- 18
- Episodes
- 6
- Ratings
- Weekly
- Cadence
- 2026
- First episode
About The Barbarians
The Barbarians is a new weekly news podcast from Tablet Magazine, featuring columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, Scroll writer Park MacDougald, and editor at large Liel Leibovitz, as well as other voices from Tablet. Each week, the Barbarians will do what Barbarians do best: tell the blunt truth, have a bunch of fun, and set fire to the very dumb ideas you hear everywhere else you turn.
- Publisher
- Tablet Studios
- Category
- news · religion & spirituality
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 4 Jun 2026
- Latest episode
- 22 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
18 episodes in the feed.
22 Oct 2026
The Fall of Europe
In this special episode of The Barbarians, Tablet writer Marc Weitzmann joins the Barbarians to deliver a real time report from the riots currently burning France — and much of the rest of Europe — to the ground.What are these riots really about? Can they be stopped? And why does it seem like no one is truly in control?The Barbarians discussed these questions and others, delivering a raw batch of inconvenient truths about a continent and a civilization struggling for its survival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
15 Oct 2026
China's Net Zero Advantage
In this special episode of The Barbarians, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz hosted columnist Lee Smith, author of The China Matrix: The Epic Story of How Donald Trump Shattered a Deadly Pact, and Tablet contributor Michael Doran, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and co-host of Tablet’s Israel Update podcast, to talk about Doran's explosive new Tablet essay, “China’s Net Zero Advantage,” which argues that Beijing has found an unlikely ally in its campaign for global supremacy: the Western climate movement. Why are American environmentalists working to dismantle their country’s energy advantage while China builds coal plants at a record pace? How did Western philanthropists, policymakers, and activists become entangled with Beijing’s strategic ambitions? And is the push for net zero really about saving the planet—or helping America's greatest adversary win the next century? Join the Barbarians for a conversation about climate, China, and the strange bedfellows working to make America weaker. To subscribe so you can watch this and future live events, click here, or go to https://www.tabletmag.com/subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
9 Oct 2026
The Barbarians live from Charleston, with Jacob Siegel
Liel Leibovitz, Lee Smith, Tony Badran, and Park MacDougald were joined by Tablet’s Jacob Siegel to discuss his latest book, The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control, along with the usual assortment of politics, culture, and general civilizational mayhem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2 Oct 2026
Israelis on a Plane, With Special Guest Elliot Kaufman
Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz is joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to discuss how a bunch of kick-ass Israelis stormed the cockpit of a FlyDubai flight and prevented another 9/11-style attack. How did this airborne drama go down? And what can we do to prevent similar attacks? The Barbarians will discuss all this and will welcome very special guest Elliot Kaufman, a member of The Wall Street Journal's editorial board and the coauthor of the recently released terrific book In the War Room: The Inside Story of Israel's Fight Against Hamas and the Iranian Axis, which was released in September. Also: Our Barbarians are hitting the road! On Oct. 8 at noon local time, Liel, Lee, Park, and Tablet digital editorial director Tony Badran will assemble in person at the Harbour Club in Charleston, South Carolina, for a live taping and light lunch with Tablet subscribers. They’ll be joined by Tablet’s Jacob Siegel to discuss his latest book, The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control, as well as whatever other political, cultural, and civilizational mayhem is on their minds.If you want to join us in Charleston and be on the guest list before invitations go out, let us know at info@tabletmag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Sept 2026
UN-Freakin'-Believable
Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz is joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to Trump's UN speech, and whether it was courageous leadership or just more empty bluster. Does talk about destroying Iran really move anyone anymore? And why take the time to travel uptown and pal around with NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani? The Barbarians discuss all this, plus Ed Sheeran's disastrous dip into politics, Robert Kraft's capitulation to the "Palestine" bullies, and other pressing matters, speaking inconvenient truths to smug power and taking questions from subscribers who join us live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Sept 2026
Laura Loomer Joins The Barbarians
Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald, along with special guest Laura Loomer. The political activist talked to the Barbarians about why she changed her mind about the war in Ukraine, and how she went from sharing Russian propaganda to visiting Kyiv and supporting the Ukrainian cause. What must we do now to help Ukraine win? And is President Trump on the right track? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 Sept 2026
Too Late to Never Forget
Join us this Thursday, September 10th, at 10 a.m. Eastern, when the Barbarians are live on Zoom for our subscribers.Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz is joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to commemorate a quarter of a century since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Have we learned any lessons? Are we ready for a Mamdani speech at Ground Zero? And can we avoid making the same dumb policy mistakes of the last 25 years? ALSO: Our Barbarians are hitting the road! On October 8th at noon, Liel, Lee, Tony, and Park will assemble in person at the Harbour Club in Charleston, South Carolina, for a live taping and light lunch with Tablet subscribers. They’ll be joined by Tablet’s Jacob Siegel to discuss his latest book, The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control, as well as whatever other political, cultural, and civilizational mayhem is on their minds.If you’d like to join us in Charleston and want to be on the guest list before invitations go out, let us know at info@tabletmag.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 Sept 2026
JD Vance's Blood Meridian
past tense this Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz is joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to make sense of the Vice President's talk to the Republican Jewish Coalition and parse his strange statement about blood libels and antisemitism.  Did the Veep just make a silly mistake? Or was there something deeper and more sinister behind his statement? As always, the Barbarians will riff on the stories everyone is talking about—including attacks on Iran, clueless Democrats in Michigan, and other pressing items—speaking inconvenient truths to smug power and taking questions from subscribers who join us live. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 Aug 2026
Blizarinas, Socialists, and Syrians, Oh My!
This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz is joined by columnist Lee Smith and news editor Tony Badran to make sense of another week of political freak shows, Middle Eastern maneuvering, and institutional cowardice. What does Dan Bilzerian’s failed congressional run tell us about the online audience for antisemitic politics? Why is Israel bombing Syria again—and what do Turkey and America’s diplomatic clowns have to do with it? And when Jews are attacked in their own synagogues, what happens when “security” becomes a substitute for actually defending yourself? Plus: Jared Kushner meets Hamas, Mike Huckabee falls for the settler-violence op, and the Barbarians announce plans to take the show on the road to Charleston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 Aug 2026
Take Me Down to Habibi City
This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to discuss the third-world-ification of the United States. Is New York really “Habibi City,” as a now-viral magazine cover claims? Is a hit-and-run homicide in Queens the harbinger of the new American Intifada? And can we finally talk about those Very Violent Settlers™ everyone blames for everything? As always, the Barbarians riffed on these and other topics, speaking inconvenient truths to smug power and taking questions from our subscribers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 Aug 2026
And Iran, Iran So Far Away
This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and senior writer Park MacDougald to unpack another week in which Iran continues to dominate the headlines and midterm politics descend into further mayhem. Is Trump negotiating the terms of American surrender over the Strait of Hormuz, abandoning the 80-year U.S. patrimony in the Gulf? What’s driving the Democratic reckoning in Michigan? And why is Israel being blamed for the Ceuta border crisis? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Jul 2026
When Donald Met Bibi
On Tuesday, July 28 at 10 a.m. Eastern, we held a live recording of Tablet’s Barbarians podcast, an exclusive event for Tablet subscribers. This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to preview Bibi Netanyahu’s meeting in Washington, D.C., with Donald Trump. Would the dynamic duo deliver a banger of a sequel in Iran? What’s up with the Saudis and the Bomb? And how should we make sense of another bloody week of confrontations between Jews and Palestinians in Judea and Samaria? Listen and find out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
16 Jul 2026
The Barbarians on Israel's Elections: A Guide for the Perplexed
On Thursday, July 16 at 10 a.m. Eastern we hosted a live recording of Tablet’s Barbarians podcast, an exclusive event for Tablet subscribers. This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz were joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald, as well as special guest Gadi Taub, host of the Israel Update podcast, in a preview of Israel’s upcoming, chaotic, and crucial elections. Should the Haredim serve in the army, and, if so, could the state actually make them? Who are the newcomers vying to replace Bibi Netanyahu, and which of them actually has a chance? And what’s going on with Israel’s judicial reform and the massive protest movement it helped spark? If you would like to subscribe so you can see this and future live events, just click here, or go to: https://www.tabletmag.com/subscribe
9 Jul 2026
The Barbarians Did Nazi This One Coming
This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was be joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald in making sense of the thrill ride that is American politics these days. Did yet another accusation of sexual violence torpedo Graham Platner’s Senate campaign, and why are so many Democrats turning on him after sticking by him through so many terrible, horrible, no good, very bad things he has said and done before? What to make of President Trump’s trip to Turkey? And why are we still so unrelentingly, absolutely, and cheerfully hopeful about America’s future? As always, the Barbarians riffed on these and other topics, spoke inconvenient truths to smug power, and took questions from our subscribers. If you would like to subscribe so you can watch this and future live events, just go to: https://www.tabletmag.com/subscribe
25 Jun 2026
Welcome to Mamdanistan
On Thursday, June 25th we hosted a live recording of Tablet’s Barbarians podcast, an exclusive event for Tablet subscribers. This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith, correspondent-at-large Armin Rosen, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald to make sense of New York’s ongoing, spiraling descent into a Jew-hating hellscape. How did a pro-Hamas Socialist and recent convert to Islam who said she liked to use the American flag as a napkin romp to victory in the primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District? And what about Brad Lander, who ran on a hardline anti-Israel ticket—saying most people view the Jewish state with “revulsion”—and just upset the incumbent, Dan Goldman, in the 10th District? And what to make of the fact that both candidates are protégés of New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who this weekend referred to AIPAC—but not, you know, to Hamas—as “monsters”? In short, is there any hope for New York, or, for that matter, for the Democrat Party? As always, the Barbarians riffed on these and other topics, speak inconvenient truths to smug power, and took questions from our subscribers. If you would like to subscribe so you can see this and future live events, just click here, or go to: https://www.tabletmag.com/subscribe
18 Jun 2026
Revenge of the MOUlahs
On Thursday, June 18th Tablet hosted a live recording of the Barbarians podcast, as an exclusive event for Tablet subscribers. This week, Tablet Liel Leibovitz was joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald in making sense of the MOU, or the memorandum of understanding, Trump just signed with Iran. Why is Trump lashing out at Israel for fighting Hezbollah? And why does Vice President J.D. Vance sound a lot like Barack Obama these days, applauding a deal that rewards the mullahs in Tehran with far more resources and regional influence than anything even the Democrats were ever willing to concede? As always, the Barbarians riffed on these and other topics and took questions from our subscribers. If you would like to subscribe so you can see this and future live events, just click here, or go to: https://www.tabletmag.com/subscribe
11 Jun 2026
Which is More Hopelessly Broken: Trump’s Iran Policy or LA’s Election Laws?
On Thursday June 11th, we hosted a subscriber-only live recording of Tablet’s Barbarians podcast. This week, Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz was again joined by columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald in an attempt to figure out which is more maddening and impossible to understand—Trump’s Iran policy or Los Angeles’s election laws. Why is the Commander in Chief still rhapsodizing about a deal when the Iranians are brazenly shooting at everything that moves? What will Israel do now that Washington is demanding it halt its operations against Hezbollah? And can anyone at all make sense of California’s hopelessly broken election scam? How insane was the Knicks' comeback in game 4? As always, the Barbarians riffed on these and other topics, spoke inconvenient truths to smug power, and took questions from our subscribers. This event was for subscribers only; if you’d like to become one, sign up here.
4 Jun 2026
Did Trump $%&# up in Iran?
On Thursday June 4th at 10am we hosted a live recording of The Barbarians, an exclusive event for subscribers. Tablet editor-at-large Liel Leibovitz sat down with columnist Lee Smith, news editor Tony Badran, and Scroll senior writer Park MacDougald for a conversation focused on the biggest foreign policy question of the moment: Did Trump $%&# up in Iran? The conversation covered everything from the alleged rift between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon to what, precisely, might happen in the aftermath of Operation Epic Fury. Is Trump playing five-dimensional chess or did he just squander a historical opportunity to change the dynamics in the region and protect America’s interests? And, as always, the Barbarians also riffed on the other top headlines of the week and take questions from our subscribers. This episode was recorded live on video for Tablet subscribers only; if you’d like to become one, so you can watch and ask questions live, sign up here or go to https://tabletmag.com/subscribe.
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- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 5.0 / 5
- 6 ratings
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