For decades, America told its young strivers that the path to economic security ran through degrees, credentials, and a foothold in the professional class. But as housing costs climb and career ladders shrink, even the “successful” are finding the old promise slipping away.John Carney, economics editor at Breitbart, joins Oren to unpack why today’s economy feels like a winner-take-all contest and why rising productivity—not rising population—must anchor America’s next stage of growth. They explore the collapse of old economic assumptions and narratives, the emergence of a new economic paradigm, and what it will take to rebuild broad-based prosperity.Further Reading: "Zohran's Park Slope Populists" by John Carney.
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41:30
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41:30
Is AI Really Going to Kill Us All? with Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares
Artificial intelligence has leapt from speculative theory to everyday tool with astonishing speed, promising breakthroughs in science, medicine, and the ways we learn, live, and work. But to some of its earliest researchers, the race toward superintelligence represents not progress but an existential threat, one that could end humanity as we know it.Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares, authors of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, join Oren to debate their claim that pursuing AI will end in human extinction. During the conversation, a skeptical Oren pushes them on whether meaningful safeguards are possible, what a realistic boundary between risk and progress might look like, and how society should judge the costs of stopping against the consequences of carrying on.
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49:10
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49:10
Somewheres and Anywheres with David Goodhart
Western politics has increasingly been shaped by a widening divide between the “Somewheres” and the “Anywheres”—those rooted in place and community versus those defined by education, mobility, and openness to change. This clash has fueled populist revolts, strained national solidarity, and reshaped debates over immigration, work, and identity.David Goodhart, author of The Road to Somewhere and The Care Dilemma, joins Oren Cass to discuss how this cultural split took hold and how to restore balance between these two groups. They also explore how this divide has shaped the rise of populism, the undervaluing of care and family life, and how re-centering dignity, community, and shared purpose could renew modern societies.
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49:32
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49:32
Enforcing America's Labor Laws with Seema Nanda
America’s labor laws promise fairness for workers and a level playing field for businesses, but promises mean little without enforcement. Underfunded agencies and administrative failures have allowed bad corporate actors to exploit employees unable to defend themselves.Seema Nanda, the Solicitor of Labor for the Biden administration, joins Oren to discuss why labor enforcement has fallen into crisis and how immigration policy further complicates the landscape. They explore what it takes to hold employers accountable, why strong enforcement is essential for the economy, and how to credibly rebuild America’s protections for workers.
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46:37
Sharpie's American Comeback with Chris Griswold
A favorite libertarian parable, I, Pencil, portrays the market as a mystical force beyond human control, an “invisible hand” that government must never try to steer. This conversation tells a different story: how Sharpie manufacturing returned from China to America, and what we can learn about how policy can shape markets in the national interest.Chris Griswold, policy director at American Compass, joins Oren to discuss his Commonplace essay, I, Sharpie, and what the marker’s story reveals about reindustrialization, automation, and worker power. They trace how tariffs and long-term investment helped bring Sharpie production back to Tennessee, explore why automation need not threaten good jobs, and explain how technology and labor can advance together in a high-wage, high-innovation economy.Further Reading:“I, Sharpie,” by Chris Griswold
Our mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity. The American Compass Podcast features conversations on a wide variety of policy issues aimed at helping policymakers and the broader public navigate the most pressing issues that will define the future of the conservative movement in America.
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