Ben Smith is one of the most influential media and politics reporters today. Smith was one of the first reporters at politico and went on to become the founding editor of Buzzfeed News. He was a must-read media columnist at the NY Times and is now co-founder of global media outlet, Semafor . Smith is out with a new book, Traffic – Genius, Rivalry and Delusion in the Billion Dollar Race to Go Viral . It chronicles the rise and decline of Buzzfeed and Gawker and the online ascent of right-wing pop...
May 01, 2023•28 min
This is a wide-ranging and honest conversation about aging, honesty, grief, anxiety and finding joy in life with the remarkable Paulina Porizkova. She is a longtime supermodel, actress and author. We talk about the inspiration behind her debut book No Filter: The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful. It's a stunning collection of essays and observations about life, and it's available today. We chat about everything from social expectations of women to fighting ageism, managing anxiety– the death of ...
Feb 15, 2023•38 min
Republicans held the House. Democrats the Senate. But the margins couldn’t be slimmer. And the standoff ahead of 2024 is already taking shape. Can anything get done? Is a next generation of leadership ready to take the helm? And will the policies that you care about even make the agenda? We answer those questions with two experts: Jake Sherman, founder of Punchbowl News, a media company all about Capitol Hill. He's covered national politics for more than a decade. And Margaret Talev, the managin...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min
The big loser in the 2022 midterms: conventional wisdom. The late punditry was all wrong. Enthusiasm was high on both sides. There was no red wave. Women did turn out to vote on abortion. Trumpism suffered some body blows and election deniers did not sweep the board. Importantly voters seemed motivated by multiple issues at once – which shouldn’t be shocking but was discounted by the pundits in the final days of the campaign. To break down what we know right now, what it means for issues you car...
Nov 10, 2022•19 min
Former presidential candidate-turned-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a pricey task before him: how to spend $600 billion over 5 years to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure. He sat down with News Not Noise to tell us about some of those projects and how he believes they’ll benefit citizens across the nation. We tackle some big issues: inflation, climate change, the DOT’s work to ease holiday travel challenges and the midterms: why democracy is on the ballot this year. He tells us why...
Nov 04, 2022•28 min
Mortgage rates have doubled in the last year. Housing prices are coming down in some markets, but inventory is limited. And rents continue to rise. So we spoke to Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen. She tracks housing market trends to help buyers, renters and sellers make informed decisions. In this episode Olsen answers your questions including: is it better to rent or buy right now? When’s a good time to sell? And how should we think about rising mortgage rates? She also compares house prices...
Oct 28, 2022•30 min
America is adrift due to polarization, inequality, greed, corruption, bad behavior. And one of the key solutions to this is to strengthen the middle class That’s what Scott Galloway argues in his new book, “Adrift: America in 100 Charts,” already on the New York Times Bestseller list. Scott Galloway is a Professor of Marketing at NYU’s Stern School of Business and co-host of the Pivot podcast and host of the Prof G pod. In this interview Galloway explains why he believes building up the middle c...
Oct 19, 2022•47 min
What are NFTs? What's the difference between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies? And should you still spend time learning about them given the recent volatility in the crypto market? Our answer: yes. Blockchain and the new digital technologies it’s spawned aren’t going away. New investments in this space by Meta, Microsoft and other big players mean some of these technologies will probably part of your future, soon. In this episode, we speak with expert Brit Morin who offers clear explanations f...
Oct 12, 2022•36 min
Women's greatest strengths in the workplace are also their most underestimated. That’s what CNBC senior media & tech reporter Julia Boorstin explains in her new book, "When Women Lead." Boorstin sat with sixty powerhouse female CEOs and leaders. In the book, she weaves their stories together with research on the most effective strategies women CEOs deploy at work. She provides invaluable lessons for anyone in the workplace. In this conversation, Boorstin explains how women like Katrina Lake,...
Oct 05, 2022•45 min
Unemployment is down but inflation is up. Layoffs are at new lows, but unfilled positions are near record highs. Why are experts calling the economy "weird"? Here to explain is Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. He's the host of Inside Economics podcast, the co-founder of Economy.com, a trusted advisor for policymakers and expert for journalists, business leaders and consumers. According to Zandi, wage growth is strong, but inflationary pressures were mounting before the pandemic....
Sep 28, 2022•48 min
The Dobbs Voter. Will she make all the difference in November? After the Dobbs decision overturning Roe V Wade there’s been a surge in new voter registration among women. These voters are young and lean left. Is their enthusiasm to vote matched by equal enthusiasm on the other side? What does the data tell us and what can we expect in November? We discuss it all with a panel of experts who are paying close attention to the ways the Court’s abortion ruling is shifting political expectations. Laur...
Sep 21, 2022•58 min
Vasectomies are on the rise, ever since the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe versus Wade. Because plenty of men are also interested in avoiding unwanted pregnancies. So would they be willing to do what women do and take birth control? Some male birth control products are showing promising signs in clinical trials. So how far are we from bringing male birth control to market? Would men be willing to take it? And what’s the hold up – why doesn’t this exist already? The group of experts we ga...
Sep 14, 2022•53 min
The department of education estimates that 45 million students have borrowed up to $1.6 trillion in student loans from the federal government. Now the White House has announced plans to forgive all or some debt for millions of Americans. In this episode we talk to policy experts with differing political views. We get their perspective on this debt forgiveness plan. They also answer your questions about how the program works. Doug Holtz-Eaken is president and founder of the American Action Forum,...
Sep 07, 2022•54 min
Finland’s female prime minister scandalized critics by getting caught on video, wait for it, dancing with friends. One of Canada’s most esteemed anchors was fired, after an executive expressed disappointment in her decision to stop coloring her grey hair. But Gen Z isn’t having it. Instead of conforming to project the perfect life, they’re going the other way: bragging to their online audiences about their failures, oddities and dramas. Today we’re talking about public image. How expectations fo...
Aug 31, 2022•53 min
School boards have become political battlegrounds. Culture wars are centering on the classroom and teachers – underpaid and often feeling unsafe and unheard – are increasingly exiting the profession. None of this is improving the reality for students who are struggling with unprecedented learning loss and mental health challenges as a result of the pandemic. In this podcast we talk with a group of people who are working on solutions. Emma Bloomberg, the founder and CEO of Murmuration, is working...
Aug 24, 2022•46 min
The White House has declared a national health emergency for monkeypox. How is it passed, what are the telltale signs you’ve contracted it,what do we know about the vaccine and how to stay safe. We discuss this as well as the latest news about a polio spread in New York, an uptick in lyme disease and the latest advice about when to get a COVID booster. Our experts are the co-hosts of the Unbiased Science Pod, podcast. Dr. Jessica Steier is an expert on public health policy, biostatistics and adv...
Aug 10, 2022•54 min
In this episode we dive into the roots of depression, how antidepressants work, and additional treatments that are proven effective at improving wellbeing and mood. The News Not Noise audience reacted with intense emotion when we reported on a recent umbrella study concluding that decades of research shows that a lack of serotonin is not the root driver of depression overall. So we decided to ask experts about the latest research on depression and interventions including antidepressants, psyched...
Aug 03, 2022•54 min
A network of organizations is helping pregnant people and health care workers in states that are banning and restriction abortion. How does it work, what resources do they offer and what does the future look like? We dig into all this plus, a closer look at the ways these new restrictions are harming people who are trying to start families as well. I speak to Oriaku Njoku, the Executive Director for the National Network of Abortion Funds, which helpswith financial and logistical access to aborti...
Jul 27, 2022•54 min
What kind of effect is Florida’s Don’t Say Gay Bills having in schools? I discuss this plus discuss this plus other states considering anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ next moves with two experts: Cathryn Oakley, State Legislative Director, and Senior Counsel at Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy group and political advocacy organization in the US; and Marc Caputo, Florida based National political reporter at NBC News Digital. This conversation was held l...
Jul 20, 2022•49 min
A year and a half after rioters stormed the Capitol, the Jan. 6th Committee’s public hearings are revealing why that mob headed to the Capitol and what role Trump and his team played. In this week’s episode of the News Not Noise Podcast, I speak with US attorney and national security prosecutor Barb McQuade and Alan Rozenshtein, senior editor at Lawfare and associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School. We discuss the new evidence uncovered through the Jan 6 hearings. The ...
Jul 13, 2022•58 min
How will the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe V. Wade change reproductive choices and even personal health in states across the country? Hillary Schneller, a Senior Staff Attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights and co-counsel on the Dobbs case, Jodi Hicks, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, and Mary Ziegler, a legal expert on the history of abortion in America, all join this discussion which we originally held live on the Clubhouse app. They answer your question...
Jul 06, 2022•56 min
In a staggering decision the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping away 50 years of an established right to an abortion for women and girls in America. In this conversation Ben Wittes, editor in chief of Lawfare and a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, breaks down the ruling. He offers a calm and sober explanation of what it means for pregnant people in states that will ban abortion, and what other rights might fall as a result of this decision. We al...
Jun 25, 2022•35 min
What criminal charges could come from the January 6th investigation? Could anyone other than Trump get charged? And what might that look like. Loyola Law School professor and constitutional law expert Jessica Levinson walks us through the possible charges, why Trump’s state of mind matters so much, the evidence to date, and the difficult questions involved in prosecuting a former President of the United States. We also discuss the legal issues related to actions by Rudy Giuliani, Justice Clarenc...
Jun 22, 2022•24 min
Antigone Davis is the head of global safety at META, the company that owns Instagram and Facebook. Here we discuss new tools the company has just released to give teens with mental health challenges a more positive experience using the product. We discuss how the tools work, what problems they’re meant to remedy and what else the company can or should do to ensure their products are safe for children. News Not Noise delivers its news on Instagram, and its newsletter through the Bulletin writers ...
Jun 15, 2022•27 min
The Uvalde and Buffalo shootings were two of at least 18 mass shooting incidents in the US in 2022. How did we get here? Why do we accept this? And what can you do to move the needle? In this special episode, Shannon Watts of Mothers Demand Action and Becky Pringle of the National Education Association answer some of your many questions. Among them: why lawmakers are loathe to pass gun safety reforms supported by the majority of Americans. What teachers are prepared to do to make schools safer. ...
Jun 08, 2022•44 min
We know about the most famous speeches, but what about the ones that were never delivered? Presidential Speechwriter Jeffrey Nussbaum took a look at some of history’s most influential speeches left undelivered. He shares a poignant story Hillary Clinton planned to recount in her victory speech, had she won the 2016 US Presidential Election. We learn about John Lewis’ intention to make his speech at the March on Washington in 1963 during the Civil Rights much more fiery, and how a verbal misstep ...
Jun 01, 2022•30 min
Are rumors that Putin has cancer true? What are the chances WNBA star Brittney Griner is released soon? And what does it mean if Finland and Sweden join NATO, quickly? Political scientist Ian Bremmer shares his insight on these topics and the future of the fight against Russia in Ukraine in this episode. We also get into his new book, “The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats – and Our Response – Will Change the World.” He argues that three new crises will force change on us, that will lead to a m...
May 25, 2022•27 min
The 18-year-old gunman who opened fire on a Buffalo grocery store over the weekend, killing 10 mostly Black victims, cited the ”Great Replacement Theory” in his manifesto. So what is that, exactly? And how does it find its way into mainstream culture? This conversation with the Anti-Defamation League’s Jonathan Greenblatt was taped just days before that shooting. Here Greenblatt explains the origins of the troubling conspiracy theory that motivated the shooter. We discuss Tucker Carlson, extremi...
May 18, 2022•30 min
After retiring as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer founded USAFacts, to make government data accessible to the general public. He wants to help Americans understand how the government spends our money and why. So every year at tax time USAFacts releases an annual 10-K report on government financial performance – something public companies are already required to do. He thinks the government should be required to turn out the same kind of report, but until they do he’s got it covered. His annual 10k i...
May 11, 2022•25 min
Roe v. Wade is in jeopardy. This week Politico published a draft Supreme Court decision that, if issued, would overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe v Wade. It would immediately ban or restrict access to abortion for people in about half the states. What are abortion rights advocates doing to prepare? In California, they are preparing to create an abortion sanctuary state open to people from across the country. On this week’s episode of the News Not Noise Podcast, we speak with Planned Paren...
May 04, 2022•22 min
