Advertise on podcast: What Could Go Right?

There was a time in American history when everything was about ships. For centuries, power on the seas was necessary for economic success, but U.S. maritime power isn’t what it used to be. That change has never been more important than in the growing territorial tension in the Arctic Circle. Author, columnist, and economic analyst Rana Foroohar joins host Zachary Karabell to talk about her new book Sea Change: America’s New Great Game in the Arctic. They discuss how sea lanes opening across the North Pole as a result of climate change could reshape trade, security, and geopolitics, and make the Arctic one of the most important economic and political zones in the world. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Subscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

After a former Anthropic researcher quit and gave a doomsday warning about artificial intelligence, a debate on a human extinction event is raging in the media. Could AI get too smart too fast? Are we really in danger of AI going rogue and killing off humanity, or is it all an overblown distraction? That’s our main story, and we’re also talking about a brand new way to stop sand erosion that's being tested in the Maldives. Could this save beaches all over the world? Last but not least, in This Week in History, we explain why you should thank the Beatles the next time you get a CT scan. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Follow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

Legal betting has exploded in the US. With the phone in your pocket, you can bet on the specific outcome of a game or who will attend the next State of the Union address. But legal betting has plenty of controversy, including how it affects sports fandom and the way it’s marketed to young men. Are the concerns overblown or do we need a real plan to address real harm? Two guests join our host Zachary Karabell for this conversation. Dr. Brendan Dwyer is a professor and the director of research at the Center for Sport Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and Isaac Rose-Berman is a fellow at the American Institute for Boys and Men, focused on gambling research and policy.The conversation explores guardrails needed for legal gambling to expand successfully while limiting harm to vulnerable populations. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

Maps have distorted the true size of the African continent for 500 years, but a new UN resolution is changing that. Progress Network Executive Director Emma Varvaloucas examines this historic shift toward a more accurate projection to correct centuries of cartographic bias. Plus: a biological breakthrough that could prevent premature births, and the wild story of how Neptune was discovered 175 years ago.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Follow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

In the United States, we have constant debates about long-standing systemic issues like classism, racism, and economic inequality, and we speak about these issues as if they are complicated and impossible to address. But what if history tells us that we already have the solutions to some of our biggest and oldest problems? What if there is a bold path that looks to the past to redirect our economic future? Georgetown Law Professor Dorothy Brown joins host Zachary Karabell to talk about her book Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past. They discuss whether reparations are practical and actually possible in the near future. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

There’s been a lot of doom and gloom around artificial intelligence taking our jobs. Even founders of AI companies like Sam Altman have said that many jobs will go poof and disappear. But is the AI job apocalypse all hype, or are we just in the calm before the storm? We dive in. We also discuss adorable dogs gene-edited to be hypoallergenic, and two women in New Zealand who paved the way for women’s rights. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkFollow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

Are we trapped in a cultural doom loop that forces us to fear the future instead of dreaming of a better one? In this episode, futurist Ari Wallach joins host Zachary Karabell to examine why modern society defaults to short-termism and how we can fundamentally redesign our approach to tomorrow. They dive deep into Wallach's "Longpath" framework, exploring how Western death anxiety, a deficit of transgenerational empathy, and a cultural obsession with dystopian media hinder our ability to tackle existential challenges. By shifting away from rigid predictions and embracing "protopian" storytelling, Wallach explains how we can incrementally build a more constructive, community-focused future. Learn more about The Protopias Collection: https://awastudios.com/series/polis/ What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Subscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

What if you never have to wear a pink ribbon again? For years, experts called the medical dream of a personalized cancer vaccine impossible. Now, a new therapy written by an algorithm is making it happen. We're also talking about how Australian cyborg cockroaches could come to the rescue at natural disasters, and we get into the alliance that brought a California farming empire to its knees and created a historic labor movement. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Follow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

Is interest in space dying, or are we on the brink of our greatest interstellar discoveries? In this episode of What Could Go Right, Zachary Karabell sits down with Dr. Dakotah Tyler, an astronomer and astrophysicist who pivoted from a promising college football career to unraveling the mysteries of the universe.They discuss the existential threats and promises of large language models, questioning whether tech leaders can manipulate human thought and if our innate drive to explore is being outsourced to bots.They also explore the statistical probability of discovering alien life and why complex organisms might be a rare cosmic anomaly. Dr. Tyler brings a grounded scientific perspective to trending space topics, dissecting the cultural impact of the Artemis moon missions and the validity of UFO sightings.What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

This week, we want to share a podcast from our friends at Issues in Science & Technology. It’s called The Ongoing Transformation and it looks at how science and society are continually transforming each other. From countless ads to outright scams, spam is an annoying constant of online life. But does it have to be that way? In this episode, Rebecca Coyne and Jason Lloyd examine the history of spam. And take a look at efforts to address spam in the early 2000s may offer lessons for how we might regulate technologies such as artificial intelligence today. Listen to more episodes and subscribe to The Ongoing Transformation wherever you get your podcasts.

David Pakman is the founder and host of The David Pakman Show, one of the most watched independent progressive podcasts and online political shows. He's built an audience of over 6.7 million subscribers across social media platforms through calm, fact-based analysis and critical thinking. David joins host Zachary Karabell to discuss his new book, Pay Attention, coming out on September 22. They dive into the missed messaging opportunities for the left, the ongoing culture wars that lend themselves to clickbait headlines, and strategies to expand the progressive political tent within the limitations of the American two-party system. David offers his perspective on building an audience while protecting his values and integrity, and why the future of American political discourse might actually be brighter than the headlines suggest. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

The media is constantly telling us that danger is everywhere. Between true crime binges and political rants, we're led to believe that our streets are a war zone. However, recent statistics released by the FBI tell a completely different story. Plus, we'll get into why video game fans have the resume the FAA is looking for. Then in our this week in history segment, we’re taking a look at a bad deal that sparked a massive non-violent protest in the form of a human chain. Join Emma Varvaloucas on this episode of the What Could Go Right progress report to hear the full story. For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/ Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetwork Follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk Follow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

Being a human being is an anxious experience, and to calm the fear of uncertainty, we’re obsessed with predicting the future. Whether spiraling about changes to the economy, politics, or culture, we’re desperate to know what’s coming around the corner. In this episode, host Zachary Karabell is joined by Carissa Véliz, philosopher and author of "Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI." They discuss the ways tech executives and AI experts offer predictions for our society that are supposedly inevitable. But what if we refuse to accept these guesses as truth? What if leaning into ambiguity and our own vulnerability makes us better citizens and gives us a true chance to make a better world? Zachary and Carissa discuss the difference between a mindset that is focused on definite outcomes versus a mindset open to the possibilities of different paths and why the latter is crucial to a healthy society. They also dive into Carissa's work on privacy and the pitfalls of unprecedented surveillance and data collection that feed the prediction machines. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/

Winston Churchill predicted this nation would collapse, but today India is experiencing a massive economic glow up as it rapidly lifts hundreds of millions out of extreme poverty. We also investigate why crucial historical signs are quietly vanishing from America's national parks, and how an eccentric doctor's argument with mother nature saved countless lives from malaria. Join Emma Varvaloucas on this episode of the What Could Go Right progress report to hear the full story.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkFollow Emma on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyemmavarv/

The concept of the American Dream calls up images of enormous money and fame that most of us will never see. But what happens to someone who actually becomes mega famous? Is it truly something to strive for? Is the cost worth it? Ronda Rousey, the superstar MMA fighter turned graphic novelist, joins Zachary Karabell to explain her approach to creativity, life, and happiness that rejects our traditional metrics for success. The discussion touches on Ronda's meteoric rise to fame, the tremendous wave of online hate directed at her, and how it taught her to give up her need for external validation. They tackle the divisive infiltration of politics into combat sports, and how Ronda's big fight on Netflix this past May could offer a solution. Plus, Ronda explains what makes her happy these days, including her graphic novel about a pregnant assassin called Expecting the Unexpected. You can purchase Ronda's graphic novel, Expecting the Unexpected, here: ⁠https://awastudios.com/ronda⁠What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and Kaleidoscope.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgSubscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://theprogressnetwork.org/newsletter/Watch the podcast on YouTube: / theprogressnetworkFollow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrkSubscribe to Zachary’s Substack: www.edgyoptimist.substack.com/