Discussion on the attempted assassination of President Trump, its political implications on Biden's campaign, and speculation on the impact on the upcoming election. Reflections on addressing the consequences of the assassination attempt, condemning violence while critiquing the divisive political climate.

Neuroscientist Christof Koch and Sam Harris dive deep into consciousness, discussing change blindness, non-locality, conscious AI, Integrated Information Theory, brain bridging, psychedelics, and the illusion of the self. They explore the nature of consciousness, idealism, and panpsychism, challenging traditional views on existence and free will.

Michal Cotler-Wunsh discusses the rise of antisemitism globally, biases against Israel at the UN, double standards, and the intersection of anti-Zionism and antisemitism. They cover topics like Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, false accusations of apartheid and genocide, the failure of the social justice movement to respond appropriately, and the need to combat extremist ideologies.

George Saunders, known for exploring good and evil in fiction, discusses Buddhism, kindness, writing as meditation, the impact of social media, fame, and the importance of authenticity. He shares encounters with the Buddha boy in Nepal, struggles with writing in current times, and reflections on belief and storytelling.

Sam Harris and Bill Maher discuss the state of the world, from the aftermath of October 7th to the failures of the Biden campaign. They explore gender apartheid, media confidence loss, the differences between left and right, the prospect of a second Trump term, totalitarian regimes, functioning under medical uncertainty, Bill's comedy career reflections, and more.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist, discusses gender apartheid in Iran with Sam Harris and Yasmine Mohammed. They cover the Iranian revolution, hypocrisy of Western feminists, morality police, hijab significance, My Stealthy Freedom campaign, and U.S. government inaction. Topics include the cowardice of journalists, Iranian population versus Arab street, Persian Jews' perspective, Islamism and immigration, and university infiltration.

Journalist Sebastian Junger discusses his near-death experience from a burst aneurysm, the connection between danger and meaning, trauma, psychedelics, atheism, consciousness, and the concept of awe. The conversation delves into war reporting, near-death encounters, and the mysteries of consciousness.

Sam Harris speaks with Greg Lukianoff about free speech, cancel culture, the origins of political correctness, boundaries of free speech, technology's impact on ideas, social media cancellations, justified cancellations, Hunter Biden laptop story, dealing with Trump in media, state of higher education, and more. Greg Lukianoff is an advocate for free speech, President & CEO of FIRE, co-author of 'The Coddling of the American Mind'.

The podcast delves into campus protests, hypocrisy in responses, Qatar's influence on education, and the call for enlightenment values. It also examines anti-Semitism, radical Islam, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and explores the clash of beliefs between Christianity and Islam. Additionally, it discusses balancing national security and humanitarian values, as well as the challenges of immigration, extremism, and integration.

John Spencer, an urban warfare expert, discusses the reality of urban warfare, Hamas attacks in Gaza, distinguishing combatants from noncombatants, IDF's double standards criticism, defeating Hamas, underground warfare details, interpreting combat videos, victory scenarios, aftermath of war, Hezbollah threat, Iran's involvement, and more.