The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg talks to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Molly Worthen about her recent book, Spellbound, as they trace the history of charisma—not to be confused with charm—through 400 years of American history. Show Notes:—Molly’s webpage—Molly’s book: Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg has convinced Dispatch contributing writer Jay Nordlinger to take a break from swanning about Europe to sit and chew over the great issues of our day. They discuss the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks, the Nobel Peace Prize, the consequences of presidential action, and free speech. Show Notes:—Jay’s Substack—Jay’s New Criterion page—Renew Democracy Initiative—The Next Move Substack—Jay’s book: Peace, They Say: A History of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Most Famous and Controversial Prize in the World—The Rest Is History episode on Enoch Powell The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After powering through some rank punditry, Jonah Goldberg displays his intellectual prowess by tackling G.K. Chesterton’s take on Edmund Burke, outlining mankind’s three great revolutions, and dissecting our notion of “identity crisis.” Show Notes:—Friday’s Dispatch Podcast—Chesterton on Burke—Jonah’s Remnant with Allen Guelzo—Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy—“The Hedgehog and the Fox” The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frenemies Jonah Goldberg and Elliot Williams, accustomed to sitting across from each other on CNN, come together to discuss a meeting of generals, the Comey indictment, and the drift of the parties. Show Notes:—Elliot Williams’s Profile—Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation—Advisory Opinions episode on Comey indictment—“Why Everyone Is Rushing to Label Themselves an ‘Independent’ ” - Jonah’s LA Times ColumnThe Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg teams up with Emily Oster—Brown University economist, and more importantly, Dispatch contributor—to discuss Tylenol and autism, the allure of tradwives, and the battle over household divisions of labor. Show Notes:—Emily Oster’s writer page for The Dispatch—Emily for The Dispatch: Missteps to a Misguided Claim—ParentData website—Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong—and What You Really Need to Know—Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool—The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Year—The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications—“I, Pencil” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg is smacked back to reality from his break abroad with the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and the beginning symptoms of a cold. Powering his way through cough medicine, he argues against the vindictive nature of the Trump administration, dives into the hagiography of Charlie Kirk on the right, and revisits the debate between Athens vs. Jerusalem from his Remnant episode with historian Allen C. Guelzo. Show Notes:—Andrew McCarthy's piece on the Comey indictment in National Review—Nick Catoggio's Boiling Frogs newsletter on the Comey indictment—Jonah's Remnant with Allen Guelzo—Jonah's Wednesday G-File—Advisory Opinions' episode with Richard Primus The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Allen C. Guelzo joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss his new book, The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom, exploring the origins of the key threads that make up the Western tradition, how they were woven together over two-and-a-half millennia, and how foundational ideas such as science, freedom, equality, law, good government, and virtue emerged and evolved. The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renowned psychologist Steven Pinker joins Jonah Goldberg to share insights from his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life, which explores humanity’s unique sixth sense for common knowledge.The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Editor’s note: Jonah Goldberg has vanished somewhere in the Swiss Alps. While search-and-rescue teams brave the mountains, we’re re-airing a Remnant classic with fan favorite Yuval Levin. This episode first aired March 26, 2025. Not since Thomas Jefferson podcasting alone has a guest been so wise as Yuval Levin, who joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss the trend of Lebowskian communication mishaps, the danger of obsessive abstraction in Trumpian times, and the promise of connecting with the median voter. Show Notes:—The Atlantic: "Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans"—Yuval on The Ezra Klein Show—Yoni Appelbaum on The Remnant—National Review: "Look on My Works, Ye Mighty, and Despair!"—Yuval for The Free Press The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Jonah’s travels continue, guest host Kevin Williamson is joined by Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, for a discussion of China’s approach to engineering in the 21st century, what living in Shanghai during the pandemic was like, and the future of U.S.-China relations. Show Notes:—Dan Wang’s website—Kevin for The Dispatch: “Understanding China’s Engineering Empire” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Editor’s Note: Jonah is traveling this week, but he pre-recorded this episode with Claire Lehmann on September 8 to make sure you got your Remnant fix. Claire Lehmann, founder of Quillette and contributing writer for The Dispatch, joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss the radicalization of young women, the new wave of wokeness championed by figures like Zohran Mamdani, and why Australia is a terrifying continent filled with creatures that want you dead. Show Notes:—Claire Lehmann for The Dispatch: "The Next Generation of Wokeness"—Claire Lehmann for The Dispatch: "When Women Are Radicalized" The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg dissects the inflammatory ‘war’ rhetoric coming from both the right and left following the assassination of political activist Charlie Kirk, the rise of political violence in recent years, and the various forms of killing throughout human history. But first, Jonah wants you to know he’s not an arsonist. Show Notes:—Jonah Goldberg for National Review: Debate Amongst Yourselves—Charles Fain Lehmann on The Remnant—Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Advisory Opinions The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg sits down with Graeme Wood of The Atlantic to break down Iran’s recovery after its 12-day war with Israel, the chances of regime change, and what’s next for Israel in Gaza.  Plus: Why honor among nations still matters. Show Notes:—The Neighbor From Hell—For Iranians, War With Israel Still Looms Large The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Stirewalt joins Jonah Goldberg to unpack the Frasier-esque undertones of Donald Trump’s birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ capitulation on vaccine mandates, and the “mean girls” dynamic inside the Trump administration. Show Notes:—Seth Masket's Substack on the popularity of the presidency The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg ruminates on the recent exchange between Ted Cruz and Tim Kaine on the celestial origins of rights, the idea of “heritage Americans,” and Donald Trump’s dying relationship with Modi. Show Notes:—Cass Sunstein on The Remnant—Michael Warren reporting on the NatCons—Friday's Dispatch Podcast—Friday’s G-File Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice week continues with Charles Fain Lehman, Manhattan Institute fellow and Dispatch contributing writer, joining Jonah Goldberg for a discussion on drug addiction, legalized gambling, and porn. Show Notes:—Charles for The Dispatch: “The Sports Gambling Backlash Is Here”—Charles for The Dispatch: “It’s Time to Prosecute Pornhub” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Carney, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Jonah Goldberg to unpack his latest investigative reporting on a local brothel, and they discuss the cronyism lurking behind tariffs as well as misconceptions common on both the left and the right about encouraging Americans to have more children. Show Notes:—Read Tim's book: Family Unfriendly: A Critical Examination of Overparenting and Its Consequences—Read Tim's reporting on the Falls Church brothel The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg addresses the ‘thoughts and prayers’ backlash following the tragic school shooting in Minneapolis, examines fractures within the Trump coalition, and continues the Dispatch Roundtable’s discussion of how bad Franklin D. Roosevelt was as a president. Show Notes:—In Defense of Thoughts and Prayers—Michael Brendon Doughtery's article for National Review—Friday's Dispatch Roundtable—Daniel McCarthy's response to Jonah The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg is joined by Cass Sunstein, legal scholar and author of Manipulation: What It Is, Why It’s Bad, What to Do About It, to define liberalism once and for all (it means being a mensch), explain the role of “nudging” in public policy, and defend the “abundance” agenda. Show Notes:—Sludge: What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lord Daniel Hannan of Kingsclere joins Jonah Goldberg for a royal breakdown of new speech laws in the United Kingdom and to provide a history lesson on the Conservative Party. Show Notes: —⁠Hannan's website⁠ The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices