S15 EP185: Hour 2 - Why Ukraine Builds 5 Million Drones and America Cannot

Erick Erickson takes a furniture store owner's call on how tariffs and fuel costs are squeezing Main Street, then makes the case for Anduril and Palmer Luckey: Ukraine will build five million drones this year while America builds fewer than a hundred thousand, and Patriot missile output and the Houthi missile threat show why defense procurement needs a shake-up. He also reacts to Shane Gillis, Dan Levy, and The View, plus a Bill Gates farmland call and a warning about population decline.

Tariffs and inflation on Main Street: Woodchuck's Furniture owner Doug in Jacksonville on tariffs, fuel costs, mortgage rates, and why bringing manufacturing back would take five years and a labor force America does not have Anduril and Palmer Luckey: Erick wishes he could buy Anduril stock, and explains how World War II style manufacturing, General Motors Patriot missile work, and cheap drones like the Roadrunner could fix defense procurement Ukraine drones versus American drones: Ukraine will build five million drones this year while the US builds under a hundred thousand, plus the Houthi effort to build Iranian style ballistic missiles with Chinese parts and AI help Population decline, socialism, and hope: why Trump administration equity stakes in companies look like socialism to Erick, and why neither party is selling a hopeful message Shane Gillis fallout: Dan Levy on The View, the Cornell Seven comments, and Erick's take on comedy, outrage, and victimization culture, plus a caller on Bill Gates and farmland