The Heartland Institute

In The Tank

The weekly flagship podcast from The Heartland Institute features in-depth policy discussions connected to current news. Host Donald Kendal leads the discussion with the usual crew of Heartland Institute Vice President Jim Lakely, Socialism Research Center “Commissar” Justin Haskins, Editorial Director Chris Talgo, and others at this national free-market think tank. The entertaining and informative discussions often hit topics such as the environment, energy policy, Big Tech censorship, the troubling rise of socialism, globalism, health care, education, that state of freedom in America and aro...

Author

The Heartland Institute

Category

Government

Podcast website

www.heartland.org

Latest episode

Jun 25, 2026

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Episodes

Housing Act Held Hostage Until Save America Is Passed — In the Tank Podcast #542 25.06.2026

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...

Elon Musk, Trillionaire — In the Tank Podcast #541 18.06.2026

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 Insolvency by 2032 — In the Tank Podcast #540 11.06.2026

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...

Socialists Want to Take Over Artificial Intelligence — In the Tank Podcast #539 06.06.2026

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...

What's Old Is New: Seize Property & Give People Free Stuff - In the Tank Episode #538 28.05.2026

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...

The Cost of Living Crisis — In the Tank Podcast #537 22.05.2026

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...

China, Mamdani’s Budget Tricks, and AOC’s Billionaire Meltdown — In the Tank Podcast #536 15.05.2026

 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...

Innovation vs. Dystopia: In the Tank Podcast #535 09.05.2026

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...

Raids, Charges, and Indictments — In the Tank Podcast #534 02.05.2026

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...

DOJ Charges Southern Poverty Law Center — In the Tank Podcast #533 23.04.2026

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...

#NoKings Uncovered — In the Tank Podcast #532 02.04.2026

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...

Freedom Works, Socialism Fails — In the Tank Podcast #530 27.03.2026

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 Flinches on Energy — In the Tank Podcast #531 27.03.2026

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...

AI-Powered Military and Surveillance - In The Tank Podcast #529 05.03.2026

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...

Socialism In Our Schools — In The Tank Podcast #527 21.02.2026

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—...

The Next Big Crash — In the Tank Podcast #526 13.02.2026

Justin Haskins joins us to talk about his and Jack McPherrin's new book, "The Next Big Crash," covering the shady dealings of Wall Street insiders and elites who have conspired to rig our economy and transfer control over our futures to massive financial interests. When the next crash comes, it could very well be more devastating than any before. On a brighter note, federal employment is at the lo...

They’re Dumbing Down NYC Schools… On Purpose — In the Tank Podcast #525 05.02.2026

This week, Bitcoin is DOWN, but does that mean anything to those of us who don't own it? Some argue that it indicates the dollar is strengthening, which is good news for affordability. AND the Washington Post has laid off a third of their staff, journalists are unemployed all over the place, and it could mean the beginning of the end for the far-left publication. Finally school is out... all the t...

Heartland Invades Davos — In the Tank Podcast #524 02.02.2026

The scale of fraud in federal entitlement programs is truly staggering with some estimates reaching into the TRILLIONS, and we have to ask, who can be held accountable for all this? Fresh off the plane home from Switzerland, Linnea, Donald, and Jim discuss the Heartland Institute's inaugural WORLD PROSPERITY FORUM, the antidote to the globalism of the World Economic Forum held at Davos every year....

Socialism Destroys Everything? — In the Tank Podcast #523 08.01.2026

On In The Tank Podcast #523, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, Chris Talgo, and S.T. Karnick break down the latest reminders that socialism doesn’t “fix” anything—it wrecks it. From political theater in Washington to chaos in corporate America, and from Venezuela’s collapse to what’s brewing in New York City, the panel connects the dots on how bad ideas keep spreading. The panel digs into Democrats holdi...

The Future of Movies — In the Tank Podcast #522 19.12.2025

Hollywood is at a breaking point—and audiences can feel it. On In the Tank Podcast #522, Linnea Lueken, Jim Lakely, Chris Talgo, S.T. Karnick, and Donald Kendal dig into what’s reshaping movies and TV right now: DEI-era gatekeeping, studios quietly changing course, shrinking opportunities for creators, and the growing role of AI in entertainment. They’re joined by Christian Toto, returning for his...

Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Frauds - In the Tank Podcast #521 04.12.2025

"Woke" and its pushers continues to be exposed for the ugliness, fraud and tyranny their policies unleash on the rest of us, all over the world. We'll cover how the architect of Jaguar’s disastrous rebrand has finally been canned, and Rep. Aftyn Behn’s loss to Matt Van Epps in Tennessee reveals her and her party as very sore losers indeed. We'll also take a look at the years of widespread fraud in...

Who’s Really Driving Up Your Thanksgiving Grocery Bill? — In the Tank Podcast #520 21.11.2025

Thanksgiving is approaching, but grocery prices seem to just keep getting higher. We will discuss what causes food costs to rise, and how it can be stopped. A new exclusive from the Free Beacon reports that George Soros gave a quarter million dollars to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which works with advertisers for Big Tech trying to deplatform conservative voices and destroy X.com. Plus...

How Do We Fix This? — In the Tank Podcast #519 14.11.2025

America’s great exodus from major cities and entire states keeps accelerating — and the election of socialist Mayor Mamdani in New York City is only speeding things up. Yet polls show young Americans becoming more favorable toward socialism, even embracing ideas like government-run grocery stores. What does that say about our culture, our education system, and the nation’s future? On the education...

They Voted Blue No Matter Who - In the Tank #518 07.11.2025

On Tuesday, New York City elected a trust-fund communist as mayor. New Jersey, which seemed to be trending red, put a scandal-ridden Democrat in the governor's mansion. In Virginia, voters rejected a black Republican conservative woman over a woke former CIA spook who pledged to force girls and women to endure biological men in their private spaces again. Oh, and Dems in the Old Dominion also elec...

Night of the Democratic Socialists! — In the Tank Podcast #517 31.10.2025

Are Democrats holding SNAP funding hostage to keep the Schumer Shutdown alive? The In the Tank crew dives into the latest Washington tricks — and whether major reforms are long overdue. As the Democratic Party embraces openly socialist candidates, we ask: are there any moderates left? On UNHINGED, the team rants about Christmas displays popping up before Halloween 🎃 — and then wraps up with a lig...

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