Advertise on podcast: The Ricochet Podcast

Moving concentrates the mind on the old days (good or otherwise). And who better to reminisce with than a good ole pal? James Lileks and Rob Long are back together, and they brought family heirlooms... Breezing through current events (a blockaded blockade abroad, a goon running Gotham, a papal-sovereign scrap), the duo takes in another week's worth of madness with the calm of mind that comes from grateful reception of some inherited wisdom.

It's just Lileks and Cooke this week, back to gander at another quintessentially American week of this semiquincentennial year. The fellas cover the halted hostilities in Iran, an incredible rescue op, Mayor Mamdani's "Citywide Racial Equity Plan," the awaited splashdown of Artemis II astronauts, and all manner of transportation issues. 

Bondi's out at DOJ. SCOTUS heard another big case and issued another big ruling. We're at war, and Congress is out of the loop... We need a legal expert this week. John Malcolm joins — Vice President of the Meese Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom, and Executive Editor of the third edition of The Heritage Guide to the Constitution.  Plus, Charles, Steve, and James are rejuvenated by the Artemis II launch, underwhelmed by Trump's address on the war, slightly stunned by modern slang, and mildly ticked by faulty diction. 

James and Steve put Charles in the guest chair to elaborate on his National Review cover story exhorting against generalized downerdom and political pessimism. Further, the trio speculates on the nature of negotiations with the people supposedly running Iran, as well as next week's birthright citizenship case before SCOTUS. Sound from this week's open: Marco Rubio speaks on Iran war objectives.

H.R. McMaster joins Steve and Charles to take stock of the war in the Middle East. Though a tank man by training, H.R. is no stranger to thinking about our capabilities and how they stack up against our foes—both the enemy in Iran and the aggressors backing them up.  Plus, Cooke and Hayward can't help but feel a bit of relief that there's a bit less Erlichian misanthropy in the world; consider newly reported accusations against Caesar Chavez that could prove fatal to the progressive hero's reputation; and they round the necrologies out with a salute to the immortal Chuck Norris.  Sounds from this week's open: Cesar Chavez at UCLA in 1972, Paul Erlich (Growth Busters, 2007) and Chuck Norris on… Chuck Norris (Full Measure, 2017)

For decades, war game experts have produced dire predictions for American-Iranian war scenarios. While it's still early days, the circumstances are much more favorable than strategists had supposed. Noah Rothman returns to break down what's going right in Iran, what remains worrisome and uncertain, what the public ought to anticipate, and what the administration ought to tell them. (Noah also gives us a quick preview of his upcoming book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America.) The fellas wrap the interview with theme-appropriate drapings: Brits are removing their greatest citizens from the nation's banknotes, reminding us of waning resolve from Western allies, and a thwarted terrorist plot in New York has the media and politicians twisting into knots to conceal the truth. (This episode was recorded on Thursday, March 12th to accommodate the hosts' travel schedules.)

James, Steve and Charles are back together to discuss life during wartime.

Underneath the "cuddly" rhetoric of the Democatic Socialists there lurks admirers of some of the most evil men in history. And, says our guest Tal Fortgang of the Manhattan Institute, they are also poised to take control of the whole of the Democratic Party.  There's also some hockey talk (USA! USA! USA!), the State of the Union and Gavin Newsom's SAT scores.

It's been said that there's no use in proposing that Donald Trump moderate his rhetoric, but with presidential approval ratings being what they are, a friendly reminder about duties and decorum might be just what the doctor ordered. Daniel Mahoney, author and professor emeritus at Assumption College, joins James and Steve to discuss his latest piece, "Discipline at a Moment of Power." Plus, the fellas consider this morning's breaking news about the SCOTUS ruling on "emergency" tariffs, applaud Marco Rubio's performance in Munich, and reflect on the passing of Jesse Jackson and Robert Duvall. 

Conservatism and the Republican Party have been at an impasse for some time. On the one hand, we're beholden to the enduring principles of our founding, on the other we're proud members of the world's most innovative state. Henry Olsen joins Steve and James this week to discuss life at the conservative crossroads. (Check out his new podcast series of the same name here!) Plus, Lileks and Hayward celebrate the EPA's move to drop the greenhouse gas "endangerment finding," and mark the departure of a friend of Ricochet. Rest in peace, Mr. John Ekdahl. 

Lingering cold has many a podcast host needing a week off, but Rob Long and Steve Hayward reconvene to enjoy some juicy stories and just desserts: The "Democracy Dies in Darkness" crowd got cut up in broad daylight, Jeffrey Epstein's pals are paying their due for dealing with the devil, and a $2 million verdict was awarded to a minor in a suit against the medical professionals who deformed her. 

Peter returns to catch up with James of Snogadishu and Charles of the land of peace, prosperity, and enviable winter climate. It's good timing to have the ever-winsome Robinson back as the trio wraps their heads around another week of crazy that hits a little too close to home. They grapple with domestic disturbances revolving around another killing in the Twin Cities and the preposterous notion that journalists have special First Amendment privileges. There's also trouble abroad...all over the place, in fact. But we're feeling pretty good about a State Department left in Little Marco's hands.

We're one year into Trump 2.0. And it's America at 250. James, Steve and Charles discuss and debate an especially wild week for an already-adventurous Trump administration.

Sometimes you've just had enough. Bill Barr, two-time Attorney General and author of One Damn Thing After Another, knows the feeling. He joins James, Steve, and Charles today to discuss the legal grounds for the extraordinary rendition of Nicolás Maduro and the options available to federal law enforcement as the Twin Cities tiptoe around an insurrection.  The trio speculates on whether the US is reversing its position on Iran, considers the supposed price tag on a Greenland buy, and James declares that he has absolutely no opinion on the new Star Trek series. Not a one. Zip, zero. Don't bother asking...

James, Steve, and Charles are back for a new year that seems determined to outdo its predecessor. Lileks reports from the Twin Cities, a site dead set on being the epicenter of American chaos. Then the fellas step out of the Minnesota cold to warm their bones by the fire of collectivism. And they round it all out with a chat about the ever-surprising Don Doctrine, which put an end to one tyrant last week and has many wondering what it could mean for Iran.