Factually! with Adam Conover

Natalie Rotter-Laitman, comedian and co-host of Exploration: LIVE!, and Charlie Bardey, comedian and co-host known for deep-dive conversational comedy, join for a wide-ranging chat. They trade retro gaming loyalties, debate Video Games versus Real Housewives, unpack typecasting from Urkel to Sonic, and reflect on creative labor, touring life, and balancing friendship with business. Short, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful.

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, a physicist and scholar of gender who writes about cosmology and culture. She connects cosmic thinking to politics and identity. She uses neutrinos and quantum ideas to question rigid binaries. She weaves science, poetry, and funding debates into a case for inclusive, imaginative science.

A sharp monologue linking a foreign military gamble to soaring gas prices and broken political promises. It examines policy rollbacks on efficiency and renewables, targeted actions to stall EV adoption, and who wins when oil gets expensive. The piece questions whether motives are corruption, ideology, or incompetence while noting the ironic acceleration of clean energy investment.

Derrick Palmer, an Amazon warehouse worker and co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union, recounts organizing JFK8 and wrote Handbook for the Revolution. He describes pandemic-era walkouts, inside-outside worker-led strategy, one-on-one outreach, fighting company pushback and legal delays. The conversation highlights tactics, staying on the floor, and why organizing Amazon could reshape worker power.

Sammy Mowrey, a non-binary comedian and frequent opener on Adam’s tour, reflects on life on the road. They trade wild touring stories about giant puppets, Providence hot dogs, and Waffle House debates. Sammy talks about starting comedy in Albuquerque, connecting with trans audiences, and their queer talk-show Sammy Tonight.

Keza MacDonald, video games editor at The Guardian and author of Super Nintendo, guides a behind-the-curtain look at Nintendo. She explores its playful toy-first design, secretive culture, and why the Switch bets on play over power. They discuss intergenerational teams, respect for nostalgia, and tensions between preservation and corporate protection.

Ethan Bakuli, a reporter who covered the Michigan home care workers campaign, provides journalistic context. Rodney Tate, a longtime home care worker and organizer, shares first‑hand caregiving and organizing experience. They recount how 30,000 dispersed caregivers organized without shared workplaces. Conversation covers tactics like door‑knocking and social outreach, the legal fight for employee status, and what bargaining priorities come next.

Memo Torres, a multimedia reporter at L.A. Taco who documents ICE activity on the ground in Los Angeles. He discusses visible airport confrontations, the agency’s growing logistics and detention tactics, how raids ripple through local businesses and workers, and the power of community-embedded journalism to track and resist enforcement. The conversation also covers burnout and plans to expand street-level reporting.

Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter and author of Mutiny, explores how college-educated workers are losing career advantages and organizing at scale. He discusses declining returns to degrees, white‑collar union drives from tech to games and healthcare, the role of major employers in shaping conflict, and how AI and industry shifts are accelerating worker solidarity.

Arvind Narayanan, Princeton CS professor who demystifies AI, and Sayash Kapoor, Princeton PhD researching AI risks and biosecurity, discuss AI as a normal technology. They compare real advances to hype. They examine layoffs, misinformation, military use, regulation, and practical tools for managing harms. They argue for evidence-based perspectives over speculative panic.