John interviews award-winning journalist Donald G. McNeil Jr. about a recent essay, published in Medium, where he excoriates the Biden administration's handling of the pandemic. In part one of this two-part interview, John and Donald discuss the administration’s aforementioned stumbles; the financial incentives motivating the leaders of the anti-vaccine movement; and the deadly risks posed by the Delta variant, as tens of millions of unvaccinated children return to school. Make sure to tune...

John interviews Hamish McKenzie, one of the co-founders of Substack. Since its start in 2017, the company has managed to upend the relationship between journalists and news outlets. A good number of prominent writers, including Anne Helen Peterson, Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Yglesias — and John Ellis himself — have started newsletters on Substack, and some of them make a good deal more money than they did when they were employed at traditional outlets.  Of course, the company...

John interviews Hamish McKenzie, one of the co-founders of Substack. Since its start in 2017, the company has managed to upend the relationship between journalists and news outlets. A good number of prominent writers, including Anne Helen Peterson, Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Yglesias — and John Ellis himself — have started newsletters on Substack, and some of them make a good deal more money than they did when they were employed at traditional outlets.  Of course, the company...

John interviews Rita Singh: a pioneer in the emerging field of voice profiling, the author of “Profiling Humans from Their Voice,” and an associate research professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Rita and her team are developing technology that can analyze a human voice signal and unlock a wealth of information about its owner. With only a short voice recording, researchers can make startlingly accurate deductions about a person’s skeletal structure, general appearance, age, and even their...

John interviews Rita Singh: a pioneer in the emerging field of voice profiling, the author of “Profiling Humans from Their Voice,” and an associate research professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Rita and her team are developing technology that can analyze a human voice signal and unlock a wealth of information about its owner. With only a short voice recording, researchers can make startlingly accurate deductions about a person’s skeletal structure, general appearance, age, and even their...

John interviews Jane Metcalfe, the former president and co-founder of Wired magazine, about her fascinating career: from starting the “Rolling Stone of technology,” to co-founding a chocolate factory, and most recently, founding Neo.life. Metcalfe describes it as a digital media company that reports on how “to apply engineering to human biology.” With this new venture, she makes the case for a new field she calls neobiology. It is, in her words, “the next stage of the digital revolution,” or...

John interviews Jane Metcalfe, the former president and co-founder of Wired magazine, about her fascinating career: from starting the “Rolling Stone of technology,” to co-founding a chocolate factory, and most recently, founding Neo.life. Metcalfe describes it as a digital media company that reports on how “to apply engineering to human biology.” With this new venture, she makes the case for a new field she calls neobiology. It is, in her words, “the next stage of the digital revolution,” or...

John interviews the legendary Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money with Jim Cramer” for the past 16 years, co-host of “Squawk on the Street,” and co-founder of the financial news site TheStreet. John and Jim have a fun and freewheeling conversation about everything from Cramer’s early days as local reporter in California, to China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan, and why he thinks Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is an unsung hero of the left. This is a lightly edited rerun of the interview...

John interviews the legendary Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money with Jim Cramer” for the past 16 years, co-host of “Squawk on the Street,” and co-founder of the financial news site TheStreet. John and Jim have a fun and freewheeling conversation about everything from Cramer’s early days as local reporter in California, to China’s ambitions regarding Taiwan, and why he thinks Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is an unsung hero of the left. This is a lightly edited rerun of the interview...

John interviews Andrew Sullivan, the noted British-American writer and podcaster, as well as the author of the forthcoming collection “Out on a Limb: Selected Writing, 1989–2021.” Named acting editor of “The New Republic,” at only 26, he quickly established himself as one of America’s leading public intellectuals. In 1989, he wrote a piece titled, “Here Comes The Groom: A (conservative) case for gay marriage.” That headline gives a glimpse into his heterodox style of thinking. As further...

John interviews Andrew Sullivan, the noted British-American writer and podcaster, as well as the author of the forthcoming collection “Out on a Limb: Selected Writing, 1989–2021.” Named acting editor of The New Republic, at only 26, he quickly established himself as one of America’s leading public intellectuals. In 1989, he wrote a piece titled, “Here Comes The Groom: A (conservative) case for gay marriage.” That headline gives a glimpse into his heterodox style of thinking. As further proof,...

John interviews Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, in the midst of a pandemic import boom and global supply chain woes. The two discuss how Seroka’s experience working in Shanghai during the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak informed his early handling of COVID-19 at what is, by some measures, the busiest port in North America. They also talk about how the port battles cybersecurity threats; the effect pandemic buying has had on global supply chains; and the crucial role...

John interviews Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, in the midst of a pandemic import boom and global supply chain woes. The two discuss how Seroka’s experience working in Shanghai during the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak informed his early handling of COVID-19 at what is, by some measures, the busiest port in North America. They also talk about how the port battles cybersecurity threats; the effect pandemic buying has had on global supply chains; and the crucial role...

John interviews Jane Metcalfe, the former president and cofounder of Wired magazine, about her fascinating career: from cofounding Wired, to cofounding a chocolate factory, and most recently, founding Neo.life. As Jane tells John, Neo.life is an online magazine about “engineering life,” or, “what happens when you bring an engineering mindset to biology.” It covers the most promising research in genomics, synthetic biology, 3-D printing and artificial intelligence, and it makes the case for a...

John interviews Jane Metcalfe, the former president and cofounder of Wired magazine, about her fascinating career: from cofounding Wired, to cofounding a chocolate factory, and most recently, founding Neo.life. As Jane tells John, Neo.life is an online magazine about “engineering life,” or, “what happens when you bring an engineering mindset to biology.” It covers the most promising research in genomics, synthetic biology, 3-D printing and artificial intelligence, and it makes the case for a...

John interviews Diana Choyleva, the founder of Enodo Economics – a macroeconomic and political forecasting company focused on China. Choyleva grew up in communist Bulgaria, and her personal experience living under a command economy, combined with her Western education in market economics, give her a unique perspective on China. In this conversation with John, Choyleva explains China's debt problems; why President Xi Jinping is prioritizing economic control over short-term growth; and the...

John interviews Diana Choyleva, the founder of Enodo Economics – a macroeconomic and political forecasting company focused on China. Born in communist Bulgaria, Choyleva’s personal experience under a command economy and her training in economics make her a sought-after consultant and forecaster on China’s markets. In her conversation with John, Choyleva explains the country’s debt problems; President Xi Jinping’s appetite for reforming one market after another; and why the ultimate rift...

Science and tech headlines:  A South Korean study has found that one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine plus another of the Pfizer vaccine produces more antibodies than getting the AstraZeneca vaccine alone.Quantum computing startup PsiQuantum has raised $450 million in a series D round. It plans to develop a quantum computer using photons to store information.News items:  A congressional panel urged US corporations to pull their sponsorships of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. John explains...

Science and tech headlines:  A South Korean study has found that one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine plus another of the Pfizer vaccine produces more antibodies than getting the AstraZeneca vaccine alone. Quantum computing startup PsiQuantum has raised $450 million in a series D round. It plans to develop a quantum computer using photons to store information. News items:  A congressional panel urged US corporations to pull their sponsorships of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. John...

John interviews Mark Tercek, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who left the world of finance to become the CEO of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – the world’s largest environmental nonprofit organization. During his eleven years at TNC, the organization raised over $7 billion dollars to fight climate change and protect land and water around the world. Tercek is also the author of “Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature.” John and Mark discuss the move from...

John interviews Mark Tercek, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who left the world of finance to become the CEO of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) – the world’s largest environmental nonprofit organization. During his 11 years at TNC, the organization raised over $7 billion dollars to fight climate change and protect land and water around the world. Tercek is also the author of “Nature’s Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature.” John and Mark discuss the move from...

Science and tech headlines:  A consortium of 99 scientists has completed the map of the human genome, discovering more than 2,000 new genes in the process.Autonomous truck startups brought in more than $5 billion in funding in the first five months of 2021. John and Rebecca talk about the promise of self-driving semis.News items: Los Angeles County reinstated mask mandates and social distancing after official health reports found that 20% of new infections were in people who were...

Science and tech headlines:  A consortium of 99 scientists has completed the map of the human genome, discovering more than 2,000 new genes in the process. Autonomous truck startups brought in more than $5 billion in funding in the first five months of 2021. John and Rebecca talk about the promise of self-driving semis. News items: Los Angeles County reinstated mask mandates and social distancing after official health reports found that 20% of new infections were in people who were...

In the first of a series of interviews with entrepreneurs, John speaks to Jonathan Bush. He is the CEO of Zus Health, a health-tech startup that aims to become the “Build-A-Bear” of digital health platforms for health care providers; the former CEO of Athenahealth; and John Eliss’ first cousin. Bush grew Athenahealth from a small startup in his basement into a public company with a $6 billion market capitalization and 5,000 employees. He and John talk about that journey, and how he came back...

In the first of a series of interviews with entrepreneurs, John speaks to Jonathan Bush. He is the CEO of Zus Health, a health-tech startup that aims to become the “Build-A-Bear” of digital health platforms for health care providers; the former CEO of Athenahealth; and John Eliss’ first cousin. Bush grew Athenahealth from a small startup in his basement into a public company with a $6 billion market capitalization and 5,000 employees. He and John talk about that journey, and how he came back...