The Fifth Column

Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch
  • 4.4 (163)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

Your weekly rhetorical assault on the on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. Weekly Members Only subscription edition often comes with listener mail and professional-quality (if inappropriate) singing. Analysis. Commentary. Sedition. www.wethefifth.com

  1. Ben Rhodes and the Evil Empire State of Mind (#559)

    2H AGO

    Ben Rhodes and the Evil Empire State of Mind (#559)

    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 Check out Ben Rhodes new book: All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches -Ben Rhodes, wounded ’90s Knicks fan -Are we winning in Iran yet? -what should the President do with Iran right now? -Sanctions suck, mostly -Cuba and the Obama opening -Libya and the regime-change trap -Kosovo worked-ish -Responsibility to protect yourself from over-learning lessons -Rhodes wants institutions, not impulse wars -Is Ben Rhodes Tucker-adjacent? -Soft power, hard questions -Navalny didn’t want America’s money -When Reagan said “Evil Empire” -Reagan also change his mind -Moynihan accuses Rhodes of America pessimism -Ben says it’s because he loves America -Private equity killed the vibes -Nostalgia-nomics -The left-populist temptation -JD Vance talks pretty -National identity without a monoculture -Ben Franklin and the virtue of doubt -Experts are annoying but sometimes useful Read All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches (Bookshop | Amazon) Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST. After 10 years, we’ve finally found a sponsor we actually like. Ground News pulls coverage of the same story into one place so you can compare headlines across sources and see how framing changes depending on the outlet. Subscribe for 40% off our Vantage plan using our unique link https://groundnews.com/fifth

    1h 52m
  2. Why'd You Gag Me, Preet Bharara! (Members Only #323)

    2D AGO

    Why'd You Gag Me, Preet Bharara! (Members Only #323)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com The podcast is called Stay Tuned with Preet, and if you find yourself wanting more legal analysis from someone who knows the system from the inside and still has a sense of humor about it. -Trump 2.0 & the frictionless DoJ -The one thing Jeff Sessions did right -Even Bill Barr had his limits -Why do smart lawyers follow stupid instructions? -You don’t have to win to scare people …

    20 min
  3. TFC LIVE in DC at w/ Lulu Garcia-Navarro & Robby Soave - Members Only #322

    2D AGO

    TFC LIVE in DC at w/ Lulu Garcia-Navarro & Robby Soave - Members Only #322

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com After 10 years of doing this podcast, this week we had our first ever DC show at the Miracle Theatre on Capitol Hill. We were joined onstage by Robby Soave of Reason, and Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times’ The Interview. Join us as we wax nostalgic about the city we love to hate, and so much more. •The Curse of The Fifth •Thomas Massie takes the L …

    23 min
  4. Matt Yglesias on Cancellation, Mamdani, and the AI Panic (Members Only #321)

    5D AGO

    Matt Yglesias on Cancellation, Mamdani, and the AI Panic (Members Only #321)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com Matthew Yglesias is a liberal policy writer and longtime blogger. He co-founded Vox, now writes the Slow Boring newsletter, and is known for wonky-but-readable takes on housing, economics, Democratic politics, foreign policy, and the abundance agenda. -Matty finally makes it through the firewall -What type of gay is Kmele? -Yglesias says Welch gave him his career -Substack’s right-wi…

    18 min
  5. The Youngest Guy in the Worst Room in America w/ Rep. Maxwell Frost (Episode #558)

    MAY 20

    The Youngest Guy in the Worst Room in America w/ Rep. Maxwell Frost (Episode #558)

    We talk about broken housing markets, broken healthcare, broken Congress, Trump’s corruption, a broken Cuba, Epstein, UAPs, and the tragedy of being a drummer with no place to practice. -Making music is for rich kids now -From jazz drummer to Hillary field organizer -Sandy Hook, March for Our Lives, and the road into politics -Florida’s felon disenfranchisement fight -Guns, swamps, Confederate flags, and talking to people who don’t like you -Florida’s politics are red… its ballot issues are a lot messier. -Gaining political power is easy. Keeping it is the hard part. -The case for going big, whether Congress likes it or not -Housing abundance, rent hikes, and the great pet-fee wars -Donald Trump’s extremely lucrative career in public service -Biden’s DOJ, Brazil’s crackdown, and the problem with accountability theater -Political violence, Trump’s rhetoric, and blaming the victim -UAPs, Epstein files, and the bipartisan hunt for weird stuff -Cuba, war powers, and why Frost doesn’t want another Venezuela-style adventure Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST. Thanks for reading The Fifth Column (A Podcast)! This post is public so feel free to share it. Follow The Fifth Column YouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn. 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

    1h 3m
  6. When Everyone Stops Pretending w/ Steven Pinker (Episode #557)

    MAY 14

    When Everyone Stops Pretending w/ Steven Pinker (Episode #557)

    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 - Steven Pinker on why “common knowledge” is much stranger than it sounds -The social machinery behind weddings, money, and power -How a norm starts to die once someone breaks it and gets rewarded -Trump as the great destroyer of polite restraints -The institutions that lost the authority to enforce trust -How new taboos appear without anyone admitting who created them -T…

    1h 45m
  7. Robert D. Kaplan on a World Getting Darker (Members Only #320)

    MAY 12

    Robert D. Kaplan on a World Getting Darker (Members Only #320)

    This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com His next book, China Whisperers (out in November), looks at the diplomats, journalists, scholars, and China hands who shaped America’s understanding, and misunderstanding, of its chief geopolitical rival. But we pretty much cover the entire globe in this conversation. -The experts had it coming -Federalists, anti-federalists, and America’s oldest argument …

    20 min
  8. Masquerade of Morons (Episode #556)

    MAY 7

    Masquerade of Morons (Episode #556)

    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 gets glasses -The return of Soho legs -Matt’s movie-theater race science -Trump sends a letter to Congress saying the war is over, Iran says, “wtf?” -Little Marco, Fog of War correspondent -A very leaky White House -Strange new respect for the anti-war MAGA set -Little Marco puts the best face on Iran -Welch discovers gas prices -The affordability caucus …

    1h 24m
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4.4
out of 5
163 Ratings

About

Your weekly rhetorical assault on the on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. Weekly Members Only subscription edition often comes with listener mail and professional-quality (if inappropriate) singing. Analysis. Commentary. Sedition. www.wethefifth.com

Information

  • Creator
    Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2026
  • Episodes
    660
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Fifth Column
  • Show Website
    The Fifth Column

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