The Dispatch Podcast
Hosted by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle & Steve Hayes · 12 decoded episodes · newest Oct 13, 2026
Host Steve Hayes is joined by Jonah Goldberg, Megan McArdle and guests for a thoughtful discussion on politics, policy and culture.
Episodes 12
- Oct 13, 2026 · 1h 13mTrump’s Russia policy tests the limits of political loyaltyThe panel connects sanctions, Ukraine, and a proposed execution livestream to a broader argument about power, spectacle, and political character.
- Oct 9, 2026 · 1h 20mMidterm uncertainty extends from polls to election nightThe panel connects polling errors, redistricting, executive power, and vote-counting disputes to the possibility of a volatile 2026 transition.
- Oct 6, 2026 · 1h 14mBotched execution tests the state’s moral authorityThe discussion connects a failed execution to questions of competence, Catholic moral reasoning, electoral accountability, and the erosion of shared community life.
- Oct 2, 2026 · 1h 5mA failed perjury trap exposes politics built for spectacleThe episode connects a weak congressional performance to a broader political culture that prizes viral moments and branding over evidence and durable policy.
- Sep 29, 2026 · 1h 14mKansas race tests Republican strength in safe-state territoryThe discussion uses an unexpectedly competitive Senate contest to examine medical debt, polling uncertainty, turnout, and broader Republican vulnerability.
- Sep 25, 2026 · 1h 20mTrump’s allies test life after his political dominanceThe episode examines whether weakening credibility, Republican scrutiny, and economic pressure are beginning to limit Trump’s influence at home and abroad.
- Sep 22, 2026 · 1h 6mGreenland deal tests Trump’s claims of foreign-policy successThe panel weighs an unclear Greenland arrangement against mounting questions about NATO, Iran War casualties, Pentagon transparency, and congressional oversight.
- Sep 18, 2026 · 1h 4mRepublicans struggle to campaign beyond TrumpThe episode tests whether Republican candidates can build a midterm message of their own while Trump remains the party’s dominant political fact.
- Sep 15, 2026 · 1h 14mAI risks expose a governance problem beyond doomsday scenariosThe discussion separates speculative extinction scenarios from nearer-term dangers created by strategic AI behavior, weak oversight, and politically distorted policymaking.
- Sep 11, 2026 · 1h 15mThe war on terror reshaped America—and exposed its limitsThe panel weighs the security gains, human costs, strategic failures, and political consequences of the wars launched after 9/11.
- Sep 8, 2026 · 1h 34mConservatives debate what survives TrumpThe Republican Party’s post-Trump direction could determine whether conservatism returns to institutions and limited government or embraces tribalism and transactional politics.
- Sep 4, 2026 · 1h 9mTrump’s numbers put Republican midterm strategy under pressureThe episode tests whether Republican candidates can separate themselves from Donald Trump as economic dissatisfaction and weaker Hispanic support reshape the 2026 midterms.