Factually! with Adam Conover

Our abusive, for-profit healthcare system has left Americans swimming in harmful medical debt. On this week’s episode, Adam meets someone who’s doing something about it: Allison Sesso, executive director of RIP Medical Debt, a non-profit which uses donations to buy and abolish medical debt for good. Check them out at ripmedicaldebt.org.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

A deeply embedded idea in our culture is the sexist notion that men are the “default” human, and women the unknowable “other". Nowhere is this more visible than in the history of medicine, with disastrous consequences for women’s’ health. On the show this week to discuss her new book is Elinor Cleghorn, author of Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World. You can check out her book a...

The NRA has been unbelievably successful in achieving its goals. Now, it's falling apart. How is that possible? On the show today is National Public Radio's Washington Investigative Correspondent and author Tim Mak. You can check out his book, Misfire, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Calif...

This week on Factually we’re re-releasing one of our favorite episodes. Entomologist and professor Akito Kawahara joins Adam to discuss why insects are disappearing at an alarming rate, how humans must play a critical role in their survival, and how incredible insects truly are. Happy Holidays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/p...

Even though the COVID-19 vaccines were born of publicly-funded research, our privatized medical system has left them to for-profit companies like Pfizer to distribute, giving these private companies massive power in a time of great need. On the show this week to dive into the ways Pfizer has used and abuse its power is Financial Times global pharmaceutical correspondent Hannah Kuchler. Learn more...

As humans, we like to believe that we shape the natural world. But in reality, its laws and patterns have deeply structured our own society. To tell the story of how water has shaped humanity, on the show this week is Giulio Boccaletti, author of Water: A Biography. Check it out at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at ht...

“Orwellian” has become such an overused adjective that we’ve forgotten what George actually believed and cared about. In her new book, Orwell's Roses, Rebecca Solnit argues that George Orwell's love of gardening reveals striking facets of his character and his work. You can check out Orwell’s Roses at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privac...

It’s impossible to discuss the history of Cuba without talking about the history of America; the stories of the nations are simply too intertwined. To unpack this complex and fascinating history, on the show this week is Professor Ada Ferrer. You can check out her book, Cuba: An American History, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy...

No periods in history are more fascinating than those moments when the status quo is overthrown and everything changes. This week, podcaster and author Mike Duncan is on the show to discuss why revolutions happen and what unfolds in their aftermath. You can check out his book, Hero Of Two Worlds, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy...

When telling the history of our species, why do so many writers keep regurgitating the same centuries-old just-so story? If we had a more accurate, truer account of our origins, how would it change our understanding of our society and ourselves? To answer this question, on the show this week is archaeologist David Wengrow, co-author with the late anthropologist David Graeber of the blockbuster new...

Human beings have long been afraid of the "other." But is this fear ingrained in our psyche, or a product of our surroundings? And where does the word even come from? To answer, on the show this week is historian and psychiatrist George Makari. Check out his book Of Fear and Strangers: A History of Xenophobia, at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

Once one party totally controls the government in a state or city, it should be easy for that party to pass all the laws it wants to, right? Well, wrong. Single party rule can actually make it harder to enact policy. On the show this week, UC Riverside’s professor Stan Oklobdzija explains why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...

Many musicians and fans reject genre labels as narrow-minded restrictions on what music can be. But what if the opposite is true? What if our notions of genre actually shape what it means to make and enjoy music on a fundamental level? Joining Adam on the show today is journalist and music critic Kelefa Sanneh. Check out his book Major Labels at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad cho...

Bestselling author and acclaimed journalist Susan Orlean joins Adam to discuss our complex, often contradictory relationships with the animals we love (and those we eat). You can check out her new book, On Animals, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19....

Fear of vaccination has been around since the first vaccine over 200 years ago. But now the anti-vaccine has grown from a fringe phenomenon to a mainstream movement. How, and why? To help answer this question on the show this week is science journalist Tara Haelle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...

This week we're talking about sweat. Yes, sweat! Science journalist Sarah Everts is on the show this week to unpack her new book, The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration. You can check out her book at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com...

The job market is now dominated by tech monopolies that are using their power to lower wages and squeeze workers. Luckily, the workers are finally fighting back. This week, UC Hastings professor Veena Dubal joins Adam to detail the future of workers’ rights in the gig economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

The right to an abortion has been in legal limbo in America for years. What does the passage of SB8 in Texas mean for abortion access in this country, and what is the future of Roe v. Wade? On the show this week to answer this question is Professor Mary Ziegler. You can check out her book, Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your...

Crows may seem like garbage birds that only live to pick through trash on your street, but they're actually some of the most intelligent animals on Earth, with complex social relations and a bona fide culture. On the show this week Anne B. Clark, Professor at Binghamton University joins Adam to talk about what makes these feathered friends so freaking fascinating! Learn more about your ad choices....

With the rise of mobile payment services and cryptocurrencies, money is at a moment of profound transformation. What is happening to money now, and where is it headed? On the show this week is Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University Eswar Prasad. You can check out his book, The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution is Transforming Currencies and Finance, at factuallypod.com/bo...

We've suddenly gone from a world with little antitrust enforcement to one in which strong anti-monopoly action has broad bipartisan support. How did this happen? Today senior reporter at Huffington Post Zachary Carter is on the show to help answer this question. You can check out his book at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy a...

This week on Factually we're re-releasing one of our favorite episodes, in which Adam and renowned behavioral neuroscientist Judith Grisel discuss their battles with addiction, the neuroscience of how substance dependence works in the brain, and how the brain changes after recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and C...

The California Camp Fire was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history. This week investigative reporter Lizzie Johnson is on the show to discuss her firsthand experience reporting on the fire and its destruction. You can check out her book, Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, at factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

In just a few years, the Chinese government has wiped out the political freedoms once promised to Hong Kong. How did this happen, and what is next for the city? On the show this week to help answer these questions is Notre Dame professor and Hong Kong native Victoria Hui. Check out her twitter @victoriatinbor and learn more about Hong Kong's fight to keep its autonomy at https://hkdc.us/ Learn mor...

Ever since he was diagnosed as a kid, Adam has wondered if ADHD is a serious psychological condition, or a false diagnosis pushed by an overzealous industry. This week Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley is on the show to help answer these questions. You can check out his book The ADHD Explosion: Myths, Medication, Money, and Today's Push for Perf...