What's Next for the Middle East: War, Peace, or Revolution?
Sign up for Derek Thompson's Substack here! Donald Trump rose to power in the Republican Party as a critic of the neoconservative tradition and was opposed to war in the Middle East. But after weeks ...
25 Jun 202547min
NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani on Abundance, Socialism, and How to Change a Mind
Before today’s show, a personal announcement. After almost 17 years at The Atlantic, I have just officially moved my writing full time to Substack, the newsletter platform. If you like this show, if y...
23 Jun 202541min
A Grand, Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy
Americans are unusually overweight and chronically ill compared to similarly rich countries. This episode presents a grand, unified theory for why that's the case. Our food environment has become sign...
18 Jun 202538min
Why Are Americans So Unhealthy? Part I: Is Ultra-Processed Food Killing Us?
Americans die younger and faster than the residents of almost every other rich country. Why? There's gun violence, drug overdoses, and car crashes. Young people are much more likely to die from these ...
11 Jun 202551min
What Experts Really Think About Smartphones and Mental Health
I'm very concerned about the relationship between smartphone use and America's mental health crisis. But many researchers don't see things my way. They insist that there is little to no empirical data...
4 Jun 20251h 6min
Plain History: How Adolf Hitler Destroyed German Democracy in Six Months
In November 1932, Germany was a republic. By the spring of 1933, it was a dictatorship. How did it all happen so quickly? Fascination with Adolf Hitler requires no news peg, but I’ve been particularl...
30 Mai 20251h 2min
Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill Is Great for the "Stealthy Wealthy"
The tax and spending bill passed by House Republicans last week is the sort of bill that does so many different things that even budget experts could be forgiven for not realizing just how many differ...
28 Mai 20251h 5min
The Gene-Editing Breakthrough That Saved a Baby’s Life
Last year, Kyle and Nicole Muldoon welcomed their baby KJ into the world. Almost immediately, doctors realized something was wrong. KJ had been born with a genetic mutation that made it impossible to ...
23 Mai 202549min
