The Federalist Radio Hour

“The American project, as originally defined, is dead,” says Dr. Charles Murray. The WH Brady Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute and accomplished author joins Ben on today’s episode to discuss his new book,By the People: Rebuilding Liberty Without Permission. Murray believes that an emasculated limited government has allowed the modern regulatory state to run amok, steamrolling the liberties of everyday Americans. But it’s not all bad. He says there’s reason for hope. Murray argues that by litigating rather than legislating, conservatives and libertarians can roll back the administrative state. Reasoning that “the regulatory apparatus cannot withstand a regulatory assault,” the scholar proposes an innovative approach to reclaiming rights lost: legal defense funds. “I want to make government into an insurable hazard,” the scholar quips. andnbsp;

On today’s episode of Federalist Radio, Ben offers post debate analysis with James Antle, Politics Editor of The Washington Examiner. Together, they score round two of the GOP primary contest. Senior Federalist contributor, Amy Otto, reports on what she saw firsthand from the spin room at the Reagan Library. Among the press, Trump generated the strongest response she reports. “The media loves Trump. They adore Trump because they know him.” Later, Betsy Woodruff of The Daily Beast gives her take on the night. While highlighting the performance of Carly Fiorina, Woodruff stresses that there remain “a lot of voters who aren’t married to any particular candidate.”

Again, it’s debate night in America and the Republican primary field has gathered together at the California Reagan Presidential Library. Although it’s early in the race, Matt Lewis says it’s already make or break time” for many of the candidates. Looking at what he considers the primary playoffs to a future general election World Series, the Senior Daily Caller contributor predicts an “outsider fight” between Carson, Fiorina, and Trump as each seeks “to own [their] own lane.” Veteran political operative, Kevin Madden also joins the program from the Reagan Library to give his take on the night’s contest.

Nile Gardiner joins Federalist Radio as thousands of refugees continue to pour over European borders. The scholar sorts through the refugee crisis to explain what it means for the future of the European Union and the World. Gardiner says that the “collapse of the European Union has been in cards for a long time,” and predicts that the current “refugee crisis will exacerbate the crisis.” Later Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, Anne Applebaum, reports that no European country has “figured out how they will accept or take care of the refugees.” She notes that the problem has been aggravated by the lack of a unified EU policy on immigration. Finally, drawing from his years as an aide to the British Prime Minister, Gardiner shares an intimate portrait of Lady Margaret Thatcher.

Ronald Bailey isn’t surprised by those who regularly renew warnings of environmental Armageddon. The award winning author and Reason journalist says there’s a simple reason for so much gloom: “doom sells.” From Peak Oil to the Population Bomb, Bailey goes through a veritable anthology of debunked environmental doomsday prophecies on today’s episode of Federalist Radio. Discussing his new book, The End of Doom, Bailey says human innovation offers many reasons for hope. He argues that liberal biologists need to adjust their paradigm for the capacity of technology, and recognize that “humans don’t just use up resources. We make up more.”

Fourteen years ago, two jetliners smashed into the New York twin towers. Another crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. And one more fell to earth over a Pennsylvania farmer’s field. Victims of the worst terror attack, nearly three thousand Americans died on September 11th. Today, on Federalist Radio, Ben Domenech remembers them. Domenech observes the anniversary of the attack by offering an emotional anthology of histories, stories, and poems. Listen.

Yesterday, thousands rallied to Donald Trump’s call against the president’s nuclear deal. Today, Ben and Andrew Stiles explore the celebrity’s staying power as a candidate. “At a certain point people will start to get fatigued with Trump and his performance,” the Free Beacon correspondent predicts. “It’s been good during the summer when there’s not much going on.” Once the field narrows though, Stiles says Trump will have to face serious candidates with substantial and growing support. Later Eliana Johnson, the Washington Editor of National Review, explains the Scott Walker ratings roller-coaster. Betting on Iowa, the Wisconsin Governor has made some “changes in tone…that has brought his authenticity into question.”

The classified emails discovered on Hillary Clinton’s private server must not be taken lightly. NSA agent and analyst turned professor, John Schindler, reminds Ben that “people have died defending this top-secret, code-word information.” On Federalist Radio, Schindler takes the American security status quo and cuts it to size, explaining everything from Russian meddling in the Middle East to the refugee crisis sweeping Europe. Later Roger Severino, Director of the DeVos Center at the Heritage Foundation, explains what’s at stake with the Kim Davis controversy. It’s a “fundamental clash between the Obergefell decision and religious liberty,” he says, noting that the conflict “has long been on the horizon and now it has finally arrived.”

Weve all been there: twenty minutes before a fancy dinner, standing aghast in the grocery, wondering what bottle to pick from a confusing and vast selection of wines. Today, Ellie Bufkin translates the complexity of Chardonnay, the stigma of Merlot, and the jargon of Pinot Grigio into approachable English. A professional sommelier and veteran of the fine dining industry, Bufkin offers a simple rule of thumb to Federalist Radio listeners. When in doubt, “avoid Italy and go straight to Spain for your wine.” Then, back from the Sunday morning limelight, Ben discusses his recent appearance on Face the Nation with John Dickerson.

On this special Labor Day edition of Federalist Radio, Ben takes a look at public-sector unions and their impact on the modern American economy. James Sherk, a Labor Policy Expert at the Heritage Foundation, reports that today, “there are more union workers in the U.S. Postal Service than in all of the auto industry.” Though unopposed to the free association of labor, Sherk says, “Government employment shouldn’t be a ticket to the easy life.” Later Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, and David Dewhirst, litigation counsel for the Freedom Foundation, join the program. The two provide a legal snapshot of the court cases challenging entrenched public sector unions at the state and national level.

Donald Trump is sweeping early polling contests with an anti-immigration narrative. To determine the efficacy of the candidates proposed immigration platform, Alex Nowrasteh of the CATO Institute joins Ben on this edition of Federalist Radio. The scholar says Trump’s plan would be completely untenable and would “essentially impose a permanent ban on all immigration going forward.” He cautions candidates that “if you try to co-opt populism, populism will co-opt you.” Later, Nowrasteh clashes with Mark Krikorian of the Center For Immigration Studies. andnbsp;

Tom Brady has had his day in court and the Super Bowl champion has won again. Today a Federal Judge overturned the NFL’s suspension of the Patriots quarterback and effectively shut down the ‘Deflategate’ controversy. Jim Antle, the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, explains how politics and sports have intersected at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Antle predicts that “this whole mob driven event’ will do more harm than good for the league and commissioner, Roger Goodell. Sally Jenkins, Washington Post sports writer, agrees noting that from now on the NFL “has opened every suspension to judicial review.” Later Antle and Ben discuss the sustained surge of Donald Trump in the GOP primary race.

Olivia Nuzzi joins the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss “the beast that the media created,” namely Donald Trump. More than anything else, the journalist says shes surprised that the GOP front runner “seems just like just another guy from Queens.” An engaging reporter with an active social media presence, the Daily Beast writer says she works to provide entertaining coverage. Critiquing the current news-cycle, Nuzzi rejects press objectivity “as a myth.” Instead she says that reporters “should strive to be fair.” Building a philosophy for the campaign trail on this principle, Nuzzi says she has started “hating everyone equally.”

The times, they are changing when it comes to Republican perceptions of Constitutional Conservatism. Celebrated scholar and Supreme Court litigator, Randy Barnett joins Federalist Radio to preview his vision of proper, conservative jurisprudence. Barnet rejects the principle of judicial restraint, pointing to Chief Justice John Robert’s ObamaCare decision. Instead, he champions a more active role where justices defend the sovereignty of the individual. Later, the libertarian law theorist explains away the myth and establishes the fact of the Lochner v. New York, Supreme Court case.

For Federalist Radio, Katherine Mangu-Ward separates fact from fiction in the “paper or plastic debate.” The editor of Reason Magazine tells Ben that plastic bags have been carelessly demonized. She reports that although “plastic bag bans are largely symbolic,” the plastic prohibition has led to serious unintended consequences like creating corrupt kickbacks in the public market and breading dangerous diseases in private homes. During a robust discussion, the Reason editor touches on the free fall in food prices, the state of immigration reform, and the future of Flamin Hot Cheetos.