With just one week until Election Day in New York City, we’re reflecting on the past and future of the Democratic Party, Gracie Mansion, and the political home of mayoral hopeful, Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist, having campaigned alongside and accepted donations from members of the Democratic Socialists of America, a group with a clear, parasitic strategy towards the Democratic establishment and post-colonial West. What does this mean for our political parties? If successful, what does it mean for New York? And for our country?

James Kirchick is a journalist and the New York Times-bestselling author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington and The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age. A contributing opinion writer to the New York Times, a writer at large for Air Mail, and a contributor to the Axel Springer Global Reporters Project, he has reported from over 40 countries and his writing has appeared in many publications including the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

The Trump administration continues to focus on achieving peace in the Middle East, navigating a fragile ceasefire and defining the conditions for a Palestinian future. Meanwhile, Putin’s war in Ukraine rages on, marked by stalled negotiations and continued bombardments. Both situations have proven more complex and unpredictable than the President initially hoped. Lately, Tomahawk missiles remain top of mind for President Zelensky, while Trump cancelled a proposed summit with Putin. What comes next for these two conflicts? And what can we do to ensure the good guys prevail in the end?

General Jack Keane is a retired 4-star general and the former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army. He is also the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, a Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst, and a member of the Secretary of Defense Policy Board. General Keane has previously advised four Defense Secretaries and was a member of the 2018 and 2022 Congressional Commission on the National Defense Strategy.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

After two incredibly long years, we are finally able to celebrate the return of all living Israeli hostages from the hell of Hamas. Absent specifics and relying on a long history of failed “new beginnings” in the Middle East, Trump’s 20-point Peace Plan begs the question, what comes next? With a successful Phase One and a fragile Phase Two, it is with cautious optimism that we ask: how will disarmament and demilitarization be successfully carried out in Gaza? What does this mean for Israeli politics and the looming election? And how will Western leftist groups react to the end of the fake “genocide”?

Dan Senor currently serves as the Chief Public Affairs Officer at Elliott Investment Management in addition to hosting his own podcast, Call Me Back. Mr. Senor served as a senior advisor to U.S. Senator Mitt Romney and former U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan in their campaigns for national office. During the presidential administration of George W. Bush, Mr. Senor was based in Baghdad, where he served as chief spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. Before that, he was a senior Defense Department official based in US Central Command in Qatar.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

More than three years into Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, our European allies are reconsidering whether or not frozen Russian assets, totaling $300 billion on the continent, can be used to help Ukraine. As part of a broader brought about by the Trump Administration, Western countries are finally prepared to act in concert to overcome financial concerns, investment retaliation, and collective action challenges in supporting Ukraine. In addition, the Cuba-oriented Helms-Burton Act provides useful precedent for the options on the table to further pressure the Russian economy. With the noose tightening via proposed oil sanctions, potential Tomahawk missiles, and mobilized transatlantic support for Ukraine, what choices does Putin have left? Will he be forced to face the music? And what will ultimately bring him to the negotiating table?

Stephen Rademaker currently serves as Senior of Counsel at Covington and Burling LLP, helping clients navigate international policy, sanctions, and CFIUS challenges. With over 20 years of experience working on national security issues in the White House, the State Department, and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Stephen served as an Assistant Secretary of State from 2002 through 2006 and headed three bureaus of the State Department, including the Bureau of Arms Control and the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

Two years ago today, Hamas perpetrated the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. In this episode of WTH Extra! Dany and Marc discuss Dany’s article in the WTH Substack, Two years after October 7, there is no path to peace. Following October 7, 2023, the ideological defeat of Hamas has remained paramount to the survival of Israel. Hamas’s goal remains the same: the complete destruction of the Jewish State. Dany reminds us that what Western leaders fail to understand is that this fight has never been about land; and for as long as the “Palestinian” idea is built upon the destruction of the Jewish state, there will be no peace. A “yes, but” agreement from Hamas changes nothing. So, what’s next? Is the answer a “de-Hamasifaction” like that of post-World War II Germany? And could it extend to both Gaza and the West?

Read Dany's article in the WTH Substack here.

On this episode of WTH Extra! Dany and Marc discuss Marc’s column, Democrats shut down the government to protect covid spending, not Obamacare. In the umpteenth government shutdown in recent memory, Democrats have decided that permanent COVID subsides for healthcare, already extended and phased out by a Democrat-controlled government, are more essential than keeping the government open. But… are Republicans actually considering agreeing to D demands? And for Democrats… why another effort at self-immolation? Marc makes it clear, “Democrats claim they are trying to preserve the Obamacare tax credits. Wrong. They're trying to preserve American Rescue Plan tax credits. The pandemic emergency officially ended in 2023. There is no rationale for extending COVID relief spending two years later.”

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

President Trump’s speech before the General Assembly has sparked debate over its style and substance, raising questions about UN organizations that do not serve American interests. As we continue to foot its ever-growing bill, the United Nations system appears to be failing in peacekeeping and security. How did Trump’s speech signal a shift in our relationship with the international organization? When will the 180-day review be released? And what should it say about long-awaited UN reform?

Brett D. Schaefer is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on multilateral treaties, peacekeeping, and the United Nations and international organizations. Before joining AEI, Mr. Schaefer was the Jay Kingham Senior Research Fellow in International Regulatory Affairs at the Heritage Foundation. Previously, he was a member of the United Nations Committee on Contributions and an expert on the UN Task Force for the United States Institute of Peace.

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.

On this episode of WTH, Dany and Marc discuss the assassination of conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk. The problem of political violence in America has only worsened since its uptick in 2020 with compounding factors like spoken and online rhetoric and the symbiosis of the far left and mainstream. It’s inside this Petri dish that a permission structure for violence is worsening our republic and presenting a clear and present danger to our country and those who engage in civil discourse. How does this answer the cancel culture question? And most importantly, how do we contribute to its end and pull us back from the brink?

Read the transcript here.

Subscribe to our Substack here.