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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

01:13:04

Your Friends Are Wrong About the Supreme Court: Sarah...

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/04/22

The Supreme Court is significantly less partisan than advertised. And there are three blocs in it, not two parties. In her new book "Last Branch Standing" Sarah Isgur demystifies the Supreme Court, gives a basic primer on everything from certiorari to judicial philosophies, and identifies the threats to the courts independence, and possible solutions.

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44:55

War Without Coffins

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/04/15

Why now? Why did the United States go to war with Iran this year, as opposed to last year, or ten years ago? Michael Tint is a data scientist and aerospace expert, and is here to talk about the Iran War–and why it's a different sort of conflict.

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01:12:55

The Travails of Afroman and Lindy West (WSPN)

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/04/09

The World's Smartest Podcast Network returns to discuss: Universities dumping peripheral majors in favor of practical ones The trials, tribulations, and musical comeback of Afroman Lindy West, and Millennial Feminism TURNER'S COMEDY SPECIAL, "Turner Sparks: Buttoned Up and Unhinged: https://www.angel.com/watch/shared/f0106e78-f95b-4aad-91dd-65c43cf80c38

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01:30:00

How To Deal with Political Lizard People

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/04/01

Sociopaths and narcissists are both drawn to politics. How do we spot folks with faulty moral compasses before they get elected, and what do we do when they slip by? Bill Eddy is a therapist, lawyer, and mediator. He is the Director of Innovation at the High Conflict Institute. He is the author of over twenty books on high-conflict behavior and how to manage it, but we will be discussing the most pertinent of these works, "Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths and How We Can Stop."

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01:09:45

Interview with the Mega Warden

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/27

Randall Liberty is the Commissioner for Maine's Department of Corrections, overseeing the state's entire prison system, after previously serving as a warden, and a sheriff. He's largely responsible for implementing the "Maine Model," and shifting the state's prison resources away from punitive emphases to rehabilitation. Part V of Prison Week SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton www.thepoliticalorphanage.com

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01:19:47

What's Prison Hooch Taste Like?

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/26

What's prison wine taste like? How's trade work? Where do people get the ink for prison tattoos? If someone sees you cry in the slammer, do you get beaten up? If they beat you up, can you whittle your toothbrush down and shank 'em later? And, crucially, how is prison debate different than high school debate, if at all?

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29:12

Parenting Behind Bars

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/25

How hard is it to raise kids when you're inside a penitentiary? How do you maintain relationships in general? In this episode, Part III of Prison Week, we head to the Maine Correctional Center's Women Prison to interview a resident. SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton www.thepoliticalorphanage.com

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01:14:26

Maine is Smarter Than Your State about Prison

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/24

In Part II of Prison Week, we meet prison teachers, visit the computer lab, and check out Anime in the prison library. The "Maine Model" is focused on rehabilitation and trying to get residents prepped for life on the outside. It's a method contrasted to older penitentiary models in the United States, which focus primarily on punishment and deterrence.

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01:09:44

Heaton Goes to Prison

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/23

In this special, host Andrew Heaton visits the Maine Correctional Center for a day to speak with residents, corrections officers and administrators. About life in prison in general, and the "Maine Model," focused on rehabilitation specifically. Part I of "Prison Week" SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.Patreon.com/andrewheaton www.thepoliticalorphanage.com

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59:50

Richer Than Ever, Miserable Anyway

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/18

Brink Lindsey is the Senior Vice President at the Niskannen Center. He is the author of "The Permanent Problem: The Uncertain Transition from Mass Plenty to Mass Flourishing." You can find it at mightyheaton.com/featured

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01:09:19

A.I. and the Future of Scams

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/11

Brian Brushwood is by trade a magician, but of late has become a security expert. The FBI flew him to Quantico to brief agents on how scams work, and he's become a popular speaker and consultant for large corporations on how to shield against sophisticated scams. The host of "World's Greatest Con" joins to advise Heaton on how not to get screwed. On YouTube at: https://youtu.be/_5PnMjvxTDg

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01:00:20

Undeclared Wars

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/03/05

When was the last time the United States actually declared war? Why did it stop officially declaring war, if nonetheless bombing folks? And when is the president authorized to attack another country without explicit congressional authorization? What is the War Powers Act, and why did it piss of Nixon? All that and more in this history and constitutional deep dive.

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38:14

How the Court Neutered Trump

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/25

The Supreme Court just struck down Donald Trump's sweeping emergency tariffs, but this case is about far more than slinkies and sombreros. When Congress passes an ambiguous law, does the president get broad discretion, or only the specific powers clearly granted to him? We unpack the Major Questions Doctrine, Justice Roberts' loaded-gun theory of taxation, Gorsuch's blistering concurrence calling out judicial inconsistency, and the surprising dissents from Kavanaugh and Thomas. This is an episode

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01:07:22

Grover Norquist at Burning Man (Rebroadcast)

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/19

Burning Man is a giant, 80,000-person party in the desert, complete with a crazy amount of neon, bicycles, and narcotics. Grover Norquist is a powerful Republican, alternately famous or infamous for compelling GOP leaders to pledge never to increase spending, who attends Burning Man every year. He joins the podcast to talk about Burning Man, influential secret societies, his foray into standup comedy, and of course, taxes. Original air date Sep 5th, 2019

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15:27

Governing through Blockchain: Techno-Communes (Preview)

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/17

Jonathan Hillis is the founder and caretaker of Cabin, a network of co-living spaces which link up and vet members in other communities via blockchain technology. His "neighborhood" of intentional living is in beautiful Texas Hill Country an hour outside of Austin, where he lives with friends in a hub-and-spoke model of private accommodation surrounding communal social spaces. He's the former CTO of Coinbase, and you can see how his tech background influences his obsession with scalability (we talk

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01:12:13

How to Build a Commune: Samwise Rodriguez

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/16

If you wanted to live with a bunch of buddies in a house, how would you do it? What are the mechanics of setting up, financing, and socially maintaining a commune? Samwise Rodriguez runs a commune—which combines their skills as a philanthropist, entrepreneur (and to some extent, as a polyamorist). This week we explore: how do you build your own commune?

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49:45

Jeff Flake Alone on an Island with a Knife

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/11

What happens when Trump leaves office? Do the Republicans reform or catalyze? Jeff Flake is the former Executive Director of the Goldwater Institute, Ambassador to Turkey, and representative and then Senator from the great state of Arizona. He is also a Knight of the Kingdom of Sweden. He joins to discuss what a post-Trump Republican Party will look like.

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01:21:48

The Map That Explains Everything About America: Colin...

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/04

Colin Woodard posits that America is not really a country, it's a dozen or so distinct nations with their own cultures and ideologies which are constantly battling for supremacy. His new book "Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America." In it he argues that argues that deep-seated cultural divisions, stemming from different colonial settlement patterns, are the root cause of modern American political polarization, inequality, and threats to democracy. The book uses historical

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02:12:33

America is Eleven Different Countries (Rebroadcast)

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/02/03

Rudyard William Lynch is the host of WhatifAlHist, a popular history channel on YouTube. He joins to discuss how the origins and circumstances of America's regions permanently imprinted on its cultures and political outlooks. Colin Woodard's Map: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-nations-of-the-united-states-2015-7 Rudyard's Map: https://preview.redd.it/cultural-map-of-america-done-by-whatifalthist-on-youtube-v0-7clddg9nunpa1.jpg?auto=webp&s=663b38b9434bdf7791fac983f0d5e5beb643b779 Relevant

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55:57

I Time Traveled to Talk to Medieval Yokels about...

The Political Orphanage ·

2026/01/28

What did people in the Dark Ages think about economics? Why did poverty exist, and how do you alleviate it? To find out, I took my time machine to 1282 and 1314, to speak to barflies and a priest. Fr. Richard Kirby is a fourteenth century prior of Whitby Abbey and formerly the sacrist of St. Mungo's. He is a specialist in Just Price Theory, and joins the show to discuss how his fellows in the Dark Ages approach economics.

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623 results

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