( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) The Los Angeles fires were not preventable, virtually nothing could have been done to prevent the devastation. While it's natural for people to see...
Jan 24, 2025•22 min
The phrase "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" actually started as a joke—because, let’s face it, it’s physically impossible. So how did this absurd notion become one of the most unshakable ideas in American culture? The truth is, the ideals of self-reliance and hustle have always been more myth than reality. This week, Adam sits down with Adam Chandler, author of 99% Perspiration, to explore how the myth of hard work and hustle culture has been weaponized to keep the rich richer, while the re...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Southern California has been utterly decimated by wildfires, with the neighborhoods of Pacific Palisades and Altadena being virtually leveled to the ground. In this special episode, released outside of our usual schedule, Adam sits down with UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain to unpack what really happened—both in terms of the environmental factors and the disaster response, and to dispel the misinformation swirling around these devastating fires. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.p...
Jan 19, 2025•1 hr 19 min
As the effects of climate change ravage our world, we have no choice but to fight back. While it may feel like a hopeless endeavor, the truth is that we have the power to make a difference through collective action. This week, Adam sits down with Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the Sunrise Movement, to discuss how we can drive meaningful change toward a greener future, particularly in light of the upcoming U.S. political administration. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 10 min
So much of today’s political policy is shaped by the public perception of crime—but what if that perception isn’t accurate to begin with? Donald Trump essentially won the election by spinning tall tales of record-level violent crime, and instead of pushing back, the Democrats mostly went along with it. But are things really as bad as they seem? And would we even know if they were? This week, Adam sits down with Jeff Asher, a leading expert on crime data and co-founder of the analytics firm AH Da...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Global fertility rates are dropping, and while this might initially seem like a solution to overpopulation concerns, it also signals major challenges ahead. A generational imbalance could spell disaster for social security, elder care, and the workforce needed to combat climate change. This week, Adam sits down with Dr. Alice Evans to explore the causes behind declining birthrates, the consequences they could bring, and how society's failure to break harmful gender role expectations for men impa...
Jan 01, 2025•1 hr 20 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) Being part of a political party used to actually mean something other than being hounded for money over text and being disappointed by your choice ...
Dec 30, 2024•18 min
Amazon workers are on strike! It’s no shock that employees are pushing back against the invasive, abusive, and grueling practices of one of the world’s largest corporations. What is surprising, though, is that they managed to form a union at all. Stephen Maing and Brett Story’s astonishing new documentary Union tells the inspiring story of how workers fought against all odds to claim victory over the corporate giant. This week, Adam talks with Stephen and Brett about the uphill battles these wor...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 10 min
California has the fifth-largest economy in the world, the biggest population of any U.S. state, and it's just gosh darn beautiful. So why do Trump and his allies insist on portraying it as a dystopian nightmare? While it’s tempting to dismiss their rhetoric as partisan fearmongering, the truth is California faces serious, long-standing challenges. This week, Adam sits down with California State Senator Scott Wiener—one of the state’s most influential and effective lawmakers—to dive into its ong...
Dec 18, 2024•41 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) Typically folks tend to be, uh, anti-murder... so what the hell is going on? Visit https://groundnews.com/factually to stay fully informed, see thr...
Dec 13, 2024•16 min
What the hell is going on with the Democratic Party? For the past eight years, it seemed like the party’s entire identity revolved around defeating Donald Trump. Now, Trump is returning to office with more power than ever, following a catastrophic 2024 election for the Democrats. This defeat has raised serious questions about the party’s strategy, messaging, and even its core identity. This week, Adam sits down with Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA 17th District) to unpack what went wrong in this ele...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 9 min
The war in Gaza has been going on for over a year, killing 44,000 Gazans and leaving countless others injured or displaced. With no ceasefire on the horizon, the question remains: where do things go from here? This week, Adam is joined by Palestinian-American historian Rashid Khalidi, author of The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017, to examine the ongoing devastation in Gaza and what possibilities, if any, exist for a path forward. Find R...
Dec 04, 2024•1 hr 18 min
The left lost hard this election, and it warrants a deep examination of what the ideals of the Democratic party even stands for. Are voters on the left represented by their party anymore, or is it time to consider alternative means to enacting progressive change? This week, Adam speaks with Maurice Mitchell, National Director of the Working Families Party, about how activists on the left can build power and effect change. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/adamconover SEE ADAM ...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 49 min
When it comes to police reform, one of the most glaring and urgent issues is the unchecked power of sheriff departments. Once elected, sheriffs face almost no oversight and are nearly impossible to remove from office. This lack of accountability has led to widespread corruption, with some departments acting as though they’re above the law. Even more disturbing is the existence of actual police gangs, like those found within the LA County Sheriff’s Department, operating with impunity under this b...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter was an unmitigated catastrophe on multiple fronts, but it’s hard to ignore how it ultimately became a powerful tool in helping Donald Trump get elected. Was this Musk's plan all along back in 2022, or just another example of his infantile, buffoonish behavior with no real consequences? In this episode, recorded before the election, Adam sits down with New York Times technology reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac, authors of Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed ...
Nov 13, 2024•1 hr 27 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) Congratulations to Elon Musk on his historic White House win, this definitely won't be bad for all of us! Visit https://groundnews.com/factually to...
Nov 12, 2024•12 min
This week’s election was a decisive win for Donald Trump. While it was once reasonable to view this racist, sexist, plutocratic, transphobic, criminal as an outlier in American politics, it’s time to face the reality that he is American politics. In this special episode, Adam sits down with journalist Jamelle Bouie to discuss the sweeping changes a second Trump presidency will likely bring to the American political system—and how those changes will shape the rest of our lives. SUPPORT THE SHOW O...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 21 min
We all know the ultra-wealthy look for ways to dodge paying taxes, but when you have enough money, this game goes global. From Swiss bank accounts to international business consultants, there’s an entire network dedicated to helping the rich hide their money and avoid paying their fair share. This week, Adam sits down with journalist and author Atossa Araxia Abrahamian to discuss her book, The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World, and uncover the shady tricks the wealthy are using on a globa...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 3 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) It's time to ask what you're hoping to accomplish by worrying about the election. Visit https://groundnews.com/factually to stay fully ...
Nov 04, 2024•13 min
On paper, the economy is doing great—the stock market is strong, unemployment is low, and inflation has dropped significantly. So why does it still feel like everything is awful? Economic commentator Kyla Scanlon coined the term "vibecession" to describe this very disconnect. This week, Adam sits down with Kyla to talk about the vibecession, why the basics of economics can be so hard for most people to understand, and her new book, In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work. Find Kyla...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 24 min
Why are so many of our politicians so old? While age can bring wisdom and experience, it can also result in leaders who are out of touch with their constituents or simply no longer effective at their job. This problem has a name: the gerontocracy. This week, Adam sits down with UC Berkeley associate professor Jake Grumbach to discuss why American politicians seem to really start their careers when they reach retirement age, and explore the other issues with our democracy that stem from the same ...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr 16 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) Elon Musk is not a champion of free speech, and never has been. Here's why. Visit https://groundnews.com/factually to stay fully informed, see thro...
Oct 22, 2024•15 min
The video game industry is raking in more money than ever, but it's also in complete crisis. In the past couple of years, we've seen countless development studios shuttered and tens of thousands of workers laid off, all while the cost of making and buying games keeps skyrocketing. How did one of the world's most successful industries end up in such a state of instability? This week, Adam sits down with Jason Schreier, a Bloomberg reporter covering the video game industry and author of Play Nice:...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 34 min
Fashion is one of the most overlooked ways we express ourselves. What we wear tells stories about our time, place, class, gender, and so much more. So, it’s a real shame that fashion—especially men’s fashion—often gets brushed off as frivolous or dismissed (wrongfully) as “too feminine.” This week, Adam chats with menswear writer and Twitter icon Derek Guy about the fascinating history of men’s fashion and where we stand in today’s style landscape. SUPPORT THE SHOW ON PATREON: https://www.patreo...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 20 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) It’s no surprise that JD Vance was lying during his recent debate with Tim Walz—but let’s be real, Walz wasn’t being totally truthful either. The f...
Oct 08, 2024•13 min
The AI hype train has officially left the station, and it's speeding so fast it might just derail. This isn't because of what AI can actually do, it's all because of how it's marketed. This week, Adam sits with Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, computer scientists at Princeton and co-authors of "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference." Together, they break down everything from tech that's labeled as "AI" but really isn’t, to surprising ...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Last year alone, 880,000 people fell victim to cybercrime, losing a staggering $12.5 billion. While cybercrime might seem like an unstoppable epidemic, much of it is actually preventable. The problem isn't that computers or software are too weak—it's that people are too easily fooled. This week, Adam talks with Rachel Tobac, an ethical hacker and CEO of SocialProof Security, to debunk common myths about hacking and share simple steps people can take to minimize their risk of becoming targets. SU...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 5 min
( In addition to your weekly Factually! episode, this week we're bringing you a monologue from Adam. This short, researched monologue originally aired on the Factually! YouTube page, but we are sharing audio versions of these monologues with our podcast audience as well. Please enjoy, and stay tuned for your regularly scheduled episode of Factually!) Let’s be absolutely clear: Haitian migrants are not eating people’s pets in Ohio. This absurd lie, pushed by J.D. Vance and Donald Trump, isn’t jus...
Sep 24, 2024•13 min
America is in the middle of a massive housing crisis, with a shortage of 4 to 7 million homes compared to the demand. The solution seems simple—just build more homes—but getting there is a lot trickier than it sounds. This week, Adam sits down with journalist Jerusalem Demsas, author of On the Housing Crisis: Land, Development, Democracy , to break down the real reasons behind the housing shortage and explore what we can actually do to get more people into homes. Find Jerusalem's book at factual...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 23 min
The DNC highlighted just how much the Democratic Party is in a state of transition. With Harris picking Walz as her running mate and their shared focus on the middle class, combined with the convention putting AOC front and center as a rising star, it seems like the party could finally be shifting further to the left. But at the same time, key progressive issues like a ceasefire in Gaza or addressing climate change were noticeably absent. This week, Adam sits down with Osita Nwanevu, columnist f...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 12 min
