Factually! with Adam Conover

American economist, professor and chief economist during the Obama administration, Michael Greenstone, joins Adam this week to discuss transitioning our economy during a pandemic, balancing safety with the economy and what the costs and benefits truly are, and how economics can clarify policy disputes. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

All of us care about equality. (At least, most of us do.) But how do we achieve equality, when the nation is so divided? And how can advocates for equality best make their case in the courts? American University law professor Robert L. Tsai joins Adam to discuss his book “Practical Equality” and more. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're two months in to the pandemic, and some states are starting to reopen. Are we anywhere close to where we need to be to do so safely? Dr. Josh Sharfstein, current Vice Dean for Public Health Practice at Johns Hopkins and former principal deputy commissioner of the FDA, joins Adam to discuss the state of our fight against the pandemic, the importance of public health to our communities, and reinventing the world we used to know. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Grey Lady is the success story of the digital media age, but is it coming at the expense of other publications around the country? Veteran of online media, founding Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed News and now New York Times media columnist Ben Smith joins Adam this week to discuss the shockwaves that have rocked the media industry, and future prospects for the local journalism we desperately need. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For generations, American life expectancy has only improved. Then two economists discovered that for one group in particular, it’s actually falling: White Americans without a college degree. Nobel Prize winning economists Sir Angus Deaton and Anne Case join Adam this week to explain the causes of what they call “deaths of despair", and why capitalism is at the root of the problem. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Delivery workers are more important than ever - so why are they getting screwed? Business and tech reporter for the LA Times, Johana Bhuiyan, joins Adam to how tech companies are bungling the pandemic, the importance of gig workers to our economy and what will happen to these employees if it tanks. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Political scientist and election forecaster Rachel Bitecofer joins Adam this week to discuss why “swing voters” don’t really exist, the dynamics that truly drive political trends, and how COVID-19 will affect the 2020 election. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bard Prison Initiative is a revolutionary program that provides a rigorous college education to men and women in prison. In one of our most power episodes ever, BPI’s founder Max Kenner and recent graduate Sebastian Yoon join Adam this week to discuss how lifechanging the program is, and how it proves that every person deserves an education, no matter the circumstances. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UCLA Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Undocumented Migration Project, Jason De León, joins Adam to uncover the truth about immigration across our southern border, how border militarization has been counterproductive and why it’s so critical to develop a full understanding who the people crossing the border truly are. 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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.