Ep 82 | The President as Father, Warrior, Chaplain, Celebrity, Lover ... | Guest: Rob Montz
Documentary filmmaker Rob Montz joins Heaton to discuss how the American presidency has expanded in power and religious adulation and the huge downside to electing messiahs instead of bureaucrats.
19 Maalis 201945min
Ep 81 | Is 'The Orville' More 'Star Trek' than 'Star Trek'? | Guest: Dan Maffei
“Alienating the Audience” returns for a deep dive on science fiction, this time with former congressman and current commissioner of the the Federal Maritime Commission Dan Maffei. Heaton and the commissioner discuss “Majority Rule,” from Season 1 of “The Orville,” regarding absolute democracy, freedom of speech, and social media mobs. Plus how “The Orville” stacks up to Star Trek and hopes for the forthcoming series “Picard."
18 Maalis 201949min
Ep 80 | Whales on Ambien—Friday Release Valve | Guest: Chad Prather
Comedian and BlazeTV host Chad Prather joins Heaton to make sense of the week’s better headlines, from a goat mayor in Vermont, to whales, ambien, and conspiracy theories about marketing.
15 Maalis 201945min
Ep 79 | Donald Trump’s Social Media Sledgehammer | Guest: Dr. Brian Ott
Twitter nabbed Trump an eager pool of followers in 2016, and millions of unearned media attention from his detractors. How is Twitter uniquely suited to his temperament, and how does a 280-character limit shape discourse? Dr. Brian L. Ott is the author of “The Twitter Presidency: Donald J. Trump and the Politics of White Rage.” He joins Heaton to discuss.
14 Maalis 201948min
Ep 78 | You Can’t Undo a Hanging | Guest: Jason Buttrill
California’s death row inmates got a reprieve this week from Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, who issued a moratorium on executions. It’s kicked the issue of the death penalty back into the national spotlight, so Heaton brings on Jason Buttrill to discuss its efficacy and morality.
13 Maalis 201935min
Ep 77 | The Least and Most Partisan Counties in America | Guest: Andrea Jones-Rooy
Where do non-partisan people tend to live? What factors are most associated with political prejudice? Comedian and political scientist Dr. Andrea Jones-Rooy joins Heaton to a discuss a recent PredictWise survey trying to quantify each of America’s 3,000 counties according to partisanship. (Plus, Heaton ranks world leaders according to who he would want to vacation with).
12 Maalis 201944min
Ep 76 | The FDA Mirage | Guest: Stu Burguiere
The head of the Food & Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, is leaving, so Heaton is officially nominating Stu Burguiere to be its new commissioner. He talks with Heaton about the false sense of security the FDA brings the public, and the ways it can be counterproductive for life-saving pharmaceuticals.
11 Maalis 201943min
Ep 75 | Who Has the Biggest Moose? | Guest: Kevin Seefried
Why we should rename Mt. Everest, what hipsters are and aren’t, when cemeteries become yoga studios, and the best legislation to come out of Utah—all this on another installment of Friday Release Valve.
9 Maalis 201929min
