Dany and I covered a lot of ground this week. We discussed this week’s elections and Democratic victories, including Zoran Mamdani’s win; the Supreme Court’s deliberations on President Trump’s tariffs and his meeting with Chinese President Xi; Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she won’t seek re-election; and the Heritage Foundation’s disturbing reaction to antisemitism among Republicans like Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson. If you didn’t get a chance to catch us live, here’s the recording. Show notes below.
Let us know what you think and, as always, send us questions and topics for next week!
As I mentioned, I spent last week at Stanford University meeting with various professors and officials about their civics programs. I was really encouraged by their efforts to teach students about civil discourse and civic engagement and encourage them to practice it on campus - something I feel passionately about and am actively working on. More on that to come.
Having uncomfortable conversations with efforts to understand alternative points of view - and some humor! - is exactly what Danielle Pletka and I seek to do with this little weekly show. There’s a lot on which we agree, but just as much on which we don’t. Most importantly, however, we express our views respectfully. We hear each other and appreciate where the other is coming from, even when we hold opposing views on the details.
If you value our discussions, please recommend #Hot Takes Happy Hour,
and to your networks and consider becoming a paid subscriber.SHOW NOTES
Dany’s piece: #WTH New York forgets its past (Substack, Nov. 4, 2025) and podcast: #WTH: What do Mandani and the Socialists really believe? (Substack, Oct 30, 2025)
Elise’s piece on China: The art of the long game (Substack, Oct. 31, 2025)
Trump’s China Deal Is a Major Indictment of U.S. Trade Policy (The Dispatch, Nov. 5, 2025)
Trump: I’ll Work with China, Not Canada (AEI, Oct. 27, 2025)
Heritage-affiliated antisemitism task force to cut ties with embattled think tank (Jewish Insider, Nov 6. 2025)
How Tucker Carlson instigated an inevitable war within MAGA (Washington Post, Nov. 6, 2025)
The Buckley Test: Can the Right Still Police Its Own? (The Free Press, Nov. 6, 2025)
Dany’s piece on Heritage: #WTH Sorry is not enough (Substack, Nov. 3, 2025) and podcast: #WTH: How do we keep Neo-Nazi out of the conservative movement
Bonus: Hillary Clinton quote in Pakistan in 2011 about its support for the Haqqani network, a terrorist group launching attacks in Afghanistan :
“You can’t keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbors.”
(Now you get the metaphor about MAGA’s association with antisemites like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes)
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