Uncertain Things

Eli Lake — staff writer at The Free Press, contributing editor at Commentary Magazine, and host of the Breaking History podcast — returns to the podcast to discuss the state of neoconservatism; the war with Iran (and why all the pundits are wrong about); and the enduring mystery (but not-so-enduring importance) of Tucker Carlson. On the agenda: - Neocons, Redux-The war in Iran -The “geopolitics” of Europe -The conversation about the conversation-Tucker Carlson, the modern day Father Coughlin?Mentioned in this episode: * How Israel is helping Iran’s opposition (The Free Press)* Eli Lake and Andrew Sullivan debate the Iran War (Breaking History)More Eli on Uncertain Things* The Decapitation of Hezbollah* How the World Learned to Love the Butchery of Jews* The Art of Being Offended Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Jesse Brown — journalist and founder of the Canadaland podcast company — joins us IRL in New York City to talk about his latest project: What is happening here? The audio doc, hosted by Jesse, dives into the ways Anti-Zionism and antisemitism have taken root in Canada since October 7th. On the agenda* What is happening here? and the red triangle [0:00-22:38]* Why the Canada example matters [22:39-35:35]* Revisiting Anti-Racism and protecting liberalism [35:36-1:04:27]* Jon enters the chat [1:04:28-1:26:59]Mentioned in this episode:* What is happening here? (Canadaland)* Anti-Zionism, Explained (w/ Adam Louis Klein)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Dr. Einat Wilf — Israeli writer, podcaster, and now founder of the political party Oz — returns to the pod to tell us a tale of two wars: the physical war fought (and technically won) in Gaza and the global war for Jewish sovereignty (that’s far from over). If you’re a curious layman on this subject, like Vanessa, make sure to revisit our first conversation with Dr. Wilf before listening, to make sure you have the context you need.On the agenda:-The weaponization of Gaza [0:00-15:03]-The “terrible” truth of Palestinian identity and ideology [15:04-22:42]-The “disappearing” border/alliance with Egypt [22:43-29:17]-Starvation in Gaza [29:18-34:36]-Speaking loudly and carrying a small stick [34:37-39:41]-Defining Palestinianism [39:42-46:39]-A tangent on hippies [46:40-49:24]-Netanyahu’s interference in the “real” war [49:25-59:27]-Anti-Zionism and America’s role [59:28-1:14:22]-A ministry of trolling [1:14:23-1:1:16:32]Mentioned in this episode: * The War of Return * Zionism and the Refugee Machine (w/ Dr. Einat Wilf)* Unraveling UNRWA* Anti-Zionism, Explained (w/ Adam Louis Klein)* Hooked on Dead Jews (w/ Dara Horn)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. To support us and gain access to exclusive content, consider becoming a paid member of Uncertain on Substack. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

New York Times columnist, co-host of Advisory Opinions and The Dispatch Podcast, and Nashville-based evangelical, David French, returns to the pod once again. This time, we had one big question on our minds: What’s with all the Christianity cosplaying taking over politics right now? But an Uncertain Things episode wouldn’t be an Uncertain Things episode if we stuck to just one topic! We ended up discussing, among other topics, Jesus Christ, the American Civil War, the likelihood of the dissolution of the union today, Venezuela, C.S. Lewis, and more. As always with Mr. French, it was a delightful, thought-provoking, and nerdy conversation.On the agenda: -A quick question about Jesus Christ [0:00-3:50]-Countdown to our country’s dissolution [3:51-22:57]-A tangent on Venezuela [22:58-27:15]-America, the Fundamentalist [27:16-1:09:50]-Advice to a burgeoning Christian [1:09:51-1:20:00]Further reading/listening:* Time to Talk about Secession? (David French on Uncertain Things)* America, The Lonely (David French on Uncertain Things)* ‘I’m a Liberal Who Lost His Faith’ (Tom Holland on Uncertain Things)* Divided We Fall (David French)* Attack Upon Christendom (Søren Kierkegaard) * The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe to: uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Journalist Ben Dreyfuss (writer of Calm Down and co-host of Central Air) joins us for a conversational grab bag: Zohran Mamdani’s agenda; the Left’s ideologues (and how to distinguish them from the cosplayers); the challenge of maintaining personal relationships across political divides; Luigi Mangione’s appeal; the dearth of humor amongst Millennials; and more. If these topics leave you spinning down a dark apocalyptic hole of cynicism, remember (as Ben reminds us at the end of this episode): calm the f*ck down. And consider telling a joke or two. On the agenda:-Mamdani, the DSA, and the Left’s ideologues [00:00-21:31] -Keeping friends after October 7th [21:32-29:30]-Fake, lying social media and the “noticers” [29:31-35:54]-Playing footsie with murders (the Luigi Mangione story) [35:55-45:21]-Changing people’s minds — and finding common ground [45:22-1:01:22]-NIMBYism, Abundance, and back to New York City [1:01:23-1:10:27]-Why it’s hard to be funny [1:10:28-1:14:31]-Blindspots on the Left & Right [1:14:32-1:22:00]Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Adaam is joined by James Lindsay, author of Cynical Theories and founder of New Discourses, to play the epistemology drinking game: you take a shot every time either speaker uses the word! They talk about how higher education in America became a racket, whether we can revivify classical liberalism in the age of social media, whether we need to exclude bad actors from the public discourse, whether James’ Twitter persona is a force for good or for chaos, and how to tell a PsyOp when you see one. They of course also discuss the “woke right,” Tucker Carlson, and why scapegoating Jews is still the rage.Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Anthropologist Adam Louis-Klein was in the Amazon on October 9th, when he went online and learned what had happened two days previously. Almost immediately, he also discovered something else: his left-wing colleagues in the academy were ready to ostracize him for his “filthy Zionist” views. Since then, Louis-Klein has turned his analytical eye toward anti-Zionism. In this conversation, he explains the ideology’s history and how it continues to perpetuate itself through cycles of libel. He also breaks down the other greatest hits of left-wing academic jargon — settler-colonialism, genocide, occupation, etc. — along the way. And we all try to break ourselves out of the language games that prevent us from having a real conversation about what’s happening, and not, in Gaza. On the agenda:-On Zohran Mamdani [00:00-12:40]-Libel cycles post-October 7th [12:41-29:12]-Defining terms: Zionism, Anti-Zionism, and more [29:13-57:00]-The left’s alliances [57:01-1:10:42]-On victimhood, violence, and self-reliance [1:10:43-1:27:36]-The reader’s/viewer’s responsibility [1:27:37-1:42:41]-Expanding the concept of genocide [1:42:42-2:01:31]-The future of Anti-Zionism [2:01:32-2:09:37]Mentioned in this episode:* When is it Genocide? — The Ezra Klein Show* Editors’ Note: July 30, 2025 — The New York Times* Editors’ Note: Gaza Hospital Coverage — The New York Times* How the World Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Butchery of Jews (w/ Eli Lake) — Uncertain Things* The Apocalypse We Deserve (w/ Niall Ferguson) — Uncertain Things* Don’t Blame Israel on the Jews (w/ Walter Russell Mead) — Uncertain Things* Hooked on Dead Jews (w/ Dara Horn) — Uncertain Things* Zionism and the Refugee Machine (w/ Dr. Einat Wilf) — Uncertain Things Uncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Writer, reporter, Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em co-host, and pie baker extraordinaire Nancy Rommelmann returns to Uncertain Things to talk (again) about a topic she knows all too well: Portland. In 2021, she lambasted the way the media was distorting what was happening on the ground by underplaying the violence. Four years later, she’s lamenting the way the President and his cronies are distorting what’s happening on the ground by overplaying the violence. We get into ICE’s antics, Portland’s response (so far), and the “heroes” making headlines. Then we switch tacts to share our thoughts on the (much discussed) Klein-Coates interview, and Adaam is remarkably reserved in his epithets. On the agenda: -Rommy returns to talk Portland [00:00-04:09] -Portland, 2004-2020 [04:10-9:15]-Portland today: Who’s really there [9:16-18:37]-The Trump Show [18:38-42:53]-Ezra Klein v. Ta-Nehisi Coates [42:54-1:00:56]-The responsibility of the commentator [1:00:57-1:22:25]Mentioned in this episode: * We’re addicted to destruction (w/ Nancy Rommelmann) — Uncertain Things* Adaam on Annihilism* Smoke ‘Em If You Got ‘Em — Substack* Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines — The Ezra Klein Show* Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause — Vanity Fair* Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics the Right Way — The New York Times* Make More Pie — SubstackUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday rumination, subscribe. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Welch, co-host of The Fifth Column podcast and editor at large for Reason Magazine, joins Adaam to discuss the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s grim. How grim? Very. Get off social media. Turn off your phone. Touch grass. See ya’ll in the gulag.Also:-Matt’s previous visit to Uncertain Things-Adaam on political violence-Adaam and Jonah Goldberg on political violence-Yuval Levin on violenceUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe

What’s lost when we opt for the convenience of technology over the difficult, awkward, thrilling realities of human interaction? With so much tech to reach for, when do we lose the ability to interact with each other – or even understand ourselves? And with the AI revolution already afoot, is humanity just f*cked? Vanessa’s back from mat leave and ready to dive into our tech-saturated, under-socialized world with Christine Rosen — senior fellow at AEI, co-host of the Commentary podcast, and author of The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.On the agenda:-Happy returns and the pleasure of ambiguity [0:00-5:55]-Information isn’t knowledge [5:56-9:03]-The pleasure of ambiguity and the value of discomfort [9:04-20:47]-How tech mediates and impairs us [20:48-47:38]-Humanity in the age of AI [47:39-1:24:18]Mentioned in this episode:* Panic Porn and Trauma Creep (w/ Christine Rosen)* The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied WorldUncertain Things is hosted and produced by Adaam James Levin-Areddy and Vanessa M. Quirk. For more doomsday thoughts, subscribe to: http://uncertain.substack.com. Get full access to Uncertain Things at uncertain.substack.com/subscribe