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Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Many listeners will have seen the recent protests in France, protests that began with high school students marching out of classrooms for better conditions in them, then grew to a broader backlash against the cost of living and a crisis of affordability in the country that filled the country's streets—protests that sometimes were accompanied by violence and looting, and that ultimately were met with a brutal police crackdown and mass arrests. All this, of course, comes just months before the French presidential elections, which polls show National Front candidate and longtime tribune of the far-right in France, Marine Le Pen, comfortably leading. To help us understand the situation, we again call on our French connection, Marseilles-based journalist and friend-of-the-show Cole Stangler. We get his on the ground report from the protests as he experienced them in Marseilles, discuss the brutality of the government and police's response, parse how the French right, center, and left have reacted, parse what it all might mean for the country's upcoming presidential contest, whether the profound crisis might lead to fundamental constitutional reforms, and more! Watch Cole's show, What Do We Want? here. Sources: Cole Stangler, Le Miroir Américain (2025) — Paris Is Not Dead: Surviving Hypergentrification in the City of Light (2023) — "France Needs More Than a New Leader. It Needs a New France," New York Times, Dec 22, 2025 Emile Chabal, "Why Is France Perpetually Rioting?" Foreign Policy, Oct 19, 2026

In this episode, we're joined by Rozina Ali for a conversation about Seasons of Fury, her new book about the rise, persistence, and changing contours of Islamophobia in the United States, a story she tells through the lives of four very different American families. It's an elegantly written feat of reporting that is depressing, moving, and enraging, and a damning portrait of the bigotry, surveillance, harassment, and criminalization directed at Muslims—long before 9-11 and in that day's wake, a poison in our public life that afflicts us still today. Sources: Rozina Ali, Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America (2026) Spencer Ackerman, "A Harrowing Look at How Muslim Americans Became Targets After 9/11," New York Times, Sept 30, 2026 ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. In this episode we talk to our friend John Ganz about the nature and function of conservative intellectuals—or "intellectuals," whichever you prefer—past and present. In particular, the Trump era has been a kind of real-time experiment in seeing how rightwing writers and second-hand dealers in ideas degrade, contort, and reinvent themselves. From there we consider what intellectuals, right and left, actually do and what influence, if any, they (we?) have, and how that's changed from the halcyon days of midcentury generalists to our fragmented and mind-numbing "media landscape" today. It'll be a fun one, for some of you! Subscribe to Unpopular Front here. Sources: John Ganz, Unpopular Front: — "America is Mine, and it Owes Me a Living," Oct 5, 2026 — "From Shitpost to B******t: The Function of Conservative Intellectuals," Sept 30, 2026 — "Better Late Than Never? The Right Wakes Up to Fascism...Kinda," Sept 22, 2026 A.J.A. Woods, The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West (2026) Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make: Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton (1993) — Presidential Leadership in Political Time: Reprise and Reappraisal (2020) George Scialabba, What Are Intellectuals Good For? (2009)

Dave Weigel is a longtime favorite political reporter of ours—someone we've both read for years, and find unusually unblinkered by partisan loyalties—so we couldn't think of a better guide to the 2026 midterms elections than him. What everyone knows is that, right now, polls show a possible Democratic wave in the offing; we try to understand why, and the ways both parties are responding to a genuinely new phenomenon of the Trump Era: the economy struggling, and voters blaming Trump directly. We discuss the flop of a GOP convention in Texas; how Republicans seem to be re-running outdated campaigns—in part because they've already achieved so many of their policy goals on "hot-button cultural issues"; the Democratic strategy of conceding on such cultural issues to seem "normal" and focus on the economy; and more.  Register to see Matt and Sam live and in person at Jewish Currents Live on Sunday Oct 11 here. Sources: Read all of Dave's reporting and columns at Semafor here.  David Weigel, "Researchers Probe How Democrats Could Win Working-Class Voters," Semafor, Sept 14, 2026 — "Candidates Contend with the Rise of 'Resurfaced' Old Clips," Semafor, Sept 9, 2026 ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. A sundowning, octogenarian president radically out of step with the country's mood, surrounded by Yes Men (and Women), cowards, and idiots, whose administration and party are plunging in popularity as war rages on: it's deja vu all over again, this time expressed through the pathological personage that is Donald Trump. As his second term fails and his attacks on the very foundations of effective government becoming ever-more apparent, the morbid symptoms are piling up—Trump's fantastical retreat into building projects, his posting through the A.I. revolution, ongoing obsession with JFK and the Kennedys, and more—we take stock and discuss the perils of this moment, as people who believe in nothing surround a president who knows nothing, and the situation gets desperate. Listen again: "The Kennedy Imprisonment" (w/ Jeet Heer), Nov 17, 2023 Sources: "Trump Renames A.I. and Threatens to 'Annihilate' Iran in U.N. Speech," ABC News, Sept 22, 2026 Ryan J. Foley, "AP Exclusive: ICE Hides Locations of Thousands of Detainees with Final Removal Orders," Associated Press, Sept 21, 2026 Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, & Adam Entous, "Hegseth’s Purge of Top Generals Leaves the Army Rudderless," New York Times, Aug 25, 2026 Christine Hauser, "U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln Sailor Says Father Was Arrested by Border Patrol," New York Times, Aug 24, 2026 Gina Ragusa, "Trump's White House Event Fails as Audio Cuts Out During Helipad Unveiling," Yahoo News, Sept 21, 2026 Miranda Jeyaretnam, "DOGE Initiative Resulted in Federal Employees Getting Paid Billions to Not Work, New Government Report Finds," Sept 15, 2026 John Ismay, Helene Cooper, & Eric Schmitt, "Concerns Grow Over Conditions on Navy Carrier," New York Times, Aug 13, 2026 Michael S. Rosenwald, "David George Gordon, Apostle for Bugs on the Dinner Plate, Dies at 76," New York Times, Sept 21, 2026 Leo Strauss, Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958)

This episode is a free-wheeling conversation with Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor about their superb (and superbly written) new book, End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World. Both terms in its title—"end times" and "fascism"—are ones we've discussed at length in previous episodes, but what insights are gained from exploring their dynamic relationship, now? What is new about this combination? How does it help explain the rightwing coalition—religious fanatics, tech billionaires, and ethno-nationalists—now in power in the United States, and not only here? And what can we do to fight back and fight for the living world? We take up all these questions and more. Listen again: "The Prayers and Prophecies of Pat Robertson," June 17, 2023 Sam's Brooklyn Book Fest Event Sources: Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor, End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World (2026) Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (2004) ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. In this conversation, Matt and Sam range widely, beginning with Sam's recent NYT review of a book explaining how Hitler "dismantled a democracy in 53 days" then discussing the late, great conservative historian John Lukacs's Hitler of History, a survey of the many biographies written of the Nazi dictator. What makes for a useful historical analogy, especially in our age of the "fascism debate"? What about the past can we truly understand? And what should induce us to humility? From there, your co-hosts press on to more contemporary matters: Charlie Kirk's assassination, one year later, and how its consequences seem so different now than in the days after his death; how to know what truly matters now, to say nothing of hindsight; the slopification and inundation of our political consciences; and more! Sources: Sam Adler-Bell, "What the Third Reich Can Teach Us About America Today," New York Times, Sept 1, 2026 Timothy W. Ryback, 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy (2026) — "How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days," The Atlantic, Jan 8, 2025 John Lukacs, The Hitler of History (1997) — The Last European War: September 1939–December 1941 (1976) — Historical Consciousness: The Remembered Past (1968) Adam Tooze, The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy (2006)

Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in American history, and it isn't close. Between his family's crypto business — designed to enable foreign oligarchs, criminals, and state actors to bribe the administration while enriching Trump and his family — his insider trading and manipulation of the stock market, a tariff regime designed to bind business interests to Trump's personal whims, and the advent of a virtual market for criminal fraudsters to purchase pardons from the president himself, Trump and his family have accrued billions of dollars while hollowing out the rule of law and corroding what's left of our democracy. It is brazen, appalling, and poisonous. To guide us through this many-circled hell, we're joined by Jacob Silverman, author of Gilded Rage: Elon Musk and the Radicalization of Silicon Valley, who's been covering the crypto beat and the Trump-family corruption for years. Jacob helps us wrap our heads around the immensity of this problem — and what, if anything, can be done about it.  Further Reading: Jacob Silverman, "Teapot Dome. Watergate. They’re Nothing Compared With This." NYTimes, Oct 17, 2025. — "Zyn and hustling in Las Vegas: Three days at the world's biggest Bitcoin party," Business Insider, Jun 6, 2025.  — "Binance’s MAGA-Branding Strategy," The Nation, Feb 27, 2026.  — "He Will Steal As Much As You Let Him," Jacob Silverman Substack, Jul 11, 2025. Thomas Edsall, "‘A Blatant and Gargantuan Conflict of Interest,'" NYTimes, Aug 18, 2026. U.S. House of Representatives, Judiciary, Democrats. "Trump, Crypto, and a New Age of Corruption," Nov 24, 2025. Michael Waldman, "Epic Corruption in Plain Sight," Brennan Center, May 19, 2026. John Ganz, "Trump's Third-Worldism," Unpopular Front, Aug 24, 2026. ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. We talk to Astra Taylor and Aaron Regunberg about their recent New Republic article about MAGA's embrace of animal rights—which, like RFK Jr. and "Make America Healthy Again," has allowed them to make inroads with constituencies typically associated with the left. What actually is the Trumpist right's vision of animal rights, and how does it differ from the left's? What might the matter reveal about the curious, combustible politics of this moment? And what should the left learn from this, not just when it comes to animal rights but the opportunities they seem to keep giving conservatives to offer compelling alternatives to the left on key issues? We take up these questions and more. Sources: Astra Taylor & Aaron Regunberg, "How MAGA Stole Animal Rights from the Left," New Republic, Aug 17, 2026 — "Is Animal Rights the Next MAHA?" The Bemusement Tapes, Aug 17, 2026 Daniel Engber, "MAGA's Animal Nationalism," The Atlantic, Feb 22, 2026 Matthew Scully, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy (2002) Jay Caspian Kang, "Why an Agnostic Animal-Rights Activist Went to Seminary," New Yorker, Jan 27, 2026 Pope Francis, Laudato si': On Care for Our Common Home (2015) Sunaura Taylor, Beasts of Burden , (2017) Astra Taylor and Sunaura Taylor, “Our Animals, Ourselves,” Lux, Jan 2022. Out in September: Astra Taylor & Naomi Klein, End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World

In this episode, we're pleased to welcome back historian Kim Phillips-Fein, one of the truly outstanding observers of the right, past and present, working today, for a conversation about her new book, Country of Lords: Neo-Aristocrats, Social Darwinists, Tech Utopians, and the Long Fight Against Equality in America. It makes for a companion episode of sorts to our recent discussions on Lincoln and the Declaration of Independence, but this time about those who rejected equality: proponents of slavery, biological racists (in various forms), captains of industry, and more, from the American founding through today's tech billionaires like Peter Thiel.  Listen: Bob Dylan, "My Back Pages" Listen Again: "The History of the History of the Right (w/ Kim Phillips-Fein)," Know Your Enemy, Jan 18, 2024 Sources: Kim Phillips-Fein, Country of Lords: Neo-Aristocrats, Social Darwinists, Tech Utopians, and the Long Fight against Equality in America (2026) — Fear City: New York’s Fiscal Crisis and the Rise of Austerity Politics (2017) — Invisible Hands: The Businessmen's Crusade Against the New Deal (2009) Steven Hahn, Illiberal America: A History (2024) Richard Hofstadter, The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It (1948) Louis Hartz, The Liberal Tradition in America: An Interpretation of American Political Thought Since the Revolution (1955) ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. What is going on with the right? Why are they so mad at each other? What accounts for their apparent malaise? Why are they arguing about the price of burritos? Is anyone qualified to replace Ross Douthat at the NY Times? How is Reihan Salam's Manhattan Institute gearing up to combat Mayor Zohran Mamdani? Will it work? And why is Chris Rufo suddenly so worried about the far-right fever swamp, which he did so much to cultivate?  Matt and Sam check in with their favorite enemies — and find them wanting. This episode was edited and produced by the great Colin Wambsgans (Jesse is on vacation). Sources: Ezra Klein interview with Chris Rufo, New York Times, June 30, 2026 Rufo & Lomez, "Trump Won...Now the Online Right Is Falling Apart," BlazeTV, Jul 28, 2026 Eliza Shapiro & Nicholas Fandos, "Can This Man Stop the Mamdani Agenda? Reihan Salam Loves New York. He Loves the Free Market. And He’s Very Worried," New York Times, July 29, 2026 Sohrab Ahmari, "Trump Was the Never the One," UnHerd, Mar 19, 2026. Natalie Allison & Isaac Arnsdorf, "Trump Privately Tells Donors to Back Vance While Publicly Keeping 2028 Open," Washington Post, Aug 6, 2026 Dan Adler, "Tucker Carlson Threw Down the Post-MAGA Gauntlet. Can He Actually Build a Movement?" Vanity Fair, Aug 6, 2026 Amos Barshad, "Tucker Carlson: 'I'll I Have Is the Power to Talk and Be Heard,’" Columbia Journalism Review, July 1, 2026 Brendan Rascius, "MTG and Tucker Carlson Announce New ‘Movement’ in Photo Packed with MAGA Renegades," The Independent, Aug 1, 2026 Russ Buettner, "Trump Crypto Took $100 Million From a Businessman With Red Flags," NYTimes, Aug 9, 2026 Christopher Hitchens & Christopher Caldwell, eds., Left Hooks, Right Crosses: A Decade of Political Writing (2002) Reihan Salam & Ross Douthat, Grand New Party: How Republicans can Win the Working Class and Save The American Dream (2008)

This episode begins by noting the proximity of two of the most significant events of the twentieth century, one archaeological, the other political: the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 and the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948. What do they have to do with each other? A lot, it turns out, at least when it comes to archaeology's role in Israeli nationalism, from justifying their claim to "Judea and Samaria" to using the legal and bureaucratic aspects of protecting "heritage sites" as a way to seize territory to the draw for Christian Zionists of Israel's supposed stewardship of "the Holy Land." Throughout the conversation, we draw on our guest Jasper Nathaniel's years of reporting on these matters, and especially his heroic work documenting the brutality of Israeli settlers — and their enablers— in the West Bank. Support Jasper's essential work by subscribing to Infinite Jaz. Listen: Johnny Cash, The Holy Land (1968) Sources: Jasper Nathaniel, "In Ruins​: Archaeological Warfare in the West Bank," The Drift, Dec 16, 2024 — "Israel's Archaeological Apartheid: An Update," Dec 19, 2025 Rachel Poser, "Common Ground: The Politics of Archaeology in Jerusalem," Harper's, Sept 2019 Bezalel Smotrich, "Israel's Decisive Plan," 2017 James Genn, "'Grandpa, Look What We Found': Huckabee Family Uncovers Ancient Coins in West Bank Caves," The Jerusalem Post, Jan 6, 2026 Gary Rendsburg, "The Dead Sea Scrolls," Great Courses lecture series, July 2013 ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!

This episode originally aired June 15, 2026 on Patreon — we're unlocking it for the rest of you.  Author and Jewish Currents editor-at-large Peter Beinart returns to "Know Your Enemy" to discuss Tucker Carlson's newfound anti-Israel politics, their connection to his broader nationalist project, and how the left should think about right-wing anti-zionism. Sources: Peter Beinart, "What Tucker Carlson Means When He Talks About Israel," New York Times, April 28, 2026 — "Progressives Must Not Give Tucker Carlson a Pass," The Beinart Notebook, May 11, 2026 — Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, (2025) Daniel G. Hummel, The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism (2023) "Tyler Oliveira: Exposing Somali Welfare Abuse, Republican Hypocrisy & the Group You Can’t Criticize," The Tucker Carlson Show, May 8, 2026 Will Alden, "The Many Equivocations of Curt Mills," Jewish Currents, April 16, 2026.

Listen to the rest of this premium episode by subscribing at patreon.com/knowyourenemy. Matt and Sam are joined by their great friend Dorothy Fortenberry to discuss the debacle of Graham Platner: the Maine Democratic Senate nominee who was forced to drop out amid allegations of rape. We compare notes about our evolving estimations of Platner, his appeal, and his scandals; uncover the gendered fantasies involved in his rise and fall; and game out what lessons can be learned from this experience — for the left and for the Democratic Party. Dorothy is an essayist, playwright, and TV writer/producer, including four seasons on “The Handmaid’s Tale.” In previous appearances, she's discussed #Resistance moms, art and climate change, and Trump's women-hating cabinet. A new show she worked on, “Nocturne,” is coming out on Apple TV in October. This episode was edited and produced by Colin Wambsgans (Jesse is on vacation). Further reading: Jessica Piper & Adam Wren, "Woman who dated Graham Platner says he sexually assaulted her," Politico, July 6, 2026. Katie Gluck & Lisa Lerer, "Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall 'Unsettling' Behavior," NYTimes, June 4, 2026. Lisa Lerer, Katie Gluck, & Michael Kruse, "‘A Slow-Rolling Disaster’: Inside the Implosion of the Platner Campaign," NYTimes, Jul 8, 2026. Will Steakin & Chris Sommerfeldt, "‘Professional malpractice’: The Platner fallout engulfs the operatives who made him," Politico, July 7, 2026. Dorothy Fortenberry, "Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore," Commonweal, Nov 5, 2020. — "One of Those Serious Women," Commonweal, Apr 29, 2019. Moira Donegan, "Why was the pundit class so quick do defend Graham Platner," The Guardian, Jul 10, 2026. Rebecca Traister, "What Women Saw in Graham Platner," New York Magazine, July 9, 2026.

Lindsey Graham's death last week at 71 was as remarkable for the senator's relative "youth" as its possible political and electoral consequences, so much so that it actually prompted conspiracy theories about the precise nature of his passing. Meanwhile, 84-year old Mitch McConnell's status as among the living remains shrouded in mystery, and former president 83-year old former president Joe Biden announced that his memoir would be published in November via his cadaver-esque presence in a promotional video. In short, everywhere we look the signs of our decline into a sclerotic gerontocracy are present, and perhaps no one has approached this problem as comprehensively as Samuel Moyn in his new book, Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth—and What to Do About It. In this episode we talk with Sam about the historical precedents for our gerontocracy; the nature, extent, and causes of it; why his book is not an attack on the elderly; and possibilities for creatively rewriting our society's intergenerational contract; and more. Sources: Samuel Moyn, Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth—and What to Do About It (2026) Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, Sept 6, 1789 James Madison, Federalist 49, Feb 5, 1788 James Ceaser, "The Constitution: Sweet as Honey," First Things, Sept 20, 2009 Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835) ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!