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Molly McKew (writer and lecturer on Russian influence and information warfare) joins Host Ron Steslow to examine twelve consequential days in U.S.-Russia relations and whether Washington is switching sides in Russia’s war on Ukraine.  They begin with the diesel deal, separating the real driver of soaring fuel prices from the Trump-Putin arrangement. Next, they examine the pressure campaign on Kyiv, from a refinery truce that costs Moscow almost nothing to disrupt intelligence sharing and reported throttling of Starshield service. Then they unpack Steve Witkoff’s visit to St. Petersburg, his effusive praise for Putin, the Lukoil asset sale, and the Graham Act waiver that dwarfs the diesel story.  Finally, they debate whether the language of "competition" obscures a fundamentally adversarial relationship, and how the way Americans talk about China became a partisan question. In Politicology+, unpack the death of a young scientist at a Siberian anti-plague institute and the Kremilin’s suspicious response. POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Check out Great Power: https://www.greatpower.us/ Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Molly McKew on X: https://x.com/MollyMcKew Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Steslow and Molly McKew unpack the death of a young scientist at a Siberian anti-plague institute, the Kremlin’s lurch from emergency quarantine to “nothing to see here,” and why the Soviet bioweapons legacy makes Russia’s silence so unnerving.

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 why a quickening calendar of summits signals not warming ties but a conflict neither side can resolve—with Beijing playing the longer game. Next, they examine the fragile trade truce beneath the pageantry—why rare earths and chip controls are ultimately questions of military advantage, and what it means that a crisis-communications pact remains unsigned. Then they compare the two governments' diverging readouts on Iran, Taiwan, and trade, and Xi's offer to host 100,000 young Americans—a soft-power play that could complicate the pipeline of future U.S. China experts. Finally, they debate whether the language of "competition" obscures a fundamentally adversarial relationship, and how the way Americans talk about China became a partisan question. POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Hagar Chemali on X: https://x.com/HagarChemali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 essay on why our fear of AI is really a fear of confronting what it means to be human. Read Ilia Delio: “We Will Not Be Killed By Machines. We Will Overthink Ourselves To Death.” https://iliadelio.substack.com/p/we-will-not-be-killed-by-machines?r=izyvx&utm_medium=ios  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 parties traded credibility by using zero-sum tactics. Next, they turn to dealignment, the generation of Americans untethering from both parties, and how younger voters’ belief that the American dream was stolen shows their lack of trust in the stewards, not the republic.  Then they examine affordability through the bond market, where rising yields price mortgages and loans, and why the crisis can’t be understood without it.  Finally, they weigh the dollars fading neutrality, gold leaving U.S. vaults, reserves diversifying, and a world reorganizing around an America it trusts less.  In Politicology+, they discuss why some of the biggest AI companies are begging to be regulated and an essay by a Franciscan sister about why our fear of AI is really a fear of confronting what it means to be human.  POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Mike Madrid on X: https://x.com/madrid_mike Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 essay on why our fear of AI is really a fear of confronting what it means to be human. Read Ilia Delio: “We Will Not Be Killed By Machines. We Will Overthink Ourselves To Death.” https://iliadelio.substack.com/p/we-will-not-be-killed-by-machines?r=izyvx&utm_medium=ios

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 money. They begin with the machinery of financial surveillance: reporting, identification, blocking, seizing, and exclusion powers banks and payment companies wield on the government’s behalf, without warrants or recourse.  Next, they examine how private institutions became the system’s front line with millions of suspicious-activity reports a year, billions in compliance costs, and a public that wrongly assumes Fourth Amendment protection.   Then they turn to the shift underway, as stablecoins move those controls off intermediaries and onto individual digital dollars that can be frozen, seized, or burned coin by coin.  Finally, they weigh whether Americans still hold a right to transact privately, and what permissioned money would mean.  In Politicology+, they discuss an unspoken contradiction in the human rights movement: it backs sanctions that rely on centralized financial choke points while also championing Bitcoin, a currency built to erase that system.  POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Hagar Chemali on X: https://x.com/HagarChemali Nick Anthony on X: https://x.com/EconWithNick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Steslow sits down with Hagar Chemali and Nicholas Anthoy to surface an unspoken contradiction in the human rights movement: it backs sanctions tools that rely on centralized financial choke points while also championing Bitcoin, a currency built to exit that same system. The conversation turns on a hard question about neutral technology: if money truly can’t be censored or seized, that has to hold for dictators and dissidents alike, so who gets to decide which is which?

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 of millions more nudged by AI summaries without even realizing it.  Next, they turn to how campaigns are adapting, the next era of search-engine optimization, a fight over how a candidate appears across major AI models, and why Republican operatives have leaned in faster.  Then they discuss the cultural resistance on the left, from a reflexive disdain for AI-assisted work to the class fault lines beneath the “slop” discourse in prestige media.  In Politicology+, they break down the abrupt resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the bipartisan praise trailing him out the door. POLITICOLOGY+ 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. Read Pax Machina: https://paxmachina.ai/welcome-to-pax-machina  SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Zack Czajkowski on X: https://x.com/ZackCz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Steslow and Zack Czajkowski break down the abrupt resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the bipartisan praise trailing him out the door, and what his exit reveals about Pete Hegseth’s purge of senior military leadership. They get into why a well-regarded official resigned during an ongoing war and whether Hegseth can survive the Iran War.

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 states, communities canceling contracts, and an unlikely coalition uniting against the technology.  They dive into what the anger is really about and whether it channels a broader anxiety about losing control.  From there, they turn to what these systems can now do, as leaked code points to tools that track people—not just license plates—and invites comparisons to China’s surveillance state.  Then, they weigh the deeper tension of a company whose only customer is the state, the problem of overcriminalization, and the specter of automated law enforcement.  Finally, they consider the Supreme Court’s geofence ruling, the data-broker loophole it leaves wide open, and what privacy is ultimately for.  In Politicology+, they look at a single case that tests how far privacy itself can be treated as a crime: an American Citizen charged with a felony for deleting his phone’s data.  POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Katherine Mangu-Ward on X: https://x.com/kmanguward Related Reading:  Wired - Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code | WIRED Reason - Flock Safety’s new privacy rules do little to ease concerns over ALPR surveillance Reason - America is building a surveillance state like China's Pirate wires - Flock's Case for the Panopticon Wired - Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code | WIRED ACLU - Surveillance Company Flock Now Using AI to Report Us to Police if it Thinks Our Movement Patterns Are “Suspicious” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 states, communities canceling contracts, and an unlikely coalition uniting against the technology. They dive into what the anger is really about and whether it channels a broader anxiety about losing control. From there, they turn to what these systems can now do, as leaked code points to tools that track people—not just license plates—and invites comparisons to China’s surveillance state. Then, they weigh the deeper tension of a company whose only customer is the state, the problem of overcriminalization, and the specter of automated law enforcement. Finally, they consider the Supreme Court’s geofence ruling, the data-broker loophole it leaves wide open, and what privacy is ultimately for. In Politicology+, they look at a single case that tests how far privacy itself can be treated as a crime: an American Citizen charged with a felony for deleting his phone’s data. POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Katherine Mangu-Ward on X: https://x.com/kmanguward Related Reading: Wired - Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code | WIRED Reason - Flock Safety’s new privacy rules do little to ease concerns over ALPR surveillance Reason - America is building a surveillance state like China's Pirate wires - Flock's Case for the Panopticon Wired - Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code | WIRED ACLU - Surveillance Company Flock Now Using AI to Report Us to Police if it Thinks Our Movement Patterns Are “Suspicious”

Ron Steslow and Katherine Mangu-Ward pick up the main show’s surveillance thread with a single case that tests how far privacy itself can be treated as a crime: Samuel Tunick, a US citizen who returned to Atlanta from the Dominican Republic and handed border agents a GrapheneOS "duress" passcode that wiped his phone. They walk through the charge (a rarely used destruction-of-property statute, in what experts believe is the first prosecution of its kind), the questioning his defense calls a pretext, and the widening "border zone" where ordinary travelers face sharply reduced Fourth Amendment protections. Related Reading: The Guardian - US government targets Cop City protester over phone operating system | Atlanta | The Guardian 404 media - ‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent’: An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone

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 opposition that has turned data centers into a bipartisan populist flashpoint. Then they look at the leaked Republican memo warning the backlash could cost the party a Senate seat in November.  Next, they turn to the real constraint beneath the fight, energy, the race with China, and reporting that foreign actors are attempting to amplify the opposition.  Then, they look at the federal debt and how Washington is betting that AI-led growth is the only survivable way out.  In Politicology+, they break down the DNC’s newly approved 2028 presidential primary calendar and what it means for the factional power struggle within the party. POLITICOLOGY+ 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. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to [email protected] Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Susan Del Percio on X: https://x.com/DelPercioS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Steslow and Susan Del Percio break down the DNC’s newly approved 2028 presidential primary calendar and what it means for the factional power struggle within the party.