The Political Orphanage

Last week Robinhood suspended trades on volatile Gamestop stocks, halting Reddit gadflies from utterly destroying a hedge fund which had shorted it. Why'd they cap things off when so many regular folk were poised to make millions? A Wall Street conspiracy? Regulatory hurdles? Jen Briney of The Congressional Dish joins the show to discuss. YOU CAN DONATE TO THE SHOW: patreon.com/andrewheaton Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1 PayPal: andrew@mightyheaton.com

Negin Farsad of "Fake the Nation" and Cheddar's Congressional Correspondent JD Durkin join the show to kick around the week's best, funniest headlines. Including: rave in the bathroom, stripper mishaps, chastity belts gone awry, and ugly crocs.

Should the state interpolate itself into online QAnon conspiracy boards? Who gets the first vaccines? Are pardons a net benefit or vestigial monarchism? The World's Smartest Podcast Network reconvenes to discuss! Turner Sparks, Michael Ira Kaplan, Andrea Jones-Rooy, and Andrew Heaton. PLEASE DONATE TO THE SHOW Patreon.com/andrewheaton Paypal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1

Comedian Gianmarco Soresi joins the show to dive into the week's best, underserved headlines, including: Mexican love tunnels, aggressive squirrels, bed bugs, aggressive Facebook invites, and Viagra mixups. Gianmarco's new comedy album is "Shelf Life", available here: https://www.amazon.com/Shelf-Life-Gianmarco-Soresi/dp/B08M5PHDMN

In 1989 East Germans punctured through the Berlin Wall, reuniting the country after decades of bitter separation. In this episode we follow the creation and and destruction of the Berlin Wall--and look for its meaning in our own era. DONATIONS WELCOME! Patreon.com/andrewheaton Paypal: andrew@mightyheaton.com Venmo: Andrew-Heaton-1

Alice Vaughn and Yvette d'Entremont return to explore the week's best, underserved headlines, including stuff about cannons, 90s video games, and pregnancy tests. You can watch this on YouTube! Head to: https://youtu.be/U3TKyZKoZzM "Inspired by Kevin MacLeod" Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3918-inspired License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Yuval Levin thinks our sclerotic government and alienated culture trace back to anemic, declining institutions. As Congress, the press, and think tanks all lose esprit de corps, and turn into platforms for individual self promotion, gridlock and disgust ensue. He's the author of "A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream." He joins the show to discuss.

Jeremey Kareken and Andrew Young join the program to make sense of the week's greatest, underserved headlines. From a Scotsman who tries to cross the Irish Sea on a jet ski, to Adolf Hitler's alias, to an Austrian town sick of their inappropriate name. "Del Rio Bravo" by Kevin MacLeod, Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5706-del-rio-bravo, License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license "Alcohol, Diamonds, and Beef" by Kimarie Sky https://www.kimariesky.com/

Trump protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol today! Jen Briney of "Congressional Dish" and Justin Robert Young of "Politics Politics Politics" plus yours truly convene to try to inject some meaning into the landscape.

Larry Sharpe joins the program to talk about how the Covid pandemic will affect and depopulate major cities, why urban life naturally leads to a preference for strong government, and how a potential demographic reversal could result in a rural renaissance. Also: a good rant about the Federal Reserve!