The American Mind Podcast

Conservatives are finally building up a head of steam when it comes to boycotts, making an example of Anheuser-Busch after their unholy union with Dylan Mulvaney. Now Target and the Dodgers have attracted this same newly quickened ire by pushing overtly Satanic and trans-forward messaging onto shoppers—and their children. Meanwhile the trajectory of Christian nationalism is up for hot debate, as is that of wokeness. Plus: the editors, joined by Helen Roy, name their favorite TAM articles of the week as a reminder to read the damn site! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Hadley Arkes joins the editors this week to offer advice to the pro-life movement and discuss the precepts of common sense that must underlie sound legal reasoning. The editors then turn to an analysis of the Durham Report and how it plays for 2024, as well as a brief discussion of Article 42 and Trump's CNN town hall. And of course: read the damn site! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As Mother's Day rolls around, the editors take a moment to analyze an increasingly troubling movement: anti-natalism. To help with the analysis, Helen Roy joins the cast. Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson has announced that his show will be coming back natively to Twitter, drawing millions of views and prompting speculations about the future of the news industry. Trump was found liable for sexual assault to the tune of $5 million, in a perplexing jury decision that raises troubling questions about justice and crime. In closing, the editors recount their favorite articles of the week before reminding you to read the damn site! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The full cast is back this week to analyze the continuing deterioration of blue cities and states as middle-class Republicans flee coastal areas at accelerating rates. Is immiseration the goal? Then the editors then turn to discussion of 2024 as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. throws his name in the ring to challenge Biden in the primaries. Is RFK tapping into Boomer energy? And of course, the editors remind you to read the damn site! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News following a defamation case between Fox and Dominion, coinciding with other ousters in like Don Lemon's at CNN. In New York, Trump is being sued civilly over rape accusations, but is also being sued by the accuser for denying the claims. Meanwhile, mortgage changes are coming to take from the responsible and give to the irresponsible. Seth and Spencer analyze defamation by design and woke mortgages before recounting their favorite TAM articles of the week and reminding you to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

When Anheuser-Busch inked a deal with Dylan Mulvaney to wokeify their subpar beer, Americans turned on the brand. The company’s stock price has sunk sunk by over $7 billion so far, as executives mouth empty platitudes and shift the blame. Will this controversy serve as a cautionary tale to businesses looking to alienate their core consumer base? Meanwhile, media apparatchiks rush to spin a preposterous narrative out of a tragic shooting. Plus: Elon Musk provides occasion to discuss AI and the end times. Seth and Spencer analyze the news before, of course, reminding you to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In record time, Democrats have managed to turn the massacre of Christian children by a transgender woman into a Civil Rights LARP. Two state representatives were expelled from the TN legislature for participating in a riot, allowing them to pose absurdly as victims and freedom fighters. Meanwhile the Wisconsin Supreme Court flips to the left, raising questions about Republicans’ rhetorical strategy on abortion. Plus: the editors recount their favorite articles this week before reminding you to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Whatever your personal opinion of Trump, his indictment is a somber moment for the trajectory of democracy in America. Ryan and Spencer discuss the dogged pursuit of Trump at any cost, including some hilarious speculation about how the headlines on this topic are getting written. The two then expand the discussion to the selective weaponization of the legal system using the case of Ricky Vaughn as a starting point. Plus: Peachy Keenan set the internet alight when she committed the crime of noticing that college admissions are tilting in a very noticeably woke direction—but of course she was right. Spencer closes by asking Ryan for his favorite TAM article before reminding you to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

There's no sugarcoating the horror of what happened in Nashville this week as a disturbed young woman murdered six people, three of them aged 9 years old. The shooter was wrapped up in transgender extremism, a fact which has unveiled a ghoulish relish for the death of Christians in contemporary culture. Meanwhile, as megacorporations charge forth with reckless abandon in an AI arms race, some interesting characters are calling for a national pause on the unproven technology. But is that just a makeshift bandage over a much deeper, festering wound? The editors, with special guest Helen Roy, deconstruct the social contagions at work in the US as well as the potential threat of AI before reminding you, as always, to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Sufferers of advanced Trump Derangement Syndrome are frothing at the mouth to think of Trump being indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Republicans are watching intently to see whether the political winds will blow in favor of Don or Ron as we approach primary season. Then the editors take a moment to define the word "woke” and to ask whether doing so is even worth the effort. Finally, in an effort to get you to read the damn site(s), Ryan uses his extraordinary power to take a CRB essay out from behind the paywall just for you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In a first for The Roundtable, Seth and James alone take the stage. They discuss the stunning righteous indignation displayed by the nobody Democratic Reps. that “interviewed” Matt Taibbi and other journalists who participated in The Twitter Files releases. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley Bank fell victim to a classic run on the bank and has gone under, triggering a chain reaction at other banks. Plus: the editors’ takes on this year’s Oscars. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As warring factions grapple for power behind an increasingly transparent veneer of control and serenity, everyday Americans find themselves subject to a chaotic and unhinged form of anarcho-tyrannical rule. Our editors analyze newly released footage that challenges the continuing hysteria regarding the events of January 6, 2021, and the rise and fall of both New York and Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot. Is anyone in charge of it all? If not, what is to be done? Plus: the editors remind you to read the damn site, recounting their favorite articles on TAM this week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Peachy Keenan joins the editors to discuss the tweet that broke the internet: an anecdote about the effects of racial preferences in admission turned into a Rorschach test and a celebration parallax. It’s not happening, and it’s good that it is! Then, a close reading of the new TikTok filter that confronts users with a vision of their younger selves, forcing many of them to confront the reality of passing time and human mortality. Plus: our editors pick their favorite pieces from the site this week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In a two-man episode of the Round Table (the linear table?), Seth Barron and Spencer Klavan conduct a close reading of Puffin’s changes to the works of Roald Dahl. In collaboration with “Inclusive Minds, a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature,” the publishers have decided to tweak Dahl’s work and bring it up to speed with the latest woke nostrums. What could possibly go wrong? Plus: read the damn site! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As extremely dangerous chemical spills are happening across America, and as UFOs get shot down day after day, our editors (joined by Helen Roy!) discuss whether malice or incompetence predominates in our present climate. Meanwhile, the cult of D.I.E. continues to install itself in our educational institutions, as demonstrated by Columbia University's recent CRT chant for medical students, complete with bowed heads and silent reverence. Plus: our editors recount their favorite essays of the week and implore you to read the damn site. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Turning from Biden’s gasbaggery to the real issues at stake, our editors discuss what is needed for a digital revival, how the US left a Chinese spy balloon in our airspace for nearly a week without doing anything, and the disastrous situation at the border. Black pills abound, but hope is never lost. Plus: the editors share their favorite articles of the week. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week's edition of "This is Fine" kicks off with a close analysis of an increasingly common phenomenon in mainstream media: supplanting objectivity with personal experience and identity. From Watergate to a recent viral WaPo op-ed, they uncover the fables the press tells itself as copium. Plus: the editors discuss where they turn to for reliable news, the tragic killing of Tyre Nichols, and their favorite stories on TAM this week. For a list of articles referenced in this episode, visit americanmind.org/audio/. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

After ripping Trump for having classified documents on his property for months, the mainstream media has done an about face and are now running damage control for Biden as his own caches of documents continue to emerge. Meanwhile, the highest of high society have taken their private jets to gather at the 50th annual World Economic Forum meeting, where they are discussing how to frame regulating your life in flowery language so you won’t notice. Plus: for supposedly wanting us to stop paying attention to them, Harry the Spare and Meghan the Succubus sure do leap into the spotlight at every opportunity. Our editors, joined by Helen Roy, discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As flights are grounded across America and federal officials float—then retract—a ban on gas stoves, the editors gather to discuss the gradual dissolution of American competence, and what if anything can be done about it. Plus: Ron DeSantis has made a bold series of appointments to the New College of Florida's Board of Trustees. Is this a hopeful first step, or a meaningless drop in the ocean? The editors chose between white, black, and quantum pills on the state of education. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Representative Kevin McCarthy has failed multiple times to win election as Speaker of the House. Is this a wake-up call for GOP leadership, or the wrong outlet for populist outrage? Meanwhile, the infamous social media influencer and former kickboxer, Andrew Tate, has been arrested under suspicion of rape and human trafficking. Plus: David French has joined the New York Times--almost too fitting an outcome after years of realignment on the intellectual Right. Spencer and Seth discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As Christmas rapidly approaches, our editors gather to reflect on the whole of 2022. From the mobilization of the social media swarm in support of The Current Thing™, to the elevation of sexual deviancy among the top brass, to the proliferation of tech idolatry, our editors only wish they could be shocked. Plus: preliminary thoughts on 2023 and a teaser for upcoming content. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

At long last interracial marriage has been legalized at the federal level in the US! In reality, of course, the law Biden signed this week is more about political maneuvering around gay marriage. Concurrently, Sam Bankman-Fried has been arrested in the Bahamas on charges of fraud as it appears FTX is effectively a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme. Does this event shed a new light on the factions vying for power in the financial space? Plus: it’s a tripledemic—time to mask back up. Our editors contemplate the machinations of The Borg™. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

AI-generated images have taken the internet by storm over the last week. Are AI profile pics the cute veneer over a coming existential threat to human self-worth? Meanwhile, Matt Taibbi and Elon Musk released a Twitter thread with the first fruits of what Taibbi dubbed "The Twitter Files." The thread confirmed suspicions that Twitter and the government were tightly aligned with one another in censoring inconvenient information. Plus: Warnock defeated Walker in Georgia's runoff race for a hotly contested Senate seat, giving ultimate control of the Senate to Democrats. Our editors analyze the boring dystopia we find ourselves in. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week has offered a veritable clown car of obnoxious and distasteful weirdos. Nick Fuentes wormed his way into a dinner with Trump via Kanye West. Sam Brinton, the non-binary, crossdressing, doggie-roleplaying member of the Biden administration’s Department of Energy, has been charged with felony theft after being caught on video snatching a woman’s suitcase. Plus: Balenciaga’s new ad features kids in BDSM-themed outfits. Our editors discuss the shocking freakishness on display and whether there’s any coherent thread that would allow us to make sense of it all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover carries on apace, and reports of implosion seem to be greatly exaggerated. Is Musk’s aggressive firing policy proof of concept for the elimination of BS jobs? The editors, joined by Helen Roy and Charles Haywood, take a look at some back-of-the-napkin calculations of how profitable Twitter might be under Elon Musk overnight, as well as his hazy policies on freedom of speech vs. freedom of reach on the platform. Plus: the crew discuss what they’re thankful for. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

FTX CEO SBF is SOL--and if that sentence doesn’t make sense to you, fear not. The TAM editors are here to chart the aftershocks of the crypto crash heard round the world, and to discuss its implications for the future of America. Plus: Trump announces (shocking few) that he will run for re-election, and Canada plans to legalize euthanasia for the mentally ill. In this dire landscape, who will chart a pro-human path forward? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

“Election month” is here, and it looks like the much-anticipated red wave is more of a drizzle. The House looks like it’ll be narrowly red, and the Senate is likely in the hands of a tossup election in Georgia—again. Meanwhile, the growing rift between DeSantis and Trump presages a potentially rocky road ahead for the Right. And what about the Biden of it all? Our editors convene to analyze the implications of the midterms. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Having been mocked and roundly criticized for its plans to found a “Disinformation Governance Board,” DHS decided not that it should reevaluate its goals, but that it should keep doing the same thing—just without telling you. Meanwhile, Paul Pelosi was beaten in his home by a crazed lunatic, leaving him with a fractured skull and everyone else wondering what the hell happened. Plus: New York Governor Kathy Hochul is unexpectedly in danger of being voted out of office by those pesky extremists who want to ride the subway without getting mugged. Our editors, joined by Matt Peterson, take a closer look. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week on live TV, to the utter shock and chagrin of the legacy media hosts, average voters from across the so-called political spectrum were united—in their dissatisfaction with leftist policies. Meanwhile, Joe Biden continues his very public and visible decline, and John Fetterman whiffs it on the debate stage against Mehmet Öz. Plus: Republicans are under fire for *checks notes* supporting Democrat policies? The editors gather in full complement to discuss the current state of the American mind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

A new NYT/Siena poll looks grim for the Left across the board. What kind of realignment, or realignments, are underway? With the middle class feeling pinched by bad economic policy, more and more people believe the government serves social elites to the detriment of everyday Americans. Or else they fear being replaced by bots; or else they’re on edge for fear of saying something contra The Current Thing. Our editors, joined by special guests Matt Peterson and Helen Roy, analyze the situation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The new Current Thing™ update has dropped: NPCs have been reprogrammed to believe that not only are nukes not that bad, but a nuclear war wouldn't be bad either. It might even fight climate change! Intellectual Leftists are now also making the case that "aborting" babies after they are born should be allowed. Is this the next slippery slope we slide down? Meanwhile, the Left increasingly believes that democracy is the implementation of their preferred policies, and anyone who opposes their goals is at best a "semi-fascist". Ryan and Seth, joined by a triple threat of great conservative minds: Michael Anton, Dave Reaboi, and Kyle Shideler, discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Members of Gen Z report trusting Google and Youtube to deliver information and entertainment--but what’s really going on under the hood? Just like everywhere else, “neutrality” is a myth online. Then: how can the Right win the fight over childhood indoctrination and radical gender theory in schools? And what on earth is Biden thinking when it comes to oil? Ryan and Spencer (aka Starsky and Hutch) discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Midterms are rocketing toward us, and House Republicans have come out with a platform of sorts; the editors discuss how both party’s prospects are shaping up by way of the fascinating--and absurdist--case study of Pennsylvania’s Senate race between Mehmet Öz and John Fetterman. Meanwhile, rumblings around the world--leaks in Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines, unrest in Iran, and a conservative victory in Italy--give occasion to wonder just where the world is headed, and what the people in charge can possibly be thinking. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Red states are on a roll this week. The 5th Circuit Court upheld a Texas law banning viewpoint censorship on social media platforms with over 50 million active users. Florida’s Ron DeSantis publicly highlighted the duplicity of leftist virtue signaling by sending 50 Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, whereupon the Vineyard’s occupants promptly flipped out and called in the National Guard. Plus: Biden gave an interview on 60 Minutes that was such a train wreck it demands a close reading. Our editors are on the job. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Stakes, Claremont Senior Fellow Michael Anton, a lecturer in politics and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center, talks with Glenn Ellmers, Visiting Research Scholar at Hillsdale College and author of The Soul of Politics: Harry V. Jaffa and the Fight for America. The two discuss some of the major ideas and principles in Harry Jaffa’s philosophical writing, and how those principles might apply to the modern American crisis. Plus: a defense of some of Jaffa’s more contentious ideas. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As midterms loom, Biden’s DOJ is handing out subpoenas like they’re going out of style--which in a sense they may be, since a traditional election moratorium on political maneuvering makes coming for Trump an increasingly bad look. But at this point, will the public really believe that the DOJ is dispassionate? Or, for that matter, that the economy is under control? Biden seems to be hoping against hope that they will, throwing a White House celebration while a massive freight rail worker strike is looming and inflation is still over 8% for the year. Plus: famed attorney Kenneth Starr passed away this week. What legacy did he leave behind, and how has the use of celebrity in the White House affected our politics? Our editors analyze it all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

President Biden gave a speech before a blood-red background in front of Liberty Hall late last week, explicitly identifying a large chunk of the GOP as threats to democracy. How large? Biden won’t say--or what he does say, he walks back. Will this message really play with a significant portion of the electorate, or have Biden and his team confused Twitter for real life? Meanwhile, in real life itself, everything seems to be getting worse: school test scores have taken a twenty-year drop in the wake of COVID shutdowns, and life expectancy continues to tick downward as well. Plus: California is raising alarms about potential power grid failures in the midst of a summer heatwave. How can we avoid despair, and what are the opportunities amid all this decline? Our editors discuss. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Russia gonna Russia, while the West, and the Left, gonna fall for it. Michael Shellenberger rolls out an alarming thread on who’s funding climate activists in Europe, and the dire consequences of extremist policies at home and abroad. Meanwhile, The DOJ, CIA, and FBI have been showing increasingly bold signs of corruption and meddling in domestic elections, maintaining an apparently routine dialogue with Facebook and other social media companies about when to suppress “potential threat information.” But don’t worry: they do it all the time! Plus: our editors survey the prospects for November’s midterm elections, and for the republic more generally. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The FBI has raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. Are Merrick Garland and the ruling elites at the justice department so convinced of their political invulnerability that they don’t care how this looks? Maybe the Democrats just think they can buy voters off: in a transparent ploy to do so, the Biden administration has promised a $10,000 student loan cancellation plan. Conservatives are sputtering with outrage, but they ought to be thinking “systemically” about how to dismantle the whole college industrial complex. Plus: Alexander Dugin’s daughter, Darya Dugina, was assassinated by car bomb in Moscow. Our editors, joined by New Founding’s Matt Peterson, offer their thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In this edition of The Stakes, Michael Anton, lecturer in politics and research fellow at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center, and a Claremont senior fellow, is joined by Michael Millerman of the Millerman School. The two discuss the teachings of the Claremont Institute's ideological lodestar, Leo Strauss. They also discuss how and to what extent Strauss' teachings, and those of other twentieth century German philosophers, remain relevant today in our crumbling republic despite an active attempt by elites to vilify them. Listeners who would like to hear even more about German philosophers can take advantage of an exclusive 25% discount to the Millerman School by using the code "STAKES" at signup! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week, The American Mind team is off, with the exception of Seth Barron who has volunteered to bring you a short and sweet one-man show before we return to a full complement next week. Against the background of Liz Cheney's crushing defeat in the Wyoming primary, Seth analyzes the ever-widening rift between the New Right that is taking over the GOP and the old guard who are now finding themselves not only on the outs, but unelectable. Obviously the only answer in that position is to assume everyone else is wrong and run for president, right? Right?! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This week, while The American Mind's editors are off, Ryan Williams took the opportunity to sit down with Dr. John Marini. Against the background of the FBI's unprecedented raid on Mar-a-Lago, which took place on the 48th anniversary of Richard Nixon's resignation, the pair look back at Nixon's experience with the administrative state as it relates to today. Plus: what can we do to bring government back into the purview of politics and wrench it from the clutches of an increasingly autonomous bureaucratic class? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

In a move that predictably has China perturbed, Nancy Pelosi is in Taiwan on a state visit to “reaffirm allies” in the South China Sea, triggering fears of WWIII (again) across the Twitterverse. But does anyone really want an armed conflict with China? And even if they did, would our “yassified” armed forces be up to the task? Meanwhile, the Tavistock Clinic, a gender clinic in the UK, has been ordered to shut down over child abuse concerns, and a Swedish health council has recommended no longer using puberty blockers. Plus: Spencer airs his deep-cut conspiracy theory about Pete Buttigieg. A full cast of our editors analyze our trajectory. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Woke academics are trying to tear down the last barriers against total ideological conformity. Seth and Spencer are joined by Professor Amy Wax, who has ample firsthand experience of witch hunts in the academy and recommendations for change. Meanwhile, monkeypox is on the rise in New York among a certain group of people who apparently shall not be named. And the Biden administration is trying to fudge the definition of recession, so they won’t have to admit we’re in one. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

A religion of fantasy requires imaginary martyrs. So this week we were treated to the spectacle of AOC and other members of Congress pretending to be handcuffed for the cameras. But that’s just the beginning of the rabbit hole. Wikipedia is being edited to conform with woke piety, and Merriam-Webster has added a new definition to “woman.” Plus: at least 163 billion dollars of COVID relief money (your tax dollars, that is) was stolen, but elites are betting on the public to just forget about it. Our editors peer through the smokescreen. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Inflation topped out at over 9% this month, which both exceeded the expected 8.8%, and poses huge issues for everyday Americans. From the working class to the not-so-working class, people are coping, or something like it, by deadening their senses and hoping it will all go away. Some believe transhumanism is the answer, but we need stronger medicine to save our souls. Plus: new video shows Hunter Biden at the extremes of depravity. Our editors, joined by Claremont’s new major gifts officer, Elizabeth Haney, analyze the situation in which we find ourselves. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The Dutch government has limited emissions so severely that many farmers will have no choice but to stop farming. The farmers, unsurprisingly, are not happy—turns out kulaks, awkwardly enough, don’t like to be liquidated. Meanwhile, the Dobbs case is starting to animate state politics and will test just how red the red states are. Plus: is trans language shoving women out of the Overton Window? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The Supreme Court has handed down ruling after glorious ruling, most notably overturning Roe and Casey in their landmark abortion case, but also defending the right to bear arms in self defense and the right to free expression of religion. Is gutting the administrative state next? Plus: the latest from Impeachment Part III, the Revenge (i.e., the January 6 hearings). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

The Biden Administration seems determined to make good on its promise to put “equity” at the center of all it does, prompting the editors to wonder how much daylight there is between equality of outcomes, race-based reparations, and a total restructuring of American society. But will voters—and in particular those minorities not singled out for favored status—go for it? Meanwhile: a new Supreme Court decision on religious liberty, and disturbing revelations about the Uvalde shooting. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe