Radio Free Rhinecliff  

Lee Siegel

Lee Siegel
Normalizing the Unthinkable: Scandal, Authoritarianism & Cultural Collapse

Feb 19, 2026 • 53 minutes

Episode 1: Normalizing the Unthinkable: Scandal, Authoritarianism & Cultural Collapse

Rieff and Siegel debut their podcast, tackling Trump, Epstein, ICE, creeping authoritarianism, cultural exhaustion, the collapse of shared language, and AI.

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Antisemitism, MAGA, and Gaza: What's Changing in American Jewish Life?

Feb 27, 2026 • 61 minutes

Episode 2: Antisemitism, MAGA, and Gaza: What's Changing in American Jewish Life?

David Rieff and Lee Siegel discuss what Israel means to American Jews today, from the rise of MAGA antisemitism and the Gaza war to shifting generational identities and the future of American Jewish life.

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Trump, Iran, and the Logic of Chaos

Mar 6, 2026 • 52 minutes

Episode 3: Trump, Iran, and the Logic of Chaos

War with Iran: what kind, and what's next. Trump's motives, Iran's memory, the retaliation threat, and whether any of this is reversible.

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Norm-Shattering and Spellbinding: A Conversation About Charisma, Trump, and What Comes Next

Mar 13, 2026 • 55 minutes

Episode 4: Norm-Shattering and Spellbinding: A Conversation About Charisma, Trump, and What Comes Next

Trump's norm-shattering charisma rivets even his critics. But can it outlast him? Lee Siegel and David Rieff explore what Weber's theory tells us about power, populism, and what comes next.

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The Fragile Self in the Age of Trump

Mar 20, 2026 • 46 minutes

Episode 5: The Fragile Self in the Age of Trump

An American figure skater falling on the ice while listening to, not a piece of music, but the sound of his own voice leads to a conversation  about an America on thin ice.

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Hope, Attention and the Crisis of the Humanities

Mar 27, 2026 • 58 minutes

Episode 6: Hope, Attention and the Crisis of the Humanities

Lee Siegel and David Rieff on the crisis of the humanities and why art's refusal to be useful is what makes it so central to the human experience.

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