On with Kara Swisher

Latest Episodes:

A Nobel Prize Winner on the “Dark Matter of Biology” Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Kara interviews Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, a Stanford University scientist who, along with Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry earlier this year for developing bioorthogonal chemistry and click chemistry. Bertozzi explains what bioorthogonal chemistry actually is before breaking down how identifying different sugars in the body — which she calls “the dark matter of biology’’ — could lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases ranging from the flu to cancer. She also weighs in on the state of funding in biology, Twitter, being lesbian in STEM, and the never-ending feud between chemists and biologists.

Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema briefly discuss former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's protest march (which was called off after this episode was recorded) and Trump's dinner with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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Into It: A Portrait of Artist as Taylor Swift Nov 24, 2022

Show notes

Today, we’re sharing a special episode of Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders about one of Kara’s favorites: Taylor Swift.

What is the meaning of Taylor Swift? She's performed damsel in distress, but represents women’s empowerment. She’s a confessional artist, but is careful about how much she reveals. She's an adult, but is often still viewed as the teenager she used to be. On the eve of Midnights, Sam dives into the mythos and craft of Taylor Swift with NPR music critic Ann Powers about her place in history among the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Adele, and Beyoncé.

We also hear about the culture that's haunting us: Explain to us again why Bobby Cannavale's character in The Watcher wants to replace a Carrara marble countertop with butcher block? To make red sauce?

To listen to more of Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders, follow the show: https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/into-it-a-vulture-podcast-with-sam-sanders

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Where’s the Line in Comedy? Monty Python’s Eric Idle Has an Idea Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Should anything be off-limits in comedy? Kara and Nayeema discuss this question, and the recent Dave Chappelle SNL monologue, before Kara’s interview with our guest today: writer-comedian Eric Idle who is an OG in the craft. When he and his fellow sketch artists launched Monty Python on the BBC in 1969, it was unclear whether anyone would even watch. Now there are generations of Python fans. Today, Idle talks about what made Monty Python unique and how they pushed the line and the social conversation with their unique brand of humor.

Both avid Twitterers, Kara and Idle also discuss their frustrations with Elon Musk (he’s a noted fan of Monty Python, though Idle is not a fan of Musk). And Idle describes how his recent bout with pancreatic cancer has made him a more accepting person.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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Can Chris Licht Turn CNN Around? Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Chris Licht faces an uphill battle at CNN. He got the CEO gig in the midst of a prickly merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery and right after the shocking exit of beloved long-time boss, Jeff Zucker. In his first six months, he’s shut down CNN+, ousted Brian Stelter, and shuffled anchors around, including Don Lemon and Jake Tapper. This week, the network chief held an internal town hall meeting where he faced a staff of thousands and discussed upcoming layoffs. Shortly afterwards, he sat down with Kara — who grilled him, of course.

She asks Licht whether he has any real actual power or if he’s simply executing orders from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — who is in search of cuts, as the company stares down the barrel at $50 billion in debt — and billionaire board member, John Malone, who has said he’d like to see more “centrist” programming from CNN. They discuss Licht’s vision for the newsroom, his plan to build trust with journalists who fear losing jobs, and how CNN will cover Donald Trump during the 2024 election.

Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema discuss the challenges facing journalism in an era of disinformation. Stay tuned for Kara’s closing rant on “citizen journalism” and Elon’s latest broadside against the press.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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Elon Musk: Somebody That I Used to Know Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Elon Musk is a puzzle, but if there’s anyone who can make sense of him it’s Kara Swisher. She’s covered him since the late 90s – back in her early days as a beat reporter at the Wall Street Journal and she’s had many in-depth interviews and exchanges with the tech titan since, perhaps more than any other reporter. She’s also covered Elon’s latest fiefdom, Twitter, before it even was Twitter. So today we turn the tables, and Kara Swisher is “On” with Nayeema Raza.

We’ll unpack how Elon became Elon, why Kara came to believe he was one of the greatest visionaries in Silicon Valley, when exactly she soured on him — and why she still holds out some hope.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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How Donald Trump Helped the Democrats Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

After Kara and Nayeema have a chat about — what else? — Elon Musk’s latest moves, we dive into democracy and the midterms. The results are (mostly) in, and the “red wave” that Republicans predicted never came. To understand why, Kara gets deep into political reporting in three key swing states: Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Our guests are three veteran journalists who know their respective states' politics inside out: Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, democracy reporter covering Arizona for The Washington Post; Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Chris Potter, government and accountability editor for WESA FM, Pittsburgh’s NPR news station. Together, the panel unpacks the midterm results and the decision by Democrats to focus on democracy, Dobbs and, yes, Donald Trump.

Plus, stay tuned for Kara’s RANT about why she’s savoring John Fetterman’s win — and why President Biden deserves more credit than he’s gotten.

Do you want Kara’s advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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How John King Gets Ready for Election Night Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Kara is nervous about the elections — and she should be, control of the House and of the Senate is up for grabs, as are 36 governorships. She and Nayeema discuss the big day ahead, and specifically how social media and misinformation may sway results.

They then turn to our guest today — the man who will be sharing those results with us, at least on CNN. John King and Kara talk about how he prepares to helm the “Magic Wall” and talk millions of viewers through the red and blue board. They go beyond the horse race and inside the pressure and process for making calls at CNN.

Stay tuned for the end of the episode when Kara answers a listener question about her spirituality and Nayeema surmises the sunglassed-one’s Holy Trinity (it’s not what you think).

If you want Kara’s advice, call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema. Oh yes, and if you’re eligible: GO VOTE!

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Kara on Elon and John Legend on Kanye (and More!) Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Kara and Nayeema kick off this Thursday’s episode with a feisty discussion about Elon Musk’s Twitter and how he’s “kicking the most active users in the teeth.” They give us the run-down inside Elon’s band of merry advisors and Nayeema gets to the heart of why exactly Kara is so angry with Elon … and so sad.

Today’s interview is with John Legend, the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning artist (aka EGOT) who famously moonlights as a social justice activist. But before he was John Legend, he was John Roger Stephens: born to a socially conservative family, sent to an Ivy League university at age 16, and dabbling as a nerdy strategy consultant before his big break. In fact, the first person to credit him as “John Legend” was Kanye West. In this conversation, Kara and John speak about Kanye’s descent into antisemitism and how he makes sense of a friend he’s long last touch with. They also discuss how TikTok has changed the music business, and why John is so hyper-focused on politics and down-ballot midterm races (no, the artist has no plans to run for political office – he’s just downright worried about the country).

Trigger warning: Kara does not hold back on her anger about Twitter and Elon these days, especially at the very end – so make sure you stay tuned for her final choice words ... or, as she calls it, her “rant!”

Disclosure: John Legend is on the board of directors at Vox Media. This did not change the nature of our interview. In fact, Kara started with what were probably the hardest questions for him.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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Matt Levine on Elon Musk: Chief Twit & “Meme Lord” Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

The Twitter deal is done, and Elon Musk is now, officially, “Chief Twit.” Bloomberg Opinion columnist and “MoneyStuff” writer, Matt Levine, has been analyzing the deal (and the drama) over the past seven months. Now, Matt and Kara consider what the future of the social media platform might look like under Musk. They discuss whether Elon’s seemingly genuine belief in the utility of Twitter, paired with his business and engineering acumen, will be a game changer for the company. And they discuss how his principles will drive big decisions ahead, including potentially reversing the platform's ban of Donald Trump.

Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the rising tide of violence against politicians. Plus, Kara gives Elon some unsolicited advice on the business, including how to avoid a version of Twitter that would make even Kara quit her favorite social media platform.

Do you want Kara’s (solicited) advice? Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave us a voice mail with your questions!

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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Frank Luntz, Rick Wilson and Sarah Longwell on Donald Trump and the Midterms Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Election Day is less than two weeks away, and Republicans are poised for some major midterm gains. So today, Kara talks to three Republican strategists about midterm predictions and the effect that Donald Trump is having on these elections. Our guests are veteran pollster Frank Luntz, Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson, and Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell. All three are long-time Republican operatives who believe that Donald Trump is a threat to democracy and to the party but they disagree on whether and how the party can move beyond MAGA and the Big Lie.

Before the interview, Kara and Nayeema talk about what Rishi Sunak’s rise to prime minister means for the UK and Nick Clegg: the Meta executive who will decide if Donald Trump’s stays banned from Facebook beyond January 2023. Plus, Kara shares her unsolicited advice for more civil, less cruel, political discourse.

Do you want Kara’s (solicited) advice? Send us your questions! Call 1-888-KARA-PLZ and leave a message.

You can find Kara and Nayeema on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema.

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