The Ricochet Podcast

To the Moon and Flipping a Grunt

Bondi's out at DOJ. SCOTUS heard another big case and issued another big ruling. We're at war, and Congress is out of the loop... We need a legal expert this week. John Malcolm joins — Vice President of the Meese Institute for the Rule of Law at Advancing American Freedom, and Executive Editor of the third edition of The Heritage Guide to the Constitution. Plus, Charles, Steve, and James are rejuvenated by the Artemis II launch, underwhelmed by Trump's address on the war, slightly stunned by modern slang, and mildly ticked by faulty diction. 

Cheer Up, Chaps

James and Steve put Charles in the guest chair to elaborate on his National Review cover story exhorting against generalized downerdom and political pessimism. Further, the trio speculates on the nature of negotiations with the people supposedly running Iran, as well as next week's birthright citizenship case before SCOTUS.Sound from this week's open: Marco Rubio speaks on Iran war objectives.

To Speak Ill of the Dead

H.R. McMaster joins Steve and Charles to take stock of the war in the Middle East. Though a tank man by training, H.R. is no stranger to thinking about our capabilities and how they stack up against our foes—both the enemy in Iran and the aggressors backing them up. Plus, Cooke and Hayward can't help but feel a bit of relief that there's a bit less Erlichian misanthropy in the world; consider newly reported accusations against Caesar Chavez that could prove fatal to the progressive hero's reputation; and they round the necrologies out with a salute to the immortal Chuck Norris. Sounds from this week's open: Cesar Chavez at UCLA in 1972, Paul Erlich (Growth Busters, 2007) and Chuck Norris on… Chuck Norris (Full Measure, 2017)

Bomb Throwing Like a Liberator

For decades, war game experts have produced dire predictions for American-Iranian war scenarios. While it's still early days, the circumstances are much more favorable than strategists had supposed. Noah Rothman returns to break down what's going right in Iran, what remains worrisome and uncertain, what the public ought to anticipate, and what the administration ought to tell them. (Noah also gives us a quick preview of his upcoming book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America.)The fellas wrap the interview with theme-appropriate drapings: Brits are removing their greatest citizens from the nation's banknotes, reminding us of waning resolve from Western allies, and a thwarted terrorist plot in New York has the media and politicians twisting into knots to conceal the truth.(This episode was recorded on Thursday, March 12th to accommodate the hosts' travel schedules.)

Epic Fury

James, Steve and Charles are back together to discuss life during wartime.