PLAY PODCASTS
The Fifth Column

The Fifth Column

655 episodes — Page 6 of 14

#436 - From Gavin to Gotham

* Can Kmele sing?* A guy is surrounded by some racists* In praise of…Alec Baldwin?* Protesters are like racists* Trump and Colorado* Smart people who have come to some strange conclusions on this…* He’s screwing with you. You know that right?* They think you don’t understand policy * Not a lot of loyalty….(plus: a paean to Hope Hicks)* One word: NEW YORK* From Jihad to Lego * A silly list of “media influencers”* Is Emmanuel Lewis alive? (Yes) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Dec 21, 20231h 24m

Members Only #192 - Second Sunday Replay (12/10)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* It wasn’t a debate * Moynihan loves islands. Who doesn’t?* University stuff* “Late capitalism”* Walt Disney wasn’t a Nazi * Backfilling history* Massaging numbers* On the Qataris….* And a bunch of listeners chime in!

Dec 17, 202314 min

#435 - TFC's Holiday Racism Spectacular!

* Ron Karenga * Handel’s Messiah and stock portfolio * Musicology is dumb, says Matt* Hip-hop is appropriation and it’s great * Method Man thinks the Stones and Bootsy are the same* The Fall of Minneapolis * The Fifth’s verdict * Some good things, some bad things * Revisiting the Chauvin trial* An 800,000 word reflection from James Bennet * Fanaticism and forgivenness * How is this plagiarist surviving?* How about firing these dopes* LP and AJ * The many, many, many dead in Ukraine This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Dec 15, 20231h 45m

#434 - Crazed Conspiracies, Moral Mulligans, and Indecent Ivies (w/ Shadi Hamid)

* The editorial board of the Washington Post * What what wrong with the cease fire * On culpability* Can there *be* a negotiated settlement?* Is it really “the occupation”? * That wild 2022 video from Jenin that Moynihan mentioned* You’re going to be defrocked* Being handcuffed by “the Nahkba”* The insane rape conspiracy theories—and why they exist* Are all these people pro-Hamas?* Mrs. Gay Goes to Washington* Choose different words, dummies* Are you allowed a moral mulligan?* The Calvin Principals* And much, much more This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Dec 7, 20231h 55m

#433 - The Body of a (German) American

* We ain’t gonna play Sun City* RIP Shane* George Santos: genius* Gavin v. Ron* Why would you do this, Gavin?* This awful presidential race * Hating WFB* Be friends with and “platform” your political opposites* RIP Kissinger?* Dictatorships and double standards * The forever war with Iran* An awful, awful hostage video * On hostages and peace partners * The future of Gaza This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Dec 2, 20231h 40m

Members Only #191 - Can We Be Trusted? (Ummm...)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* A shooting in the hood* The Oakland Politburo speaks. The world is appalled.* The free speech issue vs. the university infection * Knowing nothing but propaganda* Gaza Facebook is pretty wild* Sir Humphrey says: “This is the most insane answer ever”* What Epstein got right. And you gotta bring Bill Clinton* A weird story about Hillary’s shushing * UFO nonsense* What’s th…

Nov 29, 202316 min

#432 - Worse Than Hitler (A Fifth Column Thanksgiving!)

Family beckons. Booze beckons. So we’re going to forgo the bullet points that we’re pretty sure you don’t read anyway and just say…Happy Thanksgiving, from your friends at the Fifth! And while you shamelessly celebrate genocide, listen along while the lads bemoan the racism of the Black Plague; the deadline to file charges against Kmele; the quote-invention of ChatGPT; the hostage deal in Israel; and the extreme awfulness of Holocaust historians Joe Scarborough, Mike Brzezinski, and Claire McCaskill. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Nov 23, 20231h 46m

Members Only #190 - Tantric Drummers for Freedom

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Javier Milei, tantric drummer* The hideousness of modern Peronism * A brief digression on Aerosmith* So how did we all meet?* Start fighting, Moynihan* Another digression on Sam Altman’s awfulness (two examples now available at Moynihan’s Instagram)* When Israel decided against killing the entire leadership of Hamas* Well, they tried anyway * Fiction that changed our lives * I don’t want to read about who I am and where I came from * Another Fifth drinking game* And so very much more….

Nov 22, 202330 min

#430 - The TikTok Jihad w/ Mary Katharine Ham

* Live from Oakland* Sex strikes * Loving OBL * Stop deconstructing stuff * Seeing your friends spinout online…* They’re not sending anyone anywhere * Drunk Kathy Hochul and her bad, drunk ideas* Not drunk Nikki Haley and her bad ideas* Hate speech isn’t a thing in America* Israel and propaganda * MKH on evangelicals, Israel, and the supposed “left behind” vision of Zionism* TikTok you don’t stop * And so much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Nov 18, 20231h 43m

Members Only #189 - "Thank You for the A-Bomb" (Second Sunday Rebroadcast)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* “She’s reasonable in person” (🤔)* In praise of…Estonia* Are any expressly political comedians funny?* Meetings interrupted by death * Listener question: On the 1619 Project * Indonesian guys loves America, nuclear weapons* Family friends with Carlos the Jackal* Israel asks: “Kmele, what should we do?”* Stars and Bucks (Correction: Bethlehem not Ramallah)* Why not get a…

Nov 16, 202327 min

#429 - The Kevin Hart Resource Curse

* One hell of a night, one brutal morning* Kevin Hart kills* Judy Gold and college comedy* The Washington Post says sorry for being mean to Hamas* Be brave, get fired?* There’s been a bunch of recent Islamist attacks in the West, actually* New York City’s hate crimes leader board* The pointless Republican debate* Vivek is the worst (and also was kinda good for three seconds)* Reaganism without Reagan (and Bannon’s Reagan film)* Only in New York, kids* Trust the kids, kids* Teaching about vs. proselytizing for… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Nov 12, 20231h 13m

Members Only #188 - Shine on You Crazy 'Anti-Zionist'

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Voting for New York judges (and do you have a spare apartment?)* An unsolicited application* Liz Warren warns about the surge of….* Is violent anti-Semitism in the U.S. a real threat?* Explain the progressive-Islamist alliance please…* He has become comfortably dumb* No, it’s not really fishy* Defining war, war crimes, and civilians * The government’s stupid war on (pr…

Nov 8, 202330 min

#428 - Poundtowns and Political Pilgrims

* Happy birthday Kmele* The girls of the IDF * The lads take a wrong turn, end up in “Poundtown”* In fairness, we didn’t know he did a whole segment on this * So Mike Pence dropped out?* That’s some good polling for Bobby Jr. * When innocents die* Nat Turner’s bloody rebellion * Human shields and asymmetry* Kill ‘em all, says Rep. Brian Mast* Political pilgrims for Hamas* Sorry but nothing after 1917, Matt* And much, much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Nov 2, 20231h 49m

Members Only #187 - A Break from the Grimness w/ Danny Polishchuk

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAlong with fellow comedian Ryan Long, Danny Polishchuk is one half of the very funny Boyscast podcast (a favorite of Fifth Column listeners, we are reliably told). Again alongside Ryan Long, Danny is the woke guy in the “When Wokes and Racists Actually Agree on Everything” video.” And there’s lots of great solo stuff over at his YouTube channel. Danny s…

Oct 31, 202325 min

#427 - Is Cancel Culture Cancellable? (w/ Greg Lukianoff & Rikki Schlott)

* On The Canceling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All―But There Is a Solution.* The youngest Fif’ and Maher guest.* My how times have changed since 9/11.* The numbers are very, very bad. Bad numbers!* The sudden (and probably temporary) rediscovery of campus neutrality.* Yes, some post-Oct. 7 campus ruckus has been Cancel Culture.* And so, so depressing.* The (surprising!) view from Gen Z.* Millennials are the worst.* Schlott vs. Haidt.* Shut up, bigot.* The Left does it more (on campus, anyway).* We’re past peak-Woke, right? Right? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 27, 20231h 30m

Members Only #186 - From the Haganah to Häagen-Dazs

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* An idiot…He wrote this* Condolences to a friend * What is a war crime?* History wars and war crimes* The worst congresswoman went to the worst law school * In defense of Harvard. Sort of. * Defending Panthers and the exhilaration of murderous anti-Semitism* Why no air raid shelters?* Meir Kahane Krunch* Objecting to a guest. We disagree* Karine Jean-Pierre will answer what…

Oct 25, 202329 min

#426 - w/ Matt Duss - Notes from the Other Side

* Hamas and the hospital* Don’t trust and try to verify* Did Israel “create” Hamas?* When there’s no negotiating partner* America’s role in the Middle East* Enter Iran…* Gauging Palestinian public opinion* A massive media failure* One-way root causes* And much more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 20, 20231h 14m

Members Only #185 - Radicalized by Radicals

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Where are you Ben and/or Jerry?* The radicalization of KF* What it means to be “anti-war”* The radicalization of the universities* Other fronts in the war * Israel, its neighbors, and its assassination program (Note: It was not Shamir who was PM during Operation Opera. It was Begin. Moynihan regrets the error)* Importing anti-Semitism to Europe* No, you can’t go to H…

Oct 16, 202333 min

#425 - The Nightmare Scenario (w/ Oren Kessler)

A few weeks before the Hamas pogrom, Moynihan was reading Palestine 1936: The Great Revolt and the Roots of the Middle East Conflict by the brilliant Israeli-American journalist and historian Oren Kessler. So he called him to talk through the current conflict, its historical antecedents, and how Hamas’s murder spree has effected his family.* RIP Tomer Shoham* The nightmare scenario* “This is good for Hamas”* The “I don’t support it, but you have to understand…” argument* The “occupation” is Tel Aviv and Haifa* Nowhere to go / hostage trading* On the media coverage* The Arab Revolt of 1936* The beginning of Arab nationalism, Jewish terrorism* Writing while angry* The Jewish Agency Fund This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 13, 202358 min

Members Only #184 - Zoom Rebroadcast - On the Pogrom in Israel

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com(Editor’s note: about 20 seconds of Comrade Lake’s mic is missing at the very beginning of this recording. It fixes itself soon thereafter. Sorry about that)It’s that time of month (…ummmm….time for a rebroadcast of our Second Sunday Zoom call). As you probably already guessed, we managed just one topic of conversation this time around: the unfolding ho…

Oct 10, 202323 min

#424 - w/ Rep. Peter Meijer - McCarthy and His Enemies

* Former Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer is back to talk about his insane friends and erstwhile colleagues on the Hill * Peter’s surprising (to us) view of Rep. Matt Gaetz* “I try to see the best in people” (Hmmmmm….)* The gordian knot of polarization* Peter makes the case for [blank] as Speaker…….* Oh wait, he’s kinda serious!* What do any of these people actually believe? * “Oh, I mean, there's horseshoe theory and then there's horseshoe theory…”* Does Peter have an announcement to make?? Maybe??* Well, he didn’t exactly deny it* Note: giving people free shit usually works (for a bit)* The HARD LEFT supercut* Former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer was setup and no one really cares* Two progressive activists are murdered and out come the ghouls This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 6, 20231h 46m

Members Only #183 - UNLOCKED - K&M Live in Philly

* Unrelated non-programming note from Moynihan: “As some of you might recall, and as I mentioned in the intro, last year I beseeched listeners to help my amazing daughter Livia (and her gymnastics team) raise money for pediatric cancer. And last year, you guys came through in such a crazy way that one parent asked me if I was “some sort of cult leader.” I said no. I’m only a cult co-host. So thanks in advance! Oh, and the event is tomorrow!” THE LINK* Back in July, Kmele and Moynihan talked to a room full of students at FIRE’s annual student conference in Philadelphia. Much fun was had by all. And it was recorded. So…here you go.* A generous Greg Lukianoff intro. And some stuff about Kmele and Moynihan and Jonah Lehrer. For the kids.* And then…the kids tell tales of campus woe…* What more description do you need? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 4, 202358 min

#423 w/Josh Szeps - TED, Just Admit It

Our old Aussie-Aussie-Aussie-Oi-Oi-Oi pal Josh Szeps, former host of the morning show Wake Up Ya C***s, was in New York this weekend and stopped by the Fifth’s Chinatown headquarters! So we decided to have a few drinks (Ed. note: Josh has lost approximately 600 pounds and is now sober, while Welch and Moynihan are still the same old lazy alcoholics) and argue about how our pal Coleman Hughes was treated by TED…receive a concise primer on the politics of Australia’s “voice” referendum…get an equally concise lesson in Aussie identity politics… promote his terrific podcast “Uncomfortable Conversations”…and recount a recent conversation that was so uncomfortable that it has been permanently disappeared. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Oct 3, 20231h 43m

Members Only #182 - The Racist Wolf

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Deion’s audacious blackness* Kevin McHale’s audacious whiteness * Serious Hasan’s baby is covered in cocaine* What everyone hates most is a racist, anti-Asian wolf* Cutting the razor wire because…why not?* Immigration in Europe is different* DOWTCHA BOY! The (Irish?) origins of Jamaican Patois* Is Matt the Harvey Weinstein of the Fifth?* Guess what? There was more to t…

Sep 25, 202323 min

#422 - Introducing The Fifth Column Center for Antiracist Research

* The sartorial excellence of the Pennsylvania Senate delegation* “Pooping on their shoes” * Kilmeade v. Rosendale (that’s his name)* Kendi and the disappearing millions * Want to demonitize one of your enemies? We have an idea!* A threatening letter from Lady Orwell DBE* The ACLUization of everything * Trump on the Meet the Press* Broadcast needs to “lend democracy a hand?”* Biden is just getting worse* Ron slides further…and new New Hampshire numbers * Defeatism and elitism, mixed * The “moral clarity” darling of 2023: Christiane Amanpour This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Sep 22, 20231h 47m

Members Only #181 - From Bob Geldof to Jesus (of Nazareth) to Walt Disney

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Bob Geldof is the hero of this story* She isn’t the pantless one* Catholics, Kmele and your “best religious experience”* Nick and the Burn* Jamaican names / Wes Anderson movies * Revisiting Less Than Zero* The Hollywood Party v. Walt Disney* A listener has an Amy Cooper question…* The Kendi Center kind of shuts down* NOI in our imagination* Whitedurans wonder what to do ne…

Sep 20, 202325 min

#421 - Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

* 36 year-old grandmother vapes, feels up Democrat * Shanah Tova!* Russell Brand, who Moynihan wrote about in 2014, is accused of rape* They are coming after the truth tellers, maaaaaannnnnn* Revisiting Hunter’s indictment * Breaking: Biden is confused and sleepy * Trump v. Kelly* I’m the president, so it’s legal…* Ron’s compounding troubles, plummeting poll numbers* Preemptive skepticism * Hasan Minaj is an unfunny fraud This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Sep 17, 20231h 38m

Members Only #180 - The Fifth on Zoom! With Ben Dreyfuss! It's a Rebroadcast!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAs Moynihan explains in the intro, this is the Zoom recording from this month’s Second Sunday broadcast. Basically, it’s the difference between a soundboard and audience bootleg. But so it goes. So no bullet points this week—enough time has already been spent on this episode—other than to say that Ben Dreyfuss shows up and we talk about Danny Masterson,…

Sep 14, 202323 min

#420 - Texas Ends New York! Protesters End Climate Change! DOJ Prosecutors End Proud Boys!

* Every city is a nightmare* Airbnb banned—but hotel rooms are now free!* Pedro glues his feet to the floor, Moynihan discovers climate change* It’s the end of New York as we know it (and Mayor Adams feels not so fine)* None of this is sustainable, btw* “BIPOC” residents in Chicago are angry * Nikki rising, Vivek shrinking* Enrique Tarrio, black white supremacist, gets more time than Mr. American Taliban* The DOJ understands why an activist guy murdered a non-activist guy This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Sep 8, 20231h 45m

Members Only #179 – The Late Richard Riordan and the Never-Launched L.A. Examiner

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

Sep 5, 202358 min

#419 - In Defense of Capitalism...and Sweden's Covid Response (w/ Johan Norberg)

Let’s abandon the usual bullet points and instead provide a few relevant links. The lads sit down with Swedish writer and historian Johan Norberg to discuss his forthcoming book The Capitalist Manifesto; his report on Sweden’s Covid response; his almost-a-book The Mirage of Swedish Socialism: The Economic History of a Welfare State; and that time, twenty years ago, when he first came across Moynihan wandering around Stockholm, clutching a book about filthy commies. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Sep 2, 20231h 11m

Members Only #178 - The Blob

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Elvis Costello’s dad is the best dancer* Orthodox Shyne* Jamaicans vs….ummm…non-island people* Close enough* The race blob* The Australia craze / Jacko* Gross Steven Segal songs* “The molester Rolf Harris?”* Revisiting the dumb debate * Ron, Vivek, et al* In praise of Gary Becker (and his family)* OJ Simpson: Slashing government spending* Moynihan’s baggage has shifted on this…

Aug 28, 202328 min

#418 - The State of Debate (w/ Mike Pesca)

* Best mugshots of all time (Winner: 70s Larry King)* Who won the dumb debate* No, the agenda is a hoax* Nikki…pretty, pretty, pretty good, actually* “Let’s not look backwards”* One of the most deranged policy suggestions…* The debate over Trump prosecutions* Did Trump sound sane compared to Tucker?* What happened to Pesca’s podcast “Not Even Mad” podcast?* It’s really hard to make a podcast where everyone disagrees * Is the New York Times getting a bit more sensible?* Blurring the lines between activism and journalism This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Aug 25, 20231h 23m

Members Only #177 - Bang , Bang, Bing, Bong, Dong, Dong (Second Sunday Live Rebroadcast)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* San Francisco again* Song of the South again* TikTok NPC insanity* Colombian Snow White, for the first time* How Obama broke up with his girlfriends * Roger Stone on JFK Jr. And a bit on PressTV * Richy Rich of Richmond * The AnCap of Argentina* If the lads of the Fifth could avoid the dumb outrage, would they ?* Iran, Pakistan, American foreign policy* Are we more polariz…

Aug 24, 202324 min

#417 - Free Speech in Philly, Volume 1 (Live w/Lara Bazelon and Greg Lukianoff)

* A Moynihan intro on theft and “Jew face”* Lara Bazelon on rap lyrics as evidence, January 6th prosecutions, RICO, prosecutorial insecurity and overreach * Artists, characters, and belief* A Title IX violation is worse than being convicted for robbery * Lara’s new podcast * Greg on Title IX bureaucracy and free speech* The decline of the American university* And much, much more* Stay tuned for volume 2, in which Kmele and Moynihan field questions from college students! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Aug 18, 20231h 4m

Members Only #176 - A Fantastic Podcast Recorded in Hegemonic English

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* RIP Robbie Robertson* Yeah, so 30 minutes of music talk about The Band, The Doors being bad, listeners getting mad at us, Graham Nash in a book store, Mickey Jones, patriotic Bob, Barry Goldwater, and The Last Waltz. Sorry about that.* I’m going to suggest that you weren’t denied entry into the exclusive club because you’re Asian * But being an Asian-American…

Aug 14, 202324 min

Members Only #175 - The Six Million Dollar Racist and a Second-Hand Banana

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Richard Hananananananania is very sorry* He has changed. From last week.* Handjobs against racism* Lizzo, bananas, petards* “Everything I do is consequential, baby”* Chasing Fonzie the racist (Ed note: We can neither confirm nor deny this story)* The thing that is true but one cannot say…* Italy is a great but they’ll charge you a toll to cross the room* Irish and Ital…

Aug 7, 202327 min

#416 - A Sloppy Summer Pod, Recovered

So this one is probably four days old now? But because of the shitty software we use—and the fact that our…ummm….editor is currently on vacation in Italy—it took some serious archeology to salvage the recording. But it sounds fine, it’s a good episode, and Moynihan isn’t at all annoyed about having to upload this from a beach in Forte dei Marmi. The lengths we will go to make you people smarter and happier…So no description. Just listen to the damn thing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Aug 1, 20231h 48m

Members Only #174 - Coast to Coast, Until You Say Stop

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Matt hasn’t seen Oppenheimer * Brittany Murphy is dead, probably from myocarditis. Kmele is surprised * Found that anti-Qaddafi t-shirt* That stupid interview on Democracy Now* NHJ is America’s greatest historian* Was Moynihan crying? (Moynihan responds: This is fake news)* “But ackshually……..”* Low key good and not great* Richard (not Robert) Frank’s brilliant book* The…

Jul 26, 202325 min

Members Only #173 - VICE Disgrace, Racist Boston, Racist Viruses

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Kmele and the Dead* Lia hates God* RFK and the race virus* A guilty verdict* The Dersh and jury nullification * The often referenced video of Dersh v. the Fink* A listener retracts his “dickish email”* An email about Boston and music* Is Boston a “racist” city?* Forgetting about bussing * The Irish vs. the WASPs* Moynihan unloads on idiot Vice executives

Jul 18, 202329 min

#415 - The Pod of Laughter and Forgetting and Tracy Chapman and Crack and The Three Stooges

* This is a very summer episode. Soz. * Moynihan, impanelled* Implicit bias and your cup of coffee* Chipotle paranoia * We interrupt this program for a detailed Welch interregnum of the death of Milan Kundera* Tracy Chapman is “honored” by Luke Combs’s cover. The Washington Post is alarmed* Elvis was a hero to most, but he never…* You didn’t write that song. The “community” did* De La Soul is not Steely Dan* Airbrushing music and film history will save the universe* Actually Tintin in Congo is pretty bad….* A dumb congressman says something dumb. Ho hum. * A suggestion for a new Sokal hoax* Cocaine, crack, and a question never asked of Biden the Younger* Why Matt once bought $100 worth of crack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jul 14, 20231h 57m

#414 - Clarifications, Curried Goats, Cocaine Capers

* Taking back a “clarification”* Underhoused. Overhoused. Differently housed.* Mayor Adams yells at a Holocaust surviving slave master* Drinking coffee with pictures of dead cops* Who lost the cocaine?* Kamala speechwriter video* The worst person in America is…* That interesting piece about Kevin Kruze’s not interesting book* The Fifth Column agrees: the 4th is pretty great…* Immigration in Europe vs. immigration in the US* Harvard and affirmative action This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jul 9, 20231h 47m

Members Only #172 - We're Literally Shaking / RFK Redux

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* A sick podcast* Revisiting Coleman and RFK* Listeners yelling at Moynihan* Some nice stuff about Moynihan* A clarification from Moynihan* (All of this is re: RFK) * BTW, Sirhan Sirhan was really anti-Semitic* The conspiratorial mind* Are Birchers libertarians on meth?* Taking photos of yourself smoking crack* Matt tells a story about…something* Etc, etc, etc

Jul 4, 202323 min

#413 - So Many Idiots (w/ Damon Root)

Our old pal Damon Root, author of Overruled: The Long War for Control of the U.S. Supreme Court, stops by to explain why the world is ending and racism won and all new websites will be homophobic and paying your debts is fascism or something. So yeah, the lads discuss the court, affirmative action, student loans and how to eat your gay website cake. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jul 2, 20232h 9m

#412 - An RFK Intervention (w/ Coleman Hughes)

The great Coleman Hughes sent a pained email. Like many Americans angry about various stupid and sinister government Covid policies, he was now feeling the gravitational pull of a warbly-voiced political outsider from a family of consummate political insiders. He was, of course, starting to fall for Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. To be clear, this wasn’t a full-throated endorsement of Kennedy but, Coleman averred, an understanding where his ever-expanding legion of supporters were coming from. And after all, Kennedy was making some good points, no? With Matt Welch having left to join the Wagner Group, Moynihan and Kmele sent a flurry of furious messages and extended an invitation. Dear Coleman: be this week’s guest co-host! Because if we acted now, perhaps we could at least slow any potential descent into...no, no, no. We couldn’t sit idly by as another friend joined the Kult of Kennedy. We invited…he accepted. It was time for an intervention… This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jun 24, 20231h 41m

Members Only #171 - Bobby, Cormac, and Geddy

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAnother live Zoom for our handsome, brilliant, and generous subscribers (hence all the weird asides responding to a fast-moving live chat). A few topics covered:* Kmele on Juneteenth * Rush and nerds and whites and wizards * RFK and Rogan and debate* Being brave and calling….* RIP Cormac McCarthy * James Randi “platforming” Uri Geller * Vivek’s Russia stuff* Yalta and …

Jun 19, 202322 min

#411 - A Conversation with Vivek Ramaswamy

Fresh from his campaign stop in front of a Miami courthouse, presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stops by the Fifth’s Chinatown studio to very politely argue with Welch and Moynihan about a whole bunch of stuff. Including:* The donor class* What kind of conservative is Vivek?* Populism and free trade* A peace plan for China and Ukraine* The Trump indictment* Would Vivek take a position in a Trump * Vivek leaves, the lads have a tipple* Not many randos this time* Matt and Moyn on the Trump indictment * Wait, did Moynihan just say…free Assange?? (He did!)* More 2024 nonsense* Chris Christie is serving his purpose * Moynihan tries to decode an ever more complex flag This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jun 14, 20231h 37m

#410 - The Tightening Noose

Matt, Moynihan, and Kmele assemble in Chinatown to mull over another Trump indictment. No need for bullet points for this one because beside the predictable digressions into muscle-bound gay birders and homophobic Blue Jays, it’s a lotta Donald. So without further ado…And don’t forget: for the price of one very large coffee, you can help feed the children. Specifically our children. Who are very sad. And very malnourished. And very disappointed in your cheapskatery. For shame. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe

Jun 10, 20231h 45m

Members Only #170 - Ukraine Calling (w/ Tim Mak)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comDespite being in a car in the city of Dnipro, journalist Tim Mak joins Michael Moynihan to talk about leaving NPR, moving to Kiev, and starting The Counteroffensive, his new Substack dedicated to reporting the Ukraine War. A few of the topics covered:* Tim arrived in Kiev the night the war started* Going back to Ukraine—and going independent* Why so many on t…

Jun 9, 202324 min

Members Only #169 - Loving the Alien, Shooting Matt in His Little Legs

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Ground control to Tucker C. * Episode one of the Bonkers Conspiracy Files* Also, we know what happened to that dam in Ukraine* But back to the white supremacist aliens…* Did the California senate pass on of the dumbest bills of all time? * Root causes and robbing Walgreens* Moynihan loves rooftop Koreans, thinks baby Matt should have been shot in his adorable littl…

Jun 7, 202329 min