Plain English with Derek Thompson

Karim Sadjadpour, a Carnegie Endowment policy analyst and Iran expert, provides historical context and sharp analysis. He outlines four main future paths for Iran: regime collapse, survival, regional escalation, or gradual evolution. Short takes examine the role of security forces, limits of military strikes to create democracy, and how messy U.S. signaling and planning shape possible outcomes.

C. Thi Nguyen, philosopher and author of The Score, explores how metrics reshape what we love and why. He recounts rock climbing, academic rankings, and social media to show how scoring systems capture value. Short, sharp takes on why useful numbers can corrupt purposes and how to reclaim activities that matter to you.

David Ricks, CEO of Eli Lilly and a leader steering GLP-1 drug development, discusses the science behind incretin drugs and how weight-loss effects were discovered. He explains why these medicines affect appetite, inflammation, and behavior. They cover business impacts on Lilly, R&D strategies, next-gen drug and delivery plans, public distrust of pharma, and AI’s role in drug discovery.

Jason Furman, Harvard economist and former Obama economic adviser, breaks down the Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s tariffs. He explains the legal reasoning, the likely macroeconomic effects on growth and inflation, and how trade leverage and congressional power could shift. Short takes on refunds, industry winners and losers, and the political durability of tariffs.

Joe Weisenthal, Bloomberg writer and cohost of Odd Lots, explains why communication is shifting back toward conversational, oral styles. He traces media theory from literacy’s rise to today’s digital orality. Short-form video, mutable archives, politics as rhetoric, and AI’s conversational role are explored in lively, concise discussion.

Josh Tyrangiel, staff writer at The Atlantic who reported on AI and employment, joins to unpack how artificial intelligence could reshape work. They survey scenarios from slow adoption to rapid displacement. They discuss which professions gain or lose most, why adoption might accelerate, and why politics may be lagging behind these risks.

Jim VandeHei, cofounder of Politico and Axios and former Washington Post reporter, discusses the Washington Post’s recent collapse and the long arc of news media change. He recounts building Politico, tech-driven shifts that reshaped journalism, cultural and strategic missteps at legacy papers, and how AI and identity-driven journalism will reshape what survives.

Julia Belluz, health and nutrition journalist who covers food policy and regulation history, and Kevin Hall, former NIH metabolism researcher who ran randomized trials on ultra-processed diets. They discuss how America’s food environment shapes eating and weight. Conversations cover ultra-processed versus unprocessed trials, food biology and overeating, regulatory loopholes, labeling and upstream policies, and the role of reformulation and tech.

Paul Kedrosky, investor and writer known for VC work and tech-economics analysis. He explains why AI data-center CapEx could form a historic bubble. He breaks down GPU-driven costs, short asset lifespans, opaque SPV financing, and grid and private-credit risks. He flags warning signs and sketches how AI could still yield practical, revenue-generating uses.

In this conversation, Dr. Sandra Weintraub, a neuropsychologist and leading researcher on aging at Northwestern University, delves into her groundbreaking studies on 'super-agers.' She reveals that these remarkable individuals maintain cognitive resilience despite aging and even Alzheimer's pathology. Key findings highlight the importance of social engagement in preserving memory and brain health, suggesting that our memories may evolve from social interactions. Weintraub also outlines future research directions, emphasizing personalized strategies for cognitive longevity.