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PODCAST

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.

news politics

All Episodes

01:18:05

Make Hollywood Great Again?

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/05/15

Donald Trump is threatening to levy tariffs on films shot elsewhere, and actor John Voight is petitioning the federal government for taxpayer subsidies to protect Hollywood from foreign competition. Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill joins to discuss. https://www.scamstuff.com/products/brian-and-matt-june-2025

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01:33:04

Why You Need a License for Everything

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/05/07

Rebecca Allensworth is the Associate Dean of Research at Vanderbilt Law, where she focuses on anti-trust and licensing. She is the author of "The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who Is Allowed to Work, and Why It Goes Wrong." She joins to discuss licensing, and alternatives. Previous: Shoshanna Weissman on Grooming Licenses https://omny.fm/shows/something-s-off-with-andrew-heaton/ep-8-puppy-grooming-licenses-guest-shoshanna-weiss

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58:44

A.I. Will Be Even More Awesome Than You Thought

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/05/01

Marc Beckman is a Senior Fellow of Emerging Technology at NYU, adjunct professor Stern, and the author of "Some Future Day: how AI is going to Change Everything." He joins to discuss practical implications of the unfolding AI Revolution.

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59:57

Is it Racist? Is it Sexist?

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/04/24

Why do some people determine an action is racist, and others say nah? What are the mental protocols people use to exonerate or convict someone accused of beings sexist? Jessi Streib is the author of "Is it Racist? Is it Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas."

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54:38

Faster, Cheaper, Better Government: Derek Thompson on...

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/04/16

Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson are the authors of “Abundance” a book about removing artificial scarcity and embracing a worldview that focuses on end goals, building, growth, and increasing the supply of everything we need and want. He joins to discuss the book, zoning, why America can’t have nice trains, and how we can better lean into federal research funding.

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01:26:24

Trump, Napoleon III, and the Global Economic Order

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/04/10

Just what the hell is happening with tariffs? Are we entering a trade war? Are we negotiating? In today's show: A) An extended introduction about Napoleon III and Otto von Bismarck B) Austin Padgett, co-host of "History 102" on YouTube joins to discuss Trump's tariffs from the pro-Trump perspective C) Scott Lincicome of Cato takes a dim view of shenanigans

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01:20:43

Cory Doctorow on the Evils of Copyright Law

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/04/02

Cory Doctorow is a journalist, activist, and science fiction author known for his work on digital rights, monopolies, and the future of technology. He joins to discuss non-compete clauses, IP law, Right of Repair, and copyright regimes. His most recent book is "Picks and Shovels,” available at www.mightyheaton.com/featured.

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01:08:07

Near Death Experiences, with Sebastian Junger

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/03/26

Sebastian Junger is a decorated war correspondent and author of books like “The Perfect Storm” and “Tribes: On Coming Home and Belonging.” Heaton was going to interview him about his last book, “Freedom,” but then Junger very nearly died, and they decided to talk about that instead. His most recent book is "In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife" Prior interview on “Tribes”

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47:59

Deporting Khalil

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/03/21

Mahmoud Khalil has been detained, and will be potentially deported, by the Trump administration. Attorney Anna Gorisch joins to discuss the implications of this case, in terms of national security, immigration law, and the difference between protected and unprotected speech. Unabridged: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12QlJl8QgTKBffGXgtUjzMfLIrndTf3mW/view?usp=sharing

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01:49:18

I Talk to a DEI Consultant about DEI

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/03/12

Andrea Jones-Rooy is a data scientist and former DEI consultant. She joins to discuss what DEI is, what DEI is not, and where it goes wrong.

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43:31

Your Kids and The Department of Education

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/03/06

What would happen if the Trump administration tried to abolish or defund the Department of Education? What does it do, and is it a net positive or net negative in terms of tax dollars and dispensing knowledge?

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58:37

Jeff Maurer: Revenge of the Low-Flow Toilets

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/02/27

What is the government doing which is irritating, and what is irritating that the government can assist with? Topics covered today include: paper straws, low-flow toilets, pennies, nickels, mail, and quitting gym membership. Jeff Maurer, author of “I Might Be Wrong” on Substack joins to discuss.

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01:07:32

Jonathan Rauch: Christianity Dropped the Ball on...

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/02/19

Jonathan Rauch asserts that as the American Church has become increasingly concerned with the culture war and politics, it has become secularized and unappealing to its members, who are abandoning it. The result is a country increasingly spiritually adrift, churches distracted from their core missions, and a nation turning to politics as a substitute. He is the author of Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Promise with Democracy

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01:16:13

Sex by the Numbers

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/02/12

Who’s having sex, and how much of it are they having? Who’s getting married and who’s getting divorced? Does money, somehow, possibly, effect any of this? Cathy Reisenwitz of “Sex & The State” joins to discuss.

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55:00

TRADE WAR! (Probably)

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/02/06

Trump erected, then delayed, tariffs on Canada and Mexico, but has levied tariffs on China–which is apt to escalate things shortly. What happens in a trade war and why are they bad? And what is happening now, specifically, in whatever’s going on with Canada? Heaton breaks down the macroeconomics, and James Thatcher explains the unfolding situation. Discord: www.mightyheaton.com/discord

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47:47

Trump's Whack-A-Mole with Federal Employees

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/01/30

The Trump administration is reclassifying federal workers as Schedule F, making them easier to fire, and put a stop to remote work. In hopes of compelling federal employees to quit, and thereby shrink the government workforce. Heaton makes the case that if your goal is to shrink government, this is a counter productive way to do it.

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01:05:03

Death Row Pen Pals

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/01/24

Kirsten Brink is pen pals with prisoners who have been sentenced to death in Texas, as well as other people currently incarcerated in our penitentiaries. She joins to discuss how she got into the program, what it’s like having friendships with people inside the klink, and how others can get involved and help. Write A Prisoner: https://writeaprisoner.com/ Wire of Hope: https://wireofhope.com/inmate-penpal-listings/ The Justice Network: https://www.thejusticenetwork.com/

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01:17:03

How Billionaires Think About Philanthropy

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/01/23

Laura and John Arnold are the founders and co-chairs of Arnold Ventures. Started in 2008, Arnold Ventures is a self-funded philanthropy hyper-focused on pinpointing the root causes of our country’s most pressing ills, whether that be disparities in health care and education, or dysfunction in our public finance systems. They advocate for evidence-based policy proposals that yield the kind of transformative change really only possible at the government level. They’re also signatories of the Giving

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01:07:08

We’ll Watch Your Dog While You’re in Rehab

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/01/22

Pause for Paws is a charity in Tulsa, OK that fosters dogs on behalf of owners who need to seek help at a homeless shelter, rehab clinic, or mental health services. By giving people piece of mind with their pets during their absence, Pause for Paws takes care of two things–the pets in that moment, but also the people trying to get their affairs in order, to return to normal life. Evan Taylor and Cindy Webb join to discuss their organization. LINKS: Pause for Paws: https://www.pause4pawsok.org/

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01:19:12

A Theme Park for Kids with Disabilities (And Everyone)

The Political Orphanage ·

2025/01/21

Morgan's Wonderland is an ultra-accessible amusement park in which all of the rides have been engineered so that no one is excluded, no one is ever sitting on the sidelines. If your child has special needs, is in a wheel chair, is Autistic, has hearing or vision loss, or some other issue--take them to Morgan's Wonderland. Gordon Hartman is Morgan's dad and the founder of Morgan's Wonderland. He joins to discuss.

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