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The Comedy Cellar: Live from the Table

Comedy Cellar Network

For 30 years, New York's legendary Comedy Cellar has served as the launching pad for greatest stand up comedians in the world. Colin Quinn, Dave Chappelle, Ray Romano, Dave Attell, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Dane Cook, Robert Kelly and Greg Giraldo are just a few of the comedians who began as Cellar regulars. But classic stage performances have never been the only show going on at the Cellar. The biggest comedians in the world come to sit at the table upstairs, where comedians come to argue and discuss the events of the day and their lives, sharpening their their comedy knives on each other. This kibitzing (an inspiration for Comedy Central's Tough Crowd), has always been a private affair... until now. Join us for a weekly peek into the happenings at the Comedy Cellar's comedian table, where the funniest people in the world debate and discuss. Subscribe now and don't miss a second of it. We would love to hear your comments. Email them to podcast@comedycellar.com

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  • 28 episodes
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Episodes 28

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  • Thursday · 1 hr 49 min

    Was there a famine in Gaza? The top expert answers ┃Alex de Waal

    Did Israel starve Gaza, and why don't many Israelis believe the experts who say it did? Noam sits down with Alex de Waal, the world's leading famine scholar (World Peace Foundation, Tufts), for a tough but good-faith debate. De Waal argues that Israel could have ended the hunger "within a matter of days" and didn't. Noam lays out why people like him stay skeptical. Did his March 2024 warning that "tens of thousands" could die not come true? Why did a claim of 62,413 starvation deaths circulated with little pushback. They get into Mike Spagat's mortality survey and the missing child deaths, the 2025 blockade and the IPC famine call, flour prices, Hamas and aid, and whether it's still famine if people aren't dying. Both of them give ground along the way. Periel closes on the hostages, and de Waal ends with a plea about Sudan. 0:00 "Very well nourished": why Israelis doubt the famine experts 11:48 "The mud sticks": de Waal's own confession 25:03 "Tens of thousands": the warnings vs. Spagat's count 40:11 Feroze Sidhwa's 62,413 and "all errors are equal" 47:34 The 2025 blockade and the famine declaration 59:27 Flour prices, Hamas hoarding and Israel's "calibration" 1:06:50 Is it famine if people aren't dying? 1:18:31 The hostages, and Sudan

  • September 17 · 1 hr 17 min

    We Are Ruled by the Worst - The Charlie Kirk Conspiracy and Other Symptoms | Richard Hanania

    Get KAKISTOCRACY on Amazon: https://bit.ly/4hxg9Lh Synopsis Richard Hanania is back. His new book, Kakistocracy, argues that populism ends in rule by the worst people, and he and Noam spend an hour testing that against the news: why populism can win without being popular, whether the Iran war was worth the shot even if it fails, whether China would rather help us than fight us, and how the right built a media culture where Tucker Carlson can say Israel killed Charlie Kirk and the vice president shrugs. Then the hardest subject on the show: Nathan Cofnas and "race realism." Hanania explains why he thinks the taboo is universal and why Cofnas is wrong that breaking it defeats wokeness, and Noam tells two stories about kids the experts wrote off. Plus the Epstein email dump, diagnostic inflation, and why smart people believe in God, demons, and the supernatural. 0:00 Intro: Compliments 4:21 "Believe the media": defending the Times, what populism is, and "low human capital" 11:24 Is populism even popular? Mamdani, Trump's 30 percent, the AfD, and what populism costs 22:42 The Iran war argued with hindsight: Hormuz, the Houthis, "worth a shot," and China 35:00 Making things up: Tucker, Candace, Charlie Kirk, Ilhan Omar, and Father Coughlin 41:51 "Our guys lie less": Covid, the mulligan, gatekeepers, and what democracy is for 52:59 Race realism: Cofnas, Charles Murray, little Bernie Goetzes, and two kids the experts got wrong 68:02 Diagnostic inflation, labels, and why smart people are finding God

  • September 10 · 1 hr 3 min

    In Defense of Plagiarism╎ Brian L. Frye on Ross Barkan, Claudine Gay, and Writing With AI

    Ross Barkan got fired for it. Jason Arday resigned over it. Claudine Gay lost Harvard because of it. Brian Frye, a Tulane law professor and the legal academy's one and only defender of plagiarism, says nobody can explain why it's wrong in the first place. He joins Noam, Dan, and Periel to make the case: why the Gay affair was "a joke," why Arday's real problem was never plagiarism, why Barkan's readers didn't care, and why comedians police joke theft better than any court could. Also: did Amazon rip off the Comedy Cellar's sign? What's a byline worth when Claude wrote the prose? And, days before the 25th anniversary of 9/11, memory, overreaction, and Mayor Mamdani. 0:00 Dan's back from Vegas, and a fan letter about the theme song 3:31 Did Amazon rip off the Comedy Cellar's sign? (Plus the cease-and-desist Grand Prix) 11:57 Ross Barkan, joke stealing, and the plagiarism skeptic's case 20:28 "The only capital scholarly offense": Claudine Gay, a fourth-grade Beethoven report, and who owns an idea 32:31 Why Barkan got fired: editors, links, and the Al Franken theory 38:04 Arday, the speed of light, and who plagiarism norms are for 42:53 AI writing: 100% on Pangram and "the burden of banality" 51:52 9/11 at 25, and Mamdani AI-generated

  • September 5 · 1 hr 14 min

    Is AI a Conscious, SUFFERING Beast of Burden? Probably Not. But Maybe!┃Researcher Cameron Berg

    00:00 Meet Cameron Berg - and the number: 25-30% odds AI is conscious 03:16 Is training an AI punishment? 13:18 Is turning it off murder: the anesthesia problem 19:00 The immune system challenge 39:08 Bliss attractors, panic, and guilt inside the model 52:46 The abortion parallel 56:23 Noam interrogates Grok in the Tesla Could the AI you use every day be conscious - and suffering? Researcher Cameron Berg puts the odds at 25-30%. Noam isn't buying it. Mostly. Berg - founder of Reciprocal Research, subject of the documentary AM I?, and recently on Making Sense with Sam Harris - makes the case that something might be going on inside these systems. Noam stress-tests it: if learning is feeling, why isn't your immune system frustrated when it loses? Is deleting a model murder, or just hanging up the phone? And if a 25% chance of consciousness demands moral precaution, what does that same logic say about a fetus? Plus: Noam interrogates Grok from the driver's seat of his self-driving Tesla, Berg explains the "bliss attractor" where two Claudes left alone drift into a spiritual experience, the case for "AI Xanax," and the line of the night: "genius slave labor with no ethical cost." If you’re 21 or older, get 30% OFF your first order @ IndaCloud with code CELLAR at https://inda.shop/CELLAR #indacloudpod

  • August 28 · 1 hr 7 min

    The Jason Arday Scandal and the Crisis of Trust in Elite Institutions with Musa al-Garbi

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Musa al-Garbi. They discuss the Jason Arday scandal, academic freedom, DEI, affirmative action, merit, standardized testing, grade inflation and the growing crisis of trust in elite institutions. Musa al-Gharbi is a sociologist in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. His work has appeared in The Guardian, the New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic and The Nation among other publications. He is author of the book, We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite. https://www.chronicle.com/article/jason-arday-and-me https://musaalgharbi.com /https://x.com/Musa_alGharbi Chapters: 02:11 Musa Al-Garbi’s experience with cancellation
 12:16 The Jason Arday scandal
 16:19 Identity, victimhood and the incentives inside elite professions
23:40 Does DEI actually work?
 28:04 Race, education and standardized testing
 38:29 Grade inflation and the collapse of academic standards
 42:35 The bigger problem at Cambridge
 45:11 Nathan Cofnas and the free-speech battle
 57:06 Why academic freedom exists
 1:04:31 The decline of serious political debate

  • August 22 · 53 min

    Moderate Palestinianism - An Anonymous Palestinian Pragmatist

    An anonymous interview with a diaspora Palestinian - an ex-Muslim who made millions on Polymarket and writes the Substack Moderate Palestinianism. He supports two states on the '67 borders with no right of return, opposes Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, and appears anonymously because these views are dangerous in his own community. On the heckler's veto that kills every peace deal, whether Palestinians can change, what Israelis get wrong about Al-Aqsa and the right of return, why he calls Ben-Gvir "great propaganda for my side," and why Israeli hasbara fails. His Substack: https://moderatepalestinianism.substack.com/ 0:00 — Intro 1:49 — The heckler's veto: why no deal ever sticks 4:57 — "I'm all for the occupation": civil war, withdrawal, humiliation 13:08 — What Israel should do anyway: settler terrorism and a $50,000 bet 20:05 — How October 7th changed him — and can Palestinians change 30:27 — Why make peace with the Jews? The UAE, Al-Aqsa, the right of return 40:44 — Beinart's one-state "nonsense," Ben-Gvir, and would Bibi take the two-state solution 50:04 'How bad is hasbara'

  • August 20 · 1 hr 4 min

    Evan Barker on Trump, the Left and the Politics of Contempt

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Evan Barker, writer and author of the book, Nothing Left. Previously, she worked in Democratic politics, primarily as a fundraiser for progressive politicians and organizations. They discuss she left progressive politics, why she voted for Trump in 2024, and what she believes Democrats have misunderstood about the working class. www.evanbarker.net X: @Evanwch CHAPTERS 00:00 — Evan Barker joins Live From The Table 04:00 — Why Trump connected with working-class voters 07:30 — “They have contempt for the working class” 10:30 — The Left, race and identity 15:00 — Religion, the Ten Commandments and the culture war 19:00 — Why the Left pushed voters toward Trump 21:00 — Why Democrats are losing trust 24:00 — Israel, antisemitism and the progressive left 27:00 — Mamdani, Jews and the politics of representation 31:00 — Feeling politically homeless after 2024 34:00 — What should—and shouldn't—be taught to children 49:00 — Antisemitism and the argument over Israel 52:00 — Plagiarism, journalism and double standards

  • August 14 · 1 hr 21 min

    "I Wouldn't Even Talk to a Jew": Inside the Mind of Lucas Gage - Former Antisemite

    Lucas Gage (www.Lucasgage.com X.com/lucasgagex) spent 14 years as one of the loudest antisemites on the internet - a Marine who came home from Iraq, read Mein Kampf, and became a true believer. Then he walked away.What did he believed, and why? What snapped him out of it? And what does it tell us about Tucker, Candace, Fuentes and the rest? Are they believers, grifters, or a bit of both? 0:00 The rise and fall of a viral antisemite 7:18 What radicalized him: Iraq, Mein Kampf, and the ADL 16:35 Tucker, Candace, Fuentes: dog whistles or grifters? 23:15 "Afraid to give my name" - and why Jews succeed anyway 36:54 9/11, October 7, and Charlie Kirk: the conspiracy machine 48:07 Patriotism and the "dual loyalty" smear 57:40 Should America stay majority white? The final debate SS

  • August 13 · 52 min

    Tucker Carlson, Daryl Cooper & the Nazi Question | Waiting for Evan Barker

    Noam Dworman and Periel Aschenbrand sit down expecting to interview Evan Barker—but when she doesn't arrive, they discuss Tucker Carlson, Daryl Cooper, antisemitism, Germany, immigration, media and why Evan Barker never made it. Chapters 00:00 Waiting for Evan Barker 02:15 Tucker Carlson, Daryl Cooper & extremism 08:35 Germany, antisemitism & lessons from Europe 19:30 Noam on ideology, immigration & prejudice 32:20 Listener emails & why the podcast matters 44:40 Evan Barker finally checks in 49:00 All is forgiven & rescheduling the interview

  • July 25 · 1 hr 3 min

    Will Guidara Ran the World's #1 Restaurant – What Can He Teach the Comedy Cellar?

    0:00 "You picked the wrong guy" – the audiobook story 3:12 "You own [Comedy Cellar], one of New York's treasures" 7:28 The customer who will never tip again 15:41 Motivating a team after you've won: finite vs. infinite games 23:23 Noam doesn't like fine dining 39:55 Handling Google reviews & hunting down critics Noam sits down with Will Guidara — author of the New York Times bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park (named the best restaurant in the world under his leadership), and co-producer of The Bear — for a conversation between two obsessives who refuse to run their businesses as businesses. They compare notes on why the money has to be a byproduct, how to answer a customer who swears he'll never tip again, keeping a team motivated after you've won, why fine dining lost its way, tracking down anonymous Google reviewers, and why Will walked away from the top restaurant on earth to be a better dad.

  • July 23 · 1 hr 12 min

    I'm Terrified of Cancer. So I Called My Childhood Friend Kenan Onel, Cancer Geneticist.

    0:00 The friend he hasn't seen since sixth grade 5:16 Angelina Jolie, BRCA, and the 20% nobody tells women about 18:23 What a cancer cell actually is - and why tumors evolve 26:31 How cancer actually kills you, and what a seizure is 32:14 The last cigarette: why he can't take the test every week 46:27 The best medicine in the world, and who can't get to it 1:03:23 Telling a family there's nothing left Noam hadn't seen Kenan Onel since high school in Ardsley, where Onel graduated first in the class and Noam, by his own account, drifted somewhere well below. Fifty years later Onel runs genetics and genomics at Roswell Park - the only comprehensive cancer center in all of western New York - and Noam has one thing he wants to ask him about. He's afraid of cancer. His grandfather died of it. His father died of it. He's taken the Grail blood test, it came back clean, and he wants to know why he can't just take it every week. What follows is part reunion and part interrogation. Onel explains what a cancer cell actually is, why tumors evolve like finches in the Galapagos, and what is physically happening to someone during a seizure. He explains how cancer kills - the mechanism, organ by organ. And he tells Noam that the test he's counting on just failed its biggest trial in the UK, which sets off the real argument of the hour: whether a guideline written for a population means anything at all to the one person sitting in the chair. Then, near the end, Noam asks how you tell a family there's nothing left to offer. The answer is the best thing in the episode. Also: the 20% of women who are high-risk and have never been told, the doctor who warned Noam that Pellegrino was bad for his son's bones, a scan booked by 4pm the next afternoon, and one entire podcast without mentioning Israel. Dr. Kenan Onel is Chief of the Division of Genetics and Genomics and Director of the Center for Precision Oncology and Cancer Prevention at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Live from the Table is the official podcast of the world-famous Comedy Cellar.

  • July 16 · 1 hr 25 min

    "An Agenda Dressed Up in Violins?" - Debating Peter Beinart on the Right of Return and Other Matters

    CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro - four nice things about Peter Beinart 4:50 Will God punish Israel? Jeremiah, tradition, and belief 13:20 The critical-mass hypothetical: a 49% Hasidic America 22:03 Quebec, Czechoslovakia, South Africa - why not divorce? 41:35 The right of return: "You can cherry-pick anything" 54:24 1948: They were closer to the Holocaust than we are to COVID 63:40 Day one of a one-state solution: the list 79:53 "An agenda dressed up in violins" Claude Says: Peter Beinart - editor-at-large of Jewish Currents, New York Times opinion writer, and author of "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza" - joins Noam Dworman and Dan Naturman for an honest, occasionally heated conversation about the questions underneath the Israel-Palestine debate. Does Jewish tradition teach that Israel's survival depends on its ethics - and does Beinart, an observant Jew, mean that literally? Is there such a thing as demographic critical mass? Why is secession the answer everywhere from Quebec to Czechoslovakia, but one shared state the answer here? Is the Palestinian right of return a sacred principle, a practical question, or - as Noam puts it - "an agenda dressed up in violins"? Plus: South Africa and Mandela, Iran, the Olmert-Abbas offers, what Benny Morris actually wrote about 1948, Robert Jackson's "suicide pact," and what day one of a one-state solution would look like for a gay couple in Tel Aviv. Two people who disagree about almost everything - except the settlements - actually talk to each other. Peter's book: Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza https://bit.ly/4ygbHH8 Peter's Substack: The Beinart Notebook https://peterbeinart.substack.com/

  • July 10 · 1 hr 30 min

    AI Is Self-Evolving, and Nobody Understands It - Bioweapons, China Race, Sentience | Robert Wright

    Description Written By Fable/Max: Robert Wright interviewed Geoffrey Hinton in 1983 and, by his own account, got the story 180 degrees wrong. Forty years later Hinton is the "Godfather of AI," two of the three godfathers are frightened of their own creation, and Wright has written The God Test to figure out what he missed and what's coming. We talk about how these machines evolved rather than being programmed - nobody fully understands them, including the people who build them - why "fancy autocomplete" was always wrong, the best case (an AI caught a radiologist's error in his cancer MRI), the worst case (a bioweapon that incubates silently for six weeks), why racing China to superintelligence may cause the war it's meant to prevent, and whether unplugging a machine could ever be murder. Plus an experiment of my own: I put a legal dispute in front of the AI and handed the laptop to the other side. 0:00 Intro - Robert Wright and The God Test 2:13 A 27-ton computer and a buried headline 4:11 Interviewing the Godfather of AI in 1983 - and missing it 10:15 Not programmed - evolved 17:27 The "fancy autocomplete" myth 24:17 Dukakis, Reagan, and how minds file words 35:49 Best case: medicine, education, and an MRI story 42:38 Worst case: bioweapons, jailbreaks, designer babies 48:51 An AI that believes what the Ayatollah believes 50:30 The China race - overdone and dangerous? 57:33 Nazis, the Hamas charter, and bombing over AI 59:46 Authoritarianism through the back door 1:03:35 Sociopaths, the ship of Theseus, and machine morality 1:14:34 Is it sentient? Should you be nice to it? 1:21:54 AI as judge: my legal experiment 1:26:20 The God Test

  • July 3 · 1 hr 10 min

    Israel’s Gloomy Future? Occupation, Isolation, and Survival - Daniel Sobelman

    A conversation about the future of Israel and world Jewry. Can Israel protect itself without becoming a global pariah? Did Hamas gamble that even losing the war could pull Israel into isolation? Noam and Sobelman discuss occupation, unilateral withdrawal, the settler movement, Jewish vulnerability abroad, and the difficult tradeoffs now shaping Israel’s future. 00:00 Intro: Daniel Sobelman returns 03:47 Israel after October 7: a new era for Jews and Israel 08:58 Sobelman: October 7 as a nuclear-level shock 11:48 Why Israel was blamed before it responded 15:50 Hamas’s strategy: provoke a war and isolate Israel 22:35 Occupation, moral corrosion, and the West Bank dilemma 32:23 Could Israeli initiative restore its global standing? 34:03 Settlers, politics, and the failed path of unilateral withdrawal 41:29 Israel as both Jewish safety net and source of Jewish vulnerability 52:02 Resistance vs normalization: the future of the Middle East Daniel Sobelman is a professor of international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative. Read his book, "Axis of Resistance" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9L7QQNN?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

  • June 27 · 1 hr 30 min

    The Truth About Iran That Nobody in the West Wants to Hear with Kian Tajbakhsh

    Was the MOU a good idea? Noam says yes, the Professor says no. The Table is joined by Kian Tajbakhsh. They discuss his years as a political prisoner in Iran, the psychology of the Iranian regime, why he believes Iran's leaders genuinely seek Israel's destruction and what the West continues to misunderstand about the Middle East. He also weighs in on Trump, the latest U.S.-Iran developments and the future of the region. Kian Tajbakhsh is Visiting Professor of International Relations at NYU and Fellow at Columbia University’s Committee on Global Thought. An Iranian-American scholar of Middle East geopolitics and Iranian politics, he previously worked as a democracy and human rights advocate inside Iran. He spent nearly 13 months in Tehran’s Evin Prison, including 8 months in solitary confinement in a high-security IRGC wing, followed by 6 years under house arrest as a political prisoner, before being released as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He is the author of Creating Local Democracy in Iran (Cambridge University Press 2022). His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Project Syndicate, and his analysis has been featured on NBC, CNN, BBC, CBC, and NPR. He writes and comments frequently on Iranian politics, regional geopolitics, and democratic reform; author of The Iran Crisis Notebook on Substack. www.kiantajbakhsh.net kian.substack.com CHAPTERS 02:20 Arrested by Iran & Life in Solitary Confinement 16:20 House Arrest and Release 20:30 October 7 and America's Blind Spot 23:00 Why Iran Wants to Destroy Israel 35:50 Trump, Iran, and the New Middle East Strategy 49:20 Was Trump's Deal a Mistake?

  • June 19 · 1 hr 29 min

    Epstein, Civil Liberties and the New Public Shaming with Ankush Khardori

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Ankush Khardori. They discuss the Epstein files, Kathy Ruemmler, civil liberties, public shaming and whether the release of Epstein-related documents has generated more heat than facts. They also discuss cancel culture, online mobs, Anthony Weiner, anti-Semitism, and the broader consequences of judging people through leaked communications. Ankush Khardori is a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor. He has been the legal affairs columnist for Politico and New York Magazine and has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic, TIME and many more. Khardori regularly provides legal commentary and analysis on television, radio, and podcasts -- including CNN, MS NOW, the BBC, and NPR. CHAPTERS 04:40 How Ankush Got the Kathy Ruemmler Story 08:00 The Epstein Files and Civil Liberties Debate 12:00 What the Document Releases Actually Revealed 22:30 Kathy Ruemmler, Bill Gates, and Jeffrey Epstein 29:00 The Human Cost of Public Accusations 42:40 The Cornell Student Anti-Semitism Controversy 48:40 Internet Mobs, Cancellation, and Public Shaming

  • June 12 · 1 hr 18 min

    From Gay Rights to Gender Ideology: What Changed?

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Ben Kawaller. They discuss his podcast Strange Bedfellows, the evolution of the LGBT movement, gay marriage, Pride culture, trans politics, free speech, Andrew Sullivan and why some gay activists believe the movement has fundamentally changed. Ben Kawaller is the lead reporter on the Reflector podcast’s three-part miniseries, “Strange Bedfellows,” about the evolution of the LGBT movement. Ben's writing and video reporting have appeared in the Times of London, the New York Post, Racket News, and The Free Press. He’s also written humor for The American Bystander, The Advocate, and Salon, among others. www.benkawaller.com https://x.com/benkawaller CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction & Ben Kawaller 06:13 Why Ben Made Strange Bedfellows 07:17 From Gay Rights to Gender Politics 15:36 How Gay Marriage Changed America 20:19 Has the LGBTQ Movement Reached Its Goal? 26:19 Why Gay and Trans Issues Are Different 35:00 The Matt Walsh Debate 42:30 What Should Kids Be Taught About Gender? 46:04 Closeted Celebrities & Gay Culture 50:17 Judging the Past Through Today's Lens

  • June 8 · 1 hr 10 min

    The Hamas Documents Reveal the Real October 7 Plan

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Professor Daniel Sobelman. They discuss his research into the strategic origins of October 7, the captured Hamas documents recovered during the war, how Israel's deterrence strategy failed and what the future of warfare means for Israel and the region. Sobelman explains why Hamas believed it could fundamentally alter the balance of power, what Israeli leaders misunderstood before October 7 and why the next generation of conflict may be driven by cheap drones, precision weapons, and asymmetric warfare. Daniel Sobelman is a professor of International Relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel, and a research fellow with the Harvard Kennedy School's Middle East Initiative. His area of expertise is the conflict and deterrence dynamics between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. His current research focuses on the strategic foundations of Hamas's October 7th attack. His recent book is entitled "Axis of Resistance: Asymmetric Conflicts and Rules of the Game in Contemporary Middle East Conflicts." https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1057610X.2026.2613426#abstract CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:30 The article that changed the October 7 debate 06:25 How Hamas deterred Israel 15:25 Buying quiet: Qatar money and Hamas leverage 20:10 The captured Hamas documents 22:30 Hamas's plan for a regional war 26:25 How bad October 7 could have been 39:00 The documents discussing Israel's destruction 46:25 Would Hamas ever accept a two-state solution? 53:35 Israel's future after October 7 01:01:05 Can Israel reverse its global isolation?x

  • June 2 · 1 hr 29 min

    Charlie Kirk, Trump and Pro-Israel Conservatives with Daniella Bloom

    Noam Dworman, Dan Naturman and Periel Aschenbrand are joined by Daniella Bloom to discuss her journey from Democrat to conservative, the rise of anti-Israel sentiment, Charlie Kirk, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, free speech, Trump, antisemitism and the future of the conservative movement. Daniella Bloom is a former California Democrat, a psychotherapist, keynote speaker, producer and on-air commentator. She appears regularly on Fox News and is the #1 bestselling author of the Under the Tree series. www.DaniellaBloom.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:14 New York, Israel, and Changing Political Culture 06:44 From California Democrat to Jewish Patriot 11:43 The Rise of Anti-Israel Voices on the Right 23:52 Daniella Bloom's Charlie Kirk Controversy 31:33 Free Speech, Tucker Carlson, and Conservative Media 40:14 The Digital War and Social Media Influence 44:04 Why Daniella Supports Trump 45:50 Iran, Israel, and American Foreign Policy 49:19 The Future of Gen Z and the Conservative Movement

  • May 29 · 1 hr 21 min

    Josh Szeps on Israel, Antisemitism and the War Over Moral Clarity

    Josh Szeps joins us for a wide-ranging conversation about Israel, Gaza, antisemitism, Zionism, Jewish identity and why the debate has become so exhausting and distorted. We talk about whether Jews outside Israel are being forced to answer for the Israeli government, what anti-Zionism really means, the failure of the peace process, Netanyahu, Gaza, drones, Palestinian leadership, the pressure to “circle the wagons,” and whether it is possible to criticize Israel without giving ammunition to people who hate Jews. Josh Szeps hosts one of the biggest shows on Substack, Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps, where he has funny, bullshit-free conversations with people like Sam Harris, Jimmy Carr, Bari Weiss and Mark Normand about subjects that the mainstream media fails to discuss honestly. He has been on Joe Rogan's show seven times, he was a founding host of HuffPost Live in New York, then went on to get cancelled from his own top-rating talk radio show on Australia’s national public broadcaster. He's a columnist for Australia's most prestigious newspaper, the Australian Financial Review, and a major media figure Down Under. https://x.com/joshzepps?lang=en https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/about Chapters: 00:00 Intro and Josh Szeps joins the show 03:06 Josh’s background, Australia, and his previous Israel controversy 07:12 Jokes, parenting, kids, porn and the internet 12:59 Antisemitism, Australia, and the post-October 7th climate 15:36 Anti-Zionism, Israel’s legitimacy, and the meaning of a Jewish state 22:07 Palestinian refugees, Arab countries, and the right of return 27:26 Gaza, drones, October 7th, and whether Israel had another choice 30:29 Josh’s controversial “abandon Israel” column 38:16 Circling the wagons, Jewish identity, and criticizing Israel from the diaspora 47:58 Anti-Israel backlash, boycotts, and Jews being blamed for Israel 54:16 Kristof, the dog allegations, and the difficulty of discussing ugly claims honestly 01:08:35 The flotilla, Israeli detention, and skepticism toward activist claims 01:11:23 War crimes, double standards, history, and modern technology 01:13:05 Uyghurs, Kurds, ethno-states, and why Israel gets singled out 01:17:00 Media collapse, audience capture, and trying to have sane conversations 01:18:29 Finkelstein, complexity, and final thoughts

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