Recent Podcast Episodes

Ryan McMaken and economist Jonathan Newman look at the government's alleged $750 billion gold reserve, how it got there, and why it's time to privatize the gold.

Are America’s so-called "free market policies" really free? Tho Bishop joins Dinesh D’Souza to expose the myths behind global trade, tariffs, and the Federal Reserve’s destructive role in the economy.

President Trump has indicated that a recession could be coming and the pundits are playing the blame game. Don‘t look to anyone in Washington for a coherent explanation for the downturn, however. Look to the Austrians instead.

Does the US government need a gold reserve? No, it doesn't. The government's gold is basically an emergency slush fund for elites to use to preserve their political power.

Is "extractive" always a dirty word? While mining and energy fuel civilization, modern environmentalism has reshaped public perception—and the economy. What happens when ideology clashes with reality?

Should we audit the US gold hoard? First, let's take a look at what the official numbers say about how big the US gold reserve is, where it is located, and how much it is worth in US dollars.

Bob argues that the only way to cripple Mexican drug cartels is through US drug legalization.

Ryan McMaken and Chris Calton examine the many ways that government intervention has driven up home prices and made affordable homes harder to find. 

For the first time since the war began, a senior US official criticized Ukraine’s use of conscripts.

Activists in Illinois and Indiana are talking about changing the state borders so separatist Illinois counties can join Indiana. As you'd expect, many politicians hate the idea.

Guido Hülsmann joins Bob to explore the newly digitized Ludwig von Mises archives at Grove City College, revealing lost correspondence, Mises’ personal battles against socialism, and more.

Amazon faces endless criticism—some fair, some absurd. Is it really an anti-worker behemoth, or is the union fight just another sign of its success? Mark Thornton breaks it down.

The gold in the US gold reserve is a legacy of the time the US government refused to keep its promise to redeem dollars in gold, and when it reneged on its legal obligations to repay debts in gold.

Ryan is joined by Economist and Mises Institute Fellow  Kristoffer Hansen to discuss what would have happened if Argentina President Javier Milei had immediately shut down the country's central bank. The same holds for every other central bank, as well. 

Recorded in Tampa, Florida, on February 22, 2025.

Organized labor, which long has been the bedrock of the Democratic Party, is being courted by the MAGA Republicans trying to bolster their image with the “working classes.” But labor unions are no true friend to the working class.

"Universities are nurseries of socialism, but there's always a remnant of young people who resist the statist propaganda."

"The percentage of Americans who have confidence in higher ed has dropped from 65% a decade ago to the low 30s today."

"The state is the ultimate villain in economic stories, disrupting voluntary trade and imposing unnecessary controls."

"The government has been throwing money at higher education, and the response has been that a lot more people are going to college that otherwise may have found other pathways."