logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
47m 33s

The DOGE Alum Asking if Foreign Aid Is A...

NEW YORK TIMES OPINION
About this episode
Does America have a moral obligation to the world? The former Department of Government Efficiency staffer Jeremy Lewin, now deputy administrator for the United States Agency for International Development, explains how he is implementing President Trump’s foreign aid philosophy and what it means for humanitarian assistance going forward. 
Up next
Jul 30
How Older Americans Hoard the Future
American leaders are staying in office past their prime. Boomers are reluctant to relinquish control — from political offices to corner offices — to the detriment of their juniors. In a society where the elderly hold so much power, should younger generations revolt? My guest toda ... Show More
52m 54s
Jul 23
Iran, China, Canada? A Defense of Trump’s Grand Strategy
Is President Trump’s grand strategy unraveling? The United States is at war with Iran, China is ascendant, Russia and Ukraine are stalemated and American allies are openly questioning our commitment to them. Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, joins me to d ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 16
A Vision of a ‘Society Without Capitalism’
Democratic socialists are having a moment. But can they actually remake the Democratic Party — and the American economy — in their image? My guest today, Bhaskar Sunkara, is longtime democratic socialist, and he makes the case that socialism has a universal appeal that transcends ... Show More
58m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Can America Handle The Truth? Trump USAID Cuts With Eric Weinstein
Now that President Donald Trump is back in America’s driving seat, his plan to slash spending, particularly to foreign countries, is moving ahead practically unencumbered. The United States Agency for International Development aka USAID now sits squarely in the crosshairs of MAGA ... Show More
52m 54s
Feb 2025
The Demise of U.S.A.I.D. — and American Soft Power
<p><i>Warning: This episode contains strong language.</i><br /><br />As President Trump demolishes the government’s biggest provider of foreign aid, the United States Agency for International Development, he is ending a 60-year bipartisan consensus about the best way to keep Amer ... Show More
33m 52s
Feb 2025
What’s behind Trump’s war on USAID?
USAID, America’s lead aid agency, could also be nearing its end, after US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to foreign aid. Trump said the agency was run by "lunatics", while billionaire Elon Musk called it "criminal".The US provides $72bn to 180 countries – but that aid has ... Show More
17m 29s
Feb 2025
What future for aid and development? With Minouche Shafik
<p>US President Donald Trump has frozen all foreign aid payments, while Elon Musk is putting America’s biggest development agency, USAID, “through the woodchipper”. Meanwhile, the UK government has just announced it will slash its aid budget from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP. So are the d ... Show More
32m 31s
Apr 2025
131. The Global Health Crisis: USAID cuts, Trump, and the limits of AI (Atul Gawande)
How many people are going to die as a result of American support for USAID programs being removed? What are the limits of thinking of AI as the silver bullet for healthcare? How do we bring the doubling of the human lifespan to everyone alive without bankrupting our societies? TR ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2024
'The Interview': Peter Singer Wants to Shatter Your Moral Complacency
The controversial philosopher discusses societal taboos, Thanksgiving turkeys and whether anyone is doing enough to make the world a better place. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here h ... Show More
42m 29s
Jul 2025
#426 — How Bad Is It?
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with David Frum about the current state of American politics. They discuss the extent of Trump's corruption, his immigration crackdowns, what's going well under Trump 2.0, Trump's support for Ukraine and Israel, U.S. foreign policy, nuclear prolifer ... Show More
27m 37s
Aug 2020
#215 — A Conversation with David Miliband
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with David Miliband about his work with the International Rescue Committee. They discuss the crisis of internally displaced peoples and refugees, the problem with open borders, the vetting of refugees, the limits of nation-buil ... Show More
49m 26s