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The Ricochet Podcast

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Weekly episodes of Ricochet’s flagship podcast feature our hosts James Lileks, Steve Hayward, Charles C. W. Cooke, and guests discussing the issues of the week.

Listen to The Ricochet Podcast, along with more than 40 other original podcasts, at Ricochet.com. No paid subscription required.
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Episodes

CPAC #21: Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo

Our final podcast and the highlight of CPAC: National Review’s Jim Geraghty talks to actor Kevin Sorbo about his new film “Caged” about human trafficking, last year’s surprise hit “God’s Not Dead“, and the real most important question at CPAC: In a fight between Hercules and Xena, who would win? Source

Feb 28, 20157 min

CPAC #20: Jason Beardsley & Jay Redman

Jay Nordlinger and Jim Geraghty interview Jason Beardsley of The Underground Movement and Jay Redman of Wounded Wear, both distinguished combat veterans, working with Concerned Veterans for America. Source

Feb 28, 201511 min

CPAC #18: Former Md. Governor Bob Ehrlich

Jay Nordlinger and Jim Geraghty interview Bob Ehrlich, who was a Republican governor of Maryland before it was cool… before it went mainstream. Source

Feb 28, 201514 min

CPAC #17: Kansas Governor Sam Brownback

Jim Geraghty interviews Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback about how he survived as an alleged “dead man walking” in last year’s reelection campaign, what he’s done as governor that’s made Democrats furious, the difficulties of working with the Obama administration, and whether he misses life as a presidential candidate. Source

Feb 28, 20158 min

CPAC #16: Col. Allen West

Col. Allen West, author of Guardian of the Republic, Fox News contributor & former U.S. Congressman joins Jay Nordlinger to discuss CPAC, 2016, the state of the military, and how Republicans can doa better job of attracting African American voters. Source

Feb 28, 201512 min

CPAC #15: The Benham Brothers

National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke talks to reality TV stars the Benham Brothers about cultural forces that caused the cancellation of their popular TV show from HGTV. Source

Feb 28, 20159 min

CPAC #14: MSNBC's Joe Scarborough

National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke talks to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough about the scene at CPAC and his views on the 2016 race. Source

Feb 28, 20159 min

CPAC #13: Dan Bongino

Jim Geraghty interviews Daniel Bongino, the former United States Secret Service agent who was the Republican Party nominee for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District in the 2014 elections. He’s also the author of Life Inside the Bubble: Why a Top-Ranked Secret Service Agent Walked Away from It All... Source

Feb 28, 20159 min

CPAC #12: Brent Bozell

Jim Geraghty interviews Media Research Center’s Brent Bozell. Source

Feb 28, 20159 min

Live From CPAC #11: Carly Fiorina

Jay Nordlinger interviews former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina on her childhood, her life in corporate America, and her past and future aspirations in politics. Source

Feb 28, 201515 min

Live from CPAC #10: Kellyanne Conway

Jay Nordlinger interviews Kellyanne Conway, the Founder and President of the polling company, inc./WomanTrend a privately-held, woman-owned corporation founded in 1995. Source

Feb 28, 201515 min

Live From CPAC #8: Grover Norquist

Live from CPAC 2015, Jay Nordlinger interviews founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, Grover Norquist. Source

Feb 27, 201521 min

Live From CPAC #7: John Bolton

In this installment of our Live From CPAC series, Jay Nordlinger talks to former Ambassador John Bolton. Source

Feb 27, 201514 min

Live From CPAC #6: Texas Congressman Bill Flores

At CPAC 2015, Jay Nordlinger interviews Texas Congressman Bill Flores, on his background, the Keystone pipeline, and his position as one of the only CPA’s in Congress. Source

Feb 27, 20158 min

CPAC #6: Herbert London

Jay Nordlinger chats with Conservative activist Herb London. London is the president of London Center for Policy Research and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Source

Feb 27, 201514 min

CPAC #3: Governor Bobby Jindal

In our continuing series of podcasts from CPAC, National Review’s Jim Geraghty interviews Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. Source

Feb 27, 201515 min

Live From CPAC: Senator Ted Cruz

We’re not doing a Ricochet Podcast today; instead, we’ll be posting short interviews live from CPAC. In this first installment, Jay Nordlinger interviews Senator Ted Cruz from Texas. He discusses Obama’s constitutional violations, relations with Iran, and yes, his presidential aspirations. Source

Feb 26, 201517 min

Shake It Up

We haven’t done one of these in a long time: a show with just the three hosts talking about the news. To be honest, it wasn’t planned that way, but a certain producer told the guest the wrong time. But luckily, we have three guys who can easily fill up an hour with clever conversation and camaraderie. This week, we cover ISIS, our confounding foreign policy, a (very) early look at 2016... Source

Feb 19, 20151 hr 12 minEp. 250

The Optimists

This week on the Ricochet Podcast, we’re blinding you with science and with the prospect of a relaxing and intellectually stimulating National Review cruise. First up, it’s Ricochet member extraordinaire anonymous. You many know him from his superlative Saturday Night Science series ( and hey, buy the t-shirt) and book review posts, but his expertise on topics like net neutrality, autonomous cars... Source

Feb 12, 20151 hr 10 minEp. 249

Lies

We’re telling tales this week, tales about the effectiveness of vaccinations ( with our guest Dr. George Savage), we parse Brian Williams’ tales of the Iraq War, about the minimum wage in San Francisco, about the evils of porn (h/t Ricochet member Merina Smith), even about Harper Lee’s new novel. It’s another Ricochet Podcast, and that’s the whole truth. Music from this week’s episode: White Liar... Source

Feb 05, 20151 hr 14 minEp. 258

The Boilermakers

This week, the men of the Ricochet Podcast travel to America’s heartland to interview a beloved figure from the country’s recent political past. Former Indiana governor and current Purdue University president Mitch Daniels joins us to discuss his WSJ Op-Ed piece How Student Debt Harms The Economy. We also chat about making college more affordable and the President’s proposal “to lower the cost of... Source

Jan 28, 20151 hr 17 minEp. 247

State of The Union?

This week, Jon Gabriel sits in for Peter Robinson (he’ll be back next week –promise!) as we’re joined by two of the sharpest observers in politics. Matthew Continetti is the Editor-In-Chief of the Washington Free Beacon. We chat with him about this week’s State of The Union address, thin skinned liberals, American Sniper’s cultural impact, and the romantic genius of John Milius. Then... Source

Jan 22, 20151 hr 11 minEp. 246

The Band Wagon Departs

This week, Troy Senik sits in for Peter Robinson. and we’re joined by the WaPo’s epic political reporter Bob Costa (follow him on Twitter here). We chase down all the rumors on who’s running, who’s not, who’s shouldn’t be and who is. Also, some more chatter about Europe and the search for the perfect candidate. Music from this week’s episode: Tears of A Clown by Smokey Robinson & Source

Jan 15, 20151 hr 15 minEp. 245

Vive La Claire

This week, we’re lucky to have a live report on the tragedy in Paris from Ricochet’s own Claire Berlinski, who happened on the scene of the crime moments after it occurred. Then, we return to our side of the Atlantic for a conversation with our good pal (and fellow podcaster) Larry Kudlow. Gas tax? You’ve got to be kidding. Finally, some rumination of legalizing weed, courtesy of Ricochet member... Source

Jan 08, 20151 hr 16 minEp. 244

Happy Seasons

It’s our last podcast of 2014, so no guests, just the guys wrapping about politics, culture, and the best posts on Ricochet over the last year. Did your post make the list? Which ones did we leave off? This is why we have comments, people. Music from this week’s episode: With A Little Help From My Friends by Joe Cocker The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by... Source

Dec 23, 20141 hr 20 minEp. 243
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