Justin Miller, News and Politics Editor for the Texas Observer, joins to discuss all things Texas politics – the invincible Henry Cuellar, the upcoming fates of Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton, and why the state’s agriculture and railroad commissions play such big roles in areas that have nothing to do with their names.
Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. Alex Washburne, a mathematical biologist who studies and writes about many things, most notably how pathogens can be manipulated and spread. We discuss reports of a possible plague outbreak in Siberia, the theory of COVID’s origins lying in a lab leak, how easy it is to make mice glow green, and more.
Josh is out on vacation and producer Jackie is subbing in! This week the Social Club talks the ‘House of Mouse’, and we promise it’s not as weird as you think. Are Joe and Jackie Disney Adults? Was Toy Story 5 any good? Why are the Bob’s arguing? All that and more as we chat all things Disney. (We promise it’s not that cringe)
Josh and Joe are joined by fellow TPMer Kate Riga who explains how the Supreme Court really works and why it can be so difficult for non-experts to follow cases as they wind through the court system. We also talk a bit about various reform proposals and their respective challenges.
Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. Massimo Pigliucci philosopher, evolutionary biologist, and the K. D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York to discuss the most fundamental of all questions: How to live a happy life? They discuss his latest book How to be a (Happy) Skeptic and use ancient philosophy to analyze contemporary problems. We also spend a good deal of time talking about why stoicism is so popular now and the distorted forms it takes. Also: Rome.
Josh and Joe have been doing the show for about a year now. In this episode they chat about a number of things that were on their mind. Why does the Trump admin want to sell off protected land? Why do New Yorkers seem to hate people from Ohio? What’s going to happen in the midterms? and more.
Josh and Joe are joined by Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova and author of Leo XIV and the Global Church. They discuss the Catholic Church in the U.S., how its split politically, what made it that way, and ancient and modern Rome.
Josh and Joe are joined by Dr. David Kyle Johnson, philosopher at King’s College in Pennsylvania to discuss the role of a philosopher in contemporary society. We live in a time where philosophical subjects like what is a person? What is consciousness? and others are front and center in political discourse. But where are the philosophers themselves? We also talk about Artificial intelligence, and a lot of Star Trek
Josh and Joe are joined by Liberal Currents’ executive editor Samantha Hancox-Li to discuss Hanxcox-Li’s analysis of the 2025 Prairieland ICE detention center protest and aftermath. We also talk about Liberal Currents’ mission and wrap up with a discussion of speculative fiction. We cover a lot of ground in the Social Club.
Joe is joined by special guest host Derick Dirmaier to talk about the state of sports in America. They talk about the experience of being a sports fan, the state of youth sports, and the effect of money and private equity.