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What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Tablet Magazine
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, columnist, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead joins Bill Drexel, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, to help you navigate the headlines, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago40 min
Voters to Trump: Fewer Targets, Better Aim
This week, Walter and Bill discuss the push to impeach Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Chinese spy scandal engulfing Nvidia's Jensen Huang, the new round of Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, and what the midterm rebuke says about the limits of President Trump's hard-charging style of governing, and whether he'll heed the voters' message.
- 1 weeks ago24 min
The Midterm Wave
In this emergency pod, Walter and Bill discuss the Democratic sweep in Tuesday's midterms: why it was bigger than expected, what it means for the Republican Party in Washington and the states, and whether the Iran war will change course.
- 1 weeks ago42 min
Why America Can't Quit the Middle East
This week, Walter and Bill discuss what's at stake in today's midterm elections, President Trump's announcement that US aid to Israel will end this year, North Korea's record $6 billion crypto heist at Binance, and why, despite the shale revolution and the dreams of every recent president, America can't walk away from the Middle East.
- 1 weeks ago31 min
Are We Past Peak Trump?
This week, Walter and Bill discuss Anthropic's blockbuster IPO filing and its warnings about AI, reports that the US is preparing a short, intense renewal of the Iran war after the midterms, Kim Jong Un's surprise trip across a newly finished bridge into China, and whether Lula's comeback in Brazil and Vučić's defeat in Serbia mean the world has passed peak Trump.
- 2 weeks ago48 min
The Generation Conflagration: Protests in France and India
This week, Walter and Bill discuss Trump's endorsement of Benjamin Netanyahu days before Israel votes, Elon Musk's throttling and alleged restoration of Ukraine's Starlink and Putin's push for a summit with Trump and Xi, the AI-discovered software flaw that knocked websites offline around the world, and why generational revolt is spreading from France to India.
- 3 weeks ago45 min
Trump’s Shock and Awe Strategy
After more than 140 episodes, Jeremy Stern is stepping down as co-host, and Hudson's Bill Drexel takes his place. This week, Walter and Bill discuss the Houthis' widening missile war on Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon's plan to livestream a military execution, the fall of Kimberly Guilfoyle, and why President Trump's shock-and-awe foreign policy shows no sign of slowing down. A Houthi missile hit Saudi Aramco's headquarters days after a deadly strike on Riyadh's airport, and The Wall Street Journal reports that the group is building an advanced missile with Chinese parts. Back home, the Catholic archbishop for the military condemned the plan to stream Nidal Hasan's firing-squad execution, and Guilfoyle resigned as ambassador to Greece after reports that she asked a donor to pay her credit card bill. In the big conversation, Walter expands on his latest Journal column, "Russia, Iran and Trump's Shock-and-Awe Foreign Policy," and the tip of the week asks which president left the biggest physical mark on Washington. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Oct 13, 202627 min
A Bad Year For Incumbents
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the success of US sanctions on Iran, America's expanding budget deficit, China's destruction of the EU's economy, and why 2026 is proving to be a bad year for incumbent political leaders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
- Oct 2, 202624 min
China Check-In
This week, Walter and Jeremy discuss the final US withdrawal from Iraq, the bipartisan consensus to allow Congressional insider trading, Russia’s nuclear threats over Kaliningrad, and China’s efforts in AI and the US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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About What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead
Walter Russell Mead, a historian, columnist, and popular author, is encyclopedic about politics, culture, and history. On What Really Matters, Mead joins Bill Drexel, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, to help you navigate the headlines, decide what news matters and what doesn’t, and enjoy following the story of America and the world more than you do now.
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