The Fifth Column

Episodes

• The Revolution Will Be Staffed by PhDs (w/co-host Peter Meijer) - #564 02.07.2026 1h 26m

  -The Fifth Column whiskey racket begins-Matt moves during a heat wave… Peter Meijer reports for duty-Meijer, class traitor, explains the pied-à-terre tax-Mayor Mamdani balances the budget, if you ignore the bailout-Kmele gets Hayek’d-Machine politics was bad, but graduate student politics is worse.-Bannon’s old Leninist fantasy, now available in DSA packaging-Kamala Harris genuflects toward Mamdani-world-MAGA wants the factories back. The robots have other ideas.-Ro Khanna’s children: landed gentry-Midterm Madness, Rocky Mountain High-Melat Kiros justifies 9/11-Scott Wiener gets yelled at for insufficient revolutionary fervor-Stalinism, but make it customer-facing-The revolution will be staffed by PhD candidates-Speaking of revolution: happy birthday, AmericaPrefer 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
• Adam Carolla Has Nowhere Else to Go (Members Only #332) 01.07.2026 15m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAlso: a serious discussion of the cinematic category known as “movies where they clearly came up with the title first.”-The N-word trap at the Hudson Yards gym-Joe Jackson dressed for the evil dad part-Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound defense-Richard Simmons slaps a cage fighter-How to respond to an asshole-Con Air, Face/Off, and insane ’90s movies-Pr…
• One-Hitter: Sarah Isgur Explains the Supreme Court’s Big Finish (Members Only #331) 30.06.2026 6m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comWe are lucky to be joined once again by Executive Editor of SCOTUSblog, Sarah Isgur, and on a day when the Supreme Court gave everyone a lot to argue about.-Trump loses, birth tourism maybe does not-Anchor babies and America’s soccer future-The 14th Amendment gets weird-A color-blind Constitution, except when it isn’t-Immigration is the culture war now-Executive p…
• The Cadres and the Cabal (#563) 26.06.2026 1h 36m

  -Welch enters his Charles Nelson Reilly era-Laura Branigan, Happy Mondays, and songs you didn’t know were covers-Puerto Rico’s revenge-The cadres are closing in-Reihan Salam and Larry Flynt-DAC hits the media circuit and refuses to answer the easiest question in politics-Aber Kawas explains 9/11, in a Miss South Carolina sort of way-Vaporware word clouds masquerading as policy-No borders, no prisons, no TSA PreCheck… no joke-Nationalizing airlines, abolishing comfort, and calling it justice-Mamdani’s machine, the DSA bench, and the Democratic Party’s growing nervous breakdown-Polymarket vs. the polls-The internet is not a socialist invention, no matter how hard socialists try-Senate Republicans discover Trump skepticism several years too late-The SAVE Act tantrum and the incredible courage of people who already lost-Tucker, Trump, Iran, inflation, and the limits of MAGA obedience-Peter Thiel’s terrifying secret network of people talking at conferences-Moynihan goes to Dialog and accidentally joins the Illuminati-Kmele reports back from the alleged cabal-Bohemian Grove was cooler because at least you had to break inPrefer 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
• One Hitter: The DSA Takes NYC w/ Michael A. Cohen (Members Only #330) 24.06.2026 9m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMichael A. Cohen is a columnist for MSNOW, a senior fellow at Tufts University’s Fletcher School, and co-director of its Afghanistan Assumptions Project. He also writes the Truth and Consequences newsletter. He is not the former fixer of Donald Trump.-The correct Michael Cohen stops by-Mamdani flexes in the primaries and three congress critters cometh-DAC gets worse the more…
• Genocide Juice and the Socialist Machine w/Reihan Salam (Members Only #329) 24.06.2026 16m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com-Ethnicity as performance-Manhattan politics with the president of the Manhattan Institute-Dan Goldman orders coffee, receives moral instruction-The many political personalities of Brad Lander-Taxpayer-funded activism and the Office of Mass Engagement-Mamdani and the borg beneath the campaign-AOC, cadres, and disciplined political parties-Gaza as the om…
• The Iran Deal Is Bad and Everyone Is Stupid (#562) 19.06.2026 1h 37m

  -Kmele debuts his Sebastian Bach beach jeans-The Iran deal is like the JCPOA, but a lot worse-Lebanon sneaks into a U.S.-Iran deal-Strait of Hormuz, 60-day promises, and negotiating with hostage-takers-Why can’t the hawks ever learn?-Ukraine brings the war home to Russia-Drones, oil refineries, and the new cost of war-Europe wakes up… sort of-Meloni jabs her digits at Trump-Polymarket checks the damage in Israeli politics-as well as NY-13 and the rise of the DSA-Hamilton Heights is Gaza now-Mamdani’s little machine comes for Dan Goldman-Gaza replaces BLM as the Democratic purity test-The long-term problem with Mamdani economics-Gavin Newsom vs. Trump’s DOJ-The New York Times makes the Epstein suicide case-Tucker, Trump, Loomer, and the inevitable reunion-Baseball is gay in JunePrefer 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. 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
• Batya Ungar-Sargon and the Status Revolution (Members Only #328) 17.06.2026 19m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comBatya Ungar-Sargon, host of Batya! on NewsNation, returns!!! And with a new book, The Jews and the Left, about antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and why so much of the modern left has made Jews the enemy. -JD Vance, Tucker, and the anti-Israel right-The Iran deal, Rubio’s silence, and Trump’s trial balloon-What Batya got wrong about the war-Could Trump have sold the war better?
• The Knicks, Oyster Man, and the Infinite Lies (#561) 12.06.2026 1h 29m

  -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 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
• A Hamster Wheel of Shit w/Ana Navarro (Members Only #327) 10.06.2026 18m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comThroughout 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…
• When Political Violence Has the Right Enemies w/ Noah Rothman (Members Only #326) 05.06.2026 18m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comNoah’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…
• Populism for Morons, Journalism for Martyrs (Episode #560) 03.06.2026 1h 36m

  -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 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
• Senator Chris Murphy Wants You to Join a Cult (Members Only #325) 31.05.2026 15m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comChris 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…
• A Great Nation in Decline Welcomes Australia’s Finest w/ Josh Szeps (Members Only #324) 29.05.2026 18m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comBe 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 …
• Ben Rhodes and the Evil Empire State of Mind (#559) 27.05.2026 1h 52m

  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/subscribeCheck 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
• Why'd You Gag Me, Preet Bharara! (Members Only #323) 25.05.2026 19m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comThe 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…
• TFC LIVE in DC at w/ Lulu Garcia-Navarro & Robby Soave - Members Only #322 24.05.2026 22m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comAfter 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…
• Matt Yglesias on Cancellation, Mamdani, and the AI Panic (Members Only #321) 22.05.2026 17m

  This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMatthew 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…
• The Youngest Guy in the Worst Room in America w/ Rep. Maxwell Frost (Episode #558) 20.05.2026 1h 3m

  We talk about broken housing markets, broken healthcare, broken Congress, Trump’s corruption, a broken Cuba, Epstein, UAPs, and the tragedy of being a drummer with no place to practice.-Making music is for rich kids now-From jazz drummer to Hillary field organizer-Sandy Hook, March for Our Lives, and the road into politics-Florida’s felon disenfranchisement fight-Guns, swamps, Confederate flags, and talking to people who don’t like you-Florida’s politics are red… its ballot issues are a lot messier.-Gaining political power is easy. Keeping it is the hard part.-The case for going big, whether Congress likes it or not-Housing abundance, rent hikes, and the great pet-fee wars-Donald Trump’s extremely lucrative career in public service-Biden’s DOJ, Brazil’s crackdown, and the problem with accountability theater-Political violence, Trump’s rhetoric, and blaming the victim-UAPs, Epstein files, and the bipartisan hunt for weird stuff-Cuba, war powers, and why Frost doesn’t want another Venezuela-style adventurePrefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.Thanks for reading The Fifth Column (A Podcast)! This post is public so feel free to share it.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
• When Everyone Stops Pretending w/ Steven Pinker (Episode #557) 14.05.2026 1h 45m

  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- Steven Pinker on why “common knowledge” is much stranger than it sounds-The social machinery behind weddings, money, and power-How a norm starts to die once someone breaks it and gets rewarded-Trump as the great destroyer of polite restraints-The institutions that lost the authority to enforce trust-How new taboos appear without anyone admitting who created them-T…