The Ricochet Podcast

We have a special Christmas season episode to tide everyone over through the holidays. Steve Hayward sits down with Rob Long, who's just wrapped his first year at Princeton's Theological Seminary. They discuss dramatic career changes, the storyteller's take on the link between show business and the saving souls business, and the modern cultural discomfort with the faith of our fathers.

If you have access to the internet, you've likely seen a clip of Scott Jennings acting as a lone voice of reason on a noisy CNN panel. This week, he joins Steve and Charles to discuss his new book, A Revolution of Common Sense, an account of President Trump's fight against a whole lot of kinds of crazy.Plus, Cooke and Hayward consider Australia's latest bid against gun ownership, suss out Susie Wiles' slip-up with the press, and marvel at the legacy of another kid from one of the other boroughs, Norman Podhoretz of Brooklyn, who passed this week at 95.

Matthew Spalding, Dean of Hillsdale College's School of Government and author of The Making of the American Mind, dives into the significance of the Declaration of Independence. He explores the courage of the founding fathers and the historical context of their grievances. Spalding addresses contemporary critiques of Jefferson, emphasizing the importance of understanding self-evident truths. He also argues that citizens must connect with their nation's founding to foster genuine patriotism, blending narrative and ideas to resonate with younger generations.

The hosts dive into a staggering $1 billion fraud scheme unfolding in Minnesota, exploring its political fallout. They discuss immigration and cultural dynamics, particularly within the Somali community. The arrest of a suspect linked to the January 6 events raises questions about political motivations. Legal debates around U.S. military actions in the Caribbean bring up strategic implications involving Venezuela. The episode also critiques Netflix's massive acquisition plan, along with a heartfelt call to support a friend battling cancer.

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice was founded in 1957 to ensure fairness in a union struggling to become more perfect. Yet somewhere along the way, bad actors saw an opportunity to play with the scales while Justice donned her blindfold. Our new Assistant Attorney General of the division is Ricochet's dear friend Harmeet Dhillon — and she's back to remind Americans that Justice has an enforcement arm. Harmeet gets us up to speed on her team's investigation into the latest riot at UC Berkeley; reports on how they've handled the workload with only one-third of the manpower; and reiterates the righteousness of the division's purpose while clarifying how she and the ambitious lawyers under her plan to balance the scales on a level playing field. James, Steve, and Peter weigh the president's approval numbers on the economy and foreign policy; and they have reason to believe that Democrats will continue to be hardest hit as Epstein files work their way to the public. Sound clip from this week's open: TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet explains how UC Berkeley administrators worked to undermine their event last week.

John Yoo, a law professor and former Justice official known for his expertise in constitutional law, joins Rob Long and James Lileks for a lively discussion. They dissect the implications of the recent government shutdown and the shortcomings of shutdowns in addressing the deficit. Yoo tackles complex issues like presidential war powers and the legal nuances of drug trafficking as warfare. The trio also examines the moral debates around taxation and the unpredictable effects of AI on labor markets, all while keeping the conversation engaging and humorous.

The American right has a decision before it. There are a few elements in the coalition that threaten the stability of the whole. The boys of the Ricochet Podcast propose the following: Sweeny in, Fuentes out. After settling on that, Steve, Charles, and James get to Tuesday's rout; Mayor Mamdani and the limits to NYC's invincibility; Trump's bad day at SCOTUS; all Canadian land acknowledgements taken to their illogical conclusion. All this before landing on an oddly reassuring note — that America is still among the sanest places on the planet.

James, Steve, and Charles are back for a Halloween treat: H.R. McMaster joins at the top for a chat about military matters: the Maduro regime and boat strikes; UAVs and the fight in Eastern Europe; the Department of War and our readiness. Plus, the fellas defend cultural confidence, brave the Great Feminization, and name the most horrifying flick they've seen.- Sound from this week's open: Senator John Kennedy on the shutdown.

Charles Murray's inquiries into social science have resulted in the publication of a number of the most important (and controversial) academic books of the past half-century. It's safe to say he enjoys complexity and taking a stand — and yet there's one big question that Mr. Murray spent half his life dismissing, and the second half marveling at without quite settling. Today, he sits down with Steve, Charlie and a visiting Peter Robinson to discuss his most personal work yet, the just-released Taking Religion Seriously.Plus, our trio of merry hosts basks in the Democrats' disarray and they take a closer look at the Supreme Court's hearing in the Callais case that will settle the contradictions between the 14th Amendment and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.Sound clip from this week's open: Justice Brown Jackson spars with an attorney during the Callais v. Louisiana hearing.

The government shutdown drags on, but the president's pulled off his biggest deal yet. Noah Rothman joins Charlie and Steve to discuss the monumental advancement toward regional stability and the unique talents for these wins by American and Israeli leaders — talents for which they are unlikely to receive due honors. Plus, Hayward and Cooke consider shutdown messaging strategy, mock the MacArthur Foundation for its dimwitted grant giving, and scratch their heads at the fact that the name "Katie Porter" and the word "frontrunner" appear so often in the same sentence. Sound from this week's open: Gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter breaks down in an interview with CBS News’s California-based correspondent Julie Watts.- Visit today's sponsor: Go to cozyearth.com/RICOCHET for up to 20% off!