• Tariffs on Trial | Independent Outlook 72
    Aug 27 2025

    President Trump’s tariffs are extensive, complex, and unprecedented. Are they legal? A series of courts are about to decide, and the entire edifice of Trump's tariffs is hanging at the edge of legal precipice. Will the federal courts, and ultimately SCOTUS, invalidate Trump's tariff regime? We address this question from various angles on this episode of Independent Outlook.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Ukraine Endgame, Redistricting Drama, etc. | Independent Outlook 71
    Aug 27 2025

    Has President Trump set things up to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to a decent end? Or is the peace puzzle falling apart? Closer to home, will President Trump’s push to redraw congressional districts in Texas backfire in California? We discuss these issues and more on this episode of Independent Outlook.

    Buy "A Balance of Titans: Peace and Liberty in the New Multipolar World," by Ivan Eland
    https://www.independent.org/store/book/a-balance-of-titans/

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Trump Strikes Iran: Turning Point or Mistake?
    Jun 30 2025

    When President Trump deployed America’s B-2 bombers to attack Fordow mountain and other nuclear sites in Iran, it marked a turning point in war, diplomacy, and American decision-making. And it raised many questions. Did the President have the legal authority to launch the bombers? Did the bombing completely obliterate Iran’s nuclear warfare capabilities? Did it set a precedent that will come back to bite the U.S. in the future? Was it morally justified?

    How To Run Wars: A Confidential Playbook for the National Security Elite

    War and the Rogue Presidency: Restoring the Republic after Congressional Failure

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Race, Liberty, and the Future of Meritocracy in America
    Mar 10 2025

    Research Fellow Jonathan Bean and contributors from the updated edition of "Race & Liberty in America: The Essential Reader" gathered for a rigorous and thought-provoking conversation. They tackled controversial topics such as immigration, “systemic” racism, and the politics of intermarriage. They’ll also explore how classical liberal values—championed by figures like Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston, and Louis Marshall—have long provided a blueprint for a thriving multi-ethnic society.

    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • Why Tariffs Are Toxic | Independent Outlook 70
    Mar 6 2025

    What exactly are tariffs, and how do they work? How do they drive up prices? Are tariffs a way to protect the U.S. economy from hostile powers like the Communist Party of China? No, not really. Or a way to protect the supply chains on which U.S. military supremacy depends? No, not that either. In short, tariffs are toxic, and we discuss why that is.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Executive Orders Galore! Birthright Citizenship, DEI, Energy, and More | Independent Outlook 69
    Jan 31 2025

    Within minutes of his swearing in, President Donald Trump shot out of the starting gate with a burst of executive orders covering everything from immigration, to DEI, to energy, and more. Keeping up with all this, much less making sense of it all, feels kind of like drinking from a fire hydrant. But we take a stab at it in this episode of Independent Outlook, tackling seven or eight of the most pivotal orders.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • It Didn’t Have To Be This Bad: Southern California Firestorms | Independent Outlook 68
    Jan 11 2025

    Californians will be in shock for a long time over the vast firestorms in Los Angeles. We don’t yet know what ignited each fire. But Santa Ana winds are a regular, predictable, feature of regional weather. California environmentalism discourages clearing of public and private land, and stymies upgrades of water delivery systems. And Los Angeles recently trimmed back its firefighting budget by $18 million. “Climate change” is not the culprit.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • The New Syria and Civil Liberties. Trump's Team | Independent Outlook 67
    Dec 16 2024

    How will civil liberties survive Syria’s convulsions? Do Trump’s national security appointees form a coherent team? Why is healthcare taking the spotlight now…but in such a sick way? And what about Trump’s economic team? Are these guys primed to deliver low inflation and prosperity? With special experts on deck, we discuss these questions and more on this episode of Independent Outlook.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins