The Commentary Magazine Podcast

Republicans get done what they needed to get done in the House of Representatives. And in Israel, hostages are buried and painful eulogies delivered, which we read in full. Give a listen.

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The courts are balking, Macron is correcting, the vote on Ukraine was shameful, and appointing a podcaster to be #2 at the FBI is dumb. It's 35 days in; maybe the president needs to start focusing on doing things well? Give a listen.

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Today's podcast asks: Are Trump officials finding it necessary to echo the boss's "Ukraine started the war" in the same way Trump officials in the first month of the first administration were forced to say his inaugural crowd size was the biggest in history? And is Elon Musk off the chain? Give a listen.

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Jonathan Schanzer joins us after the monstrous day in which Gazans danced around the coffins of a baby and a toddler who, we learned, had both been shot in the head more than a year ago—and around the coffin in which, as it turned out, their mother's body had not been placed. What will the rage and horror inside Israel mean for the continuation of war-fighting in Gaza—and should Israel look beyond Hamas to deliver a deadly blow to Iran instead? Give a listen.

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Today we discuss Hamas's killing of the Bibas children and the choices facing Israel as the next phase of the hostage/cease-fire deal approaches. We then move on to Donald Trump's allergy to allies and his view of global security. Give a listen. 

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The podcast analyzes Donald Trump and Elon Musk's joint interview with Sean Hannity before trying to figure out what's going on with Trump accusing Ukraine of starting the war. Give a listen.

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If you want to move fast and break things, the problem is that you may break things you want—and you'll look sloppy, careless, and incompetent in the process. Is that what's happening with DOGE and Elon Musk? And what on earth is New York state Kathy Hochul doing with this idea she should "remove" the duly elected mayor of New York City? Give a listen.

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Dan Senor joins the podcast today to discuss his remarkable conversation with former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on his Call Me Back podcast and its eye-opening detail about the war that erupted on October 7, 2023. Then we talk about the Justice Department, the "constitutional crisis" that isn't, and the controversy in Europe that is. Give a listen.

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Eli Lake joins the podcast to discuss the resignation of the interim U.S. attorney in New York and her argument that she could not in good conscience carry out the order to ask a court to drop charges against Mayor Eric Adams. Give a listen.

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Donald Trump's moves to end the war between Russia and Ukraine suggests he is pursuing a kind of foreign policy we haven't seen in the United States since the 1920s and 1930s. What are the consequences of that? And what of Hamas announcing it will free three hostages this weekend after "suspending" the release earlier this week? Give a listen.

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As liberals continue to criticize and make fun of Donald Trump's Gaza clearance plan, it still stands as the only proposal on the table—so it's more likely to constitute a roadmap for the future than anything else is right now. The inability of Trump's enemies even to answer his ideas is the overarching theme of today's podcast. Give a listen.

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Today Ruthie Blum joins the podcast to discuss Donald Trump's demand for Hamas to release all hostages by Saturday at noon. What happens next and what choices does Benjamin Netanyahu face? Give a listen. 

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How does the president's appearance at the Super Bowl connect to his aggressive moves against the federal government's overspending? It does in ways you wouldn't expect, and we try to explain. Give a listen.

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Mark Halperin joins the podcast today to provide an overview on what he believes is an unprecedented and overwhelming beginning to Trump 2—and why Trump's opposition continually misunderstands his appeal and his own political savvy. Give a listen.

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What happened to the liberal ideal of speaking for and about common sense? How did America's liberals become advocates for wildly radical ideas? Is there a path back to sanity for them? Give a listen.

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Donald Trump says America will take "an ownership position" in a Gaza that is emptied, cleared, and rebuilt. This epochal proposal, with no precedent and no antecedent, makes this a new Day One in the Middle East. Give a listen.

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In the morning, a tariff war; in the evening, a declaration of a truce in the tariff war. If there's no tariff war, was there ever going to be a tariff war? Were we silly for taking it seriously? And what does this portend for the talks with Israel on its war with Hamas, now currently quiescent? Give a listen.

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As Donald Trump attempts to impose a foreign and economic policy regime that has been in the doghouse for eight decades now, he is staking his presidency on ideas that seem to have been discredited by history and elementary logic. But who knows? Maybe he'll succeed. Give a listen.

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James B. Meigs joins the podcast to talk about the DC plane-helicopter collision and what it tells us about disasters, after which we examine the RFK-Gabbard-Patel confirmation hearings and what they tell us about the state of conspiracy theorizing in the United States. Give a listen.

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Will RFK Jr. make it through after his contentious confirmation hearing? How will Tulsi Gabbard fare, and what is behind the MAGA intellectual passion for her nomination. Could it be hatred of...us? Give a listen.

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The executive orders and proposals over the past couple of days on buying out federal workers, transsexual surgery, and anti-Semitism are stunning alterations in the course of recent American history. Give a listen.

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Eliana Johnson joins us today to discuss the president's firings of Justice Department prosecutors who worked on his case during the Biden years and the dismissal of inspectors general throughout the federal government. And what's this about the guy playing Captain America saying that Captain America doesn't represent America? Give a listen.

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Donald Trump dispatched a challenge from Colombia in record time this weekend on his immigration policies, just after successful visits to North Carolina and Los Angeles to survey disaster damage. What does all this portend for his presidency? We break it down. Give a listen.

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Chris Stirewalt joins the podcast today to discuss Donald Trump's efforts to dominate the news and whether they are simply his way or a canny strategy to advance his interests. And we talk about the revelatory conversation between two reporters about how Politico killed stories that might have been injurious to Joe Biden's chances in 2020. Give a listen.

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The shocked impotence with which liberals and Democrats have greeted the aggressive Trump moves on immigration is the key subject of today's discussion, along with efforts in the Senate to delay, pointlessly, Trump's cabinet nominees. Give a listen.

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Day Three is the same as Days 1 and 2—actions that are revolutionary in a good way and actions that are disturbing or actively bad. Which ones? Why? We break it down. Give a listen.

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Eli Lake joins the podcast today to talk about the flurry of Trump activity on Day 1 of his administration and the two disgraceful sets of pardons, Trump's and Biden's. Give a listen.

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We lied! We said there would be no podcast today but we just couldn't stay away. Too much news. The inaugural, the pardons, and the hostage deal. So give a listen.

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The deal having been struck, the hostage question now goes to which hostages emerge first and in what condition and what this will do to the Israeli people. As Trump prepares for his second inaugural, what is his moral framework going to be, if there will be any? And what is this nonsense Chuck Schumer is telling the New York Times about how brave he was to tell Joe Biden not to run? Give a listen.

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Dan Senor joins us today as we review the Biden farewell address and try to make sense out of the ceasefire-hostage deal. Give a listen.

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Noah Rothman joins us today to discuss his landmark piece in the February issue of COMMENTARY, "A Clockwork Blue." But first we talk about the hostage deal and the Democratic failure to "get" Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth. Give a listen.

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The details of the ceasefire/hostage negotiations in Doha between Israel and Hamas are not viewed favorably on today's podcast, to put it mildly, and suggest there may be danger ahead when it comes to the Trump administration and what it's willing to do to claim successes. And we also view unfavorably Jack Smith's report on how, yeah, he woulda gotten Trump convicted if it weren't for you meddling voters! Give a listen.

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The ongoing disaster in California has exposed the failures of the dominant ideology of the American left just as the moment that its transmission vector, the mainstream media, is going the way of the dodo. Give a listen.

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What is the connection between the policy failures in California, the fires that continue to rage, and progressive ideology dating back a century? We break it down. Give a listen.

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The Los Angeles fires might prove a hinge moment in 21st century political history depending on how California's progressive leaders respond to the calamity and how to rebuild after the crisis is over. We discuss this and Trump's response. Give a listen.

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The incoming president gave a press conference yesterday, and what a press conference it was, from Greenland to Panama to Canada to NATO to Ukraine, and the threat of unleashed hell in the Middle East should the hostages remain in Hamas captivity upon his inauguration. We break it down. Give a listen.

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Why did Justin Trudeau step down? Why is Facebook giving up on "content moderation"? Why do people no longer trust "experts" who may not really be experts? Why did Biden give a Medal of Freedom to George Soros...and George Romney? Give a listen.

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Republicans are staying united as Donald Trump nears his swearing-in—with the shadow of Judge Merchan's determination to sentence him as a felon later this week. Meanwhile, the Biden foreign-policy team makes its case for its success as we try not to laugh. Give a listen.

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The only way to combat the kind of Islamist mass murder that took place in New Orleans this week is to...combat Islamism, both abroad and at home. We talk about how before we talk about Republicans in the House and last-minute Biden moves to control and contain the new administration. Give a listen.

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The first podcast of 2025 reckons with the horror in New Orleans and the attempted horror in Las Vegas before discussing the damage done to the Democratic Party by its own ideological blinders and its decision to gaslight America about the president's condition and his family's financial shenanigans. Give a listen.

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On this holiday podcast, we offer cheer and warning in equal measure and then talk about...sitcoms and Christmas movies! Give a listen.

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Today's holiday podcast questions concern how we Commentaryites define ourselves in terms of the generations we come from, and what indelible encounters we've had in our lives with meaningful people. Give a listen.

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Today's special podcast offers a glimpse into how we prepare for each morning's conversation, and we offer some vacation spot tips as well. Give a listen.

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On today's holiday podcast, we answer a viewer's question about when and how we all met, and what is going on behind us (if you watch us on YouTube). Give a listen.

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On today's special holiday podcast, John talks with COMMENTARY contributor Rick Marin about his article "The Anti-Woke King of Hollywood" and what's in Taylor Sheridan's special sauce. Give a listen.

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Today's special holiday podcast provides you with our list of the shows we liked the best on streaming and broadcast in 2024. Give a listen!

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On our last news podcast of the year, we take up the Wall Street Journal story delineating the facts of the Biden cognitive cover-up, which now, it appears, dates back as far as 2020. Aside from the governing crisis the refusal of his cabinet and vice president created by failing to intervene as the Constitution requires, the Biden story also highlights the collapse of liberals and liberal institutions and the loss of legitimacy their behavior over the past four years has engendered. How? Give a listen.

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Today's podcast explores the existential pit in which House speaker Mike Johnson finds himself and whether there's any way out. Also, Israel continues to fight the fight for Western civilization while others scoff and belittle. Give a listen.

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Should Donald Trump be paying as much attention to dealing with the problems he actually resolved by winning the election, like his beef with Liz Cheney and the Des Moines Register poll? On the other hand, what if one of the witnesses who testified before the January 6 committee was encouraged to change a story she had already told under oath? Also, how on earth does Mike Johnson get out of his "we gotta pay for the government somehow" pickle? Give a listen.

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Today's podcast notes the extraordinarily different tone and approach taken by Donald Trump in his first press conference as president-elect and what it might tell us about the kind of presidency we might be seeing. And what on earth was going on at the White House Hanukkah party? Give a listen.

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