Dogma Debate

Rooftop Rants is David C. Smalley and Michael Regilio overlooking Los Angeles talking.

During the discussion about the Epstein files, Regilio mistakenly says the “Katie Miller case.” It’s actually the Katie Johnson case.As to Marla Maples denying that she told the mother of a 14-year-old girl to keep her daughter away from the men at Mar-a-Lago, especially her husband: She didn’t accuse Coleman of fabricating the encounter altogether; she specifically denied saying the part about Trump. Separately, later reporting found former Mar-a-Lago employees who said Maples did warn staff that something about Jeffrey Epstein was “wrong” and “off,” and that she was concerned about Epstein’s influence on Trump.

Rooftop Rants is David C. Smalley and Michael Regilio overlooking Los Angeles talking.

Rooftop Rants is David C. Smalley and Michael Regilio overlooking Los Angeles talking.

David and Michael sit down for an unfiltered live reaction to President Trump’s election speech, pausing throughout to discuss the claims being made, election integrity, media coverage, and where they believe American politics is headed. The conversation then shifts into a classic Rooftop Rant, covering everything from drug policy and immigration to policing, homelessness, criminal justice, comedy, joke theft, and David’s upcoming BBQ channel.As always, it’s unscripted, uncensored, and full of rabbit trails.Topics include:
Live reaction to Trump’s election speech
Election integrity and voting claims
The SAVE Act
Voter ID and election security
Immigration and border policy
The War on Drugs
Policing and criminal justice
Homelessness and rehabilitation
Comedy, joke theft, and Kill Tony
The new Smoke & Smalley BBQ channel

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro & Trump’s election speech begins

01:00 Live reaction and fact-check discussion13:15 Election fraud claims, China, and voting systems

36:00 Post-speech analysis

50:45 The War on Drugs and legalization debate

1:16:30 Immigration, labor, and corporate incentives

1:34:00 Shoplifting, policing, and criminal justice

2:11:30 Drug policy continues

2:27:45 Tony Hinchcliffe joke theft discussion

2:34:00 Smoke & Smalley BBQ channel update

2:35:00 Outro

After more than a decade of debates, thousands of hours of conversations, and countless guests, one question keeps coming up:Is Dogma Debate dead?In this episode, David Smalley explains why Dogma Debate slowed down, what changed in the debate landscape, and why stand-up comedy, content creation, and the rise of TikTok debate culture made the original format increasingly difficult to sustain. He shares behind-the-scenes stories about booking guests, producing the show, dealing with debate fatigue, and why so many potential guests stopped accepting invitations.David also discusses possible futures for Dogma Debate, including:
Research-focused conversations instead of traditional debates
Fact-checking and investigating claims together in real time
Reacting to news stories and current events
Revisiting classic Dogma Debate episodes
The challenge of finding guests willing to engage honestly
Most importantly, he reflects on what made the show successful in the first place: a commitment to evidence, critical thinking, and following the facts wherever they lead.  Topics Covered:
Why Dogma Debate slowed down
Debate burnout and repetition
TikTok debate culture
Ben Shapiro, Bill O’Reilly, and high-profile guests
The hidden workload behind podcast production
Research vs debate
Future directions for the show
Comedy, purpose, and creative fulfillment
If Dogma Debate returns, it may look very different than before.But the search for truth isn’t going anywhere.