Best Charles Freedman Podcasts (2025)

1
Ep 176 Charles Freedman Program 2:57:13

11h ago2:57:13

2:57:13

Today's hoax whitewash Hamas guilt Civility and empiricism at NIH Gerrymander wars - no victorsBy Charles Freedman

1
Why Reports on the Death of the American Dream are Greatly Exaggerated 41:30

6h ago41:30

41:30

For all its multiple obituary notices, the American Dream is alive and kicking. That, at least, is the view of Matson Money CEO and founder, Mark Matson, author of Experiencing the American Dream. But you have to work for it, the Scottsdale, Arizona based Matson says, arguing that many Americans have lost agency over their own lives. Growing up in …

1
Antoinette Westphal: Drexel Forever! 24:16

1d ago24:16

24:16

From All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #077, Part 4 Antoinette Westphal was Drexel through and through. While a student there in the late 1950s, she captained both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, and wrote the newspaper's gossip column. She married fellow grad Ray Westphal and they started a family as Ray turned an idea into a successf…

1
Ep 175 Charles Freedman Program 2:44:54

1d ago2:44:54

2:44:54

Energy Sec Wright produces a fine reply to hysteria Russia hoax reveals corruption of legacy media Shooting the messenger will not improve the economyBy Charles Freedman

1
Why Podcasts Are Ruining Our Lives: On the Insidious Charm of Chat 43:43

1d ago43:43

43:43

Podcasts are ruining our lives. That, at least, is the thesis of the sometime podcaster, Liel Leibovitz. It’s the insidious charm of chat, Leibovitz believes, that is behind the faux intimacy of popular podcasters like Joe Rogan. Speaking from Tel Aviv, the Tablet magazine editor-at-large argues that what began as a revolutionary medium for deep, u…

1
Joseph Wharton: The Law without Morals Is Useless 39:20

2d ago39:20

39:20

From All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #077, part 3 Joseph Wharton was a Quaker businessman and philanthropist whose work is still felt throughout the city and the world. He was the primary founder of Swarthmore College. His business acumen allowed the US Mint to make a healthy profit in the years he was involved. Fisher Park in northeast P…

1
The Chinese Communist School of Hard Knocks: How Xi Jinping's Father Shaped China's Current Tough Guy Leader 49:51

3d ago49:51

49:51

Yesterday, the Canadian writer Diane Francis argued that Donald Trump should consider Xi Jinping’s China a competitor rather than an enemy. Perhaps. But in this zero-sum “competition” between Trump and Xi for top tough guy, there can only be one winner. As Xi Jinping’s father’s biographer, Joseph Torigian explains, Xi had a brutally harsh upbringin…

1
Henry Biddle: Educating the Freedman 28:48

3d ago28:48

28:48

From All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #077, part 2 Captain Henry Biddle was wounded in the Battle of Glendale and died a few weeks later after having befriended his treating physician. His wife donated money in his name to found Biddle College in North Carolina, which has since changed its name to Johnson C. Smith University. His son Spenc…

1
Charles Macalester: Inventing Glengarry & Torresdale 22:04

3d ago22:04

22:04

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #077, Part 1 Charles Macalester established the town of Torresdale, founded Presbyterian Hospital, financially advised eight US presidents, and may have been the richest man in the world. A codicil in his will provided for the beginning of Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the top-ranked lib…

1
Going Soft on China: Is Xi Jinping really a Competitor, not an Enemy, of the United States? 35:48

4d ago35:48

35:48

Should America go soft on China? According to the Toronto based foreign affairs writer Diane Francis, the United States ought to consider Xi Jinping’s China a competitor, rather than a enemy. In contrast, Francis views Vladimir Putin’s Russia as not just an enemy, but an existential threat to Europe, North America and free world. Putin Won’t Stop, …

1
Tech Insider Claims OpenAI Will Be Worth $10 Trillion: Has Silicon Valley Finally Gone Totally Bonkers? 44:20

5d ago44:20

44:20

I’ve always considered my friend Keith Teare a bit weird. Maybe it’s living in Palo Alto amidst the tech plutocracy. But I wonder if the That Was The Week weekly tech news publisher has finally lost his mind. In this week’s conversation, he speculates that OpenAI will soon be worth $10 trillion while its closest competitor Anthropic, will be valued…

1
Some College Namesakes, Part 1 (complete) 2:17:32

5d ago2:17:32

2:17:32

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #077 - College Namesakes Several Laurel Hill residents have institutions of higher learning named in their honor. Charles Macalester made a contribution that helped to turn a small liberal arts school into one of the finest small colleges in the land. Joseph Wharton made fortunes several times over, but is …

1
Ep 174 Charles Freedman Program 2:18:54

5d ago2:18:54

2:18:54

Kamala is not running for governor We have no candidate for governor Fed leaves rate unchanged amid chaotic conditionsBy Charles Freedman

1
Can Democrats Really Pull a Reagan? How the GOP's 1980 Playbook Could Work for Progressives in 2028 41:46

6d ago41:46

41:46

Can Democrats pull a Ronald Reagan? That's the provocative question at the heart of Peter Wehner and Jonathan Rauch's New York Times intriguing piece about how the Democrats can win back the presidency in 2028. Just as the neo-liberal Reagan crushed the cardigan-wearing Carter by promising economic vitality over malaise, Democrats now have a chance…

1
Ep 173 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:46

6d ago2:54:46

2:54:46

Trump and Putin fooled each other Hamas will never surrender - What to do? You can't build cheap housing on expensive landBy Charles Freedman

1
From Six Days of the Condor to American Sky: James Grady on Nostalgia and the American Dream 45:49

7d ago45:49

45:49

How to write about the kaleidoscopic Sixties in the gloom of 2025? According to James Grady, author of the classic Six Days of the Condor and the new mid-century novel American Sky, the key is calibrating nostalgia with unflinching honesty about the past's complexities. "You can't just write about the past and not have a focus also on current times…

1
The Revolting Elites: How Christopher Lasch Predicted Trump and the Crisis of American Democracy 49:25

7d ago49:25

49:25

Both the American left and right are revolted by elites. But whereas the right has channeled its distaste for the powers-that-be into Trump and MAGA, the left has mostly failed to capitalize on populist hatred of American elites. So what to do? According to the influential Turkish political theorist Soli Ozel, progressives need to reread Christophe…

1
Confessions of a Meme Queen: I Created an Instagram Following to Trick People Into Letting Me Write a Book 39:16

8d ago39:16

39:16

Dubbed the Meme Queen of Depression by Mashable, Aiden Arata's real goal on Instagram was to build a big enough following to convince traditional publishers to let her write a book. Thus her new collection of essays, You Have a New Memory, in which Arata reveals the chillingly empty realities about her millennial "Doom" generation's relationship wi…

1
Ep 172 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:35

8d ago2:54:35

2:54:35

Rising tide of Anti Semitism Tucker Carlson needs help Brennan Clapper Comey in legal dangerBy Charles Freedman

1
The charming gay racist who invented modern American conservatism: Sam Tanenhaus on William F. Buckley's absurdly implausible contradictions 48:15

10d ago48:15

48:15

The troubling thing about William F. Buckley, the media savvy founder of modern American conservatism, isn’t so much his politics, but his likability. How could such an overtly reactionary racist and homophobe (even if he was himself gay), be such a charming fellow beloved by all who knew him? That’s one of the central questions which Sam Tanenhaus…

1
"AI Is Too Busy to Take Your Job: The Electrifying Truth about our AIgorithmic Future 47:23

11d ago47:23

47:23

Yesterday, we focused on the death of the American way of work. But today the news on the AI front isn’t quite as dire. According to the New York based economic historian Dror Poleg, AI will be too busy to take your job. That’s the provocative thesis of Poleg’s upcoming book focused on the radical opportunities in our AI age. He argues that AI's ma…

1
Ep 171 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:38

11d ago2:54:38

2:54:38

Don.t call them Progressive Another call for tribal progress in Gaza How to de escalate EpsteinBy Charles Freedman

1
Ep 170 Charles Freedman Program 2:56:12

12d ago2:56:12

2:56:12

Trump delivers Japan and Columbia University Trump approval down in July - Why?? What if there is no conspiracy?By Charles Freedman

1
The Death of the American Way of Work: How the United States Lost Its Grip on the Future 32:53

13d ago32:53

32:53

In 1963, Jessica Mitford published her remarkable account of the American funeral industry, An American Way of Death. Over sixty years later, another distinguished Englishwoman, the workplace futurist Julia Hobsbawm, is announcing the death of the American way of work. Whereas Mitford exposed the predatory practices of funeral directors, Hobsbawn r…

1
Ep 169 Charles Freedman Program 2:56:49

13d ago2:56:49

2:56:49

Putin watched the Russia Hoax play out Kamala Harris is not stoopid Left uses Epstein to divide the RightBy Charles Freedman

1
Ep 168 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:50

14d ago2:54:50

2:54:50

Dems refuse to learn from 2024 loss Will there be a Schumer Shutdown? Non voters are HUGE!By Charles Freedman

1
How Capitalism Turned Money into God: Paul Vigna on Buying the Almighty 44:46

15d ago44:46

44:46

It’s an old thesis - that capitalism has created a religion out of money. But nobody, not even Marx, has been quite as theologically explicit as Paul Vigna, author of The Almightier: How Money Became God, Greed Became Virtue, and Debt Became Sin. The former Wall Street Journal reporter argues that money literally functions as our modern deity, comp…

1
Ep 167 Charles Freedman Program 2:56:03

15d ago2:56:03

2:56:03

Final word on the Krazy Train The most abused people of all, ever. False prophets retain followersBy Charles Freedman

1
AI as Dumb Waiter 2.0: Douglas Rushkoff on How Smart Technology Isn't Quite as Smart as It Claims 48:14

16d ago48:14

48:14

Douglas Rushkoff has spent decades warning how each new digital technological “revolution” has promised liberation but actually only compounds social and economic injustice. Six months after describing AI to me as the "first native app for the internet," the New York City media theorist and author returns with a provocative historical parallel: AI …

1
From Luther to Zuckerberg: Who killed Privacy? 53:11

18d ago53:11

53:11

So who killed privacy? It's the central question of Tiffany Jenkins' provocative new history of private life, Strangers and Intimates. The answer, according to Jenkins, is that we are all complicit—having gradually and often accidentally contributed to privacy's demise from the 16th century onwards. Luther started it by challenging Papal religious …

1
Ep 166 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:42

18d ago2:54:42

2:54:42

Trump forces Epstein upon us Whither the Democrats? Not a pendulum - rather a ratchetBy Charles Freedman

1
Ep 165 Charles Freedman Program 2:56:22

19d ago2:56:22

2:56:22

Good Stuff about the Big Bill Trump ends fed $$ for CA train to nowhere Teachers Union promotes anti Semitism in our schoolsBy Charles Freedman

1
Ep 164 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:19

20d ago2:54:19

2:54:19

Forget about Epstein - Nothing there 9 Billion rescission - why so tough to do so little? Trump must not follow Boden Ukraine policyBy Charles Freedman

1
Is Mohammed bin Salman a Tyrant or an Enlightened Despot? Karen Elliott House on MBS's Transformation of Saudi Arabia 54:11

21d ago54:11

54:11

Is Mohammed bin Salman a tyrant or an enlightened despot? According to the former Wall Street Journal publisher Karen Elliott House, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Man Who Would Be King, a new biography of MBS, he might be both. Or neither. House who spent years reporting from and writing on Saudi Arabia, offers a complex (and unofficial) por…

1
Ep 163 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:51

21d ago2:54:51

2:54:51

Trump changes Ukraine policy Cuomo guarantees Mamdani win Biden caused ICE actions and protestsBy Charles Freedman

1
Why America is Destroying Itself: Charles Derber on Sociocide and America's Social Suicide 40:04

22d ago40:04

40:04

Sociocide is a chilling word. Coined by the Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, it means the deliberate destruction of a society's social infrastructure and capacity to function as a cohesive unit. According to Boston College sociologist Charles Derber, this kind of social suicide is now destroying America. In his latest book, Bonfire, Derber argu…

1
Ep 162 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:47

22d ago2:54:47

2:54:47

Get ready for Mayor Mamdani China extreme weather could cause unrest? Does Mayor Bass want to be arrested?By Charles Freedman

1
A Satirist's Revenge on Wall Street: From Trading Hedge Funds to Telling Stories 28:29

24d ago28:29

28:29

It’s the fantasy of countless Wall Street analysts. Amran Gowani traded his lucrative career in hedge funds for the scarily solitary world of novel writing. His debut satirical novel Leverage draws from his insider experience at investment banks and hedge funds, exposing the toxic culture and perverse incentives that drive corporate America's finan…

1
Robert A. Groff, MD: Cutting Brain 59:31

25d ago59:31

59:31

Biographical Bytes from Bala: Laurel Hill West Stories #046 For about 30 years in the middle of the 20th century, medical wisdom had declared that destroying organically healthy brain tissue was a legitimate treatment for varying psychiatric disorders. The concept of psychosurgery dates back to the Neolithic period but became more prominent in the …

1
Ep 161 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:41

25d ago2:54:41

2:54:41

Russia hoaxers held to account Will the pendulum ever really swing back? Who was president for four years?By Charles Freedman

1
Living in Teddy's Shadow: How Roosevelt's Sons Found Redemption—and Regret—in Their Quest for the Giant Panda 37:46

26d ago37:46

37:46

How can anyone forget those photos of Trump’s sons celebrating over the carcasses of dead animals that they shot in Africa? Fortunately, not all sons of American Presidents behave so tastelessly in the wild. As Nathalia Holt argues in her new history, The Beast in the Clouds, Teddy Roosevelt’s sons found redemption - and regret - in their (peaceful…

1
Ep 160 Charles Freedman Program 2:55:20

26d ago2:55:20

2:55:20

Hamas reveals character by treatment of hostages Big Bill must be sold on benefits CA schools newest venue for sex crimes against childrenBy Charles Freedman

1
America's Heart of Moral Darkness: Peter Wehner on Trump's Apocalyptic Assault on African AIDS Victims 49:01

27d ago49:01

49:01

The last time Peter Wehner, who I’ve always imagined as America’s conscience, appeared on the show to talk about the “ethical darkness” that has fallen upon America, I suggested that this was an “important” interview. Today’s conversation is much more important than being simply important. Based on Wehner’s recent Atlantic piece about why MAGA evan…

1
Ep 159 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:54

27d ago2:54:54

2:54:54

Macron speaks for democracy (nertz) Return of Tariff Man Follow through in IranBy Charles Freedman

1
Breaking Down America's Everyday Walls: From Swimming Pools and SUVs to White Lives Matter Rallies 45:29

28d ago45:29

45:29

From suburban swimming pools and SUVs to White Lives Matter rallies, the Johns Hopkins anthropologist Anand Pandian has been exploring the everyday walls of American life. In his new book, Something Between Us, Pandian travels across the United States in his search to both climb and overcome these walls. What he finds is a nation tragically at war …

1
Ep 158 Charles Freedman Program 2:54:46

28d ago2:54:46

2:54:46

New hope in the Holy Land Elon Musk may ensure Democrat victory Trump should address the nationBy Charles Freedman

1
The AI Wedge: It's as Painful as it Sounds 43:18

1M ago43:18

43:18

So what, exactly, is the AI wedge? According to Ewan Morrison, author of For Emma, an already acclaimed novel about our dystopian biotech future, it means a “V-shaped” force that starts small but gradually drives people apart, replacing human connection with technological mediation."It starts off really small. You end up with something like interne…

1
BG Henry Naglee: Civil War Hero, Famed Vintner, Scoundrel 30:10

1M ago30:10

30:10

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #076, part 5 Philadelphian Henry Naglee was a West Point graduate who fought in Mexico, the West, and the Civil War. He took a liking to the West Coast and built the first permanent commercial structure in San Francisco, installed vineyards that produced the finest brandy in the country, and is namesake for…

1
Scale or Die: Why 2025 really is the Inflection Point That Changes Everything 36:42

1M ago36:42

36:42

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again. AI is a gold rush. It will change everything. But 2025 is different, That Was The Week tech newsletter publisher Keith Teare argues. This is the year that the AI gold rush is changing everything. In our reflection of the first six months of 2025, Keith argues that we're witnessing a fundamental "phas…

1
Louis Bossle: The Best Rat Catcher in the Land 28:45

1M ago28:45

28:45

All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories #076, part 4 Rat Catcher Lou Bossle was proud of his profession - it is even carved onto his Laurel Hill West tombstone. Twice in the 1890s, Philadelphia newspapers sent a reporter to keep him company in rat-infested basements while he was on the job. I'll tell you about the long relationship between humans…

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