Podcasts

Ghastly Groupishness

Yascha Mounk makes his second appearance on The Remnant, this time to discuss his new book, The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. In a conversation tailor-made for holders of the Remnant bingo card, Yascha and Jonah discuss the dangers of tribalism and populism, America’s crisis of community, and what patriotism should look like. They also examine America’s shifting demographics and take a deep dive into the nuances of liberal philosophy.

Show Notes:

Yascha’s web page

The Great Experiment

Yascha’s previous Remnant appearance

The coalitional instinct

The cult of unity

The Remnant with Yuval Levin

The Remnant with Francis Fukuyama

A Conversation with Chief Judge Sutton

It’s a special edition of Advisory Opinions as David and Sarah talk to Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. The discussion ranges far and wide but includes a focus on a subject we don’t talk enough about: state constitutional law.

Show Notes:

“51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law” by Judge Jeffrey Sutton

“Who Decides?: States as Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation” by Judge Jeffrey Sutton

Revisionist History: “The Tortoise and the Hare”

Texas Social Media Law Goes to Court

David and Sarah spend serious time talking about social media censorship, modern “public squares,” and the ability of Texas and Florida to moderate Twitter and Facebook. They also dive into the legality of picketing at home, answer listener questions, and start a conversation about abortion and philosophy that they’ll finish live and in-person in Miami on Monday.

Show Notes:

Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck

Washington Post: “Yes, experts say protests at SCOTUS justices’ homes appear to be illegal”

Why Are Teens Growing More Anxious?

It is increasingly obvious that teenagers across the country are experiencing a spike in anxiety, often with serious and debilitating consequences. This week David and Curtis speak to one of the foremost experts on the subject, Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute. Kara’s well-researched and empathetic insights are critical for all of us to help the teens in our lives navigate these challenging times.

Show Notes:

Faith in an Anxious World: A 4-week High School Curriculum

Faith in an Anxious World Parenting Podcast

Matt Richtel (New York Times): “‘It’s Life or Death’: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens

Tosin Thompson (Nature): “Young people’s climate anxiety revealed in landmark survey”

-Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter

-Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org and specifically check out the course Anxiety as Opportunity for Spiritual Growth

It’s No Game

Haunted by the wailings of a local fox, Jonah brings an elevated degree of curmudgeonliness to today’s wide-ranging Ruminant. After offering some further thoughts on the hyper-politicization of American society and the erosion of institutions, Jonah turns to abortion, dispelling a few common myths and outlining what post-Roe law should look like. He also explores inflation, the ongoing Ukraine conflict, and what separates a eulogy from a resume. Plus, tune in for more details on the Remnant’s upcoming 500th episode extravaganza.

Show Notes:

The Remnant with Yuval Levin

WeRateDogs

Washington Post journalists prove Yuval and Jonah’s point

Jonah explains his abortion views

The New Republic blasts Justice Alito

The Wednesday G-File

Midge Decter, R.I.P.

Biden’s recent inflation speech

The Wall Street Journal on the looming battle in eastern Ukraine

The Inflation Game

The economic state of America, which technically may be improving according to the latest inflation numbers, is still not good. The gang (with deputy managing editor Michael Scott Reneau stepping in for Steve) discuss it and home in on why that’s bad news for Democrats. Plus, Tim Alberta of The Atlantic just wrote a profile of evangelical churches in America and it is so good Sarah, David, Jonah, and Michael had to talk about it and the state of evangelicalism on today’s episode. And finally, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a vote on abortion access in America which failed miserably. What the heck was he thinking? Finally, what is the legacy of John Brown?

Show Notes:

TMD on the latest inflation numbers and baby formula shortage

Tim Alberta on the evangelical church

Politico: Senate Democrats’ imaginary majority

Liberty, American Style

Yuval Levin returns to the Remnant to provide his signature brand of edifying eggheadery. Institutions, the culture war, and the necessity of staying in your lane are all covered in this high minded conversation. Jonah and Yuval also discuss America’s unique fusion of liberalism and republicanism and what we can expect from abortion law if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Plus, tune in for an update on the Remnant’s special 500th episode live event.

Show Notes:

Yuval’s page at AEI

Yuval: “How to Curb the Culture War”

The Wednesday G-File

Francis Fukuyama’s Liberalism and its Discontents

The Remnant with Francis Fukuyama

Daniel E. Burns: “Liberal Practice v. Liberal Theory”

Carl Eric Scott: “The Five Conceptions of Liberty”

Yuval on Obama’s second inaugural

Yuval: “Family Policy After Roe

Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns on ‘This Will Not Pass’

There is no shortage of stuff to talk about in This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future, the new book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, and Steve does his best to discuss all of it in this week’s Dispatch Podcast. As Steve says, “The book makes you feel like you are in the room.” The trio breaks it all down—from January 6, those now infamous Kevin McCarthy recordings, and the early days of the Biden administration. Burns and Martin respond to McCarthy’s accusation that they took his comments “out of context.” Plus, why does Biden want to “do it all?” Finally, how do the authors deal with critics on the right that immediately write them off because they work for The New York Times?

Show Notes:

This Will Not Pass by Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns

Recordings of McCarthy saying he will urge President Trump to resign

Paying Up

Beth Akers, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins The Remnant for extreme wonkery on student debt and the economics of higher education. Why have the Democrats become so fixated on the issue of forgiving student loan debt, and can a moral argument be made for forgiveness? Furthermore, are most graduate programs pointless? How can we fix America’s universities? And can anyone match Jonah’s raw disdain for journalism schools?

Show Notes:

Beth’s page at AEI

Beth’s first book, Game of Loans

Beth’s latest book, Making College Pay

Beth on why student loan cancellation will backfire

Jonah ruminates on student debt

The Remnant with Alex Tabarrok 

Bryan Caplan’s The Case Against Education

Bryan on Beth’s podcast, “An Economist Goes to College”

Bryan on the Remnant

WSJ: “The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off”

Dobbs Fallout with a First Amendment Twist

Sarah and David talk more about the leaked draft opinion in Dobbs, but this time with a First Amendment twist. Activists have encouraged protesters to demonstrate outside the homes of the conservative Supreme Court justices. Does it violate the First Amendment to ban protests outside a justice’s home? Is it dangerous and foolish even if it’s lawful? Also, they track the political fallout and discuss three very different polls. Each of them is interesting. One of them is an outlier.

Show Notes:

Washington Post: “How the future of Roe is testing Roberts on the Supreme Court”

Reason: “Washington Post Reports On More SCOTUS Leaks”

Pew: “America’s Abortion Quandary”

Integrity & the Abortion Debate

What does the surprise leak of Justice Alito’s opinion in the highly anticipated case Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization reveal about the intellectual integrity of his legal argument? What does it perhaps reveal about the integrity of the institution of the Supreme Court itself? In the midst of all the controversy and preliminary conclusions, David and Curtis try to help us think through this complex cultural moment through the lens of integrity.

Show Notes:

Caitlin Flanagan: “The Dishonesty of the Abortion Debate”

Romney Discusses the State of Family Policy and the Child Tax Credit with AEI

-Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter

-Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

Drive-Time Ruminant 13: Big, if True

The drive-time Remnant format returns for another eclectic broadcast that, initially at least, comes dangerously close to providing actual substance. In predictably freewheeling fashion, Jonah, Guy, and Ryan explore the abortion debate and how the culture war manifests in various cultures, evaluate the merits of The Batman, and ponder when China’s influence on Hollywood will decrease. They also make an exciting announcement: On May 24th, the Remnant’s 500th episode will be recorded live at the American Enterprise Institute, and Dispatch subscribers are invited to attend. Tune in to hear all the juicy details, and keep a close eye on the site over the coming days for more information.

Show Notes:

The Wednesday G-File

The Remnant with Chris Stirewalt

Yascha Mounk’s The Great Experiment

Last week’s nerdtastic GLoP

Lady Liberty stands tall

Jonah: “A Slow Kowtow to China”

Supreme Court, Abortion, and the Political Fallout

Young at Heart

Fairy tales can come true, and it may happen to you on today’s Remnant, which sees Jonah reunite with Chris Stirewalt for more rank punditry, dated pop culture references, and gratuitous Clinton bashing. They begin by exploring the Roe leak, digging into what it means for abortion law and how Biden should handle the situation, before turning to J.D. Vance’s victory in Ohio and what we can expect from the Pennsylvania Senate primary. Tune in for political insight, but stick around to see whether Jonah and Chris can resist discussing testicle tanning.

Show Notes:

Chris’ page at The Dispatch

The Remnant with Francis Fukuyama

The Remnant with H.R. McMaster

The Remnant with Thomas Chatterton Williams

The Brimley/Cocoon Line

The Wednesday G-File

The Dispatch breaks down J.D. Vance’s win

Making Sense of the Supreme Court Leak Part II

David and Sarah spend more time on the leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito on Dobbs and ask the question: If Alito’s opinion holds, what does that mean for gay marriage? They also discuss last week’s Supreme Court ruling that the city of Boston violated the First Amendment by refusing to fly a Christian group’s flag and then discuss “After School Satan” more than any podcast in human history. They finish with a discussion of a great concurrence in an infuriating case.

Show Notes:

G-File: “Why Joe Biden Hates Saying the A-Word”

Sarah in Politico: “Abortion Might Not Be the Wedge Issue It Used to Be”

David in The Atlantic: “What Alito Got Right”

Shurtleff v. Boston

Wearry v. Foster

Mitt Romney Talks Inflation and the Economy

Utah Sen. Mitt Romney joins Steve for a discussion on the state of the economy and how to rein in inflation. Plus, the senator answers questions about canceling student debt, the Supreme Court abortion leak, J.D. Vance’s victory in Ohio, and the latest from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Show Notes:

Romney in the Wall Street Journal: “Biden’s Errors Worsen Inflation”

Capitolism: “Is President Biden Trying to Boost Inflation?”

TMD: “Washington Gears Up for a Post-Roe Future”

The Dispatch: “Non-Interventionist Republicans: A Small, Vocal Minority”