Independent Conversations

Former President Trump is now the subject of multiple indictments for violation of criminal statutes. Do these indictments raise troubling questions about the nature and use of criminal law, and its place in our public life? Watch this episode of Independent Outlook and find out…and also learn about the Hunter Biden case, and the teaching of slavery in the Florida classroom curriculum, while you’re at it!

The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on racial bias in college admissions, President Biden’s fiat forgiveness of student loans, and the freedom of creative designers to disagree with the state’s view of marriage. Another federal judge has weighed in to put the kibosh on Biden administration efforts to press social media companies to censor on their behalf. That’s a lot of legal heavy-lifting! And we discuss all of it, and more, on this episode of Independent Outlook.

So we don’t have to worry about the debt ceiling until after the next presidential inauguration in January 2025. What was all the hullabaloo about, and was it worth it? And while we’re talking about money, is it ok to stop worrying about the U.S. banking system now? We will discuss these matters and more in today’s episode of Independent Outlook.

Independent Institute Chairman and CEO Mary L. G. Theroux interviews Senior Fellow Christopher Coyne on his new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy, including his intellectual journey, the shift in America’s culture post 9/11, preemptive war, the loss of liberty and security at home resulting from such wars, and the viability of a path to peace without a deep state.

In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace, by Christopher Coyne
https://www.independent.org/store/book.asp?id=140

“Nobody is above the law.” That’s a proper American sentiment. How does New York’s 34-count indictment against Donald Trump measure up to it? On another legal front, should Congress ban TikTok? And what are we to make of the revelation that at least one FBI field office set out to create a spy network within Catholic churches?

That Chinese balloon floated over the American heartland for days before it was shot down. But are concerns about it just so much hot air? And a year after Putin’s invasion, does Ukraine deserve a “blank check” from the U.S., and is there an end game? In other news, will Section 230 survive the Supreme Court? And what’s with this effort to rewrite and sanitize Roald Dahl’s children’s books? We discuss these issues and much more.

It turns out that former Presidents and Vice Presidents walk away with classified documents. But is it okay if you keep your stash in a locked garage next to your Corvette? Or maybe the issue gets blown out of proportion since the government classifies too many documents in the first place? Also, Ron De Santis is taking on the woke warriors in Florida. But is he going about it the right way? On another front, how long will government hold onto special emergency powers as the Covid crisis fades? We discuss these issues and much more.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been hearing oral arguments in a number of explosive cases, including the freedom of web designers to choose what version of marriage they will adorn through their work, plus cases dealing with Joe Biden’s executive order transferring student loan debt from borrowers to taxpayers, and Harvard’s race-based admissions policies. At the same time, Elon Musk’s Twitter revelations shed light on politicians influencing social media policies, and also we are now learning shocking back story of the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange.

It looks like American voters were not as alarmed about inflation and the sagging economy as many people thought they were. On a possibly related front, what should we make of the reaction to the despicable attack on Paul Pelosi? And what is the deeper meaning of the race-based affirmative action cases now before the U.S. Supreme Court? We will discuss these issues and much more.

Is Russia getting desperate over Ukraine? Where could that lead, and what should the US do? Here at home, what in the world did PayPal think it was doing when it announced financial penalties for any of its users who went public with political opinions that PayPal doesn’t like? And what did Vice President Kamala Harris mean when she said that disaster relief after Hurricane Ian would be allocated according to principles of racial equity?