Plain English
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How Henry Kissinger’s Catastrophes and Triumphs Changed the World
Derek and Atlantic writer George Packer discuss the many ways in which Henry Kissinger shaped the world we live in today
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Elon Musk’s Meltdown, the Death of Twitter, and the Chaotic Future of Social Media
Derek is joined by The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel to go over Musk’s recent comments at the DealBook Summit and discuss the social media landscape as a whole
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How China’s Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails
Writer Dan Wang joins Derek to discuss why the Chinese economy has slowed down after decades of growth and the implications of that decline
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Inside the OpenAI Meltdown
Discussing what the hell is happening at OpenAI, where the most famous startup in artificial intelligence is self-immolating for reasons that the company refuses to explain
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The Media Is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers
Nate Cohn, chief political analyst at The New York Times, joins the show to talk about the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers
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How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own
Derek and tech columnist Kevin Roose talk about AI’s current practical applications and how it is already affecting multiple professions
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What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness
Author Morgan Housel joins Derek to talk about the value of focusing on what stays the same in an ever-changing world
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The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine
Sally Abed, an activist with the group Standing Together, joins Derek to discuss what it’s like being Palestinian in Israel, how to build a coalition for peace, and more
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Could a Housing Recession Take Down the U.S. Economy?
Bloomberg columnist Conor Sen returns to talk with Derek about the biggest risks the economy faces in the next year
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Two Israel-Palestine Historians Explain: How Did We Get Here? And What Happens Next?
Two historians share their thoughts on Israel’s military response, the future of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the "missing moderate middle" on both sides
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The Science of Achievement, With Adam Grant
This week, Derek discusses the science of human potential with psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant
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Israel Has No Good Options
Georgetown University professor Daniel Byman, one of the world’s leading researchers on terrorism, counterterrorism, and Israel’s military, joins to discuss the failings of Israel’s current strategy
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The Tragedy of Picking Sides in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Author Peter Beinart joins Derek to further discuss the war between Israel and Hamas
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Inside the Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried
SBF is facing charges that could put him away for decades. What’s happening at the trial? Does he have any chance of winning? And more queries to come.
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Israel at War: Why Did Hamas Attack?
What motivated the Hamas terrorist attack? How did Israel fail to stop it? And what should Americans know about the state of Israel’s chaotic internal politics?
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Disney’s Downfall: The Rise and Fall of an Entertainment Giant
As Disney shifted to streaming, it seemed set up to dominate. But the stock is low, margins are down, and its streamer is losing money. What happened to America’s greatest entertainment company?
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Why Americans Are Losing Faith in College
Paul Tough discusses the noxious stew of economics, culture, and inequality that has turned a surprising number of Americans against college. Who’s to blame, and what happens next?
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What’s So Great About Marriage?
The ‘Good Life’ authors join Derek to explain why the decline of marriage is an important factor in Americans’ diminishing happiness
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Why Is It So Expensive to Build Stuff in America?
Brian Potter joins to explain the forces behind the slowdown of various U.S. construction endeavors, why that matters, and how to turn things around
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Fatherhood and What Americans Get Wrong About Major Life Changes
Health and science writer Brad Stulberg returns to talk with Derek about the various ways people deal with change
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Experts Predicted a Recession This Year. How Were They So Wrong?
Harvard economist Jason Furman joins Derek to explain what this incorrect prediction teaches us about the economy
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Why Elite College Admissions Are Biased Toward the Superrich
Derek is joined by economist David Deming to discuss what his new study on college admissions reveals about the American dream
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Oppenheimer: The Genius, the Film, and the Project That Changed the World
Richard Rhodes, author of ‘The Making of the Atomic Bomb,’ discusses the real-life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer
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How Hollywood Drove Its Business Model Off a Cliff
This week, Julia Alexander joins to discuss the ongoing troubles in the entertainment industry, including the strikes, the box office recession, and more
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Americans Think the Economy Is Terrible. The Data Tell Another Story.
Jordan Weissmann joins to discuss why the economy is actually in a better state than most Americans and economic commentators think
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How the Digital Workplace Broke Our Brains
Calvin Newport and Derek Thompson discuss why the ability to perform deep, focused work is becoming rare at exactly the same time it is becoming most valuable in our economy
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What Just Happened in Russia This Weekend?
Paul Poast joins ‘Plain English’ to break down Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion and discuss the background of the Wagner Group
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The Science of Procrastination—and How to Really Get Stuff Done
In the first episode in a new miniseries about getting stuff done, retired psychology professor Tim Pychyl joins to talk procrastination and what to do about it
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Why Fertility Rates Are Plunging—in the U.S., South Korea, and Everywhere Else
Andrew Yeo joins to explain South Korea’s declining birth rate and why fertility affects just about everything else in society
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Why So Many Young Men Are Lonely, Sexless, and Extremely Online
Richard Reeves, the scholar who wrote ‘Of Boys and Men,’ joins to discuss the findings of a recent Equimundo report on the challenges that American men are facing in 2023
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How Hollywood’s Writers Strike Could Change the Future of TV and Movies
Derek speaks with Matt Belloni about past writers strikes and the potential impacts of the current WGA strike
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Why Youth Sports in America Are in Decline
Derek talks to Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal and Tom Farrey, the executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Sports and Society Program, to see what’s going on and what we should do