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In this episode Clay is joined by Columbia student journalists Nikos Mohammadi and Christina Ma. Last week, Sundial published a piece co-authored by Nikos and Christina called The “Cornell 7” is Really About Liberalism. In it, they articulate their unique take on the Cornell 7 story, and, as they put it, the “collective frenzy” it precipitated. Needless to say their piece received a fair bit of backlash. Nikos has received death threats, the Editorial Board of the Columbia Political Review condemned Sundial’s decision to publish the piece, and some of Sundial’s own writers started a petition to demand that the publication “cease organizational operations”. Even the Columbia Open Discourse Alliance (CODA), an organization founded specifically to promote free speech, open dialogue, and civil, productive disagreement across differences in ideology and opinion, threw Nikos and Christina under the bus. Its executive board condemned their article on the grounds that it promoted rape culture and worked to silence survivors of sexual assault (which it did not), and then canceled an event on the topic of press freedom. In this conversation, Christina and Nikos explain the argument they made in their controversial article, detail the outrageous response to it, and reveal how CODA has completely betrayed its founding principles. Other Sundial articles worth reading: Now It’s Really About Liberalism The Vanity Fair of Campus Contrarianism Christina’s article on dating: Are Men the Problem, Or Are We? Relevant pieces by Nikos in UnHerd: Why my classmates want me silenced The Cornell Seven is fueling a campus media frenzy

In this episode Clay is joined by Holly Jean Soto. Holly is an economics and liberty communicator who seeks to distill complex economic concepts into content that anyone can understand. In addition to her social media activity, she also writes. Her work can be found in publications such as The Daily Wire and Real Clear Politics.  You can follow Holly on X, TikTok, and Instagram.  If you want to understand the differences between socialism, communism, social democracy, and democratic socialism, and get Holly’s take on why the DSA seems to be rising in popularity, then this is the conversation for you.

In this episode, Clay is joined by David Christopher Kaufman. David is a New York based journalist whose writing can be found in many notable publications, including The New York Post, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Tablet, The Jerusalem Post, and Commentary, just to name a few. He has also worked as an editor for The New York Times.  David’s writing often focuses on identity. A subject on which he has a somewhat unique vantage point, given that he is black, gay, and Jewish. He is also quite adamant, as you will hear at the top of this episode, that he is first and foremost, an American.  David is also hard at work on The Octagon Project, an organization dedicated to combat the rise of the DSA by creating coalitions of groups who share the values of the Jewish community. In this conversation David and Clay discuss his understanding of identity, Nikole Hannah Jones’ recent article in the New York Times questioning her decision to enroll her daughter in an underprivileged school, the double standard Jews face when talking about antisemitism, his potentially controversial term for Jews that disavow Israel and Zionism, and much more.  You can follow David on X and Instagram. A selection of David’s writing: Choosing Between My Two Identities  Woke Jews are sacrificing their own at the altar of wokeness How America’s Jews Became America’s ‘New Blacks’  How #Palestine became the ultimate elitist pursuit **Correction** -> at around the 41 minute mark Clay accidentally says “Adrian Brody” instead of “Adam Brody”. He was in fact talking about Adam Brody.

In this episode Clay is joined by friend of the pod Alex DeVitry. Alex is currently a Master’s student at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he is studying international conflict resolution, foreign policy and diplomacy, and the Middle East. He also writes excellent articles about political violence in the 21st century on his Substack.  This conversation covers two main topics. First, the Houthi’s rise in Yemen: their origins, relationship with Iran, recent military successes, and the threat they pose to Red Sea shipping and the balance of power in the Gulf. Next, political violence: how it takes on a logic of its own, why it’s often misunderstood, and what its normalization means for national identity and civic life.  Alex is a man with an outstandingly fascinating and unique origin story, which you can hear all about in his first appearance on TDL.    You can follow Alex on Instagram & TikTok, and subscribe to him (for free!) on Substack. Books Mentioned in this episode: Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire by Richard B. Frank. The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang. Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. Aristotle’s Children: How Christians, Muslims, and Jews Rediscovered Ancient Wisdom and Illuminated the Middle Ages by Richard E. Rubenstein. The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous by Joseph Henrich ** 2 Small Corrections** - John Stuart Mill wrote during the mid-19th century, not during th 1790-1820 timeframe Alex gives in our convo. - In the nuclear near-miss Alex references the target was American naval vessels at sea between Miami and Cuba. The would-be target was not Miami.

In this episode, Clay is joined by ⁠Sam Raus⁠. Sam is a political analyst and public relations professional. He is also the David Boaz Resident Writing Fellow at ⁠Young Voices⁠. Sam writes on a number of topics from a libertarian perspective, including AI, data centers, healthcare, and social security. Listen to this episode to understand why Sam thinks fears surrounding data centers are overblown, hear his argument for why Gen Z should be able to opt out of social security, and much more! You can ⁠follow Sam on X⁠.

In this episode, Clay is joined by NYC-based comedian and social media personality Omry Hananya, aka The Angry Prophet. Omry has gained a large following online by using humor to disprove anti-semitic conspiracy theories.  Listen to this episode to learn about goyslop, the Khazar theory, how to convince your friends to stop being anti-semitic, and much more!

In this episode, Clay is joined by Gabriela Blanco. Gabriela was born and raised in Cuba, where her family endured oppression and economic hardship under the communist regime. When she was 23, she escaped the island and eventually made her way to the United States. Gabriela has traveled the country sharing her story with young people as a speaker for ⁠The Dissident Project⁠⁠, an organization that helps immigrants from tyrannical regimes become influential voices for freedom here in the US. Listen to this episode to get the details of Gabriela's inspiring story, hear her argument in favor of sanctions against Cuba, and much more! You can follow Gaby on X.

In this episode, Clay is joined by Ruel Domi. Ruel is an Albanian political commentator whose work focuses on global affairs, international relations, geopolitics, and Albanian, European, and American politics. He is a frequent commentator on Albanian television and writes regularly on political and international developments affecting Albania, Europe, the United States, and the wider world.Ruel holds a B.A. in Finance and Political Science from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.Listen to this episode to learn a little bit about modern Albanian politics, get Ruel's take on the rise of the far right in Europe, hear why he thinks Western civilization is particularly great, and much more! You can find Ruel on his ⁠website⁠, ⁠Linktree⁠, and ⁠Instagram⁠.

In this episode, Clay is joined by political commentator, computer programer, and former congressional candidate Brianna Wu. Brianna has written and spoken on a number of topics, but she is best known for her commentary on trans issues (she is herself a trans women), progressive politics, Israel-Palestine, and the video game industry. She is also a Porsche enthusiast. Listen to this episode to hear why Brianna no longer associates with the activist left, get her take on the video game industry, hear her argument for why there should be more gatekeeping in the trans community, and much more! You can find Brianna on X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.

In this episode, the boys are joined by Rachel Haack. Rachel is a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who specializes in helping families navigate adult-child estrangement, chronic conflict, and relational breakdowns. To that end, she offers structured consulting, as well as group workshops.  Rachel also writes a SubStack called Thoughts from a Therapist and has a substantial social media following, with 174k instagram followers as of this recording.  Listen to this episode to learn more about Rachel’s backstory, family estrangement, a psychological concept called differentiation, and much more.

In this episode Clay is joined by Liza Libes. Liza is an author, content creator, and voracious reader of classic fiction. She is also the owner and operator of Invictus Prep, a college consulting company that helps applicants leverage the power of narrative to get into their dream school.  This is an episode that can be divided into two main parts.  The first part consists of Liza’s unique and fascinating origin story as the daughter of Soviet immigrants, as well as her and experience with woke, professors, TAs, and students at Columbia University.  Starting at 04:02  In the second part, Liza brings her considerable literary knowledge to bear on questions like “Why is it important to read classic fiction?”, “Is modern literature any good?”, and “Why are Russian novelists particularly talented?”. She also shares her takes on Sally Rooney, Ernest Hemingway, the new Harry Potter HBO show, and much more. Starting at 54:35 You can follow Liza on Instagram, X, and YouTube. And of course, please get yourself a copy of one of Liza’s fantastic collections of poetry. Books mentioned in this episode  Harry Potter — J. K. Rowling Vanity Fair — William Makepeace Thackeray The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov Anna Karenina — Leo Tolstoy The Brothers Karamazov — Fyodor Dostoevsky The Iliad — Homer Mansfield Park — Jane Austen Metamorphoses — Ovid Wuthering Heights — Emily Brontë Animal Farm — George Orwell 1984 — George Orwell The Sun Also Rises — Ernest Hemingway The Plague — Albert Camus The Fall — Albert Camus The Stranger — Albert Camus Articles by Liza mentioned in this episode (from her Substack) Leave Literature Alone Harry Potter Changed my Life  The Real Problem With the New Harry Potter Series  The New York Times is Wrong About Motherhood The Publishing Industry is Allergic to Money  Why Modern Movies Feel So Empty  Please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice! It’s the best way to support us.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Follow us on Instagram and X

In this episode the boys discuss the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting, Hasan Piker’s recent controversial conversation with The New York Times, deontic thinking on the left, and more! Mentioned in this episode: ‘The Rich Don’t Play by the Rules. So Why Should I?’ - The New York Times Read White House Correspondents’ Dinner suspect Cole Allen’s full anti-Trump manifesto - The New York Post Understanding Committed Leftists in the United States Right Before the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election - Journal of Social and Political Psychology  Please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice! It’s the best way to support us.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Follow us on Instagram and X

In this episode Clay is joined by Bradley Schurman. Bradley is a demographic strategist and author whose work has focused on how demographic shifts are re-shaping economies, cities, and global power structures. His most recent project is The Geography of Prosperity Index, which he co-created with Jaymes Cloninger. The Geography of Prosperity Index ranks the largest 250 U.S. metro-areas on five key factors that are intended to represent future-readiness for a prosperous life. Listen to this episode to learn what prepares a city to prosper in the future, better understand the five factors Bradley and Cloninger used to create the index, hear which metro-areas are in the top 10, and much more!  You can follow Bradley on Instagram, Substack, and TikTok Mentioned in this episode: The Super Age: Decoding Our Demographic Destiny The Wheeler District  The Joys of Data Centers: Debunking the Backlash Against the $7 Trillion AI Building Boom Please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice! It’s the best way to support us.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Follow us on Instagram and X

In this episode the boys discuss how the conflict in Iran is causing the MAGA right to fracture, and why the Artemis II mission is so incredibly cool.  Some clarifications: The lunar impact crater “Carroll” was named after Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife, who died of cancer in 2020. Jeremy Hansen was the Canadian member of the crew. Mentioned in this episode: The Devoted Actor  Breaking History  Please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice! It’s the best way to support us.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Follow us on Instagram and X

In their first-ever in-person episode, the boys are joined by Sagnik Basu. Sagnik is a content creator, producer, and community builder who helped get The Daily Caller and Breaking Points off the ground. He currently serves as the executive producer of Washington Post Opinions. He also hosted his own show, where he had conversations with right-leaning figures like Emily Jashinsky, Saagar Enjeti, Robby Soave, and Discourse Lab’s own Anthony Rispo. Listen to this episode to get Sagnik’s takes on populism, elitism, immigration, and much more!  You can find Sagnik on… X Instagram TikTok YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Ship of Fools by Tucker Carlson Black Rednecks and White Liberals by Thomas Sowell Please rate and review us on your podcast player of choice! It’s the best way to support us.  Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube Follow us on Instagram and X