The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Stranded on a highway, gazing into the smoggy horizon, Jonah contemplates plaintively social media's latest display of statistical illiteracy demonstrated by a proclaimed preference of many women to be stranded alone with a bear, rather than a man. If you were wondering why you all didn't receive a G-File today, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it. Show Notes: —Nick Catoggio’s “Never Trump” piece —Wednesday G-File —Last week’s Dispatch Podcast —Megan McArdle on man vs. bear —Jean Twenge on The Remnant —Jonathan Haidt on The Remnant —Liberal Fascism —Yesterday’s Dispatch Podcast —The Remnant on prices —Ghosted by Nancy French Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get your bingo cards at the ready, because Jonah is joined by Ryan Bourne—a policy scholar at the Cato Institute and author of The War on Prices: How Popular Misconceptions about Inflation, Prices, and Value Create Bad Policy—for a decisively wonky Remnant on all things prices. What are prices? Why doesn’t price fixing work? And what's up with the libertarians? Show Notes: —Ryan's new book The War on Prices: How Popular Misconceptions about Inflation, Prices, and Value Create Bad Policy —Ryan’s profile at Cato —Economics in One Virus: An Introduction to Economic Reasoning through COVID-19 —Suicide of the West Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voters weighing actual policy positions? A man can dream. No, it’ll be vibes—not issues—driving voters to the polls in November. Jonah invites Seth Masket, director of the Center on American Politics at the University of Denver, on today’s episode of The Remnant to commiserate over the sorry status of the current American electorate, Sister Souljah strategies, and the lack of centrist Democrats. Show Notes: —Seth’s newsletter —Why anti-Biden books aren't selling —Seth's previous appearance on The Remnant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What peeves Jonah about the Biden administration’s increasingly hostile stance towards Israel isn’t just the geopolitical recklessness, but also the political incompetence. This Ruminant is a fuming rant about abandoning allies, the Cult of Youth, and the war against all things normal. Jonah also responds to the drama he stirred up among the anti-Trump (and anti-anti-Trump) crowd. Show Notes: —This week’s episode of The Dispatch Podcast —Jonah’s tweet about anti-Trumpers and Biden —Tim Miller’s response —Chuck Toddcast with Jonah —The Fierce Urgency of Tao Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back from his trip to the Commentary offices in New York, Jonah is joined by Kevin Williamson to discuss his review of fatherhood so far, Jonah’s thoughts on the Broadway production of Tommy, and the corrupting influence of populism. The two also get into the state of U.S.-Israel relations and why rooting for your team is easier than reading Hayek. Stick around to learn about Kevin’s sorry football career. Show Notes: —NYT article on a pro-Trump non-profit —Revolutions podcast —The Remnant with John Podhoretz —Michael Brendan Dougherty’s piece on Sam Francis —Biden interview with CNN —Poll on the most important issues for college kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah drops by Commentary’s New York headquarters and holds John Podhoretz hostage for an hour and a half to discuss the Jews, Suicide of the West, and the allure of fame and TV. Stay tuned for a history of Commentary’s geographical history (who asked?), the decline of American journalism (spoilers!), and optimism about the future (really?). Also, happy birthday to The Fair Jessica. Show Notes: —"MIT ends Diversity Statements in Faculty Hiring" —Civil War (2024) —"The Collapse of the News Industry Is Taking Its Soul Down With It" —"Conservatives in the Mist" coverage by NYT —Jeff Goldberg's loss is our gain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spurred by Robert Kagan’s new book, Rebellion: How Antiliberalism Is Tearing America Apart--Again, and by Thursday’s Remnant, Jonah spends the majority of this interminable episode responding to Kagan’s critique of conservatism, from contextualizing William F. Buckley’s role on the right to recounting the left's history of intellectual anti-liberalism. Also, kudos to the frat bros who saved the American flag. Show Notes: —Jonah’s Wednesday G-File —"Metabolic rift" wiki page —King-Slutzky answers questions —Gee Officer Krupke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is joined by Robert Kagan—a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of Rebellion: The Antiliberal Tradition That Is Tearing America Apart - Again—to debate Robert’s theory on the anti-liberal history of conservatism and why he thinks Trump is a logical product of the American right. Show Notes: —Robert’s profile at Brookings —Robert’s new book —Why the South Must Prevail —Miles Taylor’s book, Blowback: A Warning to Save Democracy from the Next Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah invites Sarah onto The Remnant to grill her on her sociopathic “subtweet,” debate the ethics of killing dogs, and peer into the minds of anti-Israeli student protesters. But for the main course, the two argue about Trump’s immunity case. Listeners’ discretion is advised. Show Notes: —Sarah's solo AO episode —David's return to AO —Korematsu v. United States —Nick Catoggio's Boiling Frogs newsletter on Kristi Noem —Centennial Crisis: The Disputed Election of 1876 —Join The Dispatch for access to our exclusive Skiff feed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah begins by ruminating on the Supreme Court oral arguments for Donald Trump’s immunity case and explains why he doesn’t understand how people could be sympathetic towards the former president. He then turns to the Heritage Foundation’s spat with Erick Erickson before getting to the Columbia protests and Elon Musk’s surprisingly apt observation on the oppressor-oppressed paradigm. Show Notes: —Word of South festival —Advisory Opinions on the oral arguments —The Collision on the oral argument —Dispatch Podcast roundtable —Ukraine: The Latest with Jonah —Erick Erickson’s article on free markets —George Packer's piece in The Atlantic —Elon Musk’s tweet —Columbia student who said Zionists don’t deserve to live Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Audio doppelgänger Chris Stirewalt joins Jonah on today’s episode of The Remnant to venture through the polluted backwaters of media conglomerates and uncover a whole host of “whataboutism” garbage: the rise of antisemitism on campuses, the media bias in covering these protests, and the terrorist chants coming from the mouths of these students. The two also opine on the faces adorning a far-right fecal Mt. Rushmore, including the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar. They discuss more serious matters as well, such as the current snapshot of poll numbers and whether or not Stormy Daniels is a porn “star” or just an actress. Show notes: —What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank —"What's the Matter with Kansas?" by William Allen White —Chris Stirewalt's Remnant episode with Tyler Austin Harper —Bloomberg: Biden Trails Trumps —Chris' piece for The Dispatch on Nevada's poll numbers —The Hill's election center —Nikki Haley voters in Pennsylvania —Gallup: Americans showing average enthusiasm for voting in 2024 —Jonah’s appearance on a CNN panel with Lulu Garcia-Navarro —Students chant "Go back to Poland!" —Piece on Mike Johnson in The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jesse Singal makes his Remnant debut to discuss his piece for The Dispatch on the Cass Review and the problem with the current consensus about gender transition treatments for children. The two debate the question of social contagion and the difficulties in reporting on "The Science." Show Notes: —Jesse Singal's piece for The Dispatch —Hannah Barnes on Blocked and Reported —Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice Middle finger to Galileo —Tics and TikTok —Steven Pinker's Enlightenment Now —Coverage on the shooting of Jacob Blake —Will Saletan's piece for Slate on GMOs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After fending off the voices coming from inside his walls, Jonah begins today’s Ruminant by discussing the latest entry in the House Speakership saga and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s incoherent foreign policy. He then turns to the recent pro-Palestinian protests and how their facing consequences is a sign of nature healing. Stick around for the usual intellectual history nerdery. Show Notes: —Boiling Frogs on Mike Johnson —Dispatch Politics on Mike Johnson —Wanderland on MTG’s appeasement and Neville Chamberlain —Boiling Frogs on Joe Biden’s “Sister Souljah moment” —Friday’s Dispatch Podcast —Activist threatening Bakersfield city council —The Remnant with Nancy French —Ukraine: The Latest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eli Lake, The Remnant’s resident bloodthirsty war hawk, returns to the pod to break down the situation with Israel and Iran. The two get into why America has no strategic vision on Iran, the growing alliance of left- and right-wing isolationists, and how Tucker Carlson has become so unhinged. Show Notes: —Eli’s profile at The Free Press —Eli’s piece on Tucker Carlson and Russia —Eli's piece on the FBI —The Remnant with Nancy French Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is joined by author, speechwriter, and ghostwriter Nancy French to discuss her new book, Ghosted: An American Story. Nancy tells the tale of how she came to meet the permanent guest host of Advisory Opinions (who is now dead to Jonah), how the Republican Party’s embrace of Donald Trump left her and her family ostracized, and also gives an update on her battle with cancer. Show Notes: —Ghosted: An American Story —Bristol Palin’s book, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far —Nancy’s investigation into abuse at a Christian camp Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah opens up this week’s Ruminant with an indulgent diatribe against Top Chef and Wisconsin cheese. He then pivots toward even more divisive topics, such as Trump’s abortion statement and the messiah-like energy around Barack Obama. Then our culinary-political connoisseur goes on an epicurean journey of topics: hostile work environments, the problems with binary choices, and the definition of a liberal. Show Notes: —Jonah's Wednesday G-File —Friday's Dispatch Podcast roundtable —Top Chef Wisconsin Cheese Festival recap —American Masters: "The Incomparable Mr. Buckley" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah is joined by Dr. Einat Wilf—a former member of Israel's Labor Party and author of The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace. They discuss Israel's failure to reckon with antisemitism in the pro-Palestinian movement, how the two-state solutions got derailed, and what bad leadership means for the future of the conflict. Show Notes: —Dr. Wilf’s website —Dr. Wilf on the history of Zionism and UNRWA —Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was it your racism or economic despair that made you vote for Donald Trump? That’s the question media outlets are asking white people in the Rust Belt and Appalachia, much to the dismay of guest-host Chris Stirewalt. In today’s episode of The Remnant, Chris is joined by Tyler Austin Harper—a professor at Bates College—to discuss his piece for The Atlantic critiquing White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy. Join the two as they break down coastal journalists’ mischaracterizations of rural America, the disdain for these Americans, and why it’s good to interact with people culturally different than yourself. Show Notes: —Harper for The Atlantic: Polyamory, the Ruling Class’s Latest Fad —A new AP-NORC poll shows Americans still agree on most core American values —Tim Carney’s book, Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frazzled and under-caffeinated, Jonah jogs through some sundry punditry, from the state of The Federalist Society to beltway media’s bipartisan fixation with pounces. Show Notes: —This week's Dispatch Podcast roundtable discussion —Advisory Opinions episode on the Federalist Society —Advisory Opinions episode on federal judges visiting Israel —Gregg T. Nunziata's piece for The Dispatch —Nigel Tufnel via The Simpson's fan Wiki —Michael Weiss on Dispatch Live —J. D. Vance's tweet on Havana Syndrome report —Jonah's G-File on blowhards —Chef José Andrés reaction to World Central Kitchen deaths —No Labels reporting from The Dispatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of The Remnant, Jonah attempts to live out his closeted dream of becoming an American spy by diving into a report titled "The Kremlin's Occupation Playbook: Coerced Russification and Ethnic Cleansing in Occupied Ukraine." He is joined by Karolina Hird, author of the report, to discuss the Kremlin’s heartbreaking tactic of deporting and forcibly adopting Ukrainian children, a ploy designed to alter the demographic fabric of the occupied territories. Hear about the critical issue of delayed aid to Ukraine, Russia's strategic use of timing on the battlefield, and the strictly censored Russian media landscape that stifles authentic discourse on the conflict. Show Notes: —Karolina Hird's profile at the Institute for the Study of War —Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine —ISW's Ukraine Conflict Updates page Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices