logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
1h 12m

Your Mind Is Being Fracked

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode
The steady dings of notifications. The 40 tabs that greet you when you open your computer in the morning. The hundreds of unread emails, most of them spam, with subject lines pleading or screaming for you to click. Our attention is under assault these days, and most of us are familiar with the feeling that gives us — fractured, irritated, overwhelmed. D. Gr ... Show More
Up next
Jan 13
Can James Talarico Reclaim Christianity for the Left?
State Representative James Talarico of Texas might have been our most requested guest last year. And he seemed to come out of nowhere.Talarico started breaking through with viral videos on TikTok and Instagram. And in those videos, he didn’t sound like your typical Democrat. He’s ... Show More
1h 28m
Jan 10
Venezuela, Renee Good and Trump’s ‘Assault on Hope’
The shocking events of January have sent a message: America works differently now. M. Gessen is a Times Opinion columnist and the author of books about living under autocracy, including the National Book Award-winning “The Future Is History.” They have been a clear, relentless an ... Show More
1h 5m
Jan 6
What Trump Wants in Venezuela
What is America doing in Venezuela?On Jan. 3, the Trump administration launched an operation that ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, who is now in New York City on narcoterrorism and weapons charges. “We’re going to run it, essentially, until such time as a prope ... Show More
58m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
220. Is Your Attention Span Shrinking?
tail spinning
37m 11s
Feb 2025
Agnotology (WILLFUL IGNORANCE) Updated Encore with Dr. Robert Proctor
<p>Yes, there is an -ology for that. And yes, we’re airing this episode -– with a ton of 2025 updates -– because it’s never felt more relevant. Dr. Robert Proctor is a Stanford professor of the History of Science and co-edited the book “Agnotology: The Making & Unmaking of Ignora ... Show More
1h 20m
Jun 2025
Are We Headed For Another Endless Middle Eastern War?
<p>The Times Opinion columnist Nick Kristof weighs in on the uncertainties following the United States’ surprise bombing of Iran and Tehran’s retaliation. “President Trump thinks that this is going to be successful and worth it, but the enemy gets a vote as well,” Kristof caution ... Show More
13m 24s
Sep 2025
Screaming Into the Void
<p>In August we performed a live taping of the show from a theater perched on the edge of Manhattan, overlooking the Hudson River, overshadowed by the wide open night sky. Three stories about voids. One about a fish that screams into the night – and the mystery of its counterpart ... Show More
57m 16s
Sep 2025
Charlie Kirk's killing: A dangerous moment for America?
Charlie Kirk, the right-wing influencer and trusted ally of Donald Trump has been shot dead while speaking with students at a university in Utah.Kirk was one of the most prominent conservative activists and media personalities in the United States, and a trusted ally of Donald Tr ... Show More
34m 19s
Feb 2025
Who's Running America... Trump's Defence Chief (Pete Hegseth)
Our latest mini series is here and this time we're profiling some of the key players in Donald Trump's presidency, who are now running America. Over the next few weeks, new profiles will drop every Sunday.Pete Hegseth is the new Secretary of Defence, overseeing America’s military ... Show More
28m 10s
Jul 2025
Is ChatGPT hurting our critical thinking skills?
Are AI chatbots dulling our brains? A new MIT study suggests critical thinking skills are at risk from tools like ChatGPT. What does the science say happens to brains that rely on AI? And how can you use AI tools while protecting your ability to think for yourself? In this episod ... Show More
22m 2s
Apr 2022
Pandora's Box
Is some knowledge too dangerous to possess? Covid-19 has put cutting-edge research on pandemic germs under the spotlight. We Meet: Rowan Jacobsen, journalist Gigi Gronvall, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and associate professor Kevin Esvelt, profes ... Show More
35m 55s
Feb 2025
The War on Science
U.S. science is in turmoil. Amid agency firings and confusion over federal funding, researchers are freaking out. Many can’t do their work, and they have no idea what the future holds. Plus, we’re hearing that all of this could jeopardize medical treatments for people in the U.S. ... Show More
34m 43s
Sep 2025
What Charlie Kirk’s death says about political division in the US
Shot while answering a question about mass shootings, outspoken gun-rights advocate and conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed on a university campus. What does this moment signal for escalating political violence and the state of US politics? In this episode: Dr. Matthew ... Show More
22m 58s