Time To Say Goodbye

Molly Crabapple, illustrator, writer, and activist behind a new book on the Jewish Bund, explains years of research, learning Yiddish, and global travel. She explores the Bund as a model of community organizing, culture, and solidarity. Then she confronts AI theft of artists’ work and the broader cultural and political stakes of tech’s reach.

Patrick Hultgren, war correspondent and former Green Beret, offers sharp military perspective. He discusses Joe Kent's viral resignation and what it might mean for MAGA politics. They debate veterans' credibility, deepfake dangers surrounding Netanyahu, and why a war with Iran seems likely to drag on. Conversation also covers strategic risks in the Strait of Hormuz and wider costs to American power.

Jonathan Shainin, journalist and co-founder of Equator magazine, brings his international reporting and editing background. He discusses why a new global magazine is needed now. He talks about editorial principles that avoid US-centric frames, translation and AI for sourcing work, print versus online strategy, and plans for memberships, events, and long-form first-person journalism.

Stephen Wertheim, historian of U.S. foreign policy and Carnegie analyst, and Robert Malley, experienced diplomat and former lead JCPOA negotiator, trace a decade of U.S.-Iran relations. They discuss bipartisan constraints, Trump’s negotiating gambits and risk-taking, domestic political incentives shaping policy, the dangers of personalized, impulsive leadership, and possible pathways — and perils — for deescalation.

Patrick Hultgren, former Army Green Beret and war correspondent, offers frontline military perspective. He discusses the scale of the Iran strikes, risks of escalation, logistics of ground operations, troop morale, politicized rhetoric from leaders, and why occupying Iran would be far more complex than past conflicts.

Hello!Today, we talk about Graham Platner’s lead in Maine, the Olympics Patriotism Complex and everything Alysa Liu. Also, is the right annoying everyone away right now? That question and more in this week’s episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Hello! Today, we have a big episode with two parts. First is an interview about a new book by Emily Galvin Almanza, a former public defender in California who has worked with nonprofits the Stanford Three Strikes Project and the Bronx Defenders. More recently, she is the co-founder and executive director of Partners for Justice, a nonprofit creating a new collaborative model of public defense. Her new book The Price of Mercy is finally out and she stopped by to talk about the criminal justice system and a recent op-ed she wrote about free buses in New York City. In the second half, we welcomes Bharat Ramamurti, the former deputy director of the National Economic Council of the United States under the Biden Administration and a recent college graduate and thinker named Anuraag Routray about a recent paper they wrote about how to fix the sports betting industry without going full narc on everyone. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goodbye.substack.com/subscribe

Patrick Hultgren, a war correspondent reporting from New Jersey, gives on-the-ground coverage of Ana Lilia Mejia’s stunning primary win. Conversations jump between Bad Bunny’s cultural impact and the right’s manufactured outrage. Local mailers, big-money spending, grassroots energy, and why organizers beat well-funded opponents are all explored in short, vivid scenes.

They dig into newly released Epstein files and why mainstream media seems cautious about them. The conversation covers how ambiguous links and flight logs should be weighed. They debate reputational fallout, withheld material, and the legacy of past conspiracies. Politics come up, with talk of a possible populist anti-corruption surge and what sustained associations mean for accountability.

They react to a recent police killing and the public fury it sparked. They debate whether an armed populace can serve as a check on state overreach. They urge liberals to understand gun culture and propose pragmatic licensing and regulatory ideas. They discuss how visible civilian resistance can change government behavior and what political leverage reformers should demand.