Having ascended from the proletariat to the ruling class in the hierarchy of the Cato Institute, Scott Lincicome returns to the Remnant not simply to flaunt his success, but to issue an urgent defense of an embattled concept: globalization. In these troubled times, many of the left and right alike have become hostile to the relatively free movement of people, goods, and ideas across national borders. But Scott maintains that globalization is an unequivocal force for good, and that the most commo...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Megan McArdle returns to the Remnant today for a discussion that has the luxury of being detached from current events. Things operate at a high level of abstraction throughout—even the rank punditry is more nerdishly academic than usual—as she and Jonah analyze and debate a handful of topics that seem to render him increasingly despondent. Can resentment among elites explain Donald Trump’s success? Do ideas actually matter, or have all intellectuals wasted their lives? Just how ugly should we ex...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 19 min
Jonah’s in a distracted state of mind on today’s Ruminant , but that can’t stop him from rambling at a wholly unnecessary length. Springing haphazardly between subjects, he offers thoughts on the distinction between populism and conservatism, the brain-killing stupidity of our election, and the role ideologues should play in society. He also reflects on his discussion with Tom Nichols about the state of the right from earlier in the week, and clarifies a few key points. In these troubled times, ...
Sep 09, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Chris Stirewalt can be many things—caveman lawyer, Southern fried good old boy, etc.—but today, he’s a simple pundit from the backwoods who’s back on the Remnant to dispense some rank insights on the state of our parties and how the 2024 election is shaping up. The resulting conversation is exactly what you’d imagine: an onslaught of pop culture references tempered by a modicum of sobering political analysis. How clear is it that Biden can defeat Trump? What do the current Democratic and Republi...
Sep 07, 2023•1 hr 16 min
The Remnant ’s streak of obvious guests who have inexplicably never appeared on the program continues today, as professor turned Atlantic staff writer Tom Nichols joins the show to provide some uncut, fiercely nerdy analysis of our current political malaise. Much of his conversation with Jonah concerns the ongoing conflict in Ukraine—namely, how America has handled it, and what’s really motivating Putin. But after that, the stage is set for an epic debate between the duo on what it means to be “...
Sep 06, 2023•1 hr 53 min
Ignoring the desperate pleas of those closest to him, Jonah reaches new heights of excess on today’s needlessly long Ruminant . Still on a China kick, he begins by addressing the country’s spiraling economy and illiberal regime, but quickly becomes distracted by a handful of similarly grim topics, including the awfulness of Russia and the poisonous role of the coalitional instinct in American life. Stick around for musings on the Clarence Thomas controversy, Mitch McConnell’s health, and civic i...
Sep 02, 2023•1 hr 38 min
Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Luke Coffey returns after an appearance last October with esteemed Remnant guest host Klon Kitchen. In that time, a whole mess of insanity has gone on in Ukraine—some of it good, some of it worrying. Now that we’re a year and a half into the maelstrom, do Ukrainians still like Zelensky? How long can Russia keep its hand on this kind of a hot burner before wrenching it away? And above all, Luke gives us the reasons for optimism about the situation and why it’s not o...
Aug 31, 2023•1 hr 20 min
By popular demand, psychologist and author Jean Twenge joins the Remnant today to affirm Jonah’s status as America’s most arrogant Gen Xer. Dr. Twenge’s recent work has focused on generational differences, the challenges facing Generation Z, and how generational changes are influenced by developments in technology. All of these subjects and more are examined throughout, and many disturbing questions are answered: Why are Gen Zers living life at such a slow pace? What’s the real link between porn...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Today’s Ruminant raises a predictably peculiar question within its opening moments: How can rodentology help us understand the first Republican debate? Jonah’s answer may surprise you, but what’s more surprising is that it connects quite naturally to another of the week’s hot topics: the debate over what America’s role should be in the war in Ukraine. With plenty of vim and slightly less vigor, he dedicates most of this episode to exploring what form American foreign policy should take, and why ...
Aug 26, 2023•1 hr 11 min
If the Remnant has a failing, it’s that, in almost 700 episodes of relentlessly nerdy conversation, Robert P. George hasn’t once appeared on the program. Today, Jonah rectifies that mistake, inviting the beloved Princeton professor and director of the James Madison Program onto the show to discuss America’s fraying civic bonds, and what we can do to stem the tide of illiberalism. They also provide some uniquely sophisticated punditry on the 2024 election, examine what it takes to build a conserv...
Aug 24, 2023•1 hr 25 min
It’s another round of intense national security wonkery on today’s Remnant , but this time, Jonah’s joined by an overdue first-timer rather than a returning favorite. His guest is Robert D. Kaplan, a prolific writer on foreign policy and author of the new book, The Loom of Time , which explores the state of politics in the Greater Middle East and makes the case for a realist approach to the region. But what does foreign policy realism look like in practice? What kind of shape is democracy in aro...
Aug 23, 2023•1 hr 11 min
Jonah’s in an uncharacteristically effulgent and ebullient mood on today’s Ruminant , but don’t let his high spirits trick you into expecting a less ranty and discombobulated episode than usual. Jonah kicks things off with some extended thoughts on the problems with small dollar donors, before shifting, somehow, into a discussion of the coalition instinct among human beings. If that sounds a little too cerebral, rest assured that the latter half of this episode provides nothing but unfiltered pu...
Aug 19, 2023•1 hr 5 min
In keeping with the Remnant ’s long tradition of providing edifying counter-programming, Jonah’s joined today by Ken Pollack—AEI senior fellow and expert on the Middle East—to discuss the latest on Iran and American policy toward the region. “Since the 1979 revolution,” Dr. Pollack writes in his latest piece for Foreign Policy , “Iran’s leadership has single-mindedly attempted to dominate the Middle East and drive the United States and Israel out.” But now, Tehran is shifting its approach, and I...
Aug 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Sleep-deprived and disoriented in his shrinking ghetto of the egghead-osphere, Jonah’s in desperate need of a euphonious English accent to help him collect his thoughts. Fortunately, prolific author Daniel Hannan is on hand to provide exactly that, and to offer some erudite insights into a wide range of political and philosophical topics. How should we define republican virtue, and what does that have to do with fighting wokeism? Is Britain’s conservative movement a stable force or a hot mess? H...
Aug 16, 2023•1 hr 18 min
Jonah’s world is often defined by the things he hates, but just can’t resist talking about. Today’s Ruminant kicks off with an unrelenting rant against many of such subjects, including Trump; populism; and petty, meaningless Twitter feuds. After that, things drift in a more eggheady direction, as Jonah examines Israel’s governmental framework and provides a few musings on public morality. But even if none of those eclectic topics interest you, you’ll want to stick around until the end of this ep...
Aug 12, 2023•1 hr 18 min
On today’s Remnant —which happens to be more than a year in the making—Jonah’s joined for the first time by Ian Rowe, a senior fellow at AEI and the author of Agency (2022), which explores how young people can build strong families and take control of their destiny. Much of their conversation focuses on one of Ian’s primary interests, the success sequence, and whether it’s still valid in modern America. But plenty of wonkish musings are also mixed in on the importance of stable marriages, the ac...
Aug 10, 2023•55 min
If you were hopelessly confused by Jonah’s recent conversation with Sarah Isgur on the Trump indictment, prepare to be even more bewildered by today’s follow-up, which features the overdue Remnant return of Andy McCarthy, National Review ’s chief legal poobah. It’s an episode of relentless legal nerdery as they dig deep into the weeds on Trump’s latest legal woes, and whether the claims against him hold up to scrutiny. There’s also some less mind-melting discussion mixed in on the legacy of the ...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 40 min
From a mysterious fortress in the depths of the Adirondacks comes today’s Ruminant , which may be the most pointless in quite some time. Addled from weeks of often traumatic travel, Jonah can’t quite keep his thoughts in order, and the result is an episode that glides across the surface of a whole range of topics. Among these are English theater, the Trump indictment, and the evolving Hunter Biden saga. But thanks to the sublime landscape around him, he dedicates most of his time to climate chan...
Aug 05, 2023•48 min
Back in the USA—but sadly not back at chez dingo—Jonah’s in a particularly exhausted state on today’s Remnant . It doesn’t help that his original plan for this episode—a fun, substance-free conversation with Sarah Isgur—was thwarted by the latest Trump indictment news, which forces the duo to engage in some actual serious discussion on the subject. They explore whether the indictment holds up to scrutiny, how the field of GOP candidates should respond to it, and whether Trump could rightly be co...
Aug 03, 2023•1 hr 19 min
There’s been no shortage of disgruntled commentary in conservative media about the state of New York City recently, but it’s important to remember how bad things used to be in comparison. Today, Jonah is joined by old friends Tevi Troy and Vincent Cannato to reflect on what the Big Apple was like in the ‘70s. They dig into urban politics, criminology, and what it takes to reverse social decay, while also providing a few nostalgic musings that could serve as the foundation for an Odd Couple reboo...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Today’s Ruminant finds Jonah across the pond, indulging in greasy fish wrapped in newspaper while trying to forget about some of the less pleasant aspects of his recent trek through the Italian mountains. After recounting a few tales of that arduous expedition, he switches his brain into pundit mode, addressing some of the biggest political questions that have arisen during his absence. What’s going on with the Hunter Biden plea deal? Have the wheels fallen off the DeSantis bus? And what happens...
Jul 29, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Thanks to David French’s treachery, Jonah is forced to step into the world of evangelicalism on today’s episode, which features the Remnant debut of Russell Moore, a theologian, pastor, and writer at Christianity Today . Dr. Moore’s new book, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America , calls for an evangelical revival in the face of America’s contemporary challenges. Together, he and Jonah take a deep dive into what that revival should look like and what role religion should pla...
Jul 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min
If you’re fearful of the future, you may not want to tune in to today’s terrifying Remnant . Jonah’s guest is Nita Farahany, a professor at Duke Law School and the author of The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology . The book explores the rise of neurotechnology—devices designed to track our brain signals to figure out exactly what we’re thinking and feeling and why. But would a world of mental surveillance and ubiquitous neural interfaces be e...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Jonah performs a rare act of magnanimity on today’s Remnant , freeing Abe Greenwald, Commentary ’s executive editor, from the verbal oppression of John Podhoretz. Abe’s first appearance on this program is long overdue, and he’s quick to dispense some dark secrets of the Commentary podcast that he’s clearly been bottling up. But when the political analysis begins, it’s as pure and wide-ranging as you’d expect. There’s an extended discussion of how America became a low-trust society, an exploratio...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Any malefactors of great wealth who also happen to be devoted Remnant listeners may wish to avoid today’s episode. Jonah’s guest is Matt Lewis, a senior columnist at The Daily Beast, who’s on the program to discuss his new book, Filthy Rich Politicians: The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals, and Ruling-Class Elites Cashing in on America . Together, they explore “how the rich get elected and the elected get rich,” and what that means for American politics. Some grouchy musings on the future of the ...
Jul 19, 2023•1 hr 7 min
If you thought the Ruminant was incoherent at the best of times, you may be completely unprepared for today’s unpredictable onslaught of twists and turns. Grappling with a serious hangover, Jonah begins with a reflection on the war in Ukraine and somehow ends by discussing his newfound love for The Bear , all the while emitting a distracting array of grunts and groans. Along the way, he also finds time for a few more substantial and vituperative rants, which primarily concern his disdain for Ada...
Jul 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min
If you’re obsessed with pop culture but can’t stand Rob Long and John Podhoretz, today’s Remnant may be the weird, wonderful, and interruption-free GLoP alternative you’ve been waiting for. Jonah’s joined for the first time by Christopher Scalia, former academic suit turned scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Their paths recently crossed during an AEI panel on the legacy of cultural critic Paul Cantor, where they offered some exceptionally square-eyed geekery on TV shows both obvious a...
Jul 13, 2023•1 hr 4 min
There’s been quite the media furore about rising crime rates in recent years. But now that COVID is behind us and cities are alive again, are the numbers on crime moving in a more positive direction? RAND Corporation criminologist Shawn Bushway is back on the Remnant today to answer this question, and to address a few other points of concern and uncertainty surrounding policing and criminal justice in modern America. What determines rates of recidivism? Are certain crimes becoming more common th...
Jul 12, 2023•1 hr 20 min
Today’s Ruminant finds Jonah on an uncharacteristic high, and no, his good mood can’t be attributed to a certain substance that was recently discovered in the White House. He’s actually in elevated spirits because a recent AEI event prompted him to rediscover the work of Paul Cantor, a late scholar at the University of Virginia who analyzed pop culture through a conservative lens. He begins today’s program with a thorough exploration of Cantor’s work, before delivering similarly overlong rants o...
Jul 08, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Trapped on the island of Nantucket, a guestless Jonah uses today’s Remnant to provide an impromptu meditation on the Fourth of July. His musings explore the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, whether America is a nation or an idea, and why it’s vital to teach American history. Listen with a hot dog in one hand and a miniature flag in the other to feel like a true patriot. Show Notes: - Henry Fairlie: “The Shot Heard Round the World” - The Gettysburg Address and the meaning of the 4th - ...
Jul 04, 2023•57 min
