The Close Read Podcast

Emmet Penney on the Global AI Race

A pioneer of computing technology, Nvidia produces the chief component powering the AI revolution: the microchip. Having scaled the once-niche gaming hardware firm into an industry titan, founder and CEO Jensen Huang must now navigate global trade and politics. Associate editor Spencer Klavan is joined by Emmet Penney, senior fellow of the Foundation for American Innovation and contributing editor of Compact magazine, to explain this pivotal technology for the uninitiated and discuss growing concerns that a thin U.S. power grid could give China an opportunity to surge far ahead in the digital arms race. Plus: The Close Read is now on video [https://youtu.be/LenG7E_nMVQ]! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe [https://claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"Goodbye to the Good War" by Sean McMeekin

Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Goodbye to the Good War [https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/goodbye-to-the-good-war/],” Sean McMeekin’s essay on reality, myth, and World War II, featured in the summer 2025 issue. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe [https://claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Matthew Schmitz on the New Theism

Until quite recently, the “New Atheism” held sway over the minds of many elites. But the secular, scientistic worldview that was once so in vogue proved radically insufficient to meet the challenges of the post-9/11 world. Now, a New Theism is gaining traction among many of the thinkers who once professed a confident unbelief. Associate Editor Spencer Klavan sits down with Matthew Schmitz, editor of Compact magazine, to discuss the profound ethical and political implications of this new theological outlook. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe [https://claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

"Stardust" by Helen Andrews

Associate Editor Spencer Klavan reads “Stardust [https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/stardust/],” Helen Andrews’s review of We Tell Ourselves Stories, featured in the summer 2025 issue. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe [https://claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Summer 2025 Review with Charles Kesler

Editor Charles Kesler sits down with Associate Editor Spencer Klavan to discuss the recent summer issue. Highlighted are Christopher Caldwell’s cover essay on UK immigration and Charles’ own piece on the Joe Rogan of the UK, Jeremy Clarkson. His show, Clarkson’s Farm, is a love letter to the English everyman in a moment when Britain is labouring (pun intended) under the burdens of bad government. Also in the issue, Sean McMeekin questions the merits of World War II as an analogue for the present moment, Matthew Schmitz tracks the revitalization of Christianity after the era of New Atheism, and Emmett Penney charts the meteoric rise of microchip maker Nvidia. Plus much more. Claremont Review of Books 25th Anniversary Gala Invite [https://goldenageagenda.com/event/crb/] Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe [https://claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]