Podcasts

David French and Curtis Chang Answer Listener Mail

For the first time ever, Good Faith podcast co-hosts David and Curtis answer questions from listeners.  In this special “Ask Me Anything” podcast, they respond to questions about how to find a good church; how to interact with family and friends who are lost in the right wing media bubble; how to consume pop culture; and all the ways in which Curtis is an apostate from progressive orthodoxy. It’s a fun, free-flowing conversation where the listeners are in charge.

Show Notes:

A New Chapter in Millennial Church Attendance: “Patterns of attendance among younger generations can be especially important—and perplexing—for pastors to understand, in their own church and at large. Barna Group has studied the intersection of faith and culture for nearly four decades, with an emphasis on generational trends. This article explores recent data to help church leaders ground themselves in the present reality of church attendance across generations—especially Millennials—in 2022.”

The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

by Richard Rothstein: “Richard Rothstein argues with exacting precision and fascinating insight how segregation in America—the incessant kind that continues to dog our major cities and has contributed to so much recent social strife—is the byproduct of explicit government policies at the local, state, and federal levels.”

The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul: “Ellul offers a penetrating analysis of our technological civilization, showing how technology—which began innocuously enough as a servant of humankind—threatens to overthrow humanity itself in its ongoing creation of an environment that meets its own ends.”

Fasting: The Ancient Practices by Scot McKnight: “Christianity has traditionally been at odds with the human body. At times in the history of the church, Christians have viewed the body and physical desires as the enemy. Now, Scot McKnight, best-selling author of The Jesus Creed , reconnects the spiritual and the physical in the ancient discipline of fasting.”

Nancy French’s entertainment suggestion tweet thread: “In the French house, David and I love to watch series. Frequently, people ask what good shows we’ve watched, so I thought I’d start a list (and I’ll keep adding to it) of some of the binge-worthy TV we’ve enjoyed.”

Old Ideas

Today’s annoyingly whispered Ruminant comes to you live from Portland, where Jonah’s on a clandestine mission with his wife. Unfortunately, the city doesn’t seem to be doing so well, which prompts him to begin with a lengthy diatribe on urban decay, the crisis of homelessness in America’s cities, and what’s specifically wrong with Portland. Stick around afterward for some thoughts on Davos and the economic elite, and a rambling digression about the enduring relevance of Liberal Fascism.

Show Notes:

Jonah: “One, Maybe Two, Cheers for Partisanship”

The LA Times on Portland’s homeless problem

The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis

Philip Coupland: “H.G. Wells’s ‘Liberal Fascism’”

Jonah: “Bellamy’s Children”

China’s Demographic Decline

China’s population is getting older and older and analysts warn this could have significant global impact. Deputy Morning Editor of TMD Esther Eaton sits down with Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies to dig into the root causes behind the country’s demographic decline and the impact this will have on economic and labor conditions.

Show Notes:

Esther Eaton’s TMD Piece: China’s Looming Demographic Crisis

Extraordinary Measures

Sarah, Jonah and David wonder what’s left of fiscal responsibility in the Republican Party as the debt-ceiling deadline hits Congress. Who’s serious about digging in and balancing the budget? Will taking on the “weaponized” bureaucracy make a dent? And, haven’t we been in this before? The crew also tallies which countries are providing tactical support to Ukraine (and how much). And of course, stay tuned for an extra salty Not Worth Your Time.

Show Notes:

Watch: White House Press Briefing on Debt Ceiling

Brian Riedl for The Dispatch: How Republicans Can Get Serious on Spending

The Spinach Wars

Brian Riedl, also known as the “balanced budget good government guy,” is back on the Remnant to answer a pertinent question: Should we believe that the GOP suddenly cares about fiscal responsibility? He and Jonah also provide some wonkified commentary on a whole host of other economic issues. What’s to be done about the national debt? How should conservatives approach the IRS? And is it possible to reform the tax system?

Show Notes:

Jonah: “The GOP’s Spending Fight Is More About Fighting Than Spending”

Brian Riedl: “How Republicans Can Get Serious on Spending”

The Remnant with A.B. Stoddard

Byron Donalds spars with Joy Reid

Surprise by Cert

The Supreme Court saves the day (or at least, this episode) with a slew of last-minute cert grants. A consolidated immigration case; a legal battle between a 93-year-old woman and the state of Minnesota over a foreclosed condo; a search for the line between free speech and death threats; and, for good measure, David lets out a bee that’s been buzzing in his bonnet since law school over a religious accommodations case. Plus: so long sans serif!

Show Notes:

Pugin v. Garland, Garland v. Cordero-Garcia

Tyler v. Hennepin

Counterman v. Colorado

Groff v. DeJoy

McSweeneys: I’m Comic Sans

Old Man Blues

The Remnant gets back to basics today, as A.B. Stoddard returns to the show for some deeply rank punditry on (what else?) the dysfunctional state of our parties and the prospect of a second term for Biden. With insurgents rising among both Republicans and Democrats, how long will it take for the parties to get healthy again? For that matter, how concerned should Democrats be about the loss of black and Hispanic voters? Will the GOP actually raise the debt limit? And is there any way of excusing Biden’s document blunder?

Show Notes:

A.B.’s page at RealClearPolitics

A.B.: “Yes, He Will Burn It All Down”

Jonah: “GOP’s deficit reduction is a cynical performative gesture”

A.B.: “Kevin McCarthy Is Already a Gift to Democrats”

Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”

Stop Doing This

As they consider the meaning of Robert Hur’s appointment as Special Counsel, Sarah and David cast a wish to the universe that top officials be held accountable for mishandling classified documents (or that they just stop doing that). They also discuss whether collegiality is declining among Supreme Court justices, take the pulse of religious liberty in the law, briefly discuss Fairfax county’s “war on merit” controversy, and offer a simple-to-follow definition of academic freedom.

-”Should have no impact

Steven Mazie on SCOTUS collegiality

The president of Hamline University responds

The latest from Fairfax County

David on the ruling out of Eugene, Oregon

What Is Courage?

In this podcast, David and Curtis return from trips around the world to give us a philosophical insight on courage. From Churchill to Lord of The Rings, stories of virtue can influence our own actions when tests cross our paths. They talk about the power of narratives and how they can build moral courage and character. Both dig into their past to bring up personal models of strength that have influenced who they are today. They wrap up with a critical look at political institutions under this moral framework.

Show Notes:

-There’s a Question My Confederate Ancestors Taught Me To Ask by David French.  In this April 26, 2020 Dispatch article, David writes about the incredibly powerful pull of tribe over truth.

-After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory by Alasdair MacIntyre: Alasdair MacIntyre examines the historical and conceptual roots of the idea of virtue, diagnoses the reasons for its absence in personal and public life, and offers a tentative proposal for its recovery. 

-The Literary Churchill: Author, Reader, Actor by Jonathan Rose: Rose examines Churchill’s careers as statesman and author, revealing the profound influence of literature and theater on Churchill’s personal, carefully composed grand story and on the decisions he made throughout his political life. 

-Curtis’s account of Churchill’s book “Savrola” is taken from Gideon Haigh’s 2014 Sydney Morning Herald article, “Winston Churchill’s literary and theatrical influences” and his account of Nuremberg can be found at Nuremberg as the “City of Nazi Party Rallies.”

-A Hidden Life: Written and directed by Terrence Malick, this film depicts the true story of an Austrian farmer facing execution for refusing to fight for the Nazis during World War II.

It’s A Gas

Today’s Ruminant, a self-described “rambling, weird, incoherent hot mess,” can perhaps be taken as a reflection of Jonah’s addled brain. With his wife and daughter on a road trip, his mind has regressed into bachelor mode, and he’s begun to subsist on chicken eaten over the kitchen sink. Thankfully, he still has opinions on the biggest stories of the day, including the Biden administration’s potential ban of gas stoves, how Biden’s classified document scandal compares with Trump’s, and technological developments that could counteract climate change. Come for the punditry, but stay for the strange digression about the mating habits of deer. 

Show Notes:

The Dispatch breaks down the battle over gas stoves

NPR: “We need to talk about your gas stove, your health and climate change”

Jonah: “The Hypocritic Oath”

The Dispatch Podcast on Biden’s classified document scandal

Wall Street Journal: “Climate Startup Removes Carbon From Open Air in Industry First”

The Remnant with Jim Pethokoukis

Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism”

The Biden Files

Declan joins Sarah, David and Steve to break down President Biden’s classified documents scandal. The team then discusses McCarthy’s backroom dealing, the proposed SANTOS act, and the riots in Brazil. Plus: An anatomically descriptive Worth Your Time(?) segment that made David deeply uncomfortable.

Show Notes:

The Dispatch: House GOP Moves to Messaging Bills and Investigations

Proposed Bill Text: SANTOS Act 

The Atlantic: Prince Harry’s Book Undermines the Very Idea of Monarchy

Is It Windbreaker Time, Yet?

Following Sarah’s personal tribute to the incomparable Will Consovoy, Sarah and David wade through the news about Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and wonder about its implications on the Mar-a-Lago case. Then, David checks in the Georgia grand jury about Trump’s alleged election interference, and a Sarah reviews two SCOTUS arguments, one concerning attorney-client privilege and union strikes. Finally, Sarah and David joyfully examine the true value of noncompete clauses.

Show Notes:

In Memory: Will Consovoy

NYT: Biden Lawyers Find Classified Material At His Former Office

The Dispatch: Dueling Documents Case

CNN: Georgia grand jury investigating Trump and 2020 election aftermath completes its work

In re Grand Jury argrument transcripts

Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters argument transcripts

FTC Proposes Rule To Ban Noncompetes

Noise Annoys

Cass Sunstein, the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard and Jonah’s fellow disciple of the dingo, makes an overdue return to the Remnant to discuss his recent book, Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment. Noise, the book argues, is a deadly flaw in human judgment that clouds many of our decisions and produces errors in fields such as medicine, law, and public health. Dr. Sunstein and Jonah examine how noise should be defined, what separates it from bias, and what we can do to fight it. They also explore whether the phenomenon varies across the world, and how terrifying changes in AI and algorithms may affect it.

Show Notes:

Dr. Sunstein’s recent book, Noise

Dr. Sunstein’s other recent book, Sludge

Dr. Sunstein: “Governing by Algorithm? No Noise and (Potentially) Less Bias”

Dude, Where’s My Flying Car?

For no particular reason, the Remnant returns to an in-person format today, as Jonah drops by the AEI offices to chat about what the future holds for humans and technology with James “Jimmy P” Pethokoukis. Together, they explore why we still haven’t achieved some of the major advancements that wonks were predicting in the ‘70s, occasionally stopping to ponder the merits of popular sci-fi television shows. AI, fusion power, and space elevators are all discussed, but by the end of it all, an important question still hasn’t received enough attention: Will highly intelligent, taxi-driving super-apes eventually overthrow mankind?

Show Notes:

Jim’s Substack, Faster, Please!

Ezra Klein: “The Dystopia We Fear Is Keeping Us From the Utopia We Deserve”

Jim: “Who taught us to fear Dystopia? Who taught us we didn’t deserve Utopia?”

Jim: “Paul Ehrlich interview on ’60 Minutes’ shows the need to finally defeat degrowth environmentalism”

Our World in Data

Jonah’s review of The Reactionary Mind

Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock

Arthur C. Clarke’s Profiles of the Future

Scientific American: “Space Elevators Are Less Sci-Fi Than You Think”

Jonah: “Two Cheers for Techno-Marxism”

Jim: “Billionaires, space, and the Blade Runner Fallacy”

Be Not So Sensitive

We got some exquisite First and Second Amendment content for you today. David and Sarah discuss a Fifth Circuit decision to strike down the Trump administration ban on bump stocks. They then discuss whether a teacher has a right to wear a MAGA cap even if it engenders emotional reactions.

Show Notes:

Fifth Circuit Majority Opinion on Bump Stock bans

Gorsuch’s dissent

Judge Elrod’s musical talents

Summary from 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on MAGA hat and free speech

NYT: A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She Lost Her Job.

Enough Already

Jonah’s in especially ranty form on today’s Ruminant as he explores the continuing war over the House speakership and where most commentators are going wrong in their analysis of it. He also examines the broader prevalence of annoying misconceptions about Congress, what media bias really looks like, and how conservatism should be measured. Plus, tune in for discussion of a controversial Daily Beast story, the Damar Hamlin incident, and the political proclivities of big corporations.

Show Notes:

Wednesday’s (members only) “news”letter

Jonah: “McCarthy’s Misery”

The Daily Beast‘s Matt Schlapp story

Joshua Green: “Can Ron DeSantis replace Donald Trump as the Face of the GOP?”

Philip Bump: “Can Ron DeSantis Ride an Anti-Business Message to the White House?”

Tim Carney’s The Big Ripoff