The Ricochet Podcast

We'll have Manhattan, The D.A. and a jury, too...

And so we begin with apologies to Rodgers and Hart as our intrepid founders find themselves in the Big Apple together just as Donald Trump's criminal trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case seats its jury. To that end we bring on National Review's Andy McCarthy, who just this week the former president called "a great legal scholar" to opine on whether Trump can get a fair hearing in front of this judge - and this jury - in this town.

We also touch on Israel's military action into Iran on Thursday night.

We hate to Bragg but it's a pretty good show.

James Lileks is back in the house, ladies and gentlemen! And speaking of houses, Jack Ryan joins the podcast to explain his war against the National Association of Realtors. (Pre-order your copy of the book he's co-authored: Bringing Adam Smith into the American Home: A Case Against Home Ownership.) Yes, you read that title correctly. Along with his fight against the "real estate cartel," Jack has his doubts that home ownership is the right move for all Americans. 

Plus, the reunited Ricochet boys recall how the O.J. Simpson trial changed America, and they fight fire alarms and wrangle with manly chores. 



- Audio from this week's open: A flashback to the 1995 OJ Simpson trial with comedian Norm Macdonald and defense attorney Johnnie Cochran




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AEI's Matthew Continetti joins the Ricochet Podcast to discuss the internecine fight over the future of conservatism and the Democratic Party's abandonment of Israel. Plus, Peter and Rob have a bit of fun with earthquakes and hippie terrorists; swap lab leak theories and cheer themselves up with a reminder of the country's abiding unsung heroes.





- This week’s audio: NYC Mayor Eric Adams on this morning’s earthquake.

Richard Epstein brings his encyclopedic knowledge to help break down some of the pivotal matters being debated in Congress and before the Supreme Court. Plus, James and Rob look back on the Covid lockdowns four years later, along with Minneapolis' move against Uber and Lyft.

Thirty years back, filmmaker Whit Stillman charmed audiences with a comedy about two Americans abroad in chaotic Cold War Europe. He joins Rob, James and Peter to discuss his movie Barcelona, cinema as an artform and as a business, and reasons for hope regarding its revival as a crowd-pleaser. 

Plus: Rob's returned from Morocco, Peter's got big news, and James has a plan for the post-CCP TikTok.





- Soundbites from the opening: Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols in Barcelona; Bob Hope at the Academy Awards in 1968; and Brendan Fraiser at the Oscars on Sunday.

It's the Cooke and Lileks Show today! The duo delve into the egregious State of the Union address, and lament the erosion of the enumerated powers doctrine. They talk TikTok and the Energy and Commerce Committee's unanimous bill against the company's Chinese parent ByteDance; Charles has high hopes for the upcoming ruling that may well overrule the Chevron doctrine; and James has a few Oscar reviews and an ode to old Hollywood.








- Soundbite from this episode: Joe Biden decrying the Dobbs decision in his SOTU address.

This week the Three Whiskey Happy Hour gang join James for a riotous good time, even as discuss and debate their beloved nation's precarious situation. They cover Joe Biden's visit to the border, Donald Trump's appeals to the Supreme Court, the latest on the war in Gaza, and a silly journalist's constitutional illiteracy. Plus there are whiskey recommendations and a must-hear story about apish antics on the high seas.

And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the Three Whiskey Happy Hour podcast, available at Ricochet.com.





- Soundbite from this week: dueling press conferences in Texas between the current and previous occupant of the Oval Office.

The forces against free speech are at again! Whether or not you've heard of NewsGuard or the Global Disinformation Index, rest assured that they're intently interested in where you get your information. Joining Peter, Rob and James today is David DesRoisers, Publisher of RealClearPolitics.com, whose scrupulously down-the-middle site was flagged by the groups above as a 'disinformation site,' and has lost a great many advertisers as a result. David's here to remind us of the threats institutions like these are to a free press and a free society.

The guys also have thoughts CPAC and Google Gemini.




- This week’s audio is from Donald Trump’s townhall with Laura Ingraham on Fox News

We're reminded often to mind our "work-life balance", but perhaps that distinction is drawn too plainly. Today we hear from David Bahnsen, author of the just-published Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life,who makes the case that what we do for a living means a great deal more than what today's wellness gurus would have us believe. They go over everything in between the midcentury trend toward retirement as the goal to the contemporary push to work in pajamas.

On the flipside Peter, Rob and James discuss the latest reminder that Joe Biden is notup for the job he's got; and they dig into an unbelievable project to make ancient scrolls flash-fried by the Vesuvius eruption in the first century AD readable once again.


- Audio this week: Biden defends his memory and then places Mexico outside of Gaza.

Do you ever get that queasy feeling by the occassional thought that the people running our foreign policy agenda are, well… dumb? We do too. And so does our guest Rich Goldberg, who had to explain some basics to the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week. He joins today to discuss everything from UNRWA and the tangled mess that is the United Nations, to Iran’s nuclear capabilities and our administration’s weakness in dealing with a middling power.

Steve Hayward fills in for Peter this week. He, James and Rob talk about the economics lesson our criminals are giving the US; plus there’s talk about pop sensation psyops and the comfort that some feel by the thought of a world controlled by malevolent grownups.

The GOP primary is basically dunzo. Time to look ahead towards the general election, the future of the Republican Party, even on to the generations that will take it over one day. To do so our merry Ricochet gang is joined by Governor Scott Walker, now the president of Young America's Foundation.

Peter, James and the Reverend Dr. Long also cut into the razor wire debate.

One caucus down and it appears the whole GOP primary is decided. Thankfully when you get a guest like Henry Olsen (EPPC senior fellow and host of the must-listen Beyond the Polls podcast) everything stays fresh and interesting. Henry has thoughts on what's left of this Republican primary along with the mess in the D camp; he runs us through campaigns we're scratching our heads at, forgotten about—or would like to forget about; and he swats away many of the overconfident predictions about how a Trump/Biden rematch will shake out.

James, Rob and Peter applaud Javier Melei and the great free market that wants to spread good news; plus they say their piece about inclement weather and wonder what time it really is in New York.

Iowa braces for a coldCaucus Night and now the Trump, DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy teams have their work cut out for them to keep their engines from stalling. Since blizzardous conditions are keeping us from visiting, we asked Jim Geraghty, our man on the ground in Des Moines this week, to give us the scoop, the had-to-be-there insights and some informed speculation.

Plus Peter, James and Rob vent their lack of confidence in this administration to meet this week's foreign flare up; and have some advice for Sanctuary Mayor Eric Adams.

This week’s sound from the opening of the Jan. 11th KCCI Newscast in Des Moines. IA

Ok. Welied.

We swore that we we're going to take this week off. But we're not. So just like Janus, the two-faced God of Duality, we're here to kick down the door of the New Year and not be content with bidding farewell to just 2023, but a whole century worth of old years.

James Lileks is your guide as we dance through a hundred years of New Years and then he takes your questions while heading into 2024.

We end our podcasting year with a special edition of the Ricochet Podcast as James Lileks takes you through the Christmas memory book. So gather 'round the hearth and revel in our gift to you. Merry Christmas and we'll see you in the New Year.

The tippi-toppers of higher ed are out of breath—they've run themselves into nonsensicle circles. But today's guest Glenn Loury is breathing easy. He, Peter and Rob discuss the Ivy League, Claudine Gay and the advancement of Black Americans, both due to and in lieu of Affirmative Action.

Stay tuned to the end for Rob Long's 100% guranteed, "Impress Anybody on Planet Earth: Extra Special Eggnog" recipe.




Soundbite from the open: ‘Claudine Gay needs to step down,’ Dr. Carol Swain tells Fox News Digital

Henry Kissinger is gone after a century on Planet Earth. The most influential diplomat of the last fifty years, he's never been short of fierce criticisms from both the left and right. The great war historian Victor Davis Hanson returns to the Ricochet Podcast to give a careful review of the controversial emissary.

Plus Lileks, Robinson and Long are reunited after a couple weeks to evaluate Thursdays much-touted DeSantis/Newsom faceoff and they give their early impressions of Argentina's triumphant Milei and the seemingly vindicated Geert Wilders.

Perhaps you're failing to vibe with Bin Laden and thus feeling a bit behind the times. Then again, you could be a sane person with a moral compass. James, Charles and Steve cover this and more with Noah Rothman, author of The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives' War on Fun.Aside from his anti-Osama stance, Noah takes us through the relevant considerations about America's interests abroad, the nearly abandoned project to promote democracy and the modern world's Western neurotic who's always clamoring for a club to beat their own civilization with.

The hosts also cover anti-Israel influencers on the right — edgelords or anti-semites? — and worry that the U.S. is picking a most inopportune time to be frivilous.

We've made it to number 666! Unfortunately among the three of them James, Steve Hayward and Charles Cooke haven't a single sinister plan to reveal. They do however have lots to say about Wednesday's debate; progressive love for Hamas and what it means for the intersectionality coalition; and they wonder why there are no DACA protections for beloved pandas!

The fight for our civilization is here, and today's guest is no stranger to the fray. Christopher Rufo is a member of the New College of Florida board and the mastermind of a number of projects devoted to winning the culture war. He's the author of the new bestseller America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything,which covers why the right's been on the losing side, and today he chats with Rob, Peter and James about how we can turn the tide. If you're seeking bold strategies on how to save our country, this is the podcast for you.




- Soundbite from the open: Christopher Wray and Kamala Harris

Even a pessimist would have reason experience surprise and consternation by the extent of our institutional crises. It's revealed that American students know nothing of the history of the Holocaust and the story of the Jewish people in its aftermath. We've seen our government progressively possessed by the whims of influencer representatives. Even today's guest Yuval Levin, who's painstakingly documented this descent, is a bit bewildered. He joins Rob, James and Peter as they cover everything from Jewish students being forced to hide in a library, to priorities for Israel and of course on to the People's House and the hopes we may yet hold out for it.





- Audio from today's opening is new Speaker Mike Johnson's first address to Congress.

Nice as it would be to turn away, the Ricochet Podcast follows up on the chaos covered last week with a new pair of guests. David P Goldman joins for the first time to o lay out China’s long term strategy to build global markets, the edge it's gaining in the tech sector, the risks of its real estate bubble and the types of opportunity it may look for from the war in Middle East. Then Annika Rothstein gives a powerful report from what we may call the relative saftey of Jersulem. She talks about her harrowing trip to Kibbutz Be'eri and the mood of Israelis stuck waiting for the war to begin.

Peter, James and Steve Hayward discuss the bloodthirsty protests stateside and in Europe (where Steve's calling from); and with all the unrest, they lament how little can be done without a functioning functioning House of Representatives.

That war in the Middle East had been predicted did little to allay the shock of all who’ve followed the news from Israel since October 7th. Today's first guest Niall Ferguson was among those who made such a prediction. He joins to discuss the Second Cold War, why it's warming up, and the difficulties the US will face if the temperature continues to rise. And Eli Lakejoins to expound upon a shift in Israel's national security policy as the country concludes that existence in a world that contains Hamas is impossible.

It was no great secret that a single match could put fire to the 2023 Republican coalition in the House. But that didn't make the incediary Tuesday any less remarkable. To discuss what it means for the party's near future and for conservativism more broadly, Rob, Peter and James are joined by the erudite Ben Domenech.

And considering that the happiest news of the week is Biden's DHS being forced to waive federal laws to build a spot of border wall makes the hosts think about Rome once again.




- Soundbite from the open is Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry's now-famous gavel slam.

Citizens of Philadelphia are the latest victims of "wilding nights," watching helplessly as chortling teens smash storefronts and ransack the goods inside. These aren't unheard of events, but they're becoming more frequent. To sort out the ideologies and policies that got our cities conditioned to this, and the hard work it'll take to get us back in shape, Manhattan Institute's Rafael Mangual —author of Criminal (In)justice returns to the Ricochet Podcast.

On theme, James and guest hosts Charles Cooke and Jon Gabriel talk 70s vigilante flicks, and have a few words to say about Dianne Feinstein, John Fetterman's new attire and Wednesday's debate.

In a world gone mad, there's something comforting about turning attention to crazier days that somebody else had to suffer through. TikTok informs us that the boys are thinking an awful lot about Rome, we grownups are joined by Hillsdale College's Paul Raheto learn about proxy war, ancient and modern. He helps Peter, James and Rob connect the dots between Sparta's success in bleeding the Athenians in Sicily to the machinations of the global superpowers in the 20th Century on to today. Listen in to understand how a foreign policy that fails to take Thucydides into account is doomed. (Be sure to preorder your copy of Dr. Rahe's Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta.)

Also enjoy some good ole fashioned rants about the state of emergency on our border; and which Monty Python star James got to gab with in London.

As the lines that used to distinguish the political and legal are blurring, and the sense that the country is swirling down the drain, it's nice to at least have good company. Rob and Peter chat with Andy McCarthyto discuss the 'impeachment inquiry' into the Biden Family's influence peddling and the administration's apparent obstruction.

And if you're in need of a good cheering up, you can hear about swell innovations in toilet seating. Maybe political chaos will be good for Capitalism!?

The boys are back! That's right: you can hear Peter, Rob and James on the same podcast. They consider Eric Adam's unwitting vindication of the migrant-to-sanctuary city assistance program, along with the precipitous decline of Hollywood's major studios.

AndBarton Swaimvisits to expand on his Wall Street Journal column where he applies the left's favorite terms of the Trump era to the president of whom they are more obviously applicable. He also has some encouraging words for those of us who worry for the future of the printed word.

There's post-debate analysis, and then there's post-debate analysis with Henry Olsen. Henry talents with numbers and genius for the politcal metaphor will make you rethink Wednesday's showdown in Milwaukee. Henry takes us through the snap polls, considers the candidates' new prospects, and posits a game changer (or two) that the casual debate watcher may have overlooked. (And once you've enjoyed this eye-opening discussion enough to make you hungry for more, you can hop on over to listen to Mr. Olsen's very own podcast, Beyond the Polls.

Plus, Peter's back! Hear all about his peregrinations, along with other chatter about well-charted waters.

We've got a crossover episode, folks! Our friends of the Three Whiskey Happy Hour podcast (Steve Hayward, "Lucretia" and John Yoo) join to talk about the wacky legal matters of our time. There are environmentalists claiming the positive right to enjoy cooperative weather; they discuss the plush and cozy Hunter Biden tier of criminal justice compared to the briar patch tier that The Donald's living in; James dishes out some (ahem) tough love to the youts; and our guests pick the word that annoys them most these days.

We're erring on the side of positive expecttions again this week with Bjørn Lomborg. His new book isBest Things First where he sets his sights on cost effective, acheivable goals that will lift the world's poorest out of miserable conditions andinch us along in the direction towards those sustainable goals we hear so much about. The billions of dollars question: Are the world's prosperous ready for a tangible win-win?

James, Rob and Steve aren't quite done with Barbenheimer; they discuss Ohio's pro-life prospects; and muse on words that make them feel sophisticated.





Soundbites from the open: Truman's announcement of the atomic bomb's drop on Hiroshima and Oppenheimer.

Another week, another indictment. Another president, another scandal. So we call on the house prosecutor, Andy McCarthy, to weigh the evidence before us and join Messrs. Lileks, Long and Cooke as they debate the merits of the cases against both Trump and Biden and see where we think we stand.

But more importantly, James has thoughts on the cultural event of the decade. Yes, he has seen Barbie.


You're all entitled to one phone call. Use it wisely.

We have a lot for you this week! Covering everything from atoms to commodities and precivilization to our indictmentpalooza. James, Rob and Steve discuss the latest from Mar-a-Lago; Hunter's crumbled plea deal; and the disengenous reaction to Florida's African American History curriculum.

They enjoy some good news with guest Marian Tupy, whose latest book Superabundancereminds us of mankind's still-favorable prospects for grow and flourish in the years to come. The guys consider the difference between the environmentalists who've spent years predicting doom and the economists who bet on progress.

The days of Carter era malaise were bad, bad, bad. But at least the man had the decency to speak honestly about the nation's troubles. Joe Biden on the other hand insists on telling us that everything's great. We discuss this along with the frowny faced Republicans who hope to challenge him and the proscpects for an American rebound with Kim Strassel, author of the just-released The Biden Malaise.

Charles, James and Rob cover New York's claim to be uniquely burdened by illegal immigration; the akward position Democrats are in by wanting to rid themselves of the formerly uber inspiring Kamala Harris; and the media's flip on state governments pressuring schools to follow their rulings now that Newsom's twisted team doing it.

Scary times could be just around the corner. To help you prepare for that we've invited our old friend Carol Roth to stop by and talk about her new book, You Will Own Nothing...because you don't have to be a parnoid prepper to be prepared for what's coming.

And, of course, James Lileks, Rob Long and Steve Hayward (sitting in again for the roaming Peter Robinson) cover the more immediate news coming down from the Summit - the NATO Summit, The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa (with Tucker Carlson presiding) and the Mickey Mouse Summit where Disney introduces a Latina Snow White and the Lone Dwarf while their CEO Bob Iger announces "that it’s not our goal to be involved in a culture war.” Say wut?!?

Opening sound this week: Tucker Carlson and former Vice-President Mike Pence clash in Iowa. (Blaze TV)

It seems Democrats are confident that racial preferences are the only way for Black Americans to succeed. Our all-American guest Ian Rowedisagrees. Why's he so sure? Because he's sees acheivement everyday in his charter schools in the Bronx. He covers why the left's prescriptions to equality is wrongheaded and harmful, along with why his are working.

Rob, James and Steve (filling in for the hookey-playing Peter Robinson) get into all sorts of trouble when the educator's away... literal high crimes, misdeanors and other bad behavior.

Conservatives are set to celebrate another year of invigorating Supreme Court decisions. Ricochet's old pal John Yooeven goes so far as to suggest that we can finally get back to business. He and the gang go through the big ones of this session: Race-based affirmative action, religious freedom for both practice thereof and freedom of speech; then on to gerrymandering and more.

The boys also discuss foreign fires, fireworks and drafting with ChatGPT.

Messrs.Lileks and Robinson chat with Peter Schweizer, best-selling author of Red Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win,to discuss the malfeasant Biden family and the cronies who give them cover. Then David Berlinksistops by to muse on the vast everything that the scientific community promises to explain; and why he thinks they haven't delivered. (Read all about it in his newly released Science After Babel.)

Peter, James and Charles Cooke sit down with the one-and-only Newt Gingrichto discuss his newly published March to the Majorityand, in doing so, put the astonishing Republican Revolution of 1994 in the context of today's congressional abandonment of legislative powers, the concomitant executive overreach and the truly American boldness needed to start carving out strategies in the fight for our national revival.

From the esoteric and the imperian to the specfic and the political. And then on to aliens! James, Rob and Steve Hayward chat with Patrick Deneen, author of Regime Change: Towards a Postliberal Future.They discuss the deliterious effects of liberty without restraints, the bipartisan quest for progress and consider a reassessment of some of our cherished philosophical forebears. Next fan favorite Andy McCarthy stops by to give his first take on the indictment of Donald Trump.

San Francisco and UFOs are on the docket as well.

Larry Kudlow is back! And he brings good news, among other things. The guys get his take on the dealings of this Kevin McCarthy fellow, along with predictions on forthcoming (eventually!) market corrections, and his optimistic assesment of American work, tradtions and faith.

Plus our merry trio get into the GOP primary contenders—and some other people whom we're told are running. More importantly, they talk toy trains... Just tune in and roll with it.

Guests are fun 'n all but sometimes bros just gotta stick to the core group. Lileks, Robinson and Long discuss everything from a rumble in James' once quiet neighborhood to Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, Jay Bhattacharya and a certain company which is following Anheuser-Busch into the grave by making its own conspicuous call to notjust go about business as usual.

Rob, Peter and Steve Hayward discuss the border, banking and the lovely North Dakota with Senator John Hoeven; and then dig into the Durham Report with legal scholar/McMuffin epicure John Yoo. The hosts also discuss actual reefer madess, plus the screenwriter's stike and AI.

New York! San Francisco! Our once grand cities are fast turning into... Yikesvilles. To help our hosts work up a diagnosis, The Ricochet Podcast needs the great Victor Davis Hanson. The quartet talk universities; they consider the unique top-down nature of this new wave of revolution and discuss whether the country is in graver danger than it was in those dreadful 1970s.

Then James, Peter and Rob muse on the recently discarded standards of public decency vis-à-vis debased internet content and all-to-common swear words.

Mr. President says he needs four more years to break the country, so we at Ricochet thought we'd bring in a few guests that believe we aren't quite done for. First up is the spritely, always sunny, Kevin Williamsonto make the case that things aren't quite as bad as many would have us believe. And Andrew Gutmannreturns to tell us about his bold campaign in the sunshine state to take a seat in Congress. (Support the effort to take back our future here!)

It turns out James was a-waylast week. He's still a dude as far as we can tell. The reunited trio chat about his couple weeks in Europa.

Rob Long and Charles C.W. Cooke enjoy chatting over a couple Sazeracs with Ricochet members at our 2023 meetup in New Orleans. Join Ricochet, folks, and meet the guys at the next one!

Our apologies for leaving you with Ricochet-less week! In order to make it up to you, we go big with a couple of our favorite recurring guests. First up is Ann Coulter to explain why she thinks the Republican Party is doing all it can to blow yet another election. Then Debra Saunders returns to take us through Dominion's suit against Fox News and the outrageous biases therein.

The gang also touch on Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s challenge to Joe Biden (and the damage it could do to him!) along with Rob and Charles' grand time in New Orleans meeting Ricochet members!


- Sound bite is lead Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson announcing settlement with FoxNews

Since the Ricochet Podcast will be on haitus next week, we've got a big episode to tide you over! We're not only jam packed with extra gab time but with today's guest Ze'ev Orenstein,we head the birthplace of our Judeo-Christian tradition. His organization is excavating the City of David, making it possible for those currently celebrating Passover, Holy Week and Ramadan (or any curious visiter) the chance to walk through the grand sites of their prophets, preists and kings.

The fellas also get into the disappointing elections in Chicago and Wisconsin; plus they touch on the outrageous culture war battles centered around Bud Light and Douglas Mackey.

This one's gonna be tough to beat! We've got the details of a Tom Wolfe novel playing out in real time. From a corrupt DA to a presidential scandal involving an adult film star. Plus we've got fan-favorite John Yoo! Need we say more?

There's some more AI chatter; and Peter's ticker is finally working!

To mark the third anniversary of America’s Covid lockdown hysteria Rob, James and Peter give their uncredentialed thoughts on Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and the FDIC doing something very different than what it was created for. They think through free market solutions, the fate of little banks and the buildings and what they meant for small town America. The guys also chat with Stanford Review... Source

William Buckley attracted a lot of attention—and we’re all the better for it. But his big brother Jim was no small player in the conservative rebound that saved the country in the late 20th Century. On March 9th the elder Buckley celebrated his 100th birthday, and Jack Fowler joins to remind us of the significance of the WWII veteran and member of the small club of public servants who’ve served in... Source

Are you faring well in the digital apocalypse? Did you even know it had already arrived? Fret not! Our old friend James Poulos is here to help. His latest book Human, Forever is the guide to protecting your incommensurable humanity from the technologies that threaten to make us interoperable and mechanical. It is indeed good news to be human! The challenge of the 21st Century will be for us to... Source

There’s a lot to gab about this week, so it’s a good thing our hosts had some extra time. Among other things, the trio delve into the moral scolds who think it’d be a great idea to bowdlerize our favorite children’s stories; and they’re glad to hear how Vivek Ramaswamy will shake things up as the newest Republican candidate for 2024. Then Eli Lake, who spoke with the hosts the day after the... Source

The hour may be late to protect America’s future, but all is not lost. We can sense this thanks to the actions of men like today’s guests. Mark Bauerlein joins Rob, Peter and James to discuss how universities have robbed the young of the grand narrative, along with his work at Sarasota’s New College. Andrew Gutman, who made headlines two years ago as a frustrated father willing to speak up... Source

For all the talk of walking and chewing gum vis-a-vis America’s looming threats to national security, have you ever asked whether China is the walking part or the chewing gum? Elbridge Colby has. He joins Rob, James and Charles to explain why the analogies to multitasking are divorced from our current defense strategy — such as it is — and why even thinking back to the Cold War can only do so much... Source

There’s no other way to put it: the viral video showing Tyre Nichols vicious beating at the hands of Memphis police officers was shocking and despicable. Rafael Mangual — the head of research for the Policing and Public Safety Initiative at the Manhattan Institute — joins James, Peter and Steve to explain why activists and politicians are wrong to see this as a vindication of their insistence on... Source

Agree with him or not, our guest today is a man of true grit. Former Navy SEAL and representative of Texas’ 2nd congressional district, Dan Crenshaw joins the podcast to discuss the Intel Community; the rising temperature of the conflict in Ukraine; and our very own border, which, you may have heard, has its own problemos. Florida man Charlie Cooke is with us again, and he’s got thought on... Source

Even if it weren’t for voter sentiments over the last few years, a slew of electoral losses might make changes at the RNC seem like a no-brainer. And yet there’s only one member of the committee who’s willing to do anything about the party’s dismal performance. Harmeet Dhillon returns to lay out her impressive list of ideas to break the GOP’s addiction to losing. (Visit her site to support however... Source

Last August when the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-A-Lago, we were told that DOJ finally had him where they wanted him. Now, five months later, we find out the real crime is that Trump forgot to store his documents under the little known and under-appreciated Corvette exemption clause of the Espionage Act. Andy McCarthy stops by to explain how then Vice-President... Source

Isn’t this a way to start out a New Year? We’re breaking all sorts of precedents, starting off with a long thoughtful discussion on the state of American football. We talk about the Damar Hamlin incident from the Monday Night game in Cincinnati and then give a hail and farewell to “The Pirate,” Coach Mike Leach of Mississippi State and then local man has a nervous breakdown over the recent play of... Source

The ghost of Christmas’ Present is here with words for the Bankman-Frieds. Since Peter’s just down the road, he’s got the top dog-walkers on the case listening in; Rob has some culinary advice for Andrew Robinson (who premiers on the podcast this week); Mr. Lileks posits the nobility of the trades he got to know in chilly Fargo, ND. And as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless us, every one. Source

We couldn’t call it a year without both Founders on board, so with Rob out and about (there are rumors that he’s actually working…) we actually present our penultimate episode for the Year of Our Lord 2022. James and Peter work a two-man booth and they go fission for clean energy, talk about the journo meltdown on Twitter and then talk a little football… or is it soccer? We also welcome in our old... Source

They say you are the company you keep. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya learned that the hard way after he started cavorting with a bunch of fringe lunatics bent on killing grandmas — Or no, wait… the other thing. It was time spent with fellow reputable, highly credentialed scientists that got him into trouble. With the released Twitter files that show he was placed on an actual blacklist... Source

Much as the world benefit from a new dance craze, it would behoove us to ensure that China doesn’t use our moves against us. Our first guest Geoffrey Cain is all too familiar with what the CCP can do with surveillance technology. He sits down with Rob, James and Charles to touch on the protesters, the extraordinary police state they’re up against, and he tries to convince a skeptical Rob and James... Source

Tuesday was a buzzkill. How bad, exactly? Not sure yet… Arizona’s taking its time again. Which makes it the perfect opportunity to have a surprise guest appearance from Ricochet’s very own Jon Gabriel, Arizonan and King of all the stuff. Jon breaks down the state’s second consecutive election breakdown. He’s also got some pleasantly bold predictions! Then we’re joined by Luke Thompson... Source

There is a tide… and depending on who you ask, Democracy is either drowning in it or she’s catching some righteous swells. With Peter and Rob elsewhere, James links up with guests- slash-hosts Charlie Cooke and Steve Hayward to soak up the vibes. There’s blue check mania and sleeper issues puzzling pollsters; not to mention Covid amnesty and Michael Beschloss coming down with whatever Chris Hayes... Source

We may be approaching the spookiest day of the year, but it’s the government that give grownups nightmares on all the rest of them. California isn’t ordinarily a place where suspenseful midterms happen, though our first guest Lanhee Chen has something to say about that. Running to be the Golden State’s top fiscal watchdog, he’s getting dangerously close to becoming the boogeyman for California’s... Source

This week we’re talkin’ midterms and one very short term. England has been especially interesting these last few months, and we’re always happy to have Toby Young with us. He has much to say about the lightning-fast deterioration of Liz Truss, and the Conservative Party that may go down with her. Then Jim Geraghty returns to breakdown this peculiar midterm cycle. He gets into Fetterman, Oz, Walker... Source

Even without being on the ballot, Democrats are determined to make the midterms about Donald Trump. And since that’s what they want to talk about, we wanted to hear from our friend Debra Saunders again, whose just launched her podcast Covering Trump. Deb fields questions from Rob, James and Charles about meat-and-potatoes stories, the mythological neutral reporter, and the incentives to write... Source

America never fails to be interesting, and she tends to kick it into high gear around Election Day. Take Pennsylvania, for example. The Keystone state has shaped into one that is a much watch around this time – and on this go around, we’re watch Dr. Oz and John Fetterman… This is why we’re lucky to have our new friend Charles McElwee of RealClearPennsylvania to take us into the trenches of this... Source

It’s hard to win these days. Not only do we have worries about war, we’ve got worries over worries about war. Is the Biden administration’s foreign policy dangerously cautious? That’s what Peter and James discuss – and argue about – with our guest, AEI’s Kori Schake. The hosts (minus Rob, who was off podcasting elsewhere…) also chat about Italy’s Giorgia Meloni; James gets peeved, and it’a lots of... Source

Today we cover breaking news and the hardly recognizable past. Toby Young joins at the top to to tell us about his personal experience with PayPal’s shot at free speech. Later, our old pal Troy Senik returns to give Grover Cleveland the reassessment he deserves. (Get a copy of Troy’s book here!) Peter, James and Charlie (Rob’s sub for the day) chew over the FBI given whistleblower Kyle Seraphin’s... Source

As promised our old friend David Limbaugh returns to the podcast to rant a bit and maybe pitch a few books on the side. We talk open borders and Martha’s Vineyard and then cover his latest volume, The Resurrected Jesus: The Church in the New Testament, which he wrote with his daughter, Christen Limbaugh Bloom. We also welcome in American Enterprise Institute scholar Nicholas Eberstadt (fresh from... Source

It’s hard to call it unbelievable when a 96-year-old mortal shuffles off, but Queen Elizabeth II’s final departure has had a peculiar effect. Hoping to have the feeling articulated without sentimentality, we asked on a couple English friends ( Charlie Cooke filling in for Peter and London Calling’s Toby Young) to discuss her importance, and what her death means for the Commonwealth. Source

You saw the pictures! The walls are finally closing in; or maybe it’s the floor that’ll finally move in on Trump! Or maybe everyone should cool their jets, as our guest Bill Barr might recommend. The former Attorney General joins us again to discuss what we know (and don’t know) about the latest legal troubles for the former president. Without getting ahead of the facts, Barr thinks through the... Source

It’s hard to put words to the audaciousness of President Biden’s latest charade. Good thing we have an Englishman! Our friend Charlie Cooke is filling in for Peter and James to talk about Joe’s promise to liquidate the American social contract. He and Rob also get into midterms and search in vain for a Republican national agenda. And since we can’t help but cling to a bit of good news, Dr. Source

Since our plans to hide away forever at a remote Minnesotan lake house were dashed – on account of James not having one for us – we decided instead to jump on into the mucky swamp that’s swallowed up our institutions. At least we have Eli Lake (who, as you’ll hear, knows everybody) to tour us through the law enforcement agencies who’ve undermined their standing with the public in order to get the... Source

We’re not short on takes about the search (or whatever you wanna call it) at Mar-a-Lago this week; but one can’t ever get enough of people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to something as big as this! Ricochet’s old friend Andy McCarthy joins to provide just that kinda commentary. He gives some essential vocab clarifications; lays out the charges he believes the Justice Department... Source

With all the sound and fury surrounding Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, we think it’s timely to hear from an expert on the Indo-Pacific to see if it signifies much. Misha Auslin, host of The Pacific Century, joins to do just that. He identifies the silver lining in the whole affair; elucidates how China’s strategy has frozen us from stating our interests; points to the return of the engagement... Source

It’s a free-for-all on the Ricochet Podcast this week! Rob and Peter are off enjoying the last gasp of Summer, so filling in are the effervescent John Yoo and the mysterious “Lucretia”. Our official guest is Rafael Mangual, the newly minted author of Criminal (In)justice, which compiles his years of studying criminality in the U.S. and the progressive inaction of those charged with fighting it. Source

With heat waves, and the inevitable extinction of humanity practically around the corner, why not talk about what’s happening in the cool, comfortable theaters that we’re told are also doomed? To help us keep things light and pleasant, we’ve recruited film critic Sonny Bunch to chat about the elegiac Top Gun: Maverick, the rockin’ biopic Elvis, and the not-so-buzzy Lightyear. The trio also get... Source

This week, it’s another round of Question Time, this week with actual (OK, former) British person Charles C.W. Cooke sitting in for Peter Robinson, We cover Florida, guns, newspapers, — an entire smorgasbord of topics (what’s British for smorgasbord?). Music from this week’s episode: I Know There’s An Answer by The Beach Boys... Source

We’ve made it to 600, and in spite of the seemingly never-ending buffet of bad news that got our hosts talking in the first place, we manage to have a good time. Our first guest is Noah Rothman, whose latest book, The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against Progressives’ War on Fun, takes a deep dive into the fanatics out to break up our good time. Then Toby Young (host of Ricochet’s very... Source

Whoa. Wow. Golly. And Hooray! Big news from SCOTUS today. A fifty year judicial error is finally corrected, and Ricochet’s Supreme Court expert John Yoo joins us at the top of the hour to explain. He talks about the unofficial Thomas/Alito court, discusses what this could mean for other landmark cases, along with a few other fresh decisions that, on any other day, would’ve merited a visit from our... Source

There are too few refuges for free speech. But on Ricochet our cup overfloweth! To keep things going full speed, we asked our friend Ann Coulter on to dish out an abundant full scoop. She’s just launched her new Substack and podcast to push back on… well, just about everyone who she believes is getting in the way of freedom, America and the families who make it great. As is her wont... Source

There are few on planet Earth who’ve spilled as much ink over concerns on Western Civilization’s decline as today’s guest Douglas Murray. Nevertheless, he’s betting long on America even though he’s well aware of the onslaught recounted in his latest bestseller, The War on the West. (Order your copy today!) Murray takes us through the complications of finding things to agree on when the past is... Source

This week we move from the pits of a senseless war to the mount of the royal jubilee, and cover quite a bit of terrain in between. Our first guest is exiled Soviet dissident Yuri Yarim-Agaev, whose extensive knowledge of Vladimir Putin is tough to match. We get his take on the man and his motivation; how the supposed mastermind of intelligence operations became the victim of Russian disinformation... Source

With a catastrophic tragedy in the news, the Ricochet mood is a bit more serious; but that doesn’t mean bad policy or sentimental grandstanding are appropriate courses of action. That’s why this week, we’ve invited a Second Amendment expert and parent on to the show. The one and only Charles C.W. Cooke. He fields questions on the horror in Uvalde, the reaction from politicians and the press... Source

Rob’s off on vacation, but Peter’s back from the Promised Land! Thankfully you won’t have to wait until his next episode of Uncommon Knowledge is released to hear from Yoram Hazony, author of Conservatism: A Rediscovery. Yoram has revisited the past in the hopes of finding something new that conservatives will desperately need in order to offer something other than a another variant of liberalism. Source

While Peter’s venturing about the real America, James is vacationing between the Hudson and East rivers so he can meet up with his pal Rob–and, more importantly!–fellow Ricochet members for our first pub crawl! We hope you won’t miss it; but don’t worry, we’ve got more events to come. (There’s even a surprise announcement for our next one herein!) First up is a man who needs no introduction. Source

Big, big news this week! And even if we’re a few days behind, fashionable lateness is sort of our style. To ensure thoughtful novelty, we’re joined by legal scholar Adam White, who is able to channel his Iowa everyman to take us through intricate legalese and manages to put it in plain English. He evaluates precedents, the new political questions, and the litigation to come. The gang (including... Source

We still can’t help but wonder what happened to California; and today’s guest has not only been writing about it for years, but is running for governor in hopes of administering a cure. Michael Shellenberger is confident he can take on Gavin Newsom and restore the Golden State to health. (Visit here to donate to his campaign!) He talks about his vision, the growing support he’s receiving... Source

The title says it all, yes? Not quite. It doesn’t tell you that everybody’s favorite Peter Robinson is off to Israel, and will therefore be filled in by everybody’s favorite Steve Hayward. And it also fails to tell you that the indefatigably cheery John Yoo is our guest! The hosts pick John’s brain on everything from the trouble in the Mouse House, to slipping mandates, and on to a sure-to-be... Source

Don’t matter what you call it. Ricochetti are a passionate bunch, and sometimes the fighting spirit takes over. Our first guests are Andrew Gutmann (hosts of the essential Take Back Our Schools podcast) and Ricochet member Michele Kerr who’s had some strong criticisms of the fellas’ takes on public education over the years. For those of you who like a little scrappiness on the flagship podcast... Source