



Is Brain Rot Real? with David Eagleman (Part I)
Brain rot is a slang term for the cognitive decline we're experiencing these days due to screentime, social media, and the like. But is it a real thing? And is technology making us dumber? Kal sits down with neuroscientist David Eaglemann to delve into the relatively new idea of brain rot -- and wh…

The New NASCAR with Bubba Wallace
Despite its massive popularity, the culture of NASCAR has shifted -- from banning the Confederate flag at races to settling an antitrust lawsuit. Kal sits down with legendary NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who just celebrated his first "crown jewel" victory. How is the sport evolving? How has it stay…

Is Your Water Safe to Drink? with Mara Hoplamazian
Are there harmful chemicals in our drinking water? Climate change and environmental reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio, Mara Hoplamazian, is on a mission to find out. On their new podcast, SAFE TO DRINK, Mara wades through the depths of what PFAS/PFOA Chemicals have been doing to us. Just how m…

Disrupting the Taxi Industry with Bhairavi Desai
Need a ride? This week, Kal speaks with co-founder, president, and executive director of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, Bhairavi Desai, about the ongoing disruption of the taxi industry. Bhairavi has fought alongside more than 21,000 drivers to raise the base income, create a cap on the number…

Digital Shorts with Jorma Taccone
Short form video is everywhere today. But if you rewind back to 2005, comedy trio The Lonely Island had only just released Saturday Night Live's first digital short: "Lazy Sunday." It went viral, transforming the lives of its members Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer. The Lonely Islan…

The Tennis Rally with Andy Roddick
When COVID told us we all needed to be six feet apart, some people became addicted to TikTok and other people picked up a racket. Since 2019, tennis participation in the U.S. has grown by 54 percent. And that's excluding all the avid pickleball lovers who keep stealing their courts. So, why are we …

Nithya Raman on running for Mayor of Los Angeles
LA City Council Member Nithya Raman is running for mayor. On this episode, she joins Kal for a candid conversation. She opens up about how she got into politics, LA's homelessness crisis, and being compared to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani. What does being a democratic socialist mean to her? And, what d…

Spacecraft Failures with Bobak Ferdowsi
Bobak Ferdowsi is more than just the NASA Mohawk guy. He's a Systems Engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory with an incredible aptitude for studying spacecraft failures so we can learn from them. Kal breaks down Bobak's career through the spacecrafts that defined them, from the Mars Curiosi…

Distrust in Traditional Media with Mehdi Hasan
Does anyone completely trust the media landscape anymore? Mehdi Hasan, a broadcaster, journalist, and newly minted CEO & Editor-in-Chief of independent media company Zeteo, has a few insights that might shed light on how we've gotten to where we are, and how distrust has shaped his very specific, h…

The De-evolution of Late Night with Bill Carter
It's been a crazy year for late night TV -- from ratings on the decline and budget cuts to cancellations and political influence. Bill Carter, the journalist and author behind The Late Shift and The War for Late Night, joins the show to talk about the evolution (and de-evolution) of late night.