E100: How the FBI Built a Secret Tech Startup to Snare Criminals: w/ Joseph Co

Denise Kiernan shares the extraordinary history of Biltmore House, America's largest private home, and the powerful legacy of the Vanderbilt family during the Gilded Age.Guest Bio: Denise Kiernan is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, and producer whose books include The Last Castle, The Girls of Atomic City, and We Gather Together. She hosts “Craft: Authors in Conversation” and lives in Asheville, North Carolina, near the Biltmore Estate.Topics Discussed:The construction and scale of the Biltmore EstateGeorge and Edith Vanderbilt’s legacyGilded Age opulence and class disparityEarly conservation efforts and the birth of Pisgah National ForestThe role of women like Edith Vanderbilt and Sarah Josepha Hale in shaping American historyThe economic decline of old money families and estate preservation2 Best Quotes:"The Biltmore House is the largest house in America—ever. Nothing has surpassed it.""History makes you ask questions of the present—what do we want to preserve for future generations?"📺Watch on YouTube ➡️ https://youtu.be/jSSSXJ9SE24 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

28 Jul 202358min

A conversation with Chris Smaje on why lab-grown food won't solve our problems—and why local, ecological farming is the real path forward.👤 Guest Bio: Chris SmajeChris Smaje is a UK-based social scientist, writer, and small-scale farmer with two decades of hands-on agricultural experience. He’s a leading advocate for agroecology and local food systems, and author of A Small Farm Future and Saying No to a Farm-Free Future.🧠 Topics DiscussedWhat is “precision fermentation” and why it's gaining tractionThe rise of lab-grown protein vs. traditional farmingThe myth of land-free food and its corporate backersEnergy inputs, ecological tradeoffs, and food monopoliesThe geopolitical unraveling of the global food tradeThe cultural disconnect caused by synthetic foodWhy local food production is a necessary response to climate and economic disruptionProgress, politics, populism, and what comes after globalism💬 Top Quotes“We're being told food is software—but sunlight is still free. Manufactured food isn't.”“If you move people off the land and into cities, you're not solving ecological problems—you're centralizing control.”“The problem isn't farming—it's how we farm and who controls it.”“Progress isn’t spending more time on your phone. It’s being part of a thriving community and growing your own food.” 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

17 Jul 202348min

Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman joins to unpack the secretive world of Jim Simons and Renaissance Technologies, exploring how the most successful trading firm in history continues to beat the market.Guest Bio: Gregory Zuckerman is a senior special writer at The Wall Street Journal, where he covers hedge funds, private equity, and financial markets. He is the bestselling author of The Man Who Solved the Market, which tells the story of Jim Simons and the rise of quantitative investing.Discussed Topics:Who is Jim Simons, and how did he build Renaissance Technologies?The origin of AI-based trading and its limitationsHow Renaissance hires and operates in total secrecyLessons from long-term capital management and financial blowupsThe future of trading, markets, and what investors can learnThe human cost behind extreme success: family tragedy and personal limitsWhat Renaissance contributes to society, if anythingDifferences between traditional investors like Warren Buffett and quants like SimonsWhy intelligence—not credentials—is the hiring metric at RenaissanceTop 3 Quotes:"They’re the greatest moneymakers in financial history—because they trusted the machine more than the story.""Simons made his billions by predicting markets, but couldn’t predict the tragedies in his personal life.""You don’t want to trade like Renaissance—you want to trade in places they’re not looking."📺Watch the full podcast on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/xBI4ETrO3ZU?si=lIUmDwLEvXY4KDdw 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

9 Jul 202343min

Dr. Marion Nestle, leading nutrition expert and author of Food Politics, joins the show to expose how food industry funding distorts science, policy, and our diets.Guest info: Dr. Marion Nestle is a renowned nutritionist, author, and Professor Emerita at NYU, known for her influential work on food politics, industry influence on science, and public health advocacy.Topics discussed:The hidden influence of food industry funding on science and dietary guidelinesHer time working on the Surgeon General’s Report and conflicts within federal agenciesGMO policy, labeling battles, and the power of MonsantoAttending the World Economic Forum and seeing global power dynamics up closeThe rise in obesity and ultra-processed foodWhy portion sizes—not just ingredients—may best explain America’s health crisisCareer longevity and achieving late-life success in academiaBest quotes:“Larger portions are a sufficient explanation for obesity—you don’t really need anything more complicated than that.”“People eat what’s in front of them. If the muffin is 600 calories, they’ll eat all 600.”“Industry-funded research almost always favors the sponsor. I can usually guess who funded a study just by reading the title.”“My two years in Washington? I refer to it as federal prison.”📺Watch the full pod on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/kt35SZnfj5A 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

3 Jul 202347min

Entertainment journalist Christian Toto discusses how Hollywood became woke, the role of censorship, China’s influence, and the cultural consequences of cancel culture.👤 Guest BioChristian Toto is a film critic, author, and host of the Hollywood in Toto podcast. He’s a regular contributor to national media outlets and the author of Virtue Bombs: How Hollywood Got Woke and Lost Its Soul, a sharp critique of modern entertainment's ideological shift. With a background in journalism and a passion for pop culture, Toto offers a contrarian perspective on the intersection of politics and Hollywood.📌 Topics DiscussedThe erosion of creative freedom in HollywoodHow social media fuels cancel cultureChina’s influence on American film contentThe rise of independent and alternative content creators (e.g., Daily Wire, YouTubers)Double standards and hypocrisy in woke HollywoodCensorship, free speech, and the long-term cultural effectsWhy comedies like Blazing Saddles and Tropic Thunder couldn’t be made todayHow Trump’s election accelerated Hollywood’s political polarizationHollywood’s moral panic vs. historical McCarthyismOptimism vs. pessimism on whether the “woke era” will end💬 Top Quotes“If Hollywood keeps making movies about The Blacklist, one day they’ll realize—they’re the villains now.”“Woke isn’t about justice—it’s about power. And power protects its own.”“Ghostbusters 2016 wasn’t just a reboot—it was a turning point where the media decided criticism equaled misogyny.”“The worst thing about cancel culture isn’t who gets canceled—it’s the fear it creates, the self-censorship.”“Free speech is everything. It’s the battle of our time.” 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

25 Jun 20231h 2min

Author and environmental journalist Judith Schwartz explains how regenerating soil health—with the help of grazing animals—can restore ecosystems, improve food nutrition, and even mitigate climate change.Guest Bio: Judith D. Schwartz is a journalist and author who writes about nature-based solutions to global environmental and economic challenges. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Yale Environment 360, and The New York Times. She is the author of Cows Save the Planet, Water in Plain Sight, and The Reindeer Chronicles.Topics Discussed:The decline in soil health and crop nutrient levelsRegenerative agriculture vs. industrial organic farmingRole of grazing animals in ecosystem restorationCarbon sequestration through soilThe dangers of consensus-driven climate narrativesLocal vs. global food and economic systemsGMOs, seed monopolies, and chemical agriculture dependencyThe need for bioregional resilience in a post-globalization eraTop 3 Quotes:“Many people think that zero animal impact is ideal… but we need certain types of disturbance for healthy landscapes—that’s how our ecosystems work.”“Our knowledge can only be as good as the questions that we ask.”“Just because something is labeled organic doesn’t mean it’s nutrient-dense; we don’t know we’re getting the good stuff—we just know we’re avoiding the bad stuff.📺Watch the podcast on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/1oSYBbkSFz8 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

19 Jun 202358min

Psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen joins us to discuss the psychological toll of smartphones, social media, and digital distraction—and what we can do about it.Guest Bio: Dr. Larry Rosen is a retired psychology professor and former department chair at California State University, an expert on the psychology of technology, and author of The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World and six other books examining how tech reshapes behavior, cognition, parenting, and mental health.Topics Discussed:The rise of digital anxiety and “phantom pocket” syndromeHow smartphones rewire attention, memory, and social behaviorTask switching vs. true multitasking and its effects on cognitionTech addiction in children and parenting digital boundariesThe historical analogies to smoking, seatbelts, and drug campaignsWhy technology is both brilliant and dangerous—and what needs to changeTop 3 Quotes:“People who think they’re good at multitasking are usually the worst at it.”“Smartphones are magnificent tools—but we haven’t learned how to handle them yet.”“Half of your distractions come from inside your own head—that’s your brain addicted to checking.”  🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

12 Jun 202356min

Dr. Susan Crockford, evolutionary biologist and author of The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened, challenges the mainstream climate narrative by arguing that polar bear populations are thriving, not declining.Guest Bio: Dr. Susan Crockford is an evolutionary biologist and forensic zoologist with over 40 years of research experience. She is known for her work on polar bear evolution, archaeological zoology, and the domestication of dogs. Crockford is the author of The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened and runs the blog PolarBearScience.com.Topics Discussed:The rise in polar bear populations since the 1970sFlaws in polar bear counting methodology and conservation dataConflicts between Arctic communities and increasing bear populationsPolar bear resilience and adaptation to Arctic conditionsThe influence of funding and politics on wildlife researchComparisons between polar bear evolution and dog domesticationThree Best Quotes:“All of the reports from studies… indicate the females are in good condition, they're fat as they should be, and there's no indication of large numbers of starving bears around.”“Virtually everything we know about polar bears comes from Western Hudson Bay—just 3 to 5% of the total population.”“What we’ve seen with polar bears is a window into how false narratives about climate catastrophe get built—and persist.”📺Watch the entire podcast on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/8VOIM3pXO2Q?si=2KV7TfYvn_bEwhe- 🎙 The Pod is hosted by Jesse Wright💬 For guest suggestions, questions, or media inquiries, reach out at https://elpodcast.media/📬 Never miss an episode – subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts.⭐️ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show. It helps others find us. Thanks for listening!

5 Jun 202353min