

Deep Background with Noah Feldman
Pushkin Industries
Behind every news headline, there’s another, deeper story. It’s a story about power. In Deep Background, Harvard Law School professor and Bloomberg View columnist Noah Feldman will bring together a cross-section of expert guests to explore the historical, scientific, legal, and cultural context that help us understand what’s really going on behind the biggest stories in the news.iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 8, 2025 • 57min
Benghazi: Episode 2 - We Will Stay Here
Libya is swept up in a wave of revolution, and an American diplomat makes his mark on Benghazi. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 8, 2025 • 48min
Benghazi: Episode 1 - The Dictator
How a prison massacre carried out under Libya’s long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, set the stage for the Benghazi attack. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 5, 2025 • 4min
Introducing Fiasco: Benghazi
Fiasco: Benghazi unpacks the 2012 attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens—and the ensuing political storm, which raised questions about America’s role in the world, established a playbook to weaponize attention in the social media age, and ultimately changed the course of U.S. history. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopoliticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 12, 2025 • 27min
From Smart Talks with IBM: How AI Assistants Can Transform Education
Malcolm Gladwell visits Kennesaw State University to learn about Jiwoo, an AI Assistant that helps future teachers practice responsive teaching by simulating classroom interactions with students. Discover AI’s impact on teaching methods to prepare teachers for the classroom.This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.Visit us at https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/smart-talksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

16 snips
Jan 27, 2022 • 37min
The Future of COVID-19 with Marc Lipsitch
Harvard epidemiologist and recurring guest Marc Lipsitch discusses what we can learn from omicron surge. Lipsitch also addresses some common omicron myths and discusses the possibility of a “master vaccine.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

32 snips
Jan 20, 2022 • 32min
How One Bank Shaped American Capitalism
Zachary Karabell, financial executive and historian, discusses his recent book Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power, outlining the formation of American capitalism told through the history of one often-overlooked bank. He explains how the evolution of trust in financial systems has shaped American capitalism today and informs where it could go in the future. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 12, 2022 • 39min
Inside The Facebook Oversight Board
Jamal Greene, co-chair of the Facebook Oversight Board, discusses transparency, decision-making, and context in rights conflicts within the oversight board. The blurred line between misinformation and politicized beliefs, cultural differences, and future challenges are also explored.

Dec 23, 2021 • 44min
What’s the Deal with Decentralized Autonomous Organizations?
Erik Voorhees, founder of crypto management platform ShapeShift, makes a case for decentralized autonomous organizations, known as DAOs. Earlier this year, ShapeShift became a DAO, “moving from a centralized, closed-source application with bank accounts, governed and owned by shareholders, to a decentralized, open-source application without bank accounts, governed and owned by holders of the FOX Token.” Voorhees explains how DAOs works could reshape business, economics, and politics. . Read Erik Voorhees’ Medium post about moving to a DAO structure here: https://erikvoorhees.medium.com/shapeshift-is-decentralizing-639bb4c82fc8 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 15, 2021 • 29min
The Supply Chain Crisis Isn’t Going Away
Hannah Kain, CEO of supply chain management company Alom, shares her analysis of how we got into the supply chain crisis and the larger story it reveals about trade wars, labor shortages, and the need for better automation systems. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 9, 2021 • 39min
James Carville Calls for Democratic Party Unity
Political strategist and media commentator James Carville shares his frank concerns about the Democratic party’s strategy and leadership. Carville discusses the risks of party disunity in this crucial time, the false equivalency of the far left and right, and why the Democratic party needs better salespeople. Harvard political scientist Theda Skocpol’s 2021 report on political organizing in Georgia and North Carolina can be read here. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.