Where Rip’s Newsletter Comes From

Where Rip’s Newsletter Comes From

You may be surprised by how much goes into one edition of this venerable publication.

By Jim Reynolds | www.reynolds.com

September 25, 2026

Every so often a reader asks me where all this stuff comes from.

Fair question.

The short answer is: I read a lot so you don’t have to.

The longer answer is that Rip casts a very wide net. Every week I work through hundreds of articles, columns, essays and reports from dozens of sources. Most never make it into the newsletter.

That is by design.

Rip was never intended to be a collection of everything published on the Right. There is already far too much to read. My job is to find the handful of pieces I think are actually worth your time.

So, since you are trusting me to do that, I thought you might enjoy seeing what the bench looks like.

The Daily Grind

These are the high-volume sources. There is always something happening here, which also means there is always plenty to throw away.

American Greatness — Politics, culture and the Trump-era conservative movement. Roughly 70 pieces cross my screen in a typical week. Regular names include Debra Heine, Bryan Hyde, Liz Sheld, Stu Cvrk and Victor Davis Hanson.

RedState — Fast-moving politics, breaking stories and commentary. This one is a fire hose: easily 100 pieces a week. Kyle Becker, Nick Arama, Ward Clark, Bob Hoge, Teri Christoph and Rusty Weiss are among the familiar names.

The Federalist — Longer arguments on Congress, the courts, education and culture. Around 65 pieces a week. Shawn Fleetwood, M. D. Kittle, Brianna Lyman, Chris Bray, Breccan F. Thies and Eddie Scarry.

Power Line — One of the old reliables. Law, media, Minnesota politics and broader political analysis. About 50 pieces a week. John Hinderaker, Scott Johnson, Bill Glahn and Steven Hayward.

The Patriot Post — A veteran-founded conservative digest mixing commentary with shorter news analysis. This was one of Rip McIntosh’s favorite sources. Around 50 pieces a week.

American Thinker — A very wide net of its own: politics, economics, media and culture. Around 45 pieces a week.

The American Spectator — Another old-timer, with politics, history and longer essays. Roughly 40 pieces a week.

Townhall — Home to a large collection of syndicated conservative columnists. Kurt Schlichter, Kevin McCullough, Derek Hunter and Tim Graham regularly show up in the pile. Some are straight opinion. Others come in with the flamethrower already lit.

The Deeper End

Some sources don’t publish nearly as much, but I pay particular attention when they do.

The American Mind — Serious, sometimes difficult essays about national identity, culture and the future of the Right. Ryan P. Williams, Spencer Klavan, Michael Anton and Helen Andrews are among the writers I watch.

City Journal — Crime, cities, education, housing and public policy. Heather Mac Donald, Steven Malanga, Stephen Eide, Judge Glock and others. This is where I often go when I want more than an opinion.

Brownstone Institute — Covid, public health, civil liberties and institutional dissent. About eight pieces a week. Jeffrey Tucker, Paul Thacker and others. You may remember Renaud Beauchard from yesterday. Sometimes I even rewrite them. 😊

Gatestone Institute — International affairs, particularly the Middle East, Europe and migration.

Imprimis — Hillsdale’s little monthly publication. Very low volume. Usually worth reading.

The Heavier Feeders

Foreign Policy produces an enormous amount of material on security, trade and geopolitics — perhaps 80 pieces in a week. I don’t agree with all of it. That’s one reason I read it.

The National Pulse is another high-volume source of conservative news and commentary.

Frontpage Magazine is more combative, with Daniel Greenfield, Robert Spencer, Hugh Fitzgerald and Mark Tapson among its regular writers.

The Washington Free Beacon combines investigative reporting with political commentary and regularly turns up stories worth watching.

And yes, I keep an eye on MSNOW and other sources from the Left.

Not because I intend to send you their stories.

I want to know what everybody is saying.

The Independents

This has become an increasingly important part of the mix.

There are now very good writers who don’t need a magazine, newspaper or television network standing behind them. They publish directly.

I regularly see work from Alex Berenson, Peter Navarro, Jack Cashill, Don Surber, Jeff Childers, John Hawkins, James Howard Kunstler and others.

About 40 independent pieces go into the hopper in an average week.

And, yes, Jim Reynolds occasionally (!) sneaks one in there too.

Then What?

This is the part that probably matters most.

Nobody pays to get into Rip. The work either cuts it or it doesn’t.

There is no preferred placement. No publication gets an automatic pass. A famous byline guarantees nothing.

I collect.

I read.

I compare. Is it appropriate for our audience? Is it well written? Is it credible?

I throw away a lot.

Then I try to send you the things I would want somebody to send me if I didn’t have the time—or inclination—to wade through all of it myself.

Sometimes that means Victor Davis Hanson.

Sometimes it means a writer you’ve never heard of.

Sometimes it means an article from a publication I don’t particularly like.

The source doesn’t make the cut.

The story does.

That’s where Rip’s Newsletter comes from.

And as long as you keep reading it, I’ll keep doing the digging.

— Jim

Please visit Rip’s Newsletter if you are curious about this publication. Many of you, of course, are already long-time subscribers.