Kickass News

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich reports on the Coronavirus crisis from Italy, where his wife Callista serves as U.S. Ambassador the Vatican.  He offers some lessons for America from Italy’s early failure to stop the spread, some tips from what he say of South Korea’s successful containment of the virus, and his own theory of how COVID-19 made it’s way from China to Milan.  He also talks about how the pandemic will affect US-China relations, how he hopes it could lead to regime change in Iran, and how to best address the economic impact here at home in America.  Newt is also out with a new novel to help distract from the stress of these difficult times, and he discusses how top secret military research from World War II and the Cold War inspired the plot of his latest book, why the Russians make the perfect perennial villains, how the murderous Iranian General Qasem Soleimani lives on in his latest book, and how to kill a man with a poisonous snail! Order Newt Gingrich's new book SHAKEDOWN: A NOVE

Vice Media’s President of Global News and Entertainment Jesse Angelo and Vice reporter Isobel Yeung discuss the move of Vice's flagship television program VICE from HBO to Showtime.   Isobel talks about her groundbreaking coverage of the Syrian civil war and China’s forced detention of Uighur muslims.  She shares what’s it like doing serious journalism in authoritarian nations where media is tightly controlled, and Jesse discusses the complicated process of keeping his reporters safe in those places.  Jesse also talks about his move from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to the free-wheeling culture at Vice, why Vice will focus on under-reported stories beyond our borders while the rest of the media obsess over the election in 2020, and how he sees Vice filling a demand for grittier, less-produced news in contrast to the more traditional cable news outlets. The new season of VICE premieres this Sunday, March 29 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.  Visit www.vice.com for more information and follow Isobel and Jesse on Tw

Director Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family, Men in Black, Get Shorty) talks recalls his first gig out of film school as a cameraman for adult films, working with Joel and Ethan Coen on their debut picture Blood Simple, and why you never want to receive a cake on a Coen Bros movie.  Barry discusses his difficulties working with Penny Marshall on Big, how Rob Reiner taught him about something called “the silent schmuck,” and why he and Danny Devito had such a hard time convincing a studio to make Get Shorty.  He talks about his fight with Larry David over who is the most neurotic person on the planet, his astounding ability to beat any celebrity at leg wrestling, and his secret to making children cry on camera.  Plus what it is like to work with Will Smith and bunch of Confederate Civil War reenactors, Eleanor Roosevelt Jokes, and more. Order Barry's new book Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker on Amazon, Audible or wherever books are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr

Pod Save America's Dan Pfeiffer says it's not just enough for Democrats to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, but they have to defeat Trumpism in the long-run.  He recalls witnessing some of the early signs of Trumpism when he was White House Communications Director under President Obama, and he explains how the Democratic party was allowed to collapse during the Obama years.  Dan believes that voter expansion is the key to Democrats victory in 2020 and beyond, he suggests a host of ideas to grow the voter rolls from granting statehood to the District of Columbia to enfranchising 16 year-olds, and he offers proposals for how make the Presidency more resilient against corruption and abuse of power in the future.  He talks about the resurgence of Joe Biden’s campaign, whether Bernie still has a shot at the nomination, and what we can learn from the failed campaign of Michael Bloomberg.  Plus Dan reveals the right wing media organization that he says is more dangerous than Breitbart and bigger than Fox News, the perso

Hank Azaria talks about his 31 seasons on The Simpsons, a few of the 150 plus characters he’s played on the show, and some of the classic movie stars who inspired some of his popular voices for The Simpsons.  Hank reveals how he came up with his distinctive sports announcer voice for IFC's Brockmire, he does his best to sell me on the great American pastime, but admits that often times Major League Baseball can’t get out of its own way.  We discuss Brockmire Season 4’s dystopian vision of the future 10 years down the line and why it might not be too far from reality.  Plus the tortured genius of Peter Sellers, Hank’s love for the original man of 1000 voices Mel Blanc, and he reveals which of his many characters from The Simpsons is his favorite. The 4th and final season of Brockmire premieres March 18 at 10PM ET on IFC.  Today's episode was sponsored by the podcast Afternoon Cyber Tea.  Join Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President for Cybersecurity Solutions at Microsoft on Afternoon Cyber Tea, and learn f

This is a rebroadcast of a 2017 interview with John McEnroe, who talks about tennis, his famous temper, and his book But Seriously.  He discusses winning his first grand slam at age 20, his life after the pros, and a recurring nightmare he has about his 1984 French Open match with Ivan Lendl.  McEnroe talks about some of his famous arguments with tennis umpires, and how his temper helped his game in his younger years but he says it held him back later in his career.  He’ll handicap this year’s Wimbledon finals, give his characteristically frank take on the state of the game and a few things he’d like to do away with in tennis.  Plus, he’ll even give me a few tips on how to improve my serve.  John McEnroe's book But Seriously on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Cohen tells how a child-hood basketball game first got him interested in the mystery of winning streaks, how his work as a sports writer only further convinced him that there is such a thing as being "in the zone," and what recent science has to say about it.  He also describes how streaks can negatively bias everyone from baseball umpires to asylum judges, warns there’s an important corollary to the "Hot Hand" that can cost you big-time, and cautions that there’s a big difference between streaks that can be harnessed and those that can’t.  Plus Ben shares a tip from baseball on how to tell if you can capitalize on a streak, some advice from basketball star Steph Curry on when to take more risks, and the story of how Shakespeare wrote some of his greatest works in the most unlikely of times. Order his book THE HOT HAND: The Mystery and Science of Streaks on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold.  Read his reporting regularly in the Wall Street Journal and follow him on

Rob Riggle returns to shares his lifelong love of history and why he wanted to blend comedy and education for his new series Rob Riggle: Global Investigator.  He discusses a few of his recent adventures from searching for the Holy Grail to diving for pirate treasure.  Rob what it’s like to play a “heightened version of himself” on the show, and what happens when some fans don’t know the difference between the real Rob and his character.  Plus Rob braves snakes, caves, sharks, quicksand, UFO’s, and more! Rob Riggle: Global Investigator premieres Sunday March 8 at 10PM ET on Discovery.  Visit www.discovery.com for more information and follow Rob on twitter at @RobRiggle.  Today's episode was sponsored by Kronos HR solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor Bryan Cranston recalls a difficult childhood and the two year road trip that changed his life.  He shares some of his adventures before acting including traveling as a carny, catching shoplifters as security guard, and the time he ended up a suspect in a murder investigation.  He talks about getting a crash course in comedy from Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, landing the role of a lifetime on Breaking Bad, and how he built one of the most iconic characters in the history of television.  Bryan Cranston also gives some advice for aspiring actors, reveals how his life has changed since "Walter White," and why he loves making small talk with old people. Order Bryan Cranston's bestselling memoir A Life in Parts on Amazon or download the audiobook at www.audible.com.  Follow Bryan on Twitter at @BryanCranston.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vox co-founder Ezra Klein reveals how America's political system is polarizing us and how we are polarizing it with disastrous results.  He explains that the Founding Fathers planned for many things, but they did not designed a system of government that was intended to function effectively in times of hyper partisanship.  He points out that politics came into being to represent deep social cleavages, but now politics is the cleavage, and our political affiliation has grown into a mega-identity that is consuming our lives, making us angrier, and destroying friendships and families.  We discuss how politicians and voters got stuck in a feedback loop of negative partisanship and how polarization has lead many of our leaders in Washington to conclude that bipartisanship is actually irrational. Plus we discuss how demographic threat is fueling political anger, how the rise of extremism correlates with a decline in the influence of parties, and Ezra offers a few recipes for how to reunite the country and make Ameri

Adam Davidson, creator of NPR's Planet Money podcast and award-winning New Yorker staff writer, says that the 21st-century economic paradigm offers new ways of making money, fresh paths toward professional fulfillment, and unprecedented opportunities for curious, ambitious individuals to combine the things they love with their careers.  He talks about his father and grandfather as examples of two different approaches to work and money, and says we’re entering an economy that combines the best of both.  How explains how to tell between a hobby and a passion, how globalization and the internet allow you to monetize that passion like never before, and why it’s important to have what he calls "the Goldilocks of business models" to avoid getting undercut or replaced by bigger companies, foreign competition, or automation.  Plus he shares some surprising examples of people who are making the passion economy work for them including one man who only sells to the Amish, a brush company that took the most basic of prod

Comedian Whitmer Thomas talks about returning to his hometown to film his first hour-long comedy special at Alabama's legendary Flora-Bama Lounge where his late mother used to perform with her band Syntwister.  He says his music and comedy is his way of honoring his mom, and in a way, he’s now fulfilling her dream by pursuing his own.  We also discuss some of his most recent skating injuries, what it was like touring with comedian Bo Burnham, and how he went from being an angst-ridden emo kid in high school to parodying emo bands in his act.  Plus we talk about Pee Wee Herman, Donald Trump, Blink 182 as the ultimate parody band, his early obsession with Zach Galifianakis, and the time a 3-year-old Whitmer got kidnapped by his own obsessed fan! His hour-long comedy special Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One debuts on HBO on February 22 at 10PM E/P.  Follow him on Twitter at @WhitmerThomas.  Today's episode was sponsored by Online Trading Academy and Wave. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Lear

Actor Scoot McNairy talks about starring in season 2 of Narcos: Mexico as a DEA agent who heads an "off-the-books" operation to avenge the death of a fellow agent and take down a ruthless drug lord.  He recalls growing up in Texas, coping with dyslexia as a kid, and his early ambition to be a wildlife cinematographer.  He discusses how he prepares for a role and how most of his characters are drawn from a personal friend or acquaintance.  He discusses spending time with real DEA agents for Narcos: Mexico, goes into the history of the Mexican narcotics cartels, and speaks frankly about the endless war on drugs. Watch Season 2 of Narcos: Mexico now streaming on Netflix.  Today's episode was sponsored by Wave.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin talks about executive producing the History Channel miniseries Washington, some things she’s observed from watching Steven Spielberg on the set of Lincoln, and how the collaborative process of making Washington helped her through her husband's death.  She discuss why she wanted to go beyond the highlights of George Washington’s life to explore the real man, and she debunks and confirms some common legends about our founding father.  Doris reveals the long held personal grudge that led George Washington to join the American Revolution, the intense ambition that drove him to succeed, and how owning and exploiting slaves became essential to that success. The three night television event Washington begins Sunday February 16 at 8PM E/P on The History Channel.  Today's episode was sponsored by Wave and Kronos.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Washington Post's DC bureau chief Philip Rucker discusses his new book A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America.  He shares stories from White House insiders about the time President Trump tried to overturn the Foreign Corrupt Practices act so American businesses could bribe foreign governments, the time Trump wanted to turn a profit on the US military by turning our troops into a mercenary force, and the Pentagon meeting when Trump called his decorated generals a bunch of "babies and losers."  Phil discusses the falling out between the President and his former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, how some world leaders have tried to turn Trump against his own advisors, and how the most powerful leader in the world solicited other heads of state for the Nobel Prize.  Plus we talk about Impeachment, Trump tweets, Bolton, Mueller, and more. Order A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America on Amazon, Audible or wherever books are sold.  You can read more by Philip Rucker in Th

In this age of insurmountable consumption of media where bad news travels fast from all directions, comedian Tom Papa wants to remind us to take care of ourselves, embrace who you’ve become, and absorb the beauty of life in his new Netflix special Tom Papa: You're Doing Great!  He reveals where his trademark optimism comes from, why he rejects the cynicism often associated with standup comedy, and what he learned about being true to your comedic voice while touring with Jerry Seinfeld.  He opens up about his anxiety over sending his daughter off to college and warning her that most men’s “nice guy act” is a total fraud.  Plus Tom talks about his own real life ghost story, the lie of social media, the myth of "the good old days," and the symbiotic relationship between baking and writing comedy. Tom’s new standup special Tom Papa: You're Doing Great is now streaming on Netflix, and look for his book You're Doing Great in stores May 12.  Visit www.tompapa.com for his upcoming tour dates and follow him on twitte

Professor Allan J. Lichtman explains why he feels that it is necessary for America to repeal the Second Amendment to clear the way for sensible gun reforms and clarifies that repealing the Second Amendment does not mean that the Federal government is going to take your guns away.  Professor Lichtman discusses why the outrage following every mass shooting quickly devolves into inaction by politicians, how the gun regulation lobby more effective can become more effective, and how to debunk some of the myths about gun violence propagated by the NRA.  He tells the history of the National Rifle Association from its origins as a group intended to improve marksmanship in 1871 to the power special interest lobby that it is today.  Plus the man who has successfully predicted the last 8 elections shares his data on the 2020 race, why election polls are failing us, and his thoughts on the Impeachment of Donald Trump. Order his book Repeal the Second Amendment: The Case for a Safer America on Amazon, Audible or whereve

Comedian Russell Peters talks about his life as a middle-aged man dealing with health issues, relationships and fatherhood.  He discusses filming his new standup special Russell Peters: Deported in Mumbai, whether he’d consider doing a Bollywood movie, and why he was exposed to black culture more than his own Indian heritage when he was growing up in Toronto.  Russell recalls getting some early mentorship from the late George Carlin, becoming the first comedian to hit it big on YouTube, and how he still maintains a sense of intimacy when performing in stadiums before tens of thousands of people.   Watch Russell Peters: Deported on Amazon Prime Video.  Keep up with Russell at www.russellpeters.com and on twitter at @therealrussellp.  Today's podcast was sponsored by Wave.  Wave helps freelancers, consultants, and small business owners make, move, and manage your money with accounting, invoicing, payments, and payroll services that are easy-to-use, secure, and free.  Visit www.waveapps.com/kick. See omnystu

Republican political strategist Rick Wilson follows up his #1 Bestseller Everything Trump Touches Dies with a detailed playbook for how Democrats can defeat Trump in 2020.  He warns Democratic candidates that this election is not about policy but a simple referendum on the presidency of Donald Trump.  He also suggests that this race will be settled in fewer than 15 states, and Democrats need to focus on winning in the electoral college instead getting lulled into a false sense of security by Trump's poor poll numbers.  He also says that this election will be a knock-down, drag-out bar fight unlike any others, and Dems should be prepared to go after Trump on his perceived strength - the economy, impeachment, and even his family. Order Rick's book Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump --and Democrats from Themselves on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold.  Keep up with Rick at www.therickwilson.com or on twitter at @TheRickWilson, and look for his regular column at www.thedailyb

Neuroscientist and cognitive psychologist Dr. Daniel Levitin reveals that growing old is a lot more than just a gradual period of decline and indeed we get better at many aspects of life as we age.  He explains how memory really works, why online brain games probably don’t do all that they promise, and how taking up a new hobby or starting a second career could be the best thing for keeping the mind sharp.  Dan debunks most longevity diets and supplements as well as a whole bunch of common myths from the idea that old people get more depressed to the belief that the elderly need less sleep.  Plus Dan shares the secrets of some of the world's sharpest and most active seniors from former Secretary of State George Shultz to the Dalai Lama. Order Dan's new book Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives on Amazon, Audible, or wherever books are sold.  Keep up with Dan at www.daniellevitin.com or on twitter at @DanLevitin.  Today's episode was sponsored by Wave invoicing sof