Something's Off With Andrew Heaton

The head of the Food & Drug Administration, Scott Gottlieb, is leaving, so Heaton is officially nominating Stu Burguiere to be its new commissioner. He talks with Heaton about the false sense of security the FDA brings the public, and the ways it can be counterproductive for life-saving pharmaceuticals.

Why we should rename Mt. Everest, what hipsters are and aren’t, when cemeteries become yoga studios, and the best legislation to come out of Utah—all this on another installment of Friday Release Valve.

Garrett Graff, author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save ItselfÑWhile the Rest of Us Die joins Heaton to discuss the presidential succession, secret military bunkers, and the history of the cold warÑfrom the perspective of doomsday plans.

Bernie Sanders John Hickenlooper and (probably soon) Beto O’Rourke have jumped into the already crowded Democratic 2020 primary. Meanwhile Donald Trump has his own challenger in the GOP. Will Weld help or hobble the Donald? Who’s the Democrat’s Jeb of the 2020 election well-positioned but destined to flame out? Justin Robert Young and Brian Brushwood join Heaton for industrial-strength rampant political speculation.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah joins Heaton to talk about how federalism has become out of whack, and ways to restore balance to the Force.

Bernie Sanders and Tucker Carlson have both settled onto a single big problem in America—stuff. Katherine Mangu-Ward the Editor-in-Chief of Reason Magazine joins Heaton to explain how an adorable Japanese tidying celebrity provides an alternative mindset.

Mike Kaplan, co-host of the “Lost in America Podcast,” joins Heaton to sort the week’s most baffling headlines. Including: The artistic abilities of pigs, radioactive cremations, the sex life of Adam West, and the feasibility of leprechauns.

Commander Dale Brown, owner of a private security firm, joins Heaton to talk about the history of racial theory and how ethnicity is a social construct.

The Pentagon is ramping up efforts to develop sophisticated AI before China does. What happens if China beats us? Either way, is AI going to murder us in our sleep, like Elon Musk says? Joe Leonardo and David Ryan Polgar, hosts of the “Funny As Tech” podcast join Heaton to allay and stoke his fears.

Much like a horrible “Scooby Doo” episode, actor Jussie Smollett’s initial hate crime story has fallen apart. The Chicago PD now thinks it was an elaborate staging, designed to garner sympathy and a higher salary. Comedian Turner Sparks joins Heaton to discuss the funnier inconsistencies in the story, and the future of Wokeness.

President Trump is pulling out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Does this mean the Ruskies will start cranking out nukes? What about us? Or the Chinese? Jason Buttrill, Chief Researcher at The Blaze, joins Heaton to explain what we should and should not be worried about.

Standup comedian Jaron Myers joins Heaton for Friday Release Valve, covering absurd headlines throughout the week, including a petition to sell Montana to Canada, and France’s newest official sport.

The biggest problem with the Academy Awards is: not enough trophies. Comedian and Hollywood insider Andrew Young joins Heaton to suggest new category awards, like “Best Fake Accent” or “Most Tasteful Sex Scene.” Plus, a new “How to with Heaton: Balancing a Checkbook.”

"The Twilight Zone” has it all: Cold War hysteria, gremlins, conformity and individualism, robots, totalitarianism, witches—the list goes on. Heaton brings on comedian James III to discuss one of the greatest programs to ever grace television.

Standup and transgender comedian Carina Magyar joins Heaton to discuss the military ban, the difference between the "yuck" and "kill" factors, and the interplay between biology and psychology in gender dysphoria.

Lauren Chen, host of “Roaming Millennial Uncensored,” joins Heaton to map out how conservatives in their twenties think, and how the political landscape will change as they come into their own. Plus, Heaton’s producer Jennings contacts several of Heaton’s ex-girlfriends to solicit listener feedback about the show.

Heaton’s personal hero, Prince Leonard, passed away this week, after a storied history of fighting in World War II, declaring independence from Australia, and thwarting an onerous wheat quota. In a special tribute episode, Heaton goes over the life of Australia’s homegrown monarch.

Bridget Phetasy is a former Playboy Advisor, and presently a writer and standup comedian. Also, she was in a sex cult. Heaton talks to her about dating advice, but mostly, about what it’s like to be in a sex cult, and if he should visit one on his next vacation.

Is the patriarchy the Illuminati with gonads? Where is all the anti-maleness and anti-feminism originating? How do we position ourselves in yon slap fight? Cathy Reisenwitz writes at “Sex and the State” and is a columnist at the Bay City Beacon. She joins Heaton to jump into the issue of feminism, sex positivity, and when claiming injustice becomes a competition.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revealed the New Green Deal to Congress last week, designed to radically overhaul and control the US economy, fight climate change, and raise Heaton’s blood pressure to staggering heights. Brian Brushwood joins the program to calm Heaton down and explain how AOC is actually progressivism’s response to Donald Trump. Later, Heaton reveals a new cooking segment with a special recipe.