What the Hell Is Going On

AEI Podcasts
  • 0.0 (0)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
What the Hell Is Going On Podcast

The American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen address the questions we’re all asking in their podcast, “What the Hell Is Going On?” In conversational, informative and irreverent episodes, Pletka and Thiessen interview policymakers and experts, asking tough, probing questions about the most important foreign policy and security challenges facing the world today.

  1. 56 MIN AGO

    WTH Extra! Trump Disavowed Project 2025. But Harris Still Owns Her Project 2019. Dany and Marc Discuss

    In this episode of WTH Extra! Dany and Marc discuss Marc’s column in the Washington Post, Trump disavowed Project 2025. But Harris still owns her Project 2019. Donald Trump has regularly disavowed the Heritage Foundation’s wish list of proposals in its Project 2025, but Kamala Harris has failed to properly explain her shifts away from the far-left policies she campaigned on in 2019 – call it her “Project 2019.” Voters deserve to know why Harris has changed her policy positions so dramatically, and which of her 2019 positions she is actually abandoning. Read Marc’s column in the Washington Post here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    28 min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    WTH is Going On with Exploding Pagers in Lebanon? Marc Polymeropoulos Explains

    With one page, Israel was able to take thousands of Hezbollah operatives off the battlefield. When Hezbollah feared its modern communications network had been compromised, the Lebanese terrorist organization decided to dole out old-school pagers and two-way radios, hoping they would be more secure. In an operation more reminiscent of James Bond than reality, Israeli intelligence managed to infiltrate Hezbollah’s supply line and implant explosives throughout Hezbollah’s new “secure” communications network. The result? A crippled adversary, boosted Israeli morale, and all with historically low civilian casualties. Marc Polymeropoulos is a nonresident senior fellow in the Forward Defense practice of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Polymeropoulos worked for twenty-six years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) before retiring in July 2019 at the Senior Intelligence Service level. He was one of the CIA’s most highly decorated operations officers. He is the author of Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA (HarperCollins, 2021). Read the transcript here.

    54 min

  3. 19 SEPT

    WTH is Happening With Campus Protests This Fall? FIRE’s Greg Lukianoff on the Threats to Free Speech

    Free speech is under attack on America’s college campuses. 2023 was already set to be the worst year for de-platforming – speakers being canceled or shut down because of their views – even before October 7 unleashed waves of antisemitic protests that worked to silence anyone attempting to support the Jewish state. Absent serious reform that protects all voices in our academic institutions, this school year will blow last year out of the water. What can schools do to protect free speech on campus? How are students taking matters into their own hands by rejecting self-censorship? And what are the best and worst schools for freedom of speech? Greg Lukianoff is an attorney, New York Times best-selling author, and the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). He is a regular author on free speech issues and was executive producer of the documentaries Can We Take a Joke? (2015) and Mighty Ira: A Civil Liberties Story (2020). Lukianoff earned his undergraduate degree from American University and his law degree from Stanford. Read the transcript here. Read FIRE’s 2025 College Free Speech Rankings here.

    53 min

  4. 16 SEPT

    WTH is Going On With the Election After the Debate? Josh Kraushaar Explains

    More thoughts on that debate, and we cover the fascinating question of the Jewish vote, which traditionally leans heavily Democratic. Following a year of Biden administration equivocation over antisemitic, anti-Zionist, and anti-American protests, Jewish voters in swing states may swing the election in Trump’s favor – if he can focus on policy over cat-related conspiracy theories. How is the debate fallout impacting the election? Will Harris be able to maintain the Democratic Party’s Jewish contingency? And how are fringe voices shifting the messaging of both parties? Josh Kraushaar is the editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider and a political analyst for Fox News Radio. He was previously a senior political correspondent at Axios, editor-in-chief of the Hotline, and a co-author at the Almanac of American Politics. Read the transcript here.

    54 min

  5. 11 SEPT

    WTH Extra! About That Debate… Dany and Marc Explain

    In this episode of WTH Extra! Dany and Marc discuss the disaster that was the first and likely only debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris came into the debate well prepped, articulate, and managed to dodge the few attempts to make her explain her flip-flopping on a litany of far-left policies. Trump, meanwhile, succumbed to his worst temptations, failing to take advantage of opportunities to knock Harris’s record. Worst of all, the moderators showed a clear and unabashed bias for Harris all night long.

    21 min

  6. 5 SEPT

    WTH Is Going To Happen in November? Karl Rove Explains

    Summer is over and the election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is right around the corner, with early voting starting this month in some states. Today, the election is in effect a tossup with highly possible paths to victory for both candidates. But this election is either’s to lose, with Trump struggling to stay on message and Harris unwilling or unable to speak alone and off script with the American people. What are Harris and Trump’s chances come November? Will the GOP keep the House and re-take Senate? What would a Harris administration mean for America? Karl Rove is a Wall Street Journal columnist and a Fox News contributor. He is the former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush and is known as “The Architect” of President Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns. Rove is the author of The Triumph of William McKinley (Simon & Schuster, 2016) and Courage and Consequence (Threshold Editions, 2010). Read the transcript here.

    53 min

  7. 29 AUG

    WTH: Ukraine Takes the War to Putin. General Jack Keane Explains Ukraine’s Strategy and Path to Victory

    Ukraine’s cross-border counterattack into Kursk Oblast, Russia, flipped the script on those who thought Ukrainians were losing in a stalemated war. Not only is the operation a brilliant tactical move, forcing the Russians to move troops to defend their own territory, but the invasion of Kursk also gives Ukraine leverage in any future negotiations. However the war is not won yet, and it is now up to the Biden administration to finally put an end to disastrous policies and restrictions on Ukraine that have only prolonged the fighting. General Jack Keane is a retired 4-star general and the former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army. He is also the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, a Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst, and a member of the Secretary of Defense Policy Board. General Keane has previously advised four Defense Secretaries and was a member of the 2018 and 2022 Congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy. Read the transcript here.

    55 min

  8. 22 AUG

    WTH Is Going On at the DNC? Fox News’s Jessica Tarlov Explains

    The Democratic National Convention is full steam ahead in Chicago as the Democrats enthusiastically rally around their new nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. However, amidst celebrity performances and impassioned speeches by former presidents, it can be easy to forget that Harris’s approval rating trailed even Biden’s dismal record up until recently. Moreover, Harris’s sole policy speech of her candidacy baffled even those in her own party. Will Harris be forced to define her policy platform before November? Or will she continue to climb in polls by running off of “vibes and joy”? Jessica Tarlov joined FOX News Channel as a contributor in 2017 and serves as a rotating co-host of The Five. She also offers political analysis across FNC and FOX Business Network’s programming. In addition to her role on FNC, Tarlov serves as the Vice President of Research and Consumer Insight for Bustle Digital Group. Previously, she served as a senior strategist with Schoen Consulting and worked as a Democratic pollster. Find the transcript here.

    47 min
See All (200)

About

The American Enterprise Institute’s Danielle Pletka and Marc Thiessen address the questions we’re all asking in their podcast, “What the Hell Is Going On?” In conversational, informative and irreverent episodes, Pletka and Thiessen interview policymakers and experts, asking tough, probing questions about the most important foreign policy and security challenges facing the world today.

Information

More From AEI Podcasts

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada