A recession by any other name still stinks

Have the Taliban changed?: This week on Acton Unwind, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and special guest Mustafa Akyol discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan, as the United States works feverishly to get Americans out of the country. How many refugees should the United States accept? What will rule by the Taliban look like? Have they changed at all, as some people have suggested? Then, Eric and Sam discuss the FDA’s final approval of the COVID vaccines, the lockdowns in Australia and New Zealand and the resistance they have produced, and whether our elites and civic leaders are more incompetent than they were in the past, or whether the velocity and availability of information just makes it seem that way. <a href="https://www.cato.org/people/mustafa-akyol" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mustafa Akyol</a> <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio/reopening-muslim-minds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Reopening Muslim Minds with Mustafa Akyol - by Acton Unwind

54 min listen

The church’s response to Ukraine and Russia: 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. <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a>  <a href="https://morning.thedispatch.com/p/the-morning-dispatch-putin-cracks" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Morning Dispatch: Putin Cracks Down at Home | The Dispatch</a> <a href="https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/orthodox-response-putin-invasion" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Orthod by Acton Unwind

66 min listen

They're not gonna pay rent: In this, the inaugural edition of Acton Unwind, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Stephen Barrows discuss the extension of the CDC's unconstitutional eviction moratorium, the Biden administration's economically problematic proposal for free community college, and the New Right's infatuation with Viktor Orbán's Hungary. <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/small-time-landlords-hanging-on-by-their-fingernails-as-eviction-moratorium-drags-on/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">‘Small-Time Landlords “Hanging on By Their Fingernails” as Eviction Moratorium Drags On’ - National Review</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/nyregion/rent-landlord-eviction-moratorium.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A Landlord Says Her Tenants Are Terrorizing Her. She Can’t Evict Them. - New York Times</a> <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2021/08/05/opinion-making-community-college-free-has-hidden-cos by Acton Unwind

44 min listen

The growing threat from China: This week, Eric and Sam discuss the growing threat from China. First, Sam recaps a talk he gave in Houston last week entitled, "China: Enigma and Challenge for the World." In the wake of China’s test of a hypersonic missile that could carry a nuclear warhead, how should we think about the military, economic, and cultural threat that China poses to the United States and to the world? Subscribe to <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acton Unwind</a>, <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonline" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acton Line</a> & <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonvault" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acton Vault</a> <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/ba0a3cde-719b-4040-93cb-a486e1f843fb" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">China tests ne by Acton Unwind

55 min listen

The Taliban retake Afghanistan: This week on Acton Unwind, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the collapse of the Afghanistan government as the United States withdraws from the country nearly 20 years after September 11th and the beginning of combat operations there. We were told a collapse might happen in a year. Instead, it took days. What lessons should be learned from this? And how are we to trust our institutions when they’re constantly shown to be either wrong or lying to us? August 15 marked the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon taking the United States off the gold standard. How much of the economic turbulence in the decades since can be blamed on this decision? And, what role can cryptocurrencies play in the future of monetary policy? <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Muslim-Defend-Liberty-Mustafa-Akyol/dp/1952223172" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“Why, as a Muslim, I Defend Liberty” by Mustafa Akyol</a> <a href="https://sho by Acton Unwind

52 min listen

Are we prepared for exponential technological growth?: This week, Eric Kohn, Stephen Barrows, and Dan Churchwell discuss the new vaccine mandate President Joe Biden has announced for businesses larger than 100 employees, to be administered by OSHA. In what ways are they failing to consider the role of incentives, and what unintended consequences might this effort have? Will it just drive people further into their political corners and continue to undermine faith in our institutions? Then, they discuss a new piece in Wired from Azeen Azhar about the concept of exponential growth. Are we prepared for a time when technological growth happens at a blinding pace? Can we even effectively prepare for it? Are we at all prepared to cope with the unrest that it will create? Subscribe to <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acton Unwind</a>, <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonline" re by Acton Unwind

40 min listen

How overturning Roe v. Wade can reset the civil order: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the implications of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the case involving Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, which was argued before the Supreme Court on Dec. 1. How much has the legal regime created by Roe and Casey distorted our civic and political life? And what would be likely to happen if the Supreme Court did overturn the Roe and Casey decisions in their Dobbs ruling? Would it be as incendiary as some people seem to assume? Then the guys discuss the primary theme of Blake Masters’ campaign for Senate: “In America, you should be able to raise a family on one single income.” Is it true that people can’t do that right now? Do the proponents of this vision ignore the costs associated with it? And are GDP growth and family formation really at odds? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscr by Acton Unwind

58 min listen

Whip inflation now, again: Today Eric Kohn, Stephen Barrows, and Dan Hugger discuss all things inflation. What makes the inflation we’re seeing now different from the experience of the 1970s? What does it mean that we have a contracting labor force along with high inflation? How long will inflation be with us, and is there anything that can be done about it? The discussion then turns to mission creep and masking guidance from the CDC, with the agency head suggesting we keep wearing masks to combat, not only COVID-19, but the flu and the common cold as well. And finally, the trials of Kyle Rittenhouse and the accused killers of Ahmaud Arbery are both underway, but only the Rittenhouse proceeding is getting much attention, thanks largely to people using it as a political cudgel. What would happen if we lost faith in our legal system the way we’ve lost faith in so many other American institutions? <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/10/business/economy/consumer- by Acton Unwind

48 min listen

J.D. Vance wants to seize the wealth to own the libs: On this week’s episode, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Michael Matheson Miller discuss U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance’s comments about the Ford Foundation--namely, that we should “seize the assets of the Ford Foundation, tax their assets, and give it to the people who've had their lives destroyed by their radical open borders agenda.” When did it become acceptable for the right to abandon concepts like constitutionality and the rule of law? Why is this kind of rhetoric constantly escalating? Is it really what the polity wants? Then, have we thrown open the Overton window on spending with the trillion-dollar infrastructure deal? When Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is still cool with spending $1.5 trillion on a reconciliation bill on top of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, is the “conservative” in the conversation, have words lost their meaning entirely? And how long before we’re talking about quadrillion-dollar spending by Acton Unwind

53 min listen

We are not cogs for social engineers: This week on Acton Unwind, Sam Gregg, and special guests Dan Hugger and Michael Miller discuss the ongoing developments in Afghanistan as we approach the 31st deadline. Then, they discuss the $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill and how we can look to C.S. Lewis for guidance on how to respond. What is human infrastructure? Is the United States a civilization-building nation? Is all truth subjective?  <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to the Acton Unwind Podcast</a>  <a href="https://blog.acton.org/archives/120523-bidens-stimulus-for-a-growing-economy-is-all-about-central-control.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Biden’s ‘stimulus’ for a growing economy is all about central control</a>  <a href="https://blog.acton.org/archives/122329-afghanistan-i-fought-for-lacks-foundation-for-freedom.html?utm_c by Acton Unwind

61 min listen

What the Met Gala says about the state of our elites: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes’ Met Gala tax-the-rich dress stunt says about the current state of our elites and of elite culture. Are our elites so frivolous because we’ve become frivolous? Or is it the other way around? And why are we so preoccupied with identifying hypocrisy rather than observing and highlighting the underlying implications of that hypocrisy, and the tributes that vice are paying to virtue when we find them? Then, they discuss the email sent to observant Jews at Barnard College in New York City, in effect demanding that they violate their Shabbat obligations to utilize technology for Covid-19 symptoms and to participate in contact tracing. Why is religious freedom so often an afterthought? Subscribe to <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acton Unwind by Acton Unwind

54 min listen

The revolt against COVID-19 vaccine mandates: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dylan Pahman discuss the possibility that objection to Southwest Airlines’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate was behind the cancelation of more than 1,000 flights over the weekend. Even if it wasn’t, there is clearly resistance to vaccine mandates out there, whether coming from the government or private businesses. And why is resistance to mandates, for some people at least, turning into resistance or rejection of the vaccine itself? A University of Michigan professor is under fire for showing his class Lawrence Oliver's black-face film portrayal of Othello. Is the biggest culprit in situations like these the people in authority who cave to the mob? And finally, Sam Gregg discusses his review of Vivek Ramaswamy’s new book Woke, Inc. and how the behavior we're seeing in big corporations is similar to that on display in the University of M by Acton Unwind

63 min listen

Omicron, here we go again: This week, Eric Kohn, Stephen Barrows, and Dan Hugger discuss the emergence of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. With so little known about it, are political leaders and public health officials getting too far ahead of themselves? Dr. Anthony Fauci says he “represent[s] science.” When did we come to have such a malformed understanding of the scientific process that we moved into an ideological understanding of science? And how unsurprised should we be that the World Health Organization skipped over the “Xi” variant name? Finally, they discuss Yuval Levin's recent essay "The changing face of social breakdown.” What's holding people back from starting their lives? Has the pandemic made these problems worse or just revealed trends already at work? And how can we learn to better deal with our changing world to establish more communion, not just communication? Subscribe to <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="n by Acton Unwind

54 min listen

What obligations do we have to refugees?: On this week’s episode, Eric Kohn, Dan Churchwell, and Dan Hugger discuss America’s dueling refugee crises: one on the southern border manifesting in around 14,000 migrants descending on Del Rio, Texas, and the refugees fleeing the Taliban rule in Afghanistan following the American exit from that country. How should we approach these problems as Americans, and as Christians? Crime has been rising in American cities. How should we understand the problem, and how important is it to truly understand the nature of the problem and how it’s different in different places before we attempt to pick and choose policies to solve the problem? And finally, Brookings senior fellow and Washington Post columnist Robert Kagan says our constitutional crisis is already here. When they’re subject both to erosion and attack, how long can our American institutions hold up? <a href="https://linkscan.io/scan/ux/aHR0cHM6Ly9ibG9nLmFjdG9uLm9yZy9hcmNoaXZlcy8x by Acton Unwind

52 min listen

Netflix stands up to the woke mob over Dave Chappelle: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss Netflix standing up to the woke mob coming after Dave Chappelle for his new comedy special, The Closer, in which he makes jokes about the trans-rights movement. Can we view this as a watershed moment in the culture wars? Or is Netflix just defending their $60 million investment in the legendary comedian? Then, the supply chain has problems. Between that, high energy prices, employment problems, and inflation, are we staring down the barrel of a repeat of the 1970s? Next, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been out for two months on paternity leave. Setting aside the political-football aspect, how should we think about paternity leave in the modern culture and economy? And finally, we end with a new segment called Recommendable, where the crew will recommend articles, books, podcasts, or anything else they found important and recommendable throughout the we by Acton Unwind

61 min listen

Is a parent-driven revolution brewing in public education?: In this episode, Eric, Sam, and Dylan discuss the potential for upheavals in public education. Will fights over the curriculum and the cumulative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (and the behavior of the teachers union during it) open up the possibility of wholesale changes in public schools? Next, Joe Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis goes very, very well. At least according to Joe Biden. Is the president to be believed when he says Pope Francis assured him he's a Catholic in good standing? Is this something he should even be saying out loud? Finally, Eric and Dylan discuss Dune and explore the important themes related to human nature at play in Frank Herbert’s book and Denis Villeneuve’s film--and in all good science fiction. Subscribe to <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonline" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong by Acton Unwind

55 min listen

Is national conservatism the future of the right?: This week, Eric Kohn, Michael Matheson Miller, and Dan Hugger discuss the National Conservatism convention, from which Dan just recently returned. What do the national conservatives want? Should we think about this as an intellectual movement or as a political movement? Have they achieved a consensus about their own identity? And how much of a force will they prove to be within conservative intellectual circles and conservative politics going forward? <a href="https://nationalconservatism.org/natcon-2-2021/conference-schedule/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">National Conservatism Convention agenda</a> <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio/biggest-problems-national-conservatism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The biggest problems of national conservatism | Acton Line</a> <a href="https://blog.acton.org/archives/110963-a-healthy-conservative-nationalism-not-without-classical- by Acton Unwind

60 min listen

Thinking clearly in a time of ideology: Today on Acton Unwind, Stephen Barrows, Dan Hugger, and Dylan Pahman join Michael Matheson Miller—guest editor of the new double issue of Religion & Liberty, Acton’s quarterly journal of religion, economics, and culture—to discuss the issue’s theme: the challenges of thinking clearly in an age dominated by ideology. How can we function in a time when the pursuit of truth, and even the meaning of “truth” itself, is subservient to a suffocating ideology that makes real dialogue between opposing viewpoints difficult if not impossible? What are the risks that come with the adoption of a rigid ideology? What is the difference between ideology and worldview? And how do we resist the temptation of adopting ideological thinking ourselves? <a href="https://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Religion & liberty Summer/Fall 2021</a> <a href="https:// by Acton Unwind

57 min listen

The Texas abortion law & the social responsibility of business: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Stephen Barrows discuss the corporate reactions to SB 8, the new abortion law in Texas, including the pledge from the rideshare company Lyft to pay for any potential legal fees for drivers, as well as to make a $1 million contribution to Planned Parenthood. Is this just responding to the market and what their customers want? Or are politics overwhelming corporate decision making and leading them astray? Then, they discuss the strict Covid-19 lockdown measures in Australia. Will political leaders experience any kind of comeuppance for over-promising and under-delivering on dealing with the pandemic? And finally, Eric, Sam, and Steve all reflect on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. <a href="https://www.acton.org/actonunwind" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to the Acton Unwind Podcast</a>  <a href="https://www.ly by Acton Unwind

52 min listen

How do we grapple with Uvalde?: In this episode, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the massacre of 19 children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas. How do we grapple with horrors like this? What can we do, as individuals and as a society, to reduce the likelihood that attacks like this will happen again? Are we lacking the moral language to effectively discuss such events? Then there’s the lack of response on the part of the Uvalde police. While these cops clearly failed the people they were charged with protecting, what role did the failure to properly prepare them to do their job play in this outcome? And finally, the guys examine Ilya Shapiro’s resignation from Georgetown Law School shortly after he was exonerated in regard to his offending tweets about Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Will it make any difference in the cause of free speech? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to o by Acton Unwind

59 min listen

Omi-chronic COVID panic: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the progress of the House Select Committee on the events of January 6. Has everyone already formed their conclusions about what happened? Is there anything that could be revealed that would change anyone’s mind? Is there any civic good that could come from this? The Omicron variant appears to be more transmissible but less deadly. That’s a good development. So why is it prompting renewed talk of school shutdowns, greater lockdowns, and mask mandates that extend forever? Are we perpetually searching for a technocratic solution to a problem that has no actual solution? And finally, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act to extricate wokeness from schools and businesses. Is this a problem that we can legislate away? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts by Acton Unwind

61 min listen

Parents’ public school revolt comes to San Francisco: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the end of the Canadian trucker convoy as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invokes the Emergencies Act—the precursor of which was last used to respond to domestic terrorism—to clear the convoy from the capital. Boy, that escalated quickly. What will be the lasting effects of this protest, not to mention the way it ended? And how chilling are the threats to freeze bank accounts of protesters and supporters, even as donation data is leaked from the crowdfunding site that hosted a fundraiser for the convoy? Next, the Acton gang examines the recall of three members of the San Francisco school board by overwhelming margins. If a parent uprising against out-of-control public school systems can happen in San Francisco, can it happen anywhere? And finally, the guys remember the late, great writer and humorist P.J. O’Rourke, who passed away last week at the age of 74. <p by Acton Unwind

59 min listen

The future of abortion in America: This week, Eric Kohn, Dylan Pahman, and Dan Hugger tackle the issue that’s on everyone’s mind: the leak of the Supreme Court draft option in the Dobbs case overturning both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. How monumental is the leak itself, and how does it threaten the institution of the Court? What does the draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito actually do? What do the American people actually think about abortion? What happens now? And finally, assuming the Court overturns Roe and Casey in the Dobbs decision, how will the period of time between Roe and Dobbs be remembered? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a> <a href="https://university.acton.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apply now for Acton University 2022</a>  <a href="https://www by Acton Unwind

77 min listen

Not-so transitory inflation and crisis time for global Catholicism: This week, Samuel Gregg, Stephen Barrows, and Michael Matheson Miller discuss two topics. The first is the ongoing rise of inflation in the United States. Whatever happened to “transitory inflation”? Who benefits and who doesn’t from inflation? What needs to be done to bring inflation under control? Then this week’s all-Catholic team weighs in on a broader topic: the state of the Catholic Church around the world today. Much of the Church seems to be in disarray, whether it’s the resignations of bishops, the state of the Church in Germany, the Synod on Synodality, disputes about Holy Communion and liturgy, or the Vatican’s deal with the Communist regime in Beijing. We discuss some of the underlying causes, but also where we can find signs of hope. <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a> <a href by Acton Unwind

62 min listen

The Georgetown Law crying game: National Review ISI fellow Nate Hochman joins Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger this week to discuss his recent reporting on the Ilya Shapiro controversy at Georgetown Law School. The student sit-in in the wake of Shapiro’s poorly worded tweets produced demands for cry rooms and reparations. Will they get what they want? Why do people in places of authority seem incapable of standing up to these outrage mobs? Then the group discusses the surprisingly good jobs report for January, where the economy added nearly 500,000 jobs—and all during the Omicron wave. If this is more evidence that the public is moving on from the pandemic, why do so many political leaders refuse to take the off-ramps they’re being offered and instead stand by mask mandates and other mitigation measures? And finally, should we have boycotted the Beijing Winter Olympics? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to by Acton Unwind

64 min listen

A recession by any other name still stinks: David L. Bahnsen joins Eric Kohn, Dan Hugger, and Dylan Pahman on the show this week to discuss all things economics. Just what is a recession? How do we know? What should we do if we’re actually in one? What is the future of inflation? If inflation comes down, is it a good sign or would it be indicative of different problems in the economy? Are we at risk of investing too much in the power of government and politicians to both break and fix the economy? And are oil companies making record profits? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-q2-gdp-growth-economy-11658981184" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. GDP Fell at 0.9% Annual Rate in Second Quarter; Recession Fears Loom Over Economy | Wall Street Journal</a> <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022 by Acton Unwind

60 min listen

The populist right rises (in France): 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 fashionabl by Acton Unwind

61 min listen

Manhattan DA’s light-on-crime approach is a threat to meaningful criminal justice reform: This week, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger briefly discuss the first anniversary of the January 6 capitol riot. Have we learned anything helpful in the past year? Then they examine the waves being caused by teachers unions once again forcing public schools to close in major cities. Is this enough to stir a parent revolt to change the nature of public education as we know it? Next, they take a look at the newly announced policies of the Manhattan district attorney that would effectively eliminate jail time for an array of serious offenses. What damage will this light-on-crime approach do to meaningful and serious criminal justice reform? And finally, they review the conviction of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on four federal counts of defrauding investors. What, if anything, does this have to say about market capitalism or Silicon Valley? <a href="https://www.acton.or by Acton Unwind

53 min listen

The New York Times Takes Aim at Orthodox Jewish Education: This week, Eric Kohn, Dan Hugger, and Dylan Pahman are joined by special guest Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg to discuss the recent New York Times article on New York City’s Orthodox yeshivas. Is the Times piece fair? What interest does the state have in the kind of education the children in Hasidic enclaves in New York City are receiving? And is America becoming increasingly inhospitable to Jews? Then the guys discuss the move by some state governors to send migrants who arrive at the southern border to so-called sanctuary cities. Is this a defensible policy, with the supposed ends justifying using fellow humans as the means of making a political point? <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/nyregion/hasidic-yeshivas-schools-new-york.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In by Acton Unwind

60 min listen

“Best Assault at the Oscars” Goes To…: 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.  <a href="https://www.acton.org/audio" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Subscribe to our podcasts</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myjEoDypUD8" rel="noopener by Acton Unwind

63 min listen

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A recession by any other name still stinks

A recession by any other name still stinks

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