SHOW SCHEDULE 2-13-2026
1909 BENGAL

1.

Jeff Bliss discusses Governor Newsom's mixed popularity in California, highlighting failures in housing affordability, rising homelessness, and the costly, delayed high-speed rail project undermining his national ambitions.

2.

Jeff Bliss reports on Las Vegas's growth as Californians relocate there, the continued success of In-N-Out Burger, and the irony of California's beautiful weather amidst persistent economic troubles.

3.

Jeff Bliss and Brandon Weichert debate the AI boom, predicting a market correction followed by a second wave where robotics and AI integration fundamentally transform the global economy.

4.

Conrad Black reflects on former Prime Minister Stephen Harper's conservative achievements and analyzes current leader Pierre Poilievre's similar but more comprehensive vision to rescue Canada's stagnating economy.

5.

Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center analyzes tensions between the President and the Federal Reserve, warning against fiscal dominance where political pressure regarding debt forces the Fed to lower rates.

6.

Jim McTague describes Lancaster County's freezing tundra weather, inflation impacting Valentine's Day sales, and a significant financial windfall for local government from a new data center.

7.

Michael Munger reviews George Selgin's book False Dawn, arguing that regime uncertainty from FDR's arbitrary New Deal policies hindered investment and actually prolonged the Great Depression.

8.

Michael Munger explains how post-WWII economic recovery defied Keynesian predictions of doom due to the removal of government controls and a massive release of pent-up consumer demand.

9.

Josh Rogin discusses the trade conflict between the US and India, noting that tariffs were used as leverage regarding Russian oil and Modi's diplomatic de-risking from Washington.

10.

Josh Rogin analyzes the reopening of trade between Washington and Delhi, suggesting India is returning to a non-aligned strategy despite improved relations and adjusted tariff rates.

11.

Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss of the Long War Journal discuss a sophisticated Islamic State drone attack on an airfield in Niger, highlighting security failures by the Russian Africa Corps that replaced US forces.

12.

Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss provide updates on Somalia including relative success against Al-Shabaab leadership, while reports confirm Russian deceptive recruitment of Africans for the war in Ukraine.

13.

Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center analyzes the crumbling Non-Proliferation Treaty, citing Iran's inspection violations and China's nuclear expansion as critical challenges for the upcoming international review conference.

14.

Henry Sokolski critiques the chaotic government response to a balloon over El Paso, arguing the incident exposes dangerous coordination flaws in America's homeland security apparatus and interagency communication.

15.

Bob Zimmerman of Behind the Black contrasts SpaceX's routine success with ULA's technical struggles, attributing the booming private space sector and massive investments to a shift toward capitalist models.

16.

Bob Zimmerman covers ESA's fast-tracked Apophis asteroid mission, a commercial attempt to resÅcue a NASAtelescope, and the contrasting regulatory environments of the UK and New Zealand for space launches.
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