Episodes
In their first episode back from a break, the Hoover Institution’s Richard Epstein and George Mason University’s Adam White manage to disagree about practically every aspect of the new controversy over President Trump, Ukraine, the Bidens, and impeachment. You can rate, review, subscribe, and download the podcast on the following platforms:Podbean | Apple Podcasts | RadioPublic | Overcast | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
Published 10/03/19
Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss Richard’s recent essay for Defining Ideas, which defends classical liberalism against the recent critiques of conservative political philosopher Patrick Deneen and others. From there they move on to other critics of classical liberalism—namely, modern-day advocates for socialism. And finally they touch on Harvard Medical School’s removal of portraits of white men, and the debate over statutes honoring confederate soldiers. You...
Published 06/19/19
In Georgia and Alabama, state legislatures have enacted laws on abortion, perhaps teeing up new legal challenges to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade precedent. Meanwhile, in Washington, the House Democrats’ subpoenas to President Trump’s former White House Counsel and to his longtime accountants are sparking debates and litigation over the scope of Congress’s investigative powers and the options for presidential immunity against such investigations. Hoover fellows Richard Epstein and Adam...
Published 05/23/19
Hoover fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the decline of Congress as a constitutional institution, as exemplified by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing with Attorney General Barr—and the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing without him.
Published 05/03/19
On the first day of baseball season, Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White call balls and strikes on the apparent end of the Mueller investigation as detailed in Attorney General Barr’s four-page letter to Congress. They still disagree about Mueller, but they agree that the investigation reached a good conclusion. Will we ever see a full Mueller Report — and should we? Did you like the show? You can rate, review, subscribe, and download the podcast on the following...
Published 03/28/19
Senator Elizabeth Warren wants to break up tech companies; former Attorney General Eric Holder wants a future Democratic President and Congress to pack the Court, which would break it. What do Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White think of these proposals? They disagree with both of them ... but they also disagree with one another about how to think about what Google does today. But before they start to debate those issues, they begin by applauding the Senate's move toward...
Published 03/13/19
Recorded January 15, 2019 Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss President Trump’s nomination of William Barr to be Attorney General, a position that Barr previously held under President George H.W. Bush. They also discuss the possibility of President Trump invoking “emergency powers” to build a border wall without new congressional authorization. 
Published 02/06/19
Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss Senator Elizabeth Warren’s call for an unprecedented “wealth tax,” and the constitutional problems that it raises. They also discuss the Supreme Court’s upcoming case on judicial “deference” to agencies’ legal interpretations (Kisor v. Wilkie).
Published 02/06/19
Hoover fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the latest news surrounding the Mueller Investigation, and then turn to timeless questions of America’s Constitution and its greatest chief justice, John Marshall. Did you like the show? You can rate, review, subscribe, and download the podcast on the following platforms:Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Overcast |Google Play | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS
Published 12/13/18
Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White debate Attorney General Sessions’s resignation, and the appointment of Matthew Whittaker as his temporary replacement. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 38:34)
Published 11/12/18
In the aftermath of the Senate’s confirmation of Kavanaugh, Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the need (or not) to change the Senate’s process, and recent criticism of the Court’s “legitimacy.” Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 33:27)
Published 10/24/18
Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White look back at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, and then look ahead to the effect that Kavanaugh may have on constitutional law and the administrative state. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 45:13)
Published 09/12/18
The day after a federal jury convicts the Trump Campaign’s former chairman, Paul Manafort on tax and fraud charges, and President Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, plead guilty to campaign finance violations. The Hoover Institution’s Richard Epstein and Adam White analyze these developments and argue about fundamental issues surrounding Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation of President Trump. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 47:40)
Published 08/22/18
With Justice Kennedy’s retirement, and Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination to succeed him, Richard Epstein and Adam White reflect on Kennedy’s legacy and discuss what Kavanaugh may bring to the Court. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 30:25)
Published 07/25/18
President Trump claims that he has the power to pardon himself. Is he right? On the other hand, was the Mueller appointment unconstitutional itself? On this podcast, Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the latest constitutional debates surrounding Robert Mueller’s investigation of President Trump. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 40:38)
Published 06/13/18
On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced that “we’re putting the trade war [with China] on hold.” Meanwhile the NAFTA renegotiations seem to be stalling. Professors Epstein and White debate trade policy in theory and practice. Featuring cameo appearances by Ricardo, Keynes, Lincoln, Hamilton, Clay, Mnuchin, and Trump. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 37:15)
Published 05/23/18
Nearly 50 years old, the National Environmental Policy Act has become a major roadblock for modern infrastructure projects. Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss whether it’s time to mend it—or end it. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 31:42)
Published 05/02/18
In the immediate aftermath of an FBI raid on the office of President Trump’s private counsel, Hoover Institution fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White debate whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is a problem in terms of constitutional structure and accountability. Along the way, they discuss the criminal process, and the need for “republican virtue” in our constitutional system. Did you like the show? Please rate, review, and subscribe! (Playing time: 32:26)
Published 04/11/18
Recorded on March 18, 2018 Introducing Reasonable Debates, a new Hoover Institution podcast where two lawyers and Hoover fellows analyze the top legal issues of the day from an academic perspective. Richard Epstein’s and Adam White’s inaugural episode begins with a discussion of Epstein’s Defining Ideas column “The Troubled Legacy Of Dodd-Frank” concerning proposals to reform the Dodd-Frank financial law, and delves into a broader conversation on Dodd-Frank’s inherent problems. Did you like...
Published 03/19/18