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RealClearInvestigations Podcast

RealClearInvestigations Podcast

By: RCI
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Each week J. Peder Zane, Editor of RealClearInvestigations, and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney discuss the week’s best investigative reporting and speak with journalists about cracking challenging stories. Whether it’s culture, politics, or the markets, RealClearIInvestigations should be your source for in-depth reporting from a wide range of perspectives. From the publishers of RealClearPolitics.comRealClearInvestigations Economics Political Science Politics & Government
Episodes
  • The News Business Meltdown with Patrick Steel | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #119

    The News Business Meltdown with Patrick Steel | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #119
    May 23 2026

    On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Patrick Steel, the former CEO of Politico who is now a Senior Advisor to Antenna Group, about the changing landscape of the media business.

    On the news round-up, Zane and Varney discuss articles published by Reuters and the Washington Post that detail Iran’s confounding stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz as well as a piece in the Atlantic that raises questions about the US government’s official narrative regarding the deadly collision of two American refueling planes over Iraq. They also examine how two articles – the National Review’s analysis of the explosion in autism diagnoses and the City Journal’s report on the transplants driving Los Angeles’ homeless problems – illustrate how the wrong incentives can exacerbate social problems and social spending.

    00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Podcast
    08:21 Iran's Influence on International Shipping
    16:07 The Evolving Media Landscape
    31:14 The Future of Legacy Media
    31:55 The Evolution of Regional Journalism
    34:00 The Impact of Billionaire Backers on Media
    37:31 The Tension Between Audience and Ownership
    42:35 The Rise of Authenticity in Journalism
    49:23 Transparency and Trust in Modern Media
    56:45 Investing in the Future of Journalism

    Articles Discussed in This Podcast:

    • Patrick Steel Bio: Patrick Steel - NYU Stern
    • Reuters: Iran Consolidating Control of Strait of Hormuz
    • Washington Post: Ship’s Crew Risked the Strait, Met Hail of Bullets
    • Atlantic: What the Pentagon Didn’t Say About a Deadly Crash
    • National Review: Autism Overdiagnosis Is a National Scandal
    • City Journal: LA a Magnet for Nation's Homeless

    Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter.

    Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube Channel

    Contact us with your thoughts and feedback: jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com

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    1 hr
  • Stopping Dogs From Becoming Lab Rats with Leighton Woodhouse | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #118

    Stopping Dogs From Becoming Lab Rats with Leighton Woodhouse | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #118
    May 15 2026
    On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Leighton Woodhouse about his RCI article on the surprising partnership between left-leaning activists and MAGA influencers to oppose a farm that breeds beagles for scientific experiments. The New York Times is the focus on this week’s news roundup. Zane and Varney discuss a Times article reporting that the Trump administration has vastly exaggerated the war’s impact on Iran’s military; a controversial piece by Times columnist Nicholas Kristof claiming Israeli soldiers, security forces and their dogs raped Palestinian men and women, and a look at the multiple articles the Times has run on Trump administration’s $13 million no-bid contract to fix the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. even as the paper has paid little attention to the massive government fraud scandals unfolding across the country. 00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest 14:29 Animal Testing and Ridgeland Farms 20:54 Activism and the Beagle Rescue Efforts 30:35 Bipartisan Support for Animal Rights 35:50 Journalistic Integrity in Activism Reporting Articles Discussed in This Podcast: Leighton Woodhouse/RCI: How Opposition to Animal Testing Is Bridging the Political Dividehttps://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/05/12/how_opposition_to_animal_testing_is_bridging_the_political_divide_1182121.html New York Times: U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Strong Missile Capabilities https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/iran-missiles-us-intelligence.html?emc=edit_na_20260512 Nicholas Kristof/NYT: Opinion | The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opinion/israel-palestinians-sexual-violence.html New York Times: Trump Says He’s Renovating ‘Filthy’ Reflecting Pool on the National Mall https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation.html?searchResultPosition=5 New York Times: Trump Gave Out a No-Bid Contract to Turn D.C.’s Reflecting Pool Bluehttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/us/politics/reflecting-pool-trump-contract.html?searchResultPosition=1 New York Times: See How Trump Is Renovating the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Poolhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation.html?searchResultPosition=2 New York Times: Reflecting Pool Repairs Appear Uneven and Behind Schedule, Officials Sayhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/us/politics/lincoln-memorial-pool-repairs.html?searchResultPosition=3 New York Times: Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/us/politics/reflecting-pool-paint-contract-trump.html?searchResultPosition=4 Daily Wire: Ohio's Massive Medicaid Fraud Loophole https://www.dailywire.com/news/ohio-says-safeguards-exist-to-stop-medicaid-fraud-but-admits-massive-loophole?row=0 Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter. Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube ChannelContact us with your thoughts and feedback: jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com
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    48 mins
  • Progressivism’s Russian Playbook with Gary Saul Morson | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #117

    Progressivism’s Russian Playbook with Gary Saul Morson | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #117
    May 8 2026

    On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Gary Saul Morson, a professor of Arts and Humanities at Northwestern University and a scholar of Russian literature about what Dostoevsky can teach us about modern progressives.

    In our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a Wall Street Journal article about China’s stranglehold on drone production, Roger Pielke Jr.’s Substack piece on a dramatic change in climate change forecasts, and a Daily Wire story on the Los Angeles arsonists who drew inspiration from the assassin Luigi Mangione.

    00:00 Introduction and Overview of Current Events
    03:13 The Impact of Chinese Supply Chains on U.S. Defense
    05:58 Climate Change Narratives and Scientific Realities
    09:10 The Ideological Underpinnings of Violence in Society
    12:07 Interview with Professor Gary Saul Morrison on Communism and Ideology
    14:45 Dostoevsky's Insights on Modern Progressivism
    17:53 The Role of the Intelligentsia in Revolutionary Movements
    20:59 The Normalization of Violence in Political Discourse
    24:09 Comparisons Between Historical and Modern Revolutionary Movements
    32:44 The Role of Liberals in Political Change
    34:00 The Dangers of Labeling Political Opponents
    38:21 Lessons from History: The Power of the Majority
    41:13 The Importance of Literature and Universal Values
    47:16 The Psychology of Political Identity
    51:32 The Challenge of Compromise in Democracy
    55:22 The Role of Science in Political Ideology
    01:01:04 The Transformative Power of Literature

    Articles Discussed in This Podcast:

    • Gary Saul Morson: Re-Possessed – Commentary Magazine
    • Gary Saul Morson: Solzhenitsyn Warned Us – Commentary Magazine
    • Gary Saul Morson: The Return of the ‘Useful Idiot’ – Commentary Magazine
    • Gary Saul Morson: The Red Star Returns - The New Criterion
    • Gary Saul Morson: Marxism Is a Gulag of the Mind - WSJ
    • Wall Street Journal: U.S. Targets China's Stranglehold on Drone Production
    • Roger Pielke Jr. Substack: New Climate Report Eliminates Most Extreme Scenarios
    • Daily Wire: LA Arson Suspect Obsessed Over Luigi Mangione

    Sign up for the RealClearInvestigations Newsletter.

    Watch each episode on the RealClearPolitics YouTube Channel

    Contact us with your thoughts and feedback: jpederzane@realclearinvestigations.com

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    1 hr and 4 mins
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