Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

As Jay says at the outset of this episode, there is a lot to follow in the world: ISIS, the American presidential election, and so on. But Venezuela is not to be ignored: It is a fascinating, appalling story. A state is failing before our eyes. And it was once a prosperous, pleasant state. Now hunger, robbery, and murder are routine life. The correspondent of the Associated Press in Venezuela is... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Roger Scruton, the English philosopher, political writer, novelist, composer, etc., has just been knighted. So he is Sir Roger (as he long should have been). Jay points out that, within the past year, he has published four books, at least. The most recent is about Wagner’s “Ring” cycle: “The Ring of Truth.” He and Jay end this “Q&A” with a discussion of Wagner. But before that, there is much more... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Nominally, this is “Q&A,” but it’s really a music program: a program of music in celebration of America and its independence day. Jay plays an assorted concert: You have some Gottschalk, some Dvorak, some Joplin, some Copland, some Ravel. And you have a couple of star-spangled singers at the end. A musical tribute to America. The complete track list for this show is here. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Earlier this week, Jay wrote a piece about Donald Trump and the “F-word”: fascism. In response, Mark Helprin had this to say, about the 2016 presidential election: “… we are skewered on the devil’s fork of fascism lite and communism lite, both of which can change rather speedily into heavies.” In this “Q&A,” Helprin and Jay talk about this, of course. Helprin is utterly uninhibited in expressing... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Andrew Roberts is one of the foremost historians in the English-speaking world. His recent books include a history of World War II and a biography of Napoleon. With Jay, he talks about Napoleon. And also some other characters: Donald Trump; Hillary Clinton; Paul Johnson; Winston Churchill; Boris Johnson; Roger Scruton. Furthermore, he talks about the critical referendum in Britain tomorrow... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Evan Sayet is a stand-up comedian and writer in Hollywood – and a conservative. How’d he get that way? Well, he discusses it with Jay. They also talk about Carson, Leno, Letterman, Maher, Stewart, Colbert, and others you know. Evan Sayet, you will very much enjoy knowing. Support Our Sponsors! Get control of your inbox! Visit sanebox.com/ricochet today and they’ll throw in an extra $25 credit on... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

James Rosebush was chief of staff to Nancy Reagan. And senior advisor to President Reagan. He was now written a book: True Reagan: What Made Ronald Reagan Great and Why It Matters. And he discusses it with Jay. (They’re old friends.) Among the questions: Was Nancy a tough boss? How about her clash with Donald Regan? What about astrology? What about political differences with her husband? Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

At Yale, English majors have called for the abolition of the core curriculum: the Major English Poets, who include Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, et al. Heather Mac Donald and Jay agree that this is a tragedy – and an outrage. Ms. Mac Donald is particularly well placed to speak about this, because she was an English major at Yale: and got the good stuff. Students today ought not to be deprived of... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

President Obama visited Japan, reawakening old debates. Jay’s guest is superbly positioned to comment. He is Christopher Szpilman, a historian of modern Japan, who teaches in Japan. He is a particular expert on the Japanese Right. He is also the son of a famous memoirist: Wladyslaw, who wrote The Pianist. It was made into a movie in 2002. With his guest, Jay discusses this, too. Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Garry Kasparov is a great chess champion. He is also a champion of human rights, freedom, and democracy. He is the chairman of the Human Rights Foundation, based in New York. And he was recently at the Oslo Freedom Forum, in Norway. Kasparov’s new book is Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped. Jay sat down with Kasparov in Oslo. They talked of the... Source Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe