Words & Numbers

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...

Is the American Dream dead? A lot of people seem to think so, and perception is reality in politics. But what do the words and numbers actually say? 00:00 Introduction and Disclaimer 01:10 NYC Government Grocery Stores and “Fair Prices” 05:26 Why Socialist Grocery Models Break Down 09:27 Money, Markets, and Why the System Works 11:36 Prediction: Empty Shelves and Taxpayer Subsidies 13:29 UK Smokin...

It’s not left v right, it’s us v them. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:27 AI Lawsuit and the Return of “Technology Panics” 01:04 The “Werther Effect” and Historical Media Fears 04:47 Does AI Cause Harm or Reflect the User? 07:46 Should AI Come With Warnings? 12:05 Hungary Politics and Viktor Orbán’s Defeat 15:29 Foolishness of the Week: Conspiracy Theories and Flat Earthers 18:14 Artemis II and...

We return after a brief hiatus to catch up on a whirlwind of recent headlines, from political drama to bizarre claims about aliens, before turning to the Supreme Court’s consideration of birthright citizenship and the broader question of executive power versus congressional authority. We examine how Congress has gradually ceded its responsibilities on issues like tariffs, war powers, and immigrati...

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In this episode, we begin with the strange world of high-end audio, from banana wire tests to quarter-million-dollar stereo systems, and ask whether diminishing returns eventually overtake objective performance. We then react to Barack Obama’s comments about aliens before moving to our Foolishness of the Week: Australia’s $40 cigarette packs and the predictable rise of black markets and bootleggin...

In this episode, we discuss the Netherlands’ proposed 36% tax on unrealized capital gains, unpacking what it means to tax wealth that exists only on paper and how such a policy could force asset sales, distort investment behavior, and reshape long-term incentives for savers and entrepreneurs. For our Foolishness of the Week, we turn to North Carolina, where a local official distinguished himself a...

In this episode, we discuss Ireland’s decision to make its basic income program for artists permanent and what that means for government-funded creativity, cultural value, and incentives. We examine the politics of the Super Bowl halftime show, rising ticket prices, and what cultural events reveal about tribal identity and public signaling. We then explore Texas redistricting, California’s respons...

In this episode, we discuss the United Kingdom’s move toward judge-only trials and what the erosion of jury trials means for due process and limits on state power. We examine how plea bargaining, prosecutorial incentives, and presumed guilt have reshaped the criminal justice system, along with the role of body cameras and public trust in law enforcement. We also explore federal enforcement authori...

In this episode, we explore the strange signals people use to interpret global events, from Pentagon pizza orders and satellite data to the Big Mac Index and other unconventional measures of economic reality. We examine the decline of Google search, the rise of AI-powered alternatives, and why new tools are changing how people actually find information. For the “foolishness of the week”, we detail...

In this episode, we explore everything from missing teaspoons and land acknowledgments to capital punishment and medieval economic thinking. We examine what everyday shortages reveal about prices and incentives, debate China’s use of executions for online scams, and unpack why symbolic gestures like mandatory land acknowledgments often collapse under scrutiny. We’re also joined by Andrew Heaton, h...

In this episode, we examine proposals that would restrict or revoke U.S. citizenship, including the constitutional limits on forced renunciation, dual citizenship, and the government’s authority to define who belongs. We discuss population policy, free movement in Europe, and Supreme Court precedents that constrain state power over individual status. We also break down a sharp drop in the dollar,...

In this episode, we discuss why the right to an attorney remains one of the most important protections in the American legal system, using Gideon v. Wainwright to examine how due process actually functions in practice. We explore the recent surge in gold and silver prices, weighing inflation fears against global instability and market psychology, and consider how Trump’s negotiation style plays ou...

In this episode, we discuss how artificial intelligence is increasingly blurring the line between assistance and deception, from using AI tools to troubleshoot everyday problems to the growing risks of deepfake images and AI-generated pornography. We examine questions of name, image, and likeness as property, the limits of regulation, and whether government enforcement can realistically keep pace...

In this episode, we examine the illogic behind TSA security rules and how performative regulation often substitutes for real safety, before turning to the economics of ticket scalping and why attempts to suppress secondary markets routinely backfire. We discuss proposals to cap credit card interest rates, including Donald Trump’s suggested limit, and explore how price controls distort lending, res...