Ricochet Podcast #553

Universal Questions

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Hosted by James Lileks & Peter Robinson
With guests Dr. George Savage & Stephen Meyer

This week we’ve got old friends as guests: The Discovery Institute’s Dr. Stephen Meyer joins to remind us that the God hypothesis gets us a lot further than alien astronauts. (Check out his excellent New York Post piece.) And then our own Dr. George Savage follows to speak about the new ominous Delta variant, and to point out that industrial policy is better left to innovators rather than bureaucrats. Rob Long is off this week, but James and Peter delve into the January 6th Commission, and rich people in space!

Music from this week’s podcast: Dear God by XTC

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Ricochet Podcast #552

¿¡Cuba Libré!?

3316
Hosted by Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guest David Adler

The Founders™ are on their own this week, but even on a James-less week, the show must go on! First up, Rob and Peter discuss the tumult in Cuba, along with their personal attachments to our tragic seaside neighbor. Then, journalist David Adler joins as their guest to make his case on the particular triumph of Operation Warp Speed.  His article for American Affairs Journal is a deep dive on the details of the effort is –as they say in the business– a must read!

They also say their goodbyes to Boss Mongo. (Be sure to stop by dajoho’s post to add your own.)

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Ricochet Podcast

The Post of the Week!

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Hosted by James Lileks

Ok. We know you’re bummed. There’s no R> Podcast this week because we decided to take the Fourth of July holiday on the backend this year. But don’t despair. Because James Lileks is The Hardest Working Man in Show Bidness™ he still showed up to do his part for this week’s edition of The Best of Ricochet on the Radio America Network (“Check Local Listings,” as the man says…) and is bringing the Post of the Week to a national terrestrial audience!

Congratulations to @kentforrester for this historic achievement for his post, Me and Sergeant Combs.

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Ricochet Podcast #551

A Fabulous Fourth

10716
Hosted by James Lileks, John Yoo & Peter Robinson
With guests Bill McGurn & Charles C.W. Cooke

To kick off a great Fourth of July Weekend we’ll need firecrackers, but, of course, only with adult supervision. For the former, we’ve got John Yoo filling in for Rob and Charles C.W. Cooke as our first guest – for the latter, Mr. Bill McGurn.

To start, Peter and James get to pick Yoo’s brain on a few of the recent Supreme Court decisions along with Bill Cosby’s release. Then Charlie gives an ode to the only country on Earth that lets you move here and consider yourself a full member. Lastly, Bill fills us in on his saintly godson, Jimmy Lai, and his concerns for the future of Hong Kong. A podcast for all lovers of freedom and justice!

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Ricochet Podcast #550

We Bring Good Things to Life

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Hosted by James Lileks & Rob Long
With guests Carol Roth, Ted Mann & Thomas Gryta

We’re rollin’ in the dough this week with a double dip of interesting business talk.

First up are Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann of The Wall Street Journal who look at the rise and fall of one of America’s iconic companies. In Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric, Gryta and Mann lay out the consequences that came from believing in the mythology GE created for itself.

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Ricochet Podcast #549

Facing Reality with Charles Murray

17515
Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guest Charles Murray

They asked for an honest conversation on race, right? Enter this week’s guest Charles Murray, author most recently of Facing Reality: Two Truths about Race in America. He and guys jostle on this most sensitive of subjects, but do so with the kind of generosity you can only find on Ricochet (We let things be too chummy around here!) Rob, Peter and James also get into the G7 and a rudderless Biden on the world stage, along with Jon Stewart on Stephen Colbert’s stage. They even do their best to find some optimism, but we may need our friends at Ricochet to cheer them up in the comments!

Music from this week’s podcast: Ball of Confusion by The Temptations

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Ricochet Podcast #548

Question Time

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guest Ricochet's Fantastic Members!

We’ve got another Happy Hour show this week! (If you haven’t heard, we like Happy Hour.) And who better to spend it with than our very own members? Rob, Peter and James field questions from the men and women who make Ricochet the best “place” for civil conversation and debate. So grab your favorite cocktail, beer or wine and enjoy another episode from the website whose biggest problem is that we get too many good questions and not enough time to field them all. No Lileks Post of the Week, but hats off to Full Size Tabby for a compliment so fine it made James blush (and rendered him nearly speechless). Cheers!

Music from this week’s show: Never Been To Spain by Three Dog Night

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Ricochet Podcast #547

Shut Up When You’re Talking to Me

5018
Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guest Laurence Fox

What can we say? We enjoy a good time on Ricochet, and today’s episode is no exception. After slogging through Fauci emails, the guys get to chat with London’s honorable firebrand, Laurence Fox. He goes over the silver lining of his lost bid for mayor, and his future as an actor-turned-outspoken-conservative. Then Rob and James muse over a piece in The Atlantic on America’s drinking problem, and the boys side with happy hour! So take a seat, pour yourself a cocktail and enjoy another complimentary show from the best place for conversation online. (Join Ricochet for goodness’ sake!) And congratulations to @iWe for taking home the coveted Lilek’s Post of the Week for his post My Uber Hijacker.

Music from this week’s episode:  Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty

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Too Late To Turn Back Now

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Dr. Jay Bhattacharya & Glenn Loury

If your for seeking out the good amid the darkness these days, this episode’s for you. The doctors are in! And while the prognosis ain’t great, we’re gonna do what we can! First up is our friend Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who keeps us up to date on all things CoViD.  Then we’re joined by Glenn Loury, the legendary Professor of Economics  at Brown University and also the creator of one of America’s most essential substack  newletters. He and the guys discuss our country’s disheartening racial climate, and yet manage to find some encouraging signs. Chin up and happy summer, everyone.

Music from this week’s episode: Too Late To Turn Back Now by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose

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Ricochet Podcast #545

Bathtub of Damocles

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Mike Gallagher & Zachary Karabell

We start this week easy as one of our hosts reports from wonderfully peculiar city of New Orleans. Then Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) joins to discuss the coming cyberwars and he and James exchange words about football. Then Zachary Karabell joins to talk about his newest book: Inside Money: Brown Brother’s Harriman and the American Way of Power, a history of the legendary private investment firm Brown Brothers Harriman, exploring its central role in the story of American wealth and its rise to global power. And the guys contemplate what’s changed with the latest ceasefire in Israel.

Update: this week’s Lileks Post of The Week is Brooding Over Cicadas? Just Eat Them. The UN Says So by @KellyDJohnston.

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Ricochet Podcast #544

Over The Top and Completely Useless

18018
Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Elliott Abrams & Jim Geraghty

Who says we don’t break news on this show? The whole gang is back this week, and they’re joined by National Review’s senior political correspondent, Jim Geraghty for a long chat on Republicans leaving the party, fealty to you-know-who, and an update on Wuhan lab theories. Then, Elliot Abrams, who’s most recently served as President Trump’s Special Representative to Venezuela and Iran; joins to discuss  They Israel’s ongoing fight with Hamas and speculate on how it might conclude, while marveling at the strength of the Abraham Accords (negotiated at the direction of you-know-who). Ricochet member  @MarkAlexander gets the coveted Lileks Post of The Week® badge for his post My Shakespeare Confession  and Rob and James mull the wisdom of a million dollar vaccine lottery.

Song from this week’s episode: Bad Blood by Taylor Swift.

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Ricochet Podcast #543

“Doom” and Boom

7019
Hosted by James Lileks & Peter Robinson
With guests Niall Ferguson & Stephen Meyer

Rob’s out in an interview with Greg Gutfield, so it’s just Peter and James this week. Even so we’ve got a packed podcast-full of wonders and terrors. First up is Niall Ferguson to discuss his brand new book, Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe. He and the hosts explore our fascination with disaster. (Be sure to catch his interview with Peter on Uncommon Knowledge as well!) Then they’re joined by Stephen Meyer, who has a new book of his own: Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal The Mind Behind The Universe. (We’ve got UK episode for that as well!) Also, Peter is shocked to learn Biden’s economy is sputtering and James sets the record straight-on what, you ask? Listen to find out.

Music from this week’s episode: God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.

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Ricochet Podcast #542

The Future Is Unwritten

7215
Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Benedict Evans & Paul Rossi

We’ve got a packed, super-sized show for you this week, so let’s get right to it: first up (right at the top of the show), tech columnist Benedict Evans who takes us through the Facebook v. Apple privacy controversy and explains why Apple may not have the moral high ground they think they do. Then, Grace Church High School math teacher Paul Rossi (you must read the article he wrote for our friend Bari Weiss’ site explaining what happened to him) on the insane (that’s really the only word for it) dynamics that are playing out in some of our schools right now. It’s an eye opening and very worrying conversation. Also, was Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins really “the loneliest man in the universe” during his moon mission? We ponder that one and who might go to Mars with Elon Musk and who definitely won’t be going.

Music from this week’s show: I Was in the House When the House Burned Down by Warren Zevon

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Ricochet Podcast #541

Losing The Enlightenment

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Andrew Gutmann & Byron York

There’s a lot at stake in this week’s jam-packed podcast. First up we’ve got Byron York (he of the Byron York Show on this very network) to update us on the administration that sees crises everywhere – except for the one at the border. Then the hosts get to chat with Andrew Gutmann, the New York parent who made waves recently for a publicized letter excoriating the fancy Brearly School for prioritizing wokeness and “safety” over education. Plus James gets to exhale as Minneapolis calms down, and Rob and Peter reflect on the late Walter Mondale.

Music from this week’s episode: Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) by Pink Floyd

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Ricochet Podcast

Borderline Insanity

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Harmeet Dhillon & Mark Krikorian

Rob Long returns this week – meaning we’re back to business. We’re joined by Harmeet Dhillon to discuss her upcoming legal battle with Twitter, representing James O’Keefe of Project Veritas, along with the many she’s fought over the last year against Gavin Newsom. Then we’ve got Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies to discuss the latest developments on our border crisis. Also, James gives us the rundown on his beloved, yet troubled Minneapolis and a few more thoughts on the British Monarchy on the passing of Prince Phillip.

Music from this week’s episode: Across the Border  by Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris

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Ricochet Podcast

The Royals

4411
Hosted by James Lileks & Peter Robinson
With guests Erick Erickson, John Yoo & Steve Hayward

We recorded this one on Friday evening, which is the reason most of you are receiving it on Saturday. We’re sorry about that, but to make up for it, we cast around for the perfect ensemble and we think we nailed it: Steve Hayward, John Yoo, and Erick Erickson. The latter joins to give us the lowdown on all of the politics in Georgia, which he knows better than anyone. After that, it’s a bit of an open mic night, we veer from the threat of a China/Taiwan conflict to the scene on college campuses, and some thoughts on the U.K. on the passing of Prince Phillip. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy one.

Music from this week’s episode: Royals by Lorde

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Ricochet Podcast #538

Can We Wake The President?

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Nick Hudson & Tevi Troy

This week, we start in California, which is the subject of two piece published by The Founders in the current issue of National Review. Then, all the way from South Africa, COVID sceptic Nick Hudson, CEO of PANDA, a collective of leading scientists, actuaries, economists, data scientists, statisticians, medical professionals, lawyers, engineers and businesspeople working as a collective to replace bad science with good science.  Hudson and his group have done real research on lockdowns, their effectiveness and the various policies put in place around the world to mitigate COVID. Then, our old friend Tevi Troy joins to talk about Presidents, the coming financial crisis, electric cars, and more. Finally, we wrap up with some impressions of the ongoing Derek Chauvin trial in Minneapolis from someone who lives there.

Music from this week’s episode: Behind the Wall of Sleep by The Smithereens 

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Ricochet Podcast #537

South of The Border

5315
Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Mary Eberstadt & Mickey Kaus

We’re late –really late– so we’re going to make this brief: we’ve got our old friend Mickey Kaus to talk about Biden’s immigration policy, California politics, and other assorted ephemera, and we’ve got Mary Eberstadt on her book Primal Screams:How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics. We also punditize (yes, we just invented that word) Biden’s press conference, and debate what city would be better to move to: San Francisco or New York.  Finally, what does “Zoom, Duck, Milkshake, Cinnamon Toast Crunch” mean? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

Music from this week’s show: Illegal Alien by Genesis

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Ricochet Podcast

Who’s Afraid of Naomi Wolf?

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Hosted by James Lileks, Peter Robinson & Rob Long
With guests Debra Saunders & Naomi Wolf

This week, in an unparalleled act of commitment, we persisted and Naomi Wolf is our guest this week. It’s a fascinating, surprising, and yes, hopeful conversation and we’re very grateful she agreed to join us. But see what you think. Then, the delightful Deb Saunders –on hiatus from covering the White House– joins us to talk about how the current White House is covered vs. the last one and the differences between covering the two. Also fascinating if less surprising.  Also, Rob Long shares his name with someone more famous than him (for the the time being), James updates us on his SQUIRREL! issues, and Peter is wants more productivity in his life.  We’ll try and get to that soon.

Music from this week’s show: Will The Wolf Survive? by Los Lobos

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Ricochet Podcast

Rob Long’s Martini Shot: Hello? (Cough, cough)

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Hello, Ricochet Podcast listeners This is a special preview of Rob Long’s weekly commentary podcast Martini Shot. To subscribe to the show, search for “Rob Long Martini Shot” on your favorite podcast platform or go to MartiniShotPodcast.com and click on the subscribe links.

In this episode, Rob is re-reading David Allen’s “Getting Things Done,” but it’s not working out so well.

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