Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchNicholas Wright: When Ancient Brains Meet Modern War
Neuroscientist Nicholas Wright explains why big powers "lose" wars they dominate on the kill ratio—and why counterinsurgencies (Vietnam, Afghanistan,…
10 months, 1 week ago
James Clyburn: "The World Would Much Rather See a Sermon Than Hear One."
Clyburn discusses The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, explaining how Reconstruction-era Blac…
10 months, 1 week ago
Mikhail Zygar: From Glasnost Whiplash to Social-Media Smog
Russian journalist in exile Mikhail Zygar traces an information system so sealed even Gorbachev couldn't get the facts in The Dark Side of the Earth:…
10 months, 1 week ago
Chris Dalla Riva: "Billboard's become a Christmas chart."
Data journalist Chris Dalla Riva brings charts, facts, and plenty of fight to Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs a…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Finding the Next Terry Gross with Daniel Oppenheimer
In this special Saturday edition, Mike sits down with Daniel Oppenheimer of Eminent Americans to tackle a high-stakes question: Who is worthy of the …
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Shadi Hamid: The Left Should Learn to Love American Power
Shadi Hamid joins to discuss his new book, The Case for American Power, arguing that progressives' retreat from global engagement is a mistake. He co…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Not Even Mad: Anthony Weiner & John Ketcham
Anthony Weiner and John Ketcham break down a Congress being flayed by its own fringes, where the "crazies" sometimes deliver the sharpest institution…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Holiday Suicides: Is That BS? with Sadie Dingfelder
Holiday dread is real enough—fraught family gatherings, forced merriment, and the persistent myth that December is the peak month for suicide. In tru…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Mark Rowlands on Memory and the Stories We Tell Ourselves
The philosopher discusses The Book of Memory: How We Become Who We Are, exploring how recollection constructs identity, coherence, and the personas w…
10 months, 2 weeks ago
Daniel Zoughbie: The Mightiest Turns an Enemy into a Friend
Daniel Zoughbie discusses Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump, arguing that Truman's one-sided rec…
10 months, 3 weeks ago