Less traffic. Cleaner air. Safer streets. Better transit. That’s the personal motto of Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber of the Metropolitan Transit Authority. And it’s certainly a good one aspirationally. The challenge is putting it into practice. Lieber joins host Charles Lane to discuss the triumphs and pitfalls of running one of the world’s greates…

Louisiana is a unique state and Charles Lane knows its history; his 2008 book, The Day Freedom Died, told the story of the Colfax Massacre of 1873, in which dozens of Black men were slain. And the state has a unique governor, John Bel Edwards, who has been elected to two terms as a rare pro-Medicaid expansion, pro-life Democrat. Charles met the gov…

Political extremism and antisemitism have a habit of going hand in hand throughout history. Josh Kraushaar, veteran political analyst and editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider, joins host Charles Lane to talk about the rise of antisemitism in America, partisan sentiment and the U.S.-Israel relationship, and political trends more broadly.…

Colbert “Colby” I. King has served the nation in a myriad of roles, including as “the unofficial journalistic voice of the city for more than three decades.” He sat down with host Charles Line to share his thoughts on the District’s political limbo, the state of journalism today, and the importance of teaching Black history. This episode was record…

Artificial Intelligence has played a game-changing role across many industries, from banking and health care to retail and manufacturing. But as AI impacts our lives in increasingly direct ways, are companies harnessing its technological power safely and responsibly? Microsoft’s Chief Responsible AI Officer Natasha Crampton joined Charles Lane to d…

Is pain necessary to appreciate the good in life? Has unfettered access to pleasurable stimuli–from drugs and alcohol to internet and streaming TV–dulled our ability to experience true pleasure? Dr. Anna Lembke uses neuroscience and narrative to explore these questions and more in her book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. …

Do democracies offer progress or only the promise of progress? NYU professor and former foreign minister of Mexico Jorge Castañeda breaks down some of the challenges currently facing the western hemisphere’s youngest democracies, those of Latin America. From Mexico to Peru and Brazil, a centrist vacuum in the region is contributing to everything fr…

Americans have a penchant for telling themselves the darkest version of their history. But Jon Grinspan looks to the wild campaigns of the 1800's to show how the lived drama of the American political experience offers lessons of hope for political participation and civility.Oleh Charles Lane

Are modern ideologies infecting how we educate students about history? Education historian Jonathan Zimmerman joins Charles for a discussion on the politics and history of teaching controversial topics in American schools.Oleh Charles Lane

New York Times journalist Amanda Ripley discusses the psychology behind why nearly half of Americans no longer want to follow the news — and what we can do about it.Oleh Charles Lane

AEI's Kori Schake discusses the Jim Crow-era naming of military bases after Confederate leaders and the Congressional Naming Commission's inclusive approach to renaming federal entities.Oleh Charles Lane

Former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson discusses public safety and border security, and the importance of these issues for political candidates.Oleh Charles Lane

Michael Abramowitz joins Charles Lane to reflect on the disappointed expectations for democratic transition after 1989, and our complacent forgetfulness that democracy is something that must be struggled over continuously.Oleh Charles Lane

Is fiscal responsibility coming back into style? Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, joins Charles Lane to discuss how that reversal may yet come to pass after years of fiscal recklessness by both parties.Oleh Charles Lane

Is the Democratic Party still the party of the White and non-White working class? Ruy Teixeira of the Center for American Progress joins host Charles Lane to assess the party’s strategic positioning today.Oleh Charles Lane

As America gears up for a midterm election in the midst of hardening partisan lines and the ongoing war in Ukraine, what are the prospects of the American political future? For the inaugural episode of the new American Purpose podcast “Times Like These with Charles Lane,” the 82nd governor of New Hampshire, Chris Sununu, joins host Charles Lane to …