On with Kara Swisher

Patrick Radden Keefe, investigative journalist and bestselling author of Empire of Pain, discusses his new book London Falling. He unpacks a young man’s double life posing as an oligarch’s son, how foreign money warped London’s landscape, and the ethics of reporting dark, secretive worlds. Short, gripping stories of deception, trust-building, and modern moral choices.

Lucia Aniello (director/writer), Paul W. Downs (actor/writer) and Jen Statsky (writer/showrunner) discuss comic craft and creative partnership. They talk about forging a show during streaming's boom and bust. They explore mentorship, the changing training grounds for comedy, legacy versus commerce, and whether AI will help or harm creative work.

Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter behind the original and sequel, and David Frankel, director of both films, join to revisit The Devil Wears Prada universe. They discuss why they waited 18 years, getting Meryl Streep on board, reframing Miranda as complex, midlife stakes and love of work, fashion as character, AI and media’s upheaval, and whether mid-budget films still survive.

Jeanne Gang, acclaimed architect and founder of Studio Gang, talks about how buildings can fight loneliness, reconnect cities with nature, and spark civic change. She gets into Aqua Tower’s flowing design, cutting carbon with timber and smarter materials, rebuilding for a harsher climate, and why great public spaces start by listening to locals.

Astead Herndon, political journalist and Vox podcast creator, maps the strange terrain of American politics after Trump. He digs into influencer-era campaigning, cracks inside Trump’s coalition, Latino voter shifts, and why Republicans lack a clear successor. There’s also a sharp look at Democratic insurgent energy, authenticity, and the structural forces that could shape 2028 and the midterms.

Clara Wu Tsai, investor and owner of the New York Liberty and Brooklyn Nets, talks about why she bet on the WNBA early. She gets into rebuilding the Liberty, what is driving the boom in women’s sports, and why media rights and expansion could matter more than hype. She also discusses the next CBA and her work closing the sports science data gap for women.

Nikki Glaser, a stand-up comic and Golden Globes emcee known for fearless, self-roasting humor, gets real about sex, shame, beauty, fame, and aging. She talks about why women are judged for spending on appearance, why sexual material still hits, why politics can poison comedy, and what it feels like to break through in her 40s.

Jodi Kantor, Pulitzer-winning New York Times reporter who helped break the Harvey Weinstein story, talks careers in the age of AI chaos. She digs into beating resume bots with real human connection, why craft and real-world need matter more than passion, what makes a smart first job, and why early calculated risks can pay off.

Katie Couric, veteran TV journalist and cancer screening advocate, Amy Larocca, wellness-industry reporter and author, and Dr. Jeffrey Swisher, San Francisco anesthesiology chair, dive into health misinformation, celebrity-fueled junk science, menopause marketing, luxury longevity trends, and why anti-aging hype keeps beating boring basics. They also explore AI imaging, GLP-1s, mRNA cancer vaccines, and digital twins.

Dr. Eric Topol, the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, joins Kara to discuss reality versus the hype in the booming longevity business ahead of her new CNN series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever."  Dr. Topol has written several books, including his latest, "Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity," which explores the science behind anti-aging and longevity. He explains why the biggest breakthroughs in aging science focus not on extending lifespan, but on extending health span and preventing the chronic diseases that affect most Americans over 65. And Topol takes aim at the “longevity lifespan circus” of pricey supplements and peptides sold by wellness grifters. Kara and Dr. Topol also talk about how inequality, poverty and the lack of universal healthcare in the US impact health span, and what can be done about it.  Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices