Best Green Bench Productions Podcasts (2025)

1
Why are Hobbies So Damn Expensive Now? 1:18:03

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5d ago1:18:03

1:18:03

Hello! Today we take a break from politics and talk about hobbies and a thing that Tyler coined “hobby inflation” where everything from clay pigeons to green fees to surfboards to knitting tools have all skyrocketed in price since the pandemic. What does this mean to the future of “doing fun s**t” and how does it dovetail with the never-ending rise…

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Kimmel, Free Speech, and the University as the New Church with Zena Hitz 1:37:06

13d ago1:37:06

1:37:06

Hello, Today, we have back on one of our favorite guests, Zena Hitz, a philosopher who teaches at St. John’s College. We talk about Kimmel’s canceling and uncanceling, the history of free speech in a conformist country like America, and the university’s place as the crucible for all discourse refereeing. Is this a good thing or is the modern univer…

1
Charlie Kirk and Do We Need Better Debates with John Ganz 1:24:42

20d ago1:24:42

1:24:42

Hello! This week we talk about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, what he meant to the GOP and the right, in general, and the space he occupied within the broader political discourse. Our guest this week is John Ganz of Unpopular Front. *Apologies in advance for a shift in audio in the middle — Kang’s internet kept freaking out and we had to switch…

1
Trump Raids His Own Hyundai Plant, Chicago, and the Return of the NFL 1:12:49

27d ago1:12:49

1:12:49

Hello! This week we talk about the ICE raid of the Hyundai plant under construction in Georgia, the incoherence of the Trump agenda, the threat of national guardsmen being deployed in Chicago, Ezra Klein’s op-ed about the rise of authoritarianism and the lack of preparation within the Democratic party and we even talk some Week 1 NFL. Enjoy! This i…

1
What Can RFK Actually Do and the History of Anti-Vaccine Movements with Jonathan Berman 1:06:14

1M ago1:06:14

1:06:14

Hello! Today, we have on a promised guest, Jonathan M Berman, an assistant professor in Basic Sciences at New York Institute of Technology, Arkansas, the co-chair of the 2017 March for Science, and the author of a 2020 book called Anti-Vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement. In light of last week’s turmoil and spate of resignations and fi…

1
Trump Seizes the Means of Production and Zohran's Bench Press 1:01:08

1M ago1:01:08

1:01:08

Hello! Today we talk about Trump’s bid to create a sovereign wealth fund by investing in private companies, the parallels these actions have to his shakedowns of elite universities and Zohran’s attempt to throw up 135 on the bench press. We also talk about the “Badasses,” a group of Democrats who are trying to blend suburban mom vibes with their fo…

1
Has AI Sold Out? with Jessica Dai and Ben Recht 1:23:37

2M ago1:23:37

1:23:37

Hello! Today, we have on Jessica Dai and Ben Recht to talk about AI culture, Jessica’s prescient article from 2 years ago about alignment and the priorities of AI companies. What do these companies actually want? And who will define what AI culture is going forward? A bunch of frothy people on Twitter or will it just be the priorities of companies …

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Four Years of New York City that Changed the World with Jonathan Mahler 1:03:32

2M ago1:03:32

1:03:32

Hello, This week, we have a long talk with an author we both have admired for a while, Jonathan Mahler. His new book, The Gods of New York: Egoists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990, is a chronicle of how a four year stretch in New York City laid down the groundwork for a new city, one that fully separated itself…

1
Marjorie Taylor Greene pulls in the Horseshoe and Gilded Age Takes 1:11:53

2M ago1:11:53

1:11:53

Hello! Today we talk briefly about the Gilded Age (Jay is watching TV again) and what to make of Marjorie Taylor Greene’s statements about Gaza, America First, and foreign interventions. Is she trying to pull together the horseshoe? And will she actually succeed? Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers …

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Starvation in Gaza with Jeremy Konyndyk 52:42

2M ago52:42

52:42

Hello, Today, we have on Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees international and a longtime humanitarian and emergency operator. He has served in senior appointments in two U.S. administrations. He was the director of USAID’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance in the Obama administration and also worked in the Biden administration. Jerem…

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The ICE Fashion Show, Operator Cosplay and Masked Federal Agents with Patrick Hultgren 1:12:25

3M ago1:12:25

1:12:25

Hello! Today, we talk about what the hell ICE is wearing out in the streets of American cities, “operator cosplay” which is the phenomenon of yahoos dressing up like they’re in special forces, and we talk a whole lot about ICE’s policy of wearing masks in public. We also continue our long search for the pod’s Joe House and bring on Kang’s college r…

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Trump says 'nobody cares about Epstein' and the disastrous floods on the east coast 1:16:10

3M ago1:16:10

1:16:10

Hello! Today we talk about how the Epstein story and Schrodinger’s client list has fractured the right and whether this might finally be the thing that ol’ Donny Trump can’t wriggle out of. And we talk about climate change and the floods on the east coast as Tyler puts back on his environmental studies professor hat. Enjoy! This is a public episode…

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Zohran: The best, worst, and most likely case scenarios 1:31:15

3M ago1:31:15

1:31:15

Hello! Today, we talk a bit more about Zohran and go through our best and worst case scenarios for his reign in New York City. How will he deal with intensive media scrutiny? Will his immense political talent carry him through inevitable crises? And how will his victory change the Democratic party on the whole? Enjoy! This is a public episode. If y…

1
A New Book About Fake Work and Some Zohran Takes with Leigh Claire LaBerge 1:07:42

3M ago1:07:42

1:07:42

Hello! Today, we have on Leigh Claire LaBerge, a professor at CUNY and the author of Fake Work: How I Began to Suspect Capitalism is a Joke, a funny and touching look back at what it was like to be young, naive, and have your whole life in front of you in 1999. We talk about the late 90s, the need for a bit of humor on the left, and start off with …

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What Happened to the Anti-War Right with Sohrab Ahmari 1:14:24

3M ago1:14:24

1:14:24

Hello! Today, we welcome a guest from across the aisle to talk about what might be happening with the anti-war, anti-interventionist right in the face of Trump’s strikes against Iran. Sohrab Ahmari is the American editor of Unherd and the author of two books and one of the main intellectual forces shaping the ideas of a new right wing. A really gre…

1
The LA Protests and AI Invades The Ohio State 1:02:14

4M ago1:02:14

1:02:14

Hello! Today, we talk about the protests in LA, give a short timeline of what’s been happening and talk about all the silly discourse about how “the protesters” should “do x” as if every person at a protest is receiving a newsletter about message control or whatever. We also talk about the very weird situation at Ohio State which just basically gav…

1
Elon's Out! 1:17:06

4M ago1:17:06

1:17:06

Hello! Today, we talk about Elon being full out of government and think back on all our favorite moments, discuss the funniest conspiracy theories/rumors about his time in Washington and think a bit more about the influence of Big Tech in Washington. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access…

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The Biden Cover-Up and Why He Ran Again with Alex Thompson 55:34

4M ago55:34

55:34

Hello! Today, we have on Alex Thompson, co-author of the new book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, It’s Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” and all the reasons Joe Biden decided to run for President in 2024, what happened on that debate stage, how a small group of aides working for Joe and Jill Biden kept everyone in line, or…

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Empire of AI with Karen Hao 1:09:22

5M ago1:09:22

1:09:22

Hello! Today we have on repeat guest Karen Hao to talk about her new blockbuster book “Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI.” It’s an amazing, deeply reported book that somehow encapsulates the history of AI, Silicon Valley, and OpenAI while also making a needed and clear argument about how we should think about this technolog…

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Are White Men Allowed to Write Novels with Andrew Boryga 1:00:09

5M ago1:00:09

1:00:09

Hello! Today we take a break from Trump to bring back one of our favorite guests, Andrew Boryga, the novelist behind the brilliant book Victim, and the author of a funny and incisive substack. We talk about the latest compain-fest in the literary world about white millennial men and how they’re supposedly shut out of the fruits of culture like the …

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Pink Cadillacs and Pyramid Schemes with Bridget Read 1:18:43

5M ago1:18:43

1:18:43

Hello! Today we have on Bridget Read, the author of a great new book called “Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America.” (Out today!) We talk about the history of the MLM (multi-level marketing) from its alleged origins with the Yankee peddler and the frontier and the more insidious real story of eugenicists, scammers, and qua…

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How to Think and Read in a World of AI with Zena Hitz 1:26:43

5M ago1:26:43

1:26:43

Hello! Today we’re talking about a new essay in the New Yorker that asks how we might think about knowledge, learning, and the meaning of life in a world where Chat GPT replaces a lot of our core knowledge functions. To discuss this piece and its implications (and to argue back on it) we brought on Zena Hitz, a philosopher, a tutor at St. John’s Co…

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Betting on the Pope and the Fragile Trump Coalition 1:08:44

6M ago1:08:44

1:08:44

Hello! Today we’re talking Pope and the odds for each of the contenders. If you want a quick way to catch up with who the choices might be and what they represent politically, please tune in! Who is the continuation candidate? Who is the lib? And who is the arch right winger who only talks like an Elon Musk reply guy? And we talk a bit about the Tr…

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Corruption, Manufacturing, and the Future of the Country with Zephyr Teachout 1:09:50

6M ago1:09:50

1:09:50

Hello! This week we have on Zephyr Teachout, Professor at Law at Fordham University and columnist at the Nation, for a long talk about protectionism, neoliberalism, and how to capture the spirit of the country. Can liberals just sell free market capitalism and off-shoring to an angry public? Or will there have to be seem change in messaging that wi…

1
The Allure of Trad Factory Town and Tariff America 1:16:08

6M ago1:16:08

1:16:08

Hello! Today we talk about what the supporters of the tariffs might actually be thinking and why we might take the latest Trump gambit a little more seriously as a lasting movement/idea. What is it about the vision of a manufacturing/factory town America that seems like its so appealing to a portion of the population and how does nativism and “anti…

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A New Vision for the Democratic Party with Saikat Chakrabarti 1:01:45

6M ago1:01:45

1:01:45

Hello! Today we have on Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff for AOC and one of the formers leaders of the Justice Democrats. Saikat is currently running for Congress against Nancy Pelosi. We talk about the possibilities of a Democratic Tea Party, how progressives need to think about actually doing stuff, and a lot about housing. This was …

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SIGNALGATE! 1:16:48

7M ago1:16:48

1:16:48

We talk about SignalGate, Trump’s clown show problem, and a little bit about Richard Linklater’s “Waking Life” and why the Alex Jones from 25 years ago might have been ahead of his time. What does “combative centrism” mean? Does anyone actually care? All these topics and more discussed in this here episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like t…

1
It's Time for a Liberal Tea Party 1:07:13

7M ago1:07:13

1:07:13

Hello! This week we talk about the growing tea party vibes around the Democratic party, Schumer’s shame, the anti-establishment energy that’s emanating from the Blue MAGA base, and the new attempts to rebrand old ideas into new ones. Will anyone in the Democratic establishment survive the next decade? Or is it all over but the crying? Also we talk …

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What We Got Wrong During the Pandemic with Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee 1:16:47

7M ago1:16:47

1:16:47

Hello! Today we talk with the authors of “In Covid’s Wake: How our Politics Failed Us” by Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee. We talk about what we got wrong during the pandemic, how to battle groupthink, especially when it comes to science, and why so many people were willing to accept one version of public health without proper debate or questioning.…

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The Democrats Play Dead and Trump's Ukraine Reality Show 1:25:37

7M ago1:25:37

1:25:37

Hello! Today we talk about the big WWE showdown at the White House between Zelensky and the tag team of Trump and JD Vance, where our alarm meters are for “wait maybe Trump actually is going to do all the stuff he said he’s going to do,” and we talk about the Democratic plan to “play dead” and wait for the perfect moment to form like Voltron and co…

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Elon's E-mail Phishing Scheme, the JFK files, and Leap Years 1:33:54

7M ago1:33:54

1:33:54

Hello! Today we talk about Elon’s gambit to get everyone to respond to a work email on a weekend, the Eagles will they/won’t they trip to the White House, the Trump administration’s vague crackdown, and we talk for a long time for some reason about leap years and how they’re weird. ENJOY! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with…

1
The Future of America is in the Southwest with Kyle Paoletta 1:11:34

8M ago1:11:34

1:11:34

Hello! Today, Jay talks to long-time TTSG community member Kyle Paoletta about his new book, American Oasis: Finding the Future in the Cities of the Southwest. We talk about British travel writing, the building of Albuquerque and Phoenix, climate change, Las Vegas and how the future of American cities might be found in the history of hundreds of ye…

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The 2028 Celebrity President Draft and How to Think About DOGE 1:17:03

8M ago1:17:03

1:17:03

Hello! Very excited to see so many new subscribers to the podcast over the past two weeks. As a reminder, we are a fully listener supported show so if you could help us keep the lights on over here with a paid subscription, we would greatly appreciate it. Our goal is to always at least provide one show a week for free, which TTSG has been doing now…

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Elon! Elon! Elon! with Ryan Mac 1:00:37

8M ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Hello! Today we’re talking all things Elon with Ryan Mac, a reporter at the NYT and the co-author along with Kate Conger of CHARACTER LIMITS: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. Ryan’s probably reported more on Elon than pretty much anyone in the press and he gives us his perspective on what’s happened, what moves Elon has made that he also made durin…

1
DeepSeek's Sputnik Moment with Karen Hao 57:27

8M ago57:27

57:27

Hello! Today we have on repeat guest Karen Hao, a journalist who writes for the Atlantic and has been one of the sharpest minds on OpenAI and this emerging industry. We talk about DeepSeek, the Chinese AI model that deleted over a trillion dollars out of the NASDAQ and temporarily tanked NVIDIA’s seemingly unstoppable growth and how it might change…

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Biden's Pardons, Trump's Speech, Elon's Upstaging, and Why the Libs Have Been So Quiet 1:09:48

9M ago1:09:48

1:09:48

Hello! We talk today about the Biden Crime Family, Trump’s sleepy and then not-sleepy speech, the Panama Canal, Mars, and whether Trump actually had prepared for his big (second) moment. Then we go into Elon’s salute and the eerie silence that has fallen over the “resistance” and what that might mean for the next few years. Enjoy! This is a public …

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Phone Alienation, Body Optimization, and Make America Healthy Again with Maya Vinokour 1:13:28

9M ago1:13:28

1:13:28

Hello! Today’s episode is a lively one! We talk about optimization, working out, RFK Jr., and how health and the woowoo New Age trends of the 1970s somehow got right-coded and then turned into a pathway to becoming one of the worst people on earth. Our guest to discuss all this is Maya Vinokour, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Russian S…

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Are We Already Forgetting about January 6th? with John Ganz 1:33:55

9M ago1:33:55

1:33:55

Hello! Today we have a belated 1/6 anniversary special with repeat guest John Ganz, whose great book “When the Clock Broke” can be ordered here and whose essential substack can be read here. We discuss how the public will remember January 6th and whether it might already be fading from the collective memory. What do we make of it today after last N…

1
H1B, Vivek and the Big Fight in the Right 1:13:23

9M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

Hello! After a long string of edifying and informative conversations with experts and thinkers, Tyler and I catch up on the big fight in MAGA world over H1B visa holders, highly skilled immigrants, and what we make of Vivek’s big tweet about… Saved By the Ball? Kids going to malls instead of studying? Really what year did he think he lives in? Anyw…

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The "Groups" and the Non Profit Industrial Complex with Dr. Claire Dunning 1:14:18

10M ago1:14:18

1:14:18

Hello! Today we have another informative and deep episode with Claire Dunning, a historian and associate professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. Her first book, which came out with the University of Chicago Press in 2022, is a history of urban nonprofits and philanthropic organizations titled Nonprofit Neighborhoods:…

1
What just happened in Korea? with Max Kim 1:17:05

10M ago1:17:05

1:17:05

Hello! Today we have on Max Kim, the Seoul correspondent for the LA Times and a repeat TTSG guest to provide a worthy service. If you are interested in what's happening in Korea but don't know a whole lot about Korea history, politics, or even who President Yoon might be outside of a few viral clips of him singing and his incredibly stupid recent c…

1
Is the Online Gambling Bubble about to Bust? with David Hill 1:11:01

10M ago1:11:01

1:11:01

This week we have on David Hill, the author of a great Rolling Stone article on the online sports betting industry. Dave is the best writer on this topic in America and we talked about his childhood in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the history behind some of these big companies like Draftkings and FanDuel and how they try to exploit players to turn a prof…

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Who Gets to Be a Populist? with Nancy Fraser 57:31

10M ago57:31

57:31

Hello! Today for the holiday weekend, we have Nancy Fraser, the Henry and Louise Loeb Professor of Political and Social Science at the New School. She has written widely on feminism, injustice, the problem with identity politics, and neoliberalism. Her most recent books are Cannibal Capitalism and The Old is Dying and the New Cannot Be Born, both o…

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A History of Trans Activism with Jamie Lauren Keiles 1:20:42

11M ago1:20:42

1:20:42

Hello! Today we have Jamie Lauren Keiles, the author of an upcoming book about the rise of nonbinary identity in America, back on the show. We talk about the thinly veiled post mortems by some within the Democratic coalition to abandon 'the whole trans thing,' the history of how trans rights became such a large part of the country's political conve…

1
Do we really need polls? 1:18:09

11M ago1:18:09

1:18:09

Hello! Today we brought back our polling experts Ben Recht, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley and Leif Weatherby, a professor of German and the founding director of the Digital Theory Lab at NYU. We set out to really talk about one question: Can we trust these polls and were they right or wrong? Then we talked a lot about how campaigns…

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Can We Ever Trust the Polls Again? 1:18:09

11M ago1:18:09

1:18:09

Hello! Today we brought back our polling experts Ben Recht, a professor of computer science at UC Berkeley and Leif Weatherby, a professor of German and the founding director of the Digital Theory Lab at NYU. We set out to really talk about one question: Can we trust these polls and were they right or wrong? Then we talked a lot about how campaigns…

1
Emergency Pod: Oh No What Just Happened 1:05:05

11M ago1:05:05

1:05:05

Tyler and Jay talk about the distressing results with Trump at 92% to win on the needle, what might happen for the Democrats in the future, and spend a whole lot of time talking about the "minority vote" and what went wrong. We promise we do very little "I told you so" in this episode. Honestly, it's about as morose as you'll ever hear us as we bot…

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Six Days until The Election Special! 1:10:20

11M ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Hello! We talk about the Trump rally in New York City, Kamala’s closing statements and why, despite months of criticizing the Harris/Walz campaign and living in deep blue states, we both ended up voting for it. We also try to tee up what the next four years might look like for the Democrats whether Harris wins or loses. As always, this show is fund…

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Why Can't Kids Read Anymore with Susannah Grossman 1:21:34

12M ago1:21:34

1:21:34

Hello! This week we are discussing the state of reading in America and the big Atlantic article that said that college kids can’t really make it through difficult books anymore and blamed woke or something. Our guest is Susannah Grossman, a veteran teacher who has been on both sides of this debate. Really good episode this week imho — lotta lively …

1
Kamala's Plan for Black Men and We Try to Be Positive 1:11:22

12M ago1:11:22

1:11:22

Hello! Today we’re talking about Kamala Harris’s plan for Black men, crypto, one million loans for $20,000, and Trump’s 30 minute spotify playlist party which included his favorite song (Time to Say Goodbye). We also give our best case for the Harris campaign’s strategy and its endless tacks to the right. The LEAST toxic TTSG in months! As always, …