Economic historian Tobias Straumann breaks down how Germany’s debt meltdown in 1931 crashed the global economy—and how a surprisingly generous 1953 debt deal helped spark the German economic miracle by putting growth ahead of punishment.

GUEST BIO: Tobias Straumann (Switzerland) is Professor of Modern & Economic History at the University of Zurich; author of Out of Hitler’s Shadow and 1931: Debt, Crisis, and the Rise of Hitler.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

A cognitive psychologist explains why college student IQ now averages about 102, why that shift is mathematically inevitable as enrollment expands, and how outdated testing norms and student-evals can quietly wreck both education and clinical decisions.

GUEST BIO
Dr. Bob Uttl is a cognitive psychologist and professor at Mount Royal University (Canada) who researches psychometrics, assessment, and how intelligence tests are interpreted and misused in real-world settings.

TOPICS DISCUSSED (IN ORDER)

Jeff Davis breaks down why the Highway Trust Fund has been insolvent since 2008 and what fixes (and tradeoffs) are realistic as EVs grow.

GUEST BIO
Jeff Davis is a Senior Fellow at the Eno Center for Transportation and Editor of Eno Transportation Weekly. He has more than 30 years of experience in federal transportation policy, including eight years working in Washington, D.C., advising on the federal budget, the Highway Trust Fund, and long-term infrastructure funding and governance.

TOPICS (IN ORDER)

Harvard’s Shane Greenstein explains why Acquired wins by treating each episode like an audiobook—high-signal, audience-first, and built for durable value.

GUEST BIO: Dr. Shane M. Greenstein is a Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he teaches technology, operations, and management and writes HBS case studies on modern businesses.

TOPICS DISCUSSED (IN ORDER): 

Tenured sociology professor Mark Horowitz explains why falling preparedness, grade inflation, and perverse incentives are eroding college standards—and why “broke, woke, stroke” helps describe the pattern.

GUEST BIO: Dr. Mark Horowitz is a sociology professor at Seton Hall University and co-author of a survey-based study of tenured faculty perceptions about academic standards, grade inflation, student preparedness, and institutional incentives in higher education.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN ORDER:

A wide-ranging conversation with economist and AI consultant Dr. Emmanuel Maggiori on why Modern Monetary Theory overpromises a “free lunch,” what really causes inflation, how Bitcoin and AI are misunderstood, and why seductive economic stories are so dangerous.

GUEST BIO:
Emmanuel Maggiori is an armchair economist, computer scientist, and AI consultant based in the UK. Originally from Argentina, he has a PhD (earned in France), works with companies to build AI systems, and writes widely about economics and artificial intelligence. He is the author of several books, including If You Can Just Print Money, Why Do I Pa...

Independent journalist James Corbett joins Jesse to trace how media, tech, and elite power have reshaped the information landscape—from Time’s 2006 “You” to today’s post-truth, AI-saturated world.

GUEST BIO:
James Corbett is an independent journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Japan. Since 2007 he’s run The Corbett Report, an open-source intelligence project covering geopolitics, media, finance, and technology through long-form podcasts, videos, and essays.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

Sociologist Dr. Jennie Bristow joins Jesse to dismantle “generation wars” rhetoric—especially Boomer-blaming—and re-center the real story: stalled economies, broken higher ed, housing dysfunction, and a culture that’s leaving young people anxious and unmoored.

Guest bio:
Dr. Jennie Bristow is a professor of sociology at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK and a leading researcher on intergenerational conflict, social policy, and cultural change. She is the author of Stop Mugging Grandma: The Generation Wars and Why Boomer Blaming Won’t Solve Anything and the forthcoming Growing Up in the Culture Wars, which examines how Gen Z is...

Investigative health journalist Julia Belluz breaks down what really drives obesity and chronic disease—metabolism myths, ultra-processed food, bad incentives, and why our entire food environment is quietly rigged against us.

Guest bio: 
Julia Belluz is a Paris-based health and science journalist and co-author of Food Intelligence: The Science of How Food Both Nourishes and Harms Us, written with NIH researcher Dr. Kevin Hall. Over more than a decade reporting for outlets like Vox and The New York Times, she’s become one of the sharpest explainers of nutrition science, chronic disease, and the politics of the g...

Tech economist Dr. Jeffrey Funk argues that today’s AI boom is the biggest bubble in history—far larger than dot-com or housing—because colossal infrastructure spending is chasing tiny, unprofitable revenues.

Guest bio:

Jeffrey Funk is a technology economist and author of Unicorns, Hype and Bubbles: A Guide to Spotting, Avoiding and Exploiting Investment Bubbles in Tech. A longtime researcher and professor of innovation and high-tech industries, he now writes widely on startup hype, AI economics, and investment manias, including a popular newsletter and presence on LinkedIn.

Topics discussed:

Steven Ross Pomeroy, Chief Editor of RealClearScience, joins the podcast to discuss NASA’s abandoned nuclear propulsion programs, the future of AI and white-collar work, the rise of “scienceploitation,” and how information overload is reshaping human cognition.

GUEST BIO:
Steven Ross Pomeroy is a science writer and Chief Editor of RealClearScience. He writes frequently for Big Think, covering space exploration, neuroscience, AI, and science communication.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

A wide-ranging conversation with Northeastern’s John Wihbey on how algorithms, laws, and business models shape speech online—and what smarter, lighter regulation could look like.

Guest bio: John Wihbey is a professor of media & technology at Northeastern University and director of the AI Media Strategies Lab. Author of Governing Babel (MIT Press). He has advised foundations, governments, and tech firms (incl. pre-X Twitter) and consulted for the U.S. Navy.

Topics discussed:

Finance professor Spencer Barnes explains research showing postseason officiating systematically favors the Mahomes-era Chiefs—consistent with subconscious, financially driven “regulatory capture,” not explicit rigging.

Guest bio: Dr. Spencer Barnes is a finance professor at UTEP. He co-authored “Under Financial Pressure” with Brandon Mendez (South Carolina) and Ted Dischman, using sports as a transparent lab to study regulatory capture.

Topics discussed (in order):

How human babies, big brains, and social life likely forced Homo sapiens to invent precise speech ~150–200k years ago—and what that means for learning, tech, and today’s kids.

Guest Bio:
Madeleine Beekman is a professor emerita of evolutionary biology and behavioral ecology at the University of Sydney and author of Origin of Language: How We Learned to Speak and Why. She studies social insects, collective decisions, and the evolution of communication.

Topics Discussed:

A candid conversation with psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer on why human judgment outperforms AI, the “stable world” limits of machine intelligence, and how surveillance capitalism reshapes society.

Guest bio: Dr. Gerd Gigerenzer is a German psychologist, director emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, a leading scholar on decision-making and heuristics, and an intellectual interlocutor of B. F. Skinner and Herbert Simon.

Topics discussed:

How a tech insider who helped build billion-view machines explains the attention economy’s playbook—and how to guard your mind (and data) against it.

Guest bio:
Richard Ryan is a software developer, media executive, and tech entrepreneur with 20+ years in digital. He co-founded Black Rifle Coffee Company and helped take it public (~$1.7B valuation; $396M revenue in 2023). He’s built multiple apps (including a video app released four years before YouTube) with millions of downloads, launched Rated Red to 1M organic subscribers in its first year, and runs a YouTube network—led by FullMag (2.7M subs)—th...

Dr. Luke Kemp, an Existential Risk Researcher at the University of Cambridge shows how today’s plutocracy and tech-fueled surveillance imperil society—and what we can do to build resilience.

Guest bio:
Dr. Luke Kemp is an Existential Risk Researcher at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) at the University of Cambridge and author of Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse. His work examines how wealth concentration, surveillance, and arms races erode democracy and heighten global catastrophic risk.

Topics discussed:

A deep dive with historian Dr. Fyodor Tertitskiy on how North Korea’s dynasty survives—through isolation, terror, and nukes—and why collapse or unification is far from inevitable.

Guest bio:
Fyodor Tertitskiy, PhD, is a Russian-born historian of North Korea and a senior research fellow at Kookmin University (Seoul). A naturalized South Korean based in Seoul, he is the author of Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-sung. He speaks Russian, Korean, and English, has visited North Korea (2014, 2017), and researches using Soviet, North Korean, and Korean-language sources.

Topics discussed:

Dr. Devon Price unpacks “the laziness lie,” how AI and “bullshit jobs” distort work and higher ed, and why centering human needs—not output—leads to saner lives.

Guest bio: Devon Price, PhD, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, a social psychologist, & writer. Prof Price is the author of Laziness Does Not Exist, Unmasking Autism, and Unlearning Shame, focusing on burnout, neurodiversity, and work culture.

Topics discussed:

Dr. Joseph Crawford unpacks how AI is reshaping higher education - eroding student belonging, redefining assessment in a post-plagiarism era, and raising the stakes for soft skills.

Guest bio
Dr. Joseph “Joey” Crawford is a Senior Lecturer in Management at the University of Tasmania and ranks among the top 1% of most-cited researchers globally. His work centers on leadership, student belonging, and the role of AI in higher education, and he serves as Editor-in-Chief of a leading education journal.

Topics discussed

Author Eric Weiner argues that happiness depends less on wealth or location than on relationships, meaning, trust, and realistic expectations—while tech and social media often push the other way.

Guest bio:
Eric Weiner is a bestselling author and former NPR foreign correspondent whose books include The Geography of Bliss, The Geography of Genius, The Socrates Express, and Ben and Me. He writes about place, meaning, creativity, and how to live well.

Topics discussed:

A conversation with Stella Morabito on how the weaponization of loneliness—from Soviet propaganda to modern social media—threatens free speech, family, and community.

👤 Guest Bio

Stella Morabito – Writer and former CIA intelligence analyst specializing in Soviet propaganda and media during the 1980s. She is the author of The Weaponization of Loneliness: How Tyrants Stoke Our Fear of Isolation to Silence, Divide, and Conquer (2022) and a senior contributor at The Federalist.

📌 Topics Discussed

Neuroscientist explains why school crushes creativity—and how to fix it—teaching “primal intelligence” and special-operations tactics you can use at work, at home, and in the classroom to think and innovate better.

Guest Bio: Dr. Angus Fletcher is a neuroscientist and professor of Story Science at The Ohio State University. He studies how intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense work in the brain and advises U.S. Special Operations, Fortune 50 firms, and schools on creativity and resilience. His new book is Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know.

Topics Discussed:

Homeowner-advocate Shelly Marshall explains why many HOAs function like private governments—often stripping owners’ rights—and how to protect yourself (or avoid them entirely).

Guest bio

Shelly Marshall is a homeowner advocate and author of HOA Warrior. After battling abusive HOA boards in her own community, she’s spent 15+ years researching HOA law, advising homeowners, and pushing for reforms nationwide. She can be reached at info@hoawarrior.com and hoawarrior.com. She can be reached at info@hoawarrior.com and hoawarrior.com.

Topics discussed

A spirited debate between Chadwick Turner and Emmanuel Maggiori on whether AI is a transformative technology or overhyped disruption, exploring its impact on jobs, society, and the economy.

👥 Guest Bios

🗂️ Topics Discussed

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Gary Rivlin discusses his book AI Valley, exploring Silicon Valley’s AI hype cycle, the dominance of tech giants, and the venture capital forces shaping the industry.

Guest Bio
Gary Rivlin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter and author of eleven books, including AI Valley: Microsoft, Google, and the Trillion-Dollar Race to Cash In on Artificial Intelligence. He has covered Silicon Valley since the mid-1990s and has written extensively on technology, venture capital, inequality, and politics.

Topics Discussed

Marketing lecturer & former Fortune 100 exec Melise Panetta discusses how AI is reshaping entry-level jobs, Gen Z’s career prospects, and the future of skills and education.

GUEST BIO: Melise Panetta, a lecturer in marketing at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics and former Fortune 100 executive with over 20 years of global leadership experience, is the founder of Brand U and an expert in consumer behavior, corporate strategy, and preparing the next generation of business leaders.

Topics discussed (no timestamps)

A deep dive with Dr. Jeffrey Funk on AI hype, startup bubbles, Gen Z’s job struggles, and the broken higher education system.

Guest Bio

Dr. Jeffrey Funk is a retired technology economist and former university professor in Japan and Singapore. He specializes in innovation, startup bubbles, and the economic effects of emerging technologies, and is the author of Unicorns, Hype, and Bubbles: A Guide to Spotting, Avoiding, and Exploiting Bubbles in Tech.

Topics Discussed

An in-depth discussion with legal scholar Jeffrey Seaman debunking popular myths about mass incarceration, examining crime clearance rates, sentencing trends, and exploring justice-focused reforms.

Guest bio:
Jeffrey Seaman is a Levy Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, researcher, and co-author of Confronting Failures of Justice. His work focuses on criminal justice policy, sentencing reform, and aligning the system with community standards of justice.

Topics discussed:

Graham Hillard, editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, discusses the rapid professionalization of college sports under NIL, the legal chaos reshaping athletics, and the uncertain future of the NCAA’s role.

Guest bio:
Graham Hillard is the editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and a contributing writer for Washington Examiner magazine. He writes on higher education, athletics, and public policy, with a focus on costs, governance, and legal trends.

Topics discussed:

Economist Richard Vedder argues that U.S. colleges are bloated, inefficient, and increasingly out of touch with students and the job market. He explains why creative destruction is necessary—and inevitable—in higher education.

👤 Guest Bio

Richard Vedder is Professor of Economics Emeritus at Ohio University, Director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, and author of Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education. He has taught since 1963 and is one of the most prominent critics of administrative bloat and inefficiency in academia.

🎙️ T...

Duration: 00:57:06

Neurologist Dr. Robert P. Friedland discusses how lifestyle choices influence aging and Alzheimer's risk.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Robert P. Friedland is a neurologist at the University of Louisville, specializing in Alzheimer's research, brain health, and aging. He is the author of Unaging: The Four Factors That Impact How You Age.

Topics Discussed:

Main Points:

Former Marlins president and Survivor contestant David Samson breaks down how the game mirrors office politics, alliances, and power dynamics in everyday life and the workplace.

👤 Guest Bio:
David Samson is the former president of the Miami Marlins (2002–2017) and a contestant on Survivor: Cagayan (Season 28), where he was the first person voted out. He's now the host of the daily podcast Nothing Personal with David Samson, a regular MLB analyst on CBS Sports, and a frequent guest on The Dan Le Batard Show and Pablo Torre Finds Out.

🧩 Topics Discussed:

Journalist Ted Genoways reveals the untold, action-packed history behind Jose Cuervo and the birth of Mexico’s tequila industry—and how it became the country’s first cartel.

👤 Guest Bio:
Ted Genoways is a two-time James Beard Award-winning journalist, senior editor at the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), and author of Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico. A veteran of longform investigative work, Genoways has spent over a decade researching the political, cultural, and economic roots of tequila in Mexico.

📚 Topics Discussed:

The real Jose Cuervo...

Indiana University professor John T. Holden explains how lawsuits, NIL deals, and direct payments are transforming college sports—and why athletes may soon be recognized as employees.

👤 Guest Bio

John T. Holden is a business professor at Indiana University specializing in sports betting, gambling regulation, and legal issues in college athletics. His research focuses on the intersection of sports, law, and policy.

📚 Topics Discussed

Finance professor Alex Edmans joins to expose how research, statistics, and stories are often weaponized to mislead us—and what we can do to resist confirmation bias in a post-truth world.

👤 Guest Bio

Alex Edmans is a Professor of Finance at London Business School, a former investment banker, TED speaker, and the author of May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases—and What We Can Do About It.

🧠 Topics Discussed

Tony Edwards, author of The Good News About Booze, argues that moderate alcohol consumption—especially wine—offers significant health benefits that public health authorities deliberately downplay.

Guest Bio:
Tony Edwards is a medical research journalist and author of The Good News About Booze and The Very Good News About Wine. A self-described "research nerd," he draws from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies to argue that moderate alcohol consumption—especially red wine—has significant health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, dementia, and arthritis.

Topics Discussed:

Marketing executive and business lecturer Melise Panetta breaks down why Gen Z is drinking less alcohol—and what that means for wellness culture, social life, and the future of consumer marketing.

👤 Guest Bio:
Melise Panetta is a seasoned business executive with over 20 years of experience at major firms like PepsiCo and General Mills. She is currently a marketing lecturer at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada, with deep expertise in wellness trends, consumer behavior, and brand strategy.

🧭 Topics Discussed:

Graham Hillard reflects on how AI (especially ChatGPT) is reshaping teaching, learning, and the future viability of higher education and related careers.

Guest bio:

Graham Hillard is a writer and former university English professor with 15 years of teaching at a liberal arts college in Nashville. He now serves as an editor at the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal and contributes to the Washington Examiner, focusing on higher education policy and cultural commentary.

Topics discussed:

A deep dive into Michael Heller & James Salzman’s Mine, exploring how modern “ownership engineering” shapes innovation, resource access, and societal outcomes.

Guest Bios

Topics Discus...

In this episode, Mark Quann, founder of the Perfect Portfolio, discusses his "Buy, Borrow, Die" strategy for building wealth, legally avoiding taxes, and achieving financial independence.

Guest Bio:
Mark Quann is the founder of the Perfect Portfolio, a tax strategist, and the author of Top 10 Ways to Avoid Taxes and Be Smart, Pay Zero Taxes. With a background in finance and business, Mark teaches everyday people how to use the Buy, Borrow, Die strategy to grow their wealth while minimizing taxes.

Topics Discussed:

Dr. Paul Turke, a pediatrician and anthropologist, discusses his book Bringing Up Baby, exploring evolutionary insights on child health, grandparent roles, and the social aspects of aging, with a focus on how early life and kinship networks impact development.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Paul Turke is a pediatrician and anthropologist with expertise in child development, evolutionary health, and pediatrics. He is the author of Bringing Up Baby, which explores child health through an evolutionary lens, with a particular focus on grandparent involvement, autism, and mental well-being.

Topics Discussed:

Dr. Jeffrey Funk discusses his book Unicorns, Hype, and Bubbles, offering critical insights on the current tech bubble, the limitations of AI, and the dangers of overhyped investments in today's startup culture.

Guest Bio:
Dr. Jeffrey Funk is a technology consultant, engineer, and retired professor with experience in academia and industry across the U.S., Singapore, and Japan. He holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and has been involved in the tech sector for decades, teaching courses on economics and new technologies.

Topics Discussed:

The AI bubble and its financial...

Luke S. Carlson, founder of LS Carlson Law, discusses his book Bad HOA and shares insights into common issues homeowners face with HOAs, including how to reclaim power from abusive boards.

Guest Bio:
Luke S. Carlson, Esq. is the founder of LS Carlson Law, specializing in helping homeowners fight against HOA abuse. With over 17 years of experience, Luke provides strategic legal advice in business, real estate, and estate planning, and is the author of Bad HOA: The Homeowner’s Guide to Going to War and Reclaiming Your Power.

Topics Discussed:

Patrick Winn discusses his book Narcotopia, exploring the rise of the most powerful drug cartel in Asia, its ties to the CIA, and its transition from heroin to methamphetamine production in Myanmar's Wa State.

Guest Bio:
Patrick Winn is an investigative journalist based in Bangkok, Thailand, specializing in black markets and underworld economies across Asia. His latest book, NarcoTopia, delves into the powerful narco-state in Myanmar, its history with drug trafficking, and the complex relationship with the CIA.

Topics Discussed:

Vauhini Vara explores the impact of technology on identity, grief, and personal agency in a world dominated by AI and surveillance capitalism.

Guest Bio:
Vauhini Vara is a journalist and prize-winning author whose work focuses on technology, its societal impacts, and selfhood in the digital age. She has written for numerous outlets and authored books such as Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age. Wahini has worked as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and has written extensively on the role of tech companies in shaping modern life.

Topics Discussed:

Medical research journalist Tony Edwards joins us to discuss the research behind his books The Good News About Booze and The Very Good News About Wine. He challenges common myths about alcohol and health, based on deep dives into medical literature.

Topics covered:

Watch the full episode on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/Q0AYwStXsHw

🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright
💬 Fo...

🎙️ In this episode, economist and futurist Robin Hanson (George Mason University) explores the global fertility decline and what it means for innovation, culture, and civilization’s future.
We discuss:

A fascinating, wide-ranging look at what happens after the peak.

🎙 The Pod is h...

In this episode, Jesse talks with Dr. Donald Asher, renowned career strategist and author of Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why. They dive into how to survive toxic workplaces, master office politics, manage your boss (without brown-nosing), and build a reputation that gets you promoted — even in remote and AI-disrupted workplaces.

Topics Discussed:

Sociologist Timothy Gill joins us to explore the roots of Venezuela’s crisis, the role of U.S. foreign policy, and how race, oil, and ideology shape the country's fate. We dig into the real impact of sanctions, the legacy of Hugo Chávez, the rise of Nicolás Maduro, and the tangled web of neocolonialism, corruption, and mass migration.

🔍 Topics include:

🎧 T...

Is cholesterol really the villain? Or have we been misled by decades of flawed research?

In this explosive interview, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick—author of The Great Cholesterol Con—challenges the mainstream narrative around heart disease, cholesterol, and statins. He unpacks the real root causes of cardiovascular disease, including blood clotting, stress, and the overlooked role of chronic inflammation.

We discuss:

In this episode, Jesse speaks with Professor Richard Faragher, one of the UK’s leading researchers on the biology of aging. They dive deep into why only 18% of people age well, what it means to age badly, and how emerging science is changing our understanding of aging itself.

Topics include:

Philosophy professor and Hi-Phi Nation host Barry Lam joins Jesse to discuss his new book Fewer Rules, Better People. They dive into the rise of bureaucracy in American life, from healthcare to housing, and examine how complex rules and compliance culture are quietly reshaping society. Topics include:

A provocative co...

Economist Bryan Caplan joins the show to discuss his new graphic novel Build Baby Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation. We unpack how housing prices have skyrocketed due to artificial scarcity created by zoning laws, minimum lot sizes, height restrictions, parking mandates, and outdated local codes.

Caplan argues that cutting these burdensome rules could massively increase supply, slash housing costs, reduce inequality, and improve economic mobility—all without sacrificing safety or quality of life. Along the way, we discuss the Empire State Building, million-dollar trailer parks, licensing bottlenecks in the trades, and why even small to...

In this episode, sociologist and Venezuela expert Dr. Timothy Gill joins us to unpack the controversy surrounding USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy, and America’s post–World War II global influence strategy. We explore the historical origins of U.S. foreign aid programs, their Cold War intentions, and how they've evolved into tools of soft power, cultural diplomacy—and sometimes, regime destabilization.

Topics covered include:

AEI’s Rick Hess joins Jesse for a wide-ranging conversation on the collapse of academic performance in American schools. They unpack why test scores haven’t recovered since the pandemic, the long-term impact of smartphones, and why nearly 1 in 4 students are now chronically absent. Hess also explains how schools are often structured more for the convenience of adults than the learning needs of children, and why $190 billion in federal aid has done little to reverse the decline.

Topics include:

In this episode, Jesse is joined by Dr. Dirk Mateer, award-winning educator and professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin. Together, they dive deep into the growing U.S. national debt, the rise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and whether Elon Musk can really trim $2 trillion from the federal budget.

Topics covered include:

Policy analyst Tad DeHaven (Cato Institute, former deputy budget director of Indiana) joins Jesse to break down why America’s spending problem runs much deeper than "waste, fraud, and abuse." They dig into the explosion of federal spending since 2015, why Social Security and Medicare are untouchable political landmines, and how the federal government undermines state-level accountability through backdoor funding and strings-attached grants.

Topics covered:
– Why Doge’s trillion-dollar fraud claims don’t hold up
– The myth of fixing the deficit by cutting "waste"
– Social Security’s looming insolvency
– Federalism vs. centralized spending
– The danger of a U...

Why do Americans ask “What do you do?” before “Who are you?” In this episode, journalist and author Adam Chandler joins Jesse to explore America’s deep-rooted obsession with work — and how it compares to the rest of the world. 

They discuss:

From prestige TV to background noise—what happened? In this episode, tech journalist Emily Forlini joins Jesse to break down her viral article on how Netflix is quietly telling writers to simplify scripts so distracted viewers can keep up—especially when watching on their phones. They discuss the rise of “casual viewing,” the economics behind streaming, the collapse of the Hollywood middle class, and how platforms are chasing ad dollars over artistry.

Topics include:

In this wide-ranging conversation, Jesse speaks with Dr. Kevin LaGrandeur, AI ethicist and former professor at NYIT, about the dangers of AI hype and the ethical dilemmas emerging from rapid technological development.

They cover:

Computer Scientist, Erik J. Larson returns to discuss the global shakeup in AI sparked by DeepSeek and Alibaba’s Qwen 2.5 Max. We unpack how these models challenge Silicon Valley’s dominance, what makes them technically significant, and the broader implications for geopolitics, open-source innovation, and the future of AGI. Also discussed: NVIDIA’s record valuation drop, open-source trends, and whether the U.S. is losing its lead in artificial intelligence.

Topics Covered:

Dr. Jon Keeley, senior scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey and professor at UCLA, joins us to break down the record-breaking 2025 California wildfires. He explains how drought, wind, power lines, and population growth created a perfect storm—and why prevention, not firefighting, may be our best defense.

Topics Covered:

Guest Info: Dr. Jon Keeley is one of the world’s le...

In this episode, environmental scientist Dr. Mark Schwartz joins us to unpack the devastating California wildfires, which have already destroyed over 12,000 structures and displaced more than 100,000 residents. Schwartz explains why these fires were predictable, how the state’s geography and housing patterns fuel the crisis, and why most proposed solutions—from controlled burns to home hardening—face major political and regulatory obstacles.

-Guest Info: Dr. Mark Schwartz, Professor Emeritus, UC Davis

We discuss:

Pedro Uria-Recio joins us to explore the transformative power of AI—its impact on jobs, education, geopolitics, and society at large. From job automation and universal basic income to AI’s role in medicine, war, religion, and entrepreneurship, this wide-ranging conversation tackles the hopes, fears, and opportunities of our AI-driven future.

We also dive into quantum computing, the US-China AI rivalry, and the critical need for smart regulation. Don’t miss Pedro’s practical insights and his new book on staying ahead in the age of intelligent machines.

🔗 Book: How AI Will Shape Our Future → Amazon

Dustin Whitney joins us to explore the economic, social, and policy implications of population decline. We discuss aging societies, the myth of overpopulation, and what a shrinking GDP means for business, government, and everyday life.

Guest Info: Dustin Whitney – Business executive, entrepreneur, and author of Demographic Deception: Exposing the Overpopulation Myth and Building a Resilient Future

Topics Covered:

In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Thomas Seyfried dismantles the genetic theory of cancer and reveals how targeting cancer’s metabolic roots—glucose and glutamine dependence—could revolutionize treatment and prevention.

🧠 Guest: Dr. Thomas Seyfried – Professor of Biology at Boston College, pioneering researcher in cancer metabolism, and author of Cancer as a Metabolic Disease.

📌 Topics Covered:

In this episode, researcher Mads Larsen warns that modern societies may be on a path to self-eradication unless we find a way to reconcile female freedom with reproduction.

Guest Info: Mads Larsen, researcher at the University of Oslo and author of Stories of Love: From Vikings to Tinder (open access)

Topics Covered:

Professor Martin Grace explains how natural disasters, inflation, bad policy, and population shifts are breaking the U.S. homeowners insurance market — and what that means for your future coverage.

👤 Guest Bio: Dr. Martin F. Grace is a professor of risk management and insurance at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa. A nationally recognized expert on insurance regulation and catastrophe risk, he has published extensively on property insurance, tort reform, and disaster economics. Prior to joining Iowa, he taught at Temple University and Georgia State University.

📚 Topics Covered:

Tax reform architect Scott Hodge breaks down the bold plan to cut trillions in federal spending, streamline bureaucracy, and tackle America’s unsustainable budget—one obsolete agency at a time.

👤 Guest Bio: Scott Hodge is President Emeritus and Senior Policy Advisor at the Tax Foundation, where he served as president for over 20 years. A national expert on tax policy, budget reform, and government inefficiency, Hodge helped design the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and has testified before Congress over 30 times. He has spent decades studying how to make government leaner, more accountable, and less expensive.

📚 Topics Cov...

Bankrate senior writer Jeff Ostrowski returns to discuss the evolving real estate commission rules, post-disaster housing markets, Airbnb regulations, mortgage rates, commercial real estate shifts, and the long-term impact of U.S. demographic aging on housing.

Guest Info: Jeff Ostrowski – Senior Writer at Bankrate, award-winning journalist with over 20 years covering real estate; board member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors since 2019.

Topics Covered:

Veteran financial journalist and bestselling author Diana B. Henriques joins to discuss the historical parallels between the unregulated crypto markets of today and the chaotic Wall Street of the 1920s, drawing from her latest book Taming the Street, which chronicles FDR’s creation of the SEC, the FDIC, and other transformative reforms that reshaped American capitalism.

Guest Info: Diana B. Henriques – Award-winning investigative journalist, former New York Times financial reporter, and bestselling author of The Wizard of Lies (on Bernie Madoff) and Taming the Street (2023), which explores how FDR’s New Deal brought accountability to U.S. financ...

Law professor Ken Klein explains why so many Americans are unprotected against natural disasters—and what happens when your home is gone and insurance falls short.

Guest Bio: Ken Klein is a law professor at California Western School of Law specializing in disaster recovery, insurance law, and housing policy.

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Four acclaimed authors join us to share the books that shaped their lives—and the stories they believe everyone should read.

📚 Guest Bios:

Dr. Catherine Pakaluk, economist and author of Hannah’s Children, discusses why some American women still choose large families, what it means for the future of society, and the deeper meaning of parenthood in an age of demographic decline.

Guest Bio: Dr. Catherine Pakaluk is an economist and associate professor at The Catholic University of America with a PhD from Harvard, known for her work on family, faith, and fertility.

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Investigative journalist Geoff White explains how modern technology—from crypto to the dark web—has revolutionized money laundering for the world’s most dangerous criminals.

Guest bio: Geoff White is an investigative journalist, author, and podcast creator with over 20 years of experience reporting on cybercrime, global fraud, and financial corruption.

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Historian and journalist Jacob Mikanowski explores the legacy of communism, post-Soviet transitions, surveillance states, and the uncertain future of Europe.

Guest Bio: Jacob Mikanowski is a historian, cultural critic, and journalist. He is the author of Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land, which traces the complex past and present of the region through personal stories, political history, and cultural memory.

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Investigative journalist Joseph Cox joins to discuss Dark Wire, his explosive new book revealing how the FBI secretly ran a global encrypted phone company to spy on the criminal underworld.

Guest Bio: Joseph Cox is an award-winning investigative journalist and co-founder of 404 Media. He specializes in cybercrime, surveillance, and hacking, and is the author of Dark Wire: The Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever, which is being adapted into a Netflix film directed by Jason Bateman.

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Christine Rosen discusses her book The Extinction of Experience, warning against the societal costs of technological overreach, constant surveillance, and the erosion of human judgment and private life.

Guest bio: Christine Rosen is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a contributing editor at Commentary magazine, co-host of the Commentary podcast, and a fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. She is the author of several books, most recently The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World.

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Austin Frerick exposes the monopolistic grip on America’s food system and the consequences for quality, health, labor, and democracy in his new book Barons.

Guest bio: Austin Frerick is a Yale University fellow, former tax economist at the U.S. Treasury Department, and co-chair of the Biden campaign’s agriculture and antitrust policy committee. He is the author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry.

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Renowned economist Charles Goodhart joins the podcast to explore how aging populations, falling birthrates, and shifting global labor dynamics are reshaping the future of economies, politics, and social care.

Guest Bio: Charles Goodhart is a British economist and former Bank of England advisor, widely recognized for his work on monetary policy and demography. He is emeritus professor at the London School of Economics and co-author of The Great Demographic Reversal: Ageing Societies, Waning Inequality, and an Inflation Revival.

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Journalist and political analyst Caleb Maupin discusses his controversial book Kamala Harris and the Future of America, censorship, and the political forces shaping the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Guest Bio: Caleb Maupin is a journalist, political analyst, and founder of the Center for Political Innovation. He is the author of multiple books, including Kamala Harris and the Future of America, and has appeared on outlets such as RT, Jimmy Dore, and Kim Iversen.

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DJ Renegade, co-creator of the Olympic breaking judging system, explains how breakdancing entered the 2024 Paris Olympics and addresses the controversy surrounding competitor B-Girl Ray Gun.

Guest Bio: DJ Renegade (Kevin Gopie) is a foundational figure in UK hip-hop and breaking, active since the 1980s. He is the founder and coach of the UK’s Soul Mavericks crew and co-designed the judging system used for Olympic breaking competitions, including the 2024 Paris Olympics. He has judged globally and was a key figure in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.

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Dr. Wilfred Reilly joins the show to discuss his latest book Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me, challenging dominant narratives in education, race, gender, and American history.

Guest Bio: Dr. Wilfred Reilly is a political science professor at Kentucky State University, co-host of the Cut the Bull podcast, and author of several books including Taboo and Hate Crime Hoax. His work focuses on data-driven critiques of media narratives, identity politics, and ideological orthodoxy in academia.

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Rob Lalka, Tulane professor and author of The Venture Alchemist, explores how big tech used venture capital and surveillance to convert profits into political and societal power.

Guest Bio: Rob Lalka is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where he leads the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. A former senior advisor at the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and staffer at the U.S. Department of State, Lalka is the author of The Venture Alchemist: How Big Tech Turned Profits Into Power.

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Award-winning professor Hatim A. Rahman joins the podcast to discuss Inside the Invisible Cage, exploring how algorithms and AI shape modern work, from gig platforms to corporate offices.

Guest Bio: Dr. Hatim A. Rahman is an assistant professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. His research examines the intersection of technology, work, and organizational control. His latest book, Inside the Invisible Cage: How Algorithms Control Workers, investigates how opaque digital systems influence careers, autonomy, and fairness in the modern economy.

Discussed Topics:

Harvard’s Shane Greenstein breaks down the Google antitrust ruling, the future of search, and why the biggest tech companies may be due for a reckoning.

👤 Guest Bio: Shane Greenstein is the Martin Marshall Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a leading expert on the economics of technology and innovation. His research explores how digital transformation reshapes business, markets, and society.

🧠 Topics Discussed:

Mark P. Mills explains how the convergence of AI, robotics, material science, and cloud computing is driving a new industrial revolution and economic boom akin to the Roaring 1920s.

Guest Bio: Mark P. Mills is a physicist, venture advisor, and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He serves as Executive Director of the National Center for Energy Analytics and is the author of The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and a Roaring 2020s.

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Dr. Emanuel Maçiori, author of Silicon, exposes how the tech industry wastes capital, hoards idle workers, and creates hype cycles built on fake problems and misaligned incentives.

Guest Bio: Dr. Emanuel Maçiori is a software engineer and researcher specializing in artificial intelligence. He is the author of Smart Intell Dumb and Silicon: How the Tech Industry Solves Fake Problems, Hoards Idle Workers, and Makes Doomed Bets with Other People’s Money. His work critiques inefficiencies in both AI development and the venture capital ecosystem.

Topics Discussed (in order):

Maureen Callahan joins to expose the dark legacy of the Kennedy family through the lens of the women whose lives they damaged or destroyed.

Guest bio: Maureen Callahan is an award-winning investigative journalist and author. Her work spans pop culture and politics and has appeared in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Spin, and The New York Post. She currently writes for the Daily Mail and is the author of Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed.

Discussed topics (in order):

Peter S. Goodman, global economics correspondent for The New York Times, discusses his book How the World Ran Out of Everything, exploring how the pandemic exposed the fragility, complexity, and monopolization of the global supply chain.

Guest Bio: Peter S. Goodman is the global economic correspondent for The New York Times and author of How the World Ran Out of Everything and Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World. He has previously reported from China, London, and Washington, covering globalization, trade, and economic inequality.

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Former UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks joins the podcast to discuss the cost crisis, politics, and purpose of American universities.

Guest Bio: Nicholas Dirks is a historian and former chancellor of UC Berkeley. He currently serves as President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences. Previously, he held senior academic positions at Columbia University and is the author of City of Intellect: The Uses and Abuses of the University.

Discussed Topics:

Shamil Ismail, author of The Age of Decay, explains how aging and shrinking populations threaten to unravel civilization’s economic, social, and political stability.

Guest Bio: Shamil Ismail is a South Africa–based investment analyst and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 30 years of experience in consumer markets. He is the author of The Age of Decay: How Aging and Shrinking Populations Could Usher in the Decline of Civilization.

Discussed Topics:

Five retirees share real-world stories of how they left the U.S. to retire affordably and joyfully in Portugal, Panama, and Arizona—exploring costs, healthcare, safety, and the meaning of home.

👥 Guest Bios:

Joey "The Joyful Rambler" shares her transformative experience hiking the Appalachian Trail at 52, offering insight for older adults considering long-distance backpacking.

Guest bio: Joey, known online as The Joyful Rambler, is a YouTuber, hiker, and vanlifer who began backpacking in her 50s. She completed a nontraditional thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and now documents her travels, hikes, and minimalist lifestyle on her YouTube channel.

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Investigative journalist Brody Mullins reveals how corporate lobbying has quietly become more powerful than Congress and the presidency, shaping U.S. policy from the shadows.

Guest Bio:Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, where he covers lobbying, business, and campaign finance. He is the co-author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government, which chronicles the rise of corporate influence in Washington.

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Tax policy expert Scott Hodge joins to discuss how America’s complex tax code impacts your daily life, punishes success, and what real reform could look like.

Guest bio: Scott Hodge is President Emeritus and Senior Policy Advisor at the Tax Foundation, where he served as president from 2000 to 2022. A leading voice on tax reform, he played a key role in shaping the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is the author of Taxocracy: What You Don’t Know About Taxes and How They Rule Your Daily Life.

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Timothy Carney joins the podcast to discuss his new book Family Unfriendly, exploring how cultural norms, workism, and modern safetyism have made raising kids in America harder than it needs to be.

Guest bio:
Timothy P. Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist at the Washington Examiner. He is the author of several books, including Alienated America and the newly released Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be.

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Real estate reporter Brooklee Han explains how the recent NAR settlement and commission lawsuits will reshape home buying, especially for first-time buyers, veterans, and the future of buyer’s agents.

Guest Bio:
Brooklee Han is a real estate reporter at HousingWire who covers residential real estate, mortgage trends, title insurance, and proptech. A former Olympic-level figure skater, she brings the same discipline and insight to her journalism.

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