered civilizational decline in Europe, that we've traded our humanity for comfort, and he worries that totalitarianism is around the corner for the United States. “I'm worried about Weimar America,” he tells me. “It may not be Hitler 2.0, it may not be Stalin 2.0. It might be something all American, but it's not going to be what we're used to.” It's best not to dismiss him; he's been right before. We discuss how we got here and the dangers that still lie ahead when we grant godlike powers to our technology. 0:00 - Intro 1:41 - The role of Christianity in Western society 12:26 - Free speech in Western Europe 17:40 - Immigration and de-Christianization 23:55 - Viktor Orbán's Hungary 34:50 - "Weimar America" and the coming crisis 46:45 - Dreher's personal journey 55:12 - Dark re-enchantment and A.I. as a "vector for the demonic" (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My fellow Americans: On this 250th anniversary of our great republic, I think we're unlikely to have a unifying address from any politician. So, I thought I'd get a little dressed up and offer one myself. Watch this video on YouTube Channel: Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The growing alienation between men and women is, to my mind, one of the biggest stories of our time. It's warping our politics and culture through the rise of misogynistic influencers on the right and a growing sense of feminist despair on the left. My guest this week believes that our problems today can be traced back to the sexual revolution. She argues that it reset relations between the sexes in a fundamentally negative way and ultimately benefited men. Louise Perry is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal's Free Expression section and the author of “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution.” 0:00 - Intro 01:28 - “The Case Against the Sexual Revolution" 16:20 - What is reactionary feminism? 21:30 - The effects of the digital revolution on men and women 30:29 -  The tradwife phenomenon 34:58 - What about premarital sex? 43:38 - Can female emancipation and sexual restraint coexist? (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christina Hello, everyone, I'm Christina Darnell, the managing editor of MinistryWatch. Welcome to the MinistryWatch podcast. In today's extra episode, I talk with Warren Smith about some news items that are slightly (even significantly) outside of our normal charity and philanthropy “beat.” So, Warren, what's up first? Warren The Episcopal Church Center in Midtown Manhattan, commonly referred to as “815” because of its street address, 815 Second Ave., is for sale.For critics of the church, the building became a symbol of the bureaucracy and isolation of the denomination's leadership. Christina Its sale now represents the continued decline of the denomination. Warren “We've done a detailed analysis about the best use of the building, with consultants and architects,” Chief Financial Officer Chris Lacovara said in a church news release. “We occupy a fraction of the Church Center space now, and the conclusion is that we don't need to own and occupy a building in midtown Manhattan.” Christina The building is 12 stories high and has about 146,000 square feet of office space. Warren In 1965, the Episcopal Church had about 3.4 million people. Today, membership is officially listed at about 1.5 million, but less than a half-million attend Episcopal Churches on any given Sunday. Christina Next up, new data from Lifeway, but you have some concerns. Warren I do. I am a big data guy, but recent research from Lifeway does not pass my sniff test. Lifeway says that Gen Z adults who are regular churchgoers attend church at greater rates than other age cohorts. Christina So…regular church attend church regularly? Seems like you wouldn't need a survey to come to that conclusion. Warren Exactly. The premise of the survey is strange. It is like saying, “In Texas, there are a high percentage of Texans.” Secondly, the Gen Z result is a serious outlier. “While the median churchgoer in each generation attends four worship services each month, the average Gen Z churchgoer attends a worship service at their church 6.2 times a month,” a statement from Lifeway said. This compares with “4.8 times for millennials, 5.1 for Gen X and 4.5 for baby boomers and older. This implies that while the typical Gen Z churchgoer attends at a similar frequency to other generations, there is a portion of young adults who attend at much higher rates.” Christina But other data we've reported on suggest that Gen Z is in fact not more religious. So what's going on here? Warren The evidence increasingly suggests not a broad-based Gen Z revival, but a “committed remnant” phenomenon—fewer young adults in church, but those who are there are often attending with greater frequency and intentionality than previous generations of young adults. Christina Moving on…. Alliance of Responsible Citizenship (ARC) is meeting in London this week. Warren ARC claims to be an international movement of conservative thinkers, political leaders, business executives, academics, journalists, and religious leaders that seeks to renew the cultural, moral, and institutional foundations of Western civilization. Christina Founded in 2023 by figures including Jordan Peterson and Philippa Stroud, ARC describes its mission as helping to “re-lay the foundations of our civilization” by promoting responsibility, free institutions, strong families, economic opportunity, and a renewed sense of cultural confidence. Warren About 4,000 are gathered, from more than 85 countries. Many observers have dubbed it the “Conservative Davos” or the “anti-woke Davos.” Among this year’s speakers are Boris Johnson, Jordan Peterson, Arthur Brooks, Andy Crouch, Eric Metaxas, and Ross Douthat. Christina For Christians, ARC is particularly notable because Christian faith is not merely a side topic but a recurring theme. Warren Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox leaders are prominent participants, reflecting ARC’s belief that cultural renewal requires moral and spiritual renewal as well. Rod Dreher has been posting all week from London, and some of his posts have been pretty humorous. A nerd's view from the cool kids' table, you might say. You can find one of those posts here. Christina As we have reported here at MinistryWatch, Bethany Christian Services, one of the nation's largest adoption and foster care organizations, has reaffirmed its commitment to a biblical sexual ethic. Warren This reaffirmation requires staff, board members and foster and adoptive families to “personally agree and adhere to” a belief statement that defines marriage as “a covenant between one man and one woman.” Christina Katy Faust, a conservative activist who believes same-sex couples should not be parents, celebrated the change. On X, Faust said it was evidence that the “vibe shift” is having a “measurable impact.” Warren It is too early for me to declare a “vibe shift,” but I hope she is right. In any case, it is likely not to impact adoption and foster care efforts much, since the number of LGBTQ+ folk who adopt children are small. According to the Williams Institute, about 35,000 same-sex couples are raising adopted children. That is certainly significant, but the significance diminishes when you consider that about 1.8 million children in the U.S., between 2 and 3 percent of all children, are living with adoptive parents. Supporting Faust's claim of a “vibe shift” is a recent Gallup survey suggesting that 65 percent of Americans still favor legal same-sex marriage, but that's six percentage points fewer than its peak in 2022-2023. Similarly, the percentage of Americans who view gay or lesbian relations and gender transitions as morally acceptable have fallen since the early 2020s. Christina Finally, we have some good news here at MinistryWatch. Warren I am pleased to let you know that MinistryWatch has received a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to help us with investigative reporting in the coming year. Christina The FIJ is a nonprofit organization founded in 1969 that supports in-depth, public-interest investigative reporting by providing grants, editorial guidance, and legal assistance to journalists. Warren Its mission is to help reporters pursue stories that expose corruption, wrongdoing, abuses of power, and other issues of significant public concern that might otherwise go uncovered. Over its history, FIJ has awarded thousands of grants to freelance and staff journalists, helping launch investigations that have appeared in major outlets such as The New York Times, ProPublica, NPR, Frontline, The Washington Post, and many regional news organizations. The organization is widely regarded as one of the leading philanthropic supporters of investigative journalism in the United States. Christina Any final thoughts before we go? Warren If you have not discovered our YouTube channel, check it out here. We now have nearly 200 videos there, and they have attracted tens of thousands of views. Subscribe, like, and share to spread the word about our work. I am in Albuquerque next month. If you live in the Land of Enchantment, one of my favorite states, reach out to me. I would love to share a meal or a cup of coffee with you. My email is wsmith@ministrywatch.com. We'd love to have your financial support as we approach our fiscal year end. Just go to www.ministrywatch.com/donate Christina The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. I'm Christina Darnell, along with Warren Smith. Until next time, may God bless you.

The Iran war deal is falling apart (already). Israel is turning on Trump. And the two most insipid trad-Cath poasters in America are podcasting together again.Plus: JVL (finally) explains his disdain for the NYT's DEI Trump apologist.Read JVL's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-iran-hawks-found-a-way-to-love-surrender

“If you think this is a bad deal, what is your alternative?” Critics of JD Vance think that his key role in the Iran negotiations may end up being an albatross around his neck. (“If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming JD,” President Trump said in France this week.) But in our conversation, the vice president seemed buoyant and eager to play the salesman, insisting that the deal is better than the pact President Barack Obama sealed in 2015. I asked him about his initial opposition to the war, his conflict with the pope and whether his political future is riding on the success of the Iran agreement. We also discussed Vance's new book, “Communion,” about the vice president's return to faith, and whether or not the Trump administration's policies embody Christian values. 0:00 - Intro 01:06 - The implications of the US - Iran Peace deal 07:04 - Will Iran's internal politics transform? 17:30 - The US - Israel Relationship 22:19 - Vance's Protestant Christian upbringing 28:22 - From non-believer to rediscovering faith 35:18 - Christianity in Vance's life and in the Trump administration 47:07 - Tensions with Pope Francis 54:10 - The future of the Iran deal and a message to Republican critics (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode, the Grand Canyon state creates an Arizona UNTRUTH, we learn that God has an atheist sense of humor with his weather-based smiting, and we'll finally get the juicy personal Ross Douthat details you've been waiting for.---To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheistTo buy our book, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Outbreak-Crisis-Religion-Ruined-Pandemic/dp/B08L2HSVS8/If you see a news story you think we might be interested in, you can send it here: scathingnews@gmail.comTo check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticratTo check out our sister show's hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-moviesTo check out our half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/To check out our sister show's sister show, D and D minus, click here: https://danddminus.libsyn.com/Report instances of harassment or abuse connected to this show to the Creator Accountability Network here: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/---Guest Links:Learn more about SkeptiCal 2026 here: https://www.skepticalcon.com/Check out Waldo's YouTube channel here:  https://www.youtube.com/@waldospoliticalstream ---Headlines:AZ law goes too far to protect against religious harassment: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/06/10/critics-say-religious-service-protections-could-run-afoul-of-right-to-free-speech/The country's largest Protestant adoption agency is dropping LGBTQ couples — again: https://religionnews.com/2026/06/10/the-countrys-largest-protestant-adoption-agency-is-dropping-lgbtq-couples-again/Muslims feel unwelcome in the bigot party: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/06/15/texas-republican-party-convention-muslims-sharia-law/The Hill pretends Jewish services are just hanging out for a pray with your bros: https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/5921285-religious-assembly-permit-lawsuit/This week in Christian history:https://www.christianpost.com/news/this-week-in-christian-history-touchdown-jesus-destroyed.html

In an era defined by deep institutional distrust, a new trend within populist conservatism has emerged. It's a sense that the federal government is keeping secrets and protecting the powerful at our expense. My guest this week is Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a conservative Republican from Florida who has quickly established herself as a political troublemaker. She's challenging fellow lawmakers — Republicans and Democrats — on issues like sexual harassment and ethics, but she doesn't see her campaign to clean up Congress as in tension with her allegiance to President Trump. Luna has focused her first years in Congress on exposing what she views as coverups, from the Epstein files to the assassination of John F. Kennedy and longstanding government secrecy around U.F.O.s. 00:00 - Intro 01:31 - Luna's politics: "Conservative with a streak of populism" 08:07 - From chaos to conservative influencer 16:17 - Critiquing the ethics of Congress 24:55 - Presidential ethics and the Epstein files 36:25 - The U.A.P. activity at Eglin Air Force Base 41:02 - The "mosaic" around the J.F.K. assassination 47:50 - U.A.P. evidence 54:30 - Whistleblower retribution and protections 57:57 - Secret programs: "A stronger dose of strangeness" (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit smokeempodcast.substack.comGraham Platner is not having a good week. Nancy and Sarah discuss the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate whose high-profile campaign hit yet another snag with recent revelations of sexting. But wait: What kind of sexting? And is sexting “cheating”? We debate these topics, along with the old Nazi tattoo issue (which gets surprisingly heated), whether authenticity and politics can coexist, and if Sarah is just a hopeless moral-relativist degenerate (probably).Also discussed:* Nancy shows off her scar* Shit going down at 60 Minutes* Nancy mispronounces Scott Pelley's last name, multiple times* Sarah mispronounces Ross “Douthat,” mostly as a troll to get him on the pod* The Democrat's dude problem just got a … dude problem* American morality is a confusing mess* Do blowjobs count as sex? The debate!* Anti-rape … underwear?* Trump, the heavyweight champ of indiscretion* But how DOES a man have sex with an octopus?* What is a “New York Knick,” anyway?* Fuck a dead chicken: cool or nah?Plus, Nancy says “swatsticker,” Sarah claims the title of king idiot, Lolita in a post-#MeToo era, and more!REMINDER: First Sunday is this Sunday, June 7! 8pmET/5pmPT. Paid subscribers get link day-of. It's never considered cheating to become a paid subscriber.The little photo that could…

The “Hard Fork” team is taking a break this week as we prepare for our upcoming live show in San Francisco. While we're away, we're bringing you a recent episode of “Interesting Times” with Ross Douthat that we really enjoyed. In this episode, Ross talks with Andrew Miller, writer of the transportation policy newsletter “Changing Lanes” and co-author of the book “The End of Driving.” Together, they explore the potential benefits of driverless cars — from fewer car crashes to reclaimed time and attention — as well as what could be lost if we don't have to be in the driver's seat anymore. Guest: Andrew Miller,  writer of the newsletter “Changing Lanes.” Additional Reading: A full transcript and video of this episode can be found here.  We want to hear from you. Email us at hardfork@nytimes.com. Find “Hard Fork” on YouTube and TikTok. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The future of high-tech warfare has arrived. Just look to the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran to see how much drones and robots have remade the modern battlefield. Is the U.S. positioned to win wars in this new era? What are the ethical constraints of waging autonomous warfare? My guest this week is Christian Brose, the president and chief strategy officer of Anduril, a defense technology company building a slate of autonomous weapons and defense systems for the American military. 00:00 - Intro 03:18 - Drones on the Russia - Ukraine battlefield 8:17 - Iran's stalemate and American military readiness 17:11 - Anduril is more than a "Lord of the Rings" reference 25:33 - Force fields and a layered defense 31:12 - The challenges of "finicky" autonomous systems 44:44 - The ethics of automating the kill chain (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What's really driving the humanities crisis in higher education? As enrollment and reading decline, I asked Jennifer Frey, a professor of philosophy, what it was like to run a liberal arts program that was gutted. I wanted to know whether she thinks the age of A.I. could bring back the kind of education she says is fundamental to human formation. 00:00 - Intro 2:08 - Why study the humanities? 5:00 - Do the humanities mean more morality? 15:00 - Shakespeare vs. John Grisham 24:07 - The Tulsa Honors College 34:43 - Left-wing critiques and specialization 44:10 - Is conservatism a friend to liberal arts? 56:32 - Why the humanities are crucial in the age A.I. (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The United States and China are really the only two countries that matter right now in shaping the A.I. future. As President Trump and President Xi Jinping meet in Beijing, there's a kind of Cold War atmosphere, with people talking about an A.I. arms race. But who is winning? Are we even in a race at all? Kyle Chan, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, says it's hard to call it a race because the U.S. and China have very different A.I. goals. 00:00:25 U.S. vs. China in A.I. 00:03:07 Everyday A.I. in China 00:07:41 China's A.I. chip limitations 00:12:14 China's A.I. advantage: energy & deployment 00:16:10 China's public mood on A.I. 00:19:44 AI, job displacement and social concerns 00:23:53 Robots for China's labor shortage 00:26:55 China's view on America's AGI fixation 00:31:16 Distilling A.I. models 00:38:39 U.S. needs more A.I. deployment 00:41:48 U.S. chip policy and the hawk's argument (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel,  Interesting Times with Ross Douthat . Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week's episode, the DOJ enters the 1st Amendment's SPAM folder, Florida golfers who encounter a golden idol of Donald Trump will play it as it lies, and Ross Douthat will finally make it through a chapter without shoehorning an obscure Latin or French phrase into the text.---To make a per episode donation at Patreon.com, click here: http://www.patreon.com/ScathingAtheistTo buy our book, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Outbreak-Crisis-Religion-Ruined-Pandemic/dp/B08L2HSVS8/If you see a news story you think we might be interested in, you can send it here: scathingnews@gmail.comTo check out our sister show, The Skepticrat, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/the-skepticratTo check out our sister show's hot friend, God Awful Movies, click here: https://audioboom.com/channel/god-awful-moviesTo check out our half-sister show, Citation Needed, click here: http://citationpod.com/To check out our sister show's sister show, D and D minus, click here: https://danddminus.libsyn.com/Report instances of harassment or abuse connected to this show to the Creator Accountability Network here: https://creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org/---Guest Links:See Noah in Cincinnati with Seth Andrews on July 11th: https://www.sethandrews.com/cincinnatiSee Noah at the Ark Park Protest in Williamstown, KY on July 12th: https://www.facebook.com/TriStateThinkersSee Noah at BAHACon in Ontario August 21-23: https://bahacon.com/---Headlines:DOJ email promotes Chrisitan Nationalist revival https://atheists.org/news/federal-policy/american-atheists-foias-trumps-doj-again/A field competition for Army chaplains tests spiritual mettle: https://taskandpurpose.com/news/eighth-army-exercise-chaplain/Greg Abbott shuts down legal Muslim event for being Muslim: https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-private-muslim-event-at-a-texasI, Robe-ot — the android monk working to reboot the faith of South Korea's buddhists: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/08/jogyesa-temple-south-korea-humanoid-ai-robot-gabihttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/technology/robot-monk-buddhist-seoul.htmlPastor Defends Golden Trump Statue From Biblical Backlash: https://www.newsweek.com/pastor-defends-golden-trump-statue-from-biblical-backlash-11933490

A stalemated war. Fractured alliances. A rival waiting in the wings. It feels to me that we're having an “end of the American empire” moment. My guest this week, Ray Dalio, is an unlikely prophet of doom — the billionaire Bridgewater investor conquered Wall Street by studying history and mastering global trends. He foresaw the 2008 financial crisis,and these days he's warning that the U.S. is repeating the patterns that ended great empires of the past. 0:00 - Intro 01:24 - The rise and fall of empires through big cycles 08:35 - Geopolitical tensions: China, Iran and the Suez Canal 14:27 - Fiat currency or gold? 24:19 - America's coming ‘heart attack' 30:37 - Acts of nature, A.I. and technology 43:37 - ‘Could we have a Japanese future?' (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this, our 324th Evolutionary Lens livestream, we discuss the 2028 presidential election, and bees, plants, and electrons. First: Kamala Harris is currently the front-runner for the Democratic nominee in 2028. Given her scant record of achievements, her capacity, and her campaign in 2024, how is this possible? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would be a better choice. On the Republican side, Vance is the front-runner, as expected, but there are far more other options than on the Democratic side (DeSantis, Kennedy, Gabbard, to name a few). Then: flowers are negatively charged, bees become positively charged while flying, such that when bees arrive at flowers, pollen leaps on to bees. We discuss sensory modalities, communication between pollinators and pollen distributors, and how environmental EMF might disrupt such systems.*****Our sponsors:Ridge: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% off @Ridge with code DARKHORSE at https://www.Ridge.com/darkhorse #RidgepodARMRA Colostrum is an ancient bioactive whole food that can strengthen your immune system. Go to http://www.armra.com/DARKHORSE to get 30% off your first order.Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club: Scrumptious & freshly harvested. Go to http://www.GetFreshDarkHorse.com to get a bottle of the best olive oil you've ever had for $1 shipping.*****Join us on Locals! Get access to our Discord server, exclusive live streams, live chats for all streams, and early access to many podcasts: https://darkhorse.locals.comHeather's newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.comOur book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, is available everywhere books are sold, including from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3AGANGg (commission earned)Check out our store! Epic tabby, digital book burning, saddle up the dire wolves, and more: https://darkhorsestore.org*****Mentioned in this episode:Ross Douthat on Harris in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/02/opinion/kamala-harris-democratic-party.htmlReal Clear Polling on Republicans in 2028: https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/republican-primary/2028/nationalSir David Attenborough on bees, plants, and EMFs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee381dCP6JMSupport the show

Self-driving cars are here. But what kind of future will they bring: safe roads and extra time or dystopian traffic jams? My guest this week is Andrew Miller, who writes about self-driving cars and transportation policy. I love the open road, so I press him on what's lost when we give away driving to the robots. 0:00 - Intro 01:27 - The sales pitch for Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox  12:24 - How autonomous are autonomous cars?  20:14 - Liability: Who is responsible for an accident? 31:56 - Political obstacles: Spying, data, labor 38:53 - 20:35: The good and bad scenarios 48:25 - Are we losing the “romance of the road”? (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For nearly a decade, critics have predicted that this would be the moment Trumpism finally fractures - January 6, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, endless internal feuds, even Trump's online beef with Pope Leo. And yet the movement endures. Derek is joined by Ross Douthat to unpack the contradictory coalition Trump has built: Christian conservatives who overlook increasingly pagan behavior, anti-establishment populists who embrace strongman bullying, MAHA health obsessives that ignore their leader's diet of exclusively processed food … What holds this movement together and could the Iran War finally tear it apart? Subscribe to our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PlainEnglishwithDerekThompson If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Ross Douthat Producer: Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One question has haunted my investment strategy for years: What is cryptocurrency actually for? It feels as though the vibes are constantly shifting — one day it's the dollar's successor, and the next it's little more than a meme. My guest this week is bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano, the chief executive of ProCap Financial. We get into whether crypto is a bet against the American empire and whether its volatility is actually a strength. 0:00 - Intro 01:27 - Physical to digital: The evolution of financial assets 05:00 - The wealth inequality gap 09:58 - The global adoption of crypto 14:51 - Bitcoin vs. Ethereum 20:26 - Why "stability" is a financial lie 29:30 - A “digital savings account” 41:57 - The role of Bitcoin in political dynamics 56:05 - “A bet against America” (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Trump has tested the limits of presidential power since he returned to office — from his assertion of total control over federal agencies to his war in Iran. But so far, many of Trump's most aggressive moves have been stopped by the Supreme Court.  My guest this week is Sarah Isgur, a conservative court watcher, who argues that the Supreme Court isn't just a firewall against Donald Trump, but the real power center in American politics today. 0:00 - Intro 01:28 - Remaking the presidency: The hundred-year experiment 04:26 - Trump's legal retribution campaign 09:15 - The Supreme Court's strategy in the face of Trump 18:15 - “Looming" cases: Tariffs and birthright citizenship 28:23 - Supreme Court internal dynamics 43:32 - The future bench (A full transcript of this episode is available on the Times website.) Thoughts? Email us at interestingtimes@nytimes.com. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel, Interesting Times with Ross Douthat. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.