War is Stupid: An Anti-War Podcast About War

Orli Matlow sits down with Emmy winner Poh Si Teng, director of the documentary American Doctor, in theatres now. The film follows three physicians who volunteer at besieged hospitals in Gaza, and spread the word about what they saw—which their tax dollars paid for. Poh discusses the process of filming with a Gaza-based crew under blockade, the cut scene she still thinks about, and how everyone can fight for the living, wherever they are.
Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.
Find a screening near you at AmericanDoctorFilm.com
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American Doctor
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Poh Si Teng
Dr. Mark Perlmutter
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa
Dr. Thaer Ahmad
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Orli Matlow sits down with comedian Mika Stein for the War is Stupid High Holidays special, diving deep into Jewish philosophy and how to adapt to synagogues with guitars. Mika reflects on his experiences in Yeshiva and the Jewish non-profit world, being Black and Jewish, and how criticizing Israel more than America is like “hating your dad’s mistress.” They cover everything from the Jewish Labor Bund’s principle of doikayt (“hereness”) to the legacy of HBO’s Entourage.
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00:00 - Teaser: Zionism and Jewish Guilt
01:28 - Introduction to Mika Stein
01:54 - The Jewish Day School-to-Standup Comedian Pipeline
04:00 - Mika's family history and work in Jewish non-profits
5:26 - Rodeph, "human shields," and House of the Dragon
10:04 - Jewish identity outside of the modern nation-state of Israel
11:03 - Jewish hookup culture around the world
15:45 - Mika's background and frat era 1
6:39 - Exploring anti-Zionism
18:04 - Doikayt and the Jewish Labor Bund
21:07 - Mika's Zeyde
23:43 - The Texan Jewish Experience
26:05 - Political Power and the USS Abraham Lincoln
28:41 - The High Holidays and Mayor Zohran Mamdani
33:48 - Anti-LGTBQ+ hate crime in Jerusalem
34:27 - Becoming disillusioned on a middle school trip to Israel
36:27 - Mika's joruney to comedy through Entourage and Jon Stewart's Elmopalooza
42:28 - Being Black and Jewish and embracing multicultural families
45:12 - Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Joshua Heschel, and coalition building
49:40 - Modern antisemitism and the importance of being a good hang

Orli Matlow sits down for Rafael Jesús Gonzalez, the first poet to appear on the show and the first Poet Laureate of Berkeley, California. Professor Gonzalez talks about his experiences in the Flower Power Revolution during the Vietnam War, organizing against nuclear weapons during the Reagan era, and building Dr. Martin Luther King's Beloved Community working towards healing. Professor Gonzalez reads two poems about the horrors of war, and explains how activism “must be deeply, deeply grounded in love and it must be informed by joy.”
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Orli Matlow sits down with Palestinian political thinker, strategist, and writer Hamze Awawde for a powerful conversation about complexity and complicity. Hamze dives deep into the “peace-industrial complex” and its priorities, how many “Israeli-Palestinian dialogue” events are scripted, and how “settler violence” is a euphemism for “state violence.” He encourages people to reflect on the last three years and to speak up, because in his words, “what are you going to lose? The ship is sinking anyway. So what are we trying to protect by staying stubborn about certain attitudes in this world?” 
Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.
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Orli Matlow sits down with pacifist Presbyterian pastor Ben Daniel, author of Grace Over Guns, which brings a proudly Christian perspective to pursuing peace in a militarized world. They discuss military violence’s dismal record in achieving peace, and stories of successful non-violent resistance in Costa Rica, Estonia, and The Bible. Ben discusses his experiences presiding over funerals, responding to the inevitable “What about World War II?” question, and finding inspiration in the anti-imperialist activism of Jesus. 
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Learn more about the Peace Church movement at the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship website.
For more on conscientious objection, visit the Center on Conscience and War.
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Orli Matlow sits down with actor, writer, and producer Nick Pearl and in the spirit of The Sound of Music, the conversation starts with music and ends with fleeing Nazis. They explore what being Jewish means outside of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt™ and Nick’s experience going from having antisemitic high school bullies to receiving online d**th threats from Zionist Jews. They discuss his day with Ice T on Law and Order, the history of Jews in professional wrestling, and life in the Sultanate of Greater Mamdanistan. Nick goes deep into his grandparents’ stories of surviving the Holocaust and achieving their American Dream.
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Orli Matlow sits down with clinical psychologist and academic Dr. Alice LoCicero to discuss what war does to the mind and spirit, whether experienced on the ground or through a screen. Dr. LoCicero explores whether moral injury is a medical issue or societal issue, pursuing systemic change as a course of treatment, and her work in Sri Lanka during their Civil War. They also talk The Odyssey, debating Odysseus’s DSM diagnosis. 
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To learn more about moral injury:
Dr. Jonathan Shay in Oral History Review 
National Center for PTSD
Journal of Traumatic Stress
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Orli Matlow sits down with Dr. Ambrogio A. Caiani, senior lecturer in modern European history at the University of Kent and author of the new book Flirting with Evil: The Catholic Church in the Age of Total War and Globalisation. They discuss the Vatican’s allies during World War II (hint: they weren’t The Allies), what they knew during the Holocaust, and when did they know it. Dr. Caiani shares the moving stories of the modern saints who *did* save lives, the dangers of “Worship of the State,” and the political significance of Pope Leo XIV, the first reigning American monarch. 
Recorded before England beat France, securing third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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For more:
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Orli Matlow sits down with foreign affairs correspondent Ashley Gate, who lectures at Columbia University on AI and drones, for the episode with the most “oh my god”s yet. They discuss the terrifying ways Artificial Intelligence is used in Gaza, Iran, and by men on the subway, and how war has evolved from using horses to employing “killer robots.” Ashley explains whether or not “autonomous weapons” are really autonomous, the need for regulation, and how accountability *isn’t* impossible. 
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Report on Marvel and the Military 
Report: The Crowding Out Effect of U.S.-Israeli Militarization
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Orli Matlow sits down with organizer and creator Jean-Paul Fartre for a conversation that’s more political philosophy than flatulence. Professor Fartre reveals the connection between dating apps and the post-9/11 War on Terror, because they're even worse than we thought. He shares his experiences teaching in San Quentin State Prison, and the differences between socialist organizing in The Philippines and the United States. They talk dialectics, how discussing American military dominance can help fight antisemitism, and JP makes the most enthusiastic case for revolutionary optimism yet. 
Recorded while Trump’s Memorandum of Understanding with Iran was technically still Memorandum of Understanding-ing. 
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Theme music by This Revolution Production Collective.