The Archive

Bloody hell! Jon is in London to talk about populism. Turns out it’s not unique to America! Jon is joined by Ian Hislop, editor of the satirical current affairs publication Private Eye Magazine, to discuss the reign of Rupert Murdoch, the economic consequences of a government run by lunatics, and the explicitly corrupt yet unbeatable right-wing propaganda machine.

Exciting news: We’ve got new TV episodes starting March 3! To celebrate, Jon is joined this week by executive producer and showrunner Brinda Adhikari, senior research producer Susan Helvenston, and staff writer Kasaun Wilson to discuss the stories we’ve been following and the anxiety they’ve given us. Plus, they chat about the news that the COVID-19 virus may actually have leaked from a lab in China, whether we’re on the brink of World War III, and other fun, breezy topics.  New episodes start streaming March 3 on Apple TV+.

When a Chinese spy balloon was spotted above the U.S. last week, Americans reacted the only way they know how—by shooting it out of the sky with a missile. But why do we keep insisting that China is our sworn enemy? We’re talking with Jessica Chen Weiss, the Michael J. Zak Professor for China and Asia-Pacific Studies at Cornell and Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, and John Glaser, adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and host of Cato’s Power Problems podcast. We discuss America’s reflexive urge to escalate even the smallest threat, why our geopolitical position is actually way more secure than we’re led to believe, and whether we might figure out a way to share the world stage with China.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Jon and Mark discuss the American Dream, barriers to entry, and why tying healthcare to jobs makes no sense.

Exciting news: We’ve got new TV episodes starting March 3rd! To celebrate, Jon is joined this week by Executive Producer/Showrunner Brinda Adhikari, Senior Research Producer Susan Helvenston, and staff writer Kasaun Wilson to talk through the stories we've been following and all the anxieties they’ve given us. Plus, they chat about the news that the COVID-19 virus may, in fact, have leaked from a lab in China, whether we’re on the brink of World War Three, and other fun, breezy topics.

We’re back with all-new episodes starting March 3rd on Apple TV+!

A freight train derailed in Ohio and released a mushroom cloud of toxic chemicals, so why has the media buried this story so low? This week we’re breaking down the shocking conditions that led to this train derailment being entirely predictable, how rail companies have chosen their own profits over safety, and what regulatory changes need to be made in order to avoid a mess like this again. Our guests are Julia Rock, reporter at The Lever (levernews.com), Matt Weaver, BMWED-IBT Legislative Director, Ohio & member of the Railroad Workers United ISC; and Julie Grant, Managing Editor and Senior Reporter for the Allegheny Front. We’re also joined by writers Alexa Loftus and Henrik Blix who share their thoughts on what the media gets wrong about small town America.

When a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over the U.S. last week, Americans reacted the only way they know how: by shooting it out of the sky with a missile. But why do we keep insisting that China is our sworn enemy? We’re talking through all of this with Jessica Chen Weiss, the Zak Professor at Cornell and Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute Center for China Analysis, and John Glaser, adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and host of Cato's Power Problems podcast. We discuss America’s reflexive urge to escalate even the smallest threat, why our geopolitical position is actually way more secure than we’re led to believe, and whether we might figure out a way to share the world stage with China.