The Lunch Hour with Washington Signal

The Lunch Hour with Washington Signal covers wide-ranging discussions with the Capitol city's policy movers, shakers, and thinkers. The Lunch Hour provides a unique look at the people behind the policy debates that are moving in DC.

The Lunch Hour with Washington Signal is a news podcast hosted by The Washington Signal, with 229 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

The Washington Signal hosts The Lunch Hour with Washington Signal, a news show with 229 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #226

  Ep. 202 - Property Rights, Energy & the Fight Against Regulatory Overreach w/Kole Kelley

  Aug 31, 202646 min

  What happens when regulatory delays and federal land policies make it harder for farmers, ranchers, miners, and energy producers to use the land they depend on? On this episode of the Washington Signal Lunch Hour Podcast , host Andrew Langer sits down with Kole Kelley , Director and Senior Attorney of the Center for American Prosperity and Energy at Mountain States Legal Foundation , to discuss property rights, federal lands, agriculture, energy, and regulatory reform. Raised on his family’s cattle and show-pig farm in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, Kelley explains how growing up around agriculture, water rights, and land-use issues ultimately led him to law and his work defending farmers, ranchers, energy producers, and other property owners. The conversation covers: Private property rights and responsible land stewardship Federal land management, grazing, water, and multiple-use policies How regulatory and permitting delays can kill projects Mining, oil and gas, and American energy development The Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act Regulatory reform and the future of the administrative state Kelley also explains why regulatory certainty matters for American competitiveness, particularly for smaller businesses that may not have the resources to survive years of administrative delays. The episode closes with a look at his continued involvement in agriculture, livestock showing, and mentoring the next generation through Colorado’s farming and ranching community. 00:00 — Introducing Kole Kelley 04:07 — Growing Up in Agriculture & Learning Stewardship 06:31 — Private Property, Water Rights & the American West 08:40 — Mountain States Legal Foundation & CAPE 11:41 — Defending Farmers, Ranchers & Property Owners 15:01 — Federal Lands, Grazing & Government Regulation 17:02 — Natural Asset Companies & Multiple-Use Lands 20:31 — How Permitting Delays Kill American Projects 23:07 — Due Process & the Administrative State 27:42 — Regulatory Reform After Chevron 29:29 — Clean Water Act & Endangered Species Act Reform 34:54 — Mining, Energy & American Competitiveness 39:33 — Football, Agriculture & the Colorado State Fair 44:42 — Closing Thoughts Follow us on social media X: @TheLunchHourPod Instagram: the_lunchhour_pod LinkedIn: Lunch Hour Podcast TikTok: lunchhourpod Find more at Washington Signal Your source for policy, national security, and investigative journalism. https://washingtonsignal.com/

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  Episode #225

  Ep. 201 - Online Speech, KOSA & the Push for Age Verification w/Elizabeth Nolan Brown

  Aug 24, 202646 min

  Can laws designed to protect people online ultimately threaten privacy and free speech? On this episode of the Lunch Hour Podcast , host Andrew Langer sits down with Elizabeth Nolan Brown , Senior Editor at Reason , to discuss the growing debate over government regulation of online speech, social media, age verification, and internet privacy. Brown traces the debate back to government efforts targeting Craigslist and Backpage, explaining how controversies surrounding sex work and trafficking helped produce changes to Section 230. She argues that regulatory approaches initially applied to adult content have increasingly expanded toward social media, app stores, age-verification requirements, and other forms of online activity. The conversation covers: Backpage, FOSTA, and the history of Section 230 regulation Age verification, online privacy, and anonymous speech KOSA and efforts to regulate social media for minors Government access to phones and electronic devices at the border European and Australian approaches to social media restrictions The broader debate over government power and online speech Brown and Langer also discuss how moral panics can shape public policy, the dangers of creating large databases of personal identification, competing efforts from the political left and right to regulate technology, and why government powers created for one purpose can eventually be used for something very different. 00:00 — Introducing Elizabeth Nolan Brown 01:49 — How Sex Work Led to Tech Policy 05:16 — Backpage, FOSTA & Section 230 08:34 — From Adult Content to Broader Internet Regulation 11:12 — Age Verification, Privacy & Identity Databases 14:15 — Moral Panics and Government Regulation 17:56 — Conservatives, Feminists & the Politics of Sex Work 22:09 — Government Power, Phones & Border Searches 27:07 — Social Media Restrictions in Europe & Australia 29:09 — KOSA, Online Safety & Anonymous Speech 35:27 — Tech Regulation, Antitrust & Government Power 39:57 — Does Remote Work Make Us Miserable? 42:23 — Outside Interests & Closing Thoughts Follow us on social media X: @TheLunchHourPod Instagram: the_lunchhour_pod LinkedIn: Lunch Hour Podcast TikTok: lunchhourpod   Find more at Washington Signal Your source for policy, national security, and investigative journalism. https://washingtonsignal.com/

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  Episode #224

  Ep. 200 - Lunch Hour 200th Episode: The Greatest Rock Bands of All Time

  Aug 17, 202650 min

  For the 200th episode of the Lunch Hour Podcast , host Andrew Langer puts public policy aside for a special conversation with Tim Lee , Senior Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs at the Center for Individual Freedom, and Jerry Rogers , editor of RealClearPolicy and RealClearHealth and host of The Jerry Rogers Show on WBAL NewsRadio. The three take on some of the great rock-and-roll debates: Were the Beatles better before or after they grew facial hair? Which era of the Rolling Stones was best? Are Led Zeppelin or The Who actually the greatest rock band of all time? And where do Elvis Presley and the Beach Boys fit into the history of popular music? Along the way, Andrew, Tim, and Jerry talk about the albums and artists that shaped their musical tastes, their first records, Casey Kasem and American Top 40 , and what it was like discovering the music of the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. It's a different kind of Lunch Hour as the show celebrates 200 episodes with music, memories, disagreements, and plenty of rock-and-roll arguments. 00:00 — Celebrating 200 Episodes 01:17 — Introducing Tim Lee & Jerry Rogers 03:01 — Were the Beatles Better Before or After Facial Hair? 09:28 — Sgt. Pepper, Revolver & the Beatles' Best Era 14:07 — Elvis, Led Zeppelin & the Greatest Rock Artists 22:17 — The Beatles' Breakup & Solo Careers 25:00 — How Influential Were the Beatles? 29:36 — The Best Era of the Rolling Stones 34:21 — Led Zeppelin, The Who & the Greatest Rock Songs 38:38 — Casey Kasem & American Top 40 40:32 — Growing Up with the Music of the '60s, '70s & '80s 47:19 — Final Verdicts & Celebrating Episode 200 Follow us on social media X: @TheLunchHourPod Instagram: the_lunchhour_pod LinkedIn: Lunch Hour Podcast TikTok: lunchhourpod   Find more at Washington Signal Your source for policy, national security, and investigative journalism. https://washingtonsignal.com/

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  Episode #223

  Ep. 199 - SpaceX, Private Property & the Future of Space Capitalism w/Rainer Zitelmann

  Aug 10, 202649 min

  Can capitalism take humanity farther into space than government ever could? On this episode of the Washington Signal Lunch Hour Podcast , host Andrew Langer sits down with historian, sociologist, journalist, and author Rainer Zitelmann to discuss his book New Space Capitalism and the dramatic transformation of space exploration from government-run programs to private enterprise. Zitelmann examines the economics of the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs, the rise of SpaceX, reusable rockets, and how changing NASA’s relationship with private companies helped dramatically reduce the cost of reaching space. He then tackles an even bigger question: If humanity is going to settle Mars and exploit resources in space, who gets to own them? The conversation expands into private property rights, entrepreneurship, and the role capitalism has played in reducing poverty around the world, with examples from Vietnam, China, Poland, and Sweden. Zitelmann also discusses the dangers of centralized economic planning and why he believes property rights will be essential to humanity’s future beyond Earth. The episode covers: How SpaceX transformed the economics of spaceflight Why reusable rockets changed the space industry Private property rights on Mars and other celestial bodies Capitalism’s role in reducing poverty and creating prosperity China’s growing private space industry The future of commercial space exploration From NASA and SpaceX to Mars, property rights, and economic freedom, Zitelmann makes the case that the next great era of human exploration may depend less on governments—and more on entrepreneurs. 00:00 — Introduction 02:45 — New Space Capitalism 04:53 — From government spaceflight to private enterprise 06:31 — The economics of the Space Shuttle 08:17 — NASA takes a chance on private companies 09:53 — The beginning of the second space age 12:18 — How SpaceX changed the economics of spaceflight 15:42 — What will drive the future of space exploration? 17:12 — The problem with property rights in space 21:04 — Who should own land on Mars? 23:31 — Property rights and the American frontier 26:12 — How capitalism helped Vietnam escape poverty 29:41 — Could the same model work on Mars? 32:19 — Property rights, socialism, and government power 36:21 — Germany’s energy policies 38:27 — SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab & the new space economy 41:08 — China’s private space industry 43:24 — Zitelmann’s films and other work 47:28 — Closing thoughts Follow us on social media X: @TheLunchHourPod Instagram: the_lunchhour_pod LinkedIn: Lunch Hour Podcast TikTok: lunchhourpod   Find more at Washington Signal Your source for policy, national security, and investigative journalism. https://washingtonsignal.com/

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  Episode #222

  Ep. 198 - AI, Regulatory Dark Matter & the Administrative State w/Wayne Crews

  Aug 3, 202647 min

  On this episode of the Lunch Hour Podcast , host Andrew Langer sits down with Wayne Crews , Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), for a wide-ranging discussion about regulation, government power, artificial intelligence, and the future of the administrative state. Crews explains the problem of “regulatory dark matter” —guidance documents, agency directives, and other actions that can shape policy outside the traditional rulemaking process—and discusses efforts to reduce the federal regulatory burden. The conversation also examines 10,000 Commandments , Crews' annual analysis of the federal regulatory state, and what recent deregulatory efforts are actually accomplishing. The discussion then turns to AI and a growing concern: while artificial intelligence can help businesses navigate regulations and reduce compliance costs, it could also dramatically increase the government's ability to enforce rules, conduct surveillance, and exercise administrative power. The episode covers: Regulatory reform and “regulatory dark matter” AI, government enforcement, and individual rights The Administrative Procedure Act and agency guidance The 10,000 Commandments report The difference between deregulation and simply making government more efficient Why Crews argues an “AI Bill of Rights” should constrain government power Crews and Langer ultimately explore a fundamental question for the AI era: Can technology help shrink the administrative state, or will it simply make government more powerful? 00:00 — Introduction 01:00 — Wayne Crews and regulatory dark matter 03:19 — Agencies, regulation, and unintended consequences 05:37 — Regulatory precedent and the Chevron doctrine 07:00 — Using “good cause” for deregulation 12:12 — Regulation, privacy, and individual rights 16:14 — Artificial intelligence and government power 20:12 — Federal involvement in AI 24:35 — Can AI make government more powerful? 26:43 — AI enforcement and the administrative state 30:01 — Protecting citizens from AI-powered government 32:18 — 10,000 Commandments and the regulatory state 38:20 — Deregulation, tariffs, and industrial policy 39:59 — Reforming the Administrative Procedure Act 44:21 — Wayne's summer plans and closing thoughts 45:59 — Where to follow Wayne Crews and CEI Follow us on social media X: @TheLunchHourPod Instagram: the_lunchhour_pod LinkedIn: Lunch Hour Podcast TikTok: lunchhourpod   Find more at Washington Signal Your source for policy, national security, and investigative journalism. https://washingtonsignal.com/

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