EP 354: The French Intellectual Who Loves America
France’s leading public intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy accuses President Trump of following the same path of retreat begun by Barack Obama and suggests that it has created a void that is now being filled by five old-world empires that are making an unlikely resurgence. Bernard-Henri talks about the Iran Nuclear deal and the larger problem of the Middle East, he discusses his long association with the Kurds who he says represent a hopeful new path for Islam, and he recalls h
The Man Who Caught El Chapo
For 30 years, DEA special agent Jack Riley led the manhunt for the world’s most wanted drug-lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He reveals how El Chapo cleverly wrangled the cocaine trade from the Columbian cartels, how he saw America’s growing opiod epidemic as an opportunity to branch out into meth and heroine, and how he managed to run a multi-billion dollar drug empire from a Mexican prison (until he escaped). Jack discusses being on the dangerous front-lines of the war on
EP 352: Parag Khanna Says the Future Is Asian
Parag Khanna says America has a China problem and the solution is Asia. He suggests that rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership and building stronger ties with other countries in the region is a much more effective and less risky way to gain leverage over China than a direct trade war. He reveals what President Trump gets wrong when he says that America "holds all the cards" with China and suggests that Trump’s tariffs may actually hasten China’s push to become self-suffic
EP 351: The Dangerous World of Larry Charles
Legendary comedy writer and director Larry Charles (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Borat) talks about traveling the world in search of humor in the most unusual, unexpected, and deadliest places for his new Netflix series Larry Charles’ Dangerous World of Comedy. He talks about meeting former child soldiers who perform standup in a cemetery in Liberia, the "Jon Stewart" of Iraq who has a price on his head, and the imprisoned terrorist who wanted to show Larry the lighter si
EP 350: Governor Chris Christie Gets the Last Word
Former NJ Governor Chris Christie sets the record straight about his tenure as a corruption-busting prosecutor and a Republican running a Democratic state, as well as what really happened on the 2016 campaign trail and inside Trump Tower. He recalls how his friendship with Donald Trump began and the nasty details of the infamous Charles Kushner case that would later come back to haunt him. He talks about why he passed on running for President in 2012, Hurricane Sandy and th
EP 349: Madeleine Albright Warns That Fascism Is Making A Comeback
Madeleine Albright fled fascists during her childhood and faced them down as Secretary of State, and today she comes on the podcast to warn that fascism is once again on the rise. She shares how her own refugee experience during World War II and the Cold War shaped her worldview and recalls her meetings with with authoritarian strongmen like Kim Jong Il, Slobodan Milošević, and Vladimir Putin. She reveals that most fascists come into office through democratic elections or a
EP 248: National Geographic Chair Jean Case on Being Fearless
Former AOL exec and chairman of National Geographic Society Jean Case talks about her new book Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose. She says leaders need to start viewing risk as R&D and failure as a learning experience. In fact, Jean Case encourages people to talk about their own mistakes by sharing her own "failure resume" and hosting "fail tests." She discusses why CEO’s need to get out of their bubble and get uncomfortable, and how greater
EP 347: Marc Freedman on Connecting the Generations
Encore.org founder Marc Freedman says seniors are an untapped resource and calls on society to stop segregating the elderly from society and renew the bond between young and old. Marc talks about the mentors who influenced his life, what we can learn from the movie The Intern, and the evidence that shows that seniors who take an interest in a young person actually live longer, happier lives. He talks about the elderly neighbors who act as "surrogate grandparents" to his own
