On with Kara Swisher
Award-winning journalist Kara Swisher hosts no-holds-barred interviews with power players across business, tech, media, politics and beyond. The podcast airs twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
The Vatican Takes On AI
Kara talks to Father Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar, theologian and AI ethics adviser to the Vatican, about why AI has become a central concern for the Catholic Church. They discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, the Church’s role in shaping a more human-centered debate and why Benanti sees today’s AI race as a question of power, democracy, belief and human dignity.
Kara presses him on Sil
The Media CEOs Betting Big on Journalism’s Future: Jim Bankoff & Meredith Kopit Levien
In a challenging decade for media, New York Times President and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien and Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff have bucked trends and found ways to grow their respective organizations. Meredith has overseen a massive expansion of the Times’ digital subscriber base since becoming CEO in 2020. And after spending decades scaling up Vox Media, Jim is splitting the company between James Murdo
Career Advice: Kara Answers Listeners’ Questions
For this special episode of “On,” we’re switching things up, and you’re the ones asking the questions. Kara offers concrete tips on dealing with bad managers, navigating AI, deciding whether to change careers entirely, and more. Top performers in the business world turn to Kara for advice all the time. Now, it’s your turn.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube,
TMZ’s Harvey Levin Says Politics Is Pop Culture
TMZ, the celebrity news juggernaut, opened a Washington, D.C., bureau this spring. Founder Harvey Levin joins Kara to talk about the stories his team is looking for and why he views politics as pop culture.
Levin discusses TMZ’s earlier attempts to establish a presence in the capital and how the latest government shutdown helped revive the idea. He and Kara dig into TMZ’s standards, whether it
Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing with Seth Matlins
Today, we’re bringing you an episode of “Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing with Seth Matlins,” a new podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network.
In this episode, host and marketer Seth Matlins speaks with political strategist David Axelrod, who was President Obama’s chief strategist and senior advisor. David is currently a senior political commentator for CNN and the co-host of Vox Media
Peter Chernin on ‘Backrooms,’ Sequel Fatigue, and Hollywood Mergers
The low-budget horror film ‘Backrooms’ is the surprise hit of the summer so far, netting more than $200 million globally in its leap from YouTube to the big screen. But among the film’s producers is a Hollywood heavyweight: Peter Chernin. As the former president and COO of News Corp. and chairman and CEO of the Fox Group, Peter greenlit huge hits like “Titanic” and “Avatar,” before moving on to fo
Death in the Digital Age
The only real way for any of us to truly live forever is in the memories of others. In the final episode of the Hacking Longevity series, Kara talks to Valorie Jones, chief technology officer at StoryFile, which uses AI to create interactive video experiences. StoryFile also works with individuals to create a digital twin – or avatar – that can answer questions and create conversations long after
Marc Maron on Podcast Grifters, Fascism & His Legacy
Kara sits down live at the Tribeca Festival with comedian, actor and OG podcaster Marc Maron following the world premiere of his new film, “In Memoriam.” In it, Maron stars as Langston Stanfield, a fading, narcissistic actor who’s facing a terminal cancer diagnosis and is determined to secure his place in the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” montage.
Kara and Marc talk about the film, death, legacy, anxie
ICE, Iran and $1,000 ‘Cheap Seats’: The World Cup Returns to the U.S.
When FIFA picked the U.S. to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, Americans saw it as more than just a boon for the country’s tourism industry — it was a chance to finally prove to the world that the U.S. is a soccer-loving nation. But on the eve of kickoff, the tournament has been overshadowed by exorbitant ticket prices, disappointing global travel projections, the war in Ira
Music, Consciousness and the Power of Connection
How should we understand the relationship among sound, consciousness and a healthy mind? It has to do with the power of connection, not just to other people but the world around us.
In this episode of the Hacking Longevity series, Kara talks to Dr. AZA Allsop, an artist and psychiatrist who runs a lab at Yale that studies how music and sound can affect mental well-being and the power of connect
Theo Baker Cracks Open Stanford’s Faustian Bargain With Silicon Valley
Kara talks to Theo Baker, a Stanford University student journalist and the youngest-ever George Polk Award winner, about his new book, "How to Rule the World." In it, Baker unpacks his investigation into former Stanford president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne over research misconduct in labs he oversaw. He breaks down how the university reacted and what it says about power at Stanford and in the Valley
Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro on Friendship, Feeds and Their New Podcast
Longtime NPR co-hosts Audie Cornish and Ari Shapiro are reuniting for a new CNN podcast, “Engagement Party.” Each week, they unpack all the culture stories they’re obsessed with and that are generating buzz, from who’s still watching “Euphoria” to viral trends like “friction-maxing.” Their conversations are grounded in their decades-long friendship, even when they disagree.
Kara, Audie and Ari
Longer Life: What Does Science Say?
While the longevity field is filled with dubious claims and junk science, there have been some truly remarkable advances that will have an impact on how we can live longer and stay healthier. In this episode, Kara unpacks some of them with Dr. Eric Verdin, the president and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. The Buck Institute was the first of its kind, and it’
Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind and the Battle Over AI Safety
Kara speaks with journalist and author Sebastian Mallaby about his new book, "The Infinity Machine," and its central figure: Demis Hassabis, the CEO and co-founder of Google's AI research lab, DeepMind, and a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.
Sebastian argues that Hassabis is one of the original scientist-entrepreneurs of modern AI. And although he's extremely competitive and research-driven,
Pretty Tough with Maria Sharapova: Chelsea Handler
Happy Memorial Day from all of us at On with Kara Swisher! Today, we’re bringing you a special episode of "Pretty Tough," a new podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network hosted by tennis star and entrepreneur Maria Sharapova. Each week, Maria sits down with high-achieving women across industries for candid, wide-ranging conversations about their pursuit of excellence without apology.
In this
Is It Possible to Hack Your Body for a Longer Life?
From GLP-1’s to peptides to hyperbaric chambers, we’re awash in medical information and wellness trends. But what do we really know about improving longevity and increasing your healthspan?
This is the first episode of the Hacking Longevity series. Kara breaks down the best advice for actually living longer (spoiler alert: it’s boring, and you probably already know it), and hears from some mem
Why FCC Chair Brendan Carr Is a Dangerous Moron
Kara is joined by FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, Knight First Amendment Institute executive director Jameel Jaffer, and The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel to discuss FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s escalating campaign against media companies, broadcasters and speech President Trump dislikes.
They discuss Carr’s threats against ABC/Disney, his attempts to revive old rules around “equal time” and “
Joanna Stern Turned Her Life Over to AI For A Year — Here’s What She Learned
For her new book, “I Am Not a Robot,” journalist and longtime technology columnist Joanna Stern turned her life over to AI for one whole year. She let it fold her laundry, conduct interviews, drive her family around on vacation, review her mammograms — she even tried out a romantic relationship with a bot. Her experiences tell us a lot about the benefits — and limits — of this transformative techn
Peek Inside the Club You Can't Join, with Jeff Klein
Kara talks to hotelier and hospitality entrepreneur Jeff Klein about the global private club boom. Klein is the founder of the San Vicente clubs, ultra-exclusive, members-only clubs in Los Angeles and New York.
Klein explains how our era of loneliness and digital exhaustion paved the way for the resurgence of members-only clubs and why privacy is the ultimate luxury. He and Kara discuss his pat
Patrick Radden Keefe On Lies, Conspicuous Wealth & Moral Rot
Journalist, author and podcaster Patrick Radden Keefe is renowned for writing stories about crime and corruption that expose deeper societal truths. His latest book, “London Falling,” explores the mysterious circumstances around the death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler. While London police ruled Zac’s death a suicide, his parents soon learn he’d been living a double life as the fake son of a Russian
The Creators of ‘Hacks’ on Comedy, Creative Partnership and Surviving Hollywood
Kara talks with "Hacks" creators and showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky about the state of comedy and ending the HBO Max hit on their own terms. The critically-acclaimed series follows Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian played by Jean Smart, and Ava Daniels, a young TV writer played by Hannah Einbinder, as the pair navigate the many ups and downs of show b
Miranda Is Not the Villain, with The Devil Wears Prada 2’s Writer & Director
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a cultural event 20 years in the making — and it doesn’t disappoint. Kara invites screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna and director David Frankel to discuss the film, its making, and the state of media and Hollywood today.
Aline and David talk about why they waited so long to revisit the world of The Devil Wears Prada, how the media business has changed in the interim,
How Architecture Can Solve Big Social Problems with Jeanne Gang
Jeanne Gang is a renowned architect and the founder of Studio Gang, an international architecture and urban design firm. She joins Kara to discuss her work and the design philosophy behind some of her most recognizable buildings, including the Aqua Tower in Chicago and the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Jeanne explains her concept of “actionable idealism"
Life After Trump: Astead Herndon On What’s Next for American Politics
Political journalist Astead Herndon is using his new Vox podcast America, Actually with Astead Herndon to ask what feels like an unfathomable question: What does our country look like after President Trump; and can we even talk about politics without putting him at the center?
As we head towards its first truly open presidential election since 2016, Kara and Astead talk about the ways politics
The WNBA Is On a Winning Streak. Is It Sustainable?
Kara sits down with New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai to talk about betting big on the WNBA and why the momentum for women’s sports isn’t slowing down.
Clara explains why she saw the Liberty as a distressed asset worth rebuilding and how investments in players, facilities and visibility helped fuel a turnaround. She breaks down what’s driving the WNBA’s growth, from the Caitlin Clark effect
Nikki Glaser on Shame, Sex & Owning Who You Are
Comedian Nikki Glaser’s star is on the rise. The two-time host of the Golden Globe Awards is set to take the mic for a third straight year in 2027. Glaser was also just named one of Time magazine’s most influential people of the year. And on Friday, Hulu is releasing her latest hour-long comedy special, “Good Girl.” It’s an exploration of aging, fame, and sexuality in Glaser’s signature raw and se
Beat the Resume Bots & Build a Career You Love with Jodi Kantor
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigative reporter Jodi Kantor joins Kara to talk about her new book, “How to Start: Discovering Your Life’s Work.” It’s a guide for young people starting their careers in an age of AI disruption, economic instability and political chaos.
Jodi acknowledges the difficult reality graduates face and tries to offer practical yet empathic advice. She argues t
Inside the Wellness Boom: Separating Scams From Science
On the heels of the weekend premiere of her new CNN series, “Kara Swisher Wants To Live Forever,” Kara brings together a panel of experts to talk more about longevity, anti-aging, and the money that’s pouring into the wellness industry.
Katie Couric is a journalist. She’s also been a longtime advocate for early cancer screenings since her first husband died of colon cancer and she was diagnosed
Wellness Grifters and the Real Science Behind Longevity with Dr. Eric Topol
Dr. Eric Topol, the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, joins Kara to discuss reality versus the hype in the booming longevity business ahead of her new CNN series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever."
Dr. Topol has written several books, including his latest, "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity," which explores the science behind anti-aging
America’s New Power Order: Kara in Conversation with Walter Isaacson
Kara’s 2023 interview with journalist and biographer Walter Isaacson about his Elon Musk biography was one of her most contentious conversations ever — and one of the show’s most popular episodes. They’re still friends, though. And at this year’s New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University, Isaacson got his chance to put Kara in the hot seat.
In this live conversation, recorded last month, Ka
Louis Theroux Goes Inside the Manosphere. It’s Worse Than You Think.
Louis Theroux joins Kara to discuss his new Netflix documentary, "Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere." The film explores the online world of male influencers selling fitness, wealth and self-improvement through ultra-masculine and misogynistic ideologies. Louis focuses on the extreme fringes of the manosphere, where racist, homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric mixes with conspiracy theories – and
Sen. Tillis Unfiltered: Trump, Iran & What’s Next For the GOP
Since announcing his decision to retire last year, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has become a kind of thorn in MAGA’s side, holding up appointments and voicing criticisms about legislation favored by President Trump. But his resistance raises a perennial question about Republicans in the Trump era: Why do lawmakers only push back when they’re on the way out?
Kara and Sen. Tillis ta
Why the AI Race Is Leaving Humans Behind with Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris, a technology ethicist and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, studies how the tech industry’s platforms have become extractive and controlling. Kara first interviewed him in 2017, and after he was featured in the 2020 Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma,” his profile shot through the roof. Now he's featured in a new film called, "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apoca
Inside the ICE Detention Boom: Soaring Abuse Claims and Little Oversight
While the Department of Homeland Security publicly claims to be resetting its tactics around immigration arrests, it's been building out its capacity to house detained migrants by buying up almost a dozen warehouses. If opened, they would dramatically expand a system that’s seen more than 40 deaths since Trump took office and is facing staggering accounts of human rights abuses.
Kara speaks wit
A Silicon Valley Satire That Feels Uncomfortably Close to Reality
"Raising money off frothy numbers to sugarcoat the rotten apple is what built this town.” That’s according to Duncan Park, the protagonist of "The Audacity," a new dark comedy from AMC about tech CEOs and their relationships with their families, therapists and enablers.
Live from SXSW, Kara spoke with executive producer and showrunner Jonathan Glatzer ("Succession," "Bad Sisters," "Better Call
Sen. Mark Warner On What Trump Is Risking With War in Iran
As the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Gang of Eight, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is among the select few members of Congress who get to sit in on top intelligence briefings. But with the war in Iran now in its third week, Warner says the administration still hasn’t presented any plans to meet President Trump’s demands for the regime’s “unconditional surrender.”
Matt Belloni on WarnerMount, Disney Succession, Oscars & More
Kara sits down with Matthew Belloni, author of the flagship Puck newsletter What I’m Hearing and host of The Town podcast, to take the entertainment industry’s temperature just a few days before the Academy Awards.
They dig into the Warner Bros. Discovery/Paramount/Netflix saga and the consequences of the Ellison-backed deal for creatives and crews. Then Kara and Matt debate whether consolidati
Survivors Speak Out: Taking On the ‘Epstein Class’
It’s been more than a month since the Justice Department released the latest tranche of files related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein — around 3 million in total — yet the fallout shows no sign of slowing down.
The release almost certainly wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for survivors who fought for transparency and accountability. In this episode, Kara sits down with three women
Friction Matters: Resistance Is a Feature, Not a Bug
Friction gets an bad rap, according Jennifer Vail. As a tribologist, she studies interacting surfaces in relative motion, and she’s worked on everything from aerospace materials to syringes to dog food. Her new book, Friction: A Biography, explores the science of rubbing surfaces, the history of lubrication, and why “frictionless” is a dangerous fantasy.
Kara and Jennifer unpack everything fro
Gavin Newsom on His Memoir, Trump, and Plans for 2028
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is the current front runner on the list of Democrats eyeing a 2028 White House run. While he hasn’t made his presidential ambitions official, he has a new memoir out, called “Young Man in A Hurry.” And his book tour conveniently has him passing through a lot of swing states and early primary states.
In a live interview recorded at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theate
Why ‘Playing It Safe’ In Your Career Doesn’t Pay with VC Bill Gurley
Bill Gurley, accomplished venture capitalist, longtime Silicon Valley “worrywart,” and early Uber backer, joins Kara Swisher to discuss how to build a career you love and the tech industry’s sharp turn to the right.
Gurley’s new book Runnin’ Down a Dream, guides readers on how to find and nurture a truly fulfilling career — and his advice is the polar opposite of Scott Galloway’s “follow your
The Story Behind Netflix’s Most Popular Film Ever
Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” wasn’t just one of the biggest movies of 2025; it was Netflix’s most popular title — movie or show — ever. Four songs from the film’s soundtrack also simultaneously cracked the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list, a first for a movie soundtrack. Now, it’s up for two Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.
For directors C
Inside the MAGA Blueprint for Breaking the Midterms
President Trump tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and he’s already laying the groundwork to undermine our confidence in the midterm elections. Kara brings together three experts to map out how Trump is trying to tilt the November elections before a single ballot is cast, and what he might do during and after election day to maintain his grip on power.
She’s joined by:
Natalie
Scott Galloway: How to Hit Trump Where it Hurts (Unsubscribe)
Scott Galloway is spearheading a consumer-led protest movement with a simple goal: to get people to cancel their subscriptions to tech companies that have disproportionate influence over the U.S. economy. The New York University marketing professor and Kara’s “Pivot” co-host says targeting the companies that dominate the stock market — and by extension many of the CEOs who’ve cozied up to Presiden
Jane Fonda on How to Turn Rage Into Hope
Jane Fonda has been fighting for social justice for over five decades, but in the past year, she’s kicked things up a notch. This past fall, she relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, and her environmentally focused political action committee, Jane Fonda Climate PAC, is gearing up for the midterm elections.
The iconic actor and activist talks to Kara about how to fight for democracy
Defending Trump’s ‘Enemies’ with Attorney Abbe Lowell
President Trump makes no secret about having a long list of perceived enemies. And for the people he targets, there’s one lawyer many of them call: Abbe Lowell. The longtime Washington defense attorney built a career representing both Republicans and Democrats. But last year, Lowell left a partner position at a big firm to start his own office dedicated to helping those "unlawfully and inappropria
How to Knock Out Super PACs with Lawrence Lessig
Kara talks to Lawrence Lessig about his fight to end Super PACs — without passing a constitutional amendment or overturning Citizens United.
The Harvard law professor and Equal Citizens founder was once the internet’s open-access evangelist. 19 years ago, he shifted his focus from intellectual property to institutional corruption, and since then, he’s become one of the country’s sharpest criti
The Onion’s Ben Collins on Political Satire & Why Trump Isn’t Funny
Since becoming CEO of the Onion two years ago, former disinformation reporter Ben Collins has helped revitalize the satirical newspaper by relaunching its print edition, bringing back the Onion News Network on YouTube, and launching a bid to take over Alex Jones’s Infowars. The Onion even recently released its own mockumentary about Jeffrey Epstein and his connections to President Trump, called "J
Inside Rivian’s Strategy to Survive a Hostile EV Market
Kara talks with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe at a tense time for electric vehicles: domestic sales have cooled, federal EV tax credits are gone, and tariffs are raising costs across supply chains. Rivian’s premium R1S SUV and R1T pickup helped establish the brand — the R1S is now the best-selling premium electric SUV in the country — but the company is still losing money. The R2, Rivian’s mi
‘Stop This Mass Invasion’: Mayor Frey Blasts ICE Operation in Minneapolis
For the last few weeks, Minneapolis has been the epicenter of President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, but tensions between residents and the administration exploded after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Renee Good earlier this month. And after the killing of Alexander Pretti by federal agents on Saturday, it's safe to assume the situation will only get wors
Elon’s “Nudify” Mess: How X Supercharged Deepfakes
On Christmas Eve, Elon Musk’s X rolled out an in-app tool that lets users alter other people’s photos and post the results directly in reply. With minimal safeguards, it quickly became a pipeline for sexualized, non-consensual deepfakes, including imagery involving minors, delivered straight into victims’ notifications.
Renée DiResta, Hany Farid, and Casey Newton join Kara to dig into the scal
The Problem with Wellness Culture, According to Dr. Zeke Emanuel
Dr. Zeke Emanuel is one of the country’s foremost healthcare experts. An oncologist and the former chair of the Department of Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health, he was one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act and now teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. Emanuel’s new book, “Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life,” offers practical advice on eati
Rep. Ro Khanna on Epstein, ICE & a Billionaire Wealth Tax
Democratic California Representative Ro Khanna joins Kara for a wide-ranging conversation about the culture of impunity that’s taken hold in America during President Trump’s second term.
They discuss Khanna's visit to an immigration detention facility, the Trump administration’s reaction to the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, the Department of Justice investigation into Federal Re
Imran Ahmed Researches Online Hate. Trump Wants to Deport Him
As the founder and CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Imran Ahmed specializes in researching how hate and disinformation spread online. His work has made him a target of Elon Musk and the Trump administration — he’s one of five European tech regulators and researchers the White House wants to bar from the U.S. over claims of “foreign censorship.” Ahmed, who’s a British national based i
Venezuela After Maduro: Can Trump Control Caracas From Afar?
The arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on Saturday, sent shockwaves across the globe. And although the targeted military operation was a success, the repercussions of ousting the authoritarian leader will be long-lasting and hard to predict.
To make sense of the new world order ushered in by President Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine,” we convened a panel of experts: an oil industry specia
Isaac Chotiner on Confrontation, Curiosity, and Being the 'Interview Assassin'
As the principal contributor to The New Yorker’s “Q&A” interview series, Isaac Chotiner has earned a reputation as “the interview assassin.” His persistent questioning has made for some awkward — and revealing — conversations with high-profile guests over the years, but Chotiner also rejects the caricature of the “gotcha journalist” that’s often applied to him.
Kara and Isaac talk about his int
ACCESS with Alex Heath and Ellis Hamburger
Happy 2026 from all of us at On with Kara Swisher! We’re ringing in the new year with an episode of ACCESS, a new tech insider podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network that’s hosted by two highly connected tech journalists, Alex Heath and Ellis Hamburger. Each week, Alex and Ellis have revealing conversations with Silicon Valley’s most influential leaders, from the tech titans of today to tomorr
Driverless Semi-Trucks Are Here & Coming to a Highway Near You
Kara sits down with Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of the autonomous trucking company Aurora, and Johnathon Ehsani, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and leading road safety researcher, for a candid look at the future of AI-powered freight transport.
Recorded live at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, the three discuss the rapid rise of driverless trucking, what it will tak
The Long Game with Jake Sullivan and John Finer
Happy Holidays from the On with Kara Swisher team! To celebrate, we’re gifting you a recent episode of a new national security podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network. “The Long Game” is hosted by Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s National Security Advisor, and Jon Finer, his Principal Deputy — both senior aides who sat in on the classified Presidential Daily Brief each morning and translated ra
Winners, Losers & WTF Moments: A Look Back at 2025’s Top Tech Stories
From an unenforced TikTok ban and a chatbot calling itself MechaHitler to mounting fears that we’re in an AI bubble, 2025 was another messy year for the tech industry. We watched billionaire CEOs fully align themselves with President Trump, Nvidia become the first $5 trillion company, and Elon Musk’s popularity tank, thanks to his DOGE antics (and yet he could still become the world’s first trilli
The End of Human Driving? with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi
Kara sits down with Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to dig into how applied artificial intelligence works at scale.
At Uber, AI powers everything from pricing, routing, and customer service to autonomous vehicles and sidewalk robots that deliver food. It has partnered with more than 20 autonomous vehicle manufacturers, and it’s moving aggressively into robotaxis. And although it may take many decad
Sam Harris on Silicon Valley’s Slide into Techno-Authoritarianism
One of 2025’s most memorable images was of Silicon Valley’s billionaire CEOs lined up in the front rows at President Donald Trump’s inauguration. It was visual proof of the tech industry’s embrace of MAGA’s authoritarian-style of politics — one it has benefited from considerably over the last year. Author and neuroscientist Sam Harris has been using his podcast, “Making Sense,” to talk about the w
Rachel Maddow on Japanese Incarceration During WWII, Mass Deportation & Media Chaos
Rachel Maddow is an author, podcast host and producer, documentary producer, and, of course, the anchor of her eponymous show on MS NOW. Her newest podcast, "Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order," unravels how the incarceration of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants during WWII was planned and carried out. Shockingly, the full story behind one of the 20th century’s worst Ame
Beyond ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’: Margaret Atwood on Memoir, Grudges, & Getting Older
Margaret Atwood is one of the most famous and prolific authors of the modern era. Though best known for her 1985 hit “The Handmaid’s Tale,” her dozens of works span literary genres — poetry, novels, children's books, essays, short stories — and often defy neat categorization. Now, at 86, Atwood has written her first memoir. At roughly 600 pages, it’s an intimate look at the ways her personal life
Tech Billionaires & the Rural Poor: Two Sides of Trump’s MAGA Populism
The tech billionaires of Silicon Valley and the Midwestern rural poor wouldn’t seem to have much in common. But somehow many of them have united under the MAGA umbrella. Kara brings together two reporters who have written about the opposite sides of the MAGA coin to talk about the role of social media in fueling enragement, why tech billionaires and poor Americans are coalescing around issues like
Comedian Tig Notaro on Laughing Through Grief
How do you grieve the impending death of a lifelong friend when you are a multi-hyphenate comedian, actor, director and producer? If you are Tig Notaro, you produce a film about their life and work — as she has done for the late spoken word poet Andrea Gibson with the documentary Come See Me In The Good Light.
Best known for her dry-witted stand up comedy, Tig is also a podcaster (Handsome), act
Fighting for Truth in a Rage-Driven Algorithmic Age with Jessica Yellin
In the mid-2010s, television journalist and former chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin left her job at CNN to go independent. A few years later, she founded News Not Noise, a multi-platform news outlet that publishes all across the internet (mainly on Substack, Instagram and YouTube). It made Yellin one of the first journalists to ditch mainstream media for social media, and it’s given
Jennifer Welch of 'I’ve Had It' Blasts Both MAGA & Centrist Dems
In the year since President Trump won re-election — thanks in part to capitalizing on sitdowns on friendly podcasts — Democrats have been looking for their own answer to the so-called “manosphere.” One of the top contenders has emerged from an unlikely place: bright red Oklahoma. That’s where Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan started their hit podcast, “I’ve Had It.” They’ve interviewed so
Gloves Off with Scott Jennings, CNN’s Conservative Pundit
Political commentator Scott Jennings has been called the “conservative explaining Red America to CNN viewers.” As the in-house Republican on CNN’s NewsNight With Abby Phillips debate panels, he often acts as a de facto Trump spokesman at the table.
Jennings has been in Republican politics for more than two decades. In the mid-aughts he worked as a Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, an
Ken Burns & Sarah Botstein on Finding Hope in America’s Brutal Beginnings
In “The American Revolution,” a new six-part docuseries airing on PBS this week, filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein take a deep look at the American Revolutionary War and the years before and after. They debunk many of the idealized myths we tell ourselves about the country’s founding and the complex motivations of the men who championed independence. At once critical and patriotic, it examin
'Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Rings the Warning Bells
Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, known as one of the “godfathers of AI” for his pioneering work in deep learning and neural networks, joins Kara to discuss the technology he helped create — and how to mitigate the existential risks it poses.
Hinton explains both the short- and long-term dangers he sees in the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, from its potential to undermine democracy to the
What Everyone Gets Wrong About the Future of AI with Nick Foster
Futures designer Nick Foster spent decades helping tech companies create products many of us didn’t even know we wanted. As the head of design at Google X — a.k.a. Alphabet’s “Moonshot Factory,” which is now known simply as “X” — he led teams working on brain-controlled computer interfaces, intelligent robotics, and even neighborhood-level nuclear fusion. He also designed emerging technologies for
How Trump Dismantled the Department of Justice with Carol Leonnig
Under President Trump, the Department of Justice’s long-standing mission to uphold the law “without fear or favor” has been turned on its head. Attorney General Pam Bondi has followed Trump’s directives to target his political enemies and help his allies. But in their new book, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department, investigative journalists Carol Leonnig and Aar
Why Scott Galloway Wants Us To Celebrate Masculinity, Not Diminish It
Scott Galloway has spent the last few years ringing the alarm about how boys and young men are falling behind. Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University, best-selling author, and Kara’s ‘Pivot’ co-host, says his concern stems from the fact that he can relate to their problems. As a young boy raised by a single mom, Scott struggled in school, didn’t have many friends, and barely got in
Lessons on Capitalism from Patagonia’s Reluctant Billionaire
When Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard first got into business, all he wanted to do was make better equipment for himself and his fellow “dirtbags.” Over 50 years, he built Patagonia into a global outdoor retailer with a sustainable mission and ensured that the company’s profits will go toward protecting the environment for years to come.
In his latest book, “Dirtbag Billionaire. How Yvon Chouina
Judd Apatow on Meme Politics, Being Funny in 2025 & the Comedy Biz
From an early age, writer, director, and producer Judd Apatow has been obsessed with comedy. What started as a quest to interview comedians for his high school radio station ultimately evolved into one of the most prolific careers in Hollywood today, with hits like “The 40 Year Old Virgin,” “Knocked Up,” and “Anchorman.” Now, Apatow is looking backwards. His new book, “Comedy Nerd,” is a visual me
Inside Trump’s DOJ Power Play & the Future of Special Counsels
When the Department of Justice has to investigate politically sensitive matters, those investigations are typically handled by outside prosecutors known as Special Counsels: independent investigators given the freedom to unearth the dirtiest dirt against executive branch officials, including the president.
Kara speaks with CNN senior legal analyst, former prosecutor, and best-selling author Elie
Bernie Sanders on Beating Authoritarianism, Billionaires & AOC
In the wake of President Trump’s return to the White House, independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders spent months crisscrossing the nation rallying huge crowds in red and blue states during his Fighting Oligarchy tour. His new book, “Fight Oligarchy,” is an extension of those rallies and also serves as a blueprint for how everyday Americans can push back against the deep-pocketed forces shaping pol
How AI Will Impact the Future of Work
Will artificial intelligence be a job creator or a job destroyer? Who will be most affected — and how long will the AI revolution in employment take?
Futurist Martin Ford and economist Betsey Stevenson join Kara to unpack the realities behind the AI hype. They explore the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work, from the fate of blue-collar jobs amid advancing robotics to the gov
Kamala Harris on Trump, Tech’s Power Grab, and the Fight for Democracy
Former Vice President Kamala Harris joined Kara to talk about her new book, “107 Days,” in front of a packed house at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. They discussed President Trump’s weaponization of the Justice Department, the tech industry’s rightward shift, and how to combat Trump’s march toward autocracy in an age of disinformation, blatant power plays, and political exhaustion.
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