Why America May Not Be Ready for the Wars of the Future
When people think about war, they picture missiles and mushroom clouds.
But what if the greatest threats today are the ones most people never see coming?
Christine Wormuth, former U.S. Secretary of the Army and current leader of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, explains why some of today’s biggest dangers are quieter, harder to detect, and easier to unleash than most people realize.
The Global Power Shift No One Is Talking About – And Who’s Driving It
Most people see the world as the U.S. vs. China. But the real power shift is happening elsewhere.
Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security and a former senior advisor at the National Security Council and the U.S. State Department, shows which countries are quietly shaping the next world order - and why the biggest power shifts are happening far from the spotlight.
AI, Inflation, and the Dollar: The Hidden Forces Shaping the Economy Right Now
Inflation, interest rates, AI, tariffs, the dollar…
Most people treat them as separate stories but actually, they’re not.
Former Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jason Furman explains how these forces are all connected - and why most people are missing the bigger picture.
What’s really driving inflation, why the dollar’s power may be slipping, and why the biggest risk isn’t what most people are watching.
A conversation about the hidden forces shaping the economy - and what comes next.
Did Apple Accidentally Help Build China’s Manufacturing Empire?
“We trained a whole country.”
It sounds like an exaggeration.
It’s not - according to Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China.
So what actually happened in China?
The Hidden Iran Risk No One Is Talking About
Iran briefly showed it could choke off a waterway carrying nearly a fifth of the world’s oil.
That’s the visible threat.
The real risk may be something else entirely.
Former Deputy National Security Advisor and U.S. Special Representative to Iran Elliott Abrams breaks down where Iran's strategy backfired, whether those in power in Tehran can hold on, and why the most dangerous consequence could outlast the war itself.
After the War: 3 Surprising Truths About the Middle East - with Ambassador Dan Kurtzer (#295)
Is the war with Iran actually a turning point for the Middle East?
Dan Kurtzer - former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and Egypt, advisor to presidents, peace negotiator and professor at Princeton - has seen these moments up close, when expectations surge - and the outcome looks nothing like the promise.
His unfiltered take on Iran - and what actually changes after a war like this.
The Quiet War: How Countries Fight Without Firing a Shot
A few paragraphs from Washington once stopped oil tankers in their tracks halfway around the world - no navy, no missiles.
Eddie Fishman, who helped design and implement U.S. sanctions and economic warfare policies, explains how these quiet battles shape global power.
If countries can inflict real damage without firing a shot, what does power look like in this new kind of war - and how vulnerable are we?
Highlights of 2025
Some insights change how you see the world.
From the White House to the frontiers of AI drug discovery, we’ve gathered the most powerful moments from a year of extraordinary conversations.
This 2025 highlights episode brings you the thinkers and leaders who challenged assumptions, revealed hidden patterns, and reframed the biggest questions of our time.
What US Ambassador to China Nick Burns Saw That Terrified Him
Nicholas Burns spent 2021 to 2025 in Beijing as US Ambassador to China, witnessing up close the forces shaping the world's most dangerous rivalry.
Sitting across from Xi Jinping and living in China, he saw firsthand how dangerously close the world is to a crisis. Some of it genuinely terrified him.
Our conventional wisdom about China? Outdated. And dangerously wrong.
In this episode, he reveals the alarming "nightmare scenario" almost no one is talking about, why a single unanswered phone call could spark disaster, and what we're getting wrong about China and what China is getting wrong about us.
All from someone who lived it.
What Putin Really Wants — with Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul
When Vladimir Putin first rose to power, few expected him to become the world’s most confrontational autocrat. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who has studied and worked with Putin for decades, explains what changed — and why.
From paranoia about democracy to the drive to rebuild Russia’s sphere of influence, McFaul shows how personal power and national destiny became one and the same. His insights reveal not just who Putin is, but what he wants next.
Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on What Xi and Putin Are Really Like Behind Closed Doors
Jake Sullivan spent four years at the highest level of U.S. foreign policy—sitting across the table from Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and leading the national response to crises like Ukraine, Taiwan, cyberattacks, and AI risks.
He shares a rare look behind the scenes of global power, including: what intelligence gets wrong (and why); how AI, drones & disinformation are reshaping war; why the U.S. is more vulnerable than it seems and what a China-Taiwan conflict might actually look like.
His insights are sharp, urgent—and surprisingly personal.
Why America’s Poorest State Is Richer Than France
Mississippi is richer than France. No, really. The poorest U.S. state now has a higher GDP per person than France, the U.K., Italy, and Spain. How did that happen? Don’t miss this eye-opening episode with George Mason University's Tyler Cowen.
The U.S. Alone Can’t Compete with China. Here’s What Absolutely Can.
China is on the march, is very determined, and has some significant advantages over the U.S. What are they and how should we respond?
Two esteemed China experts, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and National Security Council Deputy Senior Director for China Rush Doshi, say the key is to counter China’s enormous scale by finding common cause with allies. Listen, and learn a lot.
Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO James Stavridis Does Not Mince Words
When Admiral James Stavridis (Ret) talks, everyone from Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump listens. Here, the brilliant former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO shares his thoughts on the U.S. relationship with China; how to fundamentally remake the Middle East; why the U.S. buying Greenland isn’t as crazy as it sounds; the impact of AI on the power of nations; and more.
Top Takeaways of 2024
The episode you’ve been waiting for is here: our Top Takeaways of 2024. Listen to some of the world’s smartest, most influential thinkers, business leaders, innovators, technologists, and other newsmakers — including Eric Schmidt, Mellody Hobson, Atul Gawande, Fareed Zakaria, Jill Abramson, Stephen Breyer, Niall Ferguson and others. You don’t want to miss this episode.
AI: How It’s Being Used Now, What’s Next, and What’s After That
There’s a lot being said about AI these days that’s science fiction. One person who knows the facts is David Schmaier, President and Chief Product Officer of Salesforce. Here, he talks in detail about the many unseen ways AI is being used now, how it will profoundly stimulate innovation and benefit humanity, the rise of robots, and more.
The Search for Another Earth
Is there another planet in the universe like Earth? Is there life elsewhere? And if so, how advanced is it? Join us as Sara Seager — astronomer, planet hunter, MIT professor, and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient — presents a mind-blowing progress report on the rigorous search for Earth’s planetary twin and other life in the universe.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea
China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are all determined to subvert America. Nobody knows more about this than former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who has worked for three presidents and five secretaries of state. Hear what this foreign policy expert says America must do to remain dominant, how AI will impact the world order, and much more.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt on AI: Shaping the Next Era of Humanity
Eric Schmidt is astonishing. Here, the former CEO of Google and one of the world’s most brilliant technologists talks with visionary wisdom about Artificial Intelligence and its impact on business, healthcare, warfare, climate change, human survival and more. Don’t miss this chance to learn how AI powers we have not yet imagined will affect our daily lives.
Eric’s new book, which is wonderful, is Genesis.
200 Billion Animals Are Killed for Food Each Year
Chew on this: Approximately 200 billion animals are raised for food each year, often in horrific conditions. The contribution of these animals to climate change is greater than the emissions of all the cars being driven around the world. There is a solution. Listen, as Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer explains both the problem and a simple answer.