The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast

On episode 71, Charles talks to Luther Abel, Jack Butler, and Phil Klein about what they would do if everyone other human on earth was wiped out. Where would they go first? How would they get around? What would they eat? How long would they survive? If they could only take one tool, what would it be? What would they do for fun?

On episode 70, Charles confirms that Luther Abel is real, discusses his attempt to get into Canada, and then talks to Caleb Kruckenberg about federalism.

In episode 69, Charles talks to Luther Ray Abel about their Most Excellent Whizzbang American Roller-Coaster Adventure.

On episode 68, Charles talks to Keith Whittington, a professor at Yale Law School, about his new book, 'You Can't Teach That: The Battle over University Classrooms.' Among the topics discussed are why universities are different than K-12 schools; why governments (and taxpayers) can't decide what is taught, given that they're paying the bill; how Civil Rights law intersects with academic free speech; and how to prevent universities from becoming ideological bubbles.

On episode 67, Charles talks to David French about David's column in the New York Times, 'To Save Conservatism From Itself, I Am Voting for Harris.'

On episode 66, Charles talks to Charles Fain Lehman about drugs and crime. Charles asks Charles to tell him why he's wrong about the drug war, why marijuana is different from alcohol, whether we should ban substances to protect people from themselves, what the problem is with 'harm reduction,' how bad the drug crisis is, whether we talk about it seriously, and why drugs are more potent now than they used to be. Afterwards, they talk about whether crime is going up or down, or whether the whole debate is partisan nonsense.

On episode 65, Charles talks to Randy Barnett about his memoir, 'A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist.' Among the topics they discuss are: How did Randy get interested in the law? How did he become a law professor? What is an originalist? Why is he one? What sort of originalist is he? What was it like arguing before the Supreme Court? Why does he still defend the Lochner decision? Is he hopeful about the future of the Constitution?

On episode 64, Charles writes an opera for his most persistent critic, 'Boiling Rug,' and then talks to Clark Neily about the problem of coercive plea bargaining.

On episode 63, Charles talks to Wilfred Reilly about his new book, 'Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me: Debunking the False Narratives Defining America's School Curricula.' Among the topics they discuss are: Who is this 'liberal teacher'? Why does Wilfred feel a need to argue about this? Are the people who tell these lies aware that they are doing it? What lies do conservative teachers tell? Is the problem fixable?

On episode 62, Charles tells tale of his difficult two weeks, and then talks to Andy McCarthy about the Trump conviction.

On episode 61, Charles talks to Rick Brookhiser about his new book, 'Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution.'

On episode 60, Charles talks to Peter Robinson about the famous 'Tear Down This Wall' speech that he wrote for President Ronald Reagan. Among the topics they discuss are how Peter became a speechwriter in the first place, what Ronald Reagan was like, and how The Speech came to be.

On episode 59, Charles invites Michael Brendan Dougherty and Noah Rothman to continue the debate over Ukraine that they started on Tuesday's episode of The Editors.

On episode 58—recorded from Lord Ravenscroft's desolate manor—Charles reviews objections to his approach to counting states, relates the most recent problems he's had with his golf cart, and talks to Tim Carney about his new book, 'Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be.'

On episode 57, Charles announces a special jigsaw puzzle and relates which 44 states he's visited before talking to Robert Frommer about an extraordinary case of civil asset forfeiture.

On episode 56, Charles talks to Father Nathaniel Meyers, the Pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo, MN, about whether God exists, how we can know, and whether it ultimately matters.

Charles invites Gareth Russell to tell him all about his latest book, 'The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court.' Among the topics they discuss are the wives of Henry VIII, the use of séances to get one's own way, the first performances of Macbeth and Hamlet, the writing of the King James Bible, snobbery within eighteenth century chocolate production, whether Mary I was as bad as her reputation suggests, and why George III moved the monarchy to Buckingham Palace.

Charles introduces a new section on the show: Manatee Fact Hour. Then he invites that reprobate Kevin Williamson on for another throwback show. Presented by Prang and Company.

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On episode 52, Charles talks to Peter Suderman about cocktails. Among the topics discussed are: What is a cocktail? When were they invented? How have they changed over time? What is the 'cocktail renaissance'? How have laws affected their production or development? And how did Peter get into this in the first place?

In episode 51, Charles confesses that he is genuinely morose about the end of the Jaguars season, and then talks to his colleagues about their own sporting highs and lows. For just $5/month, you can help a sad male fan.

On episode 50, Charles is rudely prevented from staging his radio play by the Ghost of Luther Abel. After that, he talks to Rafael A. Mangual about crime. Among the questions they discuss are why Rafael believes that the U.S. has a "decarceration problem"; whether too many Americans are in jail; whether the justice system is "racialized"; what we should do about police brutality; whether voters will punish politicians who make them less safe; and what law-and-order policymakers got wrong in the 1990s.

On episode 49—so called because there have been 48 others—Charles talks to Russ Roberts, the host of the EconTalk podcast and the president of Shalem College in Jerusalem. Among the topics they discuss are: What life has been like in Jerusalem since October 7; why Russ started a podcast so early; why he's less interested in economics than he used to be; how strongly he holds his views; whether individuals who do well in the free market 'deserve' it; which economic concepts are hardest to convey; why he doesn't call himself a 'libertarian'; why it's important to live 'like an artist'; and whether the West is going to make it in the long run.

On episode 48, Charles celebrates the Jacksonville Jaguars' 34-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans, and then talks to Steve Simpson about the core of America's system of government: the separation of powers. Among the questions discussed are: What is separation of powers? Why does it matter? Does America still have it? Can it co-exist with the modern world? Can there be such a thing as an "independent executive agency"? What is the "unitary executive doctrine"? Are we going in the right direction—or backsliding back to monarchy?

On episode 47, Charles tries to work out why some of the anti-Israel protests have bothered him so much, and then talks to Ruy Texeira about the current state of the Democratic Party. Among the questions asked are: Why is Texeira's new book called 'Where Have All the Democrats Gone?' when the Democrats seem to be doing fine? Why is the "shadow Democratic Party" so strong? What is the "soul" of the Democratic Party? What did Bill Clinton get right in the 1990s? How correct was the thesis of 'The Emerging Democratic Majority?' Is abortion hurting the Republicans? What should we draw from this year's Virginia elections? And is demography destiny after all?

On episode 46, Charles talks to Dan Senor about the horrors of October 7. Among the topics discussed are: What happened? Why did it happen? Why would Hamas's apologists say it happened? Was Dan surprised that it happened? Does he worry about another Holocaust? Has he been shocked by the reaction in the United States? What will happen next?

On episode 45, Charles admits that he missed the podcast's anniversary. Then he talks to Yascha Mounk about his new book, 'The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time.' Among the topics discussed are where identity politics comes from, how it spread so fast over the last ten years, why it's a problem, whether opposition to it should be moral or practical or both, and what will happen if it's not checked.

On episode 44, Charles talks to NPR's Steve Inskeep about his excellent new book on Abraham Lincoln, Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America. Among the topics discussed are whether the book is a call for engagement in the modern era, whether practical politics gets a bad rap, what Lincoln really thought about African-Americans, whether Lincoln intuited that he was going die in office, what challenges are presented by the fact that Lincoln was murdered when he was, whether Lincoln's occasional dishonesty was justified, and what class-based "equality" meant in his era.

On episode 43, Charles answers a question about atheism and individual rights: "How can your belief in unalienable rights be squared with your professed atheism?" Then he talks to Heather Mac Donald about her book, 'When Race Trumps Merit: How the Pursuit of Equity Sacrifices Excellence, Destroys Beauty, and Threatens Lives.'

On episode 42, Charles answers a question about the game of Rugby, and then talks to Douglas Brunt about his fascinating new book about Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine and, at one point, one of the most famous and interesting people in the world. Among the questions asked are: Why have we not heard more about Diesel? What sort of world was he inventing in? Why were the world's militaries so interested in his work? What did he believe in? What did he think of America? Did he get on with Thomas Edison? How did he come up with the idea for his engine? How did he disappear—and what are the main theories as to how it happened?

On episode 41, Charles talks to the historian Niall Ferguson about Cold War II (not Cold War 2.0). Among the questions asked are: What is a Cold War and why are we in one? Is China now more ideological than it was twenty years ago? Should America be taking more drastic action at home and abroad? What sort of tools should the United States be creating? Is Ukraine a distraction from the real threat? Will the Chinese turn on their government? Who will win the battle this time around?

On episode 40, Charles talks to Wink Twyman Jr. and Jennifer Richmond about their book, 'Letters in Black and White: A New Correspondence on Race in America.' Among the issues discussed: Have our conversations about race got worse despite conditions for African-Americans having improved? Is racial solidarity necessary in a country that once had slavery? Can a focus on 'Old Americans' help everyone move on? Were Wink and Jennifer nervous about having an "authentic conversation" about race? Should others be?

On episode 39 of the Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles talks to Rob Long, a writer and the founder of Ricochet.com, about the ongoing "Hollywood Strike," which is now on its 114th day. What's it about? Is it justified? How—and when—will it end? Why do entertainment figures have unions? Is streaming ruining everything? Will this strike make it worse? How a big a threat to actors and writers is Artificial Intelligence? And how did Rob get into Hollywood, anyway?

On episode 38, Charles talks to the novelist Lionel Shriver about immortality, the topic of her recent cover story at National Review. What are the personal and societal implications of immortality? What drives her to write about that topic? Does Lionel want to live forever herself? What would be her biggest fear if she could attain eternal life? Is she more bored than she was 15 years ago? What does she feel when she thinks about the size of the universe? Is Charles wrong to find it sad that, at some point soon, all his memories will be completely and permanently obliterated? Is there any point in living for a long time if you spend all your time extending your life and not much time living it?

On episode 37, Charles talks to the historian, Andrew Roberts, about Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, King George III, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and others. Among the topics discussed: Where did Churchill get his literary ability? What would have happened if Britain had made peace with the Nazis in 1940? Why wasn't Napoleon a 'tyrant'? Is the U.S. uninvadeable? Was George III a good king? Is the Declaration of Independence accurate?

On episode 36, Charles begins by highlighting his favorite parts of Becky Pringle's astonishing speech to the NEA conference, and then chats with "school-choice evangelist" Corey DeAngelis about the dramatic increase in interest in his prescriptions since COVID-19 changed the world.

On episode 35 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles begins by answering a question about what he prefers about England and what he prefers about America, and then talks to Eli Lake about whether the Espionage Act of 1917 ought to exist, and whether Donald Trump ought to have been charged under it.

On episode 34, Charles talks to Tim Carney about his book, Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse. Among the topics they discuss are what constitutes "the American Dream," whether that American Dream is "dead" (as Donald Trump charged in 2016), and, if so, when that decline started and what caused it. After that, Charles asks if those who are suffering are right to be angry with the government, if the malaise can be fixed, and to what extent Tim thinks that the answer lies in a resurgence of religious belief and community.

On this pop-up episode, Charles talks to the Pacific Legal Foundation's Ethan Blevins about the Supreme Court's decision to strike down affirmative action, and then answers a question about his time at King's College Choir School in Cambridge.

On episode 32—released on the 32nd of the month—Charles talks to Gareth Russell, who wrote a book about the Titanic ('Ship of Dreams: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era') and who, a couple of years ago, was invited to take a trip on the Titan submersible that sank this week.

On episode 31 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast—this one with 100% less Luther Abel—Charles chats with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya about his reflections on the pandemic. What did he get right? What did he get wrong? Has the public health establishment learned its lesson? Does it deserve to be trusted? If so, how would we get back to that? Does Dr. Bhattacharya share Charles's enthusiasm for the vaccine? What, if anything, did Anthony Fauci get right? Answers abound.

On episode 30 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles welcomes back his old Mad Dogs and Englishmen co-host, Kevin Williamson, to talk about cities, crime, whether libertarians were wrong about marijuana legalization, going to Italy, shooting snakes with revolvers, and who is going to be the Republican nominee in 2024. No PPE money was destroyed during the making of this podcast. N.B. Charles is now on vacation. The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast will return in two weeks.

In this special "pop-up" episode, Charles talks to Andy McCarthy about why, since Episode 5, Andy has changed his view on whether or not the FBI is irredeemable and should be abolished.

On episode 28 of the Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles talks to Elbridge Colby about Taiwan, the Chinese Communist Party, and foreign policy realism. Before that, he answers a question about state senates and tries in vain to rescue Luther Abel from that strange howling sound in the control room.

On episode 27 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles discovers to his delight that there is a congressional candidate named Calvin Ball, explains why he's not into martial arts, and chats with Toby Young, the founder of the Free Speech Union, about the state of free speech in the United Kingdom.

On episode 26, Charles starts by answering two questions. First: Is Jon Stewart right to notice a discrepancy between the reactions to voter registration and gun registration? Second: What is on his Rollercoaster Mount Rushmore? After that, he talks to Sonny Bunch about movies. What is a good film? Have the Oscars drifted too far from popular culture? Has Hollywood run out of ideas? Tune in at 8pm ET to find out.

On episode 25, Charles gives over the whole episode to a conversation with Daniel Hannan, a writer, blogger and Conservative member of the British House of Lords. Their topic? Shakespeare. Why does everyone seem to think he's speaking directly to them? How much about him do we know? Did he really "change everything"? What's the 'First Folio'? Listen to find out.

In episode 24, Charles starts with a Q&A, answering questions about Benjamin Franklin and what would happen if Originalism were to prevail across the board. After that, he talks to Giancarlo Sopo about whether the GOP is in trouble in 2024, and how issues such as abortion, gun-control and Trump are playing with the electorate.

On episode 23, Charles expresses his frustration with the idea that everything in American life is "pro-Trump" or "anti-Trump," talks to Lanhee Chen about what has happened to California, and finishes up by chatting with Luther Ray Abel about "bangers"—old cars that are cheap but require constant maintenance.

On episode 22, Charles chats with a fellow Brit-turned-American, Hillsdale's Sam Negus, about what it's like to leave your country behind forever in pursuit of the American Dream.

Tired as a result of Daylight Savings Time, and of being chased around the room by a harp, Charles talks to John H. Cochrane about what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, and to Henry Oliver about whether literature students have suddenly become unable to read.

On episode 20, Charles explains why he is so het up about President Biden's illegal student-loans order: it's bad enough that it's a terrible idea, but it's a flagrant violation of separation of powers, too. Then he talks to his new colleague, Noah Rothman, about Ukraine, China, and America's role in the world.

In this off-menu episode, Charles begins with a Q&A. The question: "If you were to create a British Mount Rushmore, what four faces would it display? John, Paul, George, and Ringo are not eligible, by the way." After that, he talks to author and culture writer, Kat Rosenfield, about the editing of Roald Dahl, different sorts of censorship, and why people keep mistaking her for a conservative.

On episode 18 of the Charles C. W. Cooke—this one with extra nutrients—Charles explains why he was even more appalled by the State of the Union than he is usually, and then talks to Marian Tupy about why things are much better economically than they ever have been, and why that could continue indefinitely if we don’t screw it up (which we might).

In episode 17 of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles notes that Florida's proposed "constitutional carry" legislation is not remotely as controversial as the press seems to believe, and that, if Florida adopts it, it will become the 26th state to do so. Then Charles talks to Paul Gregory, one of the few people who can answer the question, "so you knew Lee Harvey Oswald" with a "yes."

In this just-under-the-wire episode, Charles starts by talking about the Republicans' doublespeak on the debt: they insist that they want to balance the budget, but they don't want to touch any of the programs that are necessary to do so. Then, in the spirit of the hour, he talks to Vic Matus about his book 'Vodka: How a Colorless, Odorless, Flavorless Spirit Conquered America.'

On episode fifteen, Charles starts by discussing the case of NHL player Ivan Provorov, whose decision to sit out a Pride event provoked many sports writers to call for his head. After that, he talks to Reason Magazine's Billy Binion about the disturbing case of Geraldine Tyler, a 94-year-old Minnesota woman who had her house stolen by the government. Then it's time for another Q&A, and, finally, this week's Jacksonville Jaguars Update. As a bonus: his kids shout "Duuuuvaaaal."

On episode fourteen, Charles discusses the alarming sight of politicians and activists discussing issues they'd never considered until yesterday as if they'd been working on them for 50 years straight. After that, he talks to law professor Jonathan Adler about the limits of federal power, and discusses the newfangled Jacksonville Jaguars, who are now in the NFL postseason.

It's Episode 13—the unlucky one. Charles starts by pushing back against the idea that there is something alarming about the House taking a long time to choose a Speaker. After that, he talks to a cardiac electrophysiologist and a neurosurgeon to find out more about what happened to Damar Hamlin in the NFL.

Charles begins by imploring his fellow conservatives to remember their optimism, and then talks to Mike Rowe about America's declining work ethic and the ugly stigma that is now attached to so-called 'blue collar' jobs.

In episode eleven, Charles implores the Republican Party to stop nominating the Munsters for public office, and instead choose candidates who can win. Next, Charles talks to Steve Morris, who heard the segment on gay marriage with MBD and wanted to argue with him from the left. Finally, Charles chats with Dan McLaughlin about the monster baseball contracts that are coming in with the snow.

Double figures. Gosh, they grow up so fast. In this episode, Charles examines why old documents use the letter "f" where we would now write the letter "s" (spoiler: they don't), argues about the desirability of gay marriage with Michael Brendan Dougherty, and reflects upon the late Christine McVie's fabulous contributions to Fleetwood Mac.

On this Thanksgiving episode, Charles stops complaining for a moment and explains what he's grateful for; interviews Ricky Cobb about his smash-hit Twitter account, @Super70sSports; and answers questions about his dual citizenship.

From his island perch in the Lucayan Archipelago, Charles takes a look at what he got wrong about the 2022 midterms, argues that it is well beyond time for the Republican Party to dump Donald Trump, and talks to Josh Sauerman about animatronics.

It's Election Day in America. To celebrate, Charles chats with RealClearPolitics's Sean Trende about opinion polls past and present, and talks to David Bernstein about his book, 'Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America.'

Charles has lost much of his voice on this sixth episode of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast. Nevertheless, he persists. On this one, Charles takes the press to task for its reaction to the attack on Paul Pelosi, talks to Mary Katharine Ham about her ordeal at CNN, and runs through Giles Martin's brilliant 'Revolver' remix with the help of Jeff Blehar.

In this diametrically striped edition of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast, Charles shares his readers' most bizarre sporting superstitions and talks to Andy McCarthy about whether Congress should abolish the FBI.

This episode of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast has been released on a Thursday—just as the Founding Fathers intended. It features an interview with NBC's Marc Caputo about Florida and its upcoming election, and a new Q&A during which Charles answers questions about his kids' accents and what he thinks of the Bible.

A surprise "pop-up episode." Charles debates his recent column, "Biden’s Pot Pardons Are the Wrong Means to the Right End," with the Cato Institute's Clark Neily, and, on the podcast's first Color Supplement, talks to Jeff Blehar about Supertramp's classic album, "Breakfast in America."

The difficult second episode. Features a discussion of the New York Times's piece, "At N.Y.U., Students Were Failing Organic Chemistry. Who Was to Blame?"; an interview with Gareth Russell about his book on the Queen Mother; and the very first—dun, dun, duh!—Q&A.

The first episode. Features a review of the new format, an observation about cancel culture, an interview with Troy Senik about his new book on Grover Cleveland, and a brief chat with Dan McLaughlin about Aaron Judge's 61st home run of the season.