Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

Tense protests and large-scale clashes in Sydney over a presidential visit. New post-Bondi police powers and legal challenges shaped crowd control. Debates around protest tactics, slogans that stoke historic fears, and how media frames competing narratives. Questions raised about free speech limits, policing militarisation, and why certain international visitors attract intense demonstrations.

Jeff Maurer, former Last Week Tonight writer and author of the satire Substack I Might Be Wrong, joins to unpack media, comedy and cultural change. He discusses leaving a hit show over ideological drift. Short, sharp takes on blackface, transgender controversies, satire’s limits, and how newsrooms shifted from debate to caution.

Federal forces and ICE operations deployed in US cities and the alarming implications for civil liberties. Arrests of journalists and prosecutions of officials as possible political tools. The risk of neighbour-against-neighbour low-intensity violence and the dangers of violent resistance. Nonviolent civil disobedience, reconciliation models, and citizens' assemblies as paths to rebuild democratic norms.

Seth Stern, civil liberties lawyer and chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, breaks down press freedom risks. He discusses Don Lemon’s charges, how espionage and RICO laws can be stretched against reporters, and the rise of raids, seizures and selective prosecutions. He outlines reforms and why defending journalistic independence matters now.

Charlotte Korchack, American-Israeli educator who teaches Israeli and Jewish history. Andrey X, Russian-Israeli journalist who documents West Bank settler and army violence. They debate the surge in settler harassment and tactical violence, the dual legal systems governing settlers and Palestinians, settlement growth and recruitment, and how politics, security claims and law enforcement shape daily life in the occupied West Bank.

Kathryn Paige Harden, psychologist and behavior geneticist at UT Austin and author of The Genetic Lottery, walks through nature versus nurture, polygenic prediction limits, epigenetics, psychedelics and the sense of self, moral luck and blame, and the politics and ethics of using genetics in society. Short, provocative takes on responsibility, punishment, and how biology intersects with policy.

Nicholas Gruen, an economist and public intellectual known for his work on democratic innovation, joins the discussion to challenge how we engage with democracy. He critiques the influence of social media in politics, arguing that it prioritizes outrage over meaningful public discourse. Gruen advocates for a model inspired by Wikipedia, suggesting that randomly selected citizen assemblies can elevate public consideration over populism. By comparing democratic processes to jury systems, he underscores the potential for more representative governance.

In this engaging discussion, cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker digs into how shared knowledge shapes society. He explores the impact of media fragmentation on public perception and the fascinating psychology behind the toilet paper hoarding frenzy during COVID. Pinker argues that reliance on myths overshadows objective truth, highlighting the need for institutions that uphold factual knowledge. He discusses the role of language in fostering connections and how status symbols influence societal dynamics, offering insights into human behavior and communication.

Andrew Lowenthal, a journalist and digital activist, dives into the heated discussions surrounding hate speech laws in Australia following the Bondi terror attack. He critiques the backlash against multiculturalism and censorship, particularly regarding the cancellation of pro-Palestinian authors at writers’ festivals. The conversation touches on the paradox of free speech versus cancellation hypocrisy, the role of public funding in artistic expressions, and the risks of radicalization tied to degraded discourse. A thought-provoking exploration of identity and the future of speech in a diverse society!

Josh dives into America's complex foreign policy, highlighting the pivotal moment of January 2026. He scrutinizes Trump's militaristic tendencies and how they reflect deeper domestic insecurities. The conversation contrasts the post-WWII global order with a narrowed focus on regional influence. Josh tackles provocative legal questions about intervention in Venezuela, emphasizing the pitfalls of military action without a solid plan. He also explores geopolitical implications involving China and Russia while discussing the strategic significance of American actions in the Americas.