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Shane Smith Has Questions

Shane Smith Has Questions

VICE News & Studio71 58 Episodes Oct 15, 2026

Shane Smith Has Questions is a dynamic, apolitical podcast hosted by Shane Smith dedicated to getting to the bottom of prominent instances of misinformation and disinformation while revealing the fascinating fundamental truths (if there are any?) of the most interesting and convoluted social and political issues of our time.

Episodes

How America Is Committing “Superpower Suicide” ft. Timothy Snyder | Shane Smith Has Questions
How America Is Committing “Superpower Suicide” ft. Timothy Snyder | Shane Smith Has Questions Oct 15, 2026 3837 Historian and bestselling author Timothy Snyder joins Shane Smith for a wide-ranging conversation about what he calls America’s “superpower suicide” and what it could mean for the future of the United States and the world. Snyder explains why he believes the U.S. is voluntarily giving up many of the advantages that made it powerful, while Russia has followed its own path of self-destruction throu
“I Don’t See Anybody in Charge Here” | w/Renée DiResta on AI, Election Interference & Propaganda | Shane Smith Has Questions
“I Don’t See Anybody in Charge Here” | w/Renée DiResta on AI, Election Interference & Propaganda | Shane Smith Has Questions Oct 1, 2026 3833 Renée DiResta has spent the past decade investigating how propaganda, foreign influence and conspiracy theories spread online. Now, as the midterms approach and AI makes manipulation faster and cheaper, she warns that America may be returning to where it was before the 2016 election—with fewer safeguards and no one clearly in charge. DiResta joins Shane Smith to discuss Russia’s election operat
Trump’s Fight to Control the 2026 Midterms w/ Cisco Aguilar | Shane Smith Has Questions
Trump’s Fight to Control the 2026 Midterms w/ Cisco Aguilar | Shane Smith Has Questions Sep 17, 2026 2717 Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar just won a major Supreme Court fight against the Trump administration over its attempt to impose new federal restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterms. Aguilar joins Shane Smith to explain what Trump was trying to do, why Nevada fought it, and why he believes the battle over who controls American elections is far from over. They get into mail-in
“Clipping Is the New Canvassing” | w/Adam Mockler | Shane Smith Has Questions
“Clipping Is the New Canvassing” | w/Adam Mockler | Shane Smith Has Questions Sep 3, 2026 4428 At 23, Adam Mockler has become one of the most prominent young voices in liberal political media, building an audience of millions through rapid-response videos, debates and viral clips. Adam joins Shane Smith to explain why Republicans dominated the online attention economy—and why Democrats are still struggling to catch up. They discuss the failures of the 2024 Democratic campaign, Kamala Harri
Ben McKenzie Exposes Crypto’s Biggest Lies | Shane Smith Has Questions
Ben McKenzie Exposes Crypto’s Biggest Lies | Shane Smith Has Questions Aug 20, 2026 4342 Most people know Ben McKenzie from The O.C. Over the past several years, however, he has made an unlikely transformation into a serious crypto investigator—and, as Shane puts it, a hell of a journalist and filmmaker. McKenzie joins Shane to discuss his documentary, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, and the journey that took him from casual crypto skeptic to interviewing major i
The Lawsuit That Could Change American Elections | Lawrence Lessig | Shane Smith Has Questions
The Lawsuit That Could Change American Elections | Lawrence Lessig | Shane Smith Has Questions Aug 6, 2026 3148 Can one lawsuit change the future of American elections? Why almost everyone misunderstands Citizens United The legal mistake Lessig says created Super PACs Elon Musk's reported $270 million in political donations—and why it matters to this case  Whether billionaires are effectively buying political influence Why this case is likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court if the cu
When Politics Became Sports: Tim Miller on Trump, Media & America | Shane Smith Has Questions
When Politics Became Sports: Tim Miller on Trump, Media & America | Shane Smith Has Questions Jul 23, 2026 3711 When did politics stop being about solving problems and start becoming a team sport? Former Republican strategist and The Bulwark host Tim Miller joins Shane Smith for a conversation about the forces that reshaped American politics—from the collapse of the Republican establishment to Donald Trump's takeover, the rise of partisan media, and why our information ecosystem rewards outrage
Sean Penn on Zelenskyy, El Chapo, and Seeing the World Up Close | Shane Smith Has Questions
Sean Penn on Zelenskyy, El Chapo, and Seeing the World Up Close | Shane Smith Has Questions Jul 16, 2026 5833 Sean Penn has spent much of his life going places most people only experience through headlines — wartime Kyiv with Zelenskyy, Chávez's Venezuela, Castro's Cuba, Iran before the Green Movement, and deep inside cartel country in Mexico with El Chapo. In this conversation with Shane Smith, Penn reflects on meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy in wartime Kyiv, traveling through Iran before the Ahmadinejad er
Reporting the Region: Inside Iran & Afghanistan | Gelareh Kiazand | SSHQ
Reporting the Region: Inside Iran & Afghanistan | Gelareh Kiazand | SSHQ Jul 9, 2026 2033 For more than a decade, Gelareh Kiazand reported from some of the world's most complicated and misunderstood places. From covering life under the Taliban in Afghanistan to documenting everyday life inside Iran, her work focused on telling stories from the ground — often in places where politics, war, and international headlines rarely capture the full picture. In this conversation, Shane Smi
Ken Burns: "There is No Them. There's Only Us." | Shane Smith Has Questions
Ken Burns: "There is No Them. There's Only Us." | Shane Smith Has Questions Jun 25, 2026 4120 Ken Burns has spent more than five decades telling America's story. From The Civil War and The Vietnam War to Baseball, Jazz, and The U.S. and the Holocaust, his films have shaped how generations of Americans understand their country. In this conversation, Shane Smith sits down with the legendary filmmaker to talk about much more than documentaries. Together they explore why America feels so di
The Age of Disclosure: Who Actually Controls the UAP Secrets? | w/ Dan Farah | Shane Smith Has Questions
The Age of Disclosure: Who Actually Controls the UAP Secrets? | w/ Dan Farah | Shane Smith Has Questions Jun 18, 2026 4870 Who actually controls the biggest secret in modern history? For decades, UFOs were treated as conspiracy theories, fringe science, or tabloid fodder. Today, senators, intelligence officials, military officers, and even presidents are publicly discussing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). What changed? This week, Shane sits down with filmmaker Dan Farah, director of The Age of Disclosur
"Our Weapon Is AI" | Shane Smith & Andrew Callaghan Interview Iran's Viral Meme Warriors
"Our Weapon Is AI" | Shane Smith & Andrew Callaghan Interview Iran's Viral Meme Warriors Jun 11, 2026 855 Shane Smith and Andrew Callaghan sit down with the anonymous creator behind Explosive Media, the Iranian team whose AI-generated LEGO videos became one of the most viewed and controversial media phenomena of the recent Iran-Israel conflict. With a team of fewer than ten people, their videos reached hundreds of millions of viewers and sparked debate about propaganda, AI, meme culture, and the futur

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