PODCAST · news
Politicology
by Politicology
Politics in America is transforming. We’re embarking on a new series to deepen our understanding of who we are, how we got here, and how we rebuild without repeating the mistakes of the past. Ron Steslow hosts academics, behavioral economists, social psychologists, politicos, philosophers, anthropologists, journalists, poets, and storytellers—and more—to discuss America’s political present and future and dive into the deeper problems we face as a nation. Email us questions or comments: [email protected].
Episodes
-
TAPPED: A Managed Cold War
Hagar Chemali (Former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations) joins Host Ron Steslow to unpack Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington—and why the two powers keep meeting more often while agreeing on less. They begin with the administration's turn from tariffs to hospitality, and...
-
From Ashes to Algorithms—Plus Preview
Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid unpack the suspicious four-day push by some of the biggest AI companies begging to be regulated and why it’s less a safety awakening and more a bid to build a moat around who gets to control this technology. Then, they turn to an essay by Franciscan sister Ilia Delio’s...
-
Full Faith And Credit—The Weekly
Mike Madrid (author of The Latino Century) joins host Ron Steslow trace how eroding trust, the kind that backs the electoral map and the dollar, is reshaping American politics and everyday affordability. They start with the redistricting wars and how they eroded trust in institutions and how both...
-
From 9/11 to Surveillance Dollars — The Weekly
Hagar Chemali (former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations) and Nick Anthony (Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute and a Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation) join host Ron Steslow to trace how the financial surveillance regime born after 9/11 is being rebuilt for programmable...
-
Ballot Bots — The Weekly
Zack Czajkowski (co-founder of Civly) joins host Ron Steslow to map the first election of the chatbot era and to ask why the party that once led on campaign technology is now the one recoiling from it. They begin with voters already asking chatbots how to vote, perhaps millions directly and tens…
more -
The Surveillance Revolt — The Weekly
Katherine Mangu-Ward (Editor in Chief of Reason) joins host Ron Steslow to examine the growing revolt against automated license-plate surveillance company Flock and what it reveals about privacy in the age of AI. They begin with the backlash against flock: cameras cut down across dozens of…
more -
Data Center Dissent — The Weekly
Susan Del Percio (crisis communications expert and political analyst at MS NOW) joins host Ron Steslow to trace how a revolt against data centers opens larger questions into how the AI buildout is financed and who holds the risk. They begin with the politics of the backlash and the town by town...
-
Democratic Socialists vs. American Power — The Weekly
Hagar Chemali (former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations) joins host Ron Steslow to take the Democratic Socialists of America’s foreign policy seriously on their own terms, reading what the movement has written down. They begin with the DSA’s ascent: a run of 2026 primary…
more -
Pax Machina — The Weekly
Mike Madrid (author of The Latino Century) joins host Ron Steslow to examine how AI is redrawing the machinery of politics and forcing a reckoning with what remains distinctly human. They begin with campaigns, where operatives now test messages on synthetic electorates, AI agents built to think...
-
ENCORE: The Sinister Threat of Digital Dollars
For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Nick Anthony (Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute and a Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation) about Central Bank Digital Curriences, their potential to invade...
-
An Oligarch’s Warning—The Weekly
Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins host Ron Steslow to examine how Ukraine’s widening reach is bringing the war home to Russia and what a defeated Russia could become. They begin with the war’s new geography: strikes that have idled a quarter of...
-
ENCORE: The Power of Emotional Intelligence
Catherine Sanderson (Poler Family Professor and chair of the psychology department at Amherst College) joins Ron Steslow to discuss emotional intelligence and how it impacts success in the workplace, politics, and our everyday lives (01:40) What emotional intelligence is and how we measure it...
-
Double Feature: Machines Without Conscience, Corruption Without Consequence—Politicology+ Preview
This week, we’re bringing you another double feature of Politicology+ special previews. First, Ron Steslow talks with Mike Madrid about Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Using the Pope's choice between "constructing Babel" and "rebuilding Jerusalem,” they confront what happens...
-
ENCORE: The Power Code
Katty Kay (veteran reporter and four-time NYT bestselling author) joins host Ron Steslow to discuss her new book The Power Code: More Joy. Less Ego. Maximum Impact for Women (and Everyone), co-written with Claire Shipman. (02:12) Katty’s background and why she started looking at power (07:07)…
more -
Double Feature: Oxford Union, Doha's Long Game—Politicology+ Preview
This week, we’re bringing you a double feature of Politicology+ special previews. First, Ron Steslow talks with Mike Madrid about his invitation to debate at the Oxford Union, where he argued the position that Donald Trump has betrayed the conservative movement. Mike describes the pageantry and...
-
ENCORE: Foreign Agents
For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Casey Michel (Director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation) about his book Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers…
more -
ENCORE: Bitcoin is Changing the Fight for Freedom
Host Ron Steslow welcomes Alex Gladstein (Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation) to discuss the significant and often misunderstood role of Bitcoin in protecting human rights and fighting against authoritarians around the world. Segments to look forward to: (02:07) Alex’s…
more -
Is Horseshoe Populism the End of Pax Americana?
For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Jay Solomon (executive director of investigations at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and cohost of The Threat podcast) and Hagar Chemali...
-
The Last Institutionalists—The Weekly
Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) joins Host Ron Steslow to dive into how populism is consuming both parties and the institutions meant to contain them, from a socialist sweep in New York to a building debt-and-oil crisis. They begin with New York's primaries, where DSA-aligned…
more -
American Made
For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Grace Pak (founder and cake artist behind Duchess of Cameron, and the artist selected by America 250 to create the official cake for the country's 250th birthday)…
more -
Inside The White House’s Epstein Crisis—The Weekly
Susan Del Percio (crisis communications expert) joins host Ron Steslow to examine what becomes of a populist movement once it captures the institutions it was built to attack. They begin with the Epstein files and a new book from New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about…
more -
Policing Words — The Weekly
Billy Binion (reporter at Reason Magazine) joins host Ron Steslow to examine how democratic governments are redefining speech as a harm to be managed and who pays the price when they do. They begin with the White House's negotiation with Senator Marsha Blackburn, a deal that would trade federal...
-
ENCORE: Worthy of Protection — Part 2
To unlock subscriber-only content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus Géraldine Blanche (Intellectual Property Lawyer and PhD candidate in Intellectual Property Law at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics of fashion and intellectual property law (01:26)...
-
Oil & Infowar — The Weekly
Hagar Chemali (Former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) is back in studio with host Ron Steslow to map the widening gap between the Trump Administration's declared aims in the Iran war, and the murky reality now shaping the region and the world. First they discuss the state of the war...
-
ENCORE: Worthy of Protection—Part 1
To unlock subscriber-only content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus Géraldine Blanche (Intellectual Property Lawyer and PhD candidate in Intellectual Property Law at the Sciences Po Law School in Paris) joins Ron Steslow to discuss the politics of fashion and intellectual property law (01:25)...
-
Supporting Ukrainian Units on the Front Lines
Molly McKew is raising urgent funds for Ukrainian units that need help replacing critical equipment destroyed in a Russian strike and building a mobile rehabilitation hub for wounded soldiers near the front lines. Donate directly at: PayPal.me/MollyKMcKew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
-
The Weekly: Mailbag Edition
In this mailbag episode of The Weekly, Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid sit down to answer listener questions, on Latino dealignment, whether states should call a second constitutional convention, whether a hot war with China is coming, and whether a future administration could prosecute its…
more -
ENCORE: Democracy Interventions with Prof. Robb Willer
What are the psychological forces driving that partisan animosity? What’s causing Americans to vote for anti-democracy candidates? Are there any interventions that might actually work to turn down the heat and save our democracy? Robb Willer, professor of sociology, psychology, and organizational...
-
[+] 'Credible and Urgent' — Historic UFO Disclosures Begin
Ron Steslow talks to journalist Brady Dale about the U.S. government's unprecedented UFO/UAP disclosure: from the Pentagon's new PURSUE archive and President Trump's directive to declassify, to David Grusch's whistleblower testimony about crash retrieval programs, the bipartisan congressional…
more -
Peptide Politics — The Weekly
Brady Dale (Author of Front Stage Exit) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine the booming gray market for therapeutic peptides and what it reveals about medical freedom, institutional trust, and our resistance to the unfamiliar. They begin with the market itself, which Brady compares to the early...
-
ENCORE: True Crime in the Post-Truth Era
To unlock subscriber-only content, visit: https://politicology.com/plus How does murder during a robbery-gone-wrong become an international conspiracy theory? What even is a true crime story in the post-truth era? Andy Kroll (Investigative Reporter at ProPublica, former DC Bureau Chief for…
more -
The Battlefield Laboratory — The Weekly
Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to take stock of the war shifting beneath the surface. They begin with the state of the fighting: Putin’s nuclear theater around Victory Day and the quiet vibe shift on the battlefield as…
more -
What Happens After The End of Majority-Minority Districts? [Plus Preview]
Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don’t miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. Ron Steslow and Mike Madrid discuss the redistricting wars, the Supreme Court case that could upend a central part of the Voting Rights Act…
more -
The End of Financial Privacy? — The Weekly
Nicholas Anthony (Research Fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine how the stablecoin legislation moving through Congress is quietly remaking the financial system and expanding the surveillance state in the process. They dig...
-
Home Economics
Mike Madrid and Susan Del Percio dig into why housing affordability has become the central economic and political problem heading into the midterms. They discuss how housing and cost of living concerns are driving the anxiety voters are feeling. Then, they look at populism on both sides of the...
-
Why The AI Bubble Doesn’t Matter
Ron Steslow continues his discussion with Izabella Kaminska to unpack one of the biggest assumptions behind the AI boom: that it will generate enough growth to justify the enormous capital being poured into it. Also, how much does America’s enormous national debt really matter? And, what’s really...
-
America Adrift — The Weekly
Mike Madrid (Author of The Latino Century) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine America’s growing crisis of purpose and how that crisis is showing up across politics, technology, corruption, religion, and war They begin with Justice Clarence Thomas’s recent speech on the Declaration of Independence,...
-
ENCORE: The Future of Food
You may know him from his dazzling dishes showcased on the hit Netflix TV series, “Chef’s Table,” but three-Star Michelin Chef Dan Barber (Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Blue Hill NYC) has a relationship with ingredients far deeper and more complex than pretty plates of food. In this episode, Chef Dan...
-
AI Weapons and Mass Surveillance — The Weekly
Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) is back in studio with Host Ron Steslow for a conversation about how artificial intelligence is reshaping power, conflict, and accountability in real time. They discuss Ukraine’s first successful capture of a Russian position using...
-
ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 2
In the second episode of this two part series, Øptimus co-founder and Data Science Director for Decision Desk HQ Scott Tranter joins Ron Steslow to talk about data science, polling, and modeling To unlock more episodes, visit: https://politicology.com/plus (00:59) The non-response bias and how…
more -
Fortress America — The Weekly
Journalist Izabella Kaminska (The Blind Spot, Financial Times, POLITICO Europe) joins Host Ron Steslow for a wide-ranging discussion about what the war with Iran will mean for the global economy, especially America, long after the shooting slows down. They begin with the immediate shockwaves of…
more -
ENCORE: Modeling Victory — Part 1
In this two part series, Øptimus co-founder and Data Science Director for Decision Desk HQ Scott Tranter joins Ron Steslow to talk about data science, polling, and modeling To unlock more episodes, visit: https://politicology.com/plus (01:00) The role of a data scientist on a campaign (04:20)…
more -
Who Gets to Be an American? — The Weekly
Susan Del Percio (Crisis Communications Expert) joins Host Ron Steslow for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the most fundamental questions in American life: who gets to be an American, and who gets to decide? They begin with the Supreme Court oral arguments over Donald Trump’s executive...
-
ENCORE: Power To The People: Decentralizing Technology
Host Ron Steslow welcomes Mike Brock, CEO of TBD, a subsidiary of Block Inc. (formerly Square), the financial technology firm led by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. The Internet is dominated by massive, corporate walled gardens like Google, Facebook, and Twitter (now X), where centralized control...
-
Why the Essay Matters Again — The Weekly
Why are essays resonating again in this moment? And what does it mean when writers, not just journalists or politicians, start helping people make sense of America in real time? Guest Host Mike Madrid sits down with Robert Arnold (writer, speaker, and activist) for a wide-ranging conversation…
more -
ENCORE: Secret City with James Kirchick
James Kirchick joins Ron Steslow to discuss his book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington (01:55) Why he wrote the book (06:43) The interwoven political history and gay history in Washington (14:33) The melting pot of the gay community and why it was seen as a threat (19:55) The…
more -
What Is the Real Goal of the War in Iran?—The Weekly
Ron Steslow is joined by Hagar Chemali (Fmr. spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the UN) for a wide-ranging conversation on the war in Iran, the confusion surrounding the Trump administration’s goals, and its vision for the United States in the world. Then, in Politicology+, Marc Polymeropoulos...
-
[+] The Havana Syndrome Coverup [Members Only]
Hagar Chemali and Marc Polymeropoulos join Ron Steslow to discuss the explosive new reporting about the CIA’s coverup of Anomalous Health Incidents—also known as Havana Syndrome—and the dangerous classified weapon that causes them. They break down what the latest investigations reveal: evidence...
-
ENCORE: The Identity Trap—Part 2
Even after historic civil rights progress over the last sixty years, there’s no denying that certain groups of people still face real, serious, and even systemic discrimination. In pursuit of justice, many well-meaning activists have made identity central to their cause—arguing, for example, that...
-
ENCORE: The Identity Trap—Part 1
Even after historic civil rights progress over the last sixty years, there’s no denying that certain groups of people still face real, serious, and even systemic discrimination. In pursuit of justice, many well-meaning activists have made identity central to their cause—arguing, for example, that...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Politics in America is transforming. We’re embarking on a new series to deepen our understanding of who we are, how we got here, and how we rebuild without repeating the mistakes of the past. Ron Steslow hosts academics, behavioral economists, social psychologists, politicos, philosophers, anthropologists, journalists, poets, and storytellers—and more—to discuss America’s political present and future and dive into the deeper problems we face as a nation. Email us questions or comments: [email protected].
HOSTED BY
Politicology
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Politicology have?
Politicology currently has 695 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Politicology about?
Politics in America is transforming. We’re embarking on a new series to deepen our understanding of who we are, how we got here, and how we rebuild without repeating the mistakes of the past. Ron Steslow hosts academics, behavioral economists, social psychologists, politicos, philosophers,...
How often does Politicology release new episodes?
Politicology releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 695 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Politicology?
You can listen to Politicology on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Politicology?
Politicology is created and hosted by Politicology.
URL copied to clipboard!