The Ricochet Podcast

Just James, Peter and Rob this week to wade through the disaster that has become of American higher education. Naturally, the essential question arises: what do we do about these once-prestigious institutions? The Ricochet trio think it through.

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 CochranToday's podcast was sponsored by Fast Growing Trees & ZBiotics: https://fastgrowingtrees.comUse code RICOCHET to save an additional 15%.https://zbiotics.com/ricochet

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.

Andrew Klavan returns to the Ricochet Podcast for a special Good Friday/Easter episode! He, Rob and Peter cover everything from antisemitism—the devil's flagpole, as Drew calls it—and what it really means to believe that Christ is King; on to poetics, popular fiction, political persuasiveness and the right's shortcomings as conveyors of truth. Plus, Peter and Rob give a tribute to the last centrist Democrat Joe Lieberman; and consider the power of container ships, both as objects and as economic game changers, after one knocked out a bridge in Rob's city of origin.- Audio this week: Emergency Dispatch recording in Baltimore Harbor

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've got a special number for ya, folks. Instead of a guest or even politics, Charles Cooke, James Lileks and Peter Robinson talk football and music. Tune in for a recap on the Super Bowl—get Charles' take on the season and theLileksian review of the game's ads; plus the two of them give Peter a serious crash course in post-Beatles pop music! Sound clips from the open are from the State Farm, BMW, CeraVe ads, along with The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964.

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 not up 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 cold Caucus 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

The trio is back for 2024! The reunited gang is happy to welcome back Ayaan Hirsi Ali to discuss the West's crisis of confidence and its fumbling attempt at post-Judeo-Christianity. Plus James, Rob and Peter have a few thoughts about Claudine Gay's resignation, and they divulge their philosophies on new year's resolutions.This week’s opening sound: Mara Gay of the NYT Editorial Board on the resignation of Harvard’s president (Morning Joe on MSNBC)

Ok. We lied.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

Once upon a time Americans could reliably count on reporters to follow the money to stay up on what the world's powerful players were up to. If you've ever despaired that those days are gone forever, we want to provide a bit of hope by introducing Seamus Bruner. We cover his new book Controligarchs. To be sure, the story is quite disconcerting, but the young Mr. Bruner is optimistic that we can win the fight against our age's "altruistic" masters of the universe. His thoroughly researched, readable deep dive into our 30 mega meddler billionaires is his latest effort to wake Americans up to the onslaught on our way of life.Ricochet's resident scholar Steve Hayward is in for James this week. He, Peter and Rob discuss this week's pitiful showing from the presidents of our elite colleges in front of Congress; and they chat on David Weiss' revised indictment of Hunter Biden.Sound clip from the open: Harvard President Claudine Gay and Rep. Elise Stefanik at the House Committee on Education and Labor hearing.

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 Lake joins 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 Rahe to 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 McCarthy to 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.And Barton Swaim visits 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 is Best Things First where he sets his sights on cost effective, acheivable goals that will lift the world's poorest out of miserable conditions and inch 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 Superabundance reminds 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 Rowe disagrees. 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 Yoo even 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 Berlinksi stops 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 Gingrich to discuss his newly published March to the Majority and, 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 not just 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.

Andy McCarthy returns to help us get through the shocking discovery that maybe it's possible that the Bidens are a little bit not entirely 100 percent ethical. This week we've got money laundering, not one but two prostitutes; another big chapter in the border crisis, and a good samaritan being charged for trying to protect New Yorkers on the subway. And as if our hosts are going to talk about American cities two weeks in a row without having a word about architecture... Pshaw!

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.