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, rea...
Dec 08, 2023•59 min•Ep. 669
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 triumph...
Dec 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 668
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...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 667
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!
Nov 10, 2023•57 min•Ep. 666
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 str...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 665
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 f...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 664
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 h...
Oct 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 663
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 contain...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 662
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. - ...
Oct 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 661
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 Charle...
Sep 29, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 660
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...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 659
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!?...
Sep 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 658
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 wo...
Sep 08, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 641
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....
Aug 25, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 656
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 ...
Aug 18, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 639
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...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 654
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.
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 653
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 ...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 652
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...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 651
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...
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 14 min
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 cr...
Jul 07, 2023•1 hr 4 min
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.
Jun 30, 2023•57 min•Ep. 648
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 .)...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 647
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....
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 646
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...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 645
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.
Jun 02, 2023•53 min•Ep. 644
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.
May 26, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 643
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.
May 19, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 642
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!...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 7 min
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 a...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 5 min
