The Moynihan Report

Osprey Studios
  • 4.8 (236)
  • News Commentary
  • Updated Semiweekly

Michael Moynihan sits down with the people shaping culture, media, and public life to dive into the personal, the political, and the petty. Every Thursday, expect confessions, historical nitpicks, verbal blood feuds, and the deepest of deep cuts.

  1. 3d ago

    Carlos the Jackal and the Birth of Modern Terrorism

    Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joby Warrick joins Michael Moynihan to tell the story of Carlos the Jackal, the Venezuelan Marxist who became the world’s most notorious terrorist. They discuss his rise through the Palestinian militant movement, his ties to the Soviet bloc, and the governments that allowed him to operate across Europe and the Middle East for decades. Warrick also recounts meeting an unrepentant Carlos in a French prison and explains how his brand of international terrorism anticipated Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the decentralized political violence of today. We're nominated for Signal Awards! Vote for The Moynihan Report for:Best video podcast: https://bit.ly/4jxj2wYBest guest (William Shatner): https://bit.ly/4AG4zozBest episode: https://bit.ly/4dxq7tZAlso: The Fifth Column is in the running for Best News & Politics show: https://bit.ly/3U0K8ST  CHAPTERS (0:00) Cold Open(0:20) Intro(1:44) Becoming Carlos the Jackal(5:10) Terrorism, Marxism and Antisemitism(8:34) The Paris Grenade Attack(11:35) Why Europe Paid Off Terrorists(15:42) The Soviet Terror Network(22:49) Terrorism and the Palestinian Cause(28:20) Meeting Carlos in Prison(35:55) Carlos and the Nazis(39:02) From Marxism to Radical Islam(41:58) The CIA Informant Who Betrayed Carlos(44:45) How Dictators Protected the Jackal(47:02) The Legacy of 1970s Terrorism(49:21) What Happened to Al-Qaeda and ISIS?(52:45) Israel and the Axis of Resistance(56:08) Political Violence Today Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Carlos the Jackal and the Birth of Modern Terrorism

  2. Sep 23

    Michael Musto Remembers Everything

    Michael Musto Is Mr. Adjacent  Village Voice and NYC icon Michael Musto joins Michael Moynihan for a tour through the New York he chronicled from the inside, from growing up gay in Bensonhurst to the glory days of downtown nightlife, celebrity gossip, the Club Kids, Michael Alig, ACT UP, RuPaul, and the AIDS crisis. They also talk about outing celebrities, Rosie O’Donnell calling Musto a “gay Nazi,” the changing city, and what it meant to spend decades watching New York culture from just off center. Chapters -Growing Up Gay in Bensonhurst -Escaping Brooklyn for Manhattan  -Outing Celebrities -Blind Items and Village Voice Lawyers -Michael Alig and the Angel Melendez Murder -Old New York and Gentrification -Mamdani -Making Money in Journalism -Was Musto Too Mean? -When Straight People Call Themselves Queer -AIDS  -What Happened to the Old Club Scene? -Mr. Adjacent   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Michael Musto Remembers Everything

  3. Sep 16

    Jon Lovett Thinks Democrats Forgot How to Be Liberal

    Jon Lovett joins the show to talk about what Pod Save America is actually trying to be, why Democrats have struggled to find a coherent political identity, and how Lovett went from writing jokes for Hillary Clinton to becoming one of the biggest voices in liberal media. They get into Hassan Piker and the socialist left, the disappearance of old-fashioned liberalism, Kamala Harris, Katie Porter, Zohran Mamdani, the politics of Woke 1.0, antisemitism on the left, Israel and Zionism, and whether a life spent arguing about politics ever gets exhausting. Plus, the childhood humiliation Lovett says made him a Democrat. Why Are Democrats So Bad at This?Why Jon Lovett Chose PoliticsWriting Jokes for Hillary ClintonAl Franken, Air America, and Liberal MediaHassan Piker and the Left’s Media ProblemWho Gets to Be in the Democratic Tent?The Maoist Wing of the DSAWhat Happened to Liberalism?Kamala Harris, Katie Porter, and Political TalentHow Democrats Lost Working-Class VotersMamdani and The Fifth Column Batting Average“Desire Paths” and Woke PoliticsIs It Hard to Be Jewish Right Now?Brad Lander and Antisemitism on the Left“Genocide” as a Political Litmus TestIs Jon Lovett a Zionist?Does Politics Ever Get Exhausting?Ambition, Fame, and Why He Keeps Doing It Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Jon Lovett Thinks Democrats Forgot How to Be Liberal

  4. Sep 9

    Penelope Spheeris Has Seen Some Sh*t

    Penelope Spheeris has spent her life around chaos, from Richard Pryor and the early days of punk to Wayne’s World and the machinery of Hollywood. She joins Michael to talk about The Decline of Western Civilization, turning down Spinal Tap, fighting over Wayne’s World, and collecting decades of grudges along the way. There are stories about Lemmy, Tina Fey, Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Chris Farley, and a rhinestone dildo. Penelope has seen some shit, and she’s still happy to talk about it.   (0:00) Cold Open(0:18) Monologue(1:03) Richard Pryor and the Lost Movie(6:02) Decline, Chaos, and Making Sense of Her Demons(10:45) Guns N’ Roses Bails, Megadeth Steps In(12:33) Lemmy’s Bad Review(16:16) Punk Rock, Childhood Trauma, and Seven Stepfathers(19:46) Fame, Money, and Unfulfilled Expectations(22:57) Passing on Spinal Tap(24:03) Chris Holmes and the Pool Scene(27:34) The Decline vs. Wayne’s World(29:30) Losing Wayne’s World 2(32:07) Dana Carvey, Tina Fey, and Britney Spears(35:08) Life With Her Schizophrenic Partner(37:53) Chaos, Boredom, and Happiness(39:05) Getting Rich Without Trying(41:30) The Memoir and Being Written Out of Hollywood(44:48) Jennifer Aniston and the Dildo(47:27) Mike Myers, Chris Farley, and Black Sheep Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Penelope Spheeris Has Seen Some Sh*t

  5. Sep 3

    Gene Simmons: I Was King A-Hole for 29 Years

    Gene Simmons sits down with Michael Moynihan in Los Angeles for a conversation about family, ambition, and the American dream. They talk about his mother’s survival of the Holocaust, coming to America, KISS, Bob Dylan, money, marriage, and why the music business isn’t what it used to be. Oh yeah, and after nearly 50 years as the Demon, Gene Simmons is still speeding up.   (0:00) Cold Open (0:31) Monologue (1:47) Gene Simmons, Nice Jewish Boy (6:31) Assimilation, America, and Learning the Language (9:36) His Mother Survived the Holocaust (19:23) The $8 Million Check to Mom (20:05) At 77, Gene Is Speeding Up (21:03) Why KISS Had to End (22:26) Bob Dylan Shows Up to Write a Song (31:24) Selling KISS and the Business of Rock (33:23) Streaming Killed the Romance of Music (36:36) Ace, Peter, Drugs, and the Breakup of the Original Band (45:25) Diana Ross, Shannon Tweed, and the Playboy Mansion (50:50) Twenty-Nine Years as “King A*****e” (53:48) Making His Mother Proud, Then His Wife and Kids Proud Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Gene Simmons: I Was King A-Hole for 29 Years

  6. Aug 27

    William Shatner Doesn’t Want to Die

    William Shatner sits down with Michael Moynihan in Los Angeles for a conversation about life, time, and knowledge. They talk about death, God, AI, Blue Origin, The Intruder, and the relentless curiosity that keeps Shatner looking for whatever comes next. Oh yeah, and at 95 years old, he’s releasing a heavy metal album. In the episode: (00:00) Cold Open  (00:29) Monologue  (02:09) Fear of Death  (03:59) Religion, God and the Universe  (09:26) Judgment at Nuremberg & the Holocaust  (11:12) Curiosity, Aging, and Learning  (19:20) Conversations With AI  (22:28) Why Humans Need to Go to Mars  (25:20) Blue Origin & Jeff Bezos  (30:14) Growing Up Jewish & The Intruder  (34:41) Luck, Failure and a Career Without a Plan  (37:28) “What the F Is Heavy Metal?”  (46:45) AI and Shatner’s Opera  (50:16) Why Shatner Doesn’t Do Politics Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    William Shatner Doesn’t Want to Die

  7. Mar 26

    Have a conversation with Michael Moynihan | The Moynihan Report

    Before The Moynihan Report goes on a break to regroup (and reconstitute), Michael Moynihan takes a deep dive into the "stupid era" of modern media and the weaponization of history. From the useful idiots romanticizing the Cuban regime to the decline of the public intellectual in favor of the hyper-reactive influencer, Moynihan dissects how context is lost in our chopped-up media landscape. The conversation moves from the town square test of free societies to the curious parallels between far-left and far-right propaganda. Michael also answers listener questions regarding his tenure at The Fifth Column, his diverging paths with other media figures, and why studying history is the only defense against an epidemic of dangerous stupidity. (00:00) Welcome and Announcement: The Final Episode in This Format (01:16) How to Stay Connected via Substack (01:56) The "Open Swim" Q&A: Addressing Online Criticism (02:35) Confronting "Useful Idiots" and the Trip to Cuba (02:59) Discussing Brace Belden and the TrueAnon Podcast (03:46) Criticizing Hassan Piker and The Young Turks (04:44) The Culture of Chopped-Up Media and Contextual Misunderstandings (06:08) Natan Sharansky’s "Town Square Test" for Free Societies (08:17) Debunking Pro-Castro Myths and the Reality of Cuban Repression (12:59) The Exoticization of Poverty and Propaganda Tours (14:18) Examining Cuban Foreign Policy and Historical War Crimes (16:13) Fact-Checking Ryan Grim and Misinformation Regarding Cuban Hotels (20:18) Audience Question: The Similarities Between Far-Left and Far-Right Propaganda (23:48) Douglas Murray and the Challenges of Independent Journalism (25:07) Paul Hollander and the Psychology of Anti-Americanism (27:29) Documenting Russian Casualties in the Ukraine War (30:12) Audience Question: The Rise of Influencers Over Public Intellectuals (32:42) The Benny Johnson Plagiarism Scandal and "Deep State" Narratives (35:43) Victor Klemperer and the Manipulation of Language (39:26) Audience Question: Diverging Paths with Megyn Kelly (43:41) The "Real Housewives" of Conservative Politics: TPUSA and Candace Owens (46:12) Reflecting on Ten Years of The Fifth Column (48:33) Audience Question: Anti-Semitism and the Influence of the Israel Lobby (55:10) Analyzing Public Support and Bipartisan Policy Toward Israel (59:37) Audience Question: Why We Study History and the "Weaponization" of the Past (01:10:39) Distorting Figures like Winston Churchill and Oswald Mosley (01:13:58) Goodbye... for now: Shaking Up the Snow Globe Subscribe to the YouTube! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Have a conversation with Michael Moynihan | The Moynihan Report

  8. Mar 13

    Iran, Israel, & a new era of political violence | The Moynihan Report

    Eli Lake of The Free Press joins Michael Moynihan to break down his latest reporting on Donald Trump’s strategy toward Iran—what the administration is trying to achieve, how serious the military threat is, and what it could mean for the region. They’ll unpack the policy, the politics, and the risks of escalation. (00:11) Intro & Recent Violent Attacks (03:27) Welcoming Eli Lake & Trump's Iran Plan (11:41) The "Day After" in Iran & Regime Change Scenarios (15:25) The History of Iranian Protests & State Violence (23:43) October 7th, Hamas, & Western Leftist Support for Iran (26:09) Critiquing Tucker Carlson & the "Israel Controls America" Narrative (32:03) Israeli Intelligence, Operations, & Military Subsidies (38:42) Megan Kelly, Ryan Grim, & Justifying Anti-Semitism (54:29) MAGA Polling on Iran & Independent Media Conspiracies (01:01:42) Show Wrap-up & Upcoming Automation Nation Event Subscribe to the YouTube! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    Iran, Israel, & a new era of political violence | The Moynihan Report
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
236 Ratings

About

Michael Moynihan sits down with the people shaping culture, media, and public life to dive into the personal, the political, and the petty. Every Thursday, expect confessions, historical nitpicks, verbal blood feuds, and the deepest of deep cuts.

Information

  • Creator
    Osprey Studios
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    89
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Osprey Studios
  • Show Website
    The Moynihan Report

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