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The Political Orphanage

The Political Orphanage

Andrew Heaton 635 Episodes Oct 8, 2026

Comedian and independent political commentator Andrew Heaton hosts this podcast that explores politics and policy through interviews with authors and thought leaders. The show aims to provide insightful discussion without the usual partisan bile, mixing humor with substantive analysis. Each episode delves into big-picture ideas and current events, offering a refreshing take on political discourse.

Episodes

Europe is Freeloading on American Healthcare
Europe is Freeloading on American Healthcare Oct 8, 2026 01:04:44 Americans pay vastly more for medicine than citizens of other wealthy countries, but are those countries getting a bargain at our expense? David Goldhill, author of Catastrophic Care and founder and CEO of the healthcare marketplace Sesame, joins the show to explain why he considers American healthcare a kind of "second NATO"—one in which the United States shoulders a disproportionate share of the
The Man Who Killed Antitrust
The Man Who Killed Antitrust Oct 1, 2026 01:25:11 When does a successful company become a dangerous monopoly? Heaton traces the strange history of American antitrust law, from railroad barons and Standard Oil to Hollywood studios and Big Tech, before diving into the intellectual cage match between Louis Brandeis and Robert Bork. Should regulators worry about corporations getting too big and powerful, or only step in when consumers actually get hu
Why Childcare Will Always Be Expensive
Why Childcare Will Always Be Expensive Sep 23, 2026 01:02:51 Alex Mayyasi of NPR's Planet Money joins me to explore some of the stranger forces shaping the economy. Why did the federal government create a legally mandated raisin cartel? Why are so many American corporations technically from Delaware? Should companies exist solely to make money? And are there times when price controls actually work? We also dig into Baumol's cost disease—the counterintuitive
The A.I. Civil War
The A.I. Civil War Sep 17, 2026 01:13:56 Are we racing toward an AI-powered golden age—or building something we won't be able to control? Justin Robert Young joins to explore the emerging philosophical divide over artificial intelligence: accelerate innovation and reap potentially enormous benefits, or slow down before we unleash risks we don't understand. We discuss OpenAI and Anthropic, the politics of AI regulation, competition with C
Upwingers Fighting Downwingers (Rebroadcast)
Upwingers Fighting Downwingers (Rebroadcast) Sep 15, 2026 59:32 Dr. Steve Fuller of Warwick University says the meaningful split in society is not Leftwing vs. Rightwing, but rather Upwing vs. Downwing. Both have radically different attitudes to both risk and human nature, which informs their policy decisions and the direction they want to steer society.  SUPPORT THE SHOW! www.patreon.com/andrewheaton Dr. Fuller's book at: www.mightyheaton.com/featured Referen
How Do Other Countries do Healthcare?
How Do Other Countries do Healthcare? Sep 10, 2026 01:11:55 Healthcare in America is more expensive than anywhere else in the world—but what are other countries actually doing differently? Physician and Slice of Life MD author Sally Primus joins me to tour healthcare systems from Germany and Britain to Japan, Australia, and Estonia. We look at single payer, private insurance, wait times, doctor shortages, drug prices, bureaucracy, and the strange economics
Guys with Swords Control the French Language
Guys with Swords Control the French Language Sep 4, 2026 49:10 Donald Trump has renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" for federal purposes—but can a president actually rename a place, or only change what the government calls it? Andrew Heaton traces the strange history of who gets to control language, from ancient river names that survived Romans and Normans, to Cardinal Richelieu's Académie française, to Noah Webster, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and America'
I Read the DSA's Platform. They're Socialists.
I Read the DSA's Platform. They're Socialists. Aug 28, 2026 59:38 The DSA recently released a policy platform establishing the goals of their political movement. In this episode we got through the main planks of that document, namely the bits about "socialism" and "democratic." We likewise go through a few articles and interviews of prominent DSA members to get an idea of what, in their own words, they're actually up to. (Spoiler: it's socialism.) 
Chinese Lobbyists Hate California Pig Laws
Chinese Lobbyists Hate California Pig Laws Aug 20, 2026 57:14 The Save Our Bacon Act, now repackaged into the Farm Bill, would upturn state rights in favor of federal prohibitions on animal cruelty laws. It's being pushed, in large part, by Chinese-owned conglomerates irritated by federalism. Lewis Bollard is the Farm Animal Welfare Managing Director at Coefficient Giving on Substack. He joins to discuss the Save Our Bacon Act, and the economic tradeoffs of
What Does Nolan Owe The Odyssey?
What Does Nolan Owe The Odyssey? Aug 13, 2026 01:14:17 What is The Odyssey actually about beyond a clever guy trying to get home? Classicist Isabella Reinhardt joins to dig into the poem's deeper themes of civilization, hospitality, identity, belonging, and what it means for a warrior to return from war. Then we turn to adaptation itself, and the choices involved in translating an ancient epic for a modern audience. Using Christopher Nolan's The Odyss
Why Can't We Have Nice Trains?
Why Can't We Have Nice Trains? Aug 5, 2026 01:07:30 It's not that America won't spend money on mass transit, it's that we piss it away when we do. Our transit system is a mess, with a lot of problems in spending, procurement, NIMBYism and good 'ol fashioned idiocy. Will Poff-Webster is the Director of Infrastructure Policy at the Institute for Progress, where he works on energy, transportation and housing policy.
Richard Hanania on Populism Eating America
Richard Hanania on Populism Eating America Jul 30, 2026 01:05:21 Should you trust experts—or trust yourself? Richard Hanania, author of Kakistocracy: Why Populism Ends in Disaster joins to discuss why populism has become one of the defining forces in modern politics. We discuss whether elites really deserve their bad reputation, why expertise and institutions matter, where academia and the media have genuinely failed, and whether movements built around "the wis

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