Sam Adler-Bell

New York

Freelance Contributor at Freelance

cohost of @knowyrenemypod with my pal @matthewsitman // writing @nymag @nytimesbooks @bookworld @newrepublic // literary rep @CarolineMEisen

Articles

Know Your Enemy: Christopher Caldwell's Case Against Civil Rights

3 weeks ago | dissentmagazine.org | Matthew Sitman |Sam Adler-Bell

Know Your Enemy: Christopher Caldwell’s Case Against Civil Rights Matt and Sam discuss Christopher Caldwell’s The Age of Entitlement: America Since the Sixties, a broadside against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. &squarf; June 3, 2025 Know Your Enemy is a podcast about the American right co-hosted by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell. Read more about it here.
The Battle for the Democratic Future

3 weeks ago | nymag.com | Sam Adler-Bell

In late May, House Republicans jammed through a reconciliation package that would almost certainly balloon the deficit, imperil America's credit rating, and redistribute wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest. Under President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, millions of families would lose health insurance and food assistance, while the top 0.1 percent of earners would get a $390,000 tax break on average.
Know Your Enemy: Did Podcasters Make Trump President?

1 month ago | dissentmagazine.org | Matthew Sitman |Sam Adler-Bell

Know Your Enemy: Did Podcasters Make Trump President? Matt and Sam talk to Andrew Marantz about “bro” podcasts and their role in Trump’s election victory. &squarf; May 22, 2025 Know Your Enemy is a podcast about the American right co-hosted by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell. Read more about it here. You can subscribe to, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher, and receive bonus content by supporting the podcast on Patreon.
The Politics of Courage

1 month ago | nymag.com | Sam Adler-Bell

On the last day of April, a federal judge ordered the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, a senior at Columbia University, from Immigration custody in Vermont. Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident for ten years, had been arrested during a citizenship interview on April 14 and spent more than two weeks in Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
Know Your Enemy: The Meaning of Pope Francis

2 months ago | dissentmagazine.org | Matthew Sitman |Sam Adler-Bell

Know Your Enemy: The Meaning of Pope Francis Matt and Sam discuss the passing of Pope Francis, what his papacy meant, why he scandalized the Catholic right, and why his message feels so necessary and so far away. &squarf; April 28, 2025 Know Your Enemy is a podcast about the American right co-hosted by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell. Read more about it here.
Trump, "Antisemitism," and the Jews

2 months ago | samadlerbell.substack.com | Sam Adler-Bell

This latest column (about the Trump administration using Jewish safety as an excuse to attack higher education and abduct foreign-born critics of Israel) was tricky to write, both presenting the dire facts straightforwardly and getting the tone right. I don’t particularly like the jeremiad style of political writing, nor the self-lacerating call to action.
It's Time for Jews to Refuse Trump's 'Protection'

2 months ago | nymag.com | Sam Adler-Bell

In the past few weeks, federal agents have targeted nearly a dozen foreign-born students and faculty members, many of whom have criticized Israel or participated in campus protests against its brutal siege on Gaza.
Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part Two

Mar 25, 2025 | dissentmagazine.org | Matthew Sitman |Sam Adler-Bell

Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part Two In the second of two episodes on Elon Musk, Matt and Sam examine key moments in the billionaire’s political derangement, his purchase of Twitter, and his role in Trump’s second term. &squarf; March 25, 2025 Know Your Enemy is a podcast about the American right co-hosted by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell. Read more about it here.
Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part One

Mar 17, 2025 | dissentmagazine.org | Matthew Sitman |Sam Adler-Bell

Know Your Enemy: Becoming Elon Musk, Part One In the first of two episodes on Elon Musk, Matt and Sam explore the billionaire’s fraught adolescence and first years in Silicon Valley. &squarf; March 17, 2025 Know Your Enemy is a podcast about the American right co-hosted by Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell. Read more about it here. You can subscribe to, rate, and review the show on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher, and receive bonus content by supporting the podcast on Patreon.
The Democrats Can't Afford to Play Dead

Mar 10, 2025 | nymag.com | Sam Adler-Bell

A few weeks into Donald Trump's second term, a MAGA-supporting acquaintance asked me why the left seemed "so unbelievably demoralized." He was not (merely) gloating; he was curious. "I'm sure it won't last," he told me, "but for now it's just sort of a bewildering sensation to feel like you're doing politics with no opposition." There was a note of pity in his voice. He wasn't wrong.