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The Bulletin

War Projections, 2028 Hopefuls, AI Novels, and Men’s College Attendance

The Bulletin

Christianity Today

News, News Commentary, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.4586 Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, President Trump announced that the end of the Iran war may be in sight, while news outlets report the US is deploying thousands of troops to the Middle East. Then, Democratic governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear hints at a 2028 presidential campaign while making jabs at Vice President JD Vance. And, book publisher Hachette found that a book that they were about to publish was 78% AI-generated. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and then Clarissa speaks with Ben Smith and Isaac Bledsoe from the American Institute for Boys and Men to discuss the trend that fewer men are going to college. What’s to account for the shifting demographics in college attendance? REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: Getting Men Re-engaged in College by Isaac Bledsoe and Ben Smith CT’s education reporting GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN: Join the conversation at our Substack. Find us on YouTube. Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice. ABOUT THE GUESTS: Isaac Bledsoe is a senior research assistant at the American Institute of Boys and Men (AIBM) with an interest in transitions to adulthood, as well as fatherhood and family. Isaac was a research assistant at the Urban Institute, supporting a national survey of Early Head Start directors and a study to understand and improve parents’ experiences with Georgia’s child care subsidy program. Ben Smith is a researcher at AIBM with an interest in male labor market decisions and educational outcomes. He previously worked as a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation where he frequently focused on issues related to labor, employment, and financial decision making. His research provides an in-depth, ethnographic look at the ways some Americans manage day-to-day financial volatility. ABOUT THE BULLETIN: The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today’s editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more. The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more. “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today Producer: Clarissa Moll Associate Producer: Alexa Burke Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps Executive Producer: Erik Petrik Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This paid message is from Glue, a technology platform for the faith ecosystem.

0:06.4

Did you know that when you attend your local church, volunteer your time to a ministry, or give to a nonprofit, you're participating in a faith ecosystem of more than 450,000 organizations?

0:19.6

Imagine how much good could be accomplished if those organizations were

0:23.8

connected to one another. Learn how Glue is building high tech for a higher purpose at glue.com.

0:36.9

From Christianity today, you're listening to The Bulletin, a podcast about the people, events,

0:42.0

and issues that are shaping our world. I'm Clarissa Mall. This week, President Trump says the

0:47.7

Iran War is wrapping up. Twenty-28 presidential hopefuls begin to duke it out, and AI-generated novels go to market.

0:55.7

Mike Cosper and I discuss these headlines, and Isaac Bledsoe and Ben Smith stopped by to discuss

1:01.0

whether young men should bother with college anymore.

1:04.0

Welcome to the show.

1:09.0

On Saturday, President Trump posted to Truth Social that his administration is, quote,

1:14.6

getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great military

1:19.7

efforts in the Middle East with respect to the terrorist regime of Iran.

1:24.4

Meanwhile, Reuters says Israel continues to push deeper into Lebanon to route out Iranian-backed

1:30.6

Hezbollah. Mike, as we have seen the decapitation of Iranian leadership, we have seen the devastation

1:37.9

of their military powers. We're also seeing more U.S. troops enter the Middle East. Are we going to be wrapped into a peacekeeping mission here?

1:47.8

Probably what you're referring to specifically is the deployment of this large group of elite Marines that's been deployed.

1:55.3

That's not a peacekeeping group. That's a fighting force. So the question is, what are they going to be deployed for?

2:01.6

It's possible that they could be deployed for, quote-unquote, peacekeeping.

2:05.6

It's possible they could be deployed to protect our allies if Iran gets squirrely and decides

2:11.6

that they want to invade a neighbor in order to escalate the war or something like that.

2:16.6

It's also possible that they

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