The American Mind Podcast

James Rosen, Newsmax chief Washington correspondent and investigative reporter, digs into newly seen Nixon-era files exposing stolen NSC documents and a possible military spy ring. He recounts polygraph confessions, transfers to admirals and the Joint Chiefs, tape discoveries that hint at a constitutional crisis, and lingering classified pages.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comPresident Trump took to the podium to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term Tuesday night. His appraisal: we are so back. Transparency is back, and so are affordability, education, homeownership, and more. On this exclusive Roundtable episode, hosts Ryan Williams and Mike Sabo sit down to discuss the merits of Trump’s speech, t…

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 last week that the International Economic Emergency Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs—Alito, Kavanaugh, and Thomas dissenting. The administration now scrambles to implement its tariff policies as appeals and new legislation proceed. Meanwhile, America counts its treasures as the Winter Olympics close out: 12 gold medals, one among them won by the daughter of a Chinese refugee to the States. Go us! Plus: the AI overlord of the 7,000-strong Roomba army, and more.Recommended:The Tariff Wears Two Hats: What the SCOTUS Majority OverlookedWatch with video on Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Following on from J.D. Vance’s bracing speech in 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on European allies to resist the managed decline of the West at the 2026 Munich Security Conference this week. The welfare state is a slow moving trainwreck. Appeasement of climate cultists stunts economies. Mass migration threatens to disrupt our civilization. Playing good cop to the VP’s bad cop, Rubio outlined America's vision to revive the spirit and strength of the shared Western project. Plus: The guys discuss the Left’s compassion fatigue, Hungary’s coming election, and the legacy of the late Dr. Mickey Gene Craig: teacher, mentor, and friend.Recommended:Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich Security ConferenceGeorge Washington’s Farewell AddressHungary and the Future of EuropeWhy Hasn’t Brexit Happened? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit claremontinstitute.substack.comKicking off the Roundtable’s premium interview series, our AI chatbot—sorry, host, Spencer Klavan is joined by Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams to discuss the strange symptom of late-stage modernity that is AI maximalism. The technology, which excels as a task manager and mathematician, lacks humanity—consciousness, morality, and soul. But its potential use as a tool to run government may prove painfully seductive to the modern mind, and equally disastrous.

Matt Peterson, a roundtable political commentator, joins to dissect pop culture and policy. They debate Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime: its Spanish-language delivery, upbeat production, and whether it masked a left-leaning globalist message. Then they pivot to California's aggressive tax moves and talk about the Right needing a positive cultural reply to compete.

They debate the stopgap DHS funding fight and how ICE and voter ID plans are reshaping party arguments. They use a clown-car metaphor to skewer partisan dysfunction and trace why no party commands a realignment today. A landmark malpractice award in a detransition case sparks discussion of accountability in gender-affirming care and the legal fights likely to follow.

Close on the heels of Renée Good's death, Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti was killed in another altercation with ICE agents. Investigation into both incidents will hopefully make judgment easier in the court of law, but in the court of public opinion the situation looks grim. Losing ground on the media battlefield and in polls ahead of the midterms, Trump must consider the extent and nature of his mandate on immigration. This week, the guys take a hard look at the electoral reality and discuss what it means for the Right's policy agenda. Plus: regulatory bloat (aka Hegel's revenge) makes it hard to translate political will into meaningful action in the UK, while inclement weather and exploding trees (!) make for an eventful week in the U.S. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

As anti-ICE protests escalate in Minneapolis, agitators storm a church mid-service. But Trump’s deportation efforts are combining with economic pain to drive his poll numbers down. Uncertainty about Greenland doesn’t seem to be helping matters, though the breakdown of NATO may be unavoidable or already happening in all but name. With midterms looming, how should the administration approach this delicate moment? Plus: the discipline of classics, and with it the prestige institutions of the American academy, seem determined to self-destruct. Ryan, Mike, and Spencer survey the landscape and offer up a few cultural recommendations. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

This land is your land; this land is...Greenland? Following the recent arrest and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has halted shipments of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, raising new speculations about efforts to acquire Greenland and solidify US control in the region. Meanwhile, Renée Good, egged by her wife to obstruct ICE officers in Minneapolis, was fatally shot while accelerating a vehicle toward an agent. To unravel the new “Donroe” Doctrine and twisted LARPing of progressive and Antifa activists, Kyle Shideler of the Center for Security Policy joins the hosts to throw light on recent events.Recommended:The Callous and Cynical Politics That Led to Renee Good’s DeathWho's to Blame in Minnesota? Five Cases Involving Police Shooting at CarsLiberals Think Antifa Isn’t Real. But It Is—and It Knows How to WinThe Regulars Are Coming!Thou Shalt Kill, by Anna Geifman This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe