After a great five year run on Beg to Differ, Mona Charen brings you a new show dedicated to deepening your understanding of complex issues and trends facing society. Each week she'll engage an expert for a probing discussion that goes past the day's headlines.

<div>The Manhattan Institute's Jessica Reidl explains the fake fiscal posturing of DOGE as well as the ground truths about deficits and national debt. Predictions: More inflation, lower growth, less prosperity. 
Get started at <a href="http://factormeals.com/FACTORPODCAST">FACTORMEALS.com/FACTORPODCAST</a> and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.</div>

The Mona Charen Show

DOGE'S Bogus Cost Cutting

<div>Josh Barro joins Mona to discuss where the party needs to change, refocus on practical governance, and how to broaden its appeal to win elections against a rising Republican authoritarian threat. 
 
References 
 

</div>
<ul>
<li>
Josh Barro's Substack –<a href="https://www.joshbarro.com/"> Very Serious 
</a> 
<ul><li>
<a href="https://www.joshbarro.com/p/democrats-need-their-own-dei-purge">Democrats Need Their Own DEI Purge</a> by Josh Barro 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
Josh Barro's Podcast – <a href="https://www.joshbarro.com/podcast">Serious Trouble (with Ken White) 
</a> 

</li>
</ul>

Some Tough Love for Democrats

<div>
The Bulwark's Cathy Young joins Mona to discuss where DEI went wrong and also the unfathomable racism of the Trump Administration. 
 
Referenced Works and Sources 
 

</div>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Affirmative-Action-Stephen-Carter/dp/0465068693">Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby</a> by Steven Carter 
 
<ul><li>Discusses the complexities and unintended consequences of affirmative action from a personal and academic perspective. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
The Bakke Case (<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1979/76-811">Regents of the University of California v. Bakke</a>, 1978) 
 
<ul><li>A landmark Supreme Court decision that ruled against racial quotas in university admissions while allowing race to be one of several factors in admissions decisions. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2012/11-345">Fisher v. University of Texas</a>(2013, 2016) 
 
<ul><li>Supreme Court cases addressing race-conscious admissions policies in higher education. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
Implicit Bias Tests (Implicit Association Test, IAT) 
 
<ul><li>Psychological tests used to measure unconscious biases, though their reliability and effectiveness in predicting behavior have been widely debated. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
Yasha Mounk’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Identity-Trap-Story-Ideas-Power/dp/0593493184">The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time 
</a> 
<ul><li>Discusses the ideological shifts in race-conscious policies and how they impact public discourse. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/magazine/dei-university-michigan.html">New York Times Investigative Report on DEI at the University of Michigan 
</a> 
<ul><li>A report detailing the impact of DEI initiatives at a major university, highlighting unintended consequences such as workplace tension and polarization. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
</ol>

Examining DEI

<div>David French joins to discuss upending the NATO alliance, attacks on the rule of law, and how the pardon power was one of the Founders' worst mistakes.  
 
The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. Ad-free editions are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Add the show to your player of choice, <a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/s/monacharenshow">here</a>, or find it wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. 
 
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</a> 
Referred Works 
 

</div>
<ol>
<li>
The Federalist Papers – <a href="https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text">A collection of essays</a> written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, referenced in discussions about constitutional powers, particularly the presidency. 
 

</li>
<li>
Anti-Federalist Papers ("An Old Whig" – Letter No. 5, 1787) –<a href="https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/an-old-whig-v/"> Cited as an early critique of the presidential pardon power and excessive executive authority. 
</a> 

</li>
<li>
Marbury v. Madison (1803) – <a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1789-1850/5us137">A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case establishing judicial review</a>, mentioned in the context of legal authority over the president. 
 

</li>
<li>
U.S. Constitution – Indirectly referenced multiple times, particularly concerning executive powers, rule of law, and the balance of power. 
 

</li>
<li>
Learned Hand’s Quote on Liberty – 
"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it." 
 
<ul><li>Quoted in reference to the fragility of democratic institutions. 
 

</li></ul>

</li>
<li>
DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) – A concept from psychology and sociology used to describe manipulative tactics, discussed in relation to political rhetoric. 
 

</li>
<li>
"Everything Everywhere All at Once" (Film, 2022) – Referenced metaphorically to describe the chaotic state of global and domestic affairs. 
 

</li>
</ol>

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