This is Gavin Newsom

Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei joins the show to talk through how AI is changing the media industry, why he rejects the simple solutions floated by today’s politicians and how he’d handle saving legacy media institutions. He then shares his philosophy on how to manage one’s time and business effectively as articulated in his new book book Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less co-written with his Axios co-founders, Mike Allen & Roy Schwartz 00:00 An Era As Significant As The Great Depression 2:46 Trust Loss In Institutions 6:09 The Challenge Of Breaking News In An AI World 11:42 How To Fix Business Leaders Selling Out 16:57 How Algorithms Shape Our Thinking 19:22 The Competing Incentives Between LLMs & Algorithms 22:00 Can We Shut Down AI Even If We Wanted To 25:06 How Axios Rejects The AI Binary 35:05 The Future Of Work 39:32 Working With OpenAi & Local News 43:36 Legacy Media vs. Digital Journalists 48:42 You Don't Have To Do It - An Operating Manual For Life 55:35 Our Brains & Businesses Need To Adapt To Technology’s Influence 1:01:16 How To Be An Effective Manager & Employee in 2026 1:04:39 The One Trick To Being An Effective Communicator 1:09:27 How to Fix CNN & Cable News See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short, The Blind Side) joins the show to talk about his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, and what he found reporting on the Trump administration's war against federal civil servants. Lewis often writes about overlooked people inside massive, misunderstood systems, from Wall Street to baseball to government scientists. In his newest work, he explains how Elon Musk's DOGE actually operated inside agencies like the IRS and NIH, why career civil servants became targets, and what happens when the trust in our government finally collapses. Lewis's new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State is out now. 00:00 Opening 00:25 Talking To Bannon, Kirk And Understanding Your Enemies 7:24 Which Of Michael Lewis’s Subjects Was Most Pissed At Him 10:35 How Michael Lewis Decides On His Subjects 18:07 Who Can Tell The Story of Trump’s Second Term 24:42 The Big Question Lewis Asked Himself Before Writing Blockers 30:03 Elon Musk, DOGE & The Origin Of The Term “Blockers” 36:23 What The Hell is The US Institute of Peace? 43:22 Government Is Moneyball All Over The Place 47:45 How Trump Tries To Weaponize Data Against Undocumented Workers 54:33 Better Information Leads To Societal Progress 1:00:06 The Immigrant Who Changed How We Fight Fires vs. The Trump Chaos Machine 1:17:46 Trump vs. The NIH: Who Killed The Scientist Curing Our Diseases? 1:25:09 How People Really Deal With RFK Jr. 1:29:31 The Backdoor That DOGE Used to Fire Millions 1:34: 36 Trump is A Trust Destroying Machine & Where Trump Goes Next 1:38:16 How Permanent Is Trump’s Harm To Government? 1:45:58 How Reagan Ruined America’s Covid Response & Helped Trump Weaponize Grievance 1:51:15 A Sign Of Hope From A Former DOGE Employee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Newsom begins by sharing how his visit with Bryan Stevenson, civil rights attorney, & founder of the Equal Justice Initiative inspired recent legislation. Live from the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery Alabama, Stevenson joins the podcast to discuss the politics of fear and anger and why America never reckoned with the narrative that justified slavery. He shares how the Supreme Court might decide Brown v. Board of Education today, what the gutting of the Voting Rights Act means for Black political power, and why DEI efforts fell apart. They then cover reparations, censorship, mass incarceration and America’s legacy when it comes to the death penalty before finally ending with a message of hope for anyone exhausted by this political moment. 00:00 A Conversation That Inspired A Bill Signing 1:10 The Politics Of Fear And Anger 4:03 Slavery's Real Evil Was the Narrative 6:26 How Narratives Change 8:20 Struggling With American Identity 13:20 Why Build a National Memory & Legacy Museum 17:35 Why The Shelby County Decision Changed Everything 25:28 Why We've Gone Backwards 31:08 How DEI Caused Resentment 37:10 What Reparations Really Means 46:30 Why Am I Responsible For Previous Generations’ Suffering? 51:01 Rewriting History & The Montgomery Bus Boycott 59:23 Could Brown v. Board Be Won Today? 1:04:45 Rev. James Lawson: Do Hard Things 1:12:17 Counter Narratives & Censorship 1:17:54 Mass Incarceration and the Death Penalty 1:35:30 Should California Commute Its Death Row? 1:39:50 What Do You Say to Victims' Families? 1:45:38 Is There Any Reason For Hope? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newsmax founder and CEO Chris Ruddy joins the show to discuss how he built a conservative media empire, including the story of how he first met Donald Trump. He then gets into his relationship with the Clintons, California political history, education reform, and conservative talk radio's influence on the country. 00:00 Intro 00:45 The Legacy of California Governors 4:44 Reagan, Republicans & Immigration 7:00 The Crazy Way Ruddy Met Trump 10:30 Liberal Origins Before Building A Conservative Media Empire 18:04 How To Improve Public Education 26:30 Conservative Radio’s Influence On This President 30:18 The Evolution of Ruddy & The Clintons 33:47 Media Consolidation & The Fight Against Brendan Carr & The FCC 45:00 Tech Mergers, Paramount & The Hollywood System 48:35 Newsmax vs. Fox News 51:10 The 2020 Election 54:40 Political Polarization & The 2024 Election 59:22 How Democrats React If They Win Back The House 1:04:57 The Future of Cable & Artificial Intelligence 1:10:02 Should Democrats Appear On Conservative Media See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few months ago, we sat down with two of the leading voices warning about the risks of runaway AI Tristan Harris & Aza Raskin. We're re-airing that conversation now because we are at a critical moment in how we deal with AI. Researchers are quitting. CEOs are begging to be regulated. Yet there's still no comprehensive federal law requiring AI companies to report dangerous incidents when they happen. So we're taking action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.