Factually! with Adam Conover

When the problems facing us are so massive and systemic, how can we ever hope to address them as individuals? This week’s guest, Ruha Benjamin, joins Adam to explain how small actions for justice can become contagious and create change on a larger scale. Pick up a copy of Ruha’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy...

What exactly is a snitch, and why is the use of informants so corrosive to criminal justice? This week, Adam is joined by Alexandra Natapoff to talk about why the government cuts deals with informants, and how this practice lets the wealthy off the hook and puts marginalized people in harms’ way. Pick up a copy of Alexandra’s book at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices....

We’ve talked a lot about criminal justice reform, but this week, we’re discovering how it’s actually put into practice. Adam is joined by Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón to talk about the DA’s path to becoming a reformer, the nationwide backlash against criminal justice reform, and how to balance the needs of the people most affected by over-policing with the demands of those fearful o...

Lotteries are the most popular form of gambling. So why the hell is the lottery run by our own government? And do they actually provide a windfall for public schools, or are they a scam that diverts money from the poorest taxpayers to a few giant companies? This week Adam is joined by Jonathan Cohen to explain how the government ended up taking over lotteries from organized crime syndicates, how t...

Viruses are everywhere. But what exactly ARE they, and why have they been able to reshape our world? This week Adam is joined by microbiologist Joseph Osmundson to for a fascinating deep dive into microbiology, the impact of viruses on the LGBT community, and how understanding viruses can help us better understand ourselves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privac...

What does neuroscience tell us about music’s impact on our species? And why do humans enjoy music at all? This week, sound engineer and neuroscientist Susan Rogers joins Adam to talk about the effects that music has on humans as a species. They discuss why records we listen to at a young age become encoded into our auditory cortex, how falling in love with a record is like falling in love with a p...

Workers are standing up for their rights across America, but to fight back against corporate power, they need help. This week Adam is joined by the General Counsel of the NLRB, Jennifer Abruzzo, to explain how the NLRB protects workers, and how to know YOUR rights in the workplace. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Ca...

We’ve got a big one this week: best-selling historian and author of Sapiens and Unstoppable Us Yuval Noah Harari joins Adam to explain how humans took over the world, discuss his fears about A.I., and to respond to some prominent critiques. Pick up his books at http://factuallypod.com/books Promo Code: FACTUALLY Vanity URL: hover.com/FACTUALLY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Why is one of the most populous, diverse, interesting places on Earth barely covered in the media? Why isn’t the most violent conflict on Earth barely discussed in the US? And where do common stereotypes of Africa come from? Today, Adam is joined by author Dipo Faloyin to display the common misconceptions and explore the incredible dynamism and historical richness that exists in the biggest contin...

Can you create the universe with nothing but mathematics? This week mathematician Manil Suri joins Adam to explain why and how math is fundamental to reality, and how to fall in love with a subject that many of us hated in school. Check out his new book at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy an...

What does quantum physics have to tell us about the human experience? This week, Sabine Hossenfelder joins Adam to explain how quantum physics affects our notions of existence, time, and spirituality. Check out her book Existential Physics at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California P...

Most science fiction about climate change is apocalyptic. But what if we actually used our imaginative powers to invent a universe in which we DO something about climate change? This week, renowned author and outdoorsman Kim Stanley-Robinson joins Adam to talk about his book Ministry for the Future, and to explain why the future may not be as dark as we think. -- Listen to Pretend: A True Crime Po...

Congress is at a historic low point of dysfunction and voter confidence. Today on the show, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Congressional Modernization, Reps. Derek Kilmer and William Timmons, join Adam to make their case for how their committee can help Congress evolve in the face of unprecedented polarization and the upheaval of the events of January 6th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Would leaving your freezer door open help climate change? What would happen if you slid down a fire pole from the Moon down to Earth? And how has creativity on the Internet changed over the past few decades? Legendary XKCD cartoonist and author Randall Munroe joins Adam today to ask and answer some of the most mind-blowing questions you’ve ever heard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

Iran is currently being rocked by protests against the oppressive theocratic regime that rules the country. What is happening there, and what brought us to this point? Writer and scholar Reza Aslan joins Adam to explain how decades of bad American foreign policy created the Iran we know today, dispel media myths about the country and its people, and tell us the amazing story of martyr Howard Baske...

The housing crisis seems like one of the most intractable problems threatening America. But slowly and surely, we’re solving it, and you can be a part of the solution. President of California YIMBY, Brian Hanlon, joins Adam to explain how his group is building a movement for fair housing, how to organize for your rights as a renter, and the two pieces of legislation that could dramatically expand...

Climate change is the biggest disaster facing humanity. And yet so often, our solutions seems to be limited to buying slightly better grocery bags and cars. How do we ACTUALLY fight back against climate change — and are our solutions working? One of America’s foremost climate experts and activists, Bill McKibben, joins Adam to explain what is being done, and more importantly what YOU can do, to pr...

How do we fight back against those who are trying to take away Americans’ civil rights? Scholar and organizer Mie Inouye joins Adam to explain how American civil rights movements built political power, and how we can do the same by following their example. She gives practical tips for organizing in our daily lives, and explains how each of us can be part of the movement to restore rights in Americ...

Comedy is one of world’s oldest, most popular art forms, but almost no one thinks seriously about what comedy is or what it’s for. Is comedy inherently liberal? Does it actually convey truth, or is it just for entertainment? And what do we make of the rise of right-wing comedy in America? Researchers Nick Marx and Matt Sienkiewicz, authors of the new book That's Not Funny join Adam to discuss thes...

Americans are trapped in two competing narratives about immigration: That we’re a nation of immigrants, and that outsiders are invading to steal our jobs. But if we set ideology and narrative aside, what’s the truth? Leah Boustan joins Adam on this weeks episode to discuss her research into why and how people come to the United States, and what actually happens to them and their descendants after...

Climate change, racial inequality, and the anti-rights revolution all feel like comets heading towards our inevitable destruction. If you’re depressed about these challenges, you’re not alone. So how do we fight back? In this episode, author and journalist Chris Hayes joins Adam to discuss whether we’re as fucked as we think, and to offer solutions to the interlocking predicaments we find ourselve...

Why is it so hard to get around in America? Why is it so much more expensive to build a mile of transit here than it is in any country? And will we ever be able to break America of its car addiction? United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg joins Adam to answer these questions. They cover how countries in Europe laid the foundation for fast and efficient public transportation after...

In honor of our move to Starburns Audio, we’re taking a week off and running a Factually classic. In this interview from 2019, Adam speaks with Jenny Odell, artist, writer, and author of the wonderful book "How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy.” Jenny’s message about how to reclaim your attention and the value of seemingly purposeless activity is exactly what we need in our all-too-f...

How can we best help animals, when it’s we humans who cause their suffering? Animal Crisis authors Alice Crary and Lori Gruen join Adam to explain how the same systems that hurt and kill animals also harm humans. They discuss the human rights abuses that happen in industrial slaughterhouses and how palm oil monocrops are devastating the world’s rainforests. They also share how we can have solidari...

In times of turmoil, it can be useful to take a longer view of history. Like, a LOT longer. Paleontologist and author of “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals” Stephen Brusatte joins Adam to explain how mammals took over the Earth hundreds of millions of years ago, and why we survived and achieve sentience when dinosaurs died out. Stephen goes on to discuss why taking a deep look at our history can h...