The Political Orphanage

A terrorist shot William McKinley at a World's Fair in Buffalo in 1901. In this episode, we go over the specter of anarchism in that era, why McKinley embodied the establishment, and how he died.

Andrew Jackson was the first U. S. president who experienced an assassination attempt.

It didn't stick.

In today's episode we learn about the most grizzled executive in American history from the vantage point of his last near-brush with death.

How does American housing stack up compared to other countries, specifically in terms of full-blown housing communism or free market Japanese housing Nirvana?

In this episode we take a look at what makes housing cheap, what makes housing expensive, and lessons we can steal from foreigners.

LINKS:

Reason TV: "Heaton solves the Housing Crisis" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VmEOgC0CWM

Alain Bertaud: Sim City Was Always Wrong https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/sim-city-was-always-wrong

Conventional wisdom is brimming with economic myths: the Industrial Revolution impoverished the masses; bobber barons were the scourge of the Gilded Age; the Great Recession was caused by irresponsible deregulation.

Senator Phil Gramm and economist Don Boudreaux attempt to set the record straight in their new book, "The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of American Capitalism."

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

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.

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."

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.

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