Every invention in this series—the phone, the internet, the smartphone—depends on one foundational breakthrough. Newt unpacks the electrical power system's tangled origin story: Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station, Nikola Tesla's alternating current, and George Westinghouse's bet that AC was the future. Their rivalry erupted into the "War of Currents," settled dramatically at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. From there, electrification swept rural America, transforming domestic labor and daily life. It's the story of how competition and infrastructure investment built the invisible foundation on which the entire modern world now runs.

Every invention in this series&mdash;the phone, the internet, the smartphone&mdash;depends on one foundational breakthrough. Newt unpacks the electrical power system's tangled origin story: Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station, Nikola Tesla's alternating current, and George Westinghouse's bet that AC was the future. Their rivalry erupted into the "War of Currents," settled dramatically at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. From there, electrification swept rural America, transforming domestic labor and daily life. It's the story of how competition and infrastructure investment built the invisible foundation on which the entire modern world now runs.

Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.

Join Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Speaker of the House and Ph.D. historian, for the most diverse, informative, and entertaining podcast available. Every episode is an education.

Newt's World

Episode 1018: Greatest American Inventions — The Electrical Power System

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/f80ade25-76a6-4796-a0fa-b496002ed832/transcript

For 150 years, the price tag was a promise: one price, the same for everyone. That promise is gone. Today, algorithms help landlords set your rent, software tracks your clicks to figure out the most you will pay, and two shoppers can buy the same carton of eggs in the same store on the same day for different prices. Lindsay Owens, president and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative and author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet, joins Newt to explain how pricing became a weaponized science. From grocery stores and airline tickets to concert seats and apartment rents, Owens breaks down who changed the rules, how artificial intelligence supercharged the shift, and what her Shopper’s Bill of Rights would do to restore a fair price.

For 150 years, the price tag was a promise: one price, the same for everyone. That promise is gone. Today, algorithms help landlords set your rent, software tracks your clicks to figure out the most you will pay, and two shoppers can buy the same carton of eggs in the same store on the same day for different prices. Lindsay Owens, president and CEO of the Groundwork Collaborative and author of Gouged: The End of a Fair Price and What That Means for Your Wallet, joins Newt to explain how pricing became a weaponized science. From grocery stores and airline tickets to concert seats and apartment rents, Owens breaks down who changed the rules, how artificial intelligence supercharged the shift, and what her Shopper&rsquo;s Bill of Rights would do to restore a fair price.

Episode 1051: The End of a Fair Price — Lindsay Owens on How Companies Use Your Data to Charge You More

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/04795d99-c669-46f5-83a1-b4e0003d3435/transcript

With 27 days until the 2026 midterms, mail-in voting is already underway and the polls are moving. Since September, the generic ballot has shifted toward Democrats, and prediction markets now give them roughly a 90% chance of winning the House. But is the race as settled as it looks? Newt brings together two of the sharpest political strategists in the country, one Republican and one Democrat, to make their case. John McLaughlin, President Trump’s pollster since 2016, and Doug Sosnik, who ran the political operation in the Clinton White House, break down what the polling really shows, where the key inflection points have been, and who they think will control Congress on November 4th. With a month still to go, Newt knows from experience: a wave can build fast, and nothing is decided yet.

With 27 days until the 2026 midterms, mail-in voting is already underway and the polls are moving. Since September, the generic ballot has shifted toward Democrats, and prediction markets now give them roughly a 90% chance of winning the House. But is the race as settled as it looks? Newt brings together two of the sharpest political strategists in the country, one Republican and one Democrat, to make their case. John McLaughlin, President Trump&rsquo;s pollster since 2016, and Doug Sosnik, who ran the political operation in the Clinton White House, break down what the polling really shows, where the key inflection points have been, and who they think will control Congress on November 4th. With a month still to go, Newt knows from experience: a wave can build fast, and nothing is decided yet.

Episode 1050: The Midterms, 27 Days Out — McLaughlin and Sosnik on Who Will Control Congress

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9da4e533-6d63-42db-96d6-b4dd016424c5/transcript

Nearly half of American voters now call themselves independents, but Adam Brandon argues they are far more than a mushy middle ground between the two parties. In his new book, The Exhausted Majority: Building a Home for the Politically Homeless, Brandon profiles a coherent, center-right bloc of Americans tired of hyper-partisanship who simply want to see Washington get things done. Brandon served as president of FreedomWorks for over a decade and helped lead the Tea Party movement. Now he has co-founded the Independent Leadership Council with former Senator Joe Manchin, backing independent candidates in the 2026 midterms. Newt talks with Brandon to discuss why both parties keep losing ground, who the exhausted majority really is, and whether independents can become the force that finally changes how Washington works.

Nearly half of American voters now call themselves independents, but Adam Brandon argues they are far more than a mushy middle ground between the two parties. In his new book, The Exhausted Majority: Building a Home for the Politically Homeless, Brandon profiles a coherent, center-right bloc of Americans tired of hyper-partisanship who simply want to see Washington get things done. Brandon served as president of FreedomWorks for over a decade and helped lead the Tea Party movement. Now he has co-founded the Independent Leadership Council with former Senator Joe Manchin, backing independent candidates in the 2026 midterms. Newt talks with Brandon to discuss why both parties keep losing ground, who the exhausted majority really is, and whether independents can become the force that finally changes how Washington works.

Episode 1049: The Exhausted Majority — Who Independents Really Are and Why They'll Decide 2026

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/aea4ad54-1bff-41db-a06f-b4d900493681/transcript

Episode 1018: Greatest American Inventions — The Electrical Power System

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