S8 Ep217: THE BARRACKS EMPERORS AND THE ANTONINE PLAGUE Colleague Professor Edward J. Watts, University of California at San Diego. The discussion turns to the "barracks emperors," highlighting Trajan's expansion into Dacia and Hadrian's infrastructure focus. Watts

S8 Ep217: THE YEAR OF FOUR EMPERORS AND FLAVIAN RULE Colleague Professor Edward J. Watts, University of California at San Diego. Watts analyzes the chaos following Nero's death, where Vespasian seized power after a brutal civil war that burned Capitoline Hill. The

S8 Ep217: NERO, AGRIPPINA, AND THE MATRICIDE Colleague Professor Edward J. Watts, University of California at San Diego. Professor Watts details the pathology of the Roman emperorship, focusing on Agrippina's maneuvering to install her son Nero. Watts describes Ner

S8 Ep217: THE FALL OF THE REPUBLIC: SULLA TO CAESAR Colleague Professor Edward J. Watts, University of California at San Diego. Watts traces the Republic's fall, starting with the rivalry between Marius and Sulla. Sulla's brutal proscriptions and dictatorship traum

S8 Ep217: SPACE BRIEFS: ROCKET LAB AND MARS RIVERS Colleague Bob Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com. Zimmerman highlights Rocket Lab's record launches and Max Space's new inflatable station module. He notes a European satellite report on sea levels omitted "global warmi

S8 Ep217: NASA'S NEW LEADERSHIP AND PRIVATE SPACE Colleague Bob Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com. Bob Zimmerman discusses Jared Isaacman's confirmation as NASA administrator and an executive order prioritizing commercial space. Zimmerman predicts Isaacman might cancel

S8 Ep217: THE URGENCY OF SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM Colleague Veronique de Rugy, Mercatus Center. Veronique de Rugy argues Social Security must be reformed before trust funds run dry in the 2030s. She contends the system unfairly redistributes wealth from young workers

S8 Ep217: LANCASTER COUNTY AND A HOLIDAY SPENDING SLUMP Colleague Jim McTague, Author and Journalist. Reporting from Lancaster County, Jim McTague observes a sluggish Christmas shopping season, with consumers buying practical items like gloves rather than expensive

S8 Ep217: NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND RUSSIAN SANCTIONS Colleague Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Sokolski criticizes the lifting of sanctions on Russian banks for nuclear projects and highlights the dangers at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhz

S8 Ep217: CHINA'S CHIP THEFT AND AI WARFARE RISKS Colleague Brandon Weichert, The National Interest. Weichert discusses China's attempts to upgrade older ASML machines and reverse-engineer chips to bypass sanctions. They also review 2025 lessons, noting that AI in

S8 Ep216: CHINA'S CHIP THEFT AND AI WARFARE RISKS Colleague Brandon Weichert, The National Interest. Weichert discusses China's attempts to upgrade older ASML machines and reverse-engineer chips to bypass sanctions. They also review 2025 lessons, noting that AI in

S8 Ep216: WEST COAST WEATHER AND PORTLAND'S DECLINE Colleague Jeff Bliss, Pacific Watch. Jeff Bliss reports that Nordstrom Rack is leaving downtown Portland, citing high vacancy rates, crime, and homelessness. He also details a massive atmospheric river bringing he

S8 Ep215: PREVIEW S&P 500 AND SMALL COMPANIES EMBRACE AI TO BOOST PRODUCTIVITY Colleague Gene Marks. Gene Marks discusses how S&P 500 and small companies embrace Artificial Intelligence to boost workforce productivity. Despite concerns regarding accuracy and securi

S8 Ep215: PREVIEW LANCASTER COUNTY MALL SANTA OBSERVES CHRISTMAS SLOWDOWN Colleague Jim McTague. Jim McTague shares insights from a Lancaster County mall Santa, who observed a significant slowdown in visits this Christmas. The Santa attributes this decline to high

S8 Ep215: PREVIEW 69 AD: VITELLIUS FAILS TO RESTORE THE ROMAN REPUBLIC Colleague Professor Ed Watts. Professor Ed Watts discusses 69 AD, where Emperor Vitellius's attempt to return power to the Senate failed. Blocked by the Praetorian Guard to protect their own int

S8 Ep215: PREVIEW ROCKET LAB OUTPERFORMS RUSSIA IN LAUNCH NUMBERS Colleague Bob Zimmerman. Bob Zimmerman highlights Rocket Lab's success, noting the private company is outperforming Russia in launch numbers. He describes a recent mission deploying "pizza pie" shape

S8 Ep214: PREVIEW Guest: Henry Sokolski. Sokolski describes a new warfare tactic piloted by Russia that utilizes non-nuclear strategic weapons to disable critical infrastructure nodes, such as electricity and communications. While China is actively building these i

S8 Ep214: PREVIEW Guest: Brandon Weichert. Weichert explains how China attempts to reverse engineer advanced chip fabricator machines from the European firm ASML to bypass sanctions. Chinese entities reportedly broke machines while tinkering, then called ASML for r

S8 Ep213: CRUNCH EU SUMMIT DISCUSSES USING FROZEN RUSSIAN ASSETS FOR UKRAINE Colleague Anatol Lieven. The European Union is internally divided over seizing frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's war effort and reconstruction, a move requiring rule changes that som

S8 Ep212: CONGRESSIONAL SPENDING AND THE REVERSE MIDAS TOUCH Colleagues Dave Hebert and Peter Earle. Hebert and Earle argue that Congressional spending exacerbates problems in education and healthcare by subsidizing demand while restricting supply through regulatio