Walter Russell Mead discusses homeschooling, the United States–Japan–South Korea security pact, artificial intelligence’s threat to the nation state, China’s economic woes, The Magic Flute, and Fidel Castro on his podcast What Really Matters.

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as he announces a trade deal with the EU at Trump Turnberry golf club on July 27, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. (Andrew Harnik via Getty Images)