The Moynihan Report is an in-depth 1-on-1 interview program broadcast live from 2WAY’s New York studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8pm EST.
Hosted by Michael Moynihan (The Fifth Column, VICE News), the show centers around lively conversations with the most influential people in culture, politics, media, and beyond–not just to unpack their opinions on current events, but to better understand what makes them tick. Each episode also includes the opportunity for Michael and guests to engage with the live at-home audience via the 2WAY platform.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Moynihan Report is an in-depth 1-on-1 interview program broadcast live from 2WAY’s New York studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7-8pm EST.
Hosted by Michael Moynihan (The Fifth Column, VICE News), the show centers around lively conversations with the most influential people in culture, politics, media, and beyond–not just to unpack their opinions on current events, but to better understand what makes them tick. Each episode also includes the opportunity for Michael and guests to engage with the live at-home audience via the 2WAY platform.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Michael Moynihan kicks things off by dissecting Bill Crystal's bizarre "inner social Democrat" tweet celebrating Eugene Debs, contrasting it with Debs' actual call to "abolish the capitalist system." This segues into busting the popular myth that socialists just "want Sweden"; as someone who lived there, Moynihan reveals Sweden is actually a "very capitalist country," plagued by a disastrous rent control system with 10 to 20-year waitlists. Then, journalist Josh Szeps joins to reveal his "grand unifying theory": Dick Cheney is the "most influential person... in our lifetime" and the true architect of today's political polarization, arguing his "eat or be eaten" worldview and norm-breaking (like the Scooter Libby affair) set the stage for the Trump era. The conversation also explores the nature of faith and atheism, comparing the profound, post-tragedy wisdom of Nick Cave to the "flippant dismissiveness" of new atheists like Richard Dawkins.
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On this episode of The Moynihan Report, host Michael Moynihan dives right into the 2025 Election Day action, covering the NYC mayoral race with Zohran Mamdani and the big governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey. He also gets into the political reactions surrounding Dick Cheney's death, calling out a pretty disrespectful tweet from NYC Councilman Chi Ossé. Then, he shares the story of his recent appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher alongside Marjorie Taylor Greene, giving his take on her whole "Rothschild's Space Lasers" comment and her surprisingly friendly welcome on The View. The episode also tackles the "civil war" splits happening in both parties, from drama on the right to Gavin Newsom's changing tune on "woke" issues. To wrap it all up, Democratic strategist Don Calloway joins the show, giving his on-the-ground read of the Virginia race (predicting a Spanberger win) and discussing how economic populism is showing up in unexpected places, from Mamdani to Republicans like Josh Hawley.
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Bridget Phetasy, host of 2WAY’s Real America, joins Michael Moynihan to discuss how the right’s top podcasters are getting louder, brasher, and somehow even more absurd. Tune in as we unpack the spectacularly insane world of Tucker, Candace, and the rest of the conservative circus.
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In a "very Nazi-heavy show" , Michael Moynihan sits down with comedian Danny Polishchuk to discuss his viral satirical sketch "Counting Jews in Things," and the alarming number of viewers who believe he's a real antisemite . This kicks off a wider discussion on the mainstreaming of antisemitism and bizarre political scandals, including a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine with an SS tattoo and the "insane" media defenses from figures like Krystal Ball. They also cover the failed Trump appointee who admitted to a "Nazi streak," the "crazier than I thought" conspiracies of Candace Owens, and the significant national failures in Canada, from the "fake residential school graves" hoax to the "diploma mill" immigration crisis that has overwhelmed the country's infrastructure.
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In this episode of The Moynihan Report, host Michael Moynihan sits down with Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of The Summer of Our Discontent, to analyze the period from 2020 to the present. They discuss how the "crazy" cultural "excesses" and "exaggerated claims of oppression" stemming from 2020 created an inevitable and "harsh" backlash that helped Donald Trump return to power. Williams shares his personal evolution on racial identity, explaining how living in France and having a white-passing daughter led him to reject the "American skin game" and advocate for "abolishing" race as a "fiction" , a stance that put him in direct conflict with Ibram X. Kendi. Williams, a co-writer of the 2020 Harper's Letter , also gives an insider's perspective on the letter's simple premise defending open debate and the intense, misguided backlash from signatories like Jennifer Finney Boylan. Finally, Williams defends his recent controversial article comparing the political weaponization of George Floyd as a "secular saint" by the left and Charlie Kirk as a "martyr" by the right to enforce ideological consensus , concluding that while the current moment is dangerous, he remains an optimist.
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In this episode of the Moynihan Report, host Michael Moynihan and media critic Steve Krakauer analyze the rapidly changing media landscape, beginning with Donald Trump's "enormous achievement" regarding a hostage release and the media's unified pushback against new restrictive Pentagon guidelines for journalists. The conversation's core focuses on a lengthy critique of John Oliver's on-air attack against Barry Weiss for taking over CBS News, which they frame as a symptom of legacy media's fear of ideological diversity and professional jealousy. This serves as a jumping-off point to discuss the broader decline of what they call "crusty old legacy dinosaur" institutions, arguing that their gatekeepers are "no longer powerful". They contrast the fading relevance of late-night television with the rise of independent podcasters and creators, exploring whether these new media figures are more authentic or simply victims of "audience capture". Ultimately, they conclude that the old broadcast model is "done" and the future belongs to smaller, decentralized networks built around individual personalities with a direct connection to their audience.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:03:55) The Pentagon's War on Media
(00:08:34) John Oliver's Attack on Barry Weiss
(00:14:40) Is Legacy Media (CBS) Dead?
(00:25:04) Oliver Slams Peterson & Shapiro
(00:33:20) What Happened to Don Lemon?
(00:41:23) Is Tucker Carlson Audience Capture?
(00:49:51) The Fall of Media Gatekeepers
(00:59:39) Will Substack & Podcasts Take Over?
(1:04:38) Final Thoughts
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Dexter Price Filkins is an American journalist known primarily for his coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for The New York Times. He currently writes for The New Yorker.
(0:00) Intro
(0:40) Trump's Middle East Success
(3:05) Israel's Regional Military Victories
(7:21) Dexter Filkins
(15:33) Israeli Intelligence Operations
(31:00) Hamas and Civilian Casualties
(47:53) Future of Middle East
(1:01:10) Final Thoughts
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Journalist and friend of the podcast Olivia Reingold comes on to talk about Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief at CBS.
(0:00) Introduction
(3:04) Free Press Reactions
(33:46) October 7th Anniversary
(49:00) Political Violence Discussion
(01:01:09) Audience Q&A
(01:10:00) Final Thoughts
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Richard B. Frank war historian and veteran of the Vietnam war. He is one of the foremost experts on Pacific campaign of World War II and has written several books on the subject, including Tower of Skulls: A History of The Asia-Pacific War July 1937-May 1942.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:07:10) Historical Context and Perspective
(00:16:18) Japanese Strategy and Surrender
(00:32:28) Operation Downfall Plans
(00:47:18) Questions About Unit 731
(00:58:06) Final Thoughts
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Bob Woodson joins Michael for a discussion about civil rights, political violence, and the passing of Assata Shakur.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:40) Political Violence Discussion
(00:04:20) Assata Shakur
(00:47:33) Black Panthers Legacy
(00:52:31) Historical Black Achievement
(00:57:45) Final Thoughts
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Dan Turrentine joins Michael for a discussion about the Democratic party's strategic failures, the internal conflict over its rising progressive wing, and the media's biased coverage of recent political violence.
(00:00) Introduction
(01:13) James Comey Indictment
(06:48) Democratic Missteps
(30:19) Media Influence
39:30 Political Landscape
(55:12) Our Favorite Comments
(58:16) Final Thoughts
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Mike Pesca and Michael Moynihan are here to talk about the return of Jimmy Kimmel—was it the perfect comedy feint, half retreat, half sucker punch, or something else?
(00:00) Introduction
(01:14) Jimmy Kimmel's Return
(07:29) Media Bias
(28:19) Conspiracy Theories
(33:20) Antifa and Domestic Terrorism
(38:52) Political Violence and Ideology
(01:00:39) Final Thoughts
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Michael Moynihan butts heads with Mediaite founder Colby Hall over political language.
(00:00) Introduction
(01:38) Media Dynamics
(33:20) Political Obsession and Patriotism
(36:43) Authoritarianism vs. Fascism
(44:43) The Impact of Media and Political Violence
(01:03:00) Final Thoughts
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Journalist and author Mary Katherine Ham joins Michael Moynihan to talk about the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:10:32) Political Violence History
(00:21:12) Charlie Kirk's Assassination
(00:31:36) Social Media Impact
(00:42:34) Audience Questions
(00:52:39) University Culture Discussion
(01:00:44) Final Thoughts
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Alan Dershowitz talks to Moynihan about recent events surrounding the state of Israel, the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and why he was friends with Epstein?
(00:00) Introduction
(05:28) Charlie Kirk
(15:35) Epstein
(32:58) Israel
(41:16) Palestine
(48:02) Free Speech
(59:27) The US and Israel
(01:01:35) Final Thoughts
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Eli Lake is a seasoned journalist and national security reporter, currently writing for The Free Press and hosting the "Breaking History" podcast. In this episode, Eli joins Michael Moynihan to discuss the recent Israeli strike in Qatar, the shifting dynamics of Middle Eastern alliances, and the broader implications for political Islam and Western perceptions of the conflict.
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(0:00) Introduction
(3:21) Israel, Qatar, and Hamas
(10:41) Double Games & Alliances
(16:09) Regional Power Shifts
(21:45) Ideology & Political Islam
(27:17) Qatar’s Influence Abroad
(31:07) Israel’s PR & Perception
(37:41) Gaza, War, and Choices
(46:09) Callers & Audience Q&A
(56:41) U.S. Strategy & Bases
(1:08:47) Final Thoughts
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Is the internet good or bad? How can technology be directed? Doug Rushkoff is here to help us parse through these questions and more as we discuss his most recent book, Program or be Programmed: 11 Commands for the AI Future.
(0:00) Introduction
(1:37) Internet Beginnings
(4:18) AI & Society
(8:00) Big Tech
(11:25) Polarization
(16:32) Conspiracies
(49:32) Democratization
(61:29) Final Thoughts
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Author Deborah Baker joins The Moynihan Report to talk about her new book, Charlottesville: An American Story. The book covers the Unite the Right rally, where thousands of neo-Nazis, members of the KKK, and white supremacists protested the removal of Confederate monuments.
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(00:00) Introduction
(04:25) Unite the Right Rally
(11:51) Free Speech
(18:26) LE and Racial Dynamics
(21:06) Extremist Motivations
(25:37) Trump
(30:41) Charlottesville's Historical Context
(43:54) Current Sentiments in Charlottesville
(47:14) Final Thoughts
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Michael Moynihan is joined by Larry Charles, the Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe winning writer, producer, and director behind Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Mad About You, Borat, Brüno, The Dictator, and Religulous. Charles joins us to discuss his new memoir, Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter.
(00:00) Introduction
(02:04) The Larry David Documentary
(06:32) Friendship and Loss
(18:24) Hollywood
(23:32) Bob Dylan
(35:22) Curb Your Enthusiasm
(41:22) Borat and Bruno
(51:29) Politics in Hollywood
(55:02) Final Thoughts
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Michael Moynihan is joined by former police officer Peter Moskos to discuss his new book, Back from the Brink: Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop.
(00:00) Introduction
(01:26) Policing in the 90s
(05:53) Crime Prevention
(17:04) Policing Strategies
(23:40) Corruption
(26:13) Modern Policing
(34:21) Crime in NYC
(50:56) Challenges in Modern Policing
(59:51) Final Thoughts
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