The Glenn Show
Glenn Loury
Glenn Loury invites guests from the worlds of academia, journalism and public affairs to share insights on economic, political and social issues.
- 58 minutes 38 secondsThe Glenn Loury News Hour
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I spent part of last week visiting Stanford University, and John is off taking care of business in Australia. The time difference, travel, and speaking obligations made scheduling a recording impossible. So this week, I’ve got something a little different for you. Instead of recording a conversation on the day’s news with John, I decided to record one on my own. In this episode, I talk through some opinion pieces that grabbed my attention and give my take on the topics. I address Trump and the economy, Trump’s predictability and unpredictability, DOGE and MAGA’s slashing of the federal government, Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest, antisemitism, and attacks on Tesla cars, dealerships, and charging stations. This is a bit of an experiment—my team and I wanted to see what would happen if I gave it a shot. Let me know how it’s working for you in the comments.
These pieces are all quite relevant as of this posting, on Monday afternoon. But by Friday? Who knows. So I decided to release this episode simultaneously to both free and full subscribers. If you like getting The Glenn Show a few days early, consider becoming a full subscriber. You’ll get new episodes early, plus access to monthly Q&As with John McWhorter, bonus episodes, and other exclusive content.
Become a full subscriber at https://glennloury.substack.com
Video Links
2:31 The opportunities and risks of Trump's economic plans
6:50 Is Trump as unpredictable as he seems?
16:00 DOGE and MAGA take a chainsaw to the federal government
22:30 An argument against Mahmoud Khalil's detention ...
32:49 ... and one in favor of Khalil's detention
41:38 Is it time for an official ban on antisemitism?
49:14 Teslas are burning
Recorded March 14, 2025
Links and Readings
Steve Cortes’s RCP piece, “Trump and the Economy: Opportunities and Risks”
Susan Glasser’s New Yorker piece, “Uncertainty Is Trump’s Brand. But What if He Already Told Us What He’s Going to Do?”
Tim Murtaugh’s Washington Times piece, “Why the Democrat Brand Is in the Toilet”
Jeff Mayhugh’s Hill piece, “The MAGA Revolution Is Playing with Fire”
Ross Barkan’s NYMag piece, “Mahmoud Khalil’s Arrest Will Backfire on Trump”
Josh Hammer’s Daily Signal piece, “Mahmoud Khalil and the Red-Green Assault on American Sovereignty”
Mackenzie France’s RCP piece, “Congress Should Pass Antisemitism Awareness Act”
Rich Lowry’s New York Post piece, “Tesla Terrorism Only Reveals the Left’s Impotence”
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe17 March 2025, 7:29 pm - 54 minutes 4 secondsPeter Beinart – Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza
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Video Links
0:00 Intro
1:33 The relationships Peter has lost and gained
4:14 Why Peter thinks this is a “watershed” moment in Jewish history
6:50 Who can criticize Israel?
9:44 The challenge of October 7’s aftermath to Jewish self-understanding
15:54 Peter: Jews should support non-violent Palestinian protest, not criminalize it
20:12 Shouldn’t the Palestinians have taken the deals they were offered?
25:48 Peter’s argument for a one-state solution
34:34 The “dirty little secret” of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Jewish critics
37:12 The idolatry of the Jewish state
39:45 The mutual liberation of Jews and Palestinians
41:37 Why aren’t the critics of snowflakes and trigger warnings defending pro-Palestinian campus protesters?
46:01 Peter: Antisemitism is on the rise, and ethno-nationalism is the reason
50:20 Peter: If Gaza is unlivable, then Gazans should be allowed to live where they want
Recorded February 21, 2025
Links and Readings
Peter’s Substack, The Beinart Notebook
Peter’s new book, Being Jewish after the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning
Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book, The Message
Eitan Hersh and Laura Loyden’s article, “Antisemitic Attitudes across the Ideological Spectrum”
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe14 March 2025, 5:17 pm - 2 minutes 1 secondBonus Episode: Man of SteelThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com
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In this episode, Nikita, Mark, and I talk about steelmanning, what people want me to say about Gaza, what I want to say about Gaza, and why I offer disclaimers when I talk foreign policy.
11 March 2025, 8:29 pm - 45 minutes 35 secondsJohn McWhorter – War Comes to the Oval Office
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Video Links
0:00 Intro
1:55 Did Trump and Vance bully Zelenskyy or give him a dose of reality?
5:16 Glenn: Trump is trying to wind down an unnecessary war
13:49 - Ground News ad
28:58 The “deep game” of European security
32:06 Glenn: America First appeals to me, World War III doesn’t
36:40 Teaching the reparations debate in a post-October 7 world
43:06 MSNBC axes Joy Reid’s show
Recorded March 1, 2025
Links and Readings
Trump and Zelensky’s Oval Office meeting
Tucker Carlson’s onstage interview with Hungarian president Victor Orbán
The latest episode of Walter Kirn and Matt Taibbi’s podcast, America This Week
Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Atlantic essay, “The Case for Reparations”
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe7 March 2025, 6:42 pm - 9 minutes 27 secondsFebruary 2025 Q&AThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com
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In this month's Substack subscriber Q&A, John and I answer your questions on the NAACP, Trump and January 6, Western civilization, how we deal with angry viewers, and more.
5 March 2025, 10:07 pm - 2 minutes 4 secondsBonus Episode: War and/or PeaceThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com
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In this bonus episode, Mark, Nikita, and I discuss Trump's chaotic Oval Office meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, parsing positions from principles, and the fate of Ukraine.
4 March 2025, 8:23 pm - 1 minute 16 secondsBonus Episode: Amy Wax – Amy Wax Pushes Back
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Today I'm posting a bonus episode of the Glenn Show with University of Pennsylvania Law professor Amy Wax. Unfortunately, Amy experienced some recording difficulties, which resulted in an episode that does not meet our usual standards for audio fidelity and clarity. Rather than post it here in the podcast feed, we've opted to post only the video with subtitles under Amy's side of the conversation. You can find that video right now by going to glennloury.substack.com
Video Links
0:00 A note on audio quality
1:08 Glenn: I may not agree with Amy about everything, but I defend her right to speak her mind
4:17 Amy: What’s wrong with Trump evaluating how federal research money is spent?
12:54 The accusations against Amy
19:17 Did Amy violate students’ privacy?
21:44 What it’s not okay to say at Penn
31:52 Amy’s lawsuit against Penn
36:21 Glenn: Aren’t your free speech claims and you civil rights claims contradictory?
38:33 Amy: This is bigger than me
42:11 Can university research infrastructure survive defunding under Trump?
48:32 Glenn: I’m unnerved by the implications of the anti-DEI movement
Recorded February 17, 2025
Links and Readings
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe2 March 2025, 5:23 pm - 59 minutes 34 secondsConn Carroll – The Assault on Marriage
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Video Links
1:00 Conn’s career in the conservative movement
4:34 The four sexual revolutions
14:17 What about feminism and LGBTQ rights?
20:25 Conn: “We spend over a trillion dollars a year on means-tested programs that punish marriage”
24:30 How online gambling is hurting working-class men
29:02 What are the benefits of marriage?
34:03 Why Conn thinks single-parenthood disproportionately harms boys
37:12 The link between political and domestic structures
44:49 Will Trump enact policies that promote marriage?
48:42 Conn: We should strengthen obscenity laws in order to restrain online porn
55:52 The conservative case for birthright citizenship
Recorded February 11, 2025
Links and Readings
Conn’s new book, Sex and the Citizen: How the Assault on Marriage is Destroying Democracy
David Blankenhorn’s book, Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem
Melissa Kearney’s book, The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind
Glenn’s memoir, Late Admissions: Confessions of a Black Conservative
Reagan Attorney General Edwin Meese’s report on pornography
Conn’s Washington Examiner piece, “The Conservative Case for Birthright Citizenship”
George Borjas’s books on labor and immigration
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe28 February 2025, 5:00 pm - 2 minutes 44 secondsBonus Episode: Empty GesturesThis is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit glennloury.substack.com
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In this bonus episode, Glenn, Nikita, and Mark discuss Elon Musk and Steve Bannon's alleged "Nazi salutes," whether Trump is serious about Canada and Greenland, and what counts as a serious question.
25 February 2025, 9:09 pm - 50 minutes 58 secondsJohn McWhorter – Liberal Panic over Trump
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Video Links
0:55 The myth of a secret black language
6:36 The terror of slavery in James
12:13 Essential fictions
15:45 Ground News ad
17:30 Liberal panic over Trump and DOGE
24:10 Is NYC mayor Eric Adams under Trump’s thumb?
26:54 Glenn: What’s wrong with telling illegal migrants to leave?
33:40 ACTA ad
35:54 The differing challenges of European and American immigration
44:08 The significance of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance
52:17 What’s wrong with Ye?
Recorded February 16, 2025
Links and Readings
John’s latest NYT column, “The Truth and the Fiction of Black English”
Percival Everett’s novel, James
Percival Everett’s novel, Erasure
Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye
Allan Gurganus’s novel, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
Francis Burney’s novel, Evelina
R.F. Kuang’s novel, Babel, or, the Necessity of Violence
Gil-Scot Heron’s song, “Whitey on the Moon”
Tucker Carlson interviews Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show
John’s book, All about the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe21 February 2025, 7:54 pm - 52 minutes 35 secondsJohn McWhorter – January 2025 Q&A
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Glenn and John take questions from Substack subscribers in this Q&A episode.
1:02 Pat Rimell presents a list of propositions about general poverty in urban communities
17:54 Samuel D. James asks if John has any writing advice
23:35 Tom Wojciaczyk wants to know if what the difference is between an accent and pronunciation
30:50 Michael asks why we’re not more worried about Trump taking us back to the nuclear brinksmanship of the Cold War
39:03 Karen Dawn Norris offers two defenses of reparations
43:34 Young Törless asks, since we use the term “blackness” so often, if we could come up with a definition of it that would satisfy such disparate figures as Al Sharpton, Charles Barkley, Condoleezza Rice, Raven-Symone, and Iman
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe14 February 2025, 6:36 pm - More Episodes? Get the App