The Political Orphanage

Top Ten finalist Vicki Barbolak joins Heaton to talk about starting comedy in her forties, America's Got Talent, and the in's and out's of trailer park humor.  

The show's sponsor unveils new and practical gift ideas, plus a peak into Snuffy's yuletide charity. Then Reason's Christian Britschgi joins to discuss the Farm Bill boondoggle and how it really benefits landowners (and not farmers).

Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to discuss New York's minimum wage increase for Uber drivers, and to hate on civil asset forfeiture. Plus Heaton gives unsolicited advice to the new White House Chief of Staff.

Heaton's economics mentor Gene Epstein (moderator of the SOHO forum) joins to discuss how socialism can comfortably exist within a capitalist framework, and also to relentlessly yell at Heaton for his ongoing support of NASA.

Comedian and host of "Lost in America" podcast Turner Sparks returns to discuss who's heading to prison and who's not. Criminals include: Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen, sex offender billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, and a Chinese heiress who might be hostage for trade negotiations. Plus: Nick of Nick's Horseless Diner comes on with a horrifying story about a murderous horse.

Britain and Europe are getting a divorced, and nobody seems very pleased with how it's going. Telegraph columnist Juliet Samuel joins Heaton to make sense of things. Plus, fake robot news!

Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy returns to discuss bias, cognitive traps, and the difference between tokenism and intellectual diversity. Plus, on Animal News, Heaton does a deep dive on the story of endangered Hawaiian monk seals getting eels stuck in their nostrils.

France has moved from its normal recreational protesting to prolonged riots. Populism is on the rise there, in America, and throughout Europe. What is populism and what's inflaming it? Jason Buttrill, chief researcher and headwriter at The Blaze, joins Heaton to discuss.

Greg Lukianoff, president of Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, joins Heaton to discuss his book "The Coddling of the American Mind" on outrage culture and free speech on American college campuses. 

Musical comedian Remy (from Reason) joins Heaton to talk about how, empirically, everything is getting better. So why is everyone mad? Plus Austin Bragg brings news from Westeros.