The Fifth Column

Your weekly rhetorical assault on the on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. Weekly Members Only subscription edition often comes with listener mail and professional-quality (if inappropriate) singing. Analysis. Commentary. Sedition. <br/><br/><a href="https://www.wethefifth.com?utm_medium=podcast">www.wethefifth.com</a>

#480 - The Media Mess / Gaetz Pulls Out (w/ Ben Smith)

An hour with Semafor founder Ben Smith discussing the sorry state of the media, followed by a Smith-free hour with the lads discussing, among other things, two very different people who nevertheless shared a very deep love of young people. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 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

11-23
01:52:34

Members Only #236 - Here Comes the Nanny State!

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Kmele: Forever the HNIC* The Filet-O-Fish is Alaska pollock* A Swedish horror show* RFK at HHS* He forgot to mention this stuff…* Elon’s principles?* On Matt Gaetz and John Bolton* You know, we had a pretty good record on Covid…* Moulton v. a Salem Witch * A listener’s Irish-Catholic family is falling apart* That fake Netflix fight

11-19
17:06

Members Only #235 - To Overthrow the World: A Conversation on Communism with Sean McMeekin

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comMichael Moynihan sits down with Bard College professor Sean McMeekin to discuss his new book To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism, a Fifth-approved history of the global communist movement, from the ur-commie instincts of Plato to the sinister stupidities of Plekhanov. They also contemplate why so many smart people fall for ba…

11-17
19:30

#479 - The Case Against Tariffs (w/ Scott Lincicome)

We’ve promised this one for a very long time. But now that Trump is returning to the White House—the mercantilist maniac who recently said “the most beautiful word in the dictionary is ‘tariff’”—we finally followed through. By popular demand, we called upon Scott Lincicome, senior visiting lecturer at Duke University Law School and vice president of general economics and Cato's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, to answer all of your questions on protectionism, tariffs, and trade. Don’t care about such things!? Well, this episode is a double feature! After Scott’s masterclass on free trade, the lads stick around to discuss Trump’s appointments (ummm….this was a day before the Gaetz-Gabbard selections), “neocons,” and the WNBA. And for you subscribers: we will drop Moynihan’s conversation with Bard College historian Sean McMeekin in the next few days. For you non-subscribers…what are you waiting for?? 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

11-13
01:59:03

Members Only #234 - Come On and Zoom! (Wagnerian Opera Edition)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comOur first post-election Second Sunday Zoom call! If you missed it, shame on you for choosing to spend time with your family or choosing not to pony up. But it’s all here. All three hours of it. Yes, it’s the “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” of election analysis. But to be clear, we also discuss Emperor Hirohito, Kentucky politics, Australians, New York …

11-12
18:16

Members Only #233 - A Grave New World

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comWelch and Moynihan are back in the studio, three days after the end of democracy, counting the days before they get the midnight knock from Trump’s NKVD. So what does one do? Engage in some anticipatory obedience, obviously. But can anything save them? Subscribe to find out!Note: Matt came across this amazing video only after recording this episode. So …

11-08
33:29

#478 - The Dream of a Six-Foot-Four, Tobacco-Chewing White Savior

The Fifth did a bit of processing today with our Trump-supporting friend at her Connecticut studio. Hungover, exhausted, bedraggled, the lads then returned to the scene of last night’s Fifth-Free Press-Reason party and recorded this episode. They enjoyed it. And they suspect you will too.. 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

11-07
01:27:14

Members Only #232 - Last Episode Before the Camps :(

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Kmele on his appearance in Thomas Chatterton Williams new Atlantic piece* The end of America!* If you don’t vote like me, you should be ashamed of yourself!* We’re not “heterodox”* On never talking policy* Authoritarianism in America* Boyz in the Hood redux* A whole lot of final election thoughts* A listener from Utah teaches us about TBCK syndrome* Kemi Badenoch on uneq…

11-04
25:34

#477 - The Bubble. The Brother. The Boycott.

* A Thomas Jefferson freak off* The tree of liberty…* “Election integrity”* What’s happening with those Pennsylvania ballots?* Editorial page endorsements are worthless * Why won’t you resign, lady?* A slaughter at MSG * These people have lost their minds* And Bezos is correct: they don’t trust you* The end of the NYT sports page actually said something important…* The bubble* An absurd boycott* What would a Kamala victory mean for Israel?* Finally a good Downfall meme… 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

10-30
01:28:36

Members Only #231 - Eve of Destruction

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* To promote his Substack conversation with Moynihan (live today at 5pm ET only on the Substack app!), Josh Szeps calls in from the car and talks Aussie stuff for 20 minutes. * Banning that lady from your country (“Does anything ride on this?") * Baghdad Bob on Australia* The Times and the truth* People who disappear* They are making me talk about this fascism shit* …

10-28
30:28

#476 - "Tucker's a real douchebag" (w/ Rep. Dan Crenshaw)

* How to be a Navy Seal* Losing an eye in Afghanistan* Dan can’t find his glasses / “I can’t see shit”* Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan* A case study in intelligence failure and confirmation bias* On leaving the Taliban in power* Has Trump been good on foreign policy?* The Republican Party post-Trump* Tucker "is best friends with Hunter Biden!”* Why are you even in Congress?* On the mechanics of Congress* Maybe a hundred normal congressmen * What has Dan accomplished for Texas?* Is populism winning?* On banning TikTok 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

10-24
01:16:06

Members Only #230 - Horseface Wham-O

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* Dave in the Hall * Dead in the garden * All the dictators * His kampf* McDonalds troofer * Can Trump be funny?* People don’t care about what we care about* A friend attacks* BHO was a great candidate* Wham-O, Sandusky, and the kids Freak Off* On “Neighborhood Bully”* Never say “grande”* What plagiarism counts

10-22
21:46

#475 - How to Survive a Baier Attack

* Old wine, old bottles * Bret Baier v. Kamala * He finally asked Matt’s question. Or was it Kmele’s question?* On not answering questions* The wisdom of Bill Clinton* Back to the politics of the 90s * We always come back to it: late night is awful * Weed reparations * We always come back to it: fascism* Please come back, archive.org* Shutting down CBS?* Why the media being stupid is actually really important* Ted v Colin* Micklewaithe v. Trump 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

10-17
01:31:32

Members Only #229 - Second Sunday Rebroadcast: Jewlumbus Edition

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comA rebroadcast* Military propaganda for the kidz!* Jewish Columbus* A new history of communism * The brainworm burrows in again* The Italian * Obama’s code switch * There are meaningful differences between *these men** Polling problems* The brothers Menendez* Sarah, live from Folsom* Chomsky’s Cuba book* Are there still meaningful policy differences between the two major partie…

10-15
19:22

#474 - Frankly, She Loves the American People

* Yes, Michael J. Fox actually actually has Parkinson’s * The MAGA hat incident* We got a journalist around here…he’s asking a lot of questions* Choppin’ it up with 60* Young morons embrace violence* German American Bund at MSG 2.0!* Bob “Silent Coup” Woodward * Look, he was actually unfairly treated* Schultz interviews Trump* It was Jeff Gerth, actually* A tale of two natural disasters* The natural disaster of a Kamala interview* Running out the clock: “Frankly, I love the American people”* Debate home run derby * Moynihan’s Utne Reader piece for 2008. Welch on Katrina* New media that we love. Or at least *like* 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

10-10
01:53:33

Members Only #228 - Some Like It Hot

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* A very brief baseball convo. Relax.* Kid (and adult) anxiety* Don’t kill on snek* The science of Trump’s brain?* The worst of all the excuses* Oliver’s dad and the JJ Rule* The Big Dance on OpenLibrary, btw* Fatherhood songs* Phones, kids, rabbit holes* Pete Rose was the best…and the worst* On Kris Kristofferson* On Megyn and Moynihan

10-08
18:13

#473 - Something For Everyone to Hate

* The title is correct: everyone will hate something in this episode!* Moynihan is dying?* GPT as your GP* Choc and Chiclet * $$$ for TV* J.D. says Trump won in 2020* Jack Smith could have asked Moynihan * You hate him. But not enough.* A goomba union boss is going to choke America out* Rich and “working class”* Create jobs! End EZ-Pass!* Remembering the execrable Harry Bridges* Why is the government still mailing free Covid tests?* (MM fact-checks himself)* Lebanon and beyond 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

10-04
01:44:53

Members Only #227 - Killing Nasrallah, Inshallah

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.comKmele’s voice is craggy; Moynihan is on the precipice of illness; Hasan Nasrallah has been delivered to a fiery “paradise,” last seen with his hand up own skirt, desperate to locate 70-odd sexually inexperienced coreligionists. Also: * Pat’s “thugocracy” * Hockey fights. * Johnny Turkey* Your legacy is one bad Twitter prediction* Ranking the least badly governed…

09-30
20:59

#472 - The Ruhling Class and Palestine's Parachute Pundit

* The return of the Boss POC * The veep sits for an “interview”* That’s all she had to do…* Will Michael Cohen be assassinated?* Not if he escapes the country (and his family)!* The return of Tennessee* 10 days in an uncomplicated land* That conflict is just like all things I care about (except it’s nothing like the things I care about)* Disassociating yourself from the freaks and terror supporters* So we finally got to Diddy* Sure, he’s a monster! But the Mann Act?? 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

09-26
01:46:24

Members Only #226 - A Nest of Idiot Vipers

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com* When you think you’re right about everything * Alternate episode title: Candace Owens Discovers a New Fact Every Day—This Time, She Didn’t Blame the Jews* “The incentive for her is to be more mentally ill, because she seems to be doing quite well by losing her mind in public”* It will be like leaving a 70’s cult * Nude Africa has gone offline :(* Nobel laureates …

09-21
27:14

Louis Macareo

Fawn Hall was Oliver North's secretary. How could any of you mess that up? Jessica Hahn? Ugh. Get your 80s women straight.

10-31 Reply

Frank Mills

sullivan shows what a ___ he truly is. There are more intelligent and worthy people to talk to, simply walk outside and choose anyone. The reprobate compares Oct 7th to a "1-2 day raid"....

04-05 Reply

Jack Of All Creative Trades

vivek seem fake to me. like he was made in a lab.

06-17 Reply

Jack Of All Creative Trades

this one of the best episodes so far. good crictism of trump

06-13 Reply

red snflr

moynihan is the epitome of Beltway Libertarian

06-11 Reply

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