What the Hell Is Going On

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What the Hell Is Going On

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. 1D AGO

    #WTH Will Happen Next in Israel’s Assault on Iran? Haviv Rettig Gur Explains.

    Five days in, Israel’s battle to destroy the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched the campaign in the wake of a decision by the IAEA Board to censure Iran a resolution declaring that Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, one day past a Donald Trump imposed deadline of 60 days for Iran to agree to relinquish its uranium enrichment capabilities. Iran has responded with indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in Israel. Can Israel destroy Iran’s nuclear program? Is that possible without the United States? What role will the United States play? And can the Tehran regime survive? Haviv Gur is a veteran Israeli journalist who serves as Senior Analyst for The Times of Israel. He has covered Israel’s politics, foreign policy and relationship with the Jewish diaspora since 2005. He has reported from over 20 countries and is fluent in Hebrew and English. He served as director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel, the country’s largest NGO. He travels around the world educating people on Israel and reporting on timely events and developments in and about Israel as a premiere analyst. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    59 min

  2. 6D AGO

    #WTH Is Going On With America's Immigration Mess? Nicholas Eberstadt Explains.

    The aftermath of Biden’s open border policies continues to haunt America as the consequences of mass illegal immigration continue to snowball. Changing attitudes towards, net positive, productive legal migration reflects the sentiment stirred up by the surge in illegal immigration we experienced the last four years. How does this affect workforce participation and address population decline? What role does the welfare state play? How are foreign adversaries using this mess as an opportunity to establish influence operations through universities, social media, and in foreign born communities? Has something changed about the nature of illegal migrants to America?  And where is an immigration reform bill in Congress to address these issues permanently? Nicholas Eberstadt is the Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute where he researched demographics, economic development, and international security in the Korean peninsula and Asia. He is also a senior advisor to the National Bureau of Asian Research, a founding board member of the US Committee on Human Rights in North Korea, and has served as consultant or adviser to the US Government and international organizations. His most recent book is the Post-Pandemic Edition of Men Without Work (Templeton, 2022). His demographic work on immigration focuses on societies facing population decline and the crucial role of skilled immigrants, both of which he addresses in his Working Paper, “America’s Immigration Mess: An Illustrated Guide.” Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    46 min

  3. JUN 5

    #WTH: Can Trump Really Build a Golden Dome to Protect America? J.D. Crouch Explains

    Donald Trump has promised Americans that in three years, with the help of Congress’ “Big Beautiful Bill” and a $25 billion-dollar downpayment, his dreams of a golden dome protecting the nation will become a reality. Inspired by Israel’s highly successful Iron Dome, Trump has selected General Guetlein of the Space Force to lead the missile defense shield project, signaling a focus on space that is bound to ratchet up the arms race in the skies. With our adversary’s missile capabilities growing by the day, can a ‘golden dome’ save us? What does it mean for deterrence? And how much time and money will it take? Dr. J.D. Crouch has had a distinguished diplomatic career as a leader in national security and missile defense. Dr. Crouch served in the administrations of presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W Bush and George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy, principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on policy for missile defense, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy. As an advisor to the U.S. Delegation on Nuclear and Space Arms Talks with the former Soviet Union, Dr. Crouch is a foremost expert in missile defense and serves as a Senior Advisor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    45 min

  4. MAY 29

    #WTH Is No One in the Music Industry Standing Up for Israeli Hostages? Five for Fighting’s John Ondrasik Explains

    John Ondrasik is standing up for Israeli hostages in the best way he knows how. Having written and performed songs with strong social messages over the last several decades, he is responding to the horrors of Hamas’ October 7th attacks by rewriting the words to his hit song “Superman (It’s Not Easy)”. Ondrasik’s revised lyrics turn pain into resilience, but why aren’t other artists speaking out? Ondrasik has sung about 9/11, about Afghanistan, about Ukraine, and about terror attacks in Israel. But he is almost alone in the music industry. Why are artists so afraid to do the right thing, and stand against terrorism? John Ondrasik is a Grammy-Award nominated singer-songwriter who has spent the last several decades writing deeply personal songs with strong social messages in six studio albums featured in over 350 films, TV shows, and advertisements under his hockey moniker, Five for Fighting. Most recently, John has been using his platform to advocate for Israel and denounce the holding of Israeli hostages and the Oct. 7th attacks by the terrorist group Hamas. He has recently updated the words of his song Superman to highlight Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, and the other hostages still held by Hamas. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here. Listen to Superman here.

    43 min

  5. MAY 22

    WTH: Chinese Spies Have Infiltrated Stanford. The Stanford Review’s Elsa Johnson and Garret Molloy Explain

    China’s Ministry of State Security has infiltrated and is conducting espionage at all levels of Stanford University. By law, all Chinese nationals are required to report back to the Chinese Communist Party on their research and daily activities when asked. Sometimes this spying is voluntary and conducted by those who wish to see America fall behind in the global tech race. Other times, Chinese nationals are coerced into spying on their school, friends, and teachers through transnational repression. How can universities and Congress work together to prevent Chinese espionage? And how is the Chinese government buying influence in American universities and American society writ large? Elsa Johnson is the managing editor of the Stanford Review and a sophomore studying international relations and East Asian studies. Garret Molloy is a staff writer and the business manager of the Stanford Review. He is a sophomore studying Hayek, economic history, and libertarian thought. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here. Read Elsa and Garret's reporting here.

    48 min

  6. MAY 15

    WTH: Does Every Deportation Require Due Process? Jonathan Turley Explains

    America’s immigration law and system are broken. President Biden allowed millions of people to enter the United States illegally. And now President Trump is using obscure laws to try to fast-track a massive deportation campaign. Expedited removal and deportations without court hearings are legal and supported by the vast majority of Americans. However, members of Congress have the power to clarify immigration laws and fix a system clogged up by an influx of asylum cases – if they choose to use it. How many deportation cases actually require a court hearing? And how can Trump work with Congress to further his immigration agenda? Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. At GWU, he is also the Director of the Environmental Law Advocacy Center and Executive Director of the Project for Older Prisoners. Professor Turley has served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last two decades, including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, judges, and members of Congress, and has testified before Congress over 100 times. His latest book is The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage (Simon and Schuster, 2024). Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    58 min

  7. MAY 8

    WTH Is Going On With Antisemitism at Harvard? The Free Press’s Maya Sulkin Explains

    Harvard has finally released its 311-page report on the antisemitism Jewish students face on one of America’s most elite college campuses. The stories of Jews being forced to conceal outward displays of their religion, being shut out of academic and extracurricular spaces alike, and facing systemic harassment are horrifying. However, the intensity of the antisemitism at Harvard is also unsurprising. And the manner in which this report was released indicates the university has no real intention of fixing the root causes of Jew hatred on its Cambridge campus. How did Harvard University go from being a quarter Jewish to becoming a bastion of antisemitism? And how does foreign funding perpetuate antisemitism at elite universities? Maya Sulkin is a reporter at The Free Press. Before that, Maya was chief of staff of the FP. She started at the FP as an intern in 2021 while a student at Columbia University. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here. Read Maya's article in the Free Press here.

    43 min

  8. MAY 1

    WTH Are Young Gen Z Voters Turning Conservative? The Yale Youth Poll’s Milan Singh Explains

    Gen Z may not be the liberal base of support many on the left hoped they would be. Today, there is a growing split between voters under 30, with 22-29 year olds favoring Democrats by 6.4 points and 18-21 year olds favoring Republicans by almost 12 points. As America’s youngest voters are growing up in the age of COVID lockdowns, social media, and cancel culture, conservative and MAGA ideology is emerging as the new counter-culture, giving young men in particular an opportunity to escape the world around them. How will the youngest voter cohort change the bases of both parties? And how will young voters change as they grow older? Milan Singh is the founder and Director of the Yale Youth Poll. Originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts, he is a junior in Pierson majoring in Economics. He has previously worked as a researcher at Slow Boring; a data science fellow at Decision Desk HQ; and social policy intern at the Niskanen Center. This past summer, he worked as a consultant for Blueprint and WelcomePAC. Outside of the classroom, he is one of the Opinion Editors for the Yale Daily News. Read the transcript here. Subscribe to our Substack here.

    45 min
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4.4
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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.

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