The Moynihan Report

Michael Moynihan sits down with Robby Soave to discuss Trump’s liberal use of pardons. Technically, Trump has the power to dole out pardons as he pleases (and he has), but is this verging on dictatorship? Using Trump’s extraordinary move to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, Michael and Robby will delve into how Trump wields pardons as a tool for personal and political “justice.”Subscribe to the YouTube!

This episode is a wide-ranging, candid chat where Michael Moynihan and guest columnist Eli Lake dive deep into the messy overlap of culture and politics today.They start with a fun intellectual detour, dissecting the punk rock ethos and suggesting that the anti-authoritarian, norm-defying spirit actually makes Socrates the original punk. This cultural lens is quickly applied to modern politics, where they discuss how the rise of figures like Nick Fuentes and his followers is basically a political version of punk rock. They argue that this shock-jock, transgressive style is a direct reaction to the illiberal social pressures of recent years (think: Black Squares and trigger-happy social media bans).The conversation then hits the controversial shift of Tucker Carlson, pointing out his "horseshoe" alignment with figures from the radical left, like Noam Chomsky. They suggest Tucker's appeal comes from his genuine rejection of his old Washington world.Finally, the talk gets serious about the Constitution, as Moynihan and Lake criticize the Trump administration's foreign policy; specifically the unauthorized use of the military in Venezuela against drug boats. Lake argues this overreach, done without Congressional approval, is a dangerous move that could undermine the foundations of the Republic by setting a precedent for presidents to start wars without a proper legal or democratic say.Subscribe to the YouTube!

Meghan McCain sits down with Michael to unpack the surge of right-wing podcasts and personalities dominating the media landscape. Big voices like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly are changing the tone—and the reach—of the conservative movement. Are they expanding the base or losing the middle? Here’s what you need to know.Subscribe on YouTube!

Tom Freston's story is a compelling journey of media creation fueled by unconventional experiences and a zeal for the non-mainstream. His memoir, Unplugged Adventures: From MTV to Timbuktu, chronicles his life, from an eight-year stint in India and Afghanistan on the hippie trail where he was a businessman running a successful clothing empire (a venture eventually destroyed by Carter administration tariffs), to his pivotal role in creating global media powerhouses. MTV, his defining legacy, was born in 1980 out of a desire to create a specialized "narrow caster" for music fans, reflecting a passionate, low-budget, no-experience culture similar to Vice Media's early days. The channel became a culture leader for over two decades, achieving success despite initial resistance from cable operators and record companies, famously using the "I Want My MTV" campaign featuring stars like David Bowie and Mick Jagger. This innovative spirit continued as MTV pioneered the reality TV boom with The Real World and when Freston's team launched Comedy Central out of competitive brashness against HBO, nurturing future comedy icons. Freston's career at the top of Viacom ended abruptly when Sumner Redstone fired him, famously for not buying MySpace, a moment that underscored the disruptive force of the digital revolution. Later, Freston got involved with Vice Media, drawn to its edgy, chaotic, and fun sky's the limit culture, only to witness its struggle with growth, overspending, and a missed opportunity to be acquired by Disney. Through it all, Freston believes his success stemmed from his confidence, ability to attract talent, and a commitment to having creative people in charge of his networks.Subscribe to the YouTube!

Signal President Meredith Whittaker joins The Moynihan Report for a deep dive into the AI industry, exposing how artificial intelligence is often just a marketing term designed to degrade jobs rather than replace them. An ex-Googler, Whittaker breaks down the dangerous concentration of power within Big Tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, revealing how their surveillance business model creates an unholy alliance with the government. The conversation covers the chilling reality of digital privacy, the failure of "private" apps like WhatsApp, the threat of targeted spyware, and the inside story of the Crypto Wars, all while touching on figures like Sam Altman and the fight for true encryption.Subscribe to the YouTube!

In this episode, Michael Moynihan chats with Nathan Livingstone, the Aussie filmmaker who found himself in the crosshairs of the "most Googled man," Andrew Tate. Nathan details his journey from a forklift driver fired over COVID mandates to a leading chronicler exposing Tate's "unique evil"; a mission that's now landed him in a major defamation lawsuit he calls "lawfare," where the "process is the punishment." But the conversation doesn't stop at Tate. Nathan and Michael dive deep into the "conspiracy rabbit hole" defining the new Right, tackling Tucker Carlson's "softball" interviews with Tate and Nick Fuentes, the "schizophrenic" theories of Candace Owens regarding the Charlie Kirk assassination, and the alarming rise of Nick Fuentes and his "groypers." It's a fascinating look at the battle for "team reality" and the high price of exposing the internet's most controversial figures.Subscribe on YouTube!

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.Subscribe to the YouTube!

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.Subscribe to the YouTube!

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.Subscribe to the YouTube!