Today’s predictably overlong Ruminant finds Jonah haunted by foreign language commercials, which seem to be infiltrating all of his favorite podcasts and TV shows. Fortunately, his terror provides a useful launching pad for a rant on the nature of language and its role in shaping (or, in most cases, degrading) public thought on nuanced political issues. Tune in also for some obscenely rank punditry on Donald Trump’s dishonesty, Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, and monetary policy, a subject that Jonah can’t help but have thoughts on despite professing to know nothing about it.Show Notes:- The Remnant with Hal Brands- The Remnant with David Bahnsen- The Trump document saga continues- The Remnant with Matt Continetti- Rich Lowry: “How We Help People Like Megan Fox”- The Economist: “What America has got wrong about gender medicine”- The Wednesday G-File Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a spate of episodes crammed with mercilessly rank punditry and self-indulgent eggheadery, it’s time for the Remnant to get wonky once again. Jonah’s guest today is AEI’s Hal Brands, who’s back to discuss all things foreign policy. With the Ukraine conflict raging, tensions continuing to mount between the U.S. and China, and debates about America’s role in the world consuming the right, there’s no shortage of topics up for grabs. Does the United States actually have a strategic vision anymore? What’s the relationship between history and public policy? And will Chinese or American robots overthrow mankind first?Show Notes:- Hal’s page at AEI- Hal’s new book, The New Makers of Modern Strategy- Hal: “Biden Will Find That Breaking Up With China Is Hard to Do”- Hal: “How the American War Machine Ran Out of Gas”- Rank punditry and notes from Ukraine on Dispatch Live- Kevin Williamson: “The Burial of the Dead”- Orlando Figes’ The Story of Russia- Jonathan Kirshner’s An Unwritten Future Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Bahnsen, Jonah’s trusted economics guru, is back on the Remnant to provide some raw, unfiltered wonkery on the latest in financial disasters. From the debt ceiling deal to the persistence of inflation, no policy matter, however terrifying, can escape his wonky gaze. Tune in also for a few musings on the Japanification of America, the appeal of conspiracy theories, and the nuttiness of the new right (yes, again).Show Notes:- David’s webpage- David’s Capital Record podcast- The Morning Dispatch breaks down the end of the debt limit saga- Kevin Williamson: “The Burial of the Dead”- David: “How to Fight the Politicization of Business” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the verge of a full recovery from his schnozzle surgery (more ominously referred to as “the operation”), Jonah’s prepared to indulge in another needlessly long Ruminant that blends a generous helping of conservative dorkery with a smidgen of rank punditry. He gets things started with a few thoughts on Ron DeSantis’ glitch-ridden campaign announcement, but afterward, it’s time for a highfalutin geekout as he examines the failure of the new right to appeal to people who aren’t chronically online. Stick around until the end for a defense of a recent G-File.Show Notes:- The Morning Dispatch on DeSantis’ campaign launch- Answering listener questions with Guy on the Remnant- The Dispatch Podcast dispenses rank punditry- Wednesday’s G-File- Antonio Gramsci- Vanity Fair: “The American Conservative May Be on Its Last Legs”- Charlie Cooke: “Why Can’t Progressive Writers Defend the Law” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Remnant, Jonah’s brain is uniquely scrambled. He’s still disoriented after slipping into a near comatose state last week, and his nose hasn’t quite readjusted to the feeling of fresh air. Rather than forcing a guest to deal with his mental malaise, he brings Guy, his immigrant manservant, back onto the program to field another round of carefully cultivated listener questions. The resulting conversation—which touches on the 2024 election, the purpose of American conservatism, the shame of closeted Kiss fans, and Jonah’s deranged fondness for a blowtorch—is as peculiarly nerdish as you’d expectShow Notes:- The Remnant, hosted by Chris Stirewalt, with David Drucker- Jonah: “Does the GOP Deserve Tim Scott?”- Albert Jay Nock’s Memoirs of a Superfluous Man- David Pietrusza’s 1920: The Year of the Six Presidents- Jonah: “Goldberg’s Conservative Canon”- Keeping the Tablets: Modern American Conservative Thought- Death of a Beatle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Jonah struggles with a nasal incident, Chris Stirewalt—more commonly recognized as Pooh Richardson’s number one fan—returns to the Remnant command chair. He’s joined by Dispatch Politics mastermind David Drucker to discuss a horrifying subject that’s inescapably consuming everything: the 2024 election. The punditry is uncut, the pop culture references are punchy, and the nudity is tasteful as they examine what we should expect from each GOP candidate. Can anyone match Donald Trump’s mastery of schmoozing? Can Tim Scott appeal to American families? And does Ron DeSantis qualify for carbon-based life?Show Notes:- Chris’ page at The Dispatch- David’s newsletter, Dispatch Politics- Dispatch Politics: “Tim Scott Takes His 2024 Shot” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s that time again: Chris “Lil’ Enos” Stirewalt is back on the Remnant to provide his signature blend of square-eyed pop culture nerdery and fiendishly rank punditry. What do the size of Congress, James Comey’s ego, and The Dispatch’s profit margin have to do with one another? Was the Durham report an explosive game-changer or a damp squib? How’s the Republican primary shaping up? And are we really about to endure a Trump-Biden rematch? Only Chris and Jonah possess the knowledge of Smokey and the Bandit necessary to answer these questions with maximum insight.Show Notes:- Chris’ page at The Dispatch- Subscribe to The Dispatch and watch an exclusive live Remnant with Jonah, Chris, and Steve Hayes- The Remnant with Ben Smith- The Remnant with Elizabeth Nolan Brown- Chris: “The Republican Case for Lying Down for Trump Again”- Noah Rothman: “GOP Voters Are Making Impossible Demands of a Trump Alternative”- Jonah: “Our No-Win Scenario” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last year, Remnant regular and AEI scholar Matt Continetti published The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism, a tome so nerdy that he and Jonah needed two full podcast episodes just to discuss the first half of it. Today, Matt returns to the program to continue working through the history of the right from the ‘80s to the present. Or, at least, that was the plan. Instead, the conversation ends up focusing on the nature of the new right, how Pat Buchanan changed conservatism, and what Donald Trump’s devotees actually want. Plus, listeners of the Commentary podcast will be delighted to find that Matt is actually allowed to speak.Show Notes:- Matt’s page at AEI- The Right, now available in paperback- Part one of Matt’s previous Remnant nerdfest…- …and part two- The Commentary podcast- Lionel Trilling’s The Liberal Imagination- Julius Krein: “I Voted for Trump. And I Sorely Regret It.”- Christopher Lasch’s The Revolt of the Elites- Tom Wolfe: “The Great Relearning”- Ezra Klein: “The Problem With Everything-Bagel Liberalism” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what may be the most indulgent Ruminant ever recorded (which is really saying a lot), Jonah delivers a supremely curmudgeonly rant that encompasses everything from the formative years of Western civilization to the 2024 presidential election. After providing a pointless overview of his taste in political podcasts, he dives into the importance of taboos in society, and why throwing away centuries of inherited wisdom might not be the best idea. (Hint: Suicide of the West is still available from all good booksellers.) Then, it’s rank punditry all the way down, as Jonah offers musings on the Jordan Neely situation, rising crime in cities, the baby bust, and the continuing madness of Donald Trump. It’s as cheery an episode as you’d expect.Show Notes:- The Wednesday G-File- The Remnant with Elizabeth Nolan Brown- Julian Simon was right- The Dispatch Podcast on all things Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a twist on the standard Remnant formula that nobody asked for, Jonah is joined by noted chicken wing connoisseur Steve Hayes to co-host today’s episode. Their guest is Ben Smith, founder of Semafor, former editor in chief of BuzzFeed News, and author of the new book, Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral. The book takes us back to the early days of the internet to explore how the rivalry between Jonah Peretti of BuzzFeed and Nick Denton of Gawker paved the way for today's climate of disinformation, and naturally, it raises a number of questions. How has journalism changed since the dawn of the internet? Why does the young right tend to confuse social media with real life? What can we do to fix the media landscape? And will Jonah ever get over the golden age of blogging?Show Notes:- Ben’s new book, Traffic- Ben: “Confessions of a Media Chronicler”- Semafor- The Great Moon Hoax- Benjy Sarlin: “Take Donald Trump seriously, not literally, on ‘fake news’” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices