The American Compass Podcast

Foreign policy debates have taken center stage in the second Trump administration, from U.S.-China relations to the ongoing war in Iran. 
To assess the situation, Oren speaks with A. Wess Mitchell, who co-founded The Marathon Initiative along with Elbridge Colby and served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs during the first Trump administration. Cass and Mitchell discuss the renewed intensity of foreign policy debates, particularly on the Right-of-center, the posture of the United States during the post-Cold War era, the Iran war, and the correlation between economic and military power. 
They conclude by looking at the future of American power abroad, and what it will take for the U.S. to maintain its leadership in global affairs amid both a rising national debt and increased defense spending.

The Democratic Party continues to reel from its 2024 electoral defeat and struggles to connect with the American people. But the party remains captured by special interests and sacred cows that its leaders refuse to confront.

Few understand this dynamic better than Ruy Teixeira, author and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and founder of The Liberal Patriot, a now-defunct newsletter. He and Oren discuss what happened to TLP, formerly a source of difficult truths for Democrats, how the advocate class has moved the party so rapidly to the left, and why the Democratic establishment so stubbornly refuses to learn anything new. They conclude by looking at what it all means for the future of both parties, and whether there's an off-ramp for the polarization dominating American politics.

What’s going on in Iran? Who controls the Strait of Hormuz? And why did America get involved in the first place?

Bradley Devlin, politics editor at the Daily Signal, joins Oren to try to make sense of the current state of the U.S. military operation in Iran. They discuss why President Trump deployed troops in the first place, the various ways a peace deal could shake out, and what path forward is really in the interest of the American people.

The affordability crisis has become Washington’s favorite talking point, but the solutions proposed so far won’t solve it. From capital gains tax cuts pitched as relief to renewed enthusiasm for Chinese investment as a growth strategy, many policymakers are circling the problem without addressing its core drivers: stagnant wages, distorted incentives in trade and industrial policy, and an economy that has stopped reliably producing gains for working Americans.

Chris Griswold, policy director at American Compass, joins Oren to discuss how affordability is less about marginal tax tweaks and more about rebuilding the productive foundations of the economy. They also explain why proposals to deepen economic integration with China ignore the strategic and structural realities of a state-directed competitor. Finally, they explore what a more honest political message would look like heading into the midterms, one that connects affordability to wages, industry, and national strategy rather than short-term price relief.

The fight over net neutrality was supposed to determine the future of the internet. Advocates of net neutrality warned that repealing it would lead to censorship, higher costs, and the collapse of an open web. But nearly a decade later, those predictions never materialized, and the debate has taken on new significance as broadband, 5G, and AI become central to economic growth and national power. What was once treated as a moral emergency now looks more like a case study in regulatory overreach and political panic.

Ajit Pai, former chairman of the FCC, and current CEO of CTIA, joins Drew Holden to revisit the net neutrality battle and assess its legacy. They discuss why the backlash became so intense, what actually happened after net neutrality’s repeal, and how the policy shift affected investment in broadband and wireless infrastructure. They also explore the stakes of today’s telecom landscape, from the race with China over 5G and role of spectrum in AI development, and consider what it will take for the United States to maintain its technological advantage.