How to Catch a Radical (with Cole Costello)

Alex is joined by guest and history correspondent Cole Costello for a wide-ranging conversation spanning history, true crime, politics, and pop culture. They discuss the ethics of To Catch a Predator and its new Robert Pattinson adaptation, debating the line between exposing criminal behavior and creating entertainment around it, before turning to Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Robert Kraft, and political expression in the music industry. Alex also explores his fascination with Che Guevara, examining how a highly educated young progressive motivated by inequality and poverty could become radicalized through his experiences and ultimately embrace political violence—and what that transformation might reveal about how broken systems and ideological certainty can produce extremism.