Plain English with Derek Thompson

An Astrophysicist Explains the "Most Promising" Sign of Alien Life

A Toy Manufacturer Explains How Trump’s Tariffs Could Crush His Industry

Why America Will Lose Its Trade War With China

Plain History: The Smoot-Hawley Tariff and the Great Depression

Trump’s Trade War Is Like Nothing America’s Ever Seen

Trump’s Plan to Smash the Global Economic Order

Plain History: The Gilded Age

ABUNDANCE! With Ezra Klein

How Gen Z Sees the World

This podcast interviews Kyla Scanlon, a Gen Z financial commentator, about the generation's perspectives on finance, technology, politics, and relationships. The conversation explores Scanlon's categorization of Gen Z into three subgroups based on their experiences with technology and the pandemic, highlighting differ...

Can a Vaccine Cure the World’s Deadliest Cancer?

How AI Could Change the Future of Music

The End of Reading

This podcast explores the decline of reading in America, focusing on the decreasing literacy scores among students and adults. The discussion features interviews with Rose Horowitch, who reports on declining reading abilities at elite colleges, and Nat Malkus, who analyzes nationwide literacy trends. Malkus highlight...

'How Progressives Froze the American Dream' (Live)

Plain History: The Astonishingly Successful Presidency of James K. Polk

The Trump-Musk Doctrine: F-ck Around and Find Out

Is There a Scientific Case for Believing in God?

Fraud, Scandal, and Failure in the Fight Against Alzheimer's Disease

The Energy Story of the Moment: The Unstoppable Rise of Solar Vs. the Unmovable Demand for Global Fossil Fuels

The 5 Types of Wealth

Are GLP-1 Drugs "the Greatest Medical Breakthrough of the 21st Century"?

This podcast episode interviews Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly about his research on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic. The interview begins by establishing the context of numerous studies showing unexpected benefits of GLP-1 drugs beyond weight loss and diabetes treatment. Dr. Al-Aly details his large-scale study using Veterans Affairs da...