The Mona Charen Show

Charlie Sykes joins B2D to discuss the House soap opera — from the comical to the consequential. Highlights/lowlights Charlie's: https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-ohio-kentucky-mitch-mcconnell-6123aeccfa1c71bad84f57e735962f2f Damon's: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/12/ron-desantis-just-as-bad-as-donald-trump-2024 Bill's: https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/gop-hardliners-angle-for-plum-posts-as-price-of-mccarthy-votes-1.1865718 Linda's: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/opinion/eliot-waste-land-poetry.html https://gideons.substack.com/p/is-the-land-waste Mona's: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/25/us/reading-literacy-memphis-tennessee.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katherine Gehl — the originator of Alaska's Ranked Choice Voting system — discusses progress on reforming our primary elections. The group then weighs in on Zelensky's historic visit, Elon's fate, Trump's taxes, and the immigration stalemate. Highlights/Lowlights Bill's: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-zelenskyys-visit-represented-bipartisan-masochism Damon's: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/nyregion/george-santos-republican-resume.html Mona's: https://russroberts.medium.com/the-economist-as-scapegoat-91b317a6823e Linda's: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/veterans-congress-abandoning-afghan-allies-spending-bill-rcna62686 Katherine's: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/12/22/omnibus-bill-senate/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jesse Singal joins to discuss the fraught discourse on trans treatment. The group then turns to Ron DeSantis' possible big blunder embracing anti-vaxers and a great scientific breakthrough (and its detractors). Highlights/lowlights: Mona: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/helping-trans-kids-means-admitting-what-we-dont-know.html Damon: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/15/us/politics/trump-nft-trading-cards-superhero.html Bill: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3767169-mccarthy-taps-mike-gallagher-to-chair-planned-china-select-committee/ Linda: https://www.slowboring.com/p/cryptocurrency-is-the-segway-of-finance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amir Tibon of Haaretz joins to explain how Netanyahu won again and what his new coalition means for Israel, for US/Israel relations, and possibly, for Ukraine. Also, the shape of American politics after Georgia's runoff. Highlights/Lowlights: Mona's https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/03/president-emergency-power-student-loan-forgiveness/ Damon's https://damonlinker.substack.com/p/germany-foils-a-far-right-coup-plot Amir's: https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2022-12-07/ty-article/.premium/raphael-warnock-buoyed-by-jewish-vote-defeats-herschel-walker-in-georgia-senate-runoff/00000184-ea07-d9f1-a9e6-efc7797d0000 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/us/politics/trump-constitution-republicans.html Linda's https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-curriculum-wars-are-based-on https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63900099 Bill's https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-congress-expected-pass-bill-protecting-same-sex-marriage-2022-12-08/ https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/growing-us-divide-how-long-support-ukraine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard Reeves discusses his book Of Boys and Men. The panel then considers China's COVID turmoil, and the poisons unleashed by Trump into our national bloodstream, including anti-Semitism. Highlights/lowlights: Mona: https://www.thebulwark.com/putins-bogus-blame-nato-excuse/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/palo-alto-recycling-asia-garbage-waste-rcna58633 Linda: https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000008634824/afghan-refugees-biden.html?act[…]ies-bar&region=header&pgtype=Article&playlistId=video/opinion Damon: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/30/elon-musk-twitter-success-luck/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/29/mass-shootings-conservative-pundits-responsibility/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bret Stephens joins the group to share reflections on Trump's prospects, lessons for both parties from the midterms, and changing your mind in public. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Longwell joins the group to evaluate the momentous midterms. highlights/lowlights Mona's:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/07/putin-backs-down-ukraine-turkey-china-india/ Bill's:  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/09/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kherson-retreat.html Linda's: https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/21/texas-republican-democrat-hispanic-voters/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ruy Teixeira joins the panel to evaluate the coming election, the attack on Paul Pelosi, and the argument that both Biden and Harris should stand down. highlights/lowlights: Mona's  https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/sohrab-ahmari-thinks-that-the-anti?r=6jqoy&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Linda's https://quillette.com/2022/10/27/fdr-and-the-holocaust/ Bill's  https://www.npr.org/2022/11/03/1133848992/ethiopia-tigray-war-peace-deal-truce-eritrea        Damon's  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/world/middleeast/israel-election-netanyahu.html Ruy: https://www.dw.com/en/bolsonaro-meets-lulas-team-to-begin-transfer-of-power/a-63645795 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Washington Post's Charles Lane joins the panel (along with Benjamin Wittes) to discuss the progressives' Ukraine letter to Biden, prospects for the midterms, and misreading Latinos. Highlights/lowlights: Mona's https://rollcall.com/2022/10/26/fda-delays-key-advisory-committee-meeting-on-otc-birth-control/ Linda's  https://www.npr.org/2022/10/23/1130712231/the-trump-tapes-reveal-much-about-bob-woodward-donald-trump Ben's https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/arts/pearl-earring-vermeer-climate-activists.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kori Schake of AEI joins the group to discuss Ukraine and some of the world's most malign actors: Russia, China, and Iran. Plus, the panelists' favorite books this year. Highlights/Lowlights:  Mona: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/10/19/texas-dna-kits-schools-shootings/ Damon: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stephen-colbert-grateful-for-grief/id1643163707?i=1000580162304 Linda: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/john-durham-probe-failure-belongs-barr-trump-rcna52863 Bill: https://twitter.com/dailystar/status/1580830837331087361?s=20&t=q1BGet_Aig7n0tkg9aRvUg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices