The Fifth Column

Epizode

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  AI Might Kill Us. Here’s Why It Matters: w/ Jim VandeHei (#575) 16.09.2026 1h 48min

  -Simplify, simplify, simplify…-Do people like Jim as a boss?-The two things to screen for in prospective employees-The humility of Mike Allen-AI and the newsroom-The way you consume news is about to completely change-Are we at the Napster stage of AI?-The demand for local news didn’t die-DEI without the corporate activism-Axios refuses to take a stand-Moynihan’s Vice postmortem-Jim used to be a hothead. Mostly.-AI might kill us. Why it matters-Kmele vs. the AI doomers-Hugging Face and the runaway AI problem-Stuxnet was the dumb version-Midterm Madness goes off-script-Who should actually be Person of the Year?-Too much Trump porn at the New York Times?-Jim simplifies Trump’s three biggest precedent breaks-Why Trump does it anywayRead Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz(Bookshop | Amazon)Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  The Things We Thought After 9/11 (#574) 11.09.2026 1h 30min

  -RIP Andrew Wimsatt, a true friend of the show and beloved member of the Fifth Column community-And in lighter news, it’s the 25th anniversary of 9/11-Trump’s 9/11 story-Why we’re called The Fifth Column-When Matt Welch welcomed us to war-Moynihan moved to New York on September 10, 2001-How much of your memory of the day is actually real?-Mary Beard and other “the US had it coming” takes-Little Eichmanns and the root-causes Olympics-Did we win the War on Terror?-You get $5,000! And you get $5,000!-Midterm Madness and the two Dan Sullivans-Hunter Biden’s $LAPTOP speedrun to zeroPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  The Department Formerly Known as Justice (w/ Devlin Barrett) MO 343 09.09.2026 16min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAs well as Epstein, and the conspiracy theories that refuse to die-the most famous person from Troy, NY?-shut your whore mouth, Producer Jason-we actually do have a serious guest today-a radical re-purposing of the Justice Department-James Comey and the seashells-lowercase justice-Tom Homan and the $50,000 CAVA bag-Abscam and the lost art of government …
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  Conspiracy Theories Never Die (w/ James B. Meigs) #573 04.09.2026 1h 38min

  Jim is a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a Wall Street Journal columnist-The tractor beam of sexuality-James B. Meigs is here-Tucker Carlson is just asking questions. He’s less interested in the answers-It’s 9/11 season. Call in the OG debunker-Jet fuel didn’t have to melt steel-Death threats for… Popular Mechanics-Tucker finds Israel in the JFK files-Revisiting Loose Change, 20 years later-Conspiracy theories thrive in the ruins of journalism-Data centers or, hear us out, server farms-The mailbag interrogates Mr. Science Man-Hugging Face and the AI agents chatting amongst themselves-Midterm Madness goes to Texas-Talarico vs. Paxton, somehow a toss-up-Flock cameras solve crimes. They also know where you’ve been-Nature, Jason Arday, and the death of fact-checking-UFOs are real. The aliens remain elusivePrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  It Was All Just a Joke (Members Only #342) 02.09.2026 15min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comLook who decided to come back for this episode! (for the visually impaired, it’s the one and only Kmele Foster)-A Caribbean anti-colonial fantasy-A gay Lady Chatterley’s Lover… and hockey-Oh, Milo-Because it’s funny. It’s a joke-Milo, the Tates, and the “it was all a bit” defense-ICE, deportations, and discovering empathy the hard way-He gave as good as…
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  Canada Calls Trump’s Bluff (#572) 28.08.2026 1h 34min

  Holy shit, The Moynihan Report has RETURNED.Watch the episode, subscribe on YouTube, and sign up for Moynihan’s Substack while you’re at it.Now, back to the Fifth: -why you have to watch this podcast-Sanna Marin…for the policy-Finding Kmele Foster-Welch returns from Montreal to report that the French lost-life in the time of Trade War-NPR finally solves reparations-tariffs, hockey sticks, and remedial economics-JD Vance is still not funny-Polymarket bets on Canada-Tucker discovers Christian Russia-Clip Roulette returns-Tim Curry, Richard E. Grant, Producer Jason’s inexplicable defense of Hudson Hawk-Bret Weinstein solves the Charlie Kirk assassination-Ana Kasparian keeps making new friends-Mamdani, Muhammad and the death of secularism-a bit more Clip-O-Rama-Tuck and the Short King discover 107 million illegal immigrantsPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  Bad Writing, Good Journalism, and AI (w/ Ben Smith) MO #341 26.08.2026 14min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comHow does Semafor make money and what is the best magazine in the world? Well…why don’t you smash that subscribe button and/or whip out that credit card if you want the real insider information from media’s best?-Karen Attiah and the Charlie Kirk quote that wasn’t real-Firing people for tweets + the last good account on Twitter-Why is Semafor worth so mu…
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  Seize the Means of Conservatism (w/ Stephanie Slade) MO #340 21.08.2026 13min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comStephanie Slade’s new book, Fusionism: Liberty, Virtue, and the Future of the American Right, is available for pre-order now!-J.D. Vance seizes the means of production-Let’s define “conservative” in case you forgot-So what the hell is Fusionism?-From free markets to owning the libs-Cultural resentment > economic anxiety-Is there a reset after Trump?-Whe…
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  Clip Roulette w/ Dictators, Demons and Democracy (Episode #571) 19.08.2026 1h 46min

  -Greetings…oh, fuck-Welch has a bone to pick with Ben Dreyfuss-Clip Roulette-Tucker and the Demon Bomb-Jason Arday, martyr?-The Jonah Lehrer comparison-The Samantha Power mic disaster-Fuck you Joaquin-John Mearsheimer, Stephen F. Cohen and the Russian apologists-Ukraine didn’t go away-Trump, Kim Jong-un and the South Korea war games-Midterm Madness / Polymarket, wha happen?-Median Strategies and the fake poll-Adam Bonica, Marc Elias and scamming the elderly-Is Cuba a dictatorship? Apparently a difficult question-The Padilla Affair / Slobo Googling-Theft as a “biological need”-Chocolate City-Stay tuned for más Moynihan ReportPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  Terry Moran and the Network News Autopsy (Members Only #339) 14.08.2026 14min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comWe’re joined by former ABC News senior national correspondent Terry Moran, who now publishes Real Patriotism with Terry Moran on Substack and hosts a podcast of the same name on YouTube.-Terry reads that tweet-Fired, suspended, non-renewed…whatever-Any regrets?-Network news is dying and everyone’s jumping ship-The 9/11 flag-pin controversy-Hire more people who voted for Trump-Why not …
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  The Politics of Pretending (Episode #570) 12.08.2026 1h 41min

  -Kmele is out of Adderall-Did anybody actually watch this Tucker and Hunter interview?-“Montrosity” and other difficult words-The adventures of Proximity Hong-The curious case of Jason Arday-Is there any chance Jesse Singal is racist?-AOC discovers Woke 1.0 was crazy-Shane Gillis and the conspiracy of enforcing things nobody believed-Thank you, Thom Tillis. Also, fuck you.-Funding the other side’s whackos-Mamdani declares war on Amazon-A general rent strike. Over one cockroach.-David Remnick meets the DSA-Kmele gets swarmed by the Hasan bots-So, how great was Mao?-Midterm Madness and the 2028 Democratic sweepstakes-Clip Roulette-Kmele tries to explain himself. It does not help.-Can America get at least a busted Boris Johnson?Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  A Man of 1989 (w/ David Frum) #569 07.08.2026 1h 43min

  -a pre-obit for the esteemed David Frum-involuntarily unionized at The Atlantic-spy novels, bureaucrats and expense reports-turning down Bill Buckley’s golden ticket-prosperity, security and how quickly it can all disappear-Frum is forever a man of 1989-God makes you lucky, then convinces you you’re smart-Tucker Carlson was always capable of many things-falling flat on your back isn’t progress-the Michigan Senate choice from hell-Democrats discover Trump’s permission structure-Midterm Madness in Michigan-the polling industry has a phone problem-politics for people who can afford to lose-“I saw you coming so I could stop you”-immigration restriction without the Trumpism-fascism has the better sales pitch than communism-what Donald Trump loves besides himself-the conservative future Frum got very wrong and other reflectionsPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  Out of Whiskey and Reaching for the Rotgut (Members Only #338) 05.08.2026 15min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMichael Moynihan has returned from his Italian sojourn where he barely escaped arrest…-Moynihan has the clap or something-Who exactly is the demographic for this show?-Moynihan’s European vacation involved bus karaoke, too much drinking, and now the shakes-Matt went to Cooperstown with Bill Schulz…-The forgotten insanity of the Peekskill riots-Paul Robe…
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  The Admirably Irresponsible Journalist w/ John R. MacArthur (Members Only #337) 31.07.2026 20min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comSo that’s where these Genius Grants come from…-Most roads lead back to Prague for Matt Welch-about that letter…six paragraphs, $5 million in free publicity and Harper’s back in the mainstream-It was NAFTA, not woke, that elected Trump. Or was it?-Illegal immigration is a wage issue-Who still believes free trade is the answer to everything?-Vietnam made …
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  The Fifth Gets a Substitute Teacher (w/ Jesse Singal) #568 29.07.2026 1h 41min

  Jesse Singal of Blocked and Reported and Singal-Minded fills Michael Moynihan’s special diabetic chair to discuss Fauci’s diaries, broken institutions, runaway AI, LeBron and Mamdani Mart.-Moynihan out, Jesse Singal in-Bari Weiss hired everyone except Jesse-The Prince of Science re-enrages everyone (or at least Rand Paul)-Gell-Mann amnesia and the collapse of institutional trust-The media needed a COVID daddy-An OpenAI model escaped the sandbox-The analogy of the paperclip machine and how it consumed the universe-Cambridge protected alleged plagiarist Jason Arday-Midterm Madness, Ohio governor race version-Kmele feels that LeBron will never love him but he doesn’t want to talk about it-Three grown men relived their greatest pickup games-Kmele wanted the gods back in The Odyssey-Mamdani Mart promised groceries at 30 percent off-Billy Bob Thornton returns from hell in White Knight (a Kmele Foster joint)-Nazi dinosaurs stalked Jews through Schindler’s Park-Jesse discovered second-order effects-Not every strange obsession with Israel was antisemitism-Rent stabilization has worked great for millionaires-No French goodbye for KmelePrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The Fifth Column (A Podcast) is a listener-viewer supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  The Temple Is Rich. The Monks Are Poor (w/ Frank Dikötter) Members Only #336 24.07.2026 17min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comFrank Dikötter is a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and one of the foremost historians of modern China. His research in overlooked and restricted Communist Party archives has transformed our understanding of Maoist rule.-Frank Dikötter is kind of Dutch, but not really-Writing the definitive history of Maoist horror-Edgar Snow a…
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  I Don’t Make Mistakes Anymore. They’re Just Lies (w/ Chris Cuomo) #567 22.07.2026 2h 4min

  We talk about what the media still gets wrong about Trump, what losing CNN did to him, and why he believes more political violence is coming.-Kmele sizes Chris up and… is this podcast 10% gay?-From Fox, to ABC, to CNN-Did the media make Trump president?-Celebrity, discontent and everything the media missed-Being right about what’s wrong-The duopoly is killing us. DSA isn’t helping.-Cuomo, Cuomo and Cuomo Crime Time-Scott Jennings, JD Vance and the rewards of picking a side-The media discovers capital-T Truth and loses its curiosity-Trump’s corruption and the limits of whataboutism-Mario Cuomo should have worn a toga-Voters don’t want the flaws. They want the disruption.-There will be more political violence-Matt Lauer crosses the street to express his condolences-Broadcasting from the basement and losing an identity-Illegal immigration and its convenient distortions-Tucker, Fredo and Mike Tyson-Kmele can take Joe Rogan. Chris has notes.-AOC gets savvier; Kmele would prefer an accounting-I don’t make mistakes anymore. They’re just lies-COVID couldn’t transcend the culture war-Midterm Madness-the first presidential candidates that Matt Welch, Chris Cuomo, and Kmele voted for-Andrew Cuomo and the outsider problemPrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.The 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 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe
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  The Gold-Plated Imperial Presidency (w/ Maggie Haberman) Members Only #335 21.07.2026 18min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comRegime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, co-written with Jonathan Swan, is out now.-yes, he superglues the gold fixtures in the Oval Office-Maggie Haberman and her very irritating competitor Jonathan Swan-Project 2025 and Stephen Miller’s search for lawyers who would get to “yes”-what needs to be in the paper as soon as possible… a…
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  The Denial of Reality Is a Powerful Drug (w/ Bret Stephens) - Members Only #334 17.07.2026 16min

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Bret Stephens, Mexican?-Bret’s naked grandmother and the Trotsky/Diego Rivera/Frida Kahlo connection-The family saga of Stalinists, refugees and Reagan Republicans-Learning to love America through tap water and cops you don’t have to bribe-Belgium, a sick little, horrible place-America, land of late bloomers-The socialist Sweden Bernie remembers no lon…
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  There Is No They - #566 15.07.2026 1h 31min

  -The many sins of fattie John J. Cafaro-The Moynihan Report will return-Hand jobs and the intellectual life of West Hollywood-Release the Welch canceled-songs playlist-The Iran deal is dead. The war is back.-Why did Iran blow it up? Why does a dog lick his balls?-Air power has never toppled a regime-The anti-globalists discover the Strait of Hormuz-Israel’s secret Ahmadinejad project-In partial defense of the late Lindsey Graham-Politics is gross. Stop loving politicians.-Fellating is best done behind closed doors-“There is no they. There is only we. And we usually don’t know what the fuck we’re doing.”-Midterm Madness comes to Michigan-Haley Stevens brings a little bit of stick-it-to-’em-Is this DSA thing real?-Colorado nominates a man who first killed at seven (he thinks)-Two fatal ICE shootings in two weeks-Ann Widdecombe is murdered. Britain shrugs.-Kmele attempts the Caitlin Clark/data center crossover. It does not land.Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Follow The Fifth ColumnYouTube: @wethefifthInstagram: @we.the.fifthX: @wethefifthTikTok: @wethefifthFacebook: @thefifthcolumn This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wethefifth.com/subscribe