The Fifth Column

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com

The guys are joined by investigative journalist Matthew Cole, author of Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East (Bookshop | Amazon)
•Jon Ossoff sounds like he’s pitching Matthew’s new book.
•Discovery is a bitch
•You down with MBZ?
•“This is not journalism. It is fiction being presented as fact.”•Shady business…

Where were you when AMERICA DECIDED? Were you watching our livestream? Were you at the super-exclusive party that, as of this writing, is still raging on? Were you injecting Substack’s election hub straight into your veins? If so, you’ll have no need for this audio-only selection of the best conversations from the evening. For the rest of you, enjoy! You’ll hear not only from Matt, Michael, and Kmele, but from Mary Katharine Ham, Marc Caputo, Ben Dreyfuss, Greg Lukianoff, David A. Graham, Josh Barro, Eliana Johnson, Jamie Kirchick, Megan McArdle, Nick Gillespie, and Ruy Teixeira!If these two hours aren’t enough for you, feel free to relive the evening in all its audiovisual glory over on The Fifth Column’s YouTube channel.

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Come see The Fifth in Connecticut!: https://quickcenter.fairfield.edu/2026-27-season-calendar/lectures/the-fifth-column-podcast.html
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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

-COME SEE US IN CONNECTICUT. We may never release this special episode, because the things we will talk about will be horrifically controversial.
-Which party will win the Senate?
-Dirty Dems in Alaska done found another Dan Sullivan
-the TX Senate race…are we sure Texans are that titillated by Talarico?
-Fake polls, election interference, and Bolsonaro in Miami
-Maine and Trump’s last-minute tariff maneuvering
-Trump is an effective campaigner…until he has to campaign on his own record
-Vivek, the great Ohio slime impresario
-the LA mayoral race nobody seems happy about
-WHO DESERVES TO LOSE? WHO DO YA HATE THE MOST? Kmele’s answer may shock you
JOIN US: https://quickcenter.fairfield.edu/2026-27-season-calendar/lectures/the-fifth-column-podcast.html
Follow The Fifth Column
YouTube: @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

-we found someone from the DSA brave enough to come on this show
-The Cajun French of Indians
-If you’re pro-abundance, why are you a socialist?
-DSA and the midterms
-Biden’s heart was in the right place, but his body was...not
-AOC, DAC, and Zohran
-The Left’s remarkable talent for self-sabotage
-Cuba, the embargo, and the pesky issue of free elections
-Socialism and its rather unfortunate historical baggage
-Bhaskar’s three camps of socialism and capitalism
-Worker-owned companies, public banks, and making socialism work in practice
-Hasan Piker, good or bad for the DSA
-Somehow we are talking about Sweden again
-Midterm Madness: California’s billionaire tax
-AI, data centers, and the politics of saying no
-Socialism is gaining popularity. Just don’t run as a socialist.
-Bhaskar’s most right-wing position
-Moynihan’s unsolicited advice to the DSA
Read The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World by Bhaskar Sunkara, Ben Burgis, and Mike Beggs
Bookshop | Amazon
Prefer to watch & chat live with other members of the Fifdom? This episode premieres over on our YouTube channel at 12PM EST.
JOIN US: https://quickcenter.fairfield.edu/2026-27-season-calendar/lectures/the-fifth-column-podcast.html



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

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.wethefifth.com

Ed Luce joins the guys to discuss Trump’s corruption, the persistence of populism, and the uncertain future of Western democracy.
-DC is beautiful and beige and on the spectrum
-Don Jr.’s corruption and a Watergate every day for 18 months
-Serbia’s student-led anti-corruption movement
-AfD, LFI, Meloni and why Europe isn’t done with populism
-Immigration, ec…