Episodes

  • Why Billionaires Don’t Owe California Anything

    Why Billionaires Don’t Owe California Anything
    Mar 26 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T3Zekd7xfE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Robertas Bakula and Onkar Ghate discuss California’s Billionaire Wealth Tax proposal. California’s budget and welfare crisis Challenging the "fair share" narrative Injustice of retroactive taxation Productive ability vs. the welfare state The role of business visionaries This episode was recorded on March 19, 2026. Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / via Getty Images
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Trump Is Fighting for American Freedom Overseas While Killing It at Home

    Trump Is Fighting for American Freedom Overseas While Killing It at Home
    Mar 21 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKAe7rMPwjE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Elan Journo and Onkar Ghate discuss recent developments in the Iran war. Topics covered: Intro Moral vs. stated reasons for the war The Trump administration’s arbitrariness The government’s attacks on freedom at home The risks in leaving the war early The reaction of Trump’s base to the war Our un-American foreign policy This episode was recorded on March 20, 2026.
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    45 mins
  • Rubio’s Mystical and Racist View of the West is Anti-Civilization

    Rubio’s Mystical and Racist View of the West is Anti-Civilization
    Mar 19 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUha6pLRumY Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Don Watkins and Sam Weaver discuss Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent speech at the Munich Security Conference and the tribal conception of Western civilization that he advocates. Civilization as a project Rubio’s superficial view Christianity vs. civilization Racist undertones Nationalist false alternative Resources: Ayn Rand, “Man’s Rights” Ayn Rand, “Racism” Elan Journo, “The Virulent Pull of Tribalism” Onkar Ghate, “Finding Morality and Happiness Without God” This episode was recorded on March 12, 2026. Image credit: Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
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    53 mins
  • Anthropic vs. Trump: The Moral Responsibility of Tech Companies

    Anthropic vs. Trump: The Moral Responsibility of Tech Companies
    Mar 12 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh7hO-q_gb4 Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer and Mike Mazza discuss the recent standoff between Anthropic and the Defense Department over military use of AI technology, and the moral questions faced by those creating weapons of war. Anthropic’s reasoning Authoritarian threats Ayn Rand’s “To Young Scientists” Moral sanction Resources: Ayn Rand, “To Young Scientists” Ayn Rand Lexicon entry on the sanction of the Victim Ben Bayer, “Effective Altruism’s Faith-Based Sacrifice for the Future” This episode was recorded on March 6, 2026. Image credit: Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Images / LightRocket / via Getty Images
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    47 mins
  • America Responds to Decades of Iranian Aggression

    America Responds to Decades of Iranian Aggression
    Mar 3 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZV5I8YRYvI Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Elan Journo about the American and Israeli attack on Iran. Topics include: The Institute’s Position on Iran; Answering critics; Congressional approval; Evaluating Trump; Prospects for Success or Failure. Resources: ARI Resources on the American Conflict with Iran This episode was recorded on March 3, 2026. Image credit: U.S. Navy / Handout / via Getty Images
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    20 mins
  • Choosing Life: An Interview with ‘The Green Prince’ Mosab Hassan Yousef

    Choosing Life: An Interview with ‘The Green Prince’ Mosab Hassan Yousef
    Mar 2 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mzUUDz14Ac Podcast audio: In this special podcast episode, Yaron Brook and Elan Journo interview Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas founding leader who became one of Israel’s most valuable intelligence assets. Raised within the movement, Yousef recounts how his experiences led him to break decisively with Hamas and oppose it at great personal risk. The conversation centers on the ideological nature of Hamas, an aspect often evaded by its apologists. Drawing on firsthand experience, Yousef describes a movement rooted in a culture of sexual repression and the subordination of women. He argues that these are foundational aspects of the religious Islamic ideology that suppresses dissent, encourages mass murder, and brutalizes its own people. One of the most striking aspects of the interview is Yousef’s account of the conscious moral choice that guided his transformation: the choice to protect human life. In contrasting Hamas with Israel, he identifies a fundamental difference in values between a movement that glorifies death and a society that values human life. Topics include: Yousef’s defection from Hamas; The ideology of Palestinian brutality; Indoctrination in Palestinian society; Palestinians’ repeated rejections of peace; Risks of working with Israeli intelligence; October 7; Q&A. This podcast was recorded live on February 18, 2025, and is available on The Ayn Rand Institute Podcast stream. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here. Image credit: Noam Galai / via Getty Images.
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    1 hr
  • How the SCOTUS Tariff Decision Helps Slow the Advance of Authoritarianism

    How the SCOTUS Tariff Decision Helps Slow the Advance of Authoritarianism
    Feb 27 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnux6MriXE Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Onkar Ghate and Ben Bayer discuss the recent decision in Learning Resources Inc. v. Trump, striking down the President’s expansive “Liberation Day” tariffs. The majority’s reasoning The major questions doctrine Statutory interpretation and legislative intent The dissent’s plausibility The separation of powers A stopgap against eroding separation of powers Scrutinizing deprivation of economic liberty, property Emergency powers Resources: Ben Bayer, “Ayn Rand on Free Trade, the 'Essence of Capitalism’s Foreign Policy'” Ben Bayer, “The Constitutionally Dubious Law Empowering Trump’s ‘Emergency’ Tariff Authority” Ben Bayer, “The Lawyers Defending Trump’s Tariffs Know They’re Un-American. Here’s How We Can Tell” This episode was recorded on February 25, 2026. Image credit: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP / via Getty Images
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Ayn Rand, Immigrant: The Story of Her Journey to America

    Ayn Rand, Immigrant: The Story of Her Journey to America
    Feb 26 2026
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDKszEjACFA Podcast audio: In this episode of the Ayn Rand Institute podcast, Ben Bayer interviews Agustina Vergara Cid and Brandon Lisi about their new article: “’I Chose to Be an American:’ Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story.” Topics include: Motivation for the article; Why Rand chose America; Obstacles Rand faced; How Rand pushed America to live up to its values; Archival resources consulted; Most surprising facts about Rand’s story; Impact of the article. Read the article here: “’I Chose to be an American:’ Ayn Rand’s Immigration Story.” This episode was recorded on February 23, 2026, and posted on February 24, 2026. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Watch archived podcasts here.
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    37 mins