This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the case that was argued before the Supreme Court last week about whether Joseph Kennedy, a former football coach in Washington State, could pray with others at the 50-yard line after public school football games. Kennedy looks likely to win his case, but should he? Why do we have such a hard time grappling with the role of religion in public life? Will this case do anything to help that problem? Next, we already have inflation. Now we have negative GDP growth. Are the 1970s back in full force? Would a recession be the worst thing that could happen right now if we need to head off inflation? And if inflation is still a problem, why are we even talking about “canceling” $1.75 trillion in student loan debt? Finally, the Department of Homeland Security’s new Disinformation Governance Board—Orwellian nightmare or total joke? Subscribe to our podcasts Apply now for Acton University 2022  Coach’s Prayers Prompt Supreme Court Test of Religious Freedom | The New York Times Kennedy v. Bremerton School District | SCOTUSblog Supreme Court Hears Football Coach Prayer Case | Advisory Opinions podcast US economy unexpectedly shrinks 1.4% in first quarter of 2022: Is a recession looming? | Fox Business Biden considering student-loan forgiveness of at least $10,000 per borrower through executive action: report | Business Insider Are You Ready for the DHS ‘Disinformation Governance Board’? | National Review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger give quick takes on two developing stories previously discussed on this program: the French presidential election, in which the incumbent, Emmanuel Macron, has emerged victorious over Marine Le Pen; and Twitter’s reported acceptance of Elon Musk’s purchase offer. Then they turn their attention to Florida and the recently passed legislation to strip Disney of its Reedy Creek Improvement District carveout in retaliation for Disney’s objection to the Parental Rights in Education bill. How much can the political ideas of Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt explain what’s happening in Florida right now? Finally, after a Florida judge ruled against the transportation mask mandate, acceptance of the endemic nature of COVID-19 in the U.S. became pretty much a given. China, however, is still invested in their COVID-Zero policy by completely locking down the port city of Shanghai. What does that portend for other cities in China?Subscribe to our podcasts  French election result: Macron defeats Le Pen and vows to unite divided France | BBC Twitter set to accept Musk’s $43 billion offer | Reuters Disney government dissolution bill signed by DeSantis | Associated Press End of Reedy Creek: Disney won’t pay more taxes, but you will | WFTV The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits | Milton Friedman, The New York Times A Man for All Seasons: “Give the Devil Benefit of Law” What I Saw at the National Conservatism Conference | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty What’s Wrong and What’s Right about Judge Mizelle’s Mask-Mandate Decision | Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review Beijing COVID outbreak prompts fear of Shanghai-style lockdown | ABC News Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Dylan Pahman, and Dan Hugger update the Elon Musk twitter drama. How serious should we take Musk’s attempt to purchase Twitter? And even if he did, how much would it impact people who aren’t just very, very online. How much has this episode revealed about the people who are either outraged or delighted by the story? Then the guys dive into the most recent Atlantic essay from social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, “Why the past 10 years of American life have been uniquely stupid.” Subscribe to our podcasts  Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for $43 billion, so it can be ‘transformed as private company’ | CNBC The 4 Most Unhinged Responses to Elon Musk’s Offer to Buy Twitter | Based Politics Journalism Professor Roasted for Comparing Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover With the Rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany | Mediaite Why the past 10 years of American life have been uniquely stupid | Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn and Sam Gregg pilot this two-person ship through four topics. First, they tackle the first round of French presidential elections, where the incumbent Emmanuel Macron will face off in a rematch with Marine Le Pen. What does the rise of Le Pen’s right-wing populism mean for France, and why have the two major political parties lost support so dramatically? Next, Elon Musk is now the largest shareholder in Twitter, prompting a mini-freakout in the Big Tech world. Are Musk’s actions a clear example of the way the market can deal with Big Tech issues better than the heavy hand of government? And why is Musk so hated among the left for finding more effective and fun ways to address their concerns, like climate change and space travel? Next, Eric and Sam take on the continued call to cancel all student-loan debt. Who would really benefit if this happened? (It’s probably not the people you think.) And finally, the right’s fashionable new epithet to hurl at opponents is “groomer.” Maybe it’s not OK to cheapen pedophilia…Subscribe to our podcastsMacron to Face Le Pen for President as French Gravitate Toward Extremes | New York TimesIn major reversal, Elon Musk is not joining Twitter board | TechCrunchPsaki: Student loan borrowers likely to have to pay debt ‘sometime’ | PoliticoBiden to delay student loan repayment, again extending pause, as Dems push for forgiveness | USA TodayStudent Loan Debt Statistics: 2022 | NerdWalletThe ‘Groomer’ Accusation Is Counterproductive | David Harsanyi Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger take on Florida’s HB 1557, christened by the media as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. While it doesn’t say, “Don’t say gay,” it does say several things worth discussing. And how much of a backlash could Disney be in for now that their internal conversations about adding “queerness” to its programming are public. Next, the guys consider President Joe Biden’s pledge to release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Is this anything but political posturing? And finally, Ezra Klein of The New York Times had an extraordinary interview with economist Larry Summers during which Klein’s feelings ran headlong into reality. We can help him connect his good intentions to sound economics. Subscribe to our podcasts HB 1557: Parental Rights in Education bill text Breaking Down the So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill | The Dispatch Disney Executive Producer Admits to ‘Gay Agenda,’ ‘Adding Queerness’ Wherever She Could | Caroline Downey, National Review What I Saw at the National Conservatism Conference | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty Biden orders 'unprecedented' release of oil reserves | BBC Transcript: Ezra Klein Interviews Larry Summers | The New York Times Modern Economics Is Not an Illuminati Conspiracy | Stan Veuger, American Compass Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a two-man show this week as Eric Kohn and Dan Hugger begin by discussing the slap heard ’round the entertainment world. In the event you haven’t heard yet, actor Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage last night to slap Chris Rock after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Was it staged? Was it real? Can we know? Does it matter? Speaking of blurring the lines of reality and fantasy, next Eric and Dan examine the stolen Jan. 6 text messages from Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas. How much of politics now is just playacting of the kind we see in Hollywood? Finally, what is a woman? Perhaps Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson can’t define one, but Dan and Eric can.  Subscribe to our podcasts Will Smith slaps Chris Rock (Warning: NSFW language) Sorry, but Chris Rock Had It Coming | Rod Dreher, The American Conservative Texts Show Ginni Thomas’s Embrace of Conspiracy Theories | The New York Times Justice Scalia Won | Dan McLaughlin, National Review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the controversy surrounding Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania, who just recently took home the NCAA Division I national championship in the women's 500-yard freestyle. What questions does this raise about the nature of the human person, and to what extent has that anthropological question gone unexamined and ignored by the people and institutions surrounding this story? Then the gang examines Pope Francis’ comments from last week that “wars are always unjust.” What is the church’s just war theory, and what did the pope mean by his comments? And finally, the guys answer the first listener question with some book recommendations to acquaint you with how they see the world. Subscribe to our podcasts Watching Lia Thomas Win | Common Sense ‘I Am Lia’: The Trans Swimmer Dividing America Tells Her Story | Sports Illustrated ‘Just war’ no more? What did Pope Francis say, and what does it mean? | The PillarListener-question book recommendations: Sam: Treatise on Law | St. Thomas AquinasNatural Law and Natural Rights | John FinnisThe Wealth of Nations | Adam SmithDan: Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991) | John Paul IIThe Humane Economist: A Wilhelm Röpke Reader | Wilhelm Röpke (Author), Daniel J. Hugger (Editor)Lord Acton: Historical and Moral Essays | Lord Acton (Author), Daniel J. Hugger (Author)Eric:  The Law | Frédéric BastiatThe Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom | Robert NisbitThe Theory of Moral Sentiments & The Wealth of Nations | Adam Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Stephen Barrows discuss the latest spike in inflation, hitting 7.9% over last year. That’s the worst it’s been since 1982. What action will the Federal Reserve take? Has the Federal Reserve simply failed? If so, what’s the lesson we should learn? Then the guys discuss the sanctions regime that’s been put on Russia. Are sanctions effective? Are they moral? Are they working? And finally, would you fight for your country if it was invaded? In a new poll, an alarming number of Americans say no. What should be the takeaway from that? Subscribe to our podcasts US inflation soared 7.9% in past year, a fresh 40-year high | Associated Press Average US gas price rises 22% in two weeks to record $4.43 | Associated Press What sanctions are being imposed on Russia over Ukraine invasion? | BBC The Great Demographic Reversal: Ageing Societies, Waning Inequality, and an Inflation Revival | Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan Yes, If America Is Ever Invaded, You Must Take Up Arms and Fight | National Review Vast Majority of Americans Say Ban Russian Oil, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Nearly 8 in 10 Support U.S. Military Response if Putin Attacks a NATO Country | Quinnipiac University Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dylan Pahman discuss the latest on Ukraine and Russia. Should we be surprised by the unanimity of the European response? To what extent did Vladimir Putin underestimate the strength of Western institutions and alliances? Then they discuss how both the Orthodox Church and the Vatican have responded to the crisis. Finally, they close with brief reactions to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. Subscribe to our podcasts  The Morning Dispatch: Putin Cracks Down at Home | The Dispatch The Orthodox Response to Putin’s Invasion | Commonweal Remarks of President Joe Biden – State of the Union Address as Prepared for Delivery | The White House Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine. How will this change the rules-based, post–World War II world order? How did the West misread Vladimir Putin? How did Putin misread how the invasion would go? How surprising is the story of actor/comedian-turned-stateman Volodymyr Zelensky? And how much has this international crisis revealed about the corruption of the American political right? Then the guys turn their attention to the upcoming State of the Union address that President Joe Biden will deliver on March 1. What actually is the state of the union? Subscribe to our podcasts The End of History and the Last Man | Francis Fukuyama The Other Mr. President | This American Life The Clash of Civilizations? | Samuel P. Huntington The Internet of Beefs | Venkatesh Rao Justin Trudeau’s political overreach is a greater threat to liberty than the truckers’ protest | Samuel Gregg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.