Conversations with Coleman
The Free Press
Conversations with Coleman is where deep thinkers and curious minds meet for sharp, surprising, and unfiltered chats. Hosted by Coleman Hughes, writer, thinker, and guy who asks the questions other people dodge - this podcast isn’t about debating. It’s about discovery. Politics, philosophy, race, culture, science: it’s all fair game. If you're done with hot takes and hungry for real-talk, come join the conversation.
Episodes
Mentioned books
88 snips
May 11, 2026 • 1h 9min
The War Before the War: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Israel-Palestine
Oren Kessler, writer and author of Palestine 1936, The Great Revolt, is a journalist and political analyst. He unpacks the origins of Palestinian nationalism and challenges the idea that Jews started the conflict. He traces preexisting violence, compares partition parallels like India, and examines why compromises and disarmament have been so elusive.
35 snips
May 4, 2026 • 1h 2min
Walter Russell Mead on Christian Zionism, the ‘Israel Lobby’ Myth, and the Psychology of Antisemitism
Walter Russell Mead, American foreign policy scholar and author, traces American support for Israel to 17th-century Calvinist theology and early Christian Zionism. He challenges the Israel Lobby thesis as historically incoherent. He explores how antisemitism arises from state weakness, nationalism, and economic scapegoating, and defends measured U.S. global engagement over isolationism.
46 snips
Apr 27, 2026 • 1h 12min
The Case for Drinking Alcohol
Edward Slingerland, a philosophy professor and scholar of early Chinese thought, explains why alcohol has long been humanity's social glue. He links Daoist ideas to drunken spontaneity. Conversations cover brewing before agriculture, how drinking shapes trust and loneliness, why youth drink less, and how rituals can make drinking safer.
68 snips
Apr 20, 2026 • 1h 3min
Who Decides What’s True on Wikipedia?
Ashley Rindsberg, investigative writer who exposed bias at major media outlets, probes Wikipedia’s structural slants. He describes how a small, anonymous cadre shapes politically charged articles. They explore concentrated admin power, coordinated editing campaigns like the Israel–Palestine 'Gang of 40', and why Wikipedia’s tilt can ripple into Google and AI.
Apr 16, 2026 • 25sec
Help Us Win the Internet’s Highest Honor
A short, energetic appeal about a Webby Award nomination and a call to action to vote. The host compares contenders and highlights the importance of independent, heterodox journalism. Listeners are thanked and encouraged to take a quick moment to support the show.
78 snips
Apr 13, 2026 • 1h 19min
The Liberal Case for American Power
Shadi Hamid, Washington Post columnist and Georgetown fellow who studies Islam and foreign policy. He defends responsible U.S. dominance as a force for stability. Short takes cover his shift from antiwar roots, debates on Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. leverage over allies, why a China-led balance is risky, and limits of the UN and America First thinking.
83 snips
Apr 6, 2026 • 1h 15min
What People Get Wrong About Birthright Citizenship
Linda Chavez, longtime public-policy figure and former Reagan White House official, reflects on her storied Washington career. She debates immigration policy, arguing for strong legal immigration alongside border enforcement. She defends assimilation and English instruction, critiques affirmative action, and explains why birthright citizenship is legally settled.
207 snips
Mar 30, 2026 • 50min
What Tyler Cowen Thinks About (Almost) Everything
Tyler Cowen, economist and George Mason professor known for the Marginal Revolution blog, offers rapid-fire takes on AI, wages, travel, religion, international aid, and cultural change. He discusses whether AI is a bubble, minimum wage tradeoffs, Mexican wokeness, the limits of the UN, and why constant travel sharpens perspective. Short, wide-ranging, and provocative.
145 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 2h 5min
Coleman Hughes and Glenn Greenwald Debate Israel’s Influence on Washington
Glenn Greenwald, journalist and former First Amendment attorney known for co-founding The Intercept, weighs in on Israel’s sway in Washington. They debate the scale of the Israel lobby, U.S. ties and aid, and whether Israel drove moves against Iran. Conversation also covers campus free speech limits, intelligence-sharing controversies, and media alliances and responsibilities.
191 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 1h 10min
What Keeps Sam Harris Up At Night
Sam Harris, neuroscientist and philosopher known for probing ethics and risk, discusses the biggest dangers facing civilization. He unpacks jihadist threats paired with nuclear weapons. He examines misinformation, rising antisemitism, and the role of conspiratorial media. He also touches on social media harms, declining birth rates, and AI and pandemic risks.
