1683 Jacob Weisberg and today's heaadlines!
Oct 1, 2026 · 1h 3m
Summary
Pete Dominick opens the episode with a news roundup covering a chaotic pilot stabbing on a flight to Israel, a botched lethal injection in Tennessee, and the ongoing measles outbreak in Pennsylvania. The main segment features a conversation with Jacob Weisberg, author of *Profiles in Cowardice*, who analyzes the "great capitulation" of 2025. Weisberg profiles influential figures like Jeff Bezos, Brad Karp, and John Roberts, arguing that their failure to uphold institutional principles against Trump’s authoritarianism stems from fear and self-preservation rather than mere political disagreem…
Topics discussed
Intro and Dubai-Tel Aviv flight incident
Botched execution in Tennessee and DOJ memo
Measles outbreak in Pennsylvania
Senate ads and climate impact on food prices
Todd Blanche, Arkansas welfare ad, and Voice of America
GOP convention impact and Ken Paxton
Pentagon purges and performative masculinity
Transgender military policy and national monuments
Promoting live streams and introducing guest
Guest background and book 'Profiles and Cowardice'
Selection of institutions and figures like Bezos
2025 as the year of great cowardice
Examples of courage: Jay Powell and Lisa Cook
Jeb Bush's reputation and artistic expression
Defining cowardice in leadership roles
Fear of violence and peer pressure in tech
Supreme Court decisions and presidential immunity
Foreign policy failures and military apolitical ideal
Mitch McConnell's role in preventing Trump's term
John Roberts' agenda and overlap with Trump
Vance and Rubio as Faustian figures
Megan Kelly's trajectory and bullying dynamics
Dartmouth University's handling of antisemitism
University solidarity and institutional cowardice
Ordinary people's courage vs. elites
Collective resistance and concluding thoughts
Outro and sign-off
Listen ad-free on Castria