The Political Orphanage

Venezuela's economy hit rock bottom, then just kept digging straight to the septic tank. Now there are rival presidents vying for power over a starving populace. Magician and deputized foreign policy expert Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to assess the once-wealthy nation's plunge into full-blown socialism and economic collapse.

Comedy writer J. W. Crump joins Heaton to discuss irritating things the media does, the difference between diversity and tokenism in reporting, and what to do about all that bias lurking beneath the surface.

Tom Woods, historian and podcaster extraordinaire, joins Heaton for a philosophical romp through the Enlightenment. By focusing on "spontaneous order" and how the concept has redefined power and civilization, you'll get ample evidence for why we'll never need a Federal Department of Shoes, a President of Physics, or a National Podcasting Commissar.

Prince Philip is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and is also worshiped as a volcano god by a small island in the Pacific. Comedian Chad Prather joins Heaton to go over his biography, and get to know everyone's favorite 97-year-old royal.

Self-described "flaming liberal writer" John DeVore joins Heaton to describe the internal makeup of the Democratic Party, and the factions within vying for power. They also get into tribalism, why markets are awesome, and why Heaton thinks socialism prolonged the Great Depression.

Socialism has returned to America in the form of a crotchety senator from Vermont and a vivacious young lady from the Bronx. Liz Wolfe, managing editor at The Federalist and Playboy contributor, joins Heaton to discuss the more egregious aspects of AOC's policy proposals, and the irritating potshots her detractors make instead of solid arguments.

America briefly considered firebombing Kentucky this weekend after video of a sixteen-year-old smirking at a Native American elder showed a hateful display of racism and bullying. However it turns out that the three minute video is selectively taken from two hours of additional footage, which tells a different story. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky joins Heaton to correct the record.

Stephen Kent, host of the "Beltway Banthas" podcast, joins Heaton to discuss droid slavery, imperial apologists, and the galaxy's fascist dark age. Plus: how to expose children to the proper film sequence to avoid emotional trauma.

Comedian Michael Loftus has written for "Anger Management" with Charlie Sheen and "Kevin Can Wait" on CBS. He's also the former host of the conservative political satire show "The Flipside". He joins Heaton to talk about working in Hollywood as a conservative, and how he hopes the next few years will shake out culturally.

Gerrymandering is a time-honored and artistic craft wherein politicians get to pick their voters instead of having an actual competitive election. Reason's Eric Boehm joins Heaton to discuss ways to neuter the skullduggery. (Possibly involving robots.)

Heaton tries to convince comedian Chad Prather to run against Representative Steve King in Iowa. King has been removed from committee assignments (and presumably GOP happy hours) after his latest dip into white nationalism.

Deanna Easley, host of the "Black in the Day" podcast, returns to talk about microaggressions, and also to tell Heaton specific words and phrases he should quit using.

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist and the author of several books, including "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion." He joins Heaton to talk about how progressives, conservatives, and libertarians have different "moral tastebuds," and about his concerns for the future of academia. Plus, Heaton takes a morality test and is revealed to be a deeply empathetic person who also has no gag reflex, tribal loyalty, or deference to authority.

Is congressional gridlock related to trench warfare? Apparently. Andrea Jones-Rooy returns to discuss. Plus, Heaton invents a new chamber of Congress

Commander Dale Brown is the founder and operations director of the Detroit Threat Management Center, a private security firm. He talks to Heaton about the difference between the police and private security, why he doesn't use guns at work, and common misperceptions about urban crime.

The first Movie Club episode! Brian Brushwood and Heaton review "Vice," the Dick Cheney biopic. Brian makes the case that it's a great film, if understood as a ghost story told inside of an echo chamber.

Justin Young of "Politics Politics Politics" joins to discuss the government shutdown, how alarmed and/or irritated citizens should be, and what can be done to fix it. Plus a brand new show sponsor!

The show's principle sponsor funds an entire holiday special, in exchange for allowing its waitstaff to write the entire script.

Comedian Chad Prather and Heaton try to stay on topic about Facebook and shenanigans involving privacy and Russia, but mostly meander into talking about accents and identity politics.

There's a standard narrative that America has become hyper-polarized, and people only consume media they agree with. Dr. Morris Fiorina joins Heaton to explain why both assumptions are incorrect--parties are getting more homogenous, but voters themselves haven't significantly changed.

Top Ten finalist Vicki Barbolak joins Heaton to talk about starting comedy in her forties, America's Got Talent, and the in's and out's of trailer park humor.

The show's sponsor unveils new and practical gift ideas, plus a peak into Snuffy's yuletide charity. Then Reason's Christian Britschgi joins to discuss the Farm Bill boondoggle and how it really benefits landowners (and not farmers).

Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to discuss New York's minimum wage increase for Uber drivers, and to hate on civil asset forfeiture. Plus Heaton gives unsolicited advice to the new White House Chief of Staff.

Heaton's economics mentor Gene Epstein (moderator of the SOHO forum) joins to discuss how socialism can comfortably exist within a capitalist framework, and also to relentlessly yell at Heaton for his ongoing support of NASA.

Comedian and host of "Lost in America" podcast Turner Sparks returns to discuss who's heading to prison and who's not. Criminals include: Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, sex offender billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, and a Chinese heiress who might be hostage for trade negotiations. Plus: Nick of Nick's Horseless Diner comes on with a horrifying story about a murderous horse.

Britain and Europe are getting a divorced, and nobody seems very pleased with how it's going. Telegraph columnist Juliet Samuel joins Heaton to make sense of things. Plus, fake robot news!

Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy returns to discuss bias, cognitive traps, and the difference between tokenism and intellectual diversity. Plus, on Animal News, Heaton does a deep dive on the story of endangered Hawaiian monk seals getting eels stuck in their nostrils.

France has moved from its normal recreational protesting to prolonged riots. Populism is on the rise there, in America, and throughout Europe. What is populism and what's inflaming it? Jason Buttrill, chief researcher and headwriter at The Blaze, joins Heaton to discuss.

Greg Lukianoff, president of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, joins Heaton to discuss his book "The Coddling of the American Mind" on outrage culture and free speech on American college campuses.

Musical comedian Remy (from Reason) joins Heaton to talk about how, empirically, everything is getting better. So why is everyone mad? Plus Austin Bragg brings news from Westeros.

Comedian Joe Leonardo and tech ethicist David Ryan Polgar join Heaton to talk about automation, wireless cars, and how turning everything into robots can be awesome and terrifying simultaneously.

Comedy writer and verified British person Zoe Samuel joins Heaton to talk about English politics, political mindsets, and the Prime Minister's Questions. Heaton explains why Betty White should be Queen of America.

In his first solo show, Heaton gives a biography of the late George H. W. Bush, and why he's underrated as a president. Plus, Heaton responds to listener reviews.

Heaton gives a primer on how to swear like a Scotsman after Scottish News. Then the Goldwater Institute's Tim Sandefur joins to discuss the political philosophies of Star Trek, and how Picard measures up to Captain Kirk.

Heaton and comedian / amateur bioethicists J. W. Crump discuss the world's first gene-edited babies, and if it's a good idea to fiddle with the human genome to give kids purple eyes and more taste buds. Plus Animal News, including a giant cow and the Queen of England.

Heaton interviews Bigfoot about the movement to draft him to run for Congress. Plus political junky Justin Robert Young joins to talk about the Democratic hopefuls gearing up for 2020.

Magician and professional fire-eater Brian Brushwood rejoins Heaton to discuss a how unlikely Senate allies might actually balance out war powers and get us out of Yemen. PLUS an excerpt of "Moby Dick" (as written by Bernie Sanders) and an interview with the owner of Nick's Horseless Diner.

Heaton brings on Royce Sharp to explain how his dating life impacts national immigration policy, and the use of tear gas at the border. PLUS news on Hugh Hefner's aquatic sex coffin.

In "World News" Heaton bans a world leader from attending his birthday and spitballs alternate nominations for the head of Interpol. He's then joined by Deanna Easley, host of the "Black in the Day" podcast, to talk about black history, the Botham Jean shooting, and whether America is becoming more or less racist.

Shoshanna Weissman, a rogue policy wonk at the R Street Institute joins Heaton to discuss the dumbest occupational licenses in the United States, many of which either involve corpses or flowers. Plus, updates on an America hero who chases down a perp from his riding lawn mower.

Heaton brings back "Animal News" to cover drunk raccoons, a lost camel, and whether pet alligators are better than cats. Then comedian Mahesh Kotagi joins to offer perspective on Apu from The Simpsons, and how political correctness affects standup. Plus ruin your portfolio with "Stock Market Tips from Comedians."

Heaton brings on comedian and verified smart person Andrea Jones-Rooy to discuss the soft, problematic underbelly of democracy: math. Plus: News from Canada, including a butter heist and a mythical Thunderbird.

In today's podcast we take a deep breath and skip the headlines and segments to do an actual, honest-to-god interview with a thoughtful adult. Arnold Kling is the author of "The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across Political Divides." He's an expert on how people think and the filters conservatives, progressives, and libertarians interprets things through.

Amazon Should Build Its Own City, with guest Jim Swift Amazon finally picks two overwhelmingly unsurprising locations for its HQ, and Heaton talks to The Weekly Standard's Jim Swift about the perils of corporate cronyism. Plus:, "Naughty Parts from Around the World": a segment devoted entirely to scandals and sex.

The most interesting thing about the midterms wasn't Red Team vs. Blue Team, it was state propositions. "Modern Rogue" founder and touring magician Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to talk about gerrymandering, legal weed, minimum wage, and how to properly eat a light bulb. PLUS: ghosts and creepy dolls on Paranormal News.

Filmmaker Royce Sharp joins to discuss a better way to view the electorate than Red Team and Blue Team, and the large but quiet "exhausted middle." Plus learn about why Heaton's arch-nemesis is a penguin in "Animal News."

In China, you submit your jokes to the government and the commies edit them for you. International comedian Turner Sparks joins to talk about being funny in an authoritarian regime. Plus, find out about Holographic Reagan and how Heaton's cryptocurrency portfolio is doing in "Tech News."