The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan

Adrian Wooldridge, journalist and author who wrote for The Economist and Bloomberg Opinion, reflects on liberalism’s roots and rivals. He traces ideas from Erasmus and Hobbes to Mill and Montesquieu. He also tackles threats to liberalism from identity politics, strongmen and Big Tech, and muses on meritocracy, culture, and whether liberal institutions can survive without a liberal spirit.

Tom Junod, acclaimed magazine journalist and memoirist, reflects on his complicated father and the rituals of masculinity. He recounts theatrical grooming, reinvention, hidden sexual lives, and how family secrets shaped him. The conversation traces origins of his memoir, the performance of manhood, and the cost of keeping painful truths silent.

Greg Lukianoff, lawyer and president of FIRE who writes about free speech and campus culture. He recounts his immigrant family history and multilingual upbringing. Conversations cover First Amendment fights, social media’s role in polarization, protecting kids versus censorship, campus controversies, and the challenges of defending free expression in today’s politics.

Jeffrey Toobin, lawyer, legal analyst, and bestselling author, walks through the history and politics of presidential pardons. He covers origins of the power, landmark uses from Lincoln to Ford, controversies over end-of-term and transactional pardons, and how mercy and political calculation collide. Short, lively takes on historical battles and modern scandal.

Derek Thompson, longtime Atlantic writer and author turned Substacker, brings cultural and policy analysis. He talks about theater and the actor’s craft, how 9/11 pushed him into journalism, the changing shape of writing and attention online, the strategy behind his book Abundance, housing and governance tradeoffs, and the social effects of smartphones, AI, and tribalism.

Tom Holland, historian and author of Dominion, explores Christianity's deep influence on Western culture. He discusses the shock of the crucifixion, Christianity's inversion of power, Roman attitudes to violence, the literary force of the Gospels, and how ancient events shaped modern moral vocabularies. Short, engaging takes on history, faith, and cultural transformation.

Jonah Goldberg, journalist and author known for National Review and co-founding The Dispatch. He talks about the early internet’s media shakeup and blogging’s heyday. He traces how hyperlinks and Twitter reshaped public debate. He reflects on conservatism’s internal tensions and how performative politics changed discourse. He also shares funny personal beats about his family and why dogs matter.

Matt Goodwin, author, pollster and academic who studies British politics and populism. He discusses his working-class roots and tough schooling. He digs into Brexit, the Red Wall shift, immigration and integration, the decline of liberal democracy, and why traditional parties lost touch with voters.

Eli Lake, an investigative journalist and national security reporter who writes on Israel and foreign policy. He traces his Zionist formation, debates Israel’s nuclear ambiguity and US-Israel ties. He discusses shifts in Israeli politics, the Iran nuclear deal, regional security threats and the changing reasons and risks of war with Iran.

Kathryn Paige Harden, behavioral geneticist and psychology professor at UT Austin and author of The Genetic Lottery and Original Sin, joins to explore genetics, morality, and responsibility. She discusses growing up evangelical, twin studies of faith, genetic links to violence and cooperation, how biology shapes choice, and the tension between accountability and punishment.