The Political Orphanage

Leo Kearse is Scotland's Comedian of the Year from 2018, and might well be the only conservative Scottish joke monger. He's presently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he's reprised his standup comedy show "Transgressive." (A show which got Leo banned from Australian comedy venues for being too transgressive, despite the fact he was dating a transgender woman when he wrote it.) He joins Heaton to discuss comedy, Scottish politics, Brexit, wokeness, whether Scotland will go independent or not, Donald Trump, and Boris Johnson.

Justin Amash recently bolted from the GOP, either out of protest or to run for president as a Libertarian or both. Former governor, senator, and Democratic presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee has left the Democrats... to become a libertarian. Meanwhile Bill Weld is still primarying Donald Trump and might soon be joined by Mark Sanford. Pundit and former Marvel bigwig Rick Ungar joins Heaton to discuss fractures in the two major parties, and have a good-natured argument about the role of the state in markets and poverty.

George F. Will is a Pulitzer-prize winning columnist and the author of the new book "The Conservative Sensibility." He joins the podcast to discuss his latest work, and his hopes to pull back the conservative movement from the brink of insanity.

The US Women's Soccer Team won the World Cup this week, but gets payed less than their male equivalents. Is this blatant sexism? Market efficiencies? Illuminati conspiracy? Comedians Andrea Jones-Rooy and Turner Sparks join Heaton to make sense of it.

It's the first episode of the new series! Host Andrew Heaton is joined by podcast warlords Brian Brushwood and Justin Robert Young, to discuss: Should the Trump administration continue the trend of relocating federal agencies to the states? Congressmen have *way* more constituents than they used to. Should we create more congressmen? What about *thousands* of more congressmen? Democratic Party Draft Picks: who would make the strongest combo, and who would you like to see on a ticket regardless?

Heaton comes on the show one last time to conclude 'Something's Off with Andrew Heaton'.

Heaton's producer Jennings sits in on the show to discuss the Fermi Paradox, science fiction, and a host of other fun topics.

Ben Domenech sits down with Heaton in studio to talk about 'Blade Runner' and 'Blade Runner 2049', robots in our daily lives, and the beautiful coldness of Han Solo.

On this installment of the Friday Release Valve, Heaton's producer Jennings comes on to sort through the week's better headlines, from backfiring high school pranks, to fortune cookie investment strategies, to a man arrested for trying to fight aliens.

Michael Malice is the author of The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics. He talks to Heaton about the ethics of trolling, progressive evangelism, the sorts of people who showed up to the Charlottesville rally, and why he hates William F. Buckley.

Justin Robert Young explains why Kim Kardashian will run for president, why she'll be an unstoppable media bulldozer when she does, and which political party she'll swing for.

George Washington didn't have a marriage license; why should you? Heaton rants about why the government should get out of the marriage business altogether, along with comedian (and married guy) Tom Brennan. Plus: A brand-new game pits host and guest against each other to see who can be the most feckless partisan!

Former CNN correspondent Chris Moody and his wife Cristi Moody sold all their stuff, outfitted a van, and spent the year driving around America on the cheap with no boss or schedule. They've encountered hundreds of other people living off-grid, and join Heaton to talk about what forces Americans to compete in the rat race, and how to escape it.

Comedian Jaron Myers rejoins Heaton to sort out the week's more obscure headlines, from Venezuelan criminals running out of bullets to Russian communists demanding that HBO redo the "Game of Thrones" finale.

What if dropping bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki isn't what corked off World War II? How tactically useful are nukes, and how many times have we almost accidentally obliterated ourselves with them? Ward Wilson is the author of "Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons," and joins Heaton to discuss the stuff about atomic warfare you've never considered.

Denver just became the first city in the U.S. to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms, and Oakland, CA, is eyeballing a similar measure. Heaton brings on psilocybin and drug policy expert Mike Riggs of Reason to talk about the concerns of legalizing psychotropic drugs.

A lone Republican congressman is calling for Trump's impeachment. Podcaster and magician Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to investigate the case and to make an unrelated call for George Takei to run for Congress.

From human composting to poop-stained checks; from a comedian disbanding the Ukrainian Parliament to a restaurant where you have to bring your own table, the Friday Release Valve brings you the silliest news of the week. Joined by comedian Turner Sparks, Heaton explores the latest headlines.

Are we approaching a time when we will be able to download our consciousness into a computer? If so, what will that do to our lifestyle, economy, etc...? Robin Hanson, author of 'Age of Em', chats with Heaton about the future of the human mind.

Have you seen the term "neoliberal" floating around the political sphere? Has someone ever thrown a tomato at you and insisted you're a neoliberal shill? Heaton brings on the Executive Director of the Neoliberal project to answer: what the hell is neoliberalism, exactly?

Comedian and attorney Andrea Coleman joins Heaton to talk about ways to improve bail bonds to make sure people get detained for flight risks, not lack of cash. Heaton reveals several ways he might one day be arrested and also gives some pretty good gardening tips.

Tensions are escalating with Iran. Are we cruising towards war or just blustering? Jason Buttrill joins Heaton to explain the Trump Doctrine and whether or not you should bet on "we're going to bomb Iran" on a game show.

Comedian Kevin Seefried joins Heaton to suss out the week's better headlines, from shark thieves to legally-mandated polygamy to why psychics should be paid more for plane crashes. It's the Friday Release Valve!

In the era of radical identitarian politics, where unthinking vitriol and sometimes even violence abounds, more and more we are in need of sane voices in political discourse. Robby Soave, author of 'Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump' joins Heaton in the studio to talk about the future of politics in the new generation.

It's time for an industrial helping of high-grade nerd chat about Game of Thrones. Heaton talks to policy wonk and lifelong nerd Grant Carlisle about the deeper meaning of George R. R. Martin's books and HBO series.

How much do you have to pay to swing an ambassadorship? What is Citizens United and why do people loathe it? Heaton talks with Dave Levinthal, senior reporter at the Center for Public Integrity, about campaign finance and how money shapes politics.

It's that time of year again! The mistletoe is hanging in the doorway, all the snow has been shoveled, and there's a glass of wine just waiting on the kitchen counter for that special person. Snuffy's Diner is proud to sponsor this year's Mother's Day Special!

Comedian Lou Perez joins Heaton for a Friday Release Valve episode to discuss the silliest headlines of the week: Some sheep go to school, chicken nugget ice cream, a guy crossing the ocean in a barrel, and a lot more fun on this week's episode!

What if history isn't a string of great man biopics or a struggle between conservatives and progressives? What if it's a battle of disciplinarians against drunks and harlots? Thaddeus Russell comes on to talk about his book, "A Renegade History of the United States."

The market tumbled yesterday after Donald Trump threatened to double down on tariffs. Heaton explains Comparative Advantage with a brilliant scotch analogy, and is then joined by playwright and comedian Jeremy Kareken to rant about protectionism.

It's expensive maintaining the largest prison population on the entire planet, but we've managed to do it for several decades. German Lopez, senior correspondent at Vox, joins Heaton to talk about criminal justice reform and how the 2020 candidates stack up on drug policy and sentencing.

Comedian and primatologist Natalia Reagan joins Heaton to talk about hominids, the human family tree, and the time when Homo sapiens weren't the only smart bipedal hominids running around.

Comedy writer Brian Sack joins Heaton for a Friday Release Valve episode to sort the world's better headlines: from the worst use of parking spaces ever, to a great education game about cow tuberculosis, to an effortless but irritating way to get abs.

What's in the DNA of a conspiracy theory, and when does it go from benign to dangerous? Jesse Walker is author of "The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory," which identifies the different types of conspiracy theories and charts them from the Salem witch trials through Barack Obama's birth certificate.

People don't really like pointing to Venezuela, Cambodia, Cuba, or the Soviet Union when they talk about socialism. (What with the deaths.) They like to mention cute sweater-vest countries, like Denmark, that aren't actually socialist. Justin Haskins, executive editor at the Heartland Institute, joins Heaton to talk about what socialism is and isn't, and also when it occasionally gets out of hand and murders hundreds of millions of people.

Student loan debt has surpassed $1.5 trillion dollars — more than credit card debt — prompting some ascendant Democrats to push for loan cancellation and tax-funded university tuition. Heaton figures out what's making it so expensive with filmmaker and friend Royce Sharp.

Deanna Easley rejoins Heaton to talk about welfare: when it works, when it traps, and her experiences on it. Plus, Heaton explains a Biden vs. Trump election through ostrich racing, and producer Jennings comes on with timely feedback.

Comedian Bridget Phetasy joins Heaton for a Friday Release Valve episode to sort out the week's better headlines, from how the Philippines might trigger World War III, to man-killing birds, to black-market colonoscopies.

Did Trump win the election because economically displaced Rust Belt workers wanted a shake-up, or because old white guys can't handle change? Tim Carney rejects that dichotomy and says that the 2016 election had more to do with the nature of the community you hail from: whether it's connected, upwardly mobile, and optimistic, or pessimistic, disconnected, and lonely. His book, "Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse," dives into the nature of American communities and why the disappearance of clubs, churches, and diners is hurting the nation economically and psychologically.

Gene Epstein is the director and moderator of the New York-based debate society the Soho Forum and formerly the economics editor at Barron's. He's also Heaton's mentor in economics. He comes on the program to chastise Heaton for his ideological foibles, then to talk about why the Federal Reserve Board is horrible and we should scrap it entirely.

Stu Burguiere joins Heaton to weigh in on climate change as a conservative — how alarmed we should be and what good and bad policies look like.

Jerry Taylor, formerly of the Cato Institute and now president of the Niskanen Center, joins Heaton to talk about what pro-market solutions to global warming look like. Plus, Heaton spices up the Mueller report, and a new whisky-based sponsor.

Back by popular acclaim, Andrea Jones-Rooy joins Heaton to sift through the week's better headlines, from Pennsylvania's new state amphibian, to dog catchers in tanks, to the Japanese version of "Breaking Bad." Plus, why comedians don't need to worry about getting replaced by robots anytime soon.

Neil Howe is the historian and demographer who coined the term "millennial." He also developed the Strauss-Howe generational theory — the idea that America has four types of generations which go through cycles of history together. He joins Heaton to explain a different way to look at history and to pinpoint where we are in it.

Hate is big business right now. So is fear. Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, joins Heaton to talk about his book Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America from the Culture of Contempt. As well as his new film, "The Pursuit," about the power of markets to solve poverty.

Bernie Sanders just held a town hall with Fox News...and came out on top. Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to slap socialism around, but also point out the surprising policies where Sanders and Trump converge.

Is a U.S. Space Force an inevitable step to protecting satellites and commercial space activities, or just an expensive exercise in shuffling Pentagon bureaucracies? Military and aerospace expert Anthony Colangelo joins Heaton to sort things out.

Comedian Jaron Myers joins Heaton to probe the more obscure headlines of the week, from an incredibly polite Canadian car theft mystery, to robot burglars, to the world's most ominous potatoes.

Poverty and low standards of living are often thought to be the outcome of those at the financial and social top standing on the backs of everyone else. But what are some other possibilities? Theodore Dalrymple, author of "Life at the Bottom: The Worldview that Makes the Underclass," comes on the program to talk to Andrew about the influence of a generational welfare state and its impoverishment of stable, family-based values.

We've been to the moon a couple of times to collect rocks and go golfing, but what benefits would we get from building a permanent colony? Robert Zubrin is the author of "The Case for Space," founder of the Mars Society, and president of Pioneer Astronautics. He joins Heaton to talk about how to build a moon base and how to get the private sector to do it cheap.