The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Eric Kaufmann. Kaufmann is the author of multiple books, including The Third Awokening: A 12-Point Plan for Rolling Back Progressive Extremism. He is a professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and director of the Center for Heterodox Social Science.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman, and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Michaeleen Doucleff. Doucleff has a PHD in chemistry, has written for the NPR Science desk for 14 years, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller Hunt, Gather, Parent. Her new book, Dopamine Kids, is out now.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by bestselling author and award-winning journalist, Jesse Brown. Brown is the founder and editor of Canadaland. He won the Hillman Prize for Investigative reporting for breaking the Jian Ghomeshi scandal and the Canadian Screen Award for Best Factual Series for the television documentary Thunder Bay. He is a bestselling author and reporter and host of the podcast, What Is Happening Here.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Beejhy Barhany. Hailed "Harlem’s queen of Ethiopian Jewish cuisine," Barhany is the owner of Tsion Cafe, the Ethiopian Jewish restaurant, where she recently ended dine-in service, due to anti-Israel harassment. She is also the author of Gursha: Timeless Recipes for Modern Kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and Beyond. The book has been heralded as one of the best cookbooks of 2025 by The New York Times and The Boston Globe.

While Noam is away, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by investigative journalist Michael Tracey to discuss the latest developments in the newly released Epstein files. Tracey asserts that the popular narrative of Jeffrey Epstein running a vast international sex trafficking ring—especially one involving “elite” clients—is not supported by credible evidence. He says that the factual record doesn’t substantiate claims of a sprawling organized network. They discuss ulterior motives, questions about victims and what's fact and what's fiction. Tracey has contributed to a wide range of publications across the political spectrum, from The Nation to The American Conservative, the New York Daily News to the New York Post, and many more.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Jason Zengerle, political journalist and author of “Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind.” Jason Zengerle joined The New Yorker in 2026, as a staff writer covering politics. He previously wrote for the Times Magazine, GQ, New York, and The New Republic. He is a winner of the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting and has been a New America fellow.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Michael Mazarr, Senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation, author of 10 books including Leap of Faith: Hubris, Negligence, and America's Greatest Foreign Policy Tragedy. Mazarr explains why the Iraq War was not an Israel-driven conspiracy but a catastrophic American decision born of post-9/11 panic, hubris, and bureaucratic failure. It’s a needed rebuttal to takes like Dave Smith’s, which mistake confident rhetoric for serious historical analysis. Leap of Faith available here:  https://a.co/d/06H6wnO1

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Jesse Arm, vice president of external affairs at the Manhattan Institute.  Jesse’s writing and commentary have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, New York Post, Fox News, City Journal, NPR and more.  How Dangerous are Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson?   What do Zoomers think? Can you trust Chat GPT?

Noam Dworman, Hatem Gabr and Periel Aschenbrand take calls and are joined by Adar Weinreb, former IDF soldier, committed to peace building.  Is Israel the most dangerous place for Jews to live?  Is the war in Gaza creating more anti semitism? Weinreb is an entrepreneur and social activist focused on peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. He’s the co-founder of HeadOn.ai a platform designed to help people engage productively across polarized conflicts.

Call ins, legal and civic positions on ICE shooting and Noam's take on Dilbert Cartoonist Scott Adams. Guest: Professor Robert Jan Van Pelt, the principal expert witness on Nazi gas chambers in the David Irving trial, joins. Robert Jan Van Pelt is one of the world’s leading experts on Auschwitz. An architectural historian who has taught at MIT and the University of Waterloo, he is best known for proving the reality of the gas chambers and crematoria. His work made him a central figure in the fight against Holocaust denial. He appeared in Errol Morris’s Mr. Death and served as a key expert witness in the landmark Irving v. Penguin & Lipstadt trial. He has received major honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Jewish Book Award.

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are in-studio and taking calls. Is Dan disparaging the show? Should we cancel it entirely? Will Noam raise prices? A caller lecture us on pronunciation and Noam eviscerates John Mearsheimer.

Comic Ami Kozak joins Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand in-studio. They discuss the dangers normalizing anti semitism and take some calls from viewers.

Josh Hammer and the gang discuss the latest fallout from the Ben Shapiro speech. Is it full civil war on the Right? What is motivating Megyn Kelly? What can be done about Candace? And, is J.D. doomed in 2028...

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Adam Louis-Klein. Louis-Klein is a PhD candidate in anthropology at McGill University and has a BA in philosophy from Yale. He is a journalist for The Free Press and writes on Jewish peoplehood, antisemitism, and anti-Zionism.

🔴 James Lindsay: How the Woke Right Is Leading Conservatism Toward Collapse In this episode, Lindsay lays out how “wokeness” has re-emerged on the right in a new form — one defined by victimhood, forbidden knowledge, conspiratorial thinking, and identity-based power claims. Using concrete examples, he explains why this mindset undermines truth-seeking, corrodes political judgment, and ultimately leads to electoral defeat. Tucker, Candace, Fuentes, Mental Illiness, anti-Semitism... All of it. AI Chapters: 00:00 Introduction – James Lindsay and the Grievance Studies Affair 01:48 How Absurd Academic Hoaxes Got Published 06:12 The Dog Park Rape Paper Explained 09:56 Why Exposure Didn’t Lead to Reform 12:58 What Lindsay Means by “The Woke Right” 15:41 The Epistemology of Forbidden Knowledge 16:52 “Just Asking Questions” as a Worldview 18:06 Identity, Victimhood, and Resentment Politics 22:47 Conspiracy, Demons, and Fringe Beliefs Going Mainstream 27:10 Cult Capture, Narcissism, and Incentives 32:55 Nick Fuentes and the Acceleration Trap 37:58 Antisemitism, Immigration, and Scapegoating 44:38 The Political “Third Rail” Problem 49:22 Rogan, Podcasts, and Influence 01:01:35 Why This Leads to Electoral Defeat 01:10:48 The “Abscess” Metaphor – Internal Collapse 01:18:12 Final Warning and What Comes Next

Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Nate Soares, President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) and author of the New York Times bestseller If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. Prior to MIRI, Soares worked as an engineer at Google and Microsoft, as a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and as a contractor for the US Department of Defense.Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Nate Soares, President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) and author of the New York Times bestseller If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. Prior to MIRI, Soares worked as an engineer at Google and Microsoft, as a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and as a contractor for the US Department of Defense.

An Explosive Debate on Trump’s Brain. Dr. John Gartner, former Johns Hopkins psychiatry faculty member and a vocal critic of Donald Trump, joins Live From the Table. We challenge Gartner directly on his claims that Donald Trump is exhibiting malignant narcissism, psychopathy, and accelerating dementia. The debate spans science, politics, ethics, medical bias, and the media’s treatment of both Trump and Biden. This episode includes extended transcript-verified clips, counter-arguments, and some of the most heated exchanges we’ve aired. Chapters below. Chapters 00:00 – Intro: Who is Dr. John Gartner? 01:00 – Goldwater Rule & Diagnosing Public Figures 03:20 – Trump, Narcissism & Malignant Personality Disorders 07:00 – Is Trump a Psychopath? Criminality, Lying & Abuse 11:20 – Noam Pushes Back: What Counts as Evidence? 14:15 – The Dementia Question: Language, Gait & Decline 16:55 – “He’s Not the Same Man”: Claims From Former Officials 18:45 – Noam’s Counterargument: Bolton, Kelly, McMaster, Woodward 22:30 – Cognitive Decline vs. Strategy: What’s Real? 26:05 – Trump’s Speeches Examined: Word Salad or Something Else? 29:30 – The “Skedaddle” Story & Loose Associations 33:00 – Kamala Harris, Biden & Claims of Asymmetrical Scrutiny 37:10 – Debate Clips: Biden Then vs. Now, Trump Then vs. Now 41:50 – Variability & Sundowning: How Dementia Presents 45:00 – Trump’s Stamina vs. Trump’s Disorganization 48:20 – Is This Cognitive Decline or Just Aging? 52:00 – Impulsivity, National Security & Dangerous Decision-Making 56:10 – The Hakeem Jeffries “Very Nice Man” Story 59:00 – Biden Wandering Clips & Why the Medical Community Stayed Silent 1:02:00 – Is Medical Bias Real? Noam Pushes Gartner 1:04:00 – Would Trump’s Inner Circle Have Noticed Decline? 1:07:00 – Narcissism, Children & Why His Family Keeps Distance 1:10:00 – “Do You Feel Sympathy for Him?” 1:14:00 – Closing Thoughts & Invitation to Visit the Cellar

Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Richard Hanania. Hanania writes a newsletter about American politics, ethics, international relations and culture. He is the author of Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy and The Origins of Woke. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, The Economist, and other publications. His book, Kakistocracy: Why Populism Ends in Disaster, is forthcoming.

Noam Dworman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by former spokesman for the State of Israel, Eylon Levy. They discuss anti Zionism, anti Semitism, what Hamas really wants and Levy's hope for the future of Israel and Gaza.

While Noam Dworman is away, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by The Atlantic's Helen Lewis. They discuss The Riyadh Comedy Festival, Lewis's book, The Genius Myth and The Beatles. Then Sheba Mason drops by to talk about her play about her late father, The Jackie Mason Musical.