Best Robbie Patterson Podcasts (2026)

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Quico Toro: Venezuela was never a one-man show 36:57

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8h ago36:57

36:57

Venezuelan expert Quico Toro explains why the removal of Nicolás Maduro feels historic—and yet leaves Venezuela largely unchanged, with the regime's machinery fully intact. Toro warns that Washington's belief in Rodríguez as a workable "moderate" badly misreads her ideological lineage and incentives. Plus: a spiel on Trump's lies and bombast—why pr…

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Dan Soder & Moshe Kasher: A Lighthouse for the Mentally Ill 34:03

3d ago34:03

34:03

Mike Pesca digs into the vault for two 2017 interviews exploring the "ground game" of the New York stand-up scene and the "ad hominem screech" of early outrage culture. Dan Soder discusses his transition from a hard-drinking youth to a maturity fueled by caffeine and cannabis, admitting that his iconic Russian accent bit remains the "Free Bird" clo…

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Rosebud Baker: We're Raising Her Autistic 1:02:56

3d ago1:02:56

1:02:56

Rosebud Baker explains why motherhood is the most political act of her life and how she handles breastfeeding pressure by claiming she's "raising her daughter autistic" with formula and vaccines. The SNL writer joins Mike Pesca to discuss her transition from the "joke-heavy" homework of her first special to the conversational honesty of Motherlode,…

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Robby Hoffman: Zero Personality Disorder 1:08:01

4d ago1:08:01

1:08:01

Comedian Robby Hoffman explains why she treats complaining as "enjoying"—and why her Depression-era instincts make her shakier during good times than disasters. Her approach to stand-up is visceral rather than cerebral: she doesn't remember the bit about the woman closing the airplane bathroom door, she replays the movie and watches her body operat…

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Chris Turner: Possession is 9/10 of the Word 1:03:11

5d ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Oxford-educated archaeology student turned freestyle sensation Chris Turner joins Mike Pesca to explain how his "British period" of deadpan one-liners evolved into the show-stopping rap flow that now defines his Comedy Cellar sets. Turner discusses the "evolutionary advantage" of not knowing the rules of hip hop as a ten-year-old in Manchester—a bl…

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Michelle Buteau: An Achievable Beyonce 48:56

6d ago48:56

48:56

Michelle Buteau explains why she is the "achievable Beyonce" for government workers and how her history editing grim news footage at WNBC led her to a record-breaking comedy career. Her new special, A Beautiful Mind, marks her as the first woman of color to headline Radio City Music Hall—a feat she attributes to the same grit that carried her throu…

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T.J. Miller: You'll Do Better in Toledo 49:28

7d ago49:28

49:28

Actor and comedian T.J. Miller explains why a traumatic brain injury is his improvisational "cheat code"—and how a 2010 surgery for an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his right frontal lobe fueled a career of manic chaos. Miller discusses the "invisible disability" of brain surgery and the high-stakes gamble of a 10% fatality rate. Along the wa…

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Sarah Silverman & Kyle Kinane: Comedy, Cancel Culture, and Conspiracies 36:16

9d ago36:16

36:16

Mike unlocks two interviews from the vault featuring comics who navigate the cultural minefield with very different styles. First, Sarah Silverman discusses her evolution from "arrogant ignoramus" character comedy to earnest podcasting, reflecting on her blackface controversy, her embrace of the "Bernie bro" label, and why she believes being wrong …

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Alex Edelman: "The Hardest Thing to Talk About in a Joke is Israel." 57:48

10d ago57:48

57:48

In this special holiday week episode, Mike sits down with comedian Alex Edelman, fresh off a Tony Award for his show Just For Us and a spot on the Time 100 list. They discuss the "liquid dynamics" of a Comedy Cellar audience, the art of bombing while testing new material, and why jokes about the Israel-Gaza conflict are the hardest tightrope in com…

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Roy Wood Jr.: "People Just Want to Feel Good." 1:02:19

11d ago1:02:19

1:02:19

In this special Christmas Day edition, Mike gives the gift of Roy Wood Jr., a comedian who embodies the "profundities in punchlines" ethos. Wood joins to discuss his CNN show Have I Got News for You, his upbringing as the son of a pioneering radio journalist, and the central thesis of his comedy: that in a fractured world, people prioritize dopamin…

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Django Gold: The Comedian Who Wants to Dim Your Shine 58:21

12d ago58:21

58:21

In a special Christmas Eve edition, Mike brings you a "gift" from the comedy vault: an interview with the brilliantly off-kilter Django Gold. A veteran of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Onion, Gold discusses his YouTube special Bag of Tricks and his commitment to playing a paranoid, morose character on stage—a persona he claims is "clos…

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Thomas Chatterton Williams: Why the Summer of 2020 Wasn't Inevitable 39:31

13d ago39:31

39:31

Thomas Chatterton Williams joins to discuss his new book, The Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse. He argues that the racial reckoning of 2020 was not an inevitable tide of history but a perfect storm of pandemic isolation, polarizing politics, and institutional failure. TCW dissects how mainstream institution…

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Quico Toro: "Charlatans Burrow Into Your Life and Don't Leave." 36:32

14d ago36:32

36:32

Quico Toro joins to discuss Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses, distinguishing the "parasitic" nature of the charlatan from the hit-and-run tactics of the scammer. He traces the lineage of the grift from the official alchemists of 16th-century Venice to the upsell tactics of Trump Uni…

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Rob Reiner: "I Just Viewed My Child in Pain" 35:02

17d ago35:02

35:02

In light of the recent tragedy, Mike unlocks a 2016 interview with the late Rob Reiner. It is a conversation that now plays differently: Reiner discusses his film Being Charlie, which was written by his son Nick Reiner—the man now arrested in connection with his death. Mike reflects on the director's legacy, the eerie prescience of their discussion…

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Lea wins national coach of the year; Pavia snubbed; hoops stays unbeaten; more 1:05:39

17d ago1:05:39

1:05:39

Seabass joins the show to talk Vanderbilt football and basketball on Dec. 19, 2025. Topics include: - Clark Lea wins a well-deserved national coach of the year honor. - Diego Pavia finishes runner-up for the Heisman Trophy and... the aftermath of that certainly got headlines. - Thoughts on the ReliaQuest Bowl with Iowa. - The men's basketball team …

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Jay Jurden: High Profundities Per Minute 51:47

17d ago51:47

51:47

Comedian Jay Jurden explains why nine years of theater training is his "superpower" on the stand-up stage—and why he treats every punchline like a line of dialogue rather than a personal diary entry. His new special, Yes Ma'am, argues that physical specificity (from "rolling a wheelchair into affordable housing" to Marjorie Taylor Greene's hooves) …

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Nicholas Wright: When Ancient Brains Meet Modern War 41:30

18d ago41:30

41:30

Neuroscientist Nicholas Wright explains why big powers "lose" wars they dominate on the kill ratio—and why counterinsurgencies (Vietnam, Afghanistan, maybe Iraq) reliably punish the side with less at stake. His new book, Warhead: How the Brain Shapes War and War Shapes the Brain, argues that identity, surprise, and revenge are ancient brain feature…

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James Clyburn: "The World Would Much Rather See a Sermon Than Hear One." 42:29

19d ago42:29

42:29

Clyburn discusses The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation, explaining how Reconstruction-era Black lawmakers navigated power, compromise, and backlash—and why their choices still resonate. He reflects on faith as action, not rhetoric, and on history as a guide rather than a museum piece. Plus: Mar…

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Mikhail Zygar: From Glasnost Whiplash to Social-Media Smog 41:26

20d ago41:26

41:26

Russian journalist in exile Mikhail Zygar traces an information system so sealed even Gorbachev couldn't get the facts in The Dark Side of the Earth: Russia's Short-Lived Victory Over Totalitarianism. He draws a straight psychological line from late-Soviet overload to our current tech-firehose, arguing humans don't change much; institutions do (and…

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Chris Dalla Riva: "Billboard's become a Christmas chart." 39:42

21d ago39:42

39:42

Data journalist Chris Dalla Riva brings charts, facts, and plenty of fight to Uncharted Territory: What Numbers Tell Us About the Biggest Hit Songs and Ourselves, a tour through every Billboard Hot 100 #1 and the strange incentives that pick our "popular." They debate whether streaming makes the charts more accurate or just more boring—why Christma…

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Finding the Next Terry Gross with Daniel Oppenheimer 40:22

24d ago40:22

40:22

In this special Saturday edition, Mike sits down with Daniel Oppenheimer of Eminent Americans to tackle a high-stakes question: Who is worthy of the Fresh Air throne? They dissect the craft of interviewing, critique the "unprepared celebrity" podcast trend, and evaluate potential successors ranging from Colin McEnroe to Jon Ronson. Produced by Core…

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It's a major award! Stowers wins Campbell Trophy, Pavia heads to NYC, Vandy goes to Tampa, more 1:20:44

24d ago1:20:44

1:20:44

Note: This episode was originally published to podcast feeds on Thursday, Dec. 11, but didn't show up on all of them due to a technical error. The re-release is an attempt to correct that. Our apologies. The awards continue to come in for Vanderbilt--or at least sometimes, they do. Eli Stowers took home the prestigious Campbell Trophy on Wednesday …

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Shadi Hamid: The Left Should Learn to Love American Power 42:52

24d ago42:52

42:52

Shadi Hamid joins to discuss his new book, The Case for American Power, arguing that progressives' retreat from global engagement is a mistake. He contends that while the Left often views U.S. hegemony as intrinsically immoral—citing the legacy of Iraq and the tragedy in Gaza—the alternative of withdrawal often leads to greater atrocities, such as …

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Not Even Mad: Anthony Weiner & John Ketcham 1:03:30

25d ago1:03:30

1:03:30

Anthony Weiner and John Ketcham break down a Congress being flayed by its own fringes, where the "crazies" sometimes deliver the sharpest institutional critiques. They then assess Pete Hegseth and the possible release video of a lethal Caribbean boat strike, the challenges reshaping New York politics, and what it really means to govern a city you o…

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Holiday Suicides: Is That BS? with Sadie Dingfelder 27:42

26d ago27:42

27:42

Holiday dread is real enough—fraught family gatherings, forced merriment, and the persistent myth that December is the peak month for suicide. In truth, it's the lowest month for suicides, even as the season brings elevated risks of car crashes, cardiac emergencies, and alcohol-related ER visits. Sadie Dingfelder joins for an Is That Bulls**t? to e…

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Mark Rowlands on Memory and the Stories We Tell Ourselves 26:16

27d ago26:16

26:16

The philosopher discusses The Book of Memory: How We Become Who We Are, exploring how recollection constructs identity, coherence, and the personas we inhabit. He explains why memory is less an archive than an act of ongoing authorship, shaped by emotion, imagination, and the stories we rehearse. The conversation traces the boundary between what we…

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Star-V Podcast with Joe Bulovas: Vanderbilt OL Isaia Glass joins the show 56:28

28d ago56:28

56:28

Vanderbilt OL Isaia Glass joins Billy Derrick and Joe Bulovas to discuss his path to Vanderbilt, finishing a historic 10-2 season, blocking for Diego Pavia, learning under Chris Klenakis, and the practices leading up to the Reliaquest Bowl against Iowa. Football coverage presented by Bulovas Wealth Management of Raymond James. If there’s one thing …

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Daniel Zoughbie: The Mightiest Turns an Enemy into a Friend 34:27

28d ago34:27

34:27

Daniel Zoughbie discusses Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump, arguing that Truman's one-sided recognition of Israel and decades of U.S. overreliance on defense distorted the region's trajectory. He traces missed off-ramps from Oslo to the Olmert–Abbas talks, explaining why partition remains the on…

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Pavia wins Unitas Award, bowl talk, hoops beats SMU, more, with Seabass 1:04:06

29d ago1:04:06

1:04:06

Chris Lee and Seabass talk Vanderbilt football and basketball on Friday, Dec. 5. Topics include: - Diego Pavia wins the Unitas Award. - Rewinding the Tennessee game. - Jared Curtis's impact. - Vanderbilt's possible bowl destinations. - Hoops rolls along with a 19--point win over SMU. - And more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.ads…

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Mike Pesca on the Vig, the Fix, and the John Goodman Thumb 33:43

1M ago33:43

33:43

On this Saturday edition, Mike Pesca joins the cast of Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone to explain the dopamine minefield of modern sports betting. He walks Paula and Adam Felber through the mechanics of the "vig," the absurdity of Cleveland pitchers throwing balls into the dirt to cover prop bets, and the time NBA legend Chauncey Billups unwitti…

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Funny You Should Mention: Mohanad Elshieky 1:03:08

1M ago1:03:08

1:03:08

Mohanad Elshieky joins Funny You Should Mention with stories that make Benghazi feel less like a political Rorschach test and more like the small town where he learned comedy by roasting his siblings and dodging unlicensed militias. He walks us through the dictatorship-era silence around politics, the sudden rise of ISIS-adjacent checkpoints, and t…

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TJ Raphael on the Liberty Godparent Trap and the Cost of Coercion 37:17

1M ago37:17

37:17

TJ Raphael, host of the series Liberty Lost, joins Mike to investigate the "Liberty Godparent Home"—a facility on Liberty University's campus where pregnant teens were allegedly pressured into adoption under the guise of spiritual redemption—and discuss why the financial incentives of the "adoption industrial complex" often cause the promise of ope…

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What a week! Vandy hammers Vols and takes Atlantis; Diego Pavia and Jared Curtis 1:46:56

1M ago1:46:56

1:46:56

This may have been the most historic week in Vanderbilt athletics and Chris Lee and Luke Wyatt unpack all that. Topics include: - Vanderbilt's second-half domination of Tennessee that got the Commodores a historic win in Knoxville. - Diego Pavia, Heisman trophy favorite? - Vanderbilt lands the country's top recruit in Jared Curtis, the Nashville Ch…

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Rachel McCarthy James on Axe Murder, Salad Spinners, and the Hat-Brim Line 37:25

1M ago37:25

37:25

True crime historian Rachel McCarthy James joins to talk about Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder, tracing humanity's relationship between axe and skull, where questions about Axe-related word play are axed and answered. Then the show pivots to how algorithms elevate the most loathed spokespeople on every hot-button issue, from Riley Gaines to Jasm…

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Daniel Brook & Brandy Schillace: The Sex Expert Who Scared Hitler 32:11

1M ago32:11

32:11

Daniel Brook and Brandy Schillace trace the life and legacy of Magnus Hirschfeld, the so-called "Einstein of Sex," from his pioneering Institute for Sexual Science to the Nazis parading his severed likeness at the 1933 book burning. They dig into the longer prehistory of Weimar queer politics and antisemitism, discussing how obsessions with masculi…

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Star-V Podcast with Joe Bulovas: Vanderbilt CB Jordan Matthews joins the show 1:10:33

1M ago1:10:33

1:10:33

Billy Derrick and Joe Bulovas are joined by Vanderbilt CB Jordan Matthews (Tennessee transfer) to discuss his path to Nashville, beating his former team in Knoxville, and waiting for the CFB Playoff announcement. Football coverage presented by Bulovas Wealth Management of Raymond James. If there’s one thing we all share, it’s that our lives are all…

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Murdaugh Showrunner Michael D. Fuller: Power Metastasizes 42:01

1M ago42:01

42:01

Michael D. Fuller joins to talk about Hulu's Murdaugh: Death in the Family. The conversation digs into what scripted drama can do that true-crime podcasts and prosecutors can't, especially around messy motives and family dynamics that don't fit a neat trial narrative. Plus, an opening segment on Trump's "don't give up the ship" blowup, congressiona…

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Jesse Eisenberg: "Marv Albert Is My Therapist" 24:41

1M ago24:41

24:41

On this Saturday edition, Mike Pesca reaches into the archives for a 2016 classic with actor and author Jesse Eisenberg. They discuss Eisenberg's short story collection Bream Gives Me Hiccups and the "creek vs. crick" linguistic controversy it sparked, while analyzing why a nine-year-old restaurant critic is the perfect vessel for exposing adult hy…

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Bob Saget & Chuck Klosterman: "I Really Have Become Liza Minnelli" 33:13

1M ago33:13

33:13

Today on The Gist, the late Bob Saget, who reconciles his Full House image with his "Dirty Daddy" persona while admitting he was a "nerd burglar" in his youth. They dissect the difference between misogyny and locker room talk, deconstruct the logic of his famous "Winnebago" joke. Then, cultural critic Chuck Klosterman joins to analyze The Nineties,…

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Henry Winkler & Clint Watts: "Three Little Fonzies and a Trail of Dead Russians" 38:04

1M ago38:04

38:04

On this Thanksgiving edition Mike Pesca serves up two revitalized classics, starting with Henry Winkler (The Fonz), who joins to discuss his Hank Zipser books, the unique Dutch font designed for dyslexic readers, and his tenure-granting plan to design the world's first consumer jet pack. Then, we revisit a conversation with counterterrorism expert …

1
Star-V Thanksgiving Special: Vanderbilt LB Langston Patterson joins the show 57:16

1M ago57:16

57:16

Billy Derrick and Joe Bulovas are joined by Commodores LB Langston Patterson to discuss his Vanderbilt journey, staying committed to Clark Lea's vision, his development under Nick Lezynski, and this week's matchup vs. Tennessee. Football coverage presented by Bulovas Wealth Management of Raymond James. If there’s one thing we all share, it’s that o…

1
Abby Phillip: "The Stones for David's Slingshot" 46:05

1M ago46:05

46:05

Mike Pesca is joined by CNN anchor and author Abby Phillip to discuss her new book, A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power. They explore Jackson's soaring, sermon-like rhetorical style and the hubris of the "tree shaker, not a jelly maker" philosophy. The conversation traces how Jackson's push to change delegate rul…

1
Vandy-Vols, Pavia and the Heisman, CFB Playoffs, hoops, more 42:36

1M ago42:36

42:36

Billy Derrick and Luke Wyatt talk Vanderbilt football and hoops with the Commodores set to battle Tennessee in Knoxville, and in the midst of the Battle 4 Atlantis in hoops. Football coverage presented by Bulovas Wealth Management of Raymond James. If there’s one thing we all share, it’s that our lives are all unique. At Raymond James, they believe…

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Not Even Mad: Russ Muirhead & Nick Gillespie 1:03:49

1M ago1:03:49

1:03:49

Mike Pesca welcomes back Nick Gillespie (Reason Magazine) and first-time guest Russ Muirhead (Dartmouth professor and New Hampshire State Rep.) for a spirited debate that is—we swear—not even mad. Today, we look at the half-full autocratic glass: Does the dismissal of the Comey and James indictments prove that institutions are holding, or does the …

1
Mike Vuolo & Bob Garfield: "Life Is a Flat Pizza Bagel" 50:21

1M ago50:21

50:21

Mike Vuolo and Bob Garfield of Lexicon Valley join to talk 23 skidoo, Massapequa, and why life, in fact, is a flat bagel. They trace the 6/7 meme from Skrilla's drill track "Doot Doot" through LaMelo Ball highlights and a middle-schooler named Maverick, and explain how a throwaway number became the meme stock of language. The conversation winds thr…

1
Mike on Matt Lewis Can't Lose 30:28

1M ago30:28

30:28

Mike joins Matt Lewis for a lively crossover conversation that opens with deep dives into Huey Lewis puns before shifting into the Democrats' "affordability" message, why word wars matter more than policy wins, and how political optics collide with economic reality. They unpack everything from tariffs to AI dislocation to the future of the Democrat…

1
Seabass talks Vanderbilt football, hoops, Jared Curtis 59:53

1M ago59:53

59:53

Seabass joins Chris Lee for a conversation about Vanderbilt football and basketball ahead of the Kentucky football game. How do they see the Kentucky game going down? What's the latest on the recruiting battle between Vanderbilt and Georgia for Jared Curtis? Plus, what's at the root of attendance issues for basketball, how good we think this team i…

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Funny You Should Mention: Myq Kaplan 1:19:23

2M ago1:19:23

1:19:23

Comedian Myq Kaplan joins the show for a deep dive into joke logic, philosophy, and the very slippery business of defining who counts as a comedian. Using his new special Rini as a jumping-off point, he and Mike wander through Grecian maxims, the paradox of the heap, why some laughs are closer to enlightenment than punch lines, and how his relation…

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Fareed Zakaria on Revolutions, Backlashes, and the High Cost of Not Fixing Immigration 41:55

2M ago41:55

41:55

Fareed Zakaria joins the show to discuss The Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from 1600 to the Present, arguing that the past 30 years of globalization, AI, and cultural upheaval rival the Industrial Revolutions in their political consequences. He makes the case that today's populist surges—from Sweden to the U.S.—are driven less by econom…

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Clark Lea's contract negotiatons, No. 14 Vanderbilt's College Football Playoff path, hoops, more 1:02:51

2M ago1:02:51

1:02:51

Chris Lee and Luke Wyatt talk about Vanderbilt's No. 14 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, what they think of that and what stands out about the rankings and what Vanderbilt needs to do. Plus, some talk on Clark Lea's contract, hoops talk and more. What games should Vanderbilt fans pay attention to that impact the Playoff race? How much…