Just Asking Questions

Randy Barnett, a distinguished Georgetown constitutional law professor and author, dives deep into the legality of Trump's initiatives. He discusses the controversial Department of Government Efficiency and the various injunctions against the administration. Barnett weighs the libertarian perspective on Trump's and Musk's actions in reshaping government. He also explores the potential fate of Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship before the Supreme Court, shedding light on the originalist interpretation of the Constitution. Tune in for a thought-provoking legal journey!

Aaron Sibarium, a muckraking journalist at the Washington Free Beacon, delves into the contentious landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). He discusses Trump's executive orders to end radical DEI programs, reflecting on their impact on federal policies and private sectors. Sibarium critiques Biden's approach to DEI and examines its historical context. Interesting insights include the challenges of representation in female-dominated fields and the complexities of funding priorities in relation to global needs. An engaging exploration of how DEI shapes modern American values!

Join economist John Cochrane from the Hoover Institution and Stanford as he dives into how Dogecoin could challenge government inefficiencies. He discusses the pressing need for reform in government spending and the potential impact of disruptive technologies like DOGE. Cochrane also reflects on controversial figures like Trump and Musk, assessing their calls for reduced regulation and fiscal responsibility. Can a new approach reshape the political landscape and restore accountability? Tune in for these thought-provoking insights!

Julia Gelatt, Associate Director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, tackles pressing immigration issues. She breaks down the implications of sealing the border and the myths surrounding current policies. Gelatt explains the intricate dynamics of asylum processes and the unique challenges faced by refugees versus asylum seekers. She also discusses the labor market's reliance on immigration and critiques restrictive policies affecting skilled workers. Lastly, she explores controversial changes to birthright citizenship and their long-term effects on immigrant families.

Angela McArdle, the National Chair of the Libertarian Party, discusses the party's pivotal role in advocating for Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road, who served 11 years for a double life sentence. She highlights Ulbricht's libertarian ideals and the decade-long Free Ross movement, led by his mother. The conversation dives into the strategic negotiations with Trump for Ulbricht’s pardon and the complexities of aligning with mainstream politics. McArdle emphasizes the significance of this case for libertarian values and future political strategies.

Join journalist Mike Pesca, host of the daily podcast 'The Gist', as he dives into the potential impact of Donald Trump's second term. They dissect Trump's inaugural address and the public's sentiment towards it. The conversation explores shifts in immigration policy and national security in U.S.-Mexico relations. Pesca also critiques the influence of billionaires like Elon Musk on regulations, while discussing the future of political discourse against a backdrop of technological optimism and fiscal challenges.

In this conversation, Meghan Daum, a renowned writer and author of five books including 'The Problem With Everything,' shares her harrowing experience of losing her home to the wildfires in Southern California. She dives into the personal and communal repercussions of such disasters, exploring the disconnect between political leaders and the lives affected by these events. Daum also discusses challenges in wildfire management and the complexities of rebuilding and resilience in a changing political landscape, emphasizing the need for nuanced dialogues about these urgent issues.

Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University, dives into the phenomenon he calls The Great Forgetting. He explores why society neglects crucial economic lessons from the past, particularly those from the 1970s regarding inflation and crime policies. Cowen discusses the implications of misinformation and the erosion of historical knowledge in policymaking. Moreover, he examines evolving perceptions of crime in cities and the challenges faced in immigration policies amid polarized politics.

Isabelle Boemeke, a Brazilian fashion model and nuclear influencer, passionately champions nuclear power as a solution to climate change. She discusses the recent nuclear renaissance, highlighting the success of advanced nuclear technologies and the potential for smaller, safer reactors. Boemeke also tackles misconceptions about nuclear energy, advocating for its role against fossil fuels. Additionally, she compares the environmental threats of microplastics to radiation, emphasizing the need for public awareness of both issues. Her compelling insights advocate for a balanced energy future.

How do we escape stagnation and accelerate progress? What if bubbles are actually good? Just asking questions.  "They promised us flying cars. All we got was one hundred forty characters." Those were the words of Peter Thiel over a decade ago, lamenting technological stagnation. The character limit has since increased, but his point remains the same: Innovation in the software world of "bits" has accelerated, but progress in the material world of "atoms" has been stubbornly slow, at least in his telling. Economist Tyler Cowen, who popularized the term "Great Stagnation," argued that we picked all the low-hanging fruit in the early-to-mid 20th century thanks to cheap cultivation of unused land, mass education of a previously uneducated population, and revolutions in transportation, energy, and synthetic materials that could since be only marginally improved at increasingly greater expense and effort. The result has been stagnant wage growth when accounting for price inflation and a failure to realize any revolutionary breakthroughs in energy, transportation, or materials science for decades. But today's guest says there's another underlying reason for the stagnation: a self-defeating cultural and spiritual malaise and pessimism about the future. It manifests itself in the dystopian movies and shows that dominate Hollywood, as well as in the falling prevalence of words associated with progress and the future, and a rise of words associated with caution, worry, and risk found in contemporary literature.  Byrne Hobart is the co-author of Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation, which offers a surprising way out of stagnation: embracing the dynamic and chaotic power of bubbles—investment bubbles, big social bubbles, and filter bubbles. Examples range from big, ambitious public investments like the Apollo missions and the Manhattan Project to the rise of bitcoin. Sources referenced: The Great Stagnation by Tyler Cowen Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta: "Real Wage Growth: A View from the Wage Growth Tracker" Financial Times: "Is the west talking itself into decline?" Boom: Bubbles and the End of Stagnation, by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber Zach and Liz's Bitcoin documentary "Bitcoin's Price History" Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: "The Pandemic's Influence on U.S. Fertility Rates" Federal debt held by the public Federal debt held by the public as a percent of Gross Domestic Product U.S. Treasury: The U.S. government has spent $1.25 trillion in fiscal year 2025 Moore's Law Chapters 00:00 Coming up… 00:17 Introduction 02:46 How popular language points to cultural malaise 07:30 do we actually have technological stagnation? 09:31 Financial bubbles are good, actually? 15:43 FOMO is good 18:00 When are bubbles bad? 21:13 Bretton Woods 25:05 There are productive and unproductive bubbles 28:10 Is Bitcoin a bubble? 40:05 Social bubbles 47:17 Is society getting more risk averse? 53:53 Religion and technological innovation 01:06:01 Natalism 01:11:11 how do we make progress cool and interesting and relevant again? 01:14:58 what is one question that you think more people should be asking?   Producer: John OsterhoudtThe post Byrne Hobart: What happened to progress? appeared first on Reason.com.