
The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast
A show about politics, music, technology, rollercoasters, golf carts, and the United States of America.
Latest episodes

Jul 21, 2023 • 56min
Episode 35: Spy vs. Spy vs. Whistleblower vs. Idiot
On episode 35 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles begins by answering a question about what he prefers about England and what he prefers about America, and then talks to Eli Lake about whether the Espionage Act of 1917 ought to exist, and whether Donald Trump ought to have been charged under it.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License. Episode 22: The Streets Are Made of Cheese

Jul 14, 2023 • 50min
Episode 34: Help Wanted
On episode 34, Charles talks to Tim Carney about his book, Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse. Among the topics they discuss are what constitutes "the American Dream," whether that American Dream is "dead" (as Donald Trump charged in 2016), and, if so, when that decline started and what caused it. After that, Charles asks if those who are suffering are right to be angry with the government, if the malaise can be fixed, and to what extent Tim thinks that the answer lies in a resurgence of religious belief and community.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

Jun 29, 2023 • 38min
Episode 33: Toccata
On this pop-up episode, Charles talks to the Pacific Legal Foundation's Ethan Blevins about the Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action, and then answers a question about his time at King's College Choir School in Cambridge.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

Jun 23, 2023 • 54min
Episode 32: Submerged
On episode 32—released on the 32nd of the month—Charles talks to Gareth Russell, who wrote a book about the Titanic (Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era) and who, a couple of years ago, was invited to take a trip on the Titan submersible that sank this week. Among the topics Charles and Gareth discuss are why the Titanic continues to command such interest, whose fault its sinking was, when the conspiracy theories started, and if its ethical to go down to what is, in effect, a mass grave.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

Jun 14, 2023 • 54min
Episode 31: Autopsy
On episode 31 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast—this one with 100% less Luther Abel—Charles chats with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about his reflections on the pandemic. What did he get right? What did he get wrong? Has the public health establishment learned its lesson? Does it deserve to be trusted? If so, how would we get back to that? Does Dr. Bhattacharya share Charles's enthusiasm for the vaccine? What, if anything, did Anthony Fauci get right? Answers abound.Charles is now back from Italy, and in possession of quite a lot of wine.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

May 25, 2023 • 53min
Episode 30: The Midday Sun
On episode 30 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles welcomes back his old Mad Dogs and Englishmen co-host, Kevin Williamson, to talk about cities, crime, whether libertarians were wrong about marijuana legalization, going to Italy, shooting snakes with revolvers, and who is going to be the Republican nominee in 2024. No PPE money was destroyed during the making of this podcast.N.B. Charles is now on vacation. The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast will return in two weeks.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

May 19, 2023 • 42min
Episode 29: FBNo Revisited
In this special "pop-up" episode, Charles talks to Andy McCarthy about why, since Episode 5, Andy has changed his view on whether or not the FBI is irredeemable and should be abolished.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

May 12, 2023 • 48min
Episode 28: Three Beers and a Pipe Wrench
On this week's episode of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast—the first since Charles got a haircut—Charles talks to Elbridge Colby about Taiwan. Among the topics discussed are why Taiwan matters more to the United States and the West more generally than, say, the Falkland Islands; whether Americans are prepared for an invasion; if China is our biggest geopolitical threat; and, if it is, what this tells us about our ideal Ukraine policy.Charles also answers a question: "Why do most state legislatures have a Senate?"The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

May 5, 2023 • 43min
Episode 27: Can I Say That?
Is free speech more at risk in the U.K. or the U.S.? Should Britain adopt a First Amendment? How can it possibly be legal for the police to place "non-crimes" on Brits' criminal records? Why is Scotland so censorious? And is it getting better? On Episode 27, Charles talks to Toby Young about these questions and more.He also discusses the delicious political candidacy of Calvin Ball (yes, really!), and answers a question about martial arts.The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.

Apr 27, 2023 • 55min
Episode 26: The Camera Doesn't Love Him
Episode 26 begins with a Q&A. The first question has to do with infringements on constitutional rights. “Why is it okay to infringe on a right when it comes to requiring voters to register, but it isn't okay to infringe on a right when it comes to requiring gun owners to register?” The second returns to a familiar frame: “As a well known rollercoaster aficionado, what four ‘coasters would be on your Mount Rushmore?” Then it’s on to a chat with Sonny Bunch, of the Bulwark, about the state of modern cinema. As a self-professed “movie idiot,” Charles asks how Sonny became a critic, how one can tell what’s a Good Film, why the Oscars seem so far removed from films people actually want to watch, and why Hollywood is hooked on remakes, reboots, sequels, and spinoffs?The dial-up tone in the introduction was recorded by lintphishx and is used under a CC 3.0 License.
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