Words & Numbers

Ant and James go a little further than most in discussing the death penalty as we brace ourselves for the first public execution in the US since 1936. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 01:13 MIT’s Certificate in Piracy 03:59 Political Arguments, Social Media, and the Electoral College 07:30 Chuck Grassley, Aging Politicians, and Age Limits 12:28 Foolishness of the Week: Arrested Over a Shrek...

David Friedman joins us once again to discuss differing legal systems (and Renaissance fairs). 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 01:14 Furries, Renaissance Fairs, and Pittsburgh Subcultures 06:42 Rethinking the Social Security Retirement Age 10:46 Foolishness of the Week: The BBC Loses Its Mind 17:02 David Friedman on Alternative Legal Systems 17:58 Renaissance Fairs vs. Historical Recreation...

James and guest co-host Tom Krannawitter try to figure out (and explain) what the normative standard of nature is. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 01:08 Trump, the Midterms, and the Future of the Republican Party 06:27 Colorado Republicans and the Changing Conservative Movement 09:42 What Does It Mean to Be a Conservative? 16:02 Aristotle, the American Founding, and the Role of Virtue 18:58...

James and Tom Krannawitter, who is pinch-hitting for Ant this week, discuss the differences between the Greek and German educational methods, and why we should care. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 01:17 Trump’s Triumphal Arch, Snipers, and Government Militarization 05:25 When Police Destroy Your Property and Don’t Pay for It 09:07 Qualified Immunity and Holding Police Accountable 12:32 Cou...

Ant and James dissect the constant involvement of government in "emergencies," which seem to happen once a decade. For some reason. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:50 The Ig Nobel Prize: Are Rich People More Selfish? 5:13 Rising Oil Prices and the Real Cost of Policy Decisions 7:20 Trump’s $5,000 Checks and the Inflation Problem 10:22 The Lindsay Clancy Trial and a Bizarre Jury S...

Ant and James reflect on 9/11, both the day and its legacy. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:24 Citizens United, Super PACs, and Money in Politics 6:48 Corporate Donations, Trump, and Political Influence 10:50 AI Is Putting an Entire Industry Out of Business 13:56 AI, College Cheating, and the Future of Education 17:28 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Threatens to Halt Trade 20:48 Why Trade D...

What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things. 0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment 7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students 09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America” 11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi 14:27...

A priest shows up. Antony doesn’t confess, James doesn’t convert, but they all talk about human dignity. Checkout Fr. James Martin, SJ 's book, 'Work in Progress.' https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062694480 0:00 Introduction and Overview 0:29 The Ultimate Quiet Quitting Story 4:32 Scott Bessent’s $950 Billion Bond Buyback Plan 8:05 Is the Treasury Conducting Its Own Monetary Policy? 12:14 Fo...

When government statistics are under question, it gets pretty hard to know what the hell is actually going on. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:32 Civil Disobedience, Crime, and Flock Cameras 06:17 License Plate Tracking and the Surveillance State 10:52 Rising Treasury Yields and Federal Borrowing 12:20 Surge Pricing, Markets, and Government Intervention 15:48 Monopolies, Standard Oil, an...

Clark Neily joins us once again, this time to discuss the thorny matter of constitutional interpretation. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:26 TSA Phone Searches and the Right to Privacy 06:26 The University of Michigan Abandons Traditional Grades 10:31 Foolishness of the Week: Transgender Athletes and the WNBA 18:48 Clark Neily on How to Read the Constitution 21:54 Originalism vs. Textualism 27:...

This week Ant and James seem not to have much of a point, but that's never stopped them before, and it sure didn't stop them this week. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:24 Caleb Hammer, Personal Finance, and Economic Hypocrisy 05:13 Thomas Jefferson, Hypocrisy, and Judging Ideas vs. People 10:00 Political Tribalism and Why People Stop Thinking Critically 14:46 Government Ownership...

All foolishness all the time, with the connoisseur of foolishness himself, Wes Westmoreland. 00:00 Introduction 00:43 American Airlines Travel Horror Stories 06:25 Is the GOP Becoming Socialist? 12:34 Goldfish Rights, Animal Rights, and Ethical Contradictions 17:03 Tim Walz’s “Gender Dolls” for Children 20:32 Crossbow Mishap at the County Fair 22:07 Zohran Mamdani, Grocery Stores, and Reparations...

The adult entertainment industry has been sounding the alarm about the erosion of our rights for years. Adult actress London River joins us to explain. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:43 Zohran Mamdani’s Housing Proposal and Rent Control 03:44 Foolishness of the Week: Do Goldfish Have Rights? 07:51 Introducing London River 09:55 The SAVE Act and Online Age Verification 11:35 Why Adult We...

What do population growth rates and movement among the states have to do with one another? More than you might think. 00:00 Introduction and Episode Preview 00:56 Thomas Massie on Congress and Presidential Power 03:34 A Promising New Alzheimer’s Treatment 07:03 Foolishness of the Week: California’s Town Council Refuses to Leave Office 08:40 America’s Population Slowdown and Why It Matters 11:03 Im...

Is birth enough to determine who should be a citizen? We (and the Supreme Court) weigh in. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:39 Disclosure Day, Spielberg, and Hollywood’s Creativity Problem 05:26 Foolishness of the Week: Air Conditioning and Energy Politics 13:58 Trump’s Meme Stock and Cryptocurrency Profits 23:39 Birthright Citizenship and the 14th Amendment 26:28 What Does “Subject to the Jur...

Was July 4, 1776 the actual day of our independence from Great Britain as most Americans believe? While James is indisposed, historian Rob McDonald joins me to discuss the actual facts of America’s founding.

Memes are apparently unavoidable, and most of them suck. Here we talk about some of the suckiest ones. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:51 Japan’s Food Tax and Why Groceries Shouldn’t Be Taxed 02:38 State Sales Taxes on Food Across America 05:04 Flat Taxes, Tax Complexity, and Scotland’s Simplicity 06:18 Remembering Historian Gordon Wood 07:37 AI Corporations and the Future of Legal Personhood...

You should absolutely care about Juneteenth. Tom Krannawitter joins us to talk about why. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:20 Two Dan Sullivans Running in Alaska 02:57 Lawyers Using AI in Federal Court 04:10 Foolishness of the Week: Switzerland’s Population Cap 10:12 Fear of Declining Living Standards 12:03 Juneteenth with Thomas Krannawitter 13:13 The Origins of Juneteenth 16:03 Why the 13th Am...

Ant and James change things up a bit this week by talking about a great idea from Bernie Sanders. Most of that is true. Ant and James do, in fact, talk about an idea Bernie Sanders has. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:19 IRS Tax Forms, Privacy, and Dual Citizenship 05:29 Public Opinion Polls and Political Popularity 09:17 Foolishness of the Week: Jill Biden and Joe Biden’s Debate Performance...

Why look for a girlfriend when you can just build one yourself? 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:38 China Influence Operations and Free Speech 05:07 Pope Leo’s Slavery Apology 12:53 Kash Patel Website Hacked by Malware 15:44 The Growing Trend of AI Girlfriends 20:15 Why Young Men Trust AI Companions 24:19 Is AI Becoming Sentient? 29:06 The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence 33:04 AI Romance and...

Should insider trading be allowed? It seems like a straightforward question, so how did we end up also talking about sports betting and Polymarket? - Get the book by Ant & James: Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! ⁠ http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com Antony Davies on X ⁠https://x.com/antonydavies James R. Harrigan on X ⁠https://x.com/JamesRHarrigan

The inimitable Matt Kibbe, of Kibbe on Liberty joins us to spill the beans. Which beans? You’ll have to listen or watch to find out. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:24 Brazil’s Failing Medical Education System 04:59 Older Americans Turn to Marijuana Instead of Doctors 07:11 Kari Lake, Ambassadorships, and Political Loyalty 11:16 Trump, Obama, Third Terms, and Autocracy 14:40 Introduction: Matt...

What the hell is wrong with young men, and is there anything we can do to help? Max Borders joins us to diagnose the problem and offer a possible solution. Disclaimer: Max and James are starting a new project together. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:24 The 25th Amendment and Presidential Incapacity 04:05 Biden, Kamala Harris, and Political Responsibility 06:25 Gerald Ford, Nixon, and President...

How did all the Post-Liberals get on the Goulash Train? And what are Post-Liberals? And what is (or more to the point, was) the Goulash Train? With guest Phil Magness. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:44 Fast-Track Degrees and Credential Culture 03:53 Online Learning and Gaming the System 05:11 AI, Universities, and Lecture Ownership 08:04 AI Replacing Professors and Higher Ed Decline 09:55 Th...

Privileges and/or Immunities, Necessary and/or Proper, and Cruel and/or Unusual, with guest Clark Neily. 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 00:37 Congress Approval Ratings Hit 10% 02:08 King Charles on Checks and Balances 03:17 Is Congress Failing Its Constitutional Role? 04:19 Jimmy Kimmel Controversy and Media Fallout 06:05 Foolishness of the Week: Trump Passport Idea 08:13 Clark Neily Joins the...