In this week's Words & Numbers, Ant and James tackle the misunderstood world of corporate stock buybacks—are they economic malpractice or just savvy business? The duo then pivots to publicly funded media, taking aim at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and questioning its continued reliance on taxpayer dollars in an age of abundant private alternatives. They also examine the federal government's rare (and tiny) budget surplus in June, dissecting whether it's a meaningful trend or a sta...
Jul 23, 2025•37 min•Ep. 441
In this episode of Words & Numbers, James and Ant announce their new partnership with CiVL and reflect on the state of modern life. Using Jurassic World and a Nobel Prize winner’s comments as a springboard, they unpack the economics of innovation, incentives, and monopolies. They take on popular claims that life has gotten worse—breaking down the real costs of housing, cars, and higher education over time—and challenge the doom-and-gloom narrative with hard data and perspective. The debut of...
Jul 16, 2025•56 min•Ep. 440
Words and Numbers is a CiVL Original Podcast. Join CiVL for member-exclusive access to our show, bonus content, and live Q&As. https://civl.com/ Get 50% off your annual subscription with code: WORDSANDNUMBERS Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music...
Jul 09, 2025•35 min•Ep. 439
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.pgpf.org/article/the-ratio-of-workers-to-social-security-beneficiaries-is-at-a-low-and-projected-to-decline-further/ https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/TR02/lr5A3-h.html https://www.newsweek.com/mcdonalds-june-boycott-what-know-2087469 Foolishness of ...
Jul 02, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 438
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60392 https://sciencenews.dk/en/the-stem-cell-race-to-rewire-the-parkinsons-brain Foolishness of the Week https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/19/politics/trump-non-working-holidays-juneteenth https://polyhymnia.org/2025/06/19/junete...
Jun 25, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 437
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.pcmag.com/news/chatgpt-gets-absolutely-wrecked-in-chess-match-with-1978-atari https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/564133/marines-carry-out-first-known-detention-of-civilian-in-los-angeles Foolishness of the Week https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/14/busi...
Jun 18, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 436
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/trading-investing/us-debt-downgrade https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/social-cohesion-poverty-top-agenda-at-milei-pope-meeting.phtml https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/democrats-young-male-voters-2024-r...
Jun 11, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 435
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://thehill.com/business/housing/5326389-homesellers-outnumber-buyers-housing-market/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/gabbard-considering-ways-revamp-trumps-intelligence-briefing-rcna209805 Words & Numbers...
Jun 04, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 434
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://x.com/TopShelfSports0/status/1923122877366161873 Foolishness of the Week https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/pennsylvania-kindergartener-jello-shots-rcna207337 Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More Jam...
May 28, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 433
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ais-threat-to-google-just-got-real-8280b4ee Foolishness of the Week https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/09/trump-intelligence-briefing-frequency-00338946 Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/1300294576...
May 21, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 432
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.domusweb.it/en/news/2025/05/05/bag-leather-dinosaur-t-rex.html https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/skilled-trades-high-school-recruitment-fd9f8257 https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed48.asp https://www.mediaite.com/politics/you-have-n...
May 14, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 431
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/fake-job-seekers-use-ai-to-interview-for-remote-jobs-tech-ceos-say.html https://fortune.com/article/slate-auto-20000-dollar-electric-pickup-jeff-bezos/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.motor1.com/news/698055/toyota-13000-...
May 07, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 430
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.npr.org/2025/04/21/nx-s1-5371312/trump-white-house-pete-hegseth-defense-department Foolishness of the Week https://www.mediaite.com/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-declares-evil-is-being-defeated-by-the-hand-of-god-in-apparent-celebration-of-po...
Apr 30, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 429
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-spends-tens-of-millions-of-dollars-on-people-playing-please-and-thank-you-but-sam-altman-says-its-worth-it https://gptforwork.com/tools/openai-chatgpt-api-pricing-calculator https://www.ms...
Apr 23, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 428
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/trump-hater-of-evs-says-hes-buying-a-tesla-66553ef8?st=8QPVxR&reflink=article_imessage_share https://interestingengineering.com/energy/device-capture-electricity-earth-rotational-dynamics Foolishness of the Week https...
Apr 16, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 427
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rosie-odonnell-feels-healthier-fleeing-204508142.html Foolishness of the Week https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/03/campaign-to-decolonize-shakespeares-hometown-exposes-deis-double-standards/ Topic of the Week https://w...
Apr 09, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 426
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies Let Us Know What You Thi...
Apr 02, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 425
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/new-deepfake-detector-inspects-pixels-to-uncover-falsehoods-on-your-phone-within-6-seconds/ https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-correction-sp-wall-street-904910323785d377a7d61023df450b72 Foolishness of the Week http...
Mar 26, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 424
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://shoppress.dormanproducts.com/right-to-repair-act-explained/ https://www.wpr.org/news/lawmakers-attorney-general-right-to-repair-farm-equipment-wisconsin https://www.wfmj.com/story/52519599/mega-millions-ticket-prices-are-set-to-increase-in-april Fo...
Mar 19, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 423
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.iflscience.com/struggling-over-a-big-life-decision-math-says-you-should-use-the-37-percent-rule-77590 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-demographic-economics/article/gary-beckers-contribution-to-the-economics-of-matching-and-ma...
Mar 12, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 422
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://health.amazon.com/prime?ref_=nav_cs_all_health_ingress_onem_highlight_aom https://www.live5news.com/2025/01/14/pizzagate-gunman-killed-by-police-north-carolina-after-traffic-stop-authorities-say/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.bbc.com/news/art...
Mar 05, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 421
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Topic of the Week https://www.libertycon.com Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.yout...
Feb 26, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 420
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/att-complies-with-law-requiring-cheap-internet-by-ending-a-service-in-ny/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/city-killer-asteroid-odds-hitting-earth-increase-webb-telescope/ https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-chelsea-...
Feb 19, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 419
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Topic of the Week https://www.samford.edu/business/directory/Carden-Art https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Economics-Lessons-Ordinary-Business Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtub...
Feb 12, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 418
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.npr.org/2025/01/03/nx-s1-5247840/net-neutrality-fcc-struck https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/01/02/net-neutrality-rules-struck-down/77412883007/ Foolishness of the Week https://nypost.com/2025/01/02/opinion/jonathan-lesser-hochuls-frack...
Feb 05, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 417
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.history.com/news/why-do-we-have-daylight-saving-time https://apnews.com/article/trump-daylight-saving-time-36ccbf61bea70aaac0f5c43b8029957c https://apnews.com/article/college-tuition-cost-5e69acffa7ae11300123df028eac5321 Foolishness of the Week...
Jan 29, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 416
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/last-year-boston-murder-rate-was-lowest-ever-this-year-it-was-cut-nearly-in-half-again/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/191223/reported-murder-and-nonnegligent-manslaughter-rate-in-the-us-since-1990/ https://www.vice.com...
Jan 22, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 415
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/last-year-boston-murder-rate-was-lowest-ever-this-year-it-was-cut-nearly-in-half-again/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/191223/reported-murder-and-nonnegligent-manslaughter-rate-in-the-us-since-1990/ https://www.vice.com...
Jan 15, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 414
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Quick Hits https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/investing/2024/12/27/yellen-says-treasury-to-hit-new-debt-limit-in-mid-january/ Foolishness of the Week https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/bible-removed-texas-school-district-876267 Words & Numbers Backstage https://www....
Jan 08, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 413
Get Your Copy of Cooperation and Coercion Now! http://www.cooperationandcoercion.com See More Ant and James! http://www.wordsandnumbers.org Show Your Support for Words & Numbers at Patreon https://www.patreon.com/wordsandnumbers Words & Numbers Backstage https://www.facebook.com/groups/130029457649243/ More James at Smoke & Stories https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjILow4-ZJpBV-NnmSusZJ_vCuzKUJ4Ig More Ant on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/antonydavies Let Us Know What You Thi...
Jan 01, 2025•29 min•Season 1Ep. 412
