The Archive

The media is chasing the classified documents fiasco like it’s spy vs. spy, Trump vs. Biden. But on this week’s episode, we’re breaking down the absurdity of a national security system that makes it so darn easy to hoard classified documents. We’re joined by Matthew Connelly, professor of history at Columbia and author of The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America’s Top Secrets. He gives us the inside scoop on how unwieldy our system for keeping state secrets has become, who it’s really designed to protect, and how we might revamp it so that it can actually, you know, keep a secret.

Brazil’s insurrection is just the latest in a series of attacks on democracy around the world. So we’re talking to Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the book Twilight of Democracy, about why autocracy is making a comeback and how to stop it. We dive into democracy’s roots as an unstable form of government, the role of global elites on both sides, and why fascism is really just a money-laundering scheme.

We’re joined by Dr. Gregory A. Poland (director of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group), Dr. Saad Omer (director of the Yale Institute for Global Health), and Zeynep Tufekci (professor at Columbia University), who bring something that’s often lacking from these conversations: nuance. We talk through why many non-crazy people are hesitant to get vaccinated, how our public health institutions have failed to communicate effectively with the masses, and why it should be perfectly okay to ask questions about the risks and benefits of any vaccine.

The year is almost over and we’re going out with a bang! Entrepreneur Mark Cuban is here. Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa is here. Whip-smart journalist Julia Ioffe is here. Come on, you can’t beat that lineup. Join us as we break down some of 2022’s biggest moments: Elon’s Twitter tumult, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the coming AI apocalypse, and, of course, the collapse of crypto and Sam Bankman-Fried. Come for the copious amount of Yiddish, stay for a look back at the year that was, the year that wasn’t—and the year that, God willing, will never be. Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

This week we’re joined by Miguel Cardona, the U.S. Secretary of Education. We cover why schools aren’t evolving fast enough to keep up with current challenges, how the shifting roles of schools and teachers are leaving many educators without the resources they need, and remaking the system so that it’s more about students and less about test scores and resume-building.

“Whatever fun name you wanna put on it, it’s the same damn thing we’ve seen over and over again.” David Dayen, executive editor of The American Prospect, joins us to discuss the spectacular rise and fall of crypto exchange FTX and its disgraced leader, Sam Bankman-Fried. We dive into the ways its collapse mirrors the worst failures of more mainstream markets, how SBF was able to use effective altruism as cover for garden-variety political influence, and why it’s a mess that the House Agriculture Committee ended up regulating exchanges like FTX.

Jon turned 60 this week, which had him asking: “Can I live longer?” So we’re talking with Celine Halioua, the founder and CEO of Loyal, a biotech start-up with a mission to extend a dog’s lifespan. She believes that if they’re successful, it could work on humans too. Jon and Celine talk about Silicon Valley culture and ask the big tech question: Just because we can do something, should we?

We’ve got not one former Secretary of State but TWO as our guests on this week’s podcast. Secretary Hillary Clinton and Secretary Condoleezza Rice are here for a fascinating discussion of American power, whether spreading democracy has actually made us safer, and what our role on the world stage should look like going forward. Plus, they make plans to take a little train trip together.

Catch up on what we’ve tackled so far this season – we’ll be back on Apple TV+ with all new episodes early next year!

You know it’s a must-listen episode when we’ve got not one former Secretary of State but TWO as our guests. Secretary Hillary Clinton and Secretary Condoleezza Rice are here for a fascinating discussion of American power, whether spreading democracy has actually made us safer, and what our role on the world stage should look like going forward. Plus, they make plans to take a little train trip together.

This week’s guest is Safi Rauf, an Afghan refugee who came to the U.S. as a teen and is now the president and founder of Human First Coalition. Also a veteran, he tells us about his work in Afghanistan helping to evacuate local interpreters who worked with American troops. He shares the astonishing story of how he was taken hostage—and eventually released—by the Taliban while working there. He also talks about the Afghan Adjustment Act and the obstacles he’s run into while advocating for it.

On this week’s episode, Jon is joined by staff writers Jay Jurden and Kasaun Wilson for a hilarious breakdown of why the media got the midterms so wrong and why running on crime is really just a fancy way of running on racism.