Henry Ford didn't invent the automobile—he invented a way to make it affordable. Newt examines how Ford's 1913 moving assembly line cut Model T production time from 12.5 hours to 93 minutes, and how Ford's controversial $5-a-day wage turned his own workers into customers, helping create the American middle class. But this episode doesn't shy away from complexity: the same system that built American prosperity was also dehumanizing for many workers, and Ford himself was a deeply flawed figure. It's a clear-eyed look at innovation's power—and its costs.

Episode 1051: The End of a Fair Price — Lindsay Owens on How Companies Use Your Data to Charge You More
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Episode 1050: The Midterms, 27 Days Out — McLaughlin and Sosnik on Who Will Control Congress
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Episode 1049: The Exhausted Majority — Who Independents Really Are and Why They'll Decide 2026
35:24