logo
episode-header-image
Aug 18
1h 2m

Higher Education’s Age of ‘Insufferable ...

The Ringer
About this episode
It would be an understatement to say that higher education is in crisis, as it faces attacks from both the current presidential administration as well as issues of its own making, like diversity politics. Today, Derek talks with Tyler Austin Harper, author of the viral essay “Confessions of a Token Black Professor,” about his critique of DEI and “wokeism” fr ... Show More
Up next
Aug 14
It May Be Time to Freak Out About AI
Today, Derek talks with cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos about a recent wave of alarming AI cyberattacks. For decades, one of the biggest fears about AI has been that the machines will start doing things we didn’t ask them to do. This summer, that fear started to feel a little le ... Show More
1h 17m
Aug 11
Why Americans Hate Data Centers
It seems a universal fact that AI has become an indispensable part of the American economy. At the same time, opposing AI has also become one of the most influential causes in American politics. Nowhere is that tension more obvious than in the fight over data centers. Across the ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 5
Why America Is Switching From Booze to Weed
Two extraordinary trends are happening in the United States simultaneously. One is that alcohol consumption is declining precipitously. The share of Americans who drink has hit a record low since Gallup started tracking it in the 1930s. In 2004, fewer than 30 percent of Americans ... Show More
1h 9m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Billion dollar babies: Trump-Musk spat
<p>What happens when the world’s most powerful man falls out with its richest? Our correspondent analyses where the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/06/02/elon-musks-failure-in-government?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligenc ... Show More
27m 41s
Jul 2021
July 4, 2021: Independence from the virus; partisan media in a Biden-induced slump; is Tucker Carlson the new Alex Jones?
Plus... Running out of words to describe the climate crisis; a reporter's notebook from Kabul; will Bill Cosby speak out, and will anyone listen? Dr. Jonathan Reiner, Oliver Darcy, Sara Fischer, David Sanger, Jennifer Epstein, Anna Coren, Emily Atkin and David Wallace-Wells join ... Show More
40m 58s
Sep 2021
September 19, 2021: 'Lie, rinse, and repeat' is GOP media's specialty; new revelations from 'Peril;' will Facebook Files revelations spur any real change?
Plus... why the phrase 'do your own research' is hurting America's Covid response; the rise of 'digital detectives' during missing persons cases; did the media overreact to 'Justice for J6' rally? Rep. Adam Smith, Mary Trump, Renee DiResta and Yael Eisenstat, Evan Osnos, and Davi ... Show More
44m 15s
Feb 2021
February 21, 2021: How fact-checking is changing in a post-Trump world; why hysterical headlines hurt the Covid vaccine rollout; will countries link arms and make Facebook pay for news?
Plus... Power and water disasters in Texas are shining a light on local news; out-of-context headlines are clouding Covid-19 vaccine news; how Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun was exposed by Twitter sleuths; and more. Emily Ramshaw, Bill Carter, Carol Leonnig, Daniel Dale, Angie Drobnic ... Show More
41m 45s
Jan 2025
How America went MAHA
RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means explains why so many Americans are suspicious of food and pharma companies, and what the HHS secretary nominee plans to do about it if he's confirmed. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and A ... Show More
25m 9s