logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
51m 24s

614. Is the U.S. Sleeping on Threats fro...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
John J. Sullivan, a former State Department official and U.S. ambassador, says yes: “Our politicians aren’t leading — Republicans or Democrats.” He gives a firsthand account of a fateful Biden-Putin encounter, talks about his new book "Midnight in Moscow", and predicts what a second Trump term means for Russia, Ukraine, China — and the U.S. 
Up next
May 15
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?
Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”) SOURCES: Alex Hardiman, chief product officer at The New York Times. Jonathan Knight, S.V.P. and general manager for New ... Show More
57m 17s
May 8
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of wealth of nations. (Part two of a series.) SOURCES: David Lang, composer and professo ... Show More
45m 23s
May 6
Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)
Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war. SOURCES: Eamonn Butler, co-founder and director of the Adam Smith I ... Show More
1h 8m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
'KGB Have You By The Balls!' Trump vs Putin | War + Tariffs With Jeffrey Sachs
President Trump has clearly run out of patience with Putin, reducing his 50-day deadline to end the war in Ukraine to little more than a week. The penalty will be severe tariffs, which the US says will hammer the Russian economy. Yet Russia’s economy is actually growing because o ... Show More
54m 51s
Feb 2024
The Romance Between The American Right, Russia And Putin
For half a century, during the Cold War, every U-S president painted Russia as the dominant threat. America's ideological opposite, a hostile and nuclear-armed power. Ronald Reagan went so far as to call the Soviet Union an Evil Empire.So the events of recent days have been notew ... Show More
12m 57s
Dec 2024
Exclusive: Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Describes the War With the US and How to End It
Russia’s longtime foreign minister describes the war with the United States and how to end it. (00:00) Is the US at War With Russia? (12:56) Russia’s Message to the West Through Hypersonic Weapons (17:47) Is There Conversation Happening Between Russia and the US? (23:18) How Man ... Show More
1h 24m
Nov 2024
Andrei Kelin: Is Vladimir Putin reshaping geopolitics?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Russia’s ambassador in London, Andrei Kelin. Thanks to the war in Ukraine and allegations of Russian hybrid warfare in Europe and beyond, diplomatic relations between Moscow and the West are poisonous. Is Vladimir Putin right to think he’s reshaping geopo ... Show More
22m 58s
May 2018
Why Putin Matters
On The Gist, the mainstream media is too buttoned-up when describing the Trump administration's shenanigans. There is no Russian Federation as we know it without Vladimir Putin. Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explains how parts of Russian society are eager for new lea ... Show More
31m 55s
Aug 2025
“A War For SURVIVAL” Trump To Secure Putin Peace Deal? With Dave Smith & Bill Browder
President Trump will meet President Putin at an historic summit in Alaska on Friday - the first meeting with a US president since the Russian leader invaded Ukraine, representing what could be the biggest chance yet of ending three and a half years of war. However, Ukrainian pres ... Show More
53m 36s
Sep 2024
Why Russians are still backing Putin
<p>Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia represented another sign that Vladimir Putin’s invasion is not going to plan. But numerous setbacks, and the sanctions regime imposed by the west, have so far failed to loosen the Russian leader’s grip on power. Gideon discus ... Show More
28m 47s
Aug 2025
White House Envoy In Moscow, MAGA Split On Gaza, Redefining The Attorney General Role
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is in Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin, days before President Trump's deadline for Russia to end the war in Ukraine or face sanctions. Some of the President's core supporters are expressing disagreement with President Trump on issues from Gaza to ... Show More
13m 10s
Aug 2025
80 Years After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, New Nuclear Threats Emerge
President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week to discuss a potential end to the war in Ukraine (which Russia started.) To call the meeting ‘high stakes’ would be an understatement — already critics are warning of the potential for ... Show More
22m 37s