Episodi

  • The Fireworks Are About To Begin + A Look Back At My Conversation With Vicky Ward

    The Fireworks Are About To Begin + A Look Back At My Conversation With Vicky Ward
    Feb 23 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I’m revisiting a November conversation with journalist and author Vicky Ward, whose reporting on Jeffrey Epstein long predated the current document releases. When we first spoke, the Epstein transparency bill had just passed; now, with portions of the files finally public, this conversation carries new weight. Ward has explained the threats Epstein made against her, her husband, and her unborn children, and explains the intimidation used to silence scrutiny. As more disturbing details emerge from the files, revisiting voices that warned us early, and exposed the government’s repeated failures of accountability, feels not just relevant, but necessary. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 14 min
  • Kiss Your First Amendment Rights Goodbye + A Look Back At My Conversation With Charlie Sykes

    Kiss Your First Amendment Rights Goodbye + A Look Back At My Conversation With Charlie Sykes
    Feb 20 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I’m revisiting a September conversation with Charlie Sykes, political commentator, author of “How the Right Lost Its Mind,” and MSNBC contributor. While the specific Trump controversies have changed, the nature of his leadership and the damage he causes have not. Then, the First Amendment alarms centered around Jimmy Kimmel; now, it’s Don Lemon and Georgia Fort. We also discussed Trump’s UN speech, a speech Trump once again mentioned at yesterday’s “Board of Peace” event. And the most consistent through line remains the same: the continued lack of transparency around the Epstein files. The names and moments may shift, but the patterns we identify and discuss remain just as relevant today. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 18 min
  • Ten Commandments of Trump + A Conversation With Jeffrey Sonnenfeld

    Ten Commandments of Trump + A Conversation With Jeffrey Sonnenfeld
    Feb 16 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I sit down with Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at Yale School of Management, founder of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, and author of the forthcoming book Trump’s Ten Commandments, to examine Donald Trump’s leadership style through the lens of corporate power and institutional behavior. An early critic dating back to The Apprentice, Sonnenfeld draws on decades of research on CEOs and crisis leadership, paired with my firsthand experience with Trump, to break down how he governs through intimidation, retaliation, and has an inability to accept loss. We explore why appeasement by universities, corporations, and civic institutions only accelerates democratic erosion, the risks of normalizing coercion, and whether collective resistance remains one of the most effective counterweights to abuse of power. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 8 min
  • Another Congressional Reality Show + A Conversation with Nick Akerman

    Another Congressional Reality Show + A Conversation with Nick Akerman
    Feb 13 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I’m joined by Nick Akerman, former Assistant Special Watergate Prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to break down Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent hearing and what it reveals about the state of our government. We discuss accountability, prosecutorial power, and the growing strain the Trump administration has placed on the rule of law. Drawing on lessons from Watergate, Akerman explains how political interference, delayed justice, and selective enforcement have eroded public trust, and why DOJ independence matters now more than ever. We also examine the dangers of normalizing corruption, the reality of a two-tiered justice system, and what it will take to restore faith in American institutions before lasting damage is done. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 9 min
  • We Fight Until The Very End + A Look Back At My Conversation With Norm Eisen

    We Fight Until The Very End + A Look Back At My Conversation With Norm Eisen
    Feb 9 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I am looking back at a past conversation with former ambassador, legal analyst, and founder and executive chair of the Democracy Defenders Fund, Norm Eisen. Back in August, we examined the Trump administration’s ongoing failure to deliver transparency and accountability, especially in the case of Jeffrey Epstein. While the DOJ has released millions of Epstein-related documents in recent months, it still feels as though the public has been denied real answers and meaningful accountability. We also discuss DOJ independence, Trump’s two-tiered justice system, congressional oversight failures, and the erosion of public trust. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 8 min
  • Good Luck Trying to Cancel Me + A Look Back At My Conversation With Steven Hassan

    Good Luck Trying to Cancel Me + A Look Back At My Conversation With Steven Hassan
    Feb 6 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I revisit an earlier conversation with new urgency. Back in September, I sat down with Dr. Steven Hassan, mental health expert, author, and host of the Cults, Culture & Coercion podcast, to examine how MAGA functions less like a political movement and more like a system of psychological control. Drawing on his own experience surviving the Moonies cult and decades of research into coercive influence, Hassan breaks down why Trump’s followers remain fiercely loyal despite constant chaos, corruption, and contradiction. While the headlines have shifted since this conversation first aired, the patterns have not. Putin remains central, the Epstein files remain unreleased, and collective amnesia has set in around events that happened only months ago. This episode asks whether the MAGA movement is finally fracturing as Trump turns on the very values his base once claimed as sacred. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 19 min
  • Lawlessness in America + A Conversation with Matthew VanDyke

    Lawlessness in America + A Conversation with Matthew VanDyke
    Feb 2 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I sit down with Matthew VanDyke, founder of Sons of Liberty International, security analyst, foreign fighter, and filmmaker, for a sobering conversation about escalating ICE operations in Minneapolis and what they reveal about the future of federal power in America. Drawing on his experience covering conflict zones around the world, VanDyke explains why the tactics being deployed resemble counterinsurgency more than traditional law enforcement. We examine how political theater, poor training, and the normalization of force are reshaping public perception, eroding civil liberties, and conditioning Americans to accept military-style policing at home. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 8 min
  • Picking Apart The GOP Playbook + A Conversation with Rina Shah

    Picking Apart The GOP Playbook + A Conversation with Rina Shah
    Jan 30 2026
    Today on Mea Culpa, I’m joined by political strategist Rina Shah to break down the growing crisis over the administration’s narrative about ICE and federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Shah and I examine how fear-based tactics, political loyalty, and poor crisis management have eroded public trust and fueled unrest in the Twin Cities. As senior officials have used terms like “domestic terrorism” to describe the incidents, we confront what happens when optics replace truth and government narratives clash with video evidence. Subscribe to Michael's Substack: https://therealmichaelcohen.substack.com/ Subscribe to Michael's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMichaelCohenShow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 8 min