Politicology

Susan Del Percio (Crisis Communications Expert) joins Host Ron Steslow for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the most fundamental questions in American life: who gets to be an American, and who gets to decide? They begin with the Supreme Court oral arguments over Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants and some temporary legal residents. They then turn to the controversial SAVE Act, a proposed voter registration and election security measure that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/DelPercioS Related Reading: ScotusBlog - Supreme Court appears likely to side against Trump on birthright citizenship - SCOTUSblog Axios - SAVE America Act becomes catch-all for Trump's election demands: Here's what's actually in it Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Ron Steslow welcomes Mike Brock, CEO of TBD, a subsidiary of Block Inc. (formerly Square), the financial technology firm led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. The Internet is dominated by massive, corporate walled gardens like Google, Facebook, and Twitter (now X), where centralized control makes their users (us!) vulnerable to censorship and manipulation. In this episode, we explore how the movement to decentralize technology empowers individuals, protects against corporate and government abuse, and addresses real problems in finance and social media. We’ll also discuss how decentralized technology can enhance financial access and freedom, bypassing intermediaries and censorship, and shifting power from financial corporations to individuals. Finally, we turn to the political landscape, focusing on the Democratic party’s approach to decentralized technology and early signs it may be changing. Segments to look forward to: (04:45) Mike’s background (10:50) Empowering individuals through decentralized finance and identity (15:45) Building infrastructure for a decentralized future (19:10) The potential of decentralized identity (29:49) The importance of Bitcoin’s decentralization (31:31) Financial Access and Freedom (34:27) Preserving agency (44:44) Changing the balance of power (50:54) The varied stance of the Democratic party Follow Ron and Mike on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/brockm Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are essays resonating again in this moment? And what does it mean when writers, not just journalists or politicians, start helping people make sense of America in real time? Guest Host Mike Madrid sits down with Robert Arnold (writer, speaker, and activist) for a wide-ranging conversation about the resurgence of the essay, the responsibility of artists and writers in a fractured political age, and why long-form thinking still matters in an era shaped by algorithms, cable-news conflict, and shrinking attention spans. Check out Robert’s Substack: https://bit.ly/4uxo8MS Check out Mike’s Substack: https://greattransformation.substack.com/ POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Kirchick joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington (01:55) Why he wrote the book (06:43) The interwoven political history and gay history in Washington (14:33) The melting pot of the gay community and why it was seen as a threat (19:55) The trope that whatever is bad must be gay (31:51) The Lavender Scare (35:53) The tension between the gay loyal foot soldiers of Ronald Reagan and courting the religious right (49:00) What was challenging about writing the book You should read Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington: http://bit.ly/3wgiORk Follow James Kirchick and Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkirchick https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Steslow is joined by Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) for a wide-ranging conversation on the war in Iran, the confusion surrounding the Trump administration’s goals, and its vision for the United States in the world. Then, in Politicology+, Marc Polymeropoulos joins to discuss the explosive new reporting about the CIA’s coverup of Anomalous Health Incidents—also known as Havana Syndrome—and the dangerous classified weapon that causes them. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hagar Chemali and Marc Polymeropoulos join Ron Steslow to discuss the explosive new reporting about the CIA’s coverup of Anomalous Health Incidents—also known as Havana Syndrome—and the dangerous classified weapon that causes them. They break down what the latest investigations reveal: evidence that there's a device that could cause these symptoms, growing questions about whether the government tried to discredit victims, and why these revelations could force a broader reckoning inside the intelligence community. Marc reflects on the personal toll of the saga, the “moral injury” of feeling abandoned by former colleagues, and why accountability matters now. Related Reading: War on the Rocks - We Were Right About Havana Syndrome The Insider - Inside the CIA’s attempt to make Havana Syndrome disappear Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even after historic civil rights progress over the last sixty years, there’s no denying that certain groups of people still face real, serious, and even systemic discrimination. In pursuit of justice, many well-meaning activists have made identity central to their cause—arguing, for example, that in order to right wrongs, rules and laws must treat people differently, not equally, depending on the groups to which they belong. Whatever you think of the term “wokeness,” this new ideology has spread like wildfire through academia, journalism, entertainment, governments, and corporations, radically changing politics, policy, and our public discourse. But what if they have missed the mark? What if crusading identitarianism is doing more harm than good? What if it’s actually chipping away at some of the bedrock principles of our liberal democracy? If we want honest answers, we have to take these ideas seriously. In this two part series, host Ron Steslow and Yascha Mounk break down his new book, “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” In this second episode, they discuss how the identity synthesis moved from college classrooms, to Tumblr, to newsrooms and workplaces. They discuss the common “with us or against us” attitudes the identity synthesis produces and the infighting at progressive institutions over identity issues. They discuss the impact that “cancel culture” can have over trust in scientific research and why the identity synthesis isn’t compatible with liberal democracy. Segments to look forward to: (01:14) How the identity synthesis moved from college classrooms, to Tumblr, to the workplace (10:40) The “with us or against us attitude” that dominates institutions overtaken by the identity synthesis (16:00) The crippling infighting at progressive institutions over identity issues (16:50) The identity synthesis and cancel culture (26:32) How cancel culture erodes trust in research and institutions (36:21) Why the identity synthesis is incompatible with liberal democracy (44:00) How to handle backlash Get the book: Order a hardcover copy: https://amzn.to/3PKN6pR Get the audiobook: https://amzn.to/3Ps7CKe Get it on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3rpAB9B Follow Ron and Yascha on X (previously Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/Yascha_Mounk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even after historic civil rights progress over the last sixty years, there’s no denying that certain groups of people still face real, serious, and even systemic discrimination. In pursuit of justice, many well-meaning activists have made identity central to their cause—arguing, for example, that in order to right wrongs, rules and laws must treat people differently, not equally, depending on the groups to which they belong. Whatever you think of the term “wokeness,” this new ideology has spread like wildfire through academia, journalism, entertainment, governments, and corporations, radically changing politics, policy, and our public discourse. But what if they have missed the mark? What if crusading identitarianism is doing more harm than good? What if it’s actually chipping away at some of the bedrock principles of our liberal democracy? If we want honest answers, we have to take these ideas seriously. In this two-part series, host Ron Steslow and Yascha Mounk break down his new book, “The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.” In this first episode, they discuss the rapidly changing meanings of words like “woke” and why Yascha coined the term “identity synthesis” to replace it. They look at the spread of the identity synthesis and how quickly it is changing our politics. They dive into the intellectual underpinnings of the identity synthesis and why Yascha decided to write the book now. Segments to look forward to: (04:21) Yascha’s background (06:50) Why he decided to write this book (16:30) Why Yascha uses the term “trap” (21:40) The philosophical underpinnings of the “Identity Synthesis” Get the book: Order a hardcover copy: https://amzn.to/3PKN6pR Get the audiobook: https://amzn.to/3Ps7CKe Get it on Kindle: https://amzn.to/3rpAB9B Follow Ron and Yascha on X (previously Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://twitter.com/Yascha_Mounk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alua Arthur (Death Doula) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss the importance of embracing mortality, talking about death, and her new book, Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life and Getting Real About the End. Segments to look forward to: (02:31) What is a death doula? (05:39) Alua’s journey and embracing mortality (07:28) The impact of avoiding conversations about death (10:33) Practical ways to approach contemplating death (26:00) Having conversations about death with your loved ones (28:10) Supporting loved ones facing end-of-life challenges (30:30) Reframing our language about death and disease (32:19) The desire for “more time” at the end of life (38:10) The importance of quality of life in end of life care (40:00) Assisted Suiceide and personal autonomy (43:40) Meaningful rituals for death (47:14) Mourning people with troubled legacies (51:10) Being briefly, perfectly human Read Briefly Perfectly Human: https://bit.ly/4a5UYJb Check out Going With Grace: https://goingwithgrace.com/ Follow Ron on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Epstein files were supposed to bring clarity—what happened, who knew, and who was protected. Instead, the slow drip of disclosures, redactions, and missing records has deepened a broader crisis: collapsing trust in institutions in the U.S. and beyond. Guest Host Hagar Chemali and Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) unpack what the files reveal (and what they still don’t), why the rollout feels like a coverup even to Trump’s base, and why the fallout is landing harder overseas than at home. They also dig into the darker question underneath the headlines: whether Epstein’s operation functioned as an intelligence-gathering and kompromat machine, and what “accountability” can even mean if the real scandal isn’t just individual crimes, but institutional complicity. To close, Madrid argues the Epstein revelations are one more signal that America is entering a “great transformation”—and that rebuilding trust may require a radical reimagining of governance itself. Then, in Politicology+ they dive into how Charlie Kirk’s death created a power vacuum inside the MAGA media ecosystem that even Donald Trump can’t control. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/madrid_mike https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In part two of this series, Ron talks to Rebecca Roiphe (Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law at New York Law School) about critical legal studies, the attacks on our understanding of what the law is and how it should function from across the political spectrum. They focus on how the chilling actions of the Trump Administration stem from a belief that law is merely an instrument of power, and why that belief is corrosive—to the everyday practice of law and to liberal democracy itself. They discuss: (08:00) Understanding liberalism vs progressivism (09:08) Fairness in the legal system (16:43) The role of the Federalist Society and its shift at Harvard (21:19) The Trump Administration’s legal philosophy (25:39) The independence of the Justice Department (28:33) The impact of executive orders targeting law firms (32:33) The future of legal representation Follow Ron and Rebecca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/rroiphe Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪‪(703) 239-3068‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the “next big thing” out of Silicon Valley isn’t an app—it’s a political project engineered to bypass democracy? In this episode, Guest Host Mike Madrid sits down with Gil Durán (journalist and author of “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and The War on Democracy”) who’s been tracking an increasingly explicit ideology emerging from venture capital and tech power circles that treats democratic governance as a constraint to be engineered around. Gil explains how what started as odd local political behavior in San Francisco and San Jose led him to a deeper story: a network of ideas, money, and influence reaching all the way to international politics. He argues the threat isn’t a classic “tanks in the streets” coup. It’s a quieter capture: narrative control, unlimited spending, regulatory rollback, and a worldview that positions billionaires as the rightful architects of a post-national, post-democratic future. Along the way, he breaks down the intellectual roots of the “network state” movement, why J.D. Vance matters in this story, and how tech-funded “moderation” in deep-blue places can function as a parallel political brand—Democratic in label, Republican in policy, and billionaire-aligned in practice. Then, in Politicology+ they dig into what kind of leadership Democrats do actually need in the post-Trump era. Pre-order The Nerd Reich: https://bit.ly/4rhnD7K POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/madrid_mike https://x.com/gilduran76 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this two-part episode, Ron talks to Rebecca Roiphe (Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law at New York Law School) about critical legal studies, the attacks on our understanding of what the law is and how it should function from across the political spectrum. They discuss: (04:57) The challenges the rule of law is facing (07:31) Understanding Critical Legal Studies (10:16) Intersectionality and Its Impact (12:00) Power Dynamics in Critical Legal Studies (20:54) The Adversarial System and Its Importance (27:05) The Evolution of Critical Legal Thought (32:45) The Role of Law in Democracy Follow Ron and Rebecca on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/rroiphe Email your questions to [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at ‪‪(703) 239-3068‬ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americans largely agree on two immigration goals: securing the border and deporting people here illegally who have committed violent crimes. But inside the United States, enforcement has become a political flashpoint. Guest Host Susan Del Percio is joined by Jeh Johnson (Former Secretary of Homeland Security) to discuss why border crossings can fall quickly based on deterrence and perception and why interior enforcement works very differently. Then, they break down how quota-driven, “numbers-first” tactics incentivize sloppy operations and high-profile street encounters that alienate local governments, undermine cooperation with law enforcement, and ultimately make it harder to remove the “worst of the worst,” eroding public trust and public safety in the process. Then, in Politicology+ they dig into why the Trump Administration wants states’ unredacted voter rolls. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at ‪(703) 239-3068‬ Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/DelPercioS Related Reading: Axios - Trump's mass deportations are in big trouble NYT - ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants - The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices