The Political Orphanage

Ben Domenech sits down with Heaton in studio to talk about 'Blade Runner' and 'Blade Runner 2049', robots in our daily lives, and the beautiful coldness of Han Solo.  

On this installment of the Friday Release Valve, Heaton's producer Jennings comes on to sort through the week's better headlines, from backfiring high school pranks, to fortune cookie investment strategies, to a man arrested for trying to fight aliens.

Michael Malice is the author of The New Right: A Journey to the Fringe of American Politics. He talks to Heaton about the ethics of trolling, progressive evangelism, the sorts of people who showed up to the Charlottesville rally, and why he hates William F. Buckley.

Justin Robert Young explains why Kim Kardashian will run for president, why she'll be an unstoppable media bulldozer when she does, and which political party she'll swing for.   

George Washington didn't have a marriage license; why should you? Heaton rants about why the government should get out of the marriage business altogether, along with comedian (and married guy) Tom Brennan. Plus: A brand-new game pits host and guest against each other to see who can be the most feckless partisan!

Former CNN correspondent Chris Moody and his wife Cristi Moody sold all their stuff, outfitted a van, and spent the year driving around America on the cheap with no boss or schedule. They've encountered hundreds of other people living off-grid, and join Heaton to talk about what forces Americans to compete in the rat race, and how to escape it.

Comedian Jaron Myers rejoins Heaton to sort out the week's more obscure headlines, from Venezuelan criminals running out of bullets to Russian communists demanding that HBO redo the "Game of Thrones" finale.

What if dropping bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki isn't what corked off World War II? How tactically useful are nukes, and how many times have we almost accidentally obliterated ourselves with them? Ward Wilson is the author of "Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons," and joins Heaton to discuss the stuff about atomic warfare you've never considered.

Denver just became the first city in the U.S. to decriminalize hallucinogenic mushrooms, and Oakland, CA, is eyeballing a similar measure. Heaton brings on psilocybin and drug policy expert Mike Riggs of Reason to talk about the concerns of legalizing psychotropic drugs. 

A lone Republican congressman is calling for Trump's impeachment. Podcaster and magician Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to investigate the case and to make an unrelated call for George Takei to run for Congress.

From human composting to poop-stained checks; from a comedian disbanding the Ukrainian Parliament to a restaurant where you have to bring your own table, the Friday Release Valve brings you the silliest news of the week. Joined by comedian Turner Sparks, Heaton explores the latest headlines.

Are we approaching a time when we will be able to download our consciousness into a computer? If so, what will that do to our lifestyle, economy, etc...? Robin Hanson, author of 'Age of Em', chats with Heaton about the future of the human mind.

Have you seen the term "neoliberal" floating around the political sphere? Has someone ever thrown a tomato at you and insisted you're a neoliberal shill? Heaton brings on the Executive Director of the Neoliberal project to answer: what the hell is neoliberalism, exactly?

Comedian and attorney Andrea Coleman joins Heaton to talk about ways to improve bail bonds to make sure people get detained for flight risks, not lack of cash. Heaton reveals several ways he might one day be arrested and also gives some pretty good gardening tips.

Tensions are escalating with Iran. Are we cruising towards war or just blustering? Jason Buttrill joins Heaton to explain the Trump Doctrine and whether or not you should bet on "we're going to bomb Iran" on a game show.

Comedian Kevin Seefried joins Heaton to suss out the week's better headlines, from shark thieves to legally-mandated polygamy to why psychics should be paid more for plane crashes. It's the Friday Release Valve!

In the era of radical identitarian politics, where unthinking vitriol and sometimes even violence abounds, more and more we are in need of sane voices in political discourse. Robby Soave, author of 'Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump' joins Heaton in the studio to talk about the future of politics in the new generation. 

It's time for an industrial helping of high-grade nerd chat about Game of Thrones. Heaton talks to policy wonk and lifelong nerd Grant Carlisle about the deeper meaning of George R. R. Martin's books and HBO series.

How much do you have to pay to swing an ambassadorship? What is Citizens United and why do people loathe it? Heaton talks with Dave Levinthal, senior reporter at the Center for Public Integrity, about campaign finance and how money shapes politics.

It's that time of year again! The mistletoe is hanging in the doorway, all the snow has been shoveled, and there's a glass of wine just waiting on the kitchen counter for that special person. Snuffy's Diner is proud to sponsor this year's Mother's Day Special!

Comedian Lou Perez joins Heaton for a Friday Release Valve episode to discuss the silliest headlines of the week: Some sheep go to school, chicken nugget ice cream, a guy crossing the ocean in a barrel, and a lot more fun on this week's episode!

What if history isn't a string of great man biopics or a struggle between conservatives and progressives? What if it's a battle of disciplinarians against drunks and harlots? Thaddeus Russell comes on to talk about his book, "A Renegade History of the United States." 

The market tumbled yesterday after Donald Trump threatened to double down on tariffs. Heaton explains Comparative Advantage with a brilliant scotch analogy, and is then joined by playwright and comedian Jeremy Kareken to rant about protectionism. 

It's expensive maintaining the largest prison population on the entire planet, but we've managed to do it for several decades. German Lopez, senior correspondent at Vox, joins Heaton to talk about criminal justice reform and how the 2020 candidates stack up on drug policy and sentencing.

Comedian and primatologist Natalia Reagan joins Heaton to talk about hominids, the human family tree, and the time when Homo sapiens weren't the only smart bipedal hominids running around.