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How Trump Got Obsessed with Autism Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Why would Donald Trump rush to announce that Tylenol is a potential cause of autism, a claim unsupported by the research?

Guest: Dan Diamond, White House reporter for the Washington Post.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, and Patrick Fort.

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Jimmy Kimmel Got His Job Back. She Didn’t. Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

The First Amendment prohibits Congress from making laws that abridge freedom of speech or of the press, but in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder, it’s clear that it doesn’t take a law to attack those rights.

Guest: Karen Attiah, former columnist for the Washington Post and former editor of the Post’s Global Opinions section.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Surgeon in Gaza’s “End Game” Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Over three different trips during the war, this doctor saw the chaos of blast injuries in northern Gaza give way to gunshot wounds suffered at aid-distribution sites in the south.

Guest: Dr. Mohammed "Adeel" Khaleel, minimally invasive and complex spinal surgeon with Texas Metroplex Institute for Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Surgery.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

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Trump’s Attack on Visas Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

American agriculture relies on foreign workers, and they rely on the H-2A visa program to work legally in the United States. Despite a growing number of people applying for visa spots, the Trump administration has proposed cutting the division of the Department of Labor that enforces H-2A rules, leaving workers to choose between being vulnerable to ICE or to exploitation.

Guest: Max Blau, ProPublica reporter covering health care, the environment, agriculture and immigration.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Big Media Obeys in Advance Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Media giants like Paramount and Disney have been swift to capitulate to the Trump administration and the tenacious head of the FCC, Brendan Carr. Why new ownership from the likes of the Ellisons is likely to make things worse.

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, staff writer for business and tech at Slate.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is A.I. Taking Your Job? Sep 21, 2025

Show notes

If you’re hunting for a job, the odds are increasingly likely you’ll have an interview with an artificial intelligence “recruiter.” And why not? It’s also increasingly likely you’ll be working with A.I. anyway.

Guest: Danielle Abril, technology-in-the-workplace reporter for the Washington Post.

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The Discourse | TikTok Ban: The Final Loop? Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

TikTok—which was supposed to be banned again on Wednesday but, again, isn’t—may be legal once more. The Trump administration says it’s meeting with Xi Jinping Friday to finalize the agreement, which may involve—get this—a wealthy Trump-supporting tech mogul.

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, staff writer for business and tech at Slate.

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A Very Online Shooter Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

As the Charlie Kirk murder demonstrated, law enforcement, the government, and media all need more internet fluency. But their reactions in the wake of the murder don’t seem to be moving towards a better understanding.

Guest: Ryan Broderick, reporter on online culture, author of the newsletter Garbage Day.

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Trump’s Getting His Economy. Yikes. Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump has been calling for the Fed to cut rates to bolster the economy, and yesterday, they announced they would. The bad news is that’s because the economy is going to need a lot more bolstering.

Guest: Justin Wolfers, economist and professor at the University of Michigan

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

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Can Kash Patel Survive This? Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

What happens to an organization when it purges much of its leadership and ranks irrespective of ability, and hires for sycophantic loyalty instead? The FBI is finding out.

Guests:

Michael Feinberg, former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, VA, now a fellow at Lawfare.

Quinta Jurecic, staff writer at The Atlantic.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.