The Mona Charen Show

Is a Blue Wave Coming in November? (w/ Dave Wasserman)

Dave Wasserman joins Mona to discuss what’s changed and what hasn’t since 2018, including electoral map, redistricting, public discontent, and likely turnout.

Loneliness Is Reshaping America (w/ David Brooks)

Mona speaks with David Brooks (author, contributor to PBS NewsHour and opinion columnist for The New York Times) about why so many Americans feel unseen, how loneliness and moral drift are reshaping society, and what we lose when human connection is replaced by screens, algorithms, and artificial companionship.How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks/

A Brave and Interesting Film About Repression (w/ Sonny Bunch)

Sonny Bunch joins to discuss “It Was Just an Accident” a film from dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi. It raises profound questions about guilt, judgment, and revenge. Also, amazing that it was made at all.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code MONACHAREN at https://www.oneskin.co/MONACHAREN#oneskinpod #adFilms & References Mentioned:It Was Just an Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi)The film discussed throughout the episode — a clandestinely made Iranian dissident film that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30841958/The Seed of the Sacred Fig (dir. Mohammad Rasoulof)Recommended by Sonny as further viewing; set during post–Mahsa Amini unrest in Iran.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29362290/The Lives of Others (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)Cited as a thematic comparison for life under a surveillance state.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/A Hero (dir. Asghar Farhadi)Mentioned as another standout contemporary Iranian film about truth, lies, and social pressure.https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11777738/

Venezuela Was Not Liberated (w/ Quico Toro)

Quico Toro offers an insider’s perspective on his lost homeland and the American raid.Wildgrain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box - PLUS free croissants for life - when you go to https://Wildgrain.com/MONA to start your subscription today.

Debunking MAGA Myths about the Economy (w/ Catherine Rampell)

Trump promised a manufacturing comeback and cheaper prices. Instead, jobs are shrinking, costs are rising, and America’s economic credibility is taking a hit. Catherine Rampell joins Mona to discuss why the factory revival was always a myth, how tariffs backfired, and why chaos, favoritism, and attacks on rule of law are making the U.S. a riskier place to do business. Go to https://Quince.com/MONA for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.