Best Chris Griswold Podcasts (2025)

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Sharpie's American Comeback with Chris Griswold 38:24

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16d ago38:24

38:24

A favorite libertarian parable, I, Pencil, portrays the market as a mystical force beyond human control, an “invisible hand” that government must never try to steer. This conversation tells a different story: how Sharpie manufacturing returned from China to America, and what we can learn about how policy can shape markets in the national interest. …

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Somewheres and Anywheres with David Goodhart 49:32

2d ago49:32

49:32

Western politics has increasingly been shaped by a widening divide between the “Somewheres” and the “Anywheres”—those rooted in place and community versus those defined by education, mobility, and openness to change. This clash has fueled populist revolts, strained national solidarity, and reshaped debates over immigration, work, and identity. Davi…

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Enforcing America's Labor Laws with Seema Nanda 46:37

9d ago46:37

46:37

America’s labor laws promise fairness for workers and a level playing field for businesses, but promises mean little without enforcement. Underfunded agencies and administrative failures have allowed bad corporate actors to exploit employees unable to defend themselves. Seema Nanda, the Solicitor of Labor for the Biden administration, joins Oren to…

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The Geography of Political Belonging with Salena Zito 31:35

23d ago31:35

31:35

While the nation’s cultural curators cluster in a few wealthy zip codes, the voters who decide its elections remain rooted in towns where family, church, and work still bind community together. The result is a political and media class increasingly alien to the country it claims to represent, a dynamic cast in stark relief by the recent memorial fo…

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Trump's Media Pushback with Emily Jashinsky and Haisten Willis 50:16

30d ago50:16

50:16

President Trump's second term has brought with it a more combative approach to the American press. Supporters have cheered it as overdue payback for the media's bias, but have the president's recent actions—from threatening broadcast licenses to million-dollar lawsuits against outlets—crossed a line? Emily Jashinsky, DC correspondent for UnHerd and…

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Labor's Realignment in the AI Age with Sean M. O'Brien 41:17

1M ago41:17

41:17

Efforts to modernize labor law have stalled in Washington for decades, leaving workers vulnerable to delayed contracts, retaliation, and corporate maneuvers. Meanwhile, a new challenge looms for workers: rapid advances in automation and artificial intelligence, which could threaten not only blue-collar jobs but also white-collar professions once th…

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Is Abundance Just Neoliberalism? with Matt Yglesias 46:45

2M ago46:45

46:45

The abundance agenda claims to offer a new path, one centered on housing, energy, and expanded state capacity. But are advocates of abundance offering a genuine political shift? Or are they just repackaging neoliberalism for the Trump era? At the Abundance 2025 Conference, Oren debated Matt Yglesias, editor of Slow Boring, in a session moderated by…

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Are the Tariffs Constitutional? with Chad Squitieri and Peter Harrell 45:27

2M ago45:27

45:27

Last Friday, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that President Trump did not have the authority to issue emergency tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), setting up a pivotal Supreme Court battle over the future of the policy tool. Chad Squitieri, professor of law at the Catholic University of America, argues…

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An American Sovereign Wealth Fund with Julius Krein 39:27

2M ago39:27

39:27

America’s political elite assumed Wall Street would finance its future. Instead, private capital chased software and speculation, leaving the nation dependent on foreign supply chains for most manufactured goods. The result is a hollowed-out industrial base that no tax credit alone can fix. Julius Krein, editor of American Affairs and president of …

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Still Hooked on Beijing with Geoffrey Cain 43:33

2M ago43:33

43:33

In the 1990s, Silicon Valley thought access to China would help open their markets and liberalize the nation. Instead, their engagement ended up empowering the CCP and helped build the Chinese surveillance state. Geoffrey Cain, an investigative journalist and author, joins Oren to explain how some Big Tech firms were captured by China, risking U.S.…

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Rebuilding Strategic Depth with Nadia Schadlow 36:05

3M ago36:05

36:05

America once relied on oceans, industrial might, and large stockpiles to give her strategic depth—the ability to maneuver economically, militarily, and technologically during conflict. But those buffers have eroded in the age of drones, cyberattacks, and supply chains controlled by China. Nadia Schadlow, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and De…

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A Tariff Reality Check with Bloomberg’s Anna Wong 46:24

3M ago46:24

46:24

Economists and politicians told us that President Trump’s tariffs would spark foreign retaliation and drive up domestic prices. But current economic data are beginning to tell a different story. Anna Wong, chief U.S. economist at Bloomberg Economics, joins Oren to discuss what the post-Liberation Day data are telling us. As tariff rates begin to st…

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Fighting for the Working Class with Rep. Riley Moore 37:28

3M ago37:28

37:28

From working as a welder to taking on BlackRock as West Virginia’s first Republican-elected state treasurer in decades, Riley Moore’s trajectory has been anything but conventional. Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) joins Oren to discuss what a conservatism rooted in the dignity of work, the importance of family, and responsive to the needs of working people …

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Fixing Scientific Research Funding with Simon Johnson 41:21

3M ago41:21

41:21

As the Trump administration reshapes how federal dollars flow to universities, reform-minded academics are rethinking how to fix the systemic problems on campus without jeopardizing important research. Simon Johnson, professor of entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan School of Management and Nobel Laureate in Economics, joins Oren to unpack why our nation’…

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China Shock 2.0 with Brad Setser 50:38

4M ago50:38

50:38

Even as the U.S. begins decoupling from our Asian rival, the threat of a second “China shock”—one where the country’s economy dominates key resources and minerals—is rapidly emerging. Brad Setser, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Oren to dig into how China’s new wave of industrial overcapacity, currency manipulation, and con…

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What Comes After Post-Liberalism with Patrick Deneen 49:27

4M ago49:27

49:27

Are we all post-liberals now? The leading voice in the debate about what comes after liberalism, Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen, joins the podcast to discuss where American politics is headed now that the push for a globalized society has failed to survive contact with geopolitical reality. He and Oren unpack the failures of the liberal age, f…

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The Critical Minerals Crisis with Robert Bryce 42:44

4M ago42:44

42:44

The United States remains wholly dependent upon China for 95% of rare earth elements, 100% reliant on imports for 15 critical minerals, and over 80% reliant for eleven more. These minerals enable everything from batteries to semiconductors—and without domestic access, America’s technological dominance is at risk. Robert Bryce, a leading energy poli…

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Sohrab Ahmari vs. Josh Hammer: Iran, Israel, and the New Right 57:53

4M ago57:53

57:53

Over the last two weeks, an online battle has broken out among the New Right over the Israel-Iran conflict and the Trump administration's bombing of an Iranian nuclear facility. Regardless of whether the recent ceasefire between Iran and Israel holds, the events so far have drawn clear dividing lines within the coalition. What does "America First" …

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The Poverty of Consumption with Philip Pilkington 51:46

4M ago51:46

51:46

Economists have claimed for years that Americans are prospering more than ever before. So why do so few people feel that way? Philip Pilkington, author of the forthcoming The Collapse of Global Liberalism, joins Oren to discuss how these economic metrics are obscuring real problems. The two challenge the assumption that consumption is an unalloyed …

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Putting Workers First with Sen. Bernie Moreno 34:36

5M ago34:36

34:36

When news broke that the local paper mill in Chillicothe, OH, was closing its doors and laying off 780 employees, one Ohio senator made it his mission to fight for those workers. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) joins Oren to talk about his efforts to put American workers and their families first. The freshman senator explains how his background led him t…

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The Architect of a Movement with Sam Tanenhaus 50:43

5M ago50:43

50:43

Today’s Republican Party has come a long way from the days of William F. Buckley, Jr., but his legacy continues to be felt across the conservative movement. Sam Tanenhaus, former editor of the New York Times Book Review and author of the newly released Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America, joins Oren to discuss the conservative…

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Exploring the New World with Vice President JD Vance 34:01

5M ago34:01

34:01

Vice President JD Vance joined Oren Cass at American Compass’s five-year anniversary celebration for a wide-ranging discussion of the ongoing political realignment, the importance of conservative economics, and where the movement goes from here. During their conversation at the New World Gala, Vance and Cass discuss the rapid shift in conservative …

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A New Conservatism with Matthew Continetti 41:54

5M ago41:54

41:54

American conservatism has never been static. Changes in our national political environment have previously shifted what the Republican Party stands for. But how does today’s New Right compare to earlier realignments driven by President Ronald Reagan or William F. Buckley Jr.? Before the June 3rd release of The New Conservatives, Matthew Continetti,…

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'Where Did All the Good Jobs Go?' with Zeynep Ton 42:54

5M ago42:54

42:54

Globalization and deindustrialization have brought with them a sense among American workers that the good jobs they could once count on have disappeared. As family-supporting careers evaporate, service jobs with lower pay and unpredictable hours take their place in many communities across the country. Zeynep Ton, professor of practice at MIT’s Sloa…

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Apple's Chinafication with Patrick McGee 46:49

6M ago46:49

46:49

The Trump administration’s new trade policy toward China has revealed just how deeply enmeshed major American corporations are with our chief geopolitical rival. Apple’s story is perhaps the most dramatic. Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China and San Francisco correspondent for the Financial Times, joins Oren to discuss how Apple, like so many o…

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The Future of American Manufacturing with Chris Power 41:13

6M ago41:13

41:13

The second Trump administration has spurred a wave of domestic industrial investment and a recognition that making things in America matters. But what does that look like from the factory floor? Chris Power, founder and CEO of Hadrian, joins Oren to discuss how his company is helping lead reindustrialization efforts here in the United States. He ex…

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Trump’s First 100 Days with Rachel Bovard 39:26

6M ago39:26

39:26

What should conservatives make of the first 100 days of Trump’s second term? Rachel Bovard, vice president of programs at the Conservative Partnership Institute, joins Oren to discuss how to measure an unconventional administration’s early successes, what to make of DOGE, and where the administration should direct its efforts to capitalize on its p…

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How the Media Lost Its Way with Mark Halperin 29:58

6M ago29:58

29:58

How has the American media gone from the days of Walter Cronkite to open hostility toward the president and his party? Mark Halperin, editor-in-chief of 2Way and host of the new program "Next Up" on the Megyn Kelly network, joins guest host and managing editor Drew Holden for a conversation about the state of the U.S. media. They discuss why the me…

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The Myths Behind Free Trade with Mark DiPlacido 45:14

7M ago45:14

45:14

If you’ve spent time on social media or watched cable news recently, you’ve almost certainly encountered some of globalization’s staunchest defenders, trotting out their favorite arguments against tariffs. On today’s episode, Mark DiPlacido, American Compass policy advisor, joins Oren to break down the worst of these arguments and share some handy …

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The Global Tariff with Rep. Jared Golden 44:04

7M ago44:04

44:04

The congressman who introduced the bill to implement President Trump’s 10% global tariff wasn’t a member of his own party, but a conservative Democrat from a Trump-won district in Maine. Congressman Jared Golden (D-ME), the sponsor of the BUILT USA Act, which would set the 10% global rate, joined Oren to talk about why Congress needs to permanently…

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Our Manhood Crisis with Amber Lapp 37:05

7M ago37:05

37:05

For decades, American men have been in crisis. Globalization has caused millions of jobs to disappear, divorce rates have increased, life expectancy has decreased, and deaths of despair have skyrocketed in many working-class communities. Amber Lapp, research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and stay-at-home mom, began talking to her neigh…

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After the Factories Left with David Autor 45:38

7M ago45:38

45:38

The “China Shock”—triggered by the country’s entry into the World Trade Organization—devastated America’s heartland, causing a sudden exodus of manufacturing jobs and disrupting the communities that depended on them. Promoters of globalization promised “better” jobs would take their place. Nearly 25 years later, has that happened? David Autor, prof…

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Abundance, Left and Right with Ezra Klein 42:51

8M ago42:51

42:51

The “abundance agenda” has taken the policy world by storm recently, led by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, who advocate for prioritizing the supply side and removing barriers to building our productive capacity. This week, Ezra joins Oren to make the case for how the theory could be put into practice. In this wide-ranging conversation, the two expl…

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A Unitary Executive with Jack Goldsmith 41:39

8M ago41:39

41:39

As outside groups continuously file lawsuits to slow down the Trump administration’s agenda, many Americans are wondering: how much power does the president rightfully have? Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law professor and co-author of the Executive Functions Substack, joins Oren to break down the judicial landscape less than two months into the second Tr…

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The Transatlantic New Right with Michael Gove 39:37

8M ago39:37

39:37

America isn’t the only place where the political Right is beginning to move in a new direction. On this episode, Michael Gove, the legendary former Conservative UK MP and cabinet secretary and current editor of the Spectator, joined for a discussion of trade, tariffs, and where conservatism is headed across the Atlantic. They talked through the cha…

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What the AI Debate Gets Wrong with Colin Kahl 45:17

8M ago45:17

45:17

Every app on your phone brags about being “AI-powered.” Policymakers and pundits predict that the technology will soon dominate every aspect of life. But what’s actually happening with AI, and what can America do to “win” the global race to activate the tech’s promise? On this episode, Colin Kahl, Biden’s former undersecretary of defense for policy…

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Averting White House Crises with Karl Zinsmeister 45:58

8M ago45:58

45:58

Remember when the student loan market melted down during the George W. Bush administration? No? That’s because Karl Zinsmeister, Bush’s chief domestic policy advisor, kept it from happening. Every administration encounters this kind of near-calamity and relies on the steady hands of staff to address them. On this episode, Zinsmeister joins to tell …

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No Tax Cut Is Free with Oren Cass and Chris Griswold 54:39

9M ago54:39

54:39

On a special, tax-focused episode of the Talkin’ (Policy) Shop, chief economist Oren Cass and policy director Chris Griswold join guest host Drew Holden to talk about the brewing fight on Capitol Hill about taxes. The group makes sense of what we learned from the soon-expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the malign legacy of the anti-tax fundamentalism …

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The Sports-Betting Addiction with Jude Russo 38:37

9M ago38:37

38:37

Just in time for the Super Bowl, Jude Russo, managing editor at the American Conservative joins Oren to discuss the proliferation of online sports betting and the harm done by the technology. The two discuss the damaging consequences—from increased bankruptcies to upticks in domestic violence and beyond—we've seen in states that have allowed the pr…

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The Truth About Pro-Life Laws with Leah Sargeant 40:50

9M ago40:50

40:50

On this episode, Leah Sargeant, author of Other Feminisms, joins to debunk claims blaming pro-life state laws for the death of expecting mothers in the wake of the Dobbs decision. She and Oren Cass discuss the misleading reporting that ignited these false allegations and diagnose the real problem: the often tragically poor quality of maternal healt…

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A Remote-Work 'Baby Boom' with Patrick T. Brown 44:06

9M ago44:06

44:06

On this episode, Ethics and Public Policy Center fellow Patrick T. Brown joins guest host and American Compass managing editor Drew Holden to discuss how COVID's remote-work baptism-by-fire led to a surprising boom in babies born during the pandemic. The two talk through the lessons that companies should take away from the experience in order to su…

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The Travel Sports Dilemma with Michael Brendan Dougherty 41:37

10M ago41:37

41:37

Why would any sane parent subject themselves to the high costs and grueling hours of travel sports teams for their kids? In this episode, Michael Brendan Dougherty, senior writer at National Review, joins to discuss his feature essay on the subject for our just-launched magazine, Commonplace. As a dance and travel baseball dad himself, he explains …

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What Will Trump’s New Economic Policy Look Like? Part 2 53:10

10M ago53:10

53:10

President-elect Trump campaigned on a fresh economic platform prioritizing ordinary Americans, departing considerably from the Old Guard Republican Party that came before him. But how much of that innovative thinking will actually become policy in his second term? Oren Cass appeared at the American Economic Association’s annual meeting on a panel a…

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What Will Trump's New Economic Policy Look Like? Part 1 57:17

10M ago57:17

57:17

President-elect Trump campaigned on a fresh economic platform prioritizing ordinary Americans, departing considerably from the Old Guard Republican Party that came before him. But how much of that innovative thinking will actually become policy in his second term? Oren Cass appeared at the American Economic Association's annual meeting on a panel a…

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The New Right's New Home with Helen Andrews 43:53

10M ago43:53

43:53

Every political movement needs a home for its ideas. Commonplace is the answer for today’s right-of-center. On this episode, Helen Andrews, our new features editor, joins Oren to discuss the forthcoming launch of Commonplace—a new magazine from American Compass, making sense of the political, economic, and cultural concerns that shape America today…

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The Case for Tariffs with Sen. Phil Gramm 1:13:08

11M ago1:13:08

1:13:08

Has the devotion to unbridled free markets in recent decades benefited or harmed the United States? Earlier this month, Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX) and Oren Cass sat down for a live, wide-ranging discussion of the unintended consequences of America’s approach to manufacturing, and whether free trade is to blame for changes in our domestic industrial …

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Checking Corporate Power with FTC Chair Lina Khan 44:29

11M ago44:29

44:29

On this episode, Oren is joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan for a wide-ranging conversation about competition, antitrust, and why the lack of strong enforcement hurts American consumers, small businesses, and our politics. The two talk through the decline in competition in the U.S. economy and how it has created fragile markets prone to shortages and un…

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What DOGE Could Do with Santi Ruiz 40:13

11M ago40:13

40:13

On this episode, Institute for Progress senior editor Santi Ruiz joins Oren to talk about government efficiency, state capacity, and what President-elect Trump's focus on revitalizing the way government works could hope to accomplish in the swamp. The two discuss Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and how the effort can avoid th…

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The Collapse of Parenting with Dr. Leonard Sax 41:55

11M ago41:55

41:55

On this episode, physician, psychologist, and best-selling author Dr. Leonard Sax joins Oren to talk about the disastrous state of modern parenting, and how to pull a generation of young people back from the brink. The two walk through the how parents have abandoned teaching their kids about right and wrong, the rise of "gentle parenting" in place …

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Trump's Return Agenda with Duncan Braid 33:07

11M ago33:07

33:07

On this episode, coalition director Duncan Braid joins Oren to discuss American Compass's Back to Work agenda, which provides a comprehensive set of executive actions that the Trump-Vance administration should take to prioritize working families, domestic industry, and national economic strength when they take office. The two discuss how the presid…