Episodes

  • The Real Reasons Greenland Matters

    The Real Reasons Greenland Matters
    Jan 22 2026
    This week I spoke to Arctic geopolitics expert Heather A. Conley, before President Trump made a speech at The World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Heather spoke to me about a place most of us barely think about—until it becomes the center of a global power struggle. Greenland has gone from frozen afterthought to geopolitical prize, and its story reveals a lot about American expansionism, NATO politics, and the race now unfolding in the Arctic. We trace Greenland’s strange political history with Denmark and the U.S., unpack why its location has always mattered militarily, and explore what happens as China and Russia push north. We also confront the uncomfortable truth behind Trump’s “buy Greenland” moment—and why the people who actually live there want neither Denmark nor America to own them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    40 mins
  • YOU'RE INVITED: Michael Shermer LIVE with Coleman Hughes!

    YOU'RE INVITED: Michael Shermer LIVE with Coleman Hughes!
    Jan 20 2026
    In a world where AI can recreate our voices, half the internet thinks the moon landing was staged, and every group chat has a cousin who’s “just asking questions,” the perceived line between fact and fantasy has never been blurrier. On February 9 at the Comedy Cellar in NYC, Coleman Hughes will sit down with Michael Shermer—historian of science and author of Truth: What It Is, How to Find It & Why It Still Matters—for a live conversation. Together they’ll dig into why smart people believe strange things—from conspiracy theories and moral panics to post-truth politics—and how skepticism, evidence, and reason can still help us figure out what’s actually real. Is truth the only antidote to our world of cynicism and confusion? After the conversation, we’ll head to a nearby bar for an informal meetup with Michael, Coleman, and fellow Free Pressers for drinks, discussion, and the rare pleasure of arguing in good faith. (Location will be shared with ticket holders only.) This New York City event is intentionally intimate and will sell out quickly. Don’t delay. --- February 9, 2026 6:00pm1 Comedy Cellar @ 30 West 3rd Street, NY, NY, 10012 --- Tickets are here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    Less than 1 minute
  • Niall Ferguson: What Happens Next in Iran Will Change the Middle East Forever

    Niall Ferguson: What Happens Next in Iran Will Change the Middle East Forever
    Jan 15 2026
    This week I’m joined by historian Niall Ferguson to help me make sense of Iran’s unprecedented wave of protests. We talk about why this moment feels different to previous uprisings, the regime’s growing crisis of legitimacy, the limits of sanctions, and how the long shadow of 1953 still shapes everything in Iran. We also look at what Trump’s “maximum pressure” could mean, and the risks posed by any form of U.S. intervention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Maduro Is Gone. The Mafia State Remains.

    Maduro Is Gone. The Mafia State Remains.
    Jan 12 2026
    Thor Halvorssen is a Venezuelan-born human rights campaigner and the founder of the Human Rights Foundation. His life as an activist began after his mother was shot and wounded by pro-regime forces for trying to expose election fraud under Hugo Chávez, an event that turned his work from theory into something painfully concrete. In this episode we talk about how Venezuela’s dictatorship operated more like a cartel than a state, why the regime survived despite losing elections, and how oil, narcotics, and foreign alliances sustained one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the hemisphere. We also discuss why Venezuela is not another Iraq, how major Western media outlets repeatedly misread the regime, and what a realistic political transition might look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    51 mins
  • How Cuba Propped Up Maduro

    How Cuba Propped Up Maduro
    Jan 8 2026
    I’m joined by Gelet Martínez Fragela, a Cuban activist and journalist and a close watcher of Venezuela who’s tracked how authoritarianism hollowed out a once prosperous country. We talk about the warning signs, the lies that sustained the regime, and why President Maduro’s trial in the United States matters far beyond Venezuelan borders. Gelet also answers the question: Why were Cubans responsible for guarding President Maduro? And how will the country function in the wake of the U.S.’s shock intervention? For Gelet’s personal story, listen to our episode from October: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-cubas-police-state-from-ration-cards-to-black/id1716338488?i=1000733663296 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Is There a Science to Finding Love?

    Is There a Science to Finding Love?
    Jan 5 2026
    Dr. Anna Machin is a British evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Oxford who studies the neuroscience and psychology of love. Anna and I talk through what science actually says about attraction, attachment, and long-term relationships, and why so much modern dating advice gets human nature wrong. We get into dating apps and how they shape behavior, whether love at first sight is real, what attachment styles do and don’t explain, and what science says about polyamory. We also discuss common myths about pheromones, love languages, and whether having kids really makes people happier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 21 mins
  • Coleman Hughes Answers Your End-of-Year Questions

    Coleman Hughes Answers Your End-of-Year Questions
    Dec 22 2025
    My producer Poppy Damon and I are back for another Ask Me Anything. In this bonus episode, I answer your questions on President Donald Trump and the attention economy, declining birth rates, psychedelics and mental health, AI and the future of work, social media and kids, religion, meritocracy, and more. As 2025 wraps up, it felt like a good moment to step back, take stock, and talk through the questions many of you have been thinking about. Thanks for listening this year—and here’s to more Conversations like this one in the year ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • What Happens After Trump?: Why Tim Miller Thinks Politics Can’t Go Back

    What Happens After Trump?: Why Tim Miller Thinks Politics Can’t Go Back
    Dec 15 2025
    Tim Miller is a political commentator and former GOP strategist who became one of the most outspoken “‘Never Trump”’ conservatives in the country. Tim and I talk through the Republican Party’s transformation, from the guardrails John McCain tried to hold in place, to the anger and conspiratorial thinking that helped fuel Donald Trump’s rise. We get into what it was like to be an openly gay Republican in the 2000s, why Trump’s favorability is collapsing, and the administration’s bizarre new policy of blowing up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. I also ask him about his recent interview with journalist Olivia Nuzzi and more. Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to stream the entire FOX Nation library, plus live Sports and Entertainment at our lowest price of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 9 mins