The Supreme Court’s recent controversial ruling about presidential immunity appears to rely on a shadowy notion of executive branch power called the unitary executive theory. After gaining currency in conservative circles for decades, the unitary executive may now be poised to go from theory into reality, thanks to the right-wing SCOTUS supermajority. Mark and Joe trace the theory’s lineage, whether evidence for it exists in our founding documents, and the implications of its newfound legitimacy. (Recorded July 26, 2024.)

It wasn’t so long ago that human fertility was likened to a ticking time bomb, with overpopulation leading to famine and ecological collapse. More recently, we’ve heard that declining fertility rates are the real problem, bringing forth a shrinking workforce and economic ruin. Is negative population growth something to worry about? Joe and Mark examine demographic history and trends, what declining fertility means for women and children, why the Goldilocks “just right” level of fertility is unsustainable, and whether that’s a problem for humanity. (Recorded July 12, 2024.)

For decades, Americans have moved south chasing cheaper homes and better weather. But after years of unremitting heat and more frequent hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods that have disproportionately devastated those destinations, you might wonder whether people start moving back whence they came. In a follow-up to Episode 74 (The Weather Forecast is Calamitous), Mark and Joe assess the likelihood that a reverse migration of displaced climate refugees will happen anytime soon. (Recorded June 28, 2024.)