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.
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Populist Hillbillies vs. Fake Lordlings: The Almost-States of Franklin, Nickajack, and Transylvania
America is littered with lots of almost-states, which very nearly joined the Union in their own right, but for some reason did not. In today’s episode we cover Vandalia, Transylvania, Westylvania, Franklin, and Nickajack. By investigating these almost-states, we delve into constitutional law on matters of succession, a
This week New York City Democrats held their primary for mayor, and nominated Zohran Kwame Mamdani. Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist who promises to implement free bussing, a $30 per hour minimum wage, universal childcare, and a government-run grocery store program. Hosts of the World's Smartest Podcast Network hosts,
Iran is accused by Israel of pursuing a nuclear weapons program, and President Trump is weighing US military intervention. In this episode we chart the history of nuclear non-proliferation, and assess Iran in light of it.
A terrorist shot William McKinley at a World's Fair in Buffalo in 1901. In this episode, we go over the specter of anarchism in that era, why McKinley embodied the establishment, and how he died.
Andrew Jackson was the first U. S. president who experienced an assassination attempt. It didn’t stick. In today’s episode we learn about the most grizzled executive in American history from the vantage point of his last near-brush with death.
How does American housing stack up compared to other countries, specifically in terms of full-blown housing communism or free market Japanese housing Nirvana? In this episode we take a look at what makes housing cheap, what makes housing expensive, and lessons we can steal from foreigners. LINKS: Reason TV: "Heaton sol
