A deep-dive into Ravelstein, Saul Bellow’s roman à clef about the Straussian political philosopher Allan Bloom, who achieved late-in-life wealth and fame after publishing his controversial best-seller, The Closing of the American Mind.
Writer, editor, and advice columnist Brandy Jensen answers listener questions about how to be a person again (or for the first time) after the pandemic.
What are the intellectual origins of conservative hostility to majoritarian democracy?
Kate Aronoff talks about the history of climate change denial, how the fossil-fuel industry’s strategy has shifted in recent years, and the prospects for a just, sustainable future.
Historian Nicole Hemmer discusses the life and legacy of the late talk-radio juggernaut Rush Limbaugh.
Veteran HIV/AIDS activist Peter Staley discusses the AIDS crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the role of his friend Dr. Anthony Fauci in both.
A discussion on how moral panics fueled America’s right turn, with Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes.
Is Donald Trump a fascist? A breakdown of the long-roiling debate.
A replicable strategy for organizing the jobless on a mass scale has yet to emerge. The future may depend on finding one.
A look back at what 2020 revealed about the state of American conservatism.
The hosts of the podcast 5-4 talk about the rise of the conservative legal movement and the Supreme Court’s assault on American democracy.
David Roth, one of the best (and funniest) chroniclers of Donald Trump, takes stock of a grotesque and damaged man as he prepares to leave the White House.
A discussion about “Fiasco: The Battle for Boston,” the weird and wild 1970s, and Ronald Reagan’s path to victory.
Matt and Sam are joined by New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie for a wide-ranging discussion of how conservatives (and liberals and leftists) use American history to make political claims in the present.
A conversation with historian Samuel Moyn on the Never Trump movement, a collection of conservative intellectuals and Republican operatives trying to consolidate the so-called political center against not just Trump but also the left.