Clint Smith III on confronting the legacy of slavery
Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with author Clint Smith III about his book How the Word Is Passed, which documents the writer’s personal journey visiting sites that embody the legacy of American slavery. They discuss the…
Was the cruelty the point?
Vox’s Sean Illing talks with Adam Serwer, whose new book The Cruelty Is the Point documents the role of cruelty in American politics, the way it was weaponized by the GOP during the Trump administration,…
How seashells shaped the world — and predict our future
Vox’s Benji Jones talks with author and environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett about seashells and her new book, The Sound of the Sea. They discuss the evolutionary function and human appeal of seashells, the surprising role…
Bill Maher on free speech, comedy, and his haters
Vox’s Sean Illing talks with comedian Bill Maher about the risks and challenges of political comedy today, free speech, and whether ideology undermines humor. They discuss how Maher — who’s been out front on issues…
Robert Reich wants you to take on the system
Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with former labor secretary, author, and social media gadfly Robert Reich about how our elected officials have fallen victim to the interests of the wealthy, what the pandemic exposed about our…
Marty Baron on the future of news
Vox’s Sean Illing talks with former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron about the state of journalism. They discuss Baron’s post-retirement reflections on both the Post and the profession at large, what’s gone wrong with…
The death of cool
Vox culture contributor Anne Helen Petersen talks with writer Safy-Hallan Farah about the concept of ‘cool.’ They discuss different generations’ approaches to determining what’s cool, how the concept of ‘cool’ gets tangled up with class,…
We need to talk about UFOs. Seriously.
Vox’s Sean Illing talks with international politics professor and amateur ufologist Alex Wendt about why it’s time to start thinking more seriously about the earth-shattering implications of discovering extraterrestrial life. They discuss the taboos against…
Philadelphia’s progressive prosecutor
Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with Larry Krasner, the former civil rights attorney who’s been district attorney of Philadelphia since 2018. They talk about the bold agenda of criminal justice reform that Krasner’s office has been…
Fareed Zakaria on the fate of democracy
Vox’s Sean Illing talks with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about the global trend in democratic decline, and whether we should worry about America. They discuss why the Republican Party has become an existential threat to our…