Podcast Episodes
Back to Search642. How to Wage Peace, According to Tony Blinken
Episode 642
The former secretary of state isn’t a flamethrower, but he certainly has strong opinions. In this wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Dubner, he gives them all: on Israel, Gaza, China, Iran, Russi…
Published on 3 months, 1 week ago
Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone? (Update)
Episode 539
Until recently, Delaware was almost universally agreed to be the best place for companies to incorporate. Now, with Elon Musk leading a corporate stampede out of the First State, we revisit an episod…
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
641. What Does It Cost to Lead a Creative Life?
Episode 641
For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in co…
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
640. Why Governments Are Betting Big on Sports
Episode 640
The Gulf States and China are spending billions to build stadiums and buy up teams — but what are they really buying? And can an entrepreneur from Cincinnati make his own billions by bringing basebal…
Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago
How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)
Episode 424
Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to know whether lif…
Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago
639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”
Episode 639
Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference.
SOURCES:Cory Booker, senior United States Senator from New Jersey.
RESOURCES:"'When Are More Americans Goin…
Published on 4 months ago
638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?
Episode 638
In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach to aging is stuc…
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago
What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common? (Update)
Episode 126
In this episode from 2013, we look at whether spite pays — and if it even exists.
SOURCES:Benedikt Herrmann, research officer at the European Commission.Steve Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics and ho…
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago
637. What It’s Like to Be Middle-Aged (in the Middle Ages)
Episode 637
The simplicity of life back then is appealing today, as long as you don’t mind Church hegemony, the occasional plague, trial by gossip — and the lack of ibuprofen. (Part two of a three-part series, “…
Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago
636. Why Aren’t We Having More Babies?
Episode 636
For decades, the great fear was overpopulation. Now it’s the opposite. How did this happen — and what’s being done about it? (Part one of a three-part series, “Cradle to Grave.”)
SOURCES:Matthias Doe…
Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago