Government Shutdown, OpenAI's Sora 2, and Hegseth's Lecture
Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, its political dynamics, and how Democrats and Republicans are messaging around healthcare subsidies and spending. They analyze Electronic Arts' record leveraged buyout led by Saudi capital, the strategic push by Gulf states into gaming, and OpenAI's new video-generation tool and the broader copyright and synthetic-relationship concerns around AI, including Scott's decision to take down an AI version of himself built with Google Labs. The hosts also critique Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's appearance before senior military leaders, review social platforms' multimillion-dollar settlements with Donald Trump, and end with a prediction that Netflix should pursue a mega-merger with Disney, plus a brief tribute to Jane Goodall.
Why Would Anyone Want to Appease Hitler?
Josh and Chuck examine why Britain, France, and other powers pursued a policy of appeasement toward Hitler in the 1930s. They walk through key events from the Treaty of Versailles to the invasions of Czechoslovakia and Poland, explaining the political, economic, and emotional forces that made leaders reluctant to confront Nazi Germany. The hosts also explore counterfactual scenarios about how different choices might have changed the scale and course of World War II and draw parallels to contemporary debates over Russia and Ukraine.
The New Space Race with Jeff Thornburg
Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice interview aerospace engineer and Portal Space Systems CEO Jeff Thornburg about the emerging space industry, agile spacecraft propulsion, and the interplay between government and commercial space. Thornburg discusses his work on advanced rocket engines at the Air Force Research Lab and SpaceX, why rapid maneuverability in orbit is now strategically critical, and how his company is pursuing solar-thermal propulsion and modular spacecraft. They also examine the value of failure in engineering, the consequences of cutting U.S. R&D and NASA science budgets, the geopolitical competition in space-especially with China-and speculative future technologies like quantum-enabled warp-like drives.
Selects: How Area 51 Works
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant trace the history of Area 51 from its origins as part of a World War II bombing range and Nevada nuclear test site to its role in developing secret U.S. spy and stealth aircraft. They explain how black projects, the U-2 and SR-71 programs, and extreme security practices shaped the base, and how Bob Lazar's 1989 claims helped fuse Area 51 with UFO and alien lore. The hosts also discuss Roswell myths, more outlandish conspiracy theories, modern operations at the base, and a 1990s worker-health lawsuit that forced the U.S. government to finally acknowledge the facility's existence.