Richard, a health policy wonk's wonk, joins us to discuss some gory details of the GOP HCR process. RIchard has spent most of his career in the health insurance industry managiing rate structures, For several years now he has shared his kno

Marcy Wheeler: Fake News is Nothing New

Feb 8th, 2017 1h 2m

There is no fact/fiction lobe, no area in the cerebral cortex that holds true facts. We're not wired for truth---but we are deeply wired for stories. In fact, compelling stories trump true facts as often as not, and our world view is defined b

Ian Welsh: Dark Ages

Jan 13th, 2017 1h 9m

Ian Welsh has been blogging since 2003. He was the Managing Editor of FireDogLake and the Agonist. His work has also appeared at Huffington Post, Alternet, and Truthout, as well as the now defunct Blogging of the President (BOPNews) He is an

Arthur Lupia: Uninformed

Nov 20th, 2016 1h

Research polls, media interviews, and everyday conversations reveal an unsettling truth: citizens, while well-meaning and even passionate about current affairs, appear to know very little about politics. Hundreds of surveys document vast number

Democracy's Missing Arsenal: Bloodshed Universal-Slavery Triumphant

Oct 16th, 2016 46m

This is the world of Democracy's Missing Arsenal, an alternate history thought experiment that chronicles world events in the century following a Confederate victory in the Civil War. In Volume One--A Nation Sundered-A World Engulfed--authors M

Thomas Levenson: The Hunt for Vulcan

Oct 7th, 2016 56m

Thomas Levenson is a professor at MIT and head of its science writing program. He is the author of several books, including Einstein in Berlin and Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World’s Greatest Scientist. Abo

Catherine Fletcher: The Black Prince of Florence

Sep 30th, 2016 48m

Born to a dark-skinned maid, fatherhood acknowledged by Lorenzo II de Medici, Alessandro de' Medici rose to the Dukedom of Florence. Catherine Fletcher discusses the world of Renaissance Florence, the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Charles V and Pa

Cathy O'Neil On Weapons of Math Destruction

Sep 23rd, 2016 59m

We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives—where we go to school, whether we get a car loan, how much we pay for health insurance—are being made not by humans, but by mathematical models. In theory, t

Gaius Publius: Two Intertwined Crises--Climate Change and Wealth Inequality

Sep 16th, 2016 58m

Gaius Publius writes about a variety of issues at Digby's Hullaballoo and Howie Klein's Down with Tyranny.among other places. You can find his work summarized on his tumblr page.He explores the political and scientific issues surrounding cl

Virtually Speaking with Richard Eskow

Sep 2nd, 2016 58m

Richard Eskow is a freelance writer, Senior Fellow with Campaign for America's Fujture. Host of the Zero Hour at We Act Radio; former Wall Street executive and advisor to US State Department, World Bank, foundations and private corporations on

Culture Of Truth: Sacrifice

Aug 2nd, 2016 9m

Culture of Truth provides his weekly Most Ridiculous Thing That Happened This Sunday, identifying the unintentional hilarity of the morning gasbag "interviews." Ths week's episode is called "Sacrifice."

Fran Hawthorne: Ethical Chic

Jun 13th, 2016 1h 2m

In Ethical Chic, award-winning author Fran Hawthorne uses her business-investigative skills to analyze six favorites: Apple, Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, American Apparel, Timberland, and Tom’s of Maine. She and Jay discuss the complex questions

David Dayen: Chain of Title

Jun 3rd, 2016 1h 3m

Crack investigative reporter David Dayen has been on the mortgage fraud beat from the late oughts. His book, Chain of Title, recounts the experience of three citizens who pursued their foreclosure cases through the obfuscation and lies that th

Culture of Truth: Teflon

May 30th, 2016 9m

Culture of Truth provides his weekly Most Ridiculous Thing That Happened This Sunday, identifying the unintentional hilarity of the morning gasbag "interviews." Ths week's episode is called "Teflon."

Virtually Speaking with Bill Black: The Decline and Fall of Economics

May 27th, 2016 1h 3m

William Black,Professor of Economics & Law at the University of Missouri Kansas City is an American lawyer, academic, author, and a former bank regulator. Black's expertise is in white-collar crime, public finance, regulation, and other topic

Marcy Wheeler and Avedon Carol: Virtually Speaking Sundays

May 16th, 2016 1h 4m

Marcy Wheeler is one of the country's most effective investigative journalists working on civil liberties and domestic surveillance, blogging at Empty Wheel and tweeting @emptywheel.Avedon Carol is anAmerican ex-pat living in London writes a

Fed Power: How Finance Wins

May 13th, 2016 1h

Lawrence R. Jacobs is Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies at the Humphrey School for Public Affairs, the University of Minnesota, and co-author of both Health Care Reform and American Politics (Oxford) and Class War? (Chicago

Sara Robinson and Culture of Truth Virtually Speaking Sundays

May 8th, 2016 1h 1m

Sara Robinson is a Seattle-based futurist and veteran blogger on culture, politics, and religion. She's a consulting futurist and on the national board of NARAL. Find her recently launched blog — Future Imperfect — at sararobinson.netCultu

Michael Brooks Virtually Speaking with Jay Ackroyd

May 6th, 2016 1h

Michael Brooks is a contributing host for the four time award winning independent political talk show, The Majority Report. He appears regularly as a political and cultural analyst on outlets including Huffpost Live, SirusXM, AlJazeera English,

Gaius Publius Virtually Speaking Sundays

May 1st, 2016 57m

Gaius Publius — Professional writer of stories, poems, and books on education & technology. Currently writes for Digby's Hullaballoo, Down with Tyranny, Crooks and Liars and Naked Capitalism Follow @Gaius_Publius and his tumblr page, GaiusPubl

Marcy Wheeler Virtually Speaking with Jay Ackroyd

Apr 29th, 2016 1h

Marcy Wheeler is one of the country's most effective investigative journalists working on civil liberties and domestic surveillance.

Culture of Truth: Identity Politics

Apr 25th, 2016 5m

Culture of Truth provides his weekly Most Ridiculous Thing That Happened This Sunday, identifying the unintentional hilarity of the morning gasbags.Ths weeks episode is called "Identity Politics."

Joan McCarter and Isaiah Poole Virtually Speaking Sundays

Apr 24th, 2016 1h 4m

Joan McCarter is Senior Political Writer and regular front page contributor to Daily Kos. Joan writes about national legislative developments. Follow @joanmccarter http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Joan%20McCarterVeteran journalist, editor, and p

Kelly Bulkeley Big Dreams: The Science of Dreaming

Apr 22nd, 2016 1h 1m

Big dreams are rare but highly memorable dream experiences that make a strong and lasting impact on the dreamer's waking awareness. Moving far beyond "I forgot to study and the finals are today" and other common scenarios, such dreams can inclu