The Dispatch Podcast

Inflation has driven the cost of living to a record high and most recent reports are giving mixed signals about what to expect. Declan is joined by Desmond Lachman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, to talk about interest-rate hikes and Lachman's critiques of the Fed in what he calls "monetary policy overkill." Show Notes:-Desmond Lachman: “The Fed is playing with fire with its continued interest-rate hikes” -CPI Index released on Dec. 13th-The CME FedWatch Tool mentioned by Declan-Desmond Lachman’s American Enterprise Institute profile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah, Steve, Jonah, and David (who heroically dragged himself from bed at the crack of the Tennessee dawn) discuss some of the best and worst stories of 2022. What will make the list? The Russian invasion? The Artemis launch? Asteroid nudging? The Ye-Fuentes summit? The resurgence of COVID in China? The unveiling of Donald Trump’s NFT? Come for the review of a wild year, stay for the wild(?) predictions for 2023.Plus: a gut-check update on the Sarah-Steve bet.Show Notes:-The Morning Dispatch on Zelensky’s speech-Asteroid: nudged!-Jonah’s rant on the crazy and insane attempt to retire bad words Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Title 42," the pandemic-era immigration restriction, was slated to expire December 21, until the Supreme Court stepped in. Now, the Biden administration and conservatives are in loggerheads on what to do next. Esther sits down with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, the Policy Director at American Immigration Council to discuss the historical context behind Title 42, its impact on border crossings, and what we might expect if it goes away.Show Notes:-Aaron Reichlin-Melnick’s American Immigration Council (AIC) profile-AIC's Guide to Expulsions at the Border-Docket filings related to the Application for Emergency Stay  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With new polls showing Donald Trump losing his grip on the Republican base, Sarah, David, and Steve debate the do's and don'ts of gauging Trump's political altitude. They also discuss Ron DeSantis' attempt to court the vax-skeptic voter, the recent COVID outbreaks in China, and what the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried tells us about America's cult of the CEO. Plus: Should we be talking about MTG?Show Notes:-Josh Kraushaar on Trump's declining position Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the aftermath of Herschel Walker's defeat in Georgia create a rare window for Republican introspection? And can the infotainment right be part of the solution? Sarah, David, Jonah and Steve also discuss what we know (and don’t know) about the Hunter Biden scandal, wonder what ever happened to the Electoral Count Reform Act, and catch up on what’s going on in the rest of the world.Show Notes:-The Twitter thread that caught Steve's eye Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah, David, Jonah and –– believe it or not! –– Steve discuss whether and how the United States should support dissidents in China and Iran, ponder the poetic timing of the Fuentes dinner, and lament the intractability of America’s gun debate. Also: why is it so difficult to enjoy America beating Iran in the World Cup (besides it being soccer)? Also also: will David’s scotch-taped computer survive the whole hour? Listen and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the war not going as smoothly as he might have hoped, Putin turns to Iran for help replenishing Russia's arsenal. Frederick W. Kagan, director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins David to explain the nature of this alliance-of-convenience and where things could go from here.Show Notes:-Critical Threats: Ukraine Stream-Critical Threats: Iran Crisis Updates Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Donald Trump officially running for president, Ron DeSantis faces a twisted decision tree. Sarah, David, and Kevin are here to make sense of it. Plus: how should the U.S. respond to the deadly missile incident in Poland?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah, Jonah, and David come together to give the midterms a post-mortem to end all postmortems. They discuss the vibe theory of political trends, the presidential prospects of Republicans Not Named Donald Trump, and the lessons both parties took away from the elections.Oh, and of course: do all roads lead to Georgia..? Again?? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s explainer, Declan is joined by RAND Corporation senior researcher David Luckey. A retired Marine Corps officer, David is now devoted to getting congressional attention to the thing that killed tens of thousands of Americans last year: fentanyl. David explains the scope of the overdose epidemic, its force multipliers, and the ways to fight it.Show Notes:-The Morning Dispatch on the Fentanyl Crisis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices