The Democratic Party should be on a roll, but it doesn’t seem to be benefiting from the government shutdown, some of its hot young stars are getting into trouble on anti-Semitism grounds, and the rollouts of its presidential contenders have been rocky. We talk about that and about Christine Rosen’s important February COMMENTARY article, “The Psychological War on Masculinity.” Give a listen.

The New York Times reports that the FBI opened an investigation into Donald Trump’s personal ties to Russia under dubious circumstances. Does this demonstrate the truth in the claims made by the president’s defenders about the arrogance and recklessness of the permanent bureaucracy? And, as this becomes the longest government shutdown in history, is anyone “winning” the messaging?

Will anyone benefit from the government shutdown, or is this just brinksmanship politics that makes no sense? We discuss this on today’s podcast, as well as the question of whether female politicians are being mistreated when the question is raised about their likability. Give a listen.

The last podcast of 2018 finds us discussing the latest Facebook scandal and wondering how long it will be until the big-tech companies are broken up. And we discuss just how bad the president’s week has been (it’s been bad, I’m sorry to say). Give a listen.

Today’s podcast features an explanation of and peroration on the demise of the Weekly Standard, how the magazine fit into the world of conservative intellectual publishing both now and when it was created in 1995, and the evolution of magazines from keeping a long-armed distance from politics and parties to the present-day demand that they serve as the cheerleaders for movements. Give a listen.

Donald Trump is personally implicated in potential criminal misconduct in the memo related to the sentencing of his former attorney, Michael Cohen. What impact will the latest revelations out of Robert Mueller’s probe and the Southern District of New York have on his presidency and his reelection campaign? Also, the tide of populism that crashed over Europe in 2015 and 2016 is rising again. Can its bloodless centrist technocrats survive?

The COMMENTARY podcasters take up the question of President George H.W. Bush’s presidency and its salience to our time, consider the wildly expansive Democratic field in 2020, and then consider the meaning of the yellow-vest protests in France. Give a listen.

The Commentary podcast welcomes Christine Rosen to the table to discuss the Democratic Party’s efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of elections in Georgia. Also, Trump’s bizarre interview with Fox News Channel’s Chris Wallace.