Podcast
The Fifth Column (private feed for bitterone31droid@googlemail.com)
Hosted by Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch · EN
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
www.wethefifth.com
35episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Knicks, Oyster Man, and the Infinite Lies (#561)
4d ago01:29:54Tap to summarize-The Knicks give New York its greatest night in years and OG makes his MVP case-Valid destruction or peaceful rioting?-A brief detour through America’s dumbest college mascots-Dave Chappelle and Shane Gillis give Moynihan a perfect Comedy Cellar night-Kmele roots for the Spurs, but only to punish Knicks fans-Spike Lee has been on the court long enough-Which celebrity row courtsider gets booed?-Mamdani gets into the affordable soccer jersey business-The World Cup comes to New Jersey by boat-Introducing Midterm Madness -LA’s mayoral race and the Spencer Pratt stolen-election fantasy-California’s governor’s race and the strange usefulness of market signals-The race to watch-Platner’s character problem is not going away-Jodi Kantor explains when MeToo does and does not count-Bill Pulte gets pulled, Jay Clayton gets nominated -A fully fledged disgusting party on a federal level-UFC 250 comes to the White House because this is who we are now-Bullshit, postmodern Trumpism, and the infinite liesThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a listener/viewer-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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A Hamster Wheel of Shit w/Ana Navarro (Members Only #327)
6d ago01:45:38Tap to summarizeThroughout this entire interview, Ana remains furious that our office was stocked with whiskey, but only half a bottle of white wine and absolutely no pizza.-The White House press corps just takes it-Kristen Welker gets the Trump treatment (and would Trump have tried that with Tim Russert?)-Ana Navarro is here, from one of them Mexican countries-Charles… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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When Political Violence Has the Right Enemies w/ Noah Rothman (Members Only #326)
2w ago01:27:44Tap to summarizeNoah’s new book is Blood and Progress… not to be confused with “Blood and Soil,” a phrase Moynihan has been muttering to himself around the office.-A book squarely in the TFC wheelhouse-The teens, the twenties, the sixties, the seventies, and now-The forgotten history of left-wing violence-Italian anarchists and “propaganda of the deed”-Is Noah handwavi… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Populism for Morons, Journalism for Martyrs (Episode #560)
2w ago01:36:51Tap to summarize-a dog is on set and Kmele should be wearing a helmet-Bernie Sanders wants to collectivize AI-The boys bask in the warmth of collectivism-Never trust a politician giving something back to “the people”-The centrist Democrat goes missing-It’s still a Nazi tattoo, goddammit-Character is out. Winning is in-Andy the Ogre Ogles has thoughts on the gays and Ted Cruz answers the question and keeps walking-A few more problems for the Oyster Man from Maine-Welch was the victim of a French flag hate crime-Speaking of Nazis, let’s talk about Bari Weiss-Scott Pelley defends democracy from the new guy and privileged peacocking at CBS-Ali Velshi feels weird about America’s birthday-Defending America through the Bob Crane storyThe Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a viewer/listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Senator Chris Murphy Wants You to Join a Cult (Members Only #325)
2w ago00:47:38Tap to summarizeChris Murphy’s book, Crisis of the Common Good, is out now-Murphy opens his book by dunking on his son’s NHL prospects-Pitching the common good-Trump is not the disease. He’s the symptom-Buy more stuff, feel worse, repeat until democracy collapses-Kids, phones and the algorithmic hell machine-Congress wants to regulate tech. Congress may want to log on first-Can In… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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A Great Nation in Decline Welcomes Australia’s Finest w/ Josh Szeps (Members Only #324)
3w ago01:27:05Tap to summarizeBe sure to check out Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, Australia’s greatest podcaster and interviewer, which apparently counts.-90 minutes of Kmele cleaning his glasses-Josh is on drugs now-RIP Jack Karlson, hero of democracy manifest-we will be referring to limp penis throughout this show-Erect until the end-Kmele doesn’t really know the Beach Boys-Who is the best Australian to ever … Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Ben Rhodes and the Evil Empire State of Mind (#559)
3w ago01:45:57Tap to summarizeCheck 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 usefulRead 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 Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Why'd You Gag Me, Preet Bharara! (Members Only #323)
3w ago01:10:46Tap to summarizeThe 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… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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TFC LIVE in DC at w/ Lulu Garcia-Navarro & Robby Soave - Members Only #322
3w ago01:34:17Tap to summarizeAfter 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… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Matt Yglesias on Cancellation, Mamdani, and the AI Panic (Members Only #321)
4w ago01:26:50Tap to summarizeMatthew 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… Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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