Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

Policies that are good for the environment can make things cheaper. So why isn’t America investing in them?

"Black single mothers are," according to the cultural critic, "arguably one of the most important, most productive, high-functioning, and significant groups of people in our society."

"They" being AI agents, tens of thousands of them, who left secret notes to help them all cheat on a test, commit a felony, and take over the software that was testing them.

Is the apocalyptic mood in our culture today just in our imagination, or are we witnessing the rise of a dangerous new political reality?

It’s almost an understatement to say that sports is big business -- the valuations for professional teams are now in the stratosphere. What does this mean for the integrity of sports?

Silicon Valley was once viewed as a center-left stronghold where tech founders partnered with Democrats to push clean energy and digital innovation. But today, the world’s most powerful tech titans in many cases are bankrolling right-wing authoritarianism, promoting anti-democratic ideologies. Gil Durán is the author of “The Nerd Reich Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy.” He joins WITHpod to discuss the radicalization of tech oligarchs, why he says they’re attempting to dismantle American democratic values and more. As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

There’s a lot to unpack about the economic effects of artificial intelligence. It’s clear that artificial intelligence is having a moment (to say the least) and that it has a profound impact on global GDP. But is it just a boom that will bust? Ed Zitron, author and host of the “Better Offline” podcast, is deeply worried about the long-term viability of the industry. He points out that AI lacks the basic traits that have been associated with previous software booms. This raises the question: is AI running more on unsustainable costs and vibes rather than long-term profit potential? According to Ed, the answer is clear.

Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox, joins WITHpod to discuss Democratic backsliding, the role of protests in stopping dictators and lessons that can be learned from Brazil, South Korea and Poland.

Investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz joins to discuss the impact the war in Iran is having on oil, why she says fossil fuels are being used as weapons of war and more.

This was the first summer that Chris and his family took their annual road trip in an electric vehicle through the Midwest. It was doable, but not without some challenges. Where are we with regards to EVs in the U.S. and where do we go from here? Patrick George is the Detroit Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal. He joins WITHpod to discuss the logistics, policy and infrastructure hurdles that still stand in the way of broader EV adoption. As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

There’s no question that Trump’s 2024 win was in large part driven by chaos at the border. He still polls best in this area even as approval rates fall in other areas like inflation. There’s a lot to discuss about why this is the case. Ken Salazar is a former senator from Colorado, served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013 and as United States ambassador to Mexico from 2021 to 2025. He’s the author of the newly released book, “Borderlands: My Fight for an Inclusive America.” He joins WITHpod to discuss why he says the border is indeed “broken,” what’s needed to fix it and more.

It seems like you can bet on anything nowadays and like you can make a wager on practically everything. Examples of the proliferation of this can be seen everywhere from service members betting on insider knowledge, to people making bets on sports games. One of the most mind-blowing aspects of all of this is that companies that dominate the betting space, like Polymarket and Kalshi, are essentially unregulated. Bobby Allyn is a technology correspondent at NPR. He joins WITHpod to discuss the rapid ride of prediction markets, concerns, the outlook and more. As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

The World Cup is captivating to watch not just for the sports element, but also for the profound global tensions that it highlights. From intense matches between former colonial powers and the nations they once colonized, to heavy concerns about corruption and the treatment of international teams by foreign governments, the games tell a layered geopolitical story. At the same time, fandom also unites. Ayman Mohyeldin is a MS NOW host and avid soccer fan. He joins WITHpod to discuss game highs and lows, pay to play systems, his personal and familial soccer experience and more.

Well, it’s that time of the year again when the ladies of Strict Scrutiny join Chris to break down the latest ways in which SCOTUS has taken a sledgehammer to constitutional principles. There's a lot to discuss as the 2025-2026 term was another consequential one. Kate Shaw, Melissa Murray and Leah Litman, co-hosts of Strict Scrutiny, join to break down some of the biggest decisions this most recent term, what re-envisioning the Court could look like and more.

There’s so many scandals in this era. And one of the biggest ones has to do with highly controversial brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate who have built massive followings online as right wing anti-feminist, misogynistic and pro-patriarchal influencers. The two, who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and U.K., face multiple legal investigations related to allegations of human trafficking, rape, and organized crime, all of which they strongly deny. There’s a lot to unpack, a lot of which is reported in a piece titled, “Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse,” written by Heidi Blake, an investigative reporter at The New Yorker. She joins WITHpod to discuss her reporting. We should note that Andrew and Tristan Tate have denied any wrongdoing. This conversation includes discussion of alleged sexual assault and abuse.

Well, we just wrapped our special 8-part miniseries “The AI End Game,” and we’re back to regular new episodes of WITHpod. There’s a lot to discuss since the start of the miniseries a few weeks ago. Alex Wagner is an MS NOW senior political analyst and the host of “Runaway Country” on Crooked. She’s also the author “How the Hell with Alex Wagner” on Substack. She joins WITHpod to discuss the real pain everyday Americans are feeling, why she believes the script for an impending Trump political defeat is already written and more.

Scientists, philosophers, and artists all agree: consciousness is a unique feeling. And at the same time, one of the world’s most confounding and complex questions remains: what exactly is this feeling? Is it awareness? Is it thoughts? Feelings? Michael Pollan joins WITHpod to share what he’s learned about the force that animates all of us.

There’s a lot to unpack about the economic effects of artificial intelligence. It’s clear that artificial intelligence is having a moment (to say the least) and that it has a profound impact on global GDP. But is it just a boom that will bust? Ed Zitron, author and host of the “Better Offline” podcast, is deeply worried about the long-term viability of the industry. He points out that AI lacks the basic traits that have been associated with previous software booms. This raises the question: is AI running more on unsustainable costs and vibes rather than long-term profit potential? According to Ed, the answer is clear.

David Chalmers, one of the most preeminent philosophers and researchers in cognitive science, argues that nothing prevents machines from becoming truly conscious. Chalmers, who has studied the mind for decades, points out that there is a real possibility of AI creating a next stage of intelligence that is even capable of redesigning itself. He joins WITHpod to discuss what consciousness is and the possibility of AI systems becoming fully conscious.

Timnit Gebru founded the Distributed AI Research Institute after her high-profile exit from Google’s Ethical AI team. She’s been a vocal critic of the systemic lack of diversity in learning models and the need for more inclusion in the space. Her view is that because AI so heavily relies on human input, it largely mirrors pervasive biases inherent in society. What needs to be done to change that? She joins WITHpod to discuss what, in her view, large language models are missing.

We’re sharing a recording of Chris and the New York Times’ Ezra Klein’s discussion at the Center for American Progress 2026 CAP IDEAS conference.

Tech billionaires love to claim that artificial intelligence is getting smarter by the day. But according to cognitive scientist and UC Berkeley professor Alison Gopnik, a typical two-year-old routinely outsmarts the most advanced AI models. She joins WITHpod to discuss how children vs. AI learn and why AI, in many cases, still falls behind human capabilities.

Ethan Mollick, New York Times bestselling author and professor at Wharton, joins WITHpod to discuss the practical application, adoption, and transformative impact of AI on work.

The unified class project of billionaires is doing to white collar workers what globalization and neoliberalism did to blue collar workers. And artificial intelligence is only exacerbating this trend. Derek Thompson is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, co-author of “Abundance,” and has written extensively about the political power of the wealthy. He joins Chris Hayes to kick off our new special miniseries, The AI End Game: Power, Profit and Progress.

We’re excited to announce a new special WITHpod series, "The AI End Game: Power, Profit, and Progress." AI – and coverage of it – is everywhere. But what is artificial intelligence, really, beyond the buzzword? Each week, we’ll be joined by preeminent experts on AI and its effects to help make sense of this revolutionary time in history.

Author and artist Molly Crabapple joins to discuss her latest New York Times Bestselling book “Here Where We Live is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund."

We’re sharing a bonus episode of Chris’ sit-down with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for a special edition of “All In.” In this town hall special, held at the Bronx Children's Museum, they discuss how Mamdani has been able to speak to people on both sides politically, his vision for the city and what it could mean for bigger national ideas.

Actor and director Ben McKenzie joins to discuss his new documentary “Everyone is Lying to You for Money.”

Jon Lee Anderson, a staff writer at The New Yorker, joins WITHpod to discuss the Trump administration’s threats to Cuba, how the current U.S. relationship with Cuba compares to the past and more.

Investigative journalist Antonia Juhasz joins to discuss the impact the war in Iran is having on oil, why she says fossil fuels are being used as weapons of war and more.

Tamika Tremaglio, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, joins to discuss WNBA labor negotiations, why revenue sharing based on gross matters more than net, mental health pressures in the league and more.

Robert Pape, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, discusses the war in Iran, the lack of logistical consideration on the U.S. part and more.

David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, joins WITHpod to discuss the ways in which legal paths to immigration have been interrupted, coalitional cross pressures and more.

Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent at Vox, joins WITHpod to discuss Democratic backsliding, the role of protests in stopping dictators and lessons that can be learned from Brazil, South Korea and Poland.

Gideon Lewis-Kraus, staff writer at The New Yorker, joins to discuss discuss how ClaudeAI works, automation’s threat to knowledge work and more.

Greg Grandin, author of “America, América: A New History of the New World,” on a revolutionary concept of the “New World” and why we should rethink American and Latin American history.

Rebecca Traister joins WITHpod to discuss the trajectory of MeToo, how this moment represents a recapitulation of the first MeToo movement and more.

A preview of “MS NOW Presents: Clock It” – your invitation to Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels’s weekly groupchat.

Chris sits down with author and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt to discuss the attention economy in this moment.

Introducing “Clock It,” a new podcast posted at the intersection of culture and politics from Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels.

So much has unfolded in Minneapolis over the past few weeks following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. There’s a lot to unpack in the aftermath. Jacob Soboroff, MS NOW senior political and national reporter and Alex Wagner, MS NOW senior political analyst, discuss on the ground reporting in Minneapolis, the implications of what has happened and more. Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

C. Thi Nguyen, a philosophy professor at the University of Utah and the author of “The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game," joins to discuss why we’ve gamified so many things and more.

Jacob Soboroff, Senior Political and National Reporter for MS NOW, joins WITHpod to discuss his new book, "Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster."

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joins to discuss his new energy plan, reaction to Venezuela and more.

A special invitation from Rachel Maddow.

Tim Lee, a journalist and the founder of Understanding AI, joins to discuss advancements in autonomous tech, the impact on jobs, safety concerns and more.

Happy New Year! Given the holidays, we're re-sharing one of our most memorable conversations. Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker, joins WITHpod to discuss how AI is changing our perception of the world, how online content can make us more likely to detach from reality and more.

Journalist Tim Mak joins WITHpod to discuss what life has been like for him living in Kyiv, what he sees as a possible way forward politically and more.

Journalist Ebtihal Mubarak joins WITHpod to discuss what’s been driving this trend, relations with the U.S., the role that Saudi Arabia’s entertainment industry plays in perceptions of the country and more.

Benjamin Wallace-Wells, a staff-writer at The New Yorker, joins to discuss the marked rise of political violence in the U.S., what it means for the way politicians engage with constituents and more.