The Fifth Column

I am usually among the most allergic to broad, immutable-characteristic-based analyses along the lines of “The Crisis of Men and Boys.” Some of this is the usual self-loathing—Screw guys, especially if they’re 54-year-old baseball fanatics from California!, etc. But also, probably due to the extended influence of the man formerly known as Casanova Brown, I have seen too often the fact-bending, anti-individualist and too often punitive ideological temptations of sorting humans into various pens and making grand statements about the resulting statistics.However! When tasked during a recent media appearance to have comments on The Trouble With Males, I stumbled across a stunning (to me) chart at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showing that the employment rate for dudes between 2001 and 2021 was down in every age bracket younger than 55, and up in every cohort after 55. Dramatic numbers, too—16-19-year-old males went from 50% to 36%; 20-24s from 82% to 73%, and so on. If we’re getting to the point where half of men have never worked before the age of 25, that’s a profoundly different America than some of us old farts grew up in.So when I received a publicist email saying that the Bradley Prize-winning American Enterprise Institute economist Nicholas Eberstadt had just come out with a brand new post-pandemic edition of his groundbreaking 2016 study Men Without Work, I leaped at the chance to talk to him about this subject that I cared not at all about just one month ago. Hoo-ray for the on-the-job learning!Eberstadt, as you will soon hear, has a more interesting pedigree than your average math professor, with a wife who writes about the sexual revolution and identity politics, a sister who was in Warhol’s Factory, one grandfather who was Ogden Nash, and another who co-founded the CIA. And don’t worry, we also talk a bit about commies.-- The myth of “full employment”-- NILFs-- “There is absolutely nothing good that comes out of this trend”-- “Uncannily, weirdly, eerily regular”-- “There's no country in the rich world that has had such a steep radical and continuing drop as the U.S.A.”-- The Lost Decade, and the New Misery-- Wealth without growth-- The populist reaction-- “They don’t do civil society”-- Immigrants get the job done-- California vs. Texas on immigrant welfare-- Schmancy Bobbleman vs. the feminists-- The ex-felon factor-- They’re all on disability-- We just did a national UBI experiment-- Get a job, teens!-- Does this also explain woke/cancel stuff?-- We weren’t gonna let that Warhol connection slide-- Nor the CIA grandpa-- Charles Murray, Tim Carney, J.D. Vance-- North Korea’s role in Russia’s failing war 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

* Only Fans is for Justice* Internet Experts* Not Even Not Fascism* Right Wing Extremists Everywhere* Blame The EU* What You’re Really Afraid Of* The Beyonce of Journalism* Call of the Wild* Lil Baby Offends* Democratic Illiberalism * Not That Big Lie* Don’t Call It a “Ban” (Even If It’s A Ban)* They Were Watching BaseballRecorded: 9.28.22Published: 9.29.22 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

* Toddler Pestilence* Death Defying Drives* Naked Pool Slide (are you “The Big Guy”* Russia, Ukraine, A wildly outdated PBX systems* Trump’s Devolving Legal Situationship* This Isn’t Political; Trust Me 🤞🏼* Russia Hacked the Women’s March?* Buses, Planes, and “Kidnapping” Stunts* Maybe Build that Wall Now?Recorded: 9.22.22Published: 9.23.22 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

Featuring:Thomas Chatterton Williams - Contributing Writer @ The Atlantic, Visiting Professor and Senior Fellow Hannah Arendt Center @ Bard College Adam Davidson - Co-Founder @ Planet Money, Contributing Writer @ The New Yorker*** “It amazes me that any straight, white dudes don't see the privilege we have. It's not subtle.” - Adam Davidson - via Twitter (8/20/22)Not a long tweet. And in the grand scheme of things, hardly an unusual opinion to encounter. Ordinarily, I fire off a reply —maybe there’s some pithy back and forth, but things more or less end up about where they began— until the next (pointless?) social media drama.But maybe we agree to talk instead? Probe a bit further. Perhaps even learn a few things in the process? 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

So I broke into the Palace with a sponge and a rusty spannerWith the Right Honorable Matt Welch ensconced in a posh Beverly Hills hotel, prepping to shock and sicken America with yet another appearance on Real Time, Kmele and Moynihan got on the horn to discuss the death of corgi-loving colonialist Queen Elizabeth II, moronic “anti-colonialist” Twitter, Bannon’s perp strut, Moynihan’s unwitting mentor, phantom racist volleyball fans, and an unarmed man shot in the back who wasn’t unarmed or shot in the back. 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

Against a blood-red backdrop, President Biden gives an urgent campaign speech, warning that America is becoming semi-Nazi Germany, Donald Trump is partial Hitler, and our almost democracy is on the precipice of kinda revolution. The lads watch the speech and say lots of really smart things. But before they discuss the end of America, Kmele forces a conversation about Michael Jackson’s Thriller. He has a theory. Moynihan and Welch are…skeptical. 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

* Zuck Talks w/ Rogan* Student Loan Forgiveness* Who Cares if It’s Democratic* WashPo: “It’s Regressive!”* The Redbox Test* Student Debt is immoral * Moynihan in an elevator w/ Harry Styles* Oh, my god, they fired Brian (You bastards!)* The Jim Jones of Journalism* NBC “News”* The Many Papers of Donald Trump* That NPR Voice* Ben Shapiro Goes to a Conference (Hilarity Ensues) 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

A few weeks ago, with Matt Welch bleeding out of his ears and supposedly forbidden from flying, Kmele and Moynihan hopped a plane to a post-apocalyptic hellscape called “San Francisco” to kibizt with their new benevolent overlords at Substack. Unlike the boring prigs at Patreon (whose “Trust and Safety” commissars never even returned our calls), Substack rather generously hosted the Fifth crew for drinks, drinks, some more drinks, and a live show at company HQ. In Matt’s stead, the lads called up FOTF (Friend of the Fifth - ed.) Lara “Che” Bazelon, a local law professor and communist revolutionary, and Substack co-founder* Hamish McKenzie, a reactionary publisher of fake news. They discuss San Francisco, the state of the media, the future of free speech, and much, much more. Enjoy.*Note: We previously referred to Hamish as CEO of Substack. He is, we are reliably informed, the "chief writing officer," which sounds to us like a fake job. As such, we now have significant doubts he even works at Substack and suspect he's never even been to New Zealand (which he told us “is the country where Kyle Minogue and Yahoo Serious are from”). 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

Many urgent matters loom large in this dispatch.How did boxes full of TOP SECRET documents turn up a Trump’s Mar-a-lago compound?!Could be an honest mistake… Few moving labels get mixed up; nuclear secrets turn up in a Florida man’s safe. Maybe a box full of Melania’s bawdiest intimates gets serendipitously misdirected to the National Archives.Could America be so lucky?Could Trump be selling state secrets to the highest bidder?Could the “Deep State” be up to no good?Is there a clearance sale at the Banana Republic?We’ve got margaritas, Sativa, a burning desire to sort this 💩 out — and Eli Lake is a responsible adult whose laptop definitely won’t run out of power mid-podcast.Recorded: Aug 11, 2022Published: NOW 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

It's among the most unusual and noteworthy congressional primary races of 2022. For a surprisingly long stretch, Michigan's third district has been home to a uniquely independent brand of republican congresspersons. But after Peter Meijer (R) narrowly lost his primary race this week, MI-3's respectability streak is no more.Congressman Meijer's party largely abandoned him. The former President still really hates him. And Democrats spent $435,000 to help boost his MAGA-loving opponent's sparse media profile. Meijer joined us to break down the race, spill a little tea about his soon-to-be-former-colleagues, and share some high/lowlights from his all-too-brief time in office.Recorded: Aug 3, 2022Published: Aug 4, 2022 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

w/ John McWhorter and Glenn Loury- No Moynihan, No Welch- Progress or Pesmissim- Campus Culture- Culture Warriors- Gaslighting + Reactionaries- DEI Obstacles- Overstatement and Bravery- Dignity + Individualism- Race as Ethnicity- All in Bounds- Pride, Honor, Shame- “Tolstoy is Mine. Dickens is Mine.”- Everything is permissible to meRecorded: 6/14/22Published: 7/24/22 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

with David French contributing writer @ The Atlantic and senior editor @ The Dispatch.James GD WebbCleaning Your RoomPlaying to the CrowdThe Great CRT Ban KurfufflReconsidering that Roe decisionThe Capacity for PregnancyCorroboration, Prosecution, and RestraintTrump v DeSantisWorld Level ExpertsDarker Woods BeyondAnarchapulco 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

* Matt breaks an eardrum* Boris breaks British politics (Ed note: Boris renounced his American citizenship in 2017. We sort of regret the error)* Would Putin free LeBron?* Remember Macy Gray? Well, whoever she is, she’s very sorry* Tim Hardaway, self-proclaimed homophobe* The end of interventionism* Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is shot* Andrew Schultz goes the way of Louis CK* 2022 Freedom Bowl: California v. Florida* Gavin Newsom: Slightly Better than Beto* Covid and culture wars: What will matter in 2024We love all of our freeloading listeners. But we’d love you a whole lot more if you subscribed and reaped all the benefits of being a dues-paying member of the Fifdom. So click the button below. Now. It would make us very happy. 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

“Tear it down. Start over again. We can make a brand new start.” - Blue Mafic * A Bad Omen* Judicial Superfluity* Beyond Roe* unenumerated, natural, ipse dixit * Carry Concealed* Conservative Excesss, Judicial Restraint* Europe is Always Better* “Sand in every damn gear…”* Antidemocratic AF* Release the TranscriptsRecorded: June 25th, 2022Published: June 26th, 2022 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

* You Got a Friend* Restrictive Covenant* #MJInnocent* Beefin with TSA* Blockchain Nostradamus* A Very Bad Thing/The Worst Possible Thing* What Barr Knew* Clear and Present Danger* Google: maps of Capitol tunnels* The Blame Game* Can’t White a Book* Quietest Jazz Solo* Great Replacement Theory (But It’s Fine)* The Al Sharpton 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

* Kmele is flying* Dude has four parents. Not one isn’t a terrorist* The decline and fall of San Francisco, Part I * Fiona Dourif’s piece on how California fails the mentally ill* A sexy retweet* Ilya Shapiro quits Georgetown. He stops by to tell us why* Ilya apologized. Should he have?* He mentioned it, we’ll link to it: the paperback edition of Supreme Disorder * Shapiro: Cato abandoned me* Dave Weigel gets suspended because of his colleague and “close friend,” Sammy “the Bull” Sonmez,” rats him out* Another editors note re: the TikTok lady* A St. Louis Cardinal tweeted bad words when he was 14* Everything is dumb* CNN retools, but all the tools still work there* If you ask the question “should I have kids on account of climate change,” you probably shouldn’t have kids* A primetime January 6th hearing, produced by Busby Berkeley* Breaking: Chesa the Chavista needs a new job* The decline and fall of San Francisco, Part II 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

* Imperfect Introduction* Queerest story ever told* The heart-pounding conclusion of Depp v Heard * Birdwatching for Karens* A firearms "clarification"* The other 99% (and the warmth of simple narratives)* Incitement for “journalists”* Half Junky / Half Wonk* The absurd hilarity of historical injustice* Believe All Jedi* Fixing CNN+ (“Toobin After Dark” Edition)* Star Wars is for racists* Chief Colt 45* Total Recall, Certain Guilt* You always need more gays* Professional crybabies* The Pride of Prejudice 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

Another mass shooting, more performative outrage (note: and this was recorded right before Beto’s gross little stunt), and never any practical solutions. The lads discuss the massacre in Texas, a “racist” incident at Yankee Stadium, a terrible Marvel movie, and a proposed new female superhero. Oh and as Moynihan explains in his brief preamble, the Rodecaster Pro is a horrible piece of audio hardware that ate 28 minutes of this podcast…but if you’re an audio genius—and this might take a genius to fix—and you want a copy of the muddy, robotic bit to tinker with….feel free to reach out.And as previously pointed out, your free trial is ending soon. So make not to be a filthy freeloader and sign up for real. 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

In celebration of the Fifth’s triumphant move to Substack, the lads decided to do a live show in New York City, with the two most New York City guys they could find. But that live show in New York City sold out immediately, provoking a flurry of angry and/or heartbroken emails. So how does one skip the queue for the next one? Well, tickets are released to subscribers first. And our subscribers are bored and like to get liquored in the middle of the week. You see what we’re getting at? Now, it’s nothing like the sweaty, drunken energy of the Comedy Cellar on a Wednesday night, but this is a pretty reasonable facsimile: we present to you, in all of its random and rambling glory, an unedited recording of The Fifth Column live at the Comedy Cellar. A huge thanks to Michael Rapaport and Colin Quinn, who finished the show out. A few video clips forthcoming. And more pics over at Moynihan’s Instagram. 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

Another two-parter: the first half with our new favorite lefty Lara Bazelon, professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, journalist, feminist, novelist, controversialist. After Lara leaves, probably to free someone from prison, the lads take the second half of the show to catch up on the stupid and depressing news of the week.- Baaaa-zelon- Broken clock: Lara thinks Betsy DeVos had a point…- The lefty case for free speech and due process on campus- Lara’s Atlantic piece on how the ACLU lost its way - From Skokie to the lady from Aquaman- The social justice cafeteria- The ACLU’s face of gender violence is a rich actress who probably beat up her husband- Like this podcast, courtrooms are rhetorically “violent.” Get used to it.- That Laura Kipnis book - That sold out live show in NYC next week (with special guest hints)- The Dems failed borsh bill- Cooling inflation that is still really hot and “barreling ahead”- The failure of Trump’s trade policy- The anti-commie case against Ron DeSantis’s performative anti-communism - And so much more!- Stop being cheap and subscribe below. The money kind of subscribe. Because every dollar helps pay off Matt’s substantial gambling debts. 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

We’re unlocking this subscriber-only podcast, recorded back in January, just to give you freeloaders a taste of what lurks behind the paywall. It’s not only those amazing bonus episodes, wherein the morons from The Fifth Column yammering and stammering through the most important issues facing civilization. But occasionally one-on-one interviews with some of the most interesting people on Earth. Like this one with the great Jon Ronson, host of the new podcast Things Fell Apart. So head over to Substack and subscribe.By popular demand, we present to you, dear patrons, the triumphant return of journalist, podcaster, Welshman, filmmaker, and nicest guy in the business, Mr. Jon Ronson.Ronson, whose classic works include The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Psychopath Test and So You've Been Publicly Shamed, stopped by the Fifth's Chinatown studio to for a fascinating, revealing one-on-one chat about his phenomenal new podcast series Things Fell Apart, losing friendships because of the culture war (ahem), the first internet cancellation, satanic panics, and the interview that made him almost believe in god...and Moynihan almost (almost) cry. 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

- Mean Babies w/ Pink Eye- Tity Boi- Dangerous Misinformation- Show Tunes- Cinco de Mayo- Live From New York, Again- Apartheid Daydream- Combating Misinformation- The Sims 2- Anatomy of Tribal Hysteria- Everyone Starts to Say It- Its Own Reward- From Cuba to the Marshall Islands - Entangling AlliancesRecorded: April 29th, 2022Published: April 30th, 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Ulysses for kidzStop complaining. It's a secret.It's all over, folks. Barack solved misinformationThe Fairness Doctrine was dumb then. It's even dumber nowBTW, they're *all* liarsDefining misinformation (down)Sarah Hepola, author of the memoir Blackout and this great Atlantic pieceMoynihan v. Hepola on drinking She started drinking at 7??Wherein we demand Hepola credit the Fifth Column for saving her life or somethingOn self-censorship and gaslightingKmele's stirring defense of that fantastic beast, Johnny DeppAnd so much more See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

- A Very Bad Week- Best, Final- Like, Literally the Holocaust - F*ck You Money- Narrative Malfunction- Round the Water Cooler- How America Got Stupid- Going Solo- Automotive Analogy- Expanding Nato, Deploying Nukes- The Bully DecidesRecorded: April 14th, 2022Published: April 15th, 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

- Take Em' To Church- Okay, Groomer- How "Lion King" Made Kmele Trans- Troll Culture- Mr. Cooper's Pronouns- Elon's New Gig- BLM House Flippin'- The Purpose Driven Journalist- Louie CK and The Larger Truth***- Mr Perfect- The Truth About Ukraine- Red Dawn x 1,000- Obamacare 2022- Covid Zero- That Time Welch Got Us Canceled- Howard Stern's Golden (Shower) AgeRecorded: April 6th, 2022Published: April 7th, 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Slappy White and the Hot TakesBirthdays Was the Worst Days: Six Years of the FifthHey Twitter World (The Ballad of OJ Simpson)Jon Stewart’s excruciatingly dumb show on raceA Ben Dreyfuss tweetstormAmerica: From James Madison to Madison CawthornSex party etiquette A seven hour gap, a laptop that keeps on giving, and an ex-prez who won't go awayOn this sacred anniversary, a very, very exciting announcement See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

On casualties, causation, and delusionIs there a risk of overcorrection in Ukraine?Sanctions, free trade, and nukesThe power of historical grievanceKmele and Matt...disagree on corporations taking sides in warsAlso, the war in Ukraine is not about your dumb culture war issuesThe Ketanji Brown Jackson ShowMa'am, where do you stand on NAMBLA?Florida's "Lia Ackshully Lost Act"Slava Ukraini and slavery tipsRIP Madeleine AlbrightCory Booker is a bad actorSome thoughts on Arianna Huffington's mattress business See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Kmele got a new baby!Welch is doing -- something.And a disheveled, bleary-eyed Moynihan checks in from Europe -- where he's been bouncing between checkpoints and bunkers in Ukraine. The dude is earning his WHOLE paycheck this week.Recorded: March 14th, 2022Published: March 15th, 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Does the media have this conflict wrong?The privatization of protestEurope shutting down shitty, Kremlin-funded mediaWait, did Matt Taibbi just say he was warming to intervention?Verdict: unclearNo due process for shitty, Kremlin-funded oligarchs America's overlooked role in the beginnings of PutinismCould Russia have been democratic?Mearsheimer and the interminable NATO debateThe narcissism of Twitter war tourismTaibbi post game On Biden's SOTU speechOn the forgotten trade wars See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

With Kmele waiting for his son to arrive and moving into his new East Coast digs (or something), Welch and Moynihan again find a temporary replacement. This time the honor is bestowed upon Jamie Kirchick, senior fellow for the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council and author of the forthcoming book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. Bullet point topics for this episode seem unnecessary because....lotta Ukraine. With a bonus digression into Jamie's recent piece on Sohrab Ahmari and the right's lurch towards "national conservatism." Enjoy.Also: another Patreon coming at the end of the week. So go sign up. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Guest: Jeffery Sachs, Lecturer in Politics @ Acadia UniversityA Huge School Board Recall in San Francisco (With National Implications)A Proposed Ban on Talking About *Gay Stuff* w/ School Kids (In Florida, Of Course)A Contoversial Federal Crackdown on Protesters in Canada (Swastikas! Swastikas! Swastikas!)Is there more? Maybe 😏Recorded: Feb 17th 2022Released: Feb 18th 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Kmele's on a plane back East, where he shall remain and where the Fifth will increasingly ditch Zoom for in-person recordings. Yay. Filling in for Comrade Foster this week? Journalist, author, inventor, CNN contributor, mother of three, and all around swell gal, Mary Katherine Ham! The triumph of the stupidThe stupid Washington PostHating friends with stupid politicsMary Katherine, like Switzerland to her ex-friendsThe right after TrumpUnharassed by AilesWhen Hammer and Moynihan metRevisiting MKH’s reporting on the Tea Party town hall madnessMore on Hitler’s truckers Broken risk analysis: MKH on schools, masking, and Covid culture warsMasked and anonymousDoes Dave Chappelle hate the poor?Don't influence the normies The electoral power of hypocrisySports bras, shaming, and misinformationAnd so much more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Our favorite Danish intellectual returns! After a three-plus year absence, Jacob Mchangama is back on the Fifth, this time promoting his amazing new book, Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media, which P.J. O'Rourke calls "best history of free speech ever written and the best defense of free speech ever made." We tend to agree. The lads make quick work of a bottle of sake and still manage to blather about...The state of free speech in EuropeJoe Rogan and the crisis of speechMany of history's heroes of free speech were kind of shitty on free speechIt always comes back to NazisThe Weimar fallacyHanged for speech. Really, really bad speechThe sheep theoryJacob brings up Nazis again Tell the moon about the crying roomThe most powerful engine for social changeFree speech is a powerful engine *against* racismTwo islamists realize they were wrong about free speech See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

A freebie for the great unwashed, cheapskate masses. A little...ummm....looser than the free feed pod. And note that Moynihan's car was stuck in the snow just moments before recording, so he's slightly more unhinged than usual. When contacted, he apologized profusely and said "had I known you were releasing this to the freeloaders I wouldn't have said all of those things that I totally believe but make people pay to hear..." -TFC Snowstorms. People moving. Daughters acting crazy. Fiona Hill. Lots happening in the Fifthdom, but the lads got together this afternoon for a shouty, everyone-is-insane rant fest. The following topics were soberly discussed:- To save democracy, it must be destroyed- A left-right synthesis! Let's all abandon principles!- 16 free speech help lines- Oprah: The OG Joe- Jenny from the U of G- Smooth brown something- We need to talk about Rogan- We need to talk about (Ilya) Shapiro- Welcome to Georgetown...now into the penalty box, you racist!- A warning label for everything- A magic word supercut!- Canadian truck driving Nazis?- The Thousand Beer Reich: 14 out-of-shape Nazis stand on an Orlando bridge- Patti for SCOTUS- And much, much more.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Almost a year after being run out of Slate for possession of an unpopular opinion, journalist and podcaster Mike Pesca joins the Fifth for his first post-controversy conversation on how it all went down, when banal opinions became "harassment," and what we can expect from the The Gist 2.0.Is Kmele being prioritized for Covid treatment? Because, ya know...Mike Pesca gets pushed out of Slate (for referencing, but not saying, a magic word)Bull Connor's boss, SteveA "harassment-worthy" opinionWas anyone brave and did they call bullshit? Ummm...N-words and Mohammad cartoonsInsert $5 for more podcastKmele's Kovid fogThe roughest period of Mike's life, everThe new, new journalismHating Joe RoganYou don't have the truth, journalists. But you can get thereThe Gist's approchal Moynihan likes The Gist. Except that one episode...The media is atomized. Or maybe balkanizedColeman is a good rapperDon't catastrophize the normal See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Kmele at HereticonFallibility vs. FundamentalismA Time to ChooseIn Your Heart You Know He's RacistGerrymandering for GoodCredibility, TransparencyIgnoring Alex JonesArguing with Alex JonesThe One Thing Americans Agree On......It's All Going to Shit Alex Jones' AmericaIdiots Wrote ThisRecorded: Jan 13th, 2022Published: Jan 14th, 2022 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

He's brilliant. He has a Pulitzer Prize, And he's totally jacked. New York Times reporter Matthew Rosenberg, who was at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and could definitely kick your ass, joins the Fifth to reflect on the riot, coup, insurrection, revolution, putsch, mass hate crime...whatever you want to call it. But hang around after the Rosenberg Coup Hour for a freewheeling postgame meditation on legal crime in New York City, upbraiding Moynihan for his bad parenting skills, and the secret ghostwriters behind Kmele's Twitter account...*Note: It's someone else's fault, obviously, but allow us to extend a half-hearted apology for the slightly subpar (occasional but not terrible) audio quality on one of our mics. If this was a Patreon episode and you forked over cash--which you really, really should do--our regrets would be far more groveling and effusive. But you skinflints and freeloaders can just deal with it.... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

A Covid Christmas A Merry KwanzaaBefore you eulogize the dead, I have stupid tweet you should considerMatt sort of emptywheels Harry ReidPlanes, Trains, and superspreader eventsYes, there are no testsThe usual Covid frustrationsThe Webb Hubbell telescopeThe Memorial shutdownThe non-historians lecture us on historyDestroy the idols of AmericanismWhat on Earth is the Flatbush Remonstrance? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Back for his third (we think?) visit, the scourge of crackpots and charlatans, America's greatest ginger, and our favorite congressman...Rep. Peter Meijer!Look, it's not a great time for the Republican PartyUnity! Now get the fuck outWhat Rep, Meijer wrong about January 6thDear Congress: gimme some truth about January 6thWhy Nancy Pelosi wanted impeachment to failTo get out of an anti-democratic moment, we must have even less democracy "You voted to impeach and your career has been weird ever since" - Matt WelchWas that terrorism? Or just a bunch of delusional losersIs the insurrection investigation the job of congress or...historians?He's "fucking furious"Exit question to Rep. Meijer: What say you about Julian Assange? "Just find out about the UFOs" - Kmele FosterAn hour of post-Meijer postgame A mask for Dmitrios: remembering Kmele's trip to Greece Pack the court! / Kmele's insane Elizabeth Warren impressionUnlike most rich people, Elon acts like a rich personMerry Christmas, wokeness is over (if DeSantis wants it) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Jussie Smollett's years-long legal drama careening toward its conclusion. New York City enacts the countries most expansive (and ill-conceived) COVID restrictions. While the Biden Administration sends diplomatic shots at Xi in China and navigates an increasingly tumultuous situation with Putin in Russia.Kmele's New York State of MindCreep ShowPlayin' JournalistDiplomatic Games + Human RightsBlaming Everything on NATO (and Biden)Russia HawksNo Justice for JussieElite Lives MatterYoko/LennonMcLaughlin Psychic Friends Network See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Joining us for his third appearance on the Fifth, one of the sexiest men on planet Earth, the man with his own cam, the smartest and least partisan person on cable news...Massachusetts's own Steve Kornacki! Thank you North Dakota roughnecksThe dust clears in VA and NJ...and Kornacki tells us what it all meansWill the Republican Party divorce Trump?Voters, crime, and culture warsRemember when Alan Keyes was MAKING SENSE???How much power does the progressive caucus *really* have?Massachusetts Steve is obsessed with Mike DukakisBiden, polling, and the Afghanistan debaclePartisanship and the history of cable news We know little, but Waukesha already proves so muchQuiet Steve Kornacki....is one of the good onesAnd so, so, so much more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

w/ Jonathan Adler, Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law @ Case Western Reserve University- Three Stacks- Kanye ♥️ Drake- Steve Bannon's Day in Court- Google That- Hurry Up, Charge Him!- Black Panthers, Communist and MAGA Corps (Oh, My)- Seeing What We Want- Rittenhouse Rorschach- (Still More) Media MalpracticeRecorded: November 17th, 2021Published: November 19th, 2021 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

Way Too SexyCrypto ArtMiss Universe (Can Get It)Fifth Coin"A Bad Gal Dat"Palliative JournalismVirginia is for HustlersThe Trouble w/ ComplicatedWas Rufo Right? (No)We're Very Sorry (But We Keepin Your Stuff) Map Makers + Freak ShowsRecorded: 11/5/21Published: 11/7/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

w/ Zaid Jilani, former reporter at The Intercept and current substacker (inquiremore.com)Kmele, missing in a mudslide?Zaid, the most left-wing staffer at the Center for American ProgressCable news is horrible / Jeff Toobin slays white supremacySchool board chaos in VirginiaCreating wee lil' apparatchiksWhy do we care about the stupid VA governor's race?Words don't mean anything anymore, part 322We are all India-Pakistan nowThe steady hand in DC is trembling Dumb Republicans still have no economic programDear lord, she's wearing a vest!The collapsing Biden economic agendaIs Kyrsten Sinema a bad politician? Bad dresser? Bad bisexual?Matt discovers his white privilege (and he likes it) Recorded: 10/28/21Posted: 10/28/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

w/ Ethan Strauss, (HNIC @ "House of Strauss" / Substack)Enemy of the SyntaxEthiopian RoyaltyBreaking the Fourth WallLeaving the AthleticNot Just for Sports FansBreaking for Black BodiesNBA Vax MandatesObama Decides to Be Black"Racist" EmailsMoynihan's First JobDouble 0' SistasJokes that Kill (But Not Actually)Recorded: 10/16/21Published: 10/14/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

w/ Robby Soave, (Senior Editor @ Reason - Author, "Tech Panic")Oral SurgeryBuying Robby's BookHow Facebook (Isn't) Destroying The WorldIncompetent + ill-informedPlease, Think of The Teenagers A Vintage Moral PanicMark Zuckerberg's Body Count Victims + VictorsMessy SpeechWhen Google Becomes Microsoft26 Words (That Created the Internet) About That FBI MemoThe Darkest Day in American HistoryThe Great Culture War VortexAmericas' Dumbest HolidayRecorded: 10/6/21Published: 10/10/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

w/ Katie Herzog, Host @ "Blocked and Reported"Stay in Your HoodSo Many SourcesDog Run ConfidentialWhat Emma KnewKatie's NightmareHow Did You Get This NumberCool OffDenzel Was DrinkingMore ShaftVery Heavily RedactedEven More Heavily RedactedTwo SpiritsWizard of OzyRecorded: 9/30/21Published: 10/2/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

W/ Antonio Garcia Martínez, Propritor @ "The Pull Request"False StartDriven to DrinkCultural Valley ("Crazy Ones Need Not Apply")Mission ProtocolsThe Full NYT Software DownloadSection 230The Devil in the DetailsA Conservative War on Big TechStormfront / SJWAn Uncertain FutureGOP 🥰 FDRA Crypto First EconomyWe Probably Can't Get Along?Amazon vs. Google vs. Apple vs. FacebookNancy Pelosi: Project Manager?Pull RequestLe Tech BlogRendered Absurd By TimeFrom Nokia to MSNBC to Google Wave..."Will it Pass?" - Infrastructure Edition"Will it Pass?" - George Floyd EditionFalse StopRecorded: 9/22/21Published: 9/24/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

- Bacon Egg and Cheese (Late Capitalism Edition)- The Met Gala -- America's Most Glamours Tax Shelter- Hetro Negative- No Sex Cults for Kmele- Democrat Wins Most Democratic State- Larry Elder: White Nationalist?- The Republican Trump Conundrum- How Long Can Democrats Run Against Donald Trump- "She was in coach!"- Covid Hospitlziations, Vaccine Booster Controversy- Protecting the Vaccinated- Bob Woodward's New Trump Book- Gen Mark Milley Called the CCP- Trump: 'Withdrawl all the troops. Nuke China. Stop the steal!"- Stop the Steal Part Deux- As Afghanistan Dispeares from the Headlines- Me Love You Long TimeRecorded: 9/15/21Published: 9/16/21 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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

-- Aussie Impressions of a Missing Moynihan-- A Gay Dad’s Homophobia-- Australian Federalism; Who Knew?-- Libertarianism, Shmibertarianism!-- Islands Are Weird, Man-- QR Covid Tracking Is Totally Fine-- Concentration Camp or Exercise Yard?-- Anti-Science Quarantines-- What Tucker Carlson Got Wrong-- What Tyler Cowen Got Right-- The CRT/Abortion Parallels-- He’ll Come Visit Just as Soon as He Can Escape! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. 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