The Political Orphanage
Politics minus bile plus jokes. Comedian and avowed independent Andrew Heaton interviews authors and thought leaders about policy and big thinky stuff.
Episodes
Tim Sandefur joins to discuss individualism in American culture. In this fun (but weird) conversation, we go through zombie shows, Westerns, and Star Trek, while invoking Hobbes, Ayn Rand, Epicurus, the Stoics, Plato and Aristotle. He is the author of the new book "You Don't Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty."
Past Sandefur chats:
ATA: The Last Policeman
Theater critic Clive Kripson of BBC Bolton joins to review "Shutdown: The Musical" in what is now the longest-running revival of the landmark Broadway favorite.
Legal and geographic quirks sometimes create "Terra Nullius"—land which no sovereign nation lays claim to. Literally, No Man's Land. In this weird geographic episode, we explore: Iceland, the Oklahoma Panhandle, Kowloon Walled City, Liberland, and the Kingdom of North Sudan.
Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton offered two contrasting visions of what America should be and how the Constitution applies to it. Jeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar and the President of the National Constitution Center. He's the author "The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America."
Can comedians ethically perform standup for a despotic regime without endorsing it? Recently the Riyadh Comedy Festival invited furor when some comics schlepped to Saudi Arabia to perform–at great expense–while others declined in protest of supporting human rights abuses. Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan join to discuss.
Space Tractor: And Other Short Stories, by Josh Jennings
Okay, so what constitutes "cruel and unusual"? Why was it okay to brand horse thieves in the face in old timey days, but it's barbaric now?
In the final installment of this year's Judge Week, we go over the history of cruel and unusual punishments; what scared the English into outlawing it in their Bill of Rights, and how America interpreted it for the first century of the Constitution. Then, landmark deci...
Pornhub ceased operating in the Lone Star State after Texas implemented an age verification law. Pornhub, and other adult websites, said the compliance was too onerous, and the potential fines too staggering. In response, the Free Speech Coalition sued Texas in court for an injunction to block the law, on the grounds that by burdening protected (if offensive) speech it violated the first amendment. Texas responded by saying that re...
In Mahmoud v. Taylor the Supreme Court affirmed parents rights to remove their children from LGBTQ material used in public schools.
The Court ruled that opt-outs preserve separation of church and state, and protect parental rights.
The Dissent maintains that exposure is not the same thing as indoctrination, and opt-outs are at best going to be an administrative nightmare, at worst a religious veto on acceptable content.
Anastasia ...
In Trump v. Casa the Supreme Court ruled that district judges cannot issue "universal injunctions" against the federal government… Well, what the hell does that mean? The ruling comes in regard to Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. Is the Trump administration accurately "rediscovering" the true meaning of the Constitution, or just twisting and mangling it to make sure nobody here illegally can confer citizenship on ...
I think I probably drink too much, and I ought to curb that before I wrinkle prematurely. Fortunately, there is Katie Herzog. You may know her as the host of the Blocked & Reported podcast, but she is also the author of "Drink Yourself Sober: The Science-Based Method to Break Free from Alcohol."
LINKS: Addicted to Dopamine https://podcasts.apple.co...
Daryl Davis is an African American musician responsible for de-radicalizing over 200 Klansmen and Neo-Nazis in his attempts to understand racism. He joins Heaton to talk about his experience, contact science, and the best ways to overcome bigotry.
This episode has been corrected for an audio error which previously occurred. If you see two episodes in your player, go with this one!
Original air date: July 8...
Europe's GDP and purchasing power lag behind that of the United States. Why?
Sam Bowman is the Editor of Works in Progress at Stripe, and the former Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute. He recently wrote an article for Reason Magazine entitled "The Europoors Are Choosing to Have Less Then Americans. It Doesn't Have to Be this Way."
He joins to discuss if Europe is actually poorer,...
Liberalism was once thought to be triumphant and inevitable, but at the moment it's losing ground across the globe.
Cass Sunstein joins to discuss what liberalism is, why it's good, and some of the in-family debates.
LINK: Cass Sunstein on Smarter Regulations
https://www.thepoliticalorphanage.com/p/cass-sunstein-on-smarter-regulations-85e
Well, how do we respond after assassinations and political tragedies? Let's talk about it. Ugh.
Link: Assassins Part II: A Loser Kills Garfield
If Iran's Islamic Republic collapsed—or got pushed out—who would pick up the pieces?
This week we look at the recent history of Iran, and the coup perpetrated by the CIA and MI6.
To understand Iran's broader political context, and the power players poised to seize leadership.
Linked Bonus Episode: McKinley Dies and the Empire ...
Is Sweden a socialist paradise? What do they do right and what have they screwed up on? Most importantly, what can Americans steal, replicate, and improve upon?
To find out, I abducted the handsome and urbane intellectual Johan Norberg.
Also I visit the ABBA Museum.
Finland routinely winds up at the top of global happiness surveys. Why?
In this episode, I flew to Helsinki to wander around and chat up locals. Trying to figure out why:
-
Their social trust is so teeteringly high
-
How their social safety nets work
-
How this combines to result in their contentedness.
So that we can steal all that, and replicate it.
Relevant Episode: The Nordic Theory of Every...
It turns out, young voters (under fifty) are openly hostile to political parties, and are most likely to flip from election to election. This means the game is about to change as Millennials displace Baby Boomers as the largest voting bloc. So what happens?
Adam Brandon is a senior advisor at The Independent Center, and the former and final president of FreedomWorks.
He joins the show to discu...
Greg Lukianoff is the President of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and along with Nadine Strossen, is the author of "The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech--And Why They Fail."
Does the Fed achieve its own stated goals? What are underlying ethical or practical issues with it? Soho Forum founder and economist Gene Epstein joins to make the case against the Federal Reserve.
The SoHo Forum: https://www.thesohoforum.org/
Uncut Gene Epstein interview on the Federal Reserve: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_8wTj-0VrlMWsrtI6iIsewKvjZworu_/view?usp=sharing
Popular Podcasts
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.