Podcast Summary:

Federalist Radio Hour – ‘The Kylee Cast’ feat. Mollie Hemingway and Sara Prinzi, Ep. 23: Best Of The Federalist 2025, And What To Expect In 2026
Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Kylie Griswold (Managing Editor at The Federalist)
Guests: Mollie Hemingway (Editor in Chief), Sara Prinzi (Chief Development Officer)

Episode Overview

This episode is a reflective and forward-looking conversation with The Federalist’s leadership. Kylie Griswold is joined by Mollie Hemingway and Sara Prinzi to recap the most significant stories and achievements from 2025, discuss The Federalist’s distinctive editorial focus and strategies, share insights on identifying media “info ops” and hoaxes, and preview key stories and initiatives for 2026. They also detail ways listeners can support their nonprofit journalism and showcase the launch of the new Federalist Store.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Sets The Federalist Apart

• Editorial Independence & Geographic Diversity

  • The Federalist is defined by its commitment to "truth" and a refusal to participate in mainstream or left-leaning media narratives.
  • Unlike many media organizations concentrated in DC or New York, The Federalist’s staff is dispersed across the country. This diversity is "apparent in the chat when we have all kinds of little squabbles there, but it's also just so great because you never get one viewpoint." (Kylie, [04:04])
  • Quote: “So much of corporate media... exist to tell the rest of the country what the powerful people in D.C. and New York want them to know. When we started the Federalists, we were like, what if a publication existed to tell the people in DC what real people think about what they’re doing?” (Mollie, [05:09])

• Integrated Coverage: Politics, Religion, and Culture

  • The Federalist strives to cover the intersections of politics, religion, and culture, providing a broad editorial focus rather than specializing narrowly.

2. Biggest Stories & Federalist Highlights of 2025

• Trump Administration’s Second Term

  • In-depth reporting on early action, legislative battles, and the pervasive “information warfare” from both left-leaning institutions and within the Republican ranks.
  • Quote: “Trump hits the ground running… every day it was like waking up to 10 major stories.” (Mollie, [07:00])

• Lawfare & Executive Action

  • Scrutiny of the escalating use of executive orders and subsequent pushback via the judicial system, explaining complex legal maneuvers to lay audiences.

• Russia Collusion Hoax Follow-Ups

  • The Federalist’s persistent investigative journalism on the fallout and revelations from the Russia collusion hoax earned them the Dow Prize for journalism.
  • Quote: "We won this year the grand prize for our coverage of the Russia collusion hoax... Our coverage included stories showing... people in the CIA and the ODNI... had actually tried to stop the Russia collusion hoax." (Mollie, [15:49])

• Continued Culture Coverage

  • Reporting on "trans insanity," religious liberty, pro-lifers’ political voice, and local impacts of border policy.
  • Ground-level stories highlight effects of border enforcement on healthcare, education, and emergency services across the country.

3. How The Federalist Identifies and Fights Info Ops and Hoaxes

• Experience & Pattern Recognition

  • The team has honed its ability to spot coordinated media operations by observing timing, repeated messaging, and previous case studies (Sandra Fluke hearing, Kavanaugh hearings).
  • Quote: “Once you see it, it's kind of easy to see it anytime a thing just starts rolling out.” (Mollie, [22:38])

• Lessons for Listeners

  • Maintain skepticism, look for narrative coordination, understand historical patterns, and demand evidence rather than accepting institutional claims at face value.
  • Quote: “It’s not just about recognizing the information op, but like being willing to fight the information op as well.” (Mollie, [26:06])

• Providing Clarity & Confidence for Readers

  • The Federalist aims to save people the time wasted “going down a rabbit hole” to verify news by delivering trusted analysis.
  • Quote: “Now I usually just go to our website... saves me hours a day.” (Sara, [26:56])

4. Supporting The Federalist – Foundation and Community

• Nonprofit Model

  • The Federalist Foundation is a 501(c)(3); support is entirely donor-driven, not government-funded.
  • Sarah details donor benefits: exclusive calls, events, special merch (like the Federalist mug for “Insiders”), and more.
  • Quote: “The foundation supports the Federalist as you see them... we don’t get any government money. We’re completely supported by our donors.” (Sara, [13:21])

• Legacy Society

  • Donors can leave a percentage of their estate to secure The Federalist’s future, with a free tool on the website to help set up legacy gifts.

5. Looking Ahead: What to Expect in 2026

• 2026 Midterms and Ongoing Political Stories

  • The Federalist will provide in-depth coverage of House and Senate races, and the broader impact of Trump’s second term.
  • Continued investigative focus on DOJ and FBI partisanship, FOIA breakthroughs, and lawfare against conservatives.
  • Quote: “Who controls the House and who controls the Senate will have a lot to do with, you know, whether people are satisfied with the results.” (Mollie, [30:48])

• Immigration and Border Enforcement

  • Expect more coverage on immigration, deportations, and related fraud—monitoring both national and local developments.
  • Highlight on Benjamin Weingarten’s work revealing ongoing issues around border enforcement and political figures.

6. Federalist Store Launch

• New merchandise includes apparel, mugs, and accessories—“conversation starters” designed for supporters to publicly show their affiliation.
• Quote: “We did go out of the box because we kind of are out of the box... some of them are conversation starters.” (Sara, [37:18])

Most Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Truth in Media:
  “We are saving this country one article at a time by actually telling the truth and giving people the information they need.”
  — Sara Prinzi ([02:16])

• On Journalistic Isolation:
  “It was very lonely at the beginning… The bullying that we received from certain very high-level people... It's now kind of popular to understand that it was a hoax but that was... very difficult to do at the outset. Paid off.”
  — Mollie Hemingway ([15:49])

• On Media Skepticism:
  “There actually is real truth... We don’t just stop at distrusting the institutions and asking good questions, but... there actually are facts that we can know and we can find out. And those are the things that we deal in.”
  — Kylie Griswold ([28:09])

• On Community and Donor Importance:
  “We want to get to know our donors better... Going into ‘26, we have made some donor levels... Because we all love this stuff.”
  — Sara Prinzi ([13:21])

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Introductions & What Makes The Federalist Unique – [00:00] to [05:59]
• 2025 Recap: Biggest Stories & Russia Hoax Reporting – [06:59] to [15:49]
• Development Team & Foundation, Donor Programs – [13:21] to [15:49], [29:27]
• Recognizing Info Ops/Hoaxes & Lessons for Listeners – [20:12] to [27:35]
• COVID, Institutional Distrust & Finding Truth – [28:09]
• Previewing 2026: Elections, DOJ/FBI, Immigration – [30:23] to [36:51]
• Federalist Store Launch – [36:51] to [38:36]

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of The Federalist’s editorial mission, 2025 highlights, and key issues to watch in 2026. With stories on political, cultural, and institutional battles—and advice on resisting media manipulation—it also extends community-building opportunities to listeners through its nonprofit model and new merchandise. The tone is confident and mission-driven, aiming to inspire active listener support and critical media engagement.