In The Tank

On In The Tank's "farewell" episode, the panel (plus special guests) enjoys a completely UNHINGED compilation of the craziness coming out of the DSA and Socialist movement, while warning that extremist activists should not be dismissed or ignored entirely. From energy policy to emerging technology and socialism and everything in between, Heartland Institute staff reflect on the most important issu...

The debate surrounding AI and whether or not (or even how) its development should be regulated is definitely heating up, with a flurry of mostly-Democrats coming out in favor of forcing a development slowdown in order to supposedly prevent a looming AI-apocalypse. Why are leaders from Anthropic saying they agree? Legitimate conspiracy and conspiracy theories abound, and the panel will discuss WHY...

September 11th, 2001, was one of the darkest days in U.S. history. Almost 3,000 Americans died, and it is not a stretch to argue that it changed the course of American life forever. While the lives lost were the worst impact by far, policy decisions made in the aftermath still hurt us today, many of which were foundational for today's powerful surveillance state. The panel will discuss their perso...

Today the team is away at The Heartland Institute's 42nd Anniversary Benefit Dinner, hosting Governor Ron DeSantis. Instead of your regularly scheduled program, we bring to you an amazing speech by Yeonmi Park!

We’re celebrating 550 episodes of In The Tank by revisiting some of the greatest stories from the American Revolution! Join host Linnea Lueken, alongside regulars Jim Lakely, Sam Karnick, and Chris Talgo, as they explore the people, battles, and ideas that transformed 13 colonies into a nation that defied the odds, and has done so for 250 years of American history. Tune in for this special collect...

One of the biggest tech-related debates right now, which also overlaps with concerns about privacy rights and government overreach, is over new Flock camera systems being used on public and private property. These camera systems are interconnected, in part so police departments can more easily coordinate between jurisdictions to solve crimes... but at what cost? Supporters say it's worth it to sto...

 Conservatives often point at socialism and more or less leave the argument at "these guys are crazy!" -- But the DSA do point to some real problems, like the cost of medical care, how big companies can run roughshod over ordinary Americans, and that public infrastructure is failing in our cities as well as rural communities. But socialist solutions from Medicare for All to eating the rich will on...

Anthony Fauci was recently hauled before the Senate to explain his role in the COVID 19 pandemic, and the multitude of lies he told as head of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and advisor to the president. He pleaded the fifth more than 100 times during the hearing, refusing to answer pointed questions. Next steps are as unclear as his tenur...

President Trump revealed that China has been interfering with our elections, especially the fraught 2020 election, in a speech that the mainstream media attempted to debunk before they even had the details. Trump brought receipts, and then as if to re-emphasize his point about election integrity, another bombshell dropped: illegals have been voting in New Jersey elections. The panel will discuss h...

The Democratic Socialists in America have one of the most extreme platforms of any rising political group. They identify some real problems, but their solutions would be catastrophic. The team breaks down the most dangerous elements of the DSA's stated goals, and presents what would ACTUALLY help the poor and working classes in America. Also discussed is the unexpected positive consequences of inv...

Trump is refusing to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act unless lawmakers first pass the SAVE AMERICA Act, which Trump says is far more important. There is a lot of skepticism about whether or not the now-hostage Housing Act is a good idea anyway, the panel discusses the nuances. On another issue, Trump has also said that the administration is working on a National Right to Carry bill, but a...

One would think a major terror attack just occurred on U.S. soil, for all the reactions that Democrats and socialist friends are having to the news that Elon Musk's net worth just hit a trillion dollars. He is the first person in history to make that mark, and leftist progressives absolutely hate it. We will discuss the politics of ENVY, and how poisonous jealousy is to society and the economy. Al...

Social Security trustees predict the retirement trust fund is now projected to run dry a full year earlier than previously forecast, in just 2032. What got us here, and what does Congress need to do about it? Can we keep pushing insolvency forward forever? And: where does good government end and dangerous negligence begin? The Belfast riots are the latest example of a Western government that suppr...

More and more, parents and government agencies are preventing kids from doing things like walking home from school on their own. It’s clear that this kind of helicopter parenting is bad for kids’ development, we discuss where the line between child safety and independence is, and whether government should even have a say. Bernie Sanders, in classic socialist form, is looking to nationalize AI. His...

As the Justice Department's war on fraud continues, a new report by City Journal says that California is giving free appliances, including solar panels, to illegal immigrants in the name of fighting climate change. Absurd enough on its face, but something else is very fishy about who exactly is benefitting from the program. Leftists are being irresponsible with other people's money on the other co...

This week, President Trump agreed to drop a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the Biden administration targeting him and his family, and in exchange the DOJ will set up a fund that will be available to cover the legal fees and losses of other Americans who were politically targeted by government. Democrats hate it, some Republicans hate it. Is this corruption, or compensating people the Bid...

 Trump went to Beijing this week to negotiate the path forward with China, as President Trump's administration has made multiple international moves to cut the CCP off from total control of global resources. China says they want "peaceful coexistence," even as they threaten other US allies in Asia. The panel discusses what we would like to see come out of these talks, and what we expect will happe...

AI is everywhere; from the silly videos you see on Facebook to the articles you read online, even within hospital systems and publishers. Where is the line? Where is AI useful, and where is it more trouble than it's worth? The Heartland Institute team will play "AI or not?", review the absolute mountains of AI-generated content that Amazon is allowing on their publishing platform, and we'll discus...

Federal agents raided more than 20 businesses this week in Minneapolis as the fight against fraud continues, and Governor Tim Walz is trying to take credit, but the public isn't falling for it. Another scam was busted at the Supreme Court, which issued a decision on race-based gerrymandering in Louisiana, stating definitively that the practice is unconstitutional. An advisor to Anthony Fauci has b...

By just a hair, Virginia voters approved a gerrymandering plan that would eliminate five Republican districts, all in the name of "restoring fairness" to Virginia's elections-- which we recognize is more like restoring Democrat domination. Luckily a court has already ruled the referendum is unconstitutional, so the fight is not over yet. But the biggest news this week has got to be that a grand ju...

We all know that the public education system in America is rotten, but it is actually even worse than you may realize. There are only so many hours in a school day, and while kids are falling behind in reading, writing, and arithmetic, teachers unions are making sure kids learn about how to be good left-wing activists. Many of these same groups support the "No Kings" protest movement, and we will...

Another point goes to capitalism in the long war of economics, as Poland has overcome its once-communist decay and rocketed into becoming one of the world's largest economies. Meanwhile, socialist Cuba slowly crumbles amid a fuel embargo and the decades of communist economic influence. We will contrast and compare these two examples of economic systems and see which one is best (Hint: it's not the...

BlackRock and Larry Fink is continuing to blink on climate policy. The investment giant appears to be abandoning some of its climate-focused dogma in favor of protecting investor returns, a crazy idea that apparently everyone forgot for a few years. At the same time, the economic catastrophe that is Net Zero is beginning to convince even New York Governor Hochul that climate policies mostly just c...

In the days leading up to the attack on Iran, a rift formed between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic. The dispute rose over restrictions the company imposed on the AI model used in US intelligence and military operations. The feud, interesting in its own right, provided insight into how the government is using AI in the theater of war. The Heartland Institute's Donald Kendal, S.T. Karnick, Ji...

New York City is struggling with its budget, and despite Mayor Mamdani campaigning on affordable housing, he’s now turning to property tax hikes to try to close the gap. This is fairly typical for Democrats—and totally unsurprising. Meanwhile, Trump struck a deal with Japan that looks poised to sidestep China while also boosting American energy abundance. We’ll also cover socialism in our schools—...