The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table

Talia Bongolan Shwartz is a thirty year old former radical progressive turned first-time Trump voter. In May 2021, she was iced out of her activist circles when "Defend Al Aqsa" and "Zionism is Racism" signs started to outnumber the BLM signs at her weekly protests. This event marked the beginning of an ideological turn away from the left. Today, Shwartz talks Jews and politics on X @talibotz and co-hosts a podcast about gender and transition called The Navel Gays.

Fred Kaplan is a former Washington, Moscow, and New York correspondent for the Boston Globe. He writes the “War Stories” column in Slate and is the author of seven books including The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War (which was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist). A Capital Calamity is his latest book and his first novel.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by CEO of ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt and comedian, Modi. Jonathan Greenblatt is the CEO of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League), the world's leading anti-hate organization with a distinguished record of fighting antisemitism and advocating for just and fair treatment to all. Greenblatt joined ADL in 2015 after serving in the White House as special assistant to President Obama and director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. He is author of the book, It Could Happen Here: Why America is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable—And How We Can Stop. Voted one of the top 10 comedians in New York City by The Hollywood Reporter, Modi is one of the comedy circuit’s most sought after performers. Featured on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and E! Entertainment, Modi has received rave reviews in The New York Times, Time Out NY and The New York Post.

Eli Lake is the host of Breaking History, a new history podcast from The Free Press. A veteran journalist with expertise in foreign affairs and national security, Eli has reported for Bloomberg, The Daily Beast, and Newsweek. With Breaking History, he brings his sharp analysis and storytelling skills to uncover the connections between today’s events and pivotal moments in the past. You can listen to his podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4GGl8rnfldvqTeA0vAFK9G https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/breaking-history/id1790502779

Michael Oren is an historian, former Israeli Ambassador to the US, and NYT bestselling author. He served as a Member of Knesset and as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. In his new book, "2048: The Rejuvenated State," Ambassador Oren sets out his vision for Israel in honor of Israel's 75th Independence Day 25 years in the future. His substack is: claritywithmichaeloren.substack.com

A heated argument over congestion pricing. Noam is dead set against it. Npam is aware that people think this is his worst performance! Alex Matthiessen is an environmental strategist and founder/president of the eco-political consulting firm Blue Marble Project, as well as the senior adviser to the Congestion Pricing Now Campaign. In 2010, he began the Move NY congestion pricing campaign, which laid the groundwork for the program.

Former Congressman Anthony Weiner comes to discuss his past and future. His mistakes, life in prison, what he's learned and how it all can make him an even better leader for New York City.

00:02:00 Congestion Pricing 00:21:19 The Dave Smith Fued 00:49:12 Trump and H-1B Visas 00:56:08 Being a gigolo and regrets Comedian Aaron Berg Aaron Berg is a NYC-based comedian, a regular performer at Skankfest, and an author who is originally from Toronto. He graduated with an honors degree in Philosophy from The University of New Brunswick. He has made multiple TV and film appearances and his six stand up albums are available on iTunes and Amazon.

Eyal Yakoby is a twenty two year old graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a student at MIT dedicated to combating anti-Americanism. He has been seen on CNN, FoxNews, Washington Post and more.

In the first of our 2 sessions with Scott, we get into his powerful book "Provoked," and whether or not the United States is the main villain in the Ukraine War. Was the Maidan a coup, an organic movement, or a bit of both? What was the Nuland phone call all about? Where do the Kissingers and the Tucker Carlsons diverge? Part II is here: https://youtu.be/hdeMqJDWOm4 Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hFaTYPm

In the second of our 2 sessions with Scott, we get into some of the sources cited in his powerful book "Provoked," and whether they are biased by an extreme worldview. We also argue about Candace Owens and whether her views ought to make her beyond the pale as an accepted member of a political clique (Noam says yes, Scott says no). Also, was Maidan a coup, an organic movement, or a bit of both? Part 1 will be uploaded shortly. Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine Available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hFaTYPm Some links: https://peakprosperity.com/dave-collum-year-in-review-2021-rise-of-global-authoritarianism/ https://www.jasonhartman.com/2182-trump-assassination-attempt-inside-job-or-incompetence-conspiracy-or-coincidence/ https://news.grabien.com/wire-dave-collum-goes-deep-conspiracy-theories-911-epstein-pizzag https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/third-911-hijacker-may-have-been-cia-recruit https://quoththeraven.podbean.com/e/quoth-the-raven-131-dave-collum-the-conspiracy-theory-episode/

GrayZone journalist and host of the Useful Idiots Podcast, Aaron Maté, comes in to argue about Ukraine, Israel, and all the rest.

Our guest didn't show, so we discussed a few things on our minds.

Ann Coulter, stops into the Comedy Cellar. Some Studies on Long Covid: https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/how-to-manage-long-covid-brain-fog https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/august/in-covid-19-patients-neurological-symptoms-last-up-to-three-years/ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(24)00080-4/fulltext

1. Yardena Schwartz, author of "Ghosts of a Holy War," discusses her new book on the 1929 Hebron Massacre and how it informs the modern day. https://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Holy-War-Palestine-Arab-Israeli/dp/145494921X 2. Noam responds to the accusation made on the Jake Shields podcast that he had taken Dave Smith and Nick Fuentes out of context.

Author of the WSJ op-ed: "Why I Voted Against the Democrats I don’t care for Trump, but I needed to strike back against the hectoring and fanaticism of the left," tells us about the experiences within liberal academia that led to her decision to vote for Trump. Read the column: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/why-i-voted-against-democrats-fanaticism-of-the-left-swayed-over-trump-dislike-874daacc

Kat Timpf is a New York Times best selling author, comedian, and television personality. She's currently the co-host of “Gutfeld!” on Fox News weeknights at 10 p.m. and a Fox News analyst. Her new book, "I Used to Like You Until. . ." (How Binary Thinking Divides Us) is out now.

Richard Hanania is the President of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology. His substack is: @richardhanania Support the show and get 10 free HelloFresh meals at https://www.hellofresh.com/FREECELLAR

Check out Coleman's book The End of Race Politics and his most recent Free Press article How the Democrats Rigged the Vote in Puerto Rico We toss around the best arguments for and against the candidates and come to the conclusion we're not voting.

Batya Ungar-Sargon is an American journalist and author. She is the Opinion Editor of Newsweek and author of Bad News and Second Class. She weighs in on Trump versus Harris, Tony Hinchcliffe and final thoughts on the election.

Noam Dworman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by political writer and author Brendan O'Neill. His new book, After the Pogrom: 7 October, Israel and the Crisis of Civilisation is an unflinching account of how the West failed the test of Hamas’s pogrom. Support the show and get 10 free HelloFresh meals at https://www.hellofresh.com/FREECELLAR

Dr. Feroze Sidwha is interviewed about his NY Times article: "65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza".

Second of two parts. Intro is repeated on both

First of two parts. Intro is repeated on both

Jason Furman is the Aetna Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy jointly at Harvard Kennedy School and the Department of Economics at Harvard University. He is the former top economic adviser to President Obama and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Project Syndicate and the editor of two books on economic policy. Furman holds a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.

Dan Senor is a columnist, writer, and political adviser. He is co-author of the book Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle and The Genius of Israel. He is host of the podcast Call Me Back.

With Noam away, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand discuss stand up, Diddy, women and a variety of medical and personal matters.

Steven Bonnell II, commonly known as Destiny, is a prominent figure in the online gaming and political commentary sphere. Renowned for his incisive debates and unfiltered opinions, Destiny has cultivated a large following on platforms like Kick and YouTube. With a background in professional gaming, he transitioned to political discourse, often engaging in discussions on controversial topics with a focus on logic and reason. His blend of gaming, politics, and sharp rhetoric has made him a polarizing yet influential figure in digital media.

Noted historian and Churchill Expert Lord Andrew Roberts gives us his take on the recent Darryl Cooper (@MartyrMade) interview controversy. Was Churchill the villain of WWII? Is Cooper's take anti-semitic? Roberts' books, including Churchill: Walking with Destiny, are available on Amazon and everywhere else. “Unarguably the best single-volume biography of Churchill . . . A brilliant feat of storytelling, monumental in scope, yet put together with tenderness for a man who had always believed that he would be Britain’s savior.” —Wall Street Journal https://www.amazon.com/Churchill-Walking-Destiny-Andrew-Roberts-ebook/dp/B079R3VH13/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OKHRQ2HF107X&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XRyoEwHDcO_pXSIzOvxrmoStMtBE8yO-BxvmRuYP9sB3dF1MCwBTx2m39dNbn4Cb42vo-A2qb4VqvzsVQUtt7DBPVMg9N_S2XWkzwLEKw0xMnIS5f5rpCniWhbTb2q-fOorNmj2mtUxKBbR15UR4eOt3MFgK_k3pryX3M_k0C_aP79_3gd4JqLJz4HDGFjdVzCUmtmu139osn2FgB-KVgDBi06kJMlwBf80yZsKOL78.JV8fiqjgDR74n1ERHiqpvYYZSgSxrKHicOQzisTuVJU&dib_tag=se&keywords=andrew+roberts+churchill&qid=1726529104&sprefix=andrew+rob%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1

Peter Boghossian is an American philosopher, professor and co-author of the book, How to Have Impossible Conversations. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications.

Noam Dworman is joined by Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand and discusses Martyr Made, the hostages in Gaza and far right anti-semitism.

Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by comic, Gray West. West is originally from Alabama, has performed all over the United States and frequently MCs shows at The Comedy Cellar. In this episode, they discuss the differences between hosting and doing spots, how your style on stage affects your persona and West shares some personal anecdotes.

Adam Muller is a New York based, MIT-educated, former finance professional turned comedian. His comedy specials, "According to Plan" and "Funny to You" are available on YouTube.

Jeff Asher is a nationally recognized data analyst with expertise in evaluating criminal justice data. He is the co-founder of AH Datalytics and author of Jeff-alytics Substack.

Uri Berliner was a reporter at NPR for 25 years. His work has been recognized with a Peabody Award, a Loeb Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Society of Professional Journalists New America Award, among others. Support the show and get 20% off your 1 st Sheath order with code CELLAR at https://www.sheathunderwear.com/CELLAR

Aurelia Song is the winner of the Brain Preservation Prize and has spent the last several years working to adapt the technology for human use. Her company, Nectome, works to preserve and store brains with the future goal of bringing people back to life.

Ross Barkan is a novelist and journalist from New York City. He's a contributing writer to the NY Times Magazine and his reporting and essays have appeared in a wide variety of publications. His next novel, Glass Century, will be published in 2025 and he's writing a book about American politics and the 2024 elections.

Get Ready To Rumble John Spencer is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, national security and military analyst, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare, military strategy, tactics, and other related topics. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on urban warfare, he served as an advisor to the top four-star general and other senior leaders in the U.S. Army as part of strategic research groups from the Pentagon to the United States Military Academy. He’s authored over 130 articles in our leading intellectual publications. He is the author of three books, including The Mini-Manual for the Urban Defender, which was translated into 16 languages. Robert A. Pape is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago specializing in international security affairs. His commentary on international security policy has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, New Republic, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, as well as on Nightline, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News, and National Public Radio. Before coming to Chicago in 1999, he taught international relations at Dartmouth College for five years and air power strategy for the USAF's School of Advanced Airpower Studies for three years. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1988 and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pittsburgh in 1982. His current work focuses on the causes of suicide terrorism and the politics of unipolarity. He is the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats. 0:00 Introduction 3:36 Coin Toss Decision 5:30 Robert Opening Pape's Argument 11:20 John Spencer's Counterargument 15:53 Pape Responds 29:53 Assessing Hamas's Strategic Goals 34:00 Critique on Planning for the Future 37:13 Rebuilding Democracy in the Middle East 41:01 Pape's Preferred Israeli Strategies for October 8th 42:46 Creating a Wedge Strategy 47:09 Insights from General McChrystal 49:42 Differing Military Strategies 50:23 Debating Military Approaches 51:38 Winning Battles vs. Winning Wars 55:58 Political Power Dynamics 59:00 Importance of Words in Strategy 1:01:27 Acknowledging Past Mistakes 1:04:53 Counterinsurgency Strategies 1:08:36 Role of Threat in Strategy 1:10:20 Separating Militant Groups 1:12:05 Achieving Strategic Objectives 1:12:09 Counterinsurgency Tactics 1:14:20 Importance of Meaningful Conversations 1:14:38 Sharp Arguments and Surviving Contact with the Enemy

Elie Honig is CNN's senior legal analyst, a former federal and state prosecutor and the bestselling author of Hatchet Man.

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason, the libertarian magazine of "free minds and free markets," and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

Partisanship or principle? IMHO, one of the best and most reasonable liberal analysts of the current Supreme Court, discusses Trump's immunity and Chevron's reversal decisions and what motivated them. Also, Cannon's dismissal. Contributor for New York magazine, also The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, The Atlantic, TIME, USA Today, WIRED, Slate, The American Prospect, and the Columbia Journalism Review.

The former chief of Israel's internal intelligence agency discusses all things Gaza, Hamas, Israel, peace talks, and more. Buy his book Friendly Fire, How Israel Became its Own Worst Enemy: https://www.amazon.com/Friendly-Fire-Israel-Became-Future/dp/1586422588

In a remarkable and candid conversation, Glenn Loury discusses his new book "Late Admissions," and his amazing, checkered, erratic, inspirational, and dramatic life. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:37 Performing the book for Audible 00:05:04 Had to be Honest to be Believed 00:09:09 A Gifted Family 00:15:22 Understanding Slavery and History 00:20:07 Constant Self-Doubt and Inferiority Complex 00:26:11 Betraying a Best Friend 00:32:25 Decoding Glenn's Politics from His Life 00:32:57 Stealing a Car 00:38:54 A Child Is Born 00:39:54 Glenn's Son's Gift to His Father 00:47:34 Glenn's Heroic Father 00:49:05 Glenn feels Put Off by Middle-Class Blacks 00:57:13 Arrested 01:03:14 Modern Hypocrisy 01:05:29 Speaking in Tongues 01:09:33 Smoking Crack 01:20:21 Called the N-Word 01:24:00 Final Remarks on Humanity

Robert Pape is a professor of political science and founding director of the Chicago project on security and threats at the University of Chicago. He is an author and leading scholar of political violence and has been studying terrorism both internationally and domestically for over 20 years. His most recent publication is “Hamas is Winning,” in Foreign Affairs (June 2024). Support the show and get 20% off your 1 st Sheath order at https://www.sheathunderwear.com/CELLAR or use promo code CELLAR Noam made a mistake - At Ma'alot 105 children were taken hostage, 22 were killed. He carelessly read the page in front of him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%27alot_massacre#:~:text=The%20Ma'alot%20massacre%20was,hostages%20and%20six%20other%20civilians. Apoliges to professor Pape. YouTube Version: https://youtu.be/xoCgk-w0wHQ?si=LT-MiBCsV7S733wc

The Times of Israel's Haviv Rettig Gur in a freewheeling conversation on Israel and related matters. Co-hosted by Coleman Hughes Did Netanyahu prop up Hamas? Will peaceful Islam prevail? Why are American Jews ignorant of their own history? Why is America so bad at negotiating? Please write: [email protected]

LeClerc was featured at Just For Laughs Comedy Festival as one of the New Faces of Comedy. He has appeared on The Tonight Show w/Jimmy Fallon, as well as on NBC’s “Bring the Funny."

Nicole Gelinas is a columnist for the New York Post, a regularly quoted source for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. She has covered New York’s transportation issues for over a decade. Her book, Movement: New York's Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car if forthcoming.

Raanan Hershberg's multiple television appearances include: The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late, Late Show with James Corden, and Comedy Central. His special, BRAVE, is available on YouTube. He is a regular at The Comedy Cellar.

Noam Dworman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by James Kirchick, journalist for the New York Times and bestselling author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington.

Batya Ungar-Sargon is the opinion editor of Newsweek and author of Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women.