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23 December 2025

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May 2, 2014 — Conor Friedersdorf & Mark Joseph Stern
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Friedersdorf

On Friedersdorf, Conor and Mark discuss a North Carolina church that’s suing for the right to perform same-sex weddings. Does this case show that conservatives are hypocrites about religious freedom? Conor and Mark are both troubled by an Oregon case in which the state’s gay marriage ban is going undefended in court. Has Clippers owner Donald Sterling received due process? They discuss how condemning Sterling’s cartoonish racism lets us off the hook for more insidious forms of bias, like housing discrimination. Is there a downside to the strong American taboo against racism? Plus: Why same-sex marriage is not a slippery slope to polygamy.

Apr 30, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ

On The DMZ, Matt explains why conservatives are wont to make folk heroes out of figures like Cliven Bundy. Bill and Matt analyze the political valence of the Donald Sterling case, and consider the traits that Bundy and Sterling have in common. Has Sarah Palin’s star faded enough that conservatives can now criticize her without fear? Bill argues that the media has overplayed John Kerry’s comments about Israel and apartheid. Plus: On foreign policy, should Obama be trying to hit singles or home runs?

Apr 24, 2014 — Robert Wright & James Pinkerton
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Apr 23, 2014 — Dana Goldstein & Kevin Carey (moderated by Aryeh Cohen-Wade)
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The Good Fight round 2
Apr 21, 2014 — Kelsey D. Atherton & Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
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Foreign Entanglements
On Foreign Entanglements, guest hosts Kelsey and Daveed recount their epic battle as finalists in TwitterFightClub 2014, which Daveed won by using lessons learned from battle rap. Applying comic books to national security, they wonder how Iron Man and Galactus could help the US military. Is the sequel to Top Gun really going to be about drones? They analyze what the large outdoor meeting of Al Qaeda in Yemen reveals about what drones can and can’t do. Daveed offers a counterintuitive take on Al Qaeda’s strength and America’s drone war. Plus: The flaws in a Times op-ed connecting military veterans and white supremacy.
Apr 18, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ, Matt laments that kids these days are ignorant of the glories of ’80s pop culture, and explains how movies like Red Dawn shaped Gen Xers’ politics. So why has today’s Hollywood abandoned appealing to conservatives? Bill argues that Rand Paul is playing loose with the facts and thus hurting his attempt to rebrand the GOP. Has 2016 reporting gotten out of control? They analyze the new Mother Jones story on New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez that used leaked audio of private conversations to paint her as the next Sarah Palin. Plus: How should politicians navigate a privacy-free world?
Apr 16, 2014 — Betsy Woodruff & Daniel Strauss
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Apr 15, 2014 — Michael Brendan Dougherty & Freddie deBoer
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The Score
On The Score, Freddie wonders why geeks are so aggrieved when geek culture, as embodied by Game of Thrones, is ascendant. Michael notes that an obsession with being the victim is a key aspect of the culture war, and they discuss why “you’re doing it wrong” has become a prime trope of online conversation. They consider the forced resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, and the left’s effort to thoroughly stigmatize opposition to same-sex marriage. Freddie makes the case for legalizing polygamy, and explains why he’s an apathetic atheist. Has atheism become pathological? Plus: What would happen if everyone’s Gmail archive suddenly became public?
Apr 14, 2014 — Michael Brooks & Steven A. Cook
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Worldwise
Apr 10, 2014 — Matthew Duss & Robert Farley
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Foreign Entanglements
On Foreign Entanglements, Matt reports on his recent trip to Israel, where peace negotiations with the Palestinians have reached a crisis point. Matt and Rob discuss whether Israeli domestic politics will preclude any sort of final deal, and Matt notes that the settlement project has become deeply embedded in the Israeli government. Ripping into a recent WSJ op-ed, Rob argues that sending old American B-52s to Israel would be a bad idea for all involved. They critique Reihan Salam’s column declaring that he is still a neoconservative, and consider what that controversial label means now. They analyze Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the “asshole problem” in international relations. Plus: Geography is for losers!

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