Podcast
Politicology
Hosted by Politicology · EN
Politics in America is transforming. We’re embarking on a new series to deepen our understanding of who we are, how we got here, and how we rebuild without repeating the mistakes of the past. Ron Steslow hosts academics, behavioral economists, social psychologists, politicos, philosophers, anthropologists, journalists, poets, and storytellers—and more—to discuss America’s political present and future and dive into the deeper problems we face as a nation. Email us questions or comments: podcast@politicology.com.
51episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
[+] 'Credible and Urgent' — Historic UFO Disclosures Begin
6d ago00:42:36Tap to summarizeRon Steslow talks to journalist Brady Dale about the U.S. government's unprecedented UFO/UAP disclosure: from the Pentagon's new PURSUE archive and President Trump's directive to declassify, to David Grusch's whistleblower testimony about crash retrieval programs, the bipartisan congressional fight over eminent domain and "non-human intelligence," the five observables, and how classified programs were stovepiped into private defense contractors beyond congressional oversight. They land on a bigger point — if non-human intelligence is real, the ontological shock may hit the institutions guarding the secret far harder than the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Peptide Politics — The Weekly
6d ago01:09:02Tap to summarizeBrady Dale (Author of Front Stage Exit) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine the booming gray market for therapeutic peptides and what it reveals about medical freedom, institutional trust, and our resistance to the unfamiliar. They begin with the market itself, which Brady compares to the early crypto era he covered: people eager to risk their own money against regulators in the way. Next, they examine the cultural backlash, the moralism that casts GLP-1 weight loss as cheating, and a MAHA coalition at once wary of pharma yet drawn to gray-market compounds. Then, they turn to safety, where Brady argues the real hazard lies not in the peptides, but in contaminated manufacturing and careless injection. They also weigh the trouble of funding trials for compounds no one can patent. Finally, they consider bodily autonomy and whether medicine should restore a baseline health or enhance it. In Politicology+, they turn to a story Ron has been eager to bring to the show: the U.S. government has begun a historic effort to disclose its UFO files, and the officials behind the push say this is just the beginning. From whistleblower testimony about crash retrieval programs to a bipartisan Senate bill referencing "non-human intelligence" 22 times to the growing ranks of elite scientists taking it seriously, they dig into how we got here and why Congress can't get answers from its own government. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Follow Brady’s work at Front Stage Exit: https://www.frontstageexit.com/ SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/BradyDale Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Battlefield Laboratory — The Weekly
2w ago01:14:05Tap to summarizeMolly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to take stock of the war shifting beneath the surface. They begin with the state of the fighting: Putin’s nuclear theater around Victory Day and the quiet vibe shift on the battlefield as Ukrainian resilience compounds. From there, they turn to Ukraine as a laboratory for the future of war: unmanned systems, data hubs, and the battlefield coordination American defense companies are scrambling to get their hands on. They also weigh the dual-use dilemma of companies like Palantir, whose tools help Ukraine target Russian commanders abroad while building surveillance architecture at home. Then, they examine Europe’s slow awakening from its post-World War II illusions and the persistent reach of Russian hybrid influence. Finally, they unpack the pro-Russian talking points that are proliferating on both ends of the political spectrum and refuse to die. In Politicology+, they dig into what Viktor Orbán’s defeat means for European unity on Ukraine, the differences between healthy and toxic nationalism, and how Europe is quietly rebuilding its defense planning where Article 5 can’t be assumed. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Check out Molly’s Newsletter: https://www.greatpower.us/ CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/MollyMcKew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →What Happens After The End of Majority-Minority Districts? [Plus Preview]
2w ago00:37:48Tap to summarizeNot yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid discuss the redistricting wars, the Supreme Court case that could upend a central part of the Voting Rights Act, how Latinos becoming the largest minority group will make us rethink what being a “minority” even means, and how partisanship is becoming our primary identity. Contribute to Politicology at politicology.com/donate Find our sponsor links and promo codes here: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Get 15% off OneSkin with the code RON at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Related Reading: Axios - Virginia judge lets Democrats' redistricting plan move forward - Axios Richmond Politico - The Republicans thwarting the White House’s redistricting hopes - POLITICO Sac Bee - Prop. 50 in California is trivial compared to this U.S. Supreme Court case | Opinion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The End of Financial Privacy? — The Weekly
3w ago01:10:47Tap to summarizeNicholas Anthony (Research Fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine how the stablecoin legislation moving through Congress is quietly remaking the financial system and expanding the surveillance state in the process. They dig into the Bank Secrecy Act and the third-party doctrine, the legal architecture that lets the government access Americans' financial records without a warrant. Next, they examine how AI is turning mass financial surveillance from aspiration into operational reality, and how political designations can be weaponized against ordinary Americans through their banks. Then they unpack the contradictions in the Trump administration's posture—anti-CBDC in name, enthusiastically pro-stablecoin in practice—and why programmable private money is functionally a central bank digital currency at arm's length. Finally, they discuss the prosecutions of open-source developers behind privacy tools like Tornado Cash and Samurai Wallet, and what's at stake if the precedent that code is protected speech gets tested in the Supreme Court. In Politicology+, they unpack a 2021 federal mandate that will require every new car sold in America to passively monitor its driver for "impairment" by next year. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/EconWithNick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Home Economics
3w ago00:28:22Tap to summarizeMike Madrid and Susan Del Percio dig into why housing affordability has become the central economic and political problem heading into the midterms. They discuss how housing and cost of living concerns are driving the anxiety voters are feeling. Then, they look at populism on both sides of the aisle, from Trump’s embrace of “no tax on tips” and credit card caps to Mamdani’s promises to freeze the rent, and why neither party is being honest about the long-term supply problem at the heart of the housing crisis. Then, they break down what actually moves the needle—regulation, infrastructure, public housing maintenance, and local governance—and why Democrats are ceding the affordability debate while Republicans struggle to reconcile Trump-era rhetoric with conservative orthodoxy. Finally, Susan lays out the tactical reality: national messaging won’t fix this, the economy won’t turn around quickly, and the candidates who win will be the ones who can translate affordability into concrete, local results voters can actually feel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why The AI Bubble Doesn’t Matter
4w ago00:45:20Tap to summarizeRon Steslow continues his discussion with Izabella Kaminska to unpack one of the biggest assumptions behind the AI boom: that it will generate enough growth to justify the enormous capital being poured into it. Also, how much does America’s enormous national debt really matter? And, what’s really going on with gold and the new efforts—by China and private corporations—to remonetize it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →America Adrift — The Weekly
Apr 2401:23:54Tap to summarizeMike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine America’s growing crisis of purpose and how that crisis is showing up across politics, technology, corruption, religion, and war They begin with Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent speech on the Declaration of Independence, natural rights, progressivism, and the proper role of government. From there, they turn to Palantir CEO Alex Karp’s vision of a “technological republic,” Silicon Valley’s moral obligations to national defense, and the dangerous temptation to sacrifice individual rights in the name of preserving the West. Next, they examine the normalization of corruption, from tariff refund profiteering and market manipulation to political betting and the broader cultural shift toward “get yours before the system collapses.” Then they discuss President Trump’s clash with Pope Leo XIV over the war in Iran, the use of religious language to justify military action, and the battle inside American Christianity over nationalism, moral authority, and political power. In Politicology+, they discuss Virginia as the latest front in America’s redistricting wars and what it reveals about the deeper rot in our politics. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →ENCORE: The Future of Food
Apr 2200:57:50Tap to summarizeYou may know him from his dazzling dishes showcased on the hit Netflix TV series, “Chef’s Table,” but three-Star Michelin Chef Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Blue Hill NYC) has a relationship with ingredients far deeper and more complex than pretty plates of food. In this episode, Chef Dan joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics and future of food and the consequences of how America feeds itself. To unlock exclusive content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus (02:32) The current state of American agriculture (06:15) What is the Third Plate? (11:44) The connection between flavor and nutrition (14:24) The importance of crop rotation (34:14) Lab grown meat Politicology is supported by listeners like you. Can you pitch in right now at https://politicology.com/donate? Follow Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefdanbarber/ Follow Ron on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →AI Weapons and Mass Surveillance — The Weekly
Apr 1801:13:25Tap to summarizeHagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) is back in studio with Host Ron Steslow for a conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, conflict, and accountability in real time. They discuss Ukraine’s first successful capture of a Russian position using only unmanned ground robotic systems and aerial drones and the rapid integration of AI into warfare and national security. They also examine the growing clash between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon after Anthropic refused to allow its AI tools to be used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance, and the Trump administration responded by labeling the company a supply chain risk. Then, they dive into a new AI model that can discover and weaponize previously unknown software vulnerabilities and what that will mean for the government, banks and businesses. Finally, they debate the future of AI-powered mass surveillance and the looming reauthorization of FISA Section 702. In Politicology+ they dive into several big corruption stories: Viktor Orbán’s election loss, suspicious oil-futures trading, and the Trump family using World Liberty Coin as their personal ATM. POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Listen to Hagar’s new podcast, The Threat: https://bit.ly/4cRf2DO CONTRIBUTE TO POLITICOLOGY politicology.com/donate SPONSORS & PROMO CODES https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com or leave a voicemail at (703) 239-3068 Follow this week’s panel on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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