The Bookmonger with John J. Miller #54

The Gulf of Fire

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Hosted by John J. Miller

The world changed on All Saints Day in 1755, when a massive earthquake, tsunami, and firestorm struck at the heart of the Portuguese empire, reports Mark Molesky in This Gulf of Fire: The Destruction of Lisbon, or Apocalypse in the Age of Science and Reason.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, Molesky explains how this cataclysm shaped scientific and intellectual history, launched the world’s first international relief effort, and revealed the enduring role of faith in European society. He also speculates on what would happen if similar earthquake were to take place near Europe today.

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London Calling #73

Douglas Murray

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When are we ever going to understand that Islamist terrorists really mean it? This is the theme of a special Paris edition of Radio Free Delingpole starring the go-to expert at dark times like these – Douglas Murray, Associate Director of the Henry Jackson Society. Douglas has been warning for years that attacks like the one on Paris were coming. How did he know? Because unlike so many politicians and commentators who find it more seductive to bury their heads in douglas-150-250-0the sand, Murray listens to what the Islamists are saying, studies what they do and finds little reason to believe that peace and love are about to break out soon if only we light a few more candles and get James Taylor to sing You Got A Friend again – maybe this time with the whole Laurel Canyon crowd. So: who’s to blame? Where do we go from here? Are Britain and the US next on the list? And is there any damn thing we can do about it? Douglas has all the answers…

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/18/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud the French for rooting out terrorists in their country and for an aggressive bombing campaign in Syria.  They also hammer Secretary of State John Kerry for saying the “rationale” for the ISIS attacks against Charlie Hebdo was easier to understand because it had published material offensive to Muslims.  And Jim laments Bobby Jindal’s withdrawal from the 2016 campaign and rips Republicans who turned on Jindal for actually cutting spending.

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Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger #31

Sasse Speaks

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Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

Ben Sasse was elected senator from Nebraska last year. He has just given his maiden floor speech: detailing what is wrong with the world’s “greatest deliberative body.” He and Jay talk about this.

Why is the Senate broken? What is the responsibility of the people themselves? What about entitlements? And the “administrative state”? And the new reality of employment? And cyberwar?

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Money and Politics Podcast #36

Paris and Taxes

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This week, Larry Kudlow and Tim Pawlenty discuss the terrorist attack in Paris and the Obama administration’s tepid response. Also, Larry and Tim parse the tax plans of both the Democratic and Republican candidates. Spoiler alert: neither are up to snuff.

This podcast is brought to you by:

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The Bookmonger with John J. Miller #53

The Relic Master

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Hosted by John J. Miller

What do Martin Luther, Albrecht Durer, and the Shroud of Turin have in common? They all play a part in the new comic novel by Christopher Buckley, The Relic Master.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, the author of Thank You for Smoking explains why he wanted to write a story about the market for holy relics in 16th-century Europe, which turns out to be almost as funny as 21st-century America.

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/17/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein for stating that ISIS is not contained, is growing significantly and needs to be destroyed.  They also slam Pres. Obama for dismissing the ideas that American leadership and America winning are critical to defeating ISIS.  And they react to new emails from Huma Abedin telling a colleague that Hillary Clinton is “often confused.”

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Political Economy with James Pethokoukis #35

What Every Conservative (and Liberal, too!) Should Know About Taxes

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With the presidential election season in full swing, candidates in both parties are unveiling sweeping tax reform plans. But what’s smart public policy and what’s mere political posturing? To help find out, I chat with Stan Veuger of the American Enterprise Institute on this episode of Ricochet’s Political Economy podcast.

Dr. Veuger received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and was a teaching fellow there before joining AEI. He is a regular contributor to The National Interest and U.S.News & World Report. He also serves as a board member of the Altius Society and as the chairman of the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Netherland-America Foundation.

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The Milt Rosenberg Show

To Paris, with Love

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Like the rest of the civilized world, we were horrified by the weekend’s events in Paris. Immediately we moved to bring you the most sober and informed analysis possible.

In this episode, we’re joined by two fine academics who study terror and its machinations — John Allen Williams of Loyola and Barry Kellman of DePaul — in studio. Via phone we talk to Daniel Greenfield, who has some very strong assertions toward Islam and the role of the faith in terror, and to the inimitable Victor Davis Hanson, who had a timely article on the tragedy.

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/16/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review shudder at reports that ISIS communications have advanced to the point that intelligence efforts to infiltrate have “gone dark” thanks in part to the revelations from Edward Snowden.  They also slam President Obama for moving full steam ahead with his plan to bring in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.  And they are glad to see University of Missouri police considering charges against the media professor who tried to stop the press from covering campus protests.

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Need to Know #138

Shades of the Red Guards, Here

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Ed. Note: This podcast was recorded before the events in Paris on Friday.

Mona and Jay devote most of this podcast to the lunacy on campus – although it’s more than lunacy. It’s hatred, ignorance, and intimidation. It is profoundly un-American and undemocratic.

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Power Line #29

A Dark Day Around the World, with Dan Polisar

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As the terror attacks in Paris unfolded, John, Scott and Steve hosted Episode 29 of the Power Line Show. The attacks threw both halves of the show into sharp relief. We started by interviewing Dan Polisar, author of in important article in titled “What Do Palestinians Want?”

Polisar reviewed years’ worth of public opinion polling of Palestinians. He found several common themes; a common denominator is a lack of contact with reality. As twisted as Palestinian culture is, what we saw in Paris tonight reflects an even more virulent version of the same ideology.

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Ricochet Podcast #282

The Dumbest Revolution

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Because we have to, we spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the recent events at college campuses around the country. Luckily, we have a Yale grad on the show to help us parse all of the cruel injustices taking place in New Haven. Then, the Mad Dog himself, National Review’s Kevin Williamson joins to discuss his new Encounter Broadside The Case Against Trump. Finally,  all the way from Japan, the great Mort Kondracke Skypes in to discuss his new book Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America and his terrific rebuttal to the New York Times review of the book.

Music from this week’s episode:

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/13/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud Neil Cavuto’s dismantling of the free college arguments of the Million Student March.  They also sigh as some Republicans are still trying to find a path for Mitt Romney to join the race and save the party from the likes of Donald Trump and Ben Carson.  And they react to Donald Trump calling Iowans and other Americans “stupid” for believing Ben Carson’s personal story.

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The Bookmonger with John J. Miller #52

The Birth of Dungeons & Dragons

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Hosted by John J. Miller

On the pop-culture Richter scale, Gary Gygax deserves a place alongside Walt Disney and Steve Jobs, says Michael Witwer, author of Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons and Dragons. In other words, Gygax was a 12th-level genius.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, Witwer explains the  significance of D&D (as players call it). He also describes what Gygax was like as a man: a high-school dropout who read voraciously but was not prepared to run a business. Finally, Witwer says a word about the politics of his subject: Gygax was a fervent Republican who become increasingly libertarian as he grew older.

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/12/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review discuss the FBI expanding its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails to probe whether she or any aides made false statements, which is a felony.  They also slam MSNBC’s Chris Matthews for suggesting Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio aren’t Hispanic and are actually Cuban nationals.  And they unload on the University of Missouri protesters for claiming the first amendment right to free speech creates a hostile learning environment for them.

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/11/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Ian Tuttle of National Review applaud the clear, direct questions in Tuesday’s debate and the substantive discussions that followed.  They also cringe as Donald Trump has to be told China is not part of TPP and discuss how Trump and Ben Carson tend to get quiet as the discussions get more detailed.  And they slam John Kasich for his belligerent personality and his liberal answers on everything from immigration to bank bailouts.

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GLoP Culture #47

Looking for a Mob

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With so much going on in politics and the culture, at the moment, there was a bounty of topics to choose from for this episode, but with our characteristic discipline, we stuck to a recap of last night’s debate, the bizarre events at the University of Missouri and Yale, and some free GLoP media consulting for the remaining Republican presidential candidates.

The boys close with some of their favorite TV shows, movies, and Vines (yes, you read that right) of the current season.

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HWX #94.5

Debate Preview Fantasia

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Tonight’s GOP Presidential debate is a critical test, not only for the candidates, but for the mainstream media. After a series of ambush questions, sucker punches, and low blows in prior debates, we are being assured that finally sanity will restored and the American voting public will be treated to the fair, substantive questions and reasoned answers that we deserve.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus characterized the new approach as follows:

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/10/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Ian Tuttle of National Review cheer the decision from a federal appeals court ruling that Pres. Obama did not have the authority to take unilateral action on immigration last year.  They also cringe as a Jeb Bush Super PAC targets Marco Rubio for being too pro-life.  And they unload on the insanity at the University of Missouri.

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The Bookmonger with John J. Miller #51

Is Washington Killing You?

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Hosted by John J. Miller

Is Washington killing you? That’s the question Darcy Olsen raises in her new book, The Right To Try: How the Federal Government Prevents Americans from Getting the Lifesaving Treatments They Need.

In a 10-minute conversation with The Bookmonger, Olsen describes how she got involved in a national movement to help severely sick patients, what she’s trying to accomplish, and how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stands in the way.

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Three Martini Lunch

Three Martini Lunch 11/9/15

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Greg Corombos of Radio America and Ian Tuttle of National Review cheer Ben Carson for calling out the media’s frothing pursuit of his record but also chide Carson for being sloppy with the facts on some key moments in his life.  They also shudder as Hillary Clinton suggests she would use the military much like President Obama does but take some solace in knowing she is probably lying.  And they slam Yale University for apologizing that students don’t have enough “safe spaces.”

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London Calling #1

London Calling #1

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Welcome to the first edition of a new podcast featuring James Delingpole and Toby Young. We’ll be producing this show on a monthly basis (more frequently if it catches on). In this premiere episode, James and Toby discuss Spectre, the new James Bond movie and the series’ evolution in general, kick around a few of their other favorite action movies in the British spy genre, meditate on The Walking Dead, James introduces heterosexual audiences to The House of DVF, and wrap up with a distinctively British view of the Kardashians and what they mean for the culture at large.

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Ricochet Podcast

Fundamentally Unserious

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With guest James Rosen

In a recent post, Ricochet member anonymous posits that the U.S. has become “an unserious country.” Today, we do our best to dispel that notion just a bit (despite the disturbing image above from EJHill) with our guests economist Russ Roberts from the Hoover Institution as well as his legendary EconTalk podcast and Fox News chief Washington correspondent James Rosen (read his new book Cheney One on One). In our attempt to be serious, we cover inequality, Ben Carson’s many controversies, Kentucky’s new governor, the Bush-Cheney squabble, and the upcoming debate. Also, don’t miss James Rosen’s spot on impersonation of Barack Obama. Seriously.

Music from this week’s episode:

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The Milt Rosenberg Show #150

The Political World at Large with Three Guests

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There’s much going on in the world at the moment, and instead of bringing you a themed show, we thought we’d look to those whose writings on it we admire. And, of course, a little music.

First up to join is Bret Stephens, the Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign-affairs columnist at the Wall Street Journal. His latest book, America in Retreat, has been quite influential. He and Milt talk about ‘The Tyranny of a Big Idea‘.

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