Best James Quirk Podcasts (2025)

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War Is Hell (Dan Senor) 55:42

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3d ago55:42

55:42

Dan Senor, host of the Call Me Back podcast and co-author of The Genius of Israel, is bullish on Israel. Is there anything that could change his mind? He and Adaam discuss what makes Israeli society strong and what might make it turn against itself. They also can’t resist some media naval gazing and debate whether the fall of sense-making gatekeepe…

1
The Law Is How We Deal With Our Mistakes (Alan Dershowitz) 39:21

16d ago39:21

39:21

Alan Dershowitz is one of the most prolific legal scholars (and civil rights litigators) in this country of ours. In his latest book, The Preventive State, he takes the first step in developing the jurisprudence of what Philip K. Dick called precrime. Dershowitz argues that we need a better — and more transparent — legal system for calculating how …

1
The Mood Music of Anti-Racism (Coleman Hughes) 1:20:10

21d ago1:20:10

1:20:10

Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America and writer for The Free Press, argues that recent progressive theories about antiracism have looped all the way back to racism. He joins Adaam to discuss the power of language to reveal and distort, the moral confusions of revolutionary activism, the aesthetics o…

1
The Hope for Gaza (w/ Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib) 1:13:47

1M ago1:13:47

1:13:47

Is there hope for Palestinians in Gaza after the war? What will happen to Hamas? Does anyone still want a Two State Solution? And will the war with Iran change the game? Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and director of Realign for Palestine, joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy to discuss. Ahmed seeks to refocus the Pa…

1
The Enemies of Free Speech (w/ Greg Lukianoff & Nadine Strossen) 1:24:07

2M ago1:24:07

1:24:07

Former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) President Greg Lukianoff join Adaam to discuss their upcoming book War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech—And Why They Fail. The three dig into what makes liberalism in general and free speech in particular so powerful, so radical, and so rare. …

1
Vibes of Nihilism (w/ Mike Pesca) 1:20:27

4M ago1:20:27

1:20:27

Perspicacious podcaster Mike Pesca, host of The Gist and author of Pesca Profundities, joins Adaam to partake in principled, punny, and peppily pugnacious perorations. On the agenda: the creeping nihilism of American society (and should we be worried about it), the comedy of Signalgate, the state of the media, and the revenge of the cancelled. On t…

1
When My Team Became an Online Mob (w/ Brianna Wu) 1:14:26

4M ago1:14:26

1:14:26

Former Democratic organizer Brianna Wu joins Adaam James Levin-Areddy for a conversation about her journey from leftist activism to clashing with leftists about antisemitism and the recklessness of transgender politics. Wu opens up on the challenges that come with standing up to one’s own tribe, the importance of defending liberal values, and how t…

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How the Modern World Self-Destructs (w/ Tomer Persico) 1:19:09

6M ago1:19:09

1:19:09

Religious scholar Tomer Persico, now a Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, returns to help us unpack why liberalism is special — and why it’s now in crisis. Mentioned in this episode: -Our first conversation with Tomer, about the implications of seeing ourselves as made in the image of God -Yascha Mounk, who talked to us about how iden…

1
Selling Alien Makeup On TikTok 38:11

6M ago38:11

38:11

WE ARE BACK AND MORE BETTERER THAN EVER BEFORE! today we are talking about our hopes and dreams for the beauty world in 2025 and aliens ... again Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Significant Sans Sex (w/ Rhaina Cohen) 1:14:36

6M ago1:14:36

1:14:36

To write The Other Significant Others, journalist Rhaina Cohen interviewed couples around the country who have committed to sharing their lives with each other — just not their beds. These pivotal yet hard-to-define relationships have existed throughout history, but we lack the vocabulary to talk about them (let alone a legal framework to protect t…

1
From Jesus Christ to the New York Times (w/ Andy Mills) 2:20:42

8M ago2:20:42

2:20:42

Podcaster/journalist Andy Mills shares the unusual trajectory of his life and career: from small town boy; to God-loving member of a close-knit group of friends; to rebellious drop-out of a Christian college; to curious outsider in Southern Sudan; to hard-working, some-time inappropriate young media professional; to a more self-aware, award-winning…

1
The Decapitation of Hezbollah and the Fall of Rome (w/ Eli Lake) 53:00

10M ago53:00

53:00

The indispensable Eli Lake — contributing editor at Commentary Magazine and staff writer and podcaster at The Free Press — returns to the pod to mark the destruction of mass murderer and DSA heartthrob Hasan Nasrallah along with the top brass of his terror gang in Beirut this weekend. This leads to a discussion about the nature of warfare and the i…

1
It's Over (w/ Caitlin Flanagan) 1:26:05

11M ago1:26:05

1:26:05

Caitlin Flanagan returns! The unapologetic author of On Thinking for Yourself (a selection of her excellent essays for The Atlantic) comes to talk to us about the fall of Western civilization, what happens when you let church-going go, what happened to universities, and why (though a Catholic herself) Caitlin has started wearing a Star of David. Ch…

1
The Agony of Abundance (w/ Nick Gillespie) 1:55:39

12M ago1:55:39

1:55:39

Nick Gillespie — editor at large at the libertarian institution that is Reason Magazine (and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie) — comes on the pod for an IRL conversation about 'The Agony of Abundance,' the paradoxical state in which we’re more prosperous, yet more dissatisfied, than ever. We discuss the negative narratives peddled b…

1
Our Friend Attended a Trump Rally — And Witnessed History 29:58

1y ago29:58

29:58

PLEASE NOTE: We are releasing this episode in the immediate aftermath of the alleged assassination attempt on President Trump. Details and facts presented in this conversation are still being corroborated and are subject to be updated/corrected. Recurrent guest Misha Thomas (“The Liberal Who Voted for Trump” / “Blackness and the Other Side of Traum…

1
Progressives Are Silly (w/ Nellie Bowles) 51:07

1y ago51:07

51:07

Nellie Bowles is back! The journalist, writer of the TGIF newsletter, and co-founder of The Free Press (along with her wife Bari Weiss) returns to discuss her new book, Morning After the Revolution. In it, she chronicles the unfortunate series of events that led her to leave The New York Times in 2021. We get into that in this conversation, too (di…

1
The Indoctrination of Elite Education (w/ Bill Deresiewicz) 1:30:47

1y ago1:30:47

1:30:47

William Deresiewicz — author of (the newly updated) Excellent Sheep, The Death of the Artist, and The End of Solitude — returns to the pod! This time we dive into one of the institutions we love to hate: elite universities. We dwell on and debate the protests at Columbia (et al.), the reasons why it’s all gone so wrong, and whether or not the solut…

1
Down the Saddam Rabbit Hole (w/ Steve Coll) 1:06:46

1y ago1:06:46

1:06:46

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, author, and former Columbia Journalism School dean (to us!), Steve Coll, takes us deep into the conspiracy-plagued mind of Saddam Hussein, the subject of his latest book The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America's Invasion of Iraq. We go deep into the wonky journalism weeds — includ…

1
Three Drunk Jews Refuting Jonathan Glazer (w/ Batya Ungar-Sargon & Eli Lake) 49:53

1+ y ago49:53

49:53

With Vanessa off for the weekend to explore the world of psychedelics, the podcast has been hijacked by a cabal of furious, loud, and lubricated Jews. Adaam, 3 martinis and a Laphroaig in, is joined by Newsweek opinion editor and author of Second Class Batya Ungar-Sargon, and Free Press reporter and host of The Re-Education podcast Eli Lake. The th…

1
What the Left Gets Wrong About Black History (w/ Charles Love & Wilfred Reilly) 1:18:40

1+ y ago1:18:40

1:18:40

Authors and co-hosts of the Cut the Bull podcast, Charles Love (Race Crazy) and Wilfred Reilly (Taboo, Hate Crime Hoax) join us for a lively conversation/debate about race, history, and K-12 education — and Vanessa gets put in the hot seat. Questions covered include: Should Black history be separate from American history? Are we over-indexing on se…

1
Zionism and the Refugee Machine (w/ Dr. Einat Wilf) 1:40:20

1+ y ago1:40:20

1:40:20

Dr. Einat Wilf is an Israeli writer, speaker, former (and future?) politician, podcaster (We Should All be Zionisists), and co-author of The War of Return. In this episode, we dive into some historical context for the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Vanessa asking all the ignorant questions you were too afraid to ask: What/who was there in Israel b…

1
What Iran Wants (w/ Arash Azizi) 1:17:15

1+ y ago1:17:15

1:17:15

Iranian historian and writer Arash Azizi comes on the pod to share his perspective on the Israel-Hamas conflict today — and why he believes ceasefire is the only viable path forward for Israel’s war with Hamas. Along the way, Azizi gives us on an overview of Iran’s politics since the Revolution of 1979 (i.e. how Soleimani became The Shadow Commande…

1
Diaspora Palestinian to Hamas Apologists: Debate Me, Bro (w/ John Aziz) 1:02:08

1+ y ago1:02:08

1:02:08

John Aziz is a British Palestinian musician who has come into the public spotlight since October 7th for tweeting out for peace and against Hamas. In this conversation, we unpack why it’s so controversial for a Palestinian like John to be pro-peace, the trauma both sides aren’t acknowledging or addressing, and the overly-simplified, ironic, Star Wa…

1
Disgusting 'Journalists' (w/ Batya Ungar-Sargon) 1:12:40

1+ y ago1:12:40

1:12:40

Friend of the pod Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy opinion editor for Newsweek and author of Bad News, returns for a deep, contentious conversation about the responsibility of journalists covering the Israel-Hamas war, the people worth expending energy on (versus relegating as enemies), and the uncomfortable embrace of moral certainty. While much vitriol…

1
Our Last Episode ..EVER!! 28:43

1+ y ago28:43

28:43

Yes, it's true! this is our final episode of the double cleanse podcast. We may be back one day but for now, find us over on YouTube (The Welsh Twins) for more content! Thank you all for listening over the past years! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
How the World Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Butchery of Jews (w/ Eli Lake) 1:24:24

2y ago1:24:24

1:24:24

Note: This episode is far more explicit — and way more rage-ful — than your average. As you have likely read by now in the news, last Saturday, a group of Hamas combatants infiltrated Israel and massacred about 1300 people, mostly civilians. Usually, Uncertain Things is all about embracing epistemological uncertainty. This conversation is not about…

1
Liberals Against Identity, Round 2 (w/ Yascha Mounk) 57:06

2y ago57:06

57:06

Yascha Mounk returns for round two! If you missed part one of our conversation with the political theorist, writer, and podcaster about his latest book, The Identity Trap, stop now and listen to that episode first. We pick up where we left off last time and get deep into debate about strategic essentialism, the privileging of marginalized voices, a…

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The Identity Infection, Round 1 (w/ Yascha Mounk) 1:09:33

2y ago1:09:33

1:09:33

Political theorist, writer, and podcaster Yascha Mounk returns! Last time, we spoke about Yascha’s last book: The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. This time, Adaam got to air his personal grievances as we dove into the thorny topic of his latest book: The Identity Trap. Yascha covers a ton: he traces the…

1
Big Tech VS Democracy (w/ Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, & Jeremy Weinstein) 1:04:40

2y ago1:04:40

1:04:40

We bring in the fall with a big conversation about big tech, with the authors of System Error: Stanford professors Rob Reich (expertise in: political science, philosophy, ethics, democracy, digital technology), Mehran Sahami (software engineering, in particular machine learning and AI, and VC funding), and Jeremy Weinstein (political science, gover…

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The Pros and Cons of 'Queer' (w/ Jamie Kirchick) 1:50:53

2y ago1:50:53

1:50:53

James (Jamie) Kirchick is an author, columnist for Tablet magazine, historian, podcaster, and staunch believer in/defender of liberal values — and he’ll speak up against any party/group currently trampling on them. He began his journalism career writing about domestic and foreign politics; his first book, The End of Europe focused on the rise of po…

1
A Huge Outpouring of Human Misery (w/ Peter Turchin) 1:10:41

2y ago1:10:41

1:10:41

Scientist-turned-historian Peter Turchin returns! Peter first came on the pod a few months ago to discuss the famous prediction he made in 2010 that we were headed for crisis, circa 2020. Last time, we covered the controversy he’s stirred up within the historical discipline, the methodologies behind cliodynamics/his data-based predictions, and the …

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Q&A 42:42

2y ago42:42

42:42

We love answering your beauty questions on our twin channel and we can never get to them all so here are more! @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Pay A Pro Or Do At Home 29:47

2y ago29:47

29:47

This week we're wondering what in the world of beauty is best left to the pros and what can be done yourself! @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Rebranding Boring Brands 27:38

2y ago27:38

27:38

This week we are looking at the brands we think need a bit of a makeover and how we would go about it in the boardroom! @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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The Long Shadow of Complexity (w/ David Krakauer) 1:34:36

2y ago1:34:36

1:34:36

David Krakauer is the President of the Santa Fe Institute — an academic institution that conscientiously bucks the overly-siloed and ideological bents of most universities these days. Krakauer is an evolutionary biologist who studies “the evolution of intelligence and stupidity on Earth.” He joined us on the pod for a wide-ranging conversation co…

1
We Didn't Write This Episode 25:12

2y ago25:12

25:12

This week we used ChatGPT to write our epsiode for us based on it's knowledge of our podcast and some extra information Marcus fed in! @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Sicky Day Essentials 28:18

2y ago28:18

28:18

This week we run (like noses run that's a funny joke) through all the essentials you need on one of those sicky days! What are your sicky day essentials? @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Welcome to the Content Age (w/ William Deresiewicz) 1:39:35

2y ago1:39:35

1:39:35

William Deresiewicz — author of Excellent Sheep, The Death of the Artist, and The End of Solitude — has lived many lives. He’s been an orthodox Jewish boy who lost his faith; a journalism school student unimpressed by the pretensions of the profession; a literature professor who (blasphemously) loved books and teaching. Today, he’s an author, essay…

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Most Popular Brands Picked Apart 30:42

2y ago30:42

30:42

This week we are picking apart the most popular beauty brands of 2022! What are your nitpicks? @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Questionable Content Creator Quirks 36:26

2+ y ago36:26

36:26

This week we are talking about the little odd things we see influencers & content creators do! What's the funniest content creator quirk you've seen? @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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San Francisco Burning (w/ Nellie Bowles) 1:13:53

2+ y ago1:13:53

1:13:53

Nellie Bowles is one of the few journalists who lives and writes in the Venn diagram of both Adaam and Vanessa’s interests. For years she was the tech reporter for The New York Times and her epic 2022 piece on San Francisco’s decline for The Atlantic deservedly kicked up a lot of attention, including from your podcast hosts — for different reasons,…

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Oral Hygiene Huns 24:29

2+ y ago24:29

24:29

'Look after your teeths' says James as we explore the world of oral hygiene! How do you keep your teeth clean? Join the convo @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1
Doom of the Public (LIVE w/ Niall Ferguson & Martin Gurri) 1:20:08

2+ y ago1:20:08

1:20:08

Behold! The recording of our first ever live event! We were graced by the thoughts, arguments, and non-English accents of Niall Ferguson — economic historian, fellow at Stanford, and author of many books, including Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe — and Martin Gurri — a former media analyst for the CIA and author of The Revolt of The Public and th…

1
The Worst Fragrance Review Ever 32:23

2+ y ago32:23

32:23

This week we have decided to talk fragrance and we did it so well we think we will end up being fragrance specialists after this! What's your scent? @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Twenty Twenty No 29:55

2+ y ago29:55

29:55

We're back! For the first episode of Season 4 we are saying goodbye to what we are leaving behind in 2022! @thedoublecleansepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Be My Guru (w/ Helen Lewis) 1:26:27

2+ y ago1:26:27

1:26:27

Journalist Helen Lewis spent much of last year knee-deep in gurus — the Steve Jobs, Russell Brands, and Jordan Petersons who captivate (and capture) audiences with their spiritual aura and (increasingly) podcasts — while reporting The New Gurus. She postulates that they derive their popularity, in part, to the decline of religion in our societies, …

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The City and the Citadel (w/ Michael Kimmelman) 1:24:07

2+ y ago1:24:07

1:24:07

Vanessa has admired the New York Times’ architecture critic Michael Kimmelman ever since she was a starry-eyed youngster starting her urban journalism career. Now that his latest book The Intimate City is out, it was the perfect excuse to have him on the show. She and Adaam ask Michael what it was like at the Times in the late ‘80s when he started …

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Fragments of Meaning 41:13

2+ y ago41:13

41:13

The Personal, The Political, and The Urban. Adaam and Vanessa discuss the episodes from the year that stuck with them most — and reflect on the unexpected ways these conversations are thematically linked together. With Mark Lilla, they continued mulling on the questions they began considering back in season one with Tom Holland and Tomer Persico — …

1
What We Secretly Want (w/ Robin Hanson) 1:12:54

2+ y ago1:12:54

1:12:54

Robin Hanson is an economics professor who kept running across conundrums of human behavior in his research. Why do we spend so much of our GDP on medicine — even when studies show that more medicine does not lead to better health outcomes? Why have we spent years perfecting methods of instruction — yet educational institutions keep resisting the v…

1
The Art of Being Offended (w/ Eli Lake) 1:54:18

2+ y ago1:54:18

1:54:18

Eli Lake — host of The Re-Education Podcast, contributing editor to Commentary, and columnist for the New York Sun — is a Neo-Conservative, Neither-Trumper as comfortable talking about the FBI as the musical genius of Ye. Eli was game to debate ideas, have his opinions challenged, and cover a wide-range of topics — from the Israeli elections and Am…