Talk Cocktail

Between the shimmer of America’s coastlines an inferno of anger and disillusionment consumes the heartland. This week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast explores this social and political divide with Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman, guided by their book, White Rural Rage.

Armed with journalistic insight and scholarly acumen, Schaller and Waldman unpack the reality of white rural America’s turmoil. They argue that Trump’s MAGA movement transcends a...

Sports gambling is a multi-billion-dollar business, with 38 states legalizing sports betting. The story of Shohei Ohtani's interpreter reminds us that sports and betting can still be a dangerous mix. And yet, Las Vegas, the betting and sports capital, was the home of this year's Super Bowl. Against this backdrop, the story of Pete Rose becomes even more poignant.

Bestselling author Keith O'Brien's latest book, "Charlie Hustle," off...

In this WhoWhatWhy podcast, I’m joined by national security journalist Andrew Cockburn. He exposes the little- known links between the Pentagon’s military-technology complex at the dark heart of Silicon Valley.

Drawing from his recent cover story for Harper’s, entitled “The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem,” Cockburn delves into the military’s controversial alliance with tech behemoths.

This collaboration ropes in some of Silicon ...

The Village Voice existed at a unique moment in journalistic history. My guest, journalist Tricia Romano, has penned 'The Freaks Came Out to Write,' the definitive oral history of The Village Voice. It was a publication that not only captured but also shaped the zeitgeist of New York City from the paper's inception in 1955 until its closure in 2018.

The Voice was more than a newspaper; it was a cultural beacon, a meeting point of n...

A recent suggestion for a bumper sticker reading “Trump First, Putin Second, America Last” is more than just a witty jab at current political dynamics; it encapsulates the historical depth of right-wing politics in the United States. 

On thisWhoWhatWhy podcast I’m joined by Jacob Heilbrunn, editor of The National Interest, who offers a compelling analysis of the right wing’s enduring fascination with authoritarian figures.

Drawing ...

Professor Melissa Kearney, talks to me about the overlooked economic and social impacts of marriage and family structures and her book, "The Two-Parent Privilege." Kearney's research reveals the decline in marriage rates, particularly among non-college graduates, as an economic crisis with far-reaching consequences. She argues that the decrease in two-parent households, from 77% in 1980 to 63% today, affects children's behavior, ed...

Matthias Gafni, an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, delves into the darkest corners of the streets of San Francisco. For a recent project, he attempted to attribute names, faces, and families to 24 overdose deaths during a particularly harrowing week in 2023. They were not mere statistics but individuals with stories: a recent immigrant dreaming of a new life; a star student and athlete; a mechanic striving...

As we look at the global political landscape, we see a resurgence of movements labeled as populist. Propelled by rapid social and technological changes, economic upheavals, and complex migration patterns, people around the world are in search of simple solutions to increasingly complex problems. This week my guest on the WhoWhatWhy podcast Steve Babson, argues that this represents a serious misinterpretation of the concept of popul...

In this podcast, I welcome Laura Pappano, author of "School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Education," to explore the intense politicization of American public schools. Pappano, with over thirty years of experience, delves into the far-right's efforts to control education, highlighting the shift from parental support to activism amidst challenges like local school failures and the pandemic. This...

Do we have the control over our own lives that we think we do? According to Brian Klaas, in his mind-bending new book FLUKE: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters, we control nothing, but we influence everything.

Think about the unexpected twists of fate that shape our lives. How many times have you stumbled upon a life-changing moment purely by accident? The party you almost skipped, where you met your significant other ...

In this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast — marking the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade — I talk with Felicia Kornbluh, professor of history and gender studies at the University of Vermont. In our far-ranging conversation, we delve into significant shifts in the battle for reproductive rights following the Dobbs decision.

Kornbluh, drawing insights from her book, A Woman’s Life Is a Human Life, sheds light on the resurgence of effective ac...

In a rapidly changing media landscape, where giants like Conde Nast, the Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, and the Washington Post face massive layoffs, the very nature of news is transforming and it’s impacting our democracy.

I talk with Mickey Huff, director of Project Censored, about the critical state of the media, who’s to blame and about his book "STATE OF THE FREE PRESS 2024." We delve into the top 25 underreported stor...

Amid widespread concern about our politics, young, passionate individuals like Devon Murphy-Anderson and Alex Berrios are making a significant impact. In this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast, we delve into their efforts to turn Florida blue.

Murphy-Anderson and Berrios, through their initiative Mi Vecino, are revitalizing the grassroots political scene in Florida. They’re particularly focused on engaging Latino and Hispanic voters, not j...

The U.S. economy has shifted from traditional manufacturing giants to tech behemoths such as Amazon and Apple, driving significant economic and social changes. This evolution, while beneficial, also stirs fears about corporate power and change. Today's digital landscape, according to my guest, Tom Wheeler, mirrors the Gilded Age, suggesting a repeat of history's paradoxes of innovation and corporate excess. Wheeler, former FCC chai...

On this week’s WhoWhatWhy podcast we talk with journalist Tina Nguyen, author of The MAGA Diaries: My Surreal Adventures Inside the Right Wing and How I Got Out. A one-time MAGA fellow traveler, Nguyen delves deep into the heart of the movement. 

Challenging the notion that it’s merely a product of Trump’s influence, Nguyen — who journeyed from a conservative student to disenchanted MAGA-member to jobs at Politico, Vanity Fair, and...

On the third anniversary of January 6th, this WhoWhatWhy podcast features Brian Stelter, former CNN host and author of Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy.

It’s clear that Fox News will likely play a key role in determining whether America remains a democracy, and Stelter provides a colonoscopy into Fox News’s influential role in shaping U.S. politics, especially post-202...