The Ricochet Podcast

Nearly fifty topsy-turvy days into Trump 2.0, we thought it'd be a good idea to zoom out some to better distinguish the signals from the noise. To that end, the gang sits down with Wall Street Journal Editor at Large Gerard Baker. Gerry covers everything from Trump's tariffs and geostrategic reshuffling to the media's collapsed institutional repute. Plus, Charles, Steve and James notice hints that ambitious progressives are maneuvering to sound like normal people; and they bewail the caprices of the muses now that they've repossessed the recently-acclaimed (and highly profitable) artistic inspiration from Hunter Biden. - Sound clip from this week's open: Mike Johnson restoring order during Trump's address before Congress on Tuesday.

Who needs guests when the news overflows? Not us! Our intrepid trio of James Lileks, Charles C.W. Cooke and Steve Hayward opine on Joy Reid's exit at MSNBC, Jake Tapper discovering Joe Biden's decline, gay horses and free speech in the UK (Not a joke!) and Gene Hackman exits the stage (Rest easy, Marine!)

Ross Douthat returns to the Ricochet Podcast to discuss his latest book, Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. Rob, Steve and James chat with him to get at The Big Everything. Why does a Catholic make the case for broadly-defined belief? Has disillusionment with liberalism provided God an opening to win back lost sheep? Should faith guide us toward practical answers to ordinary problems? Tune in for answers!Plus, the fellas discuss Voodoo Doll research getting the DOGE treatment; they consider the levels of commitment to America First; and they express their doubts that AfD's expected gains in the German parliament portend a Nazi revival.Clip from this week's open: White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller gives the press a civics lesson.

In ways both subtle and decidedly not, American foreign policy is a-changin'. Eli Lake joins James and Steve to caution against cuts to the National Endowment for Democracy and to nod approvingly of the Trump administration's boldness in the Middle East. We also get into "Breaking History," Eli's new podcast that pushes back against disheartening presentism by coloring today's headlines with historical antecedents. Plus, Lileks and Hayward applaud J.D. Vance's New Sheriff tour in Europe, and say their goodbye to copper change. - Sound from this week's open: Vice President Vance addresses the Munich Security Conference.

The Trump administration’s days of thunder roll on while just about everyone outside the DOGE team struggles to keep up. While many see little more than nonsense and mayhem, today’s guest, Daniel McCarthy, recognizes a sound strategy in tariff threats, iconoclasts heading executive agencies, and even the baffling Gaza Strip pitch, to address America’s mounting challenges at home and abroad. Plus, Steve, James and Charlie discuss the meltdown over USAID cuts; the dismal national report card; and the “Orwellian nightmare” facing… federal bureaucrats. Audio in this week’s open: NBC’s Hallie Jackson describes the panic of federal workers and Sen. Eric Schmitt (R - MO) talks about USAID on the floor of the Senate

President Trump's disruptive tendencies continue to shake up the Executive Branch at dizzying speed.  Thankfully, James and Charlie can keep their wits as they discuss the spending freeze/unfreeze and the reasonable expectations of the good that can be done with the president's pen. They're then joined by Dennis Kneale, host of the Ricochet Audio Network's "What's Bugging Me" podcast and author of The Leadership Genius of Elon Musk. Dennis teases some of the life lessons he thinks readers can draw from Musk to lead better lives; he also provides background for Elon's critical political conversion. Plus, James and Charlie wrap with some thoughts about the awful air collision in Washington, DC and the many reasons to be suspicious of DeekSeek...Sound from this week's open: Newly sworn-in Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy responds to the US suffering its worst commercial airline crash since 2009.

Trump's back in the White House and off to the races! To celebrate the return to popular sovereignty, Victor Davis Hanson returns to explain the most extraordinary political comeback in the nation's history. He identifies the agenda items Trump would do well to prioritize; he makes sense of the quick dissipation of the last decade's progressive lunacies; and, perhaps most importantly, he offers suggestions of what to look out for when the radicals attempt their comeback. Plus, Charlie, James and Steve pick through a couple of the noteworthy executive orders and cringe collectively at the reaction to Elon spreading some love at the Capital One Arena.Special thanks to this week's sponsor, BambooHR! Sound clip from this week's open: This week’s opening sound: Donald Trump is sworn in for the second time and AOC goes nuclear over Elon Musk

Happy Inauguration Day! To celebrate, Peter and Steve sit down with speechwriter and presidential advisor Ken Khachigian to discuss his time working with Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, as laid out in his newly published memoir, Behind Closed Doors. Going through his start in politics by landing a job under Pat Buchanan in the '68 campaign to drafting Reagan's first inaugural and serving as an advisor during key moments in the '80s, Ken shares a wealth of knowledge on the finer points of good statecraft. The guys also spend some time on the disaster in their beloved state of California and the prospects for national renewal under the new Trump administration.

The National Endowment for the Arts has been with us for sixty years, coinciding conspicuously with the ascendancy of nihilistic works that pollute our public spaces. Justin Shubow aims to change all of that. He's a top candidate to chair the NEA under the second Trump administration and has a particular interest in the proper design of federal architecture. What have columns and Roman arches to do with the re-moralization of the free citizen? Listen in to find out. Plus, James, Steve and Charlie adjust to Biden's just-declared 28th amendment; they work their way through the confirmation hearing highlights; and lose themselves in a David Lynch-like daydream.- Sound clips from this week's open: David Lynch on movies (KGSM MediaCache) and “Mr. Baseball” on family (MLB Media)

It's finally here: 2025! And your favorite podcast is finally back in order to maintain some continuity in these tempestuous times. James, Charles and Steve cover raging fires in Los Angeles and the jaw-dropping incompetence of the Golden State's leadership. On a cheerier note, they enjoy the changes taking place in Canada and at Meta, Inc.Plus, Dan MacLaughlin joins today to discuss Jimmy Carter's legacy, and, given Dan's title as the baseball crank, the gang has at a few questions on the great American game. New times, end times, and national pastimes. What more can you ask for?- Soundbite from the open: Embarrassing exchange between anchors and reporter at KTTV Fox 11 in Los Angeles

For the last podcast of the year, Steve, Charles and Rob pull out all the stops to grab the attention of podcast listeners worldwide: some theology here, a little healthcare debate there, a few notes on Congress' gargantuan Christmas list. Plus, there's the WSJ write-up on the efforts to conceal Joe Biden's decline, Kirsten Gillibrand's ERA absurdity, and some insights from Rob on how show-biz will be forced to come to its senses.Sound clip from today's open: Nancy Mace sifts through the CR bill.

In times such as these, the challenge is packing all the news into a single episode. James, Steve and Charles do their best to move with lightning speed through Biden's shower of clemency, UFOs in New Jersey, then across the Hudson River for the hard left's justifications for last week's coldblooded murder in Manhattan side-by-side with their fury over Daniel Penny's acquittal. All of this before sitting down with Noah Rothman to get an early glimpse at the change of management in Damascus.... And did we mention Charlie Cooke's restaurant explosion experience?- Congressman Jeff Van Drew (R - NJ02) tells Fox News that the drones over his state belong to Iran

Ricochet presents a special Yuletide episode featuring Joseph Bottum, author of Frankincense, Gold, and Myrrh: A Christmas Chrestomathy. In under an hour, he and Peter cover crammed cities and the rural expanse, crime and charity, the written word and the reader's mind—all with thoughts on the Christmas spirit in a contemporary setting.

John Yoo returns to discuss a lotta legal stuff this week. He talks presidential pardons, Daniel Penny, United States v. Skrmetti and the murder of UnitedHealth's CEO in Midtown Manhattan. Plus, after an extra-long Thanksgiving season hiatus, the boys are back with much to be grateful for. Sound from today's open: Chris Wallace predicted Hunter pardon on June 10; Ted Cruz reacts on NewsMax and Joe says Goodbye, Angola

About what President Trump is planning to put in his cabinet... Lileks, Cooke and Hayward have opinions on the digestibility of some of the picks. They're joined by Andy McCarthy to discuss the stunning nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, and the gang gets into what Trump will need for his cleanup on aisle DC.  - Soundbite from this week's open: Rep. Max Miller (R - OH 7) ABCNews YouTube Channel

Who better to talk to on our post-election victory lap episode than the man who saw it coming? Henry Olsen joins after proving correct in his daring prediction in the New York Post of a Trump-led red wave. We get into how he called it and his detailed post-op report. We also give him the chance to take off his analyst cap to do a little rooting for the team. And, of course, we get into his 2017 book, The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism, where he posited that the unlikely figure of Donald Trump was returning the Republican Party to the foundations that the Gipper laid out.Incogni is your personal data defender, safeguarding you from these digital predators. Use code RICOCHET at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/ricochet- Sound clip from the open: Donald Trump "firing" Kamala Harris at his rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

It's the last episode before the election, and given the anxiousness surrounding this cycle, we've recruited Andrew Klavan to bring his good cheer, wit and wisdom to put us at ease. We get his take on the race and field a few predictions, along with his perspective on America's cultural whirlwind—everything from the suffusion of the arts and tech to modern manhood and the search for enduring truth. (Plus, you'll want to pick up the latest copy of his just-published novel, A Woman Under Ground.Peter, Steve and James also make what they can of the latest moves in the polls, and tack on a couple predictions of their own. - Sound clip from today's open: Joe Biden's comments on garbage.

Rob Long takes a break from Biblical Greek to catch up with a few of his favorite laypeople. He gives James and Steve his early impressions of the coursework and classmates at Princeton Theological Seminary. Then the trio moves onto our favorite events since we've last seen the future father: the post-Brat Summer letdown for Harris; the meltdown over Trump's shift at McDonald's; and the left's resurrection of their favorite f-word for Republicans.- Soundclip from this week's open: Matt Walsh and Robin DiAngelo's first meeting in the documentary Am I Racist?Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code RICOCHET at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/ricochet

We can debate all we want about the Doomsday Clock's latest setting, but one needn't be a foreign policy expert to know our proximity to midnight is too close for comfort. As it happens, though, we have a foreign policy expert (and soldier) with us today. H.R. McMaster returns to discuss the dangerous moment we're in, what needs to be done with the precious time available, and why American officials need to stop fighting each other and concentrate on the enemies gathering at the gates. (Be sure to order his excellent new book: At War With Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House.)Plus, Peter, Steve and Charlie marvel at the multifaceted Musk; pick apart Harris's performance in her interview with Brett Baier; and rejoice at another small sign that DEI is falling out of favor even among the sophists. - Soundbite from this week's open: Baier presses Harris on her administration's unpopularity. And please visit Ricochet's newest sponsors:Incogni: http://incogni.com/ricochetCozy Earth: cozyearth.com/RICOCHET

This week we cover a handful of great tug-of-war games, past, present, and future. Charles McElwee, founding editor of RealClearPennsylvania, returns to the podcast to give an election season tour of the swingy Keystone State. Next, Tevi Troy joins for a discussion about the epic clashes between America's masters of the universe and their presidents. (Be sure to get a copy of his new book, The Power and the Money.)Steve, Charlie and James also chatter about Florida's latest roaringly windy Wednesday, and end on the neutral note of AI symphonies. - Sound bites from this week's open: DeSantis remarks about climate change after Hurricane Milton; Biden's response about FEMA failures after Hurricane Helene