Podcast
The Mona Charen Show
Hosted by The Bulwark · EN
After a great five year run on Beg to Differ, Mona Charen brings you a new show dedicated to deepening your understanding of complex issues and trends facing society. Each week she'll engage an expert for a probing discussion that goes past the day's headlines.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Danielle Crittenden on Losing Her Daughter
3d ago00:58:26Tap to summarizeMona Charen is joined by her dear friend Danielle Crittenden for a powerful and honest discussion about the journey that led Danielle to write a book titled Dispatches from Grief. Danielle’s daughter died suddenly in early 2024 at the age of 32. Mona and Danielle talk about the shock of the loss, the ongoing emotional and physical pain of grief, the power of religious rituals and how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has helped with Danielle’s healing.Show notes:Danielle’s book Dispatches From Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through The UnimaginableWe know so many of you love reading, so we are excited to share with you that we are starting a monthly book club with Mona Charen.Mona’s first pick: retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling’s book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.
Transcribe →What Can 'A Man for All Seasons' Tell Us About Today?
1w ago00:58:00Tap to summarizeA Man for All Seasons is one of cinema's great moral arguments—six Oscars, a cast of legends, and a story about conscience under autocracy that feels more relevant than ever. Mona Charen and Sonny Bunch dig into why this 1966 film became a touchstone for conservative intellectuals, what it says about people who preach virtue and then fold when it counts, and why Robert Bolt—a leftist—wrote the right's favorite movie. Plus: the rule of law, the seduction of power, and what it means to stand fast even when it costs you everything.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN #oneskinpodWatch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9BbfoBeXB4Watch 'A Man for All Seasons' free on The Roku Channel: https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/414b53b36b4c5b01b5fae4c1d7eb8e9d?source=google
Transcribe →Trump's Tariffs Trashed the Economy. Why Won't We Say That? (w/ Matt Bennett)
2w ago00:47:42Tap to summarizeMona Charen spoke with Matt Bennett of Third Way for a diagnosis of where the Democratic Party actually stands: a brand stuck at 28% approval, an immigration message that still hasn't landed, the Hasan Piker debate, a Supreme Court that just made gerrymandering easier, and a tariff-driven economic crisis that Democrats inexplicably won't run on.Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.ON SALE NOW: Bulwark Live is coming to San Diego on May 20 and Los Angeles on May 21. Just announced! We’re adding some chatty friends to the lineups for both shows. Grab your seats now to join Sarah, Tim and Sam for an evening of politics among friends and keep an eye on https://TheBulwark.com/Events for more announcements.
Transcribe →Trump's War on the Enlightenment (w/ Steven Pinker) | Mona Charen Show
3w ago00:59:43Tap to summarizeSteven Pinker joins Mona Charen to discuss why the world is improving in ways most people don’t recognize—and why so many still believe everything is falling apart. They explore the case for Enlightenment values like reason, science, and liberal democracy, the growing backlash from both the left and MAGA world, and how media and human psychology fuel constant pessimism.Head to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.
Transcribe →Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost! (w/ Dalibor Rohac)
4w ago00:49:23Tap to summarizeAEI’s Dalibor Rohac analyzes Hungary’s stunning rebuke of Orbán and implications for other democratic nations.
Transcribe →A Beautiful Victory in Hungary
Apr 2001:25:44Tap to summarizeMona brings the Beg to Differ panel back for a reunion. They address Orban, Iran, Democrats, and Trump as Jesus—among much else.
Transcribe →A 250-Foot Monument to Trump's Ego (w/ Philip Kennicott)
Apr 1300:52:48Tap to summarizeWashington Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott discusses Trump’s physical desecration of Washington DC.Read more from Philip Kennicott: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/04/07/artemis-moon-trump-iran-war/
Transcribe →Confronting Anti-Semitism, Left and Right (w/ David Frum)
Apr 601:00:19Tap to summarizeDavid Frum analyzes the roots of both left and right-wing anti-Semitism and what it means for a liberal democracy.Go to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Transcribe →RFK's War on Vaccines Is a Political Loser
Mar 3000:58:33Tap to summarizeJonathan Cohn joins Mona to discuss the growing public health crisis under RFK Jr.’s leadership at HHS. From vaccine rollbacks to misinformation about autism and common medications, they walk through how policy decisions are already affecting real people—and why diseases like measles are making a comeback.They also look at the politics: internal pushback inside the Trump orbit, warning signs from polling, and whether any of this can be stopped before the damage spreads further.
Transcribe →DOGE Dumbed Down the Nation (w/ Jessica Riedl)
Mar 2300:43:54Tap to summarizeBrookings scholar Jessica Riedl analyzes the DOGE debacle and the failure of Americans to make grown up choices about spending and taxes.
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