The Ricochet Podcast

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.

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 Williamson to make the case that things aren't quite as bad as many would have us believe. And Andrew Gutmann returns 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-way last 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!

It's a trip around the world on this week's Ricochet Podcast. Our guide is AEI's Nick Eberstadt. He keeps up with all the little details that are often overlooked by prognosticating pundits. How do China's age distribution and Russia's health profile for young men hinder their ambitions? Are we in a position to sway India to the West? What other friend prospects are out there? He has answers to all the questions most of us have never thought to ask. And optimism, too! The guys also talk about the Dutch and their farms and the French and their grèves. Plus, just when you thought we could all agree that TikTok is the worst, our hosts find some finer points to quibble about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

On the occasion of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Peter Robinson discusses his career and legacy with Father Paul Scalia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Another reminder that glitter doesn't always lead to gold. FTX and its oh-so-scruffy whiz kid have tanked, and they're bringing a lot of risk takers down with them. But some of us can't help but wonder if they were even tricked by actual glitter. If they had been paying attention to Rich Goldberg—host of our Cryptonite podcast—they might've seen it coming. If they tune in today, they might at least learn a lesson or two. And while we're on the subject of misguided expectations, we've invited back Charles McElwee of RealClearPennsylvania. He's here to explain the demographic entanglements that make PA a hard state to call and the mistakes the GOP made that've made us blue these days. And Elon Musk sure has a way of keeping us talking about his new tweet factory. Happy Thanksgiving! See you all in two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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