Best Steve Zee Podcasts (2025)

Iowa's rivers run brown, its cancer rates climb, and its politics tilt redder. Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Art Cullen joins to discuss his new book Dear Marty: We Crapped in Our Nest — Notes from the Edge of the World, Iowa, which serves as both lament and call to arms for a farm state choking on its own abundance. Cullen traces how corn and hogs…

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Beth Macy: "When the Local Paper Dies, the Community Follows" 42:21

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1d ago42:21

42:21

Journalist Beth Macy, author of Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America, returns to her Ohio roots to chart what's been lost in the hollowing-out of middle America. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America follows Macy's hometown of Urbana through addiction, poverty, and political drift, and her …

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Random Thursday Thoughts From The F350 30:15

2d ago30:15

30:15

10-30-2025

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Karine Jean-Pierre: "Independent," Evasion, and the Party She Says Left Her 43:08

3d ago43:08

43:08

Former Biden Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre joins to promote her memoir Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House Outside the Party Lines—and faces pointed questions about contradictions between her praise for Biden, her criticism of Democrats, and her claim of newfound political independence. Asked what makes her truly "independent," she…

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Dems Losing, Trump Winning 10-29-2025 30:14

3d ago30:14

30:14

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Steve Hayes & Damon Linker: The Hole Truth 1:04:42

4d ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Steve Hayes and Damon Linker debate whether Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is another norm-busting outrage or just a gaudy renovation. They argue over visuals versus substance in anti-Trump outrage, Trump's manipulation of public opinion, and whether Congress's abdication of power is the true engine of American authoritarian drift.…

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EP 29 | Steve Hayes & Damon Linker 1:07:51

4d ago1:07:51

1:07:51

Steve Hayes and Damon Linker debate whether Trump's demolition of the White House East Wing is another norm-busting outrage or just a gaudy renovation. They argue over visuals versus substance in anti-Trump outrage, Trump's manipulation of public opinion, and whether Congress's abdication of power is the true engine of American authoritarian drift.…

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Economy Booms Despite Dem Lies, Looting If EBT Runs Dry 29:59

4d ago29:59

29:59

10/28/2025

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Barista Michelle Eisen on Face Tattoos, Short Staffs, and Union Shots Fired 34:24

5d ago34:24

34:24

Michelle Eisen, barista-turned-organizer from Buffalo's first unionized Starbucks, breaks down how Workers United grew from one store to hundreds—and why the real fight now is over pay, scheduling, and the right to keep your piercings. She pushes back on what she calls "the most aggressive union-busting in modern labor history." Plus, examples of g…

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Football Follies, Golden Parachutes, Ballroom Blitz 29:59

5d ago29:59

29:59

The 53+ Million Dollar Firing, What IS and What Should Never Be 10-27-2025

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Jeremy Workman — "Walking Every Block, Hiding in a Mall" 38:11

7d ago38:11

38:11

Two conversations with documentarian Jeremy Workman: first on The World Before Your Feet (a quest to walk every NYC block), then on Secret Mall Apartment (artists who built a hidden flat inside Providence Place Mall). Curiosity, urban change, and the quiet stunts that reveal a city. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us…

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Funny You Should Mention: Ariel Elias 1:07:33

8d ago1:07:33

1:07:33

Kentucky-raised, New York-forged, and newly "A Jewish Star," Ariel Elias breaks down how outsider status becomes comic superpower. We talk growing up Jewish in the Bluegrass, explaining Kentucky to New Yorkers, the "Earl" name bit, airline misery (farewell, Southwest), and writing cleaner for synagogue gigs without losing edge. She unpacks her vira…

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Friday, Oct 24, 2025 Trump Policies Making America Great, Dems Hate Every Bit Of It 29:59

8d ago29:59

29:59

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No Capes, Real Peace: U Thant's UN and What We Lost 42:15

9d ago42:15

42:15

Historian and grandson of third secretary-general of the United Nations U Thant, Thant Myint-U, discusses Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World—how the UN once brokered real ceasefires (Cuban Missile Crisis, India-Pakistan 1965), why its stature faded, what decolonization changed, and Myanmar's present. A reminder that boring…

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Not Destroying White House, Media Lies and more 30:26

9d ago30:26

30:26

10/23/2025

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Alicia Wanless — "The Ecology of Information" 33:15

10d ago33:15

33:15

Carnegie Endowment's Alicia Wanless argues that disinformation isn't new—it's just our latest pollutant. In The Information Animal, she maps centuries of "information ecosystems," from King Charles I's pamphlet floods to the social-media deluge, and shows why attempts to "detoxify" them often fail. We trace the analogies between DDT and digital out…

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No Kings Joke, Politics Divides Families, and more 29:59

10d ago29:59

29:59

10/22/2025

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Michael Kirk — "RFK Jr.'s Latest Addiction: Attention" 43:46

10d ago43:46

43:46

Frontline's Michael Kirk discusses The Rise of RFK Jr., charting Kennedy's path from sex and drug addiction to what Kirk calls "an addiction to validation." He describes a man driven by grievance, and details how the alliance between Kennedy and Trump built the so-called "MAHA movement," and why it may collapse under its own contradictions. Plus: a…

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Gullible Sheeple, The American People 29:59

11d ago29:59

29:59

A History Of Falling For Democratic Party Lies October 21, 2025

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35 Minutes You'll Never Get Back, Oct 20, 2025 34:48

11d ago34:48

34:48

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Michael Townsend & Jeremy Workman: "Secret Mall Apartment" 33:26

12d ago33:26

33:26

Michael Townsend and director Jeremy Workman tell the wild true story of an eight-artist collective that built a hidden home inside Providence Place Mall—part prank, part art project, and a pointed reply to gentrification. They revisit grainy 2003–07 footage, a tape-art 9/11 memorial, and the logistics (and ethics) of living behind a cinderblock wa…

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Chris Murphy: "Congress needs to take war powers back." 23:26

14d ago23:26

23:26

Mike revisits his 2019 conversation with Senator Chris Murphy on the AUMF — the two-decade-old law still used to justify U.S. military strikes from Yemen to the Caribbean. Plus, a new strike on a Venezuelan vessel raises questions about presidential authority and transparency. We trace how "temporary" wartime powers became permanent policy, and wha…

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Lisa Graves: On The Roberts Court's Power Play 39:17

14d ago39:17

39:17

Lisa Graves joins to discuss Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights—from court "capture" networks to why she sees the recent immunity ruling and emergency-docket moves as system-tilting, not umpiring. She and our host spar over what counts as a "constitutional crisis," con…

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EP 28 | Jonah Goldberg and Zee Cohen-Sanchez 1:03:11

15d ago1:03:11

1:03:11

Hamas hostages, Trump and autocracy, and the strangely quiet shutdown — we tackle all three. Why Trump's blunt style played in the Middle East, whether "competitive authoritarianism" really fits his second-term instincts and enablers, and who's taking the fall for Obamacare-premium brinkmanship. Plus: goat-grinders (pointless rebrands at Max and Ap…

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Not Even Mad: Jonah Goldberg & Zee Cohen-Sanchez 1:06:06

16d ago1:06:06

1:06:06

Hamas hostages, Trump and autocracy, and the strangely quiet shutdown — we tackle all three. Why Trump's blunt style played in the Middle East, whether "competitive authoritarianism" really fits his second-term instincts and enablers, and who's taking the fall for Obamacare-premium brinkmanship. Plus: goat-grinders (pointless rebrands at Max and Ap…

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Some Random Thoughts For Thursday 29:59

16d ago29:59

29:59

Oct 16, 2025

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Jonathan Mahler: The Tabloids That Made The City That Made the Country 48:14

16d ago48:14

48:14

Mahler walks us through The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City, 1986–1990—how a late-'80s crucible of crime, crack, and tabloids minted characters like Spike Lee ("the coolest guy in America"), Al Sharpton, Donald Trump, Ed Koch, and Rudy Giuliani. We revisit Howard Beach, Yusuf Hawkins, Do the Rig…

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Charlie Kirk Memorial, Dispicable Dems, NOLa Rebirth and more 29:59

17d ago29:59

29:59

10 15 2025

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Cory Doctorow: Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It 35:52

17d ago35:52

35:52

Doctorow lays out his "enshittification" playbook—how tech platforms lure users, trap businesses, then extract value from both—tying it to interoperability, right-to-repair, and DMCA lock-ins, with Facebook as Exhibit A. He explains why incremental state laws can break Big Tech's coalitions better than sweeping federal reforms. Meanwhile, Venezuela…

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No Peace Prize, Shumer Shutdown, Winning In Middle East 29:53

18d ago29:53

29:53

RIP Burt Reynolds Oct 14, 2025

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SCOTUS's Shadow Docket, Calibrated + Steven Vladeck 35:22

21d ago35:22

35:22

Mike previews the new Supreme Court term: Colorado's conversion-therapy ban, transgender athlete cases out of Idaho and West Virginia, a Louisiana Voting Rights Act fight, and a Rastafarian grooming claim, then dials in the panic meter on the "shadow docket": what it is, why Trump's emergency-order wins look so lopsided, and where concern beats cat…

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Funny You Should Mention: Steph Tolev 1:07:34

22d ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Season 3 of Funny You Should Mention begins with the "Filth Queen" herself Steph Tolev to explore why gross can be smart, how crowd work goes viral, Bill Burr's boost to her career, and the Canadian comedy grind. Big laughs, sharp ideas, adult themes. We also get into slapstick dummies, family lore, and why Boston brings the best chaos. Come for th…

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October 10, 2025 Ramblings 29:59

22d ago29:59

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Plestia Alaqad: "The Eyes of Gaza," Witness and Journalist 51:48

22d ago51:48

51:48

Today on the Gist, a tough conversation with Plestia Alaqad about what she saw in Gaza and how she frames it for a global audience. They dig into sympathy versus credence, terminology like IDF versus IOF, the Al-Ahli Hospital claim, and whether journalism requires shared vocabulary. Plus, a spiel on U Thant, transliteration, and the "clean" versus …

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Oct 9, 2025 Ramblings 31:38

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Jake Tapper and the Race Against Terror 35:55

23d ago35:55

35:55

Today on The Gist. Jake Tapper breaks down the first U.S. criminal trial of a foreign combatant: why prosecutors chose court over Gitmo, and the painstaking sleuthing that turned a shaky confession into a conviction. We talk DOJ institutional memory, the politics orbiting the Comey case, and why trials rather than commissions lock terrorists away. …

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Asphalt or Concrete debate, Trump Nobel Peace 29:48

24d ago29:48

29:48

10 8 2025

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Obama CDC Director Tom Frieden: "'Believe in Science' Is a Terrible Idea." 37:35

25d ago37:35

37:35

The former CDC director lays out his "See, Believe, Create" playbook from The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives—Including Your Own. He separates settled facts (hypertension control, PM2.5, tobacco) from guesswork, owns early COVID failures, and argues vaccine mandates and long school closures were mismatched to risk. Practica…

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Oct 7, 2025 Trump For Nobel Peace Prize 29:58

25d ago29:58

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A Look at the Gear of Steve Gadd (Part 1) with Paul Wells 2:10:41

25d ago2:10:41

2:10:41

By Bart Vanderzee

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Steven Pinker: "Common Knowledge Changes Everything" 37:39

25d ago37:39

37:39

Steven Pinker joins to discuss his new book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life, exploring how shared awareness coordinates everything from markets to manners. He traces spirals of silence, costly signals, and why a single public moment can flip private hunches into history…

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Diane Foley on America's Hostage Blind Spot 29:12

28d ago29:12

29:12

Diane Foley, founder of the Foley Foundation and mother of slain journalist James Foley, joins Mike to discuss America's fragmented hostage-recovery system, wrongful detentions, and why the U.S. response lags far behind countries like Israel. In the Spiel, Mike looks at the 20-point Gaza plan, Israeli hostages, and the very different ways nations v…

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Jonah Blank: "Very Quickly and Then Very Slowly" in Nepal 34:51

28d ago34:51

34:51

South Asia expert Jonah Blank explains how a Gen-Z–driven uprising—fueled by social media, flaunted elite wealth, and ubiquitous VPNs—toppled Nepal's government. He sketches a country where remittances power daily life, institutions lack public trust, and political parties play musical chairs. Also: Trump fires another U.S. attorney and pressures M…

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EP 27 | Ben Wizner and Ilya Shapiro 1:03:33

29d ago1:03:33

1:03:33

Free speech under heat: the ACLU's Ben Wizner and the Manhattan Institute's Ilya Shapiro square off (and sometimes align) on the "ethos" of the First Amendment—from the Ball State firing over Charlie Kirk comments to cancel culture, government jawboning, and campus heckler's vetoes. We dig into the Supreme Court's shadow docket and unitary-executiv…

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Not Even Mad: Ben Wizner & Ilya Shapiro 1:02:34

30d ago1:02:34

1:02:34

Free speech under heat: the ACLU's Ben Wizner and the Manhattan Institute's Ilya Shapiro square off (and sometimes align) on the "ethos" of the First Amendment—from the Ball State firing over Charlie Kirk comments to cancel culture, government jawboning, and campus heckler's vetoes. We dig into the Supreme Court's shadow docket and unitary-executiv…

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Yaakov Katz - While Israel Slept: Winning Tunnels, Losing Time 44:58

1M ago44:58

44:58

Yaakov Katz co-author with Amir Bohbot, of While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East, traces the failures that led to October 7 and how Israel's security establishment misread Hamas's strength and intent. He explains how world opinion, hostage leverage, and casualty ratios constrain Israel differently in …

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October 1, 2025 Ramblings 29:57

1M ago29:57

29:57

What Is and What Should Be

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KJ Steinberg, on The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox 37:30

1M ago37:30

37:30

We talk with KJ Steinberg, showrunner of Hulu's The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, about concentrating on Knox's perspective while still showing how others perceived her, and the legal tightropes that shaped the series. She details the refracted structure (episodes from the prosecutor's to the co-defendant's POVs) and why the story follows Knox throu…

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Wake Me Up When September Ends 29:56

1M ago29:56

29:56

9-30-2025