Moment of Truth

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick is out of the office, so the American Moment staff have taken over the studio. Chief of Staff Isaac Kirshner is joined by Director of Operations Havi Rubenfeld, Director of Personnel Mary Frances Devlin, and Personnel Manager Emma Verrigni for an episode that pulls back the curtain on everything American Moment does and gives a genuine, unfiltered look at what it actually takes to get started in DC. They dive deep into all of American Moment’s main programs - Fellowship for American Statecraft, AM Fridays, and the Frontiers of American Statecraft program. They also talk honestly about what they look for in applicants, what they wish they had known before moving to DC, and how to survive on a Hill intern salary. Whether you are thinking about applying to a fellowship, planning your first DC summer, or just curious what goes on behind the scenes at American Moment, this out of the box episode is sure to leave you better prepared and ready to join the fight. https://americanmoment.org/about/team/Follow Isaac: https://x.com/IsaacKirshnerFollow Havi: https://x.com/HavivaroseFollow Mary Frances: https://x.com/maryfrandevlinFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Katy Talento, CEO of AllBetter Health and former White House Domestic Policy Council staffer, for one of the most illuminating conversations the show has ever had on healthcare. Katy traces a career that took her from the Senate HELP Committee to a convent to the Trump White House where she helped win the fight for hospital price transparency, one of the most important and least understood healthcare reforms of the last decade. She breaks down why the Republican approach to healthcare has been a political loser for twenty years, who the real villains in the system are, why your insurance card is probably costing you more than cash would, and why American medicine has no answers for the chronic illness epidemic slowly destroying the country. She also gives a frank assessment of where MAHA stands today and what HHS still needs to do. This one will change how you think about your own healthcare.Follow Katy: https://x.com/KatyTalentoKaty's Substack: katytalento.comFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Matthew Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association, for a deep dive into one of the most underappreciated pillars of the American economy. Three and a half percent of US GDP runs through the franchising model and most people have no idea. Matthew explains how franchising actually works, why it is one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available to ordinary Americans, and why the left has spent twelve years trying to quietly destroy it through labor regulation. They also get into the history of franchising from Ben Franklin to Ray Kroc, the difference between a Starbucks and a Dunkin Donuts dollar, the incredible story of a Capitol Police officer turned Chick-fil-A franchisee in DC, and the inside scoop of how President Trump ended up behind the fry machine at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. This one is a genuine education from start to finish.Follow Matt: https://x.com/matthewhaller Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Noah Wall, founder and president of the State Leadership Initiative, to learn why Republican-run states are, in most meaningful ways, just Democrat-run states with lower taxes. Noah lays out the full architecture of what he calls "the shadow government" — a constellation of left-wing NGOs that quietly control every major function of state government, from Medicaid to transportation to state parks — and explains why the conservative movement has almost entirely ignored this problem. They dig into why the reddest states tend to produce the worst Republicans, how the Chamber of Commerce has captured the state GOP in ways most voters never see, and what a handful of states like Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Indiana are actually getting right. If you care about winning, this is the episode to send to everyone you know.Follow Noah: https://x.com/NoahWallFollow SLI: https://x.com/RedStatesLeadFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Christopher Barnard, President of the American Conservation Coalition, who makes the case that conservation is not a left-wing issue... and in fact, it never was. Chris traces the roots of American conservation back to Teddy Roosevelt, explains the critical difference between conservation and preservation, and lays out what a genuinely pro-human environmental agenda looks like in 2025. They dig into the Make America Beautiful Again executive order, the wildfire crisis caused by decades of terrible forest management, and why regenerative agriculture is one of the most exciting policy opportunities on the right right now. They also get into energy dominance — what it means, why permitting reform is so urgent, and why America needs to stop choosing between oil and wind and embrace our ability to build everything. If you ever thought environmental issues belonged to the left, let this episode change your mind.Follow Chris: https://x.com/ChrisBarnardDL Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

Nick sits down with Max Bodach, Executive Vice President of the Foundation for American Innovation, for a wide-ranging conversation on what a pro-human approach to AI actually looks like, breaking down why conservatives need to be at the table when these decisions get made. They cover the full spectrum of AI opinion — from the accelerationists who want to let it rip, to the Doomers who want to shut it all down — and make the case for a sober, conservative middle path. They also dig into the federalism fight over state AI regulation, the backlash against data center build-outs, what AI is actually going to do to your job, and why most people who are skeptical of AI are working off a mental model that is already two years out of date. This is a great episode for everyone trying to get up to speed on the current interaction between AI and politics.Follow Max: https://x.com/maxb____ Check out FAI: https://www.thefai.org/ Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

This week on Moment of Truth, Nick sits down with Nate Fischer, CEO of New Founding, to tackle one of the most consequential questions facing the American right — can tech elites and populist conservatives actually build a lasting coalition, or has all of this just been a marriage of convenience? Nate lays out a sweeping framework for how technology, properly understood, is actually a friend to the populist right rather than not a threat. They dig into the H-1B blowup on Christmas Eve 2024, what AI will do to the managerial class, the Tucker vs. Shapiro debate over autonomous trucks, and whether working-class Americans are uniquely suited to master the coming wave of technology. If you want to understand where the right goes from here on tech, this is a great place to start. Follow Nate: https://x.com/NateAFischerFollow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj

Nick sits down with Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, to pull back the curtain on what is really happening inside one of Washington's most overlooked agencies. They dig into Tech Force, the administration's bold initiative to recruit a thousand young tech workers into government, and what it will take to fix a federal workforce where only 7% of employees are under 30. They also break down Schedule Policy Career (formerly Schedule F), why eliminating degree and tenure requirements could transform federal hiring, and why Scott believes the federal government should become the best two-year analyst program in the country. This is a must-listen for anyone who wants to understand how the civil service is being reimagined and the perfect episode to inaugurate American Moment’s fifth year of changing the way D.C. does staffing.Follow Scott: https://x.com/skuporRead the Secrets of OPM: https://www.opm.gov/news/secrets-of-opm/Follow American Moment across Social Media:X / Twitter – https://x.com/americanmomentFacebook – https://www.facebook.com/AmMomentOrgInstagram – https://www.instagram.com/ammomentorg/YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qmB5DeiFxt53ZPZiW4TcgAmerican Moment's "Moment of Truth" Podcast is recorded at the Conservative Partnership Campus in Washington DC, produced by American Moment Studios, and edited by Hunter Smith, with original graphics by Jared Cummings.Subscribe to our Podcast, "Moment of Truth"Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/moment-of-truth/id1555257529Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5ATl0x7nKDX0vVoGrGNhAj