The Dispatch Podcast

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by The Dispatch

Host Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle and guests for a thoughtful discussion on politics, policy and culture.

20 episodes summarized

Episodes

Democrats Play Dirty in Alaska

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and John McCormack to discuss the case of two Dan Sullivans in Alaska’s Senate race and the Republican Party’s final pitch to voters before the midterms. The Agenda: —Milwaukee wins the World Series —Two Dan Sullivans in Alaska —J.D. Vance’s midterm pitch —Kansas Senate race —The affordability crisis —How unpopular is the Republican Party? —NWYT: I love the meat Show notes: —Derek Muller on the Alaska election case —New York Times poll The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 30, 2026•1:21:22

Can Democrats Maintain Their Momentum?

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Steve Hayes and guests Chris Stirewalt, Sarah Isgur, Chuck Todd, and Jonah Goldberg dove into the biggest questions related to the upcoming vote. Will the Democrats maintain their momentum, or could Republicans defy expectations? With less than two weeks left, what could change in the final days before voters go to the polls? Show notes:—Nick Catoggio on "cheesecake populism" Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/live/OmSS5aVdcWo?si=pOnt299L6ib0JyaY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 27, 2026•1:13:07

Vivek Ramaswamy's Vicious Attack Ad May Backfire

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle, and Kevin Williamson to discuss Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad against Amy Acton and Williamson's reporting from Texas. The Agenda: —Ramaswamy's attack ad —Amy Acton's reponse —Why politics are so gross —Kevin's trip to Texas —Democrats try to be normal —What will happen after a GOP loss? —NWYT: Trump merch stores closing down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 23, 2026•1:20:13

Will the Midterm Elections Be Secure?

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How confident can we be that the 2026 midterms will run smoothly? When will we know which party has secured House and Senate majorities? Should we expect any meddling, foreign or domestic?Steve Hayes was joined by election experts Stephen Richer and Mark Sawyer for answers to those questions and many others. Then a panel including Jonah Goldberg and Mike Warren dove deep on the races most likely to decide congressional majorities and take a look at how candidates in competitive races are making their closing arguments.Watch the livestream here:https://www.youtube.com/live/oi4D0oVR6gQ?si=jigZpbvgh9hky57V Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 20, 2026•1:24:11

Can the State Be Trusted With the Death Penalty?

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and John McCormack to discuss the botched execution of convicted murderer Christa Pike and Angela Paxton’s “endorsement” ad for Senate candidate Ken Paxton, her estranged husband. The Agenda: —Christa Pike’s execution —Catholic arguments against the death penalty —What should the state do now? —Iowa Senate race —Candidate selection matters —NWYT: Bowling Show notes: —New York Times/Siena poll —Campaign ‘all coming from DC,’ Paxton says —The death of third places—Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 6, 2026•1:12:52

Sen. Schmitt’s Failed Attack on Jack Smith

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Mike Warren is joined by Jonah Goldberg and Kevin Williamson to discuss Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt’s failed attempt at setting a perjury trap and the Trump administration’s AI luncheon. The Agenda: —Schmitt vs. Smith —What happened to Capitol Hill staff? —The GOP’s victory lap —The superintelligence rebrand —Trump’s AI luncheon —“Unites States” —NWYT: Hosting dinner parties The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October 2, 2026•59:54

Can Democrats Flip a Kansas Senate Seat?

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Mike Warren to discuss the possibility of Democrats flipping a seat in Kansas and the Trump administration’s “public service announcements.” The Agenda: —The Senate race in Kansas —Roger Marshall and patient arrests —Why are Republicans still confident? —Trump’s “public service announcements” —NWYT: The New York Times' top 100 television shows of the 21st century Show notes: —Jonah for National Review: Breaking Bad Breaks Through —Go to The Dispatch to see the panelists' top 10 TV show picks  The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 29, 2026•1:10:39

After Trump

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Michael Reneau to discuss our latest editorial on a post-Trump reality, comments by White House special envoy Steve Witkoff to Vladimir Putin as the U.S. pursues negotiations for an end to the Ukraine war, and finally, a Labor Day edition of Not Worth Your Time.  —Previewing The Dispatch’s editorial on what’s next for the GOP —Addressing the “Burn it all down” crowd —You don’t know what time is it —James Carville's checking the temperature —Let’s talk about followership —The un-American display of Steve Witkoff  —Not Worth Your Time: Employment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 8, 2026•1:33:25

Can the GOP Survive Trump’s Approval Numbers?

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and John McCormack to discuss Trump’s role within the Republican Party in the upcoming midterms and the Democratic Party’s association with Hasan Piker. The Agenda: —Trump’s impact on Republican candidates —Democrats and Hasan Piker —The Senate race in Texas —Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District —The Senate race in Ohio —NWYT: Fantasy football Show notes: —Mike Warren’s newsletter Next Right —FantasyPros —Footballguys The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 4, 2026•1:08:13

The Pentagon’s Unprecedented Plan for Venezuelan Oil

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Mike Nelson to discuss the Trump administration’s oil deal with Venezuela and the state of the Iran war six months in. The Agenda: —Venezuela oil deal —Delcy Rodríguez’s presidency — “We should have the taken the oil!” —The Venezuela model in Iran — “No, Iran is not winning” —NWYT: Milos Yiannopoulos’ deportation Show notes: —Wall Street Journal's reporting on the oil deal —Washington Post reporting on U.S. military leadership The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

September 1, 2026•1:10:00

The AI Data Center Moral Panic

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle, and David French to discuss the political battle over data centers and Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada. The Agenda: —Data center u-turn —How data centers affect communities —National security implications —Misinformation about data centers —The U.S.-Canada trade war —Worth your time: Dolly Parton Show notes: —Megan McArdle’s podcast —Wall Street Journal’s AI op-ed —Fox News poll on data centers —Why’d You Come In Here —Dolly Parton's Johnny Carson song —The Wailin' Jennys—Light Of A Clear Blue Morning —Dolly’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 28, 2026•1:24:57

How The U.S. Racked Up Its $40 Trillion Debt

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Mike Warren to discuss the U.S. crossing the $40 trillion debt threshold and the prospect of “growing our way out of it.” The Agenda: —Kevin explains how we got here —Entitlement spending —What would Paul Ryan do —The DOGE effort —Growing our way out of debt —NWYT: Adulthood disappointments Show notes: —Kevin's Wanderland —Kevin on the tragedy of U.S. debt —Steve Hayes on DOGE —"DOGE—the UNIPARTY killed it because it was working too well." The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 25, 2026•1:20:30

Why Trump Is Snubbing South Korea

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Nelson, and Kevin Williamson to discuss President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea, his “good relationship with Kim Jong Un,” and the U.S. munitions crisis. The Agenda: —Scaling back South Korea exercises —Trump’s “relationship” with Kim Jong Un —Abandoning Japan —The U.S. munitions crisis —Southern lane of the strait —NWYT: The end of Colombia House mail-order club Show notes: —North Korea missile barrage —Oil drilling in Greenland The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 21, 2026•1:03:46

What’s Next for the Right?

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Steve Hayes is joined by Mike Warren, Jonah Goldberg, and Chris Stirewalt to discuss the future of the conservative movement ahead of the 2026 midterms and 2028 GOP primaries. The Agenda: —Subscribe to The Dispatch’s new newsletter, Next Right —The war for the GOP —Trump’s successor —Ideological demography of Republicans —2028 GOP primaries —Mike’s conversation with Gov. Brian Kemp —NWYT: Aspic Show notes: —Mike Warren on CNN —How unpopular is Donald Trump? —Boiling Frogs on non-MAGA Republicans The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 18, 2026•1:20:41

Are Democratic Socialists Reaching Their Limits?

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle, and Kevin Williamson to discuss the results of this month’s Democratic primaries in Wisconsin and Michigan and the left’s shift away from the radical social justice positions of 2020. The Agenda: —Francesca Hong’s loss —Abdul El-Sayed’s slim victory —The limits of the far left —The woke reckoning —AOC: “Woke 1 was crazy” —NWYT: A People magazine “exclusive” Show notes: —WSJ: “Midwesterners Show the Limits of the Far-Left” —NYT: “A Stunning Loss in Wisconsin Shows the Limits of the Left” —Megan’s Washington Post column on Wisconsin primary —Jonah’s Wednesday G-File —What Steve, Kevin, and Jonah have gotten wrong The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 14, 2026•1:22:00

What Abdul El-Sayed’s Win Means for Democrats

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Mike Warren and John McCormack discuss the battle between moderates and populists in the Democratic Party and the abuse allegations against Republican Rep. Max Miller. The Agenda: —Michigan primary —Minnesota and Wisconsin primaries —Blue wave possibilities —Max Miller allegations —Trump’s support for Max Miller —NWYT: The cost of a burrito Show notes: —Francesca Hong’s Culver’s tweet —Francesca Hong’s Thanksgiving tweets The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 11, 2026•59:11

The Iran War Is Spiraling Out of Trump’s Control

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, David French, and Mike Nelson to discuss the possible entrance of Russia and China into the Iran war and the possibility of unintentional escalation. The Agenda: —The War That Could Swallow the World —Water system cyberattacks —Putin and Xi’s calculations —The Taiwan implication —U.S. munitions stockpiles —Trump’s madman theory —NWYT: Trump’s golf titleThe Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

August 4, 2026•1:09:30

Why Socialism Is Becoming Popular on The Left

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Kevin Williamson, and Megan McArdle to discuss the growing popularity of socialism on the left and Anthony Fauci’s testimony on Capitol Hill. The Agenda: —What is socialism? —Polling on American sentiment toward socialism —College dorm life as an ideology —Tea Party redux —When to start panicking —Anthony Fauci’s testimony —NWYT: Living too long Show notes: —Kevin on socialism —Kevin on democratic socialism —Occupy Wall Street’s puppet guild —Jonah: We’re Not One Election Away From Ruin The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 31, 2026•1:18:35

Why Trump Is Obsessed with Passing the SAVE America Act

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Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and John McCormack to discuss Donald Trump’s obsessive push for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act and his resulting battle with Republican leadership in Congress. The Agenda: —Terminating the filibuster —Is the SAVE America Act 4-D chess? —Mike Lee’s suck-up strategy —Is Trump joking about a 2028 run? —Trump in the 2028 GOP primaries —Will the SAVE America Act go anywhere? —NWYT: The Odyssey and a return to theater-going Show notes: —Noncitizens voting in New Jersey —Stephen Richer on the SAVE America Act —Jonah’s G-File on The Odyssey (2026) The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 28, 2026•1:19:02

Why the U.S.-Iran MOU Fell Apart

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Steve Hayes is joined by Mike Nelson, David French, and Jonah Goldberg to discuss the latest round of strikes on Iran, the prospect of nuclear proliferation by the Saudi Arabian government, and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s shake-up of Ukraine’s military leadership. The Agenda: —What and why are we striking? —Trump is losing MAGA —Dwindling U.S. weapons stockpiles —What will victory look like? —Leadership change in Ukraine —Nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia —NWYT: Laura Loomer Show notes: —Buy Dispatch merch —New York Times: Both sides demand victory The Dispatch Podcast is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including audio versions of all our articles and newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 24, 2026•1:09:42