Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch
500 episodes listed below
Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch debate foreign policy, Trump, and media bias weekly.
The Fifth Column turns the news cycle into a noisy argument among sharp, impatient political observers. Recent episodes move from Iran ceasefire claims and Cuba policy to Apple history, Trump clips, Hungary, and media blind spots.
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The Fifth Column is a panel-style political talk show built around three recurring hosts — Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch — who argue, joke, and occasionally disagree sharply across a weekly main episode. Guests are typically journalists, foreign-policy writers, or media figures brought in to defend or challenge a specific position, such as Noam Dworman on anti-Israel rhetoric, Abe Greenwald on Iran policy, and Nadav Eyal on Israeli intelligence and strategy. Occasionally a sitting politician appears, as with Senator Elissa Slotkin's post-State-of-the-Union interview. Recurring subject matter includes Iran's nuclear program and regional strikes, Israel-Hezbollah and broader Middle East conflict, accusations and counter-accusations of anti-Semitism in political commentary, and disputes over media bias and coverage choices. Domestic US politics is covered through set-piece events like the State of the Union and through ongoing commentary on the Trump administration's actions. Main episodes run long, typically ninety minutes to nearly two hours, with a debate-heavy tone that mixes serious foreign-policy argument with running jokes between the hosts. A members-only subscription tier produces shorter episodes, often under thirty minutes, built around listener mail, personal stories, and comedic bits rather than sustained policy argument. The show suits listeners who already follow US and Middle East politics closely and want an argumentative, unscripted discussion rather than a scripted explainer. Production is conversational and lightly edited, with the friction between the three hosts' viewpoints as a consistent structural feature rather than a moderated debate format.
Made for: Listeners who follow US politics and Middle East foreign policy closely and prefer an argumentative, unscripted panel discussion over a scripted news explainer.
What sets it apart: Three recurring hosts with distinct, often clashing viewpoints debate foreign policy and domestic politics with guest journalists, backed by a members-only mailbag/comedy tier rather than standard bonus content.
Your weekly rhetorical assault on the on the news cycle, the people who make it, and occasionally ourselves. Kmele Foster (Freethink), Michael Moynihan (Vice), and Matt Welch (Reason) talk and laugh and drink their way to at least quasi-sanity in a world gone mad, often with the aid of clean and articulate guests. Weekly Members Only subscription edition often comes with listener mail and professional-quality (if inappropriate) singing. Analysis. Commentary. Sedition. www.wethefifth.com
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
The Fifth Column pressure-tests political claims through informed disagreement, probing guest exchanges, and humor aimed at the news cycle's recurring absurdities.
The Fifth Column turns current events into a lively argument among Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan, and Matt Welch, with guests adding another position to test.
The headlines enter sober; Kmele Foster, Michael Moynihan and Matt Welch rarely let them leave that way.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A skeptical, loose episode on Iran ceasefire claims, Trump wanting out, Tucker's strange turn, and how media attention bends around political weirdness.
The episode opens with the hosts already irritated by ideological drift on the right, using Tucker Carlson's Jesus-and-socialism detour as a marker of how strange that lane has become.
A rowdy Fifth Column mailbag turns Trump clips, conspiracy talk, and Ukraine politics into fast, profane argument.
The Fifth Column turns a members mailbag into a loose, profane run through Trump clips, conspiracy talk, and the way foreign policy arguments can crash a date.
A sharp, loose Cuba conversation about Cuban American politics, migration pressure, culture, and media control.
The Fifth Column brings Ted Henken on to make the case that Cuba still matters to Americans, even when Washington's attention is elsewhere. His argument is practical before it is romantic: Cuban American politics can shape U.S.
A rangy Apple-history conversation with David Pogue, strongest when it tests the Jobs legend against both his hits and his misses.
David Pogue's visit gives The Fifth Column a loose, lively tour through Apple history, centered less on corporate mythmaking than on the specific choices that made the company feel strange even when it was winning.
A rowdy, skeptical Fifth Column episode on anti-Israel strange bedfellows, Iran-war media fog, and partisan news blind spots.
The Fifth Column runs hot here, with Camille Foster, Mike Moynihan, Matt Welch, and guest Noam Dworman circling the strange bedfellows around anti-Israel politics: Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, and the broader habit of accepting almost any ally who says the right…
Sean Carroll turns UFO skepticism, superhero science, and prog-rock detours into a funny reality check.
Sean Carroll drops into The Fifth Column for a loose, skeptical conversation that treats grand theories and pop-culture science with more humor than reverence.
A sharp, technology-centered read on Israel's Iran gamble and the power balance behind it.
War with Iran is framed as Israel's calculated risk: a war its leaders say they need to fight, but one whose ending no one can confidently predict.
A fast, skeptical State of the Union post-mortem on Democratic messaging, protest theater, and the moments that outlive the speech.
The Fifth Column turns the State of the Union aftermath into a sharp, shaggy argument about political stagecraft: who got a moment, who denied it, and why the sideshow can swallow the speech itself.
Coleman Hughes presses writers and historians like Megan McArdle and Niall Ferguson past partisan talking points.
Sam Harris interviews scientists and journalists on AI risk, religion, and US politics.
WSJ reporters unpack the Epstein files, surrogacy industry abuses, and true-crime court battles.
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway argue through tech, media, and Trump-era politics twice weekly.
Dan Carlin's solo essays connecting executive power, historical collapse, and American democracy.
Sharp political debate with policy detail and real disagreement.
Carlson takes the first sideways hit.
Trump clips kick the machine awake.
This episode features an interview with Ted Hankin, a professor and Cuba expert, exploring why Americans should care about Cuba today.
This episode features a conversation with Rahm Emanuel discussing his political career, experiences as ambassador to Japan, and personal reflections on family and self-criticism.
Apple nostalgia gets put on the stand, though nobody quite wants to convict it.
This episode discusses Celine Dion's health condition, political events in Hungary including the Seapack conference and elections, and conservative commentary involving figures like Rod Dre and Donald Trump.
The Fifth Column brings Noam Dworman into a long argument about whether claims that Trump, Iraq, or Iran are shaped by Israel reflect evidence, repetition, or anti-Semitic tropes.
This episode discusses Chris Christie's recent podcast appearance, his political stories, and reactions from listeners and the Republican Party.
A roundtable discussion on current events including oil prices, Middle East conflict, and economic policy.
Aliens crash, bass practice fades, and science gets pulled into the room's jokes.
The hosts discuss the Israel-Iran conflict with an Iranian-American journalist, questioning official narratives and exploring perspectives.
The hosts discuss hypothetical scenarios of regime change in Iran and then banter about their health and upcoming interview with Sean Carroll.
War starts ugly.
This episode introduces a miniseries exploring forgotten stories and odd characters from the American Revolution, timed with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Good morning, and everyone is instantly suspicious.
The hosts mock far-right politicians like Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene, then engage in banter about drinking whiskey in snow.
The hosts discuss the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling against Trump's emergency tariffs on Liberation Day, with guest Damon Root providing legal analysis.
This episode features an interview with historian Jon Meacham discussing his anthology on American political texts and exploring themes of democracy, dissent, and ambiguity in contemporary politics.
This episode features an interview with journalist William Neuman about Venezuela's political and economic collapse, discussing recent developments, historical context, and his book on the subject.
This episode launches a miniseries on the American Revolution, highlighting obscure events and characters leading up to the Declaration of Independence.
The hosts discuss John Bolton's Secret Service protection being canceled and debate whether Russian athletes should be banned from the Olympics due to doping.
The hosts discuss a movie trailer, a hockey goalie fight, and then address being mentioned in the Epstein files.
The hosts discuss winter weather in New York City and introduce their podcast as a weekly rhetorical assault on the news cycle.
The hosts interview a writer about his place in 1990s literature and discuss a Rush documentary and the film Capturing the Friedmans.
The hosts engage in casual banter and political commentary, discussing current events and media with a humorous, libertarian-leaning perspective.
A political commentary show where hosts discuss current events with humor and critique, including a segment on the peaceful transfer of power and gift exchanges.
A weekly news roundtable where hosts humorously dissect current events, media, and politics.
A comedic panel discussion on current news and politics with a guest journalist.
A libertarian political commentary show discussing news, economics, and sports with humor and analysis.
The hosts engage in a comedic, irreverent discussion about news headlines, including a recommendation for the anime 'Orb' about heliocentrism.
The hosts engage in humorous banter about Karl Rove, vinyl records, and band t-shirts, blending political commentary with personal anecdotes.
The hosts interview Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass about a break-in at her official residence and discuss local governance.
Host Kmele Foster interviews journalist Lydia Moynihan, exploring their shared surname, media careers, and humorous banter about identity and podcasting.
A roundtable discussion among journalists and commentators analyzing current news and politics with humor and personal anecdotes.
The hosts interview Shadi Hamid about his work as a columnist and fellow, discussing Trump voters, media, and academic affiliations with humorous asides.