Freakonomics Radio

That’s the question at the heart of a battle between Kalshi and state gambling regulators. As prediction markets boom, there are other questions, too — about insider trading, market manipulation, and whether the public has turned against them. (Part two of a two-part series.)  SOURCES:Gary Gensler, former chair of the S.E.C. and the C.F.T.C.Robin Hanson, professor of economics at George Mason University.Nicole Kagan, head of research at Kalshi.Tarek Mansour, co-founder and C.E.O. of Kalshi. RESOURCES:"Shall We Vote on Values, But Bet on Beliefs?" by Robin Hanson (Journal of Political Philosophy, 2013). EXTRAS:"Are Prediction Markets the Best Forecasting Tool Ever — or Just Another Casino?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026)."He Helped Clean Up the Last Crash. Does He See Another One Coming?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026)."The Economics of Sports Gambling," by Freakonomics Radio (2019). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe

The promise is that they can beat the experts at predicting inflation, elections, and FDA approvals. But right now, roughly 90 percent of the action is sports. Is this a future we want to bet on? Stephen Dubner speaks with, among others, the C.E.O. of Kalshi. (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Robin Hanson, professor of economics at George Mason University.Nicole Kagan, head of research at Kalshi.Tarek Mansour, co-founder and C.E.O. of Kalshi. RESOURCE:"Kalshi and the Rise of Macro Markets," by Anthony Diercks, Jared Dean Katz, and Jonathan Wright (Federal Reserve Board, 2026)."Slowly, Then All At Once: What Mamdani's Victory Tells Us About Information Aggregation," (Kalshi Research, 2026)."Futarchy: Vote Values, But Bet Beliefs," by Robin Hanson (2000)."The Use of Knowledge in Society," by Friedrich Hayek (American Economic Review, 1945). EXTRAS:"The Economics of Sports Gambling," by Freakonomics Radio (2019)."How to Be Less Terrible at Predicting the Future," by Freakonomics Radio (2016

He was thriving in the N.F.L., but then he decided to focus on mathematics — a subject he now teaches at M.I.T. John walks Stephen Dubner through the whole story, teaches him some blocking techniques, and explains why some infinities are bigger than others. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For decades, teams have tried (and mostly failed) to predict which college quarterbacks will thrive in the pros. Is the science finally catching up? Stephen Dubner speaks with a scout, a psychologist, a data warrior, and a Hall of Fame quarterback who nobody wanted.   SOURCES:Scott Goldman, sports psychologist, owner of the Athletic Intelligence Quotient.Dan Hatman, director of scouting development at the Scouting Academy.Stephen Smith, founder and C.E.O. of Kitman Labs.Kurt Warner, Hall-of-Fame quarterback, N.F.L. Network analyst. RESOURCES:"Head in the game: the impact of cognitive abilities on performance of National Football League quarterbacks," by R. Thomas Boone, Nicholas Zambrotta, Andrew Manocchio, and James Bowman (Frontiers in Psychology, 2025)."The Quarterback Prediction Problem: Forecasting the Performance of College Quarterbacks Selected in the NFL Draft," by Julian Wolfson, Vittorio Addona, Robert Schmicker (Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 2011). EXTRAS:"The

He started with one small shop in London. He has since resuscitated both Barnes & Noble and Waterstones. He tells Stephen Dubner exactly how he does it. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gina Raimondo, a former commerce secretary and governor, thinks A.I. will create plenty of jobs in the long run. She also thinks a poorly managed transition could tear the country apart. So she came up with a plan.  SOURCES:Gina Raimondo, co-chair and C.E.O. of RAISE US. RESOURCES:"What Makes New Work Different from More Work?," by David Autor, Caroline Chin, Anna Salomons, and Bryan Seegmiller (NBER, 2026)."$500 million AI jobs push launches with bipartisan backing," by Christine Mui (POLITICO, 2026)."Gina Raimondo and Eric Holcomb Launch RAISE US, Uniting the Nation’s Leading Employers and Bipartisan Governors Behind American Workers," (RAISE US, 2026)."Young Graduates Face the Grimmest Job Market in Years," (New York Times, 2026)."Why AI Giants Are Investing $500 Million To Retrain American Workforce," by Jon Markman (Forbes, 2026)."Wicker Praises Research, STEM Education Provisions in New CHIPS Act," (U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 2022). EXTRAS:"Can A.

Anne Pasternak (Brooklyn Museum) and Michael Roth (Wesleyan University) tell Stephen Dubner how they keep the peace in the middle of a culture war.   If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? And what does it mean to be a museum in the 21st century? (Part 3 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)   SOURCES: Patricia Allan, museum consultant, former curator of world cultures for the Glasgow Museums. Andrea Bayer, deputy director for collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist. Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law. Tom Wilkening, professor of economics at the University of Melbourne.   RESOURCES: "After Seizures, the Met Sets a Plan to Scour Collections for Looted Art," by Robin Pogrebin and Graham Bowley (The New York Times, 2023). "Nigeria Benin Bronzes: Buhari Declaration 'Blindsides' Museum Officials," by Barnaby Phillips (B.B.C., 2023). "Shared Stewa

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan talks about confidence, luck, and why it takes 35 drafts to get to the finish line. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plunder was the norm. Now there’s a push to return these works to their rightful owners. Sounds simple, right? It's not. (Part 2 of an updated series originally published in 2023.)   SOURCES: Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit. Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum. Victor Ehikhamenor, Nigerian writer and artist. David Frum, staff writer at The Atlantic. Dan Hicks, professor of contemporary archaeology at the University of Oxford and curator of world archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum. Bénédicte Savoy, professor of art history at the Technical University in Berlin.   RESOURCES: "These Looted Treasures Are Home. What Now?," by Alex Marshall (New York Times, 2025). "France's Long-Awaited Restitution Policy Is Finally Here," by Vincent Noce (The Art Newspaper, 2023).

When he joined the Del Fuegos, his big brother’s band, all Warren knew how to play was a record player. Things went great for a while — and then it all fell apart. So how did he wind up writing definitive books on Springsteen and Tom Petty?  If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.)   SOURCES: Andrea Bayer, deputy director of collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Matthew Bogdanos, assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit. Patty Gerstenblith, professor emeritus of law at DePaul University College of Law. Jim Marrone, staff data scientist at StubHub. Victoria Reed, Bettina Burr chair for provenance at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.   RESOURCES: "Is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Displaying Objects That Belong to Native American Tribes?" by Kathleen Sharp (ProPublica, 2023). "More Than 1,000 Artifacts in Metropolitan Museum of Art Catalog Linked to Alleged Looting and Traffickin

Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be a good Jew without believing in God.    If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.”   SOURCES: Gary Gensler, professor of the practice of global economics, management, and finance at M.I.T.   RESOURCES: This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly, by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff (2011). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part series.)   SOURCES: Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society. Rosanna Hoffman, head of space law, policy, and sustainability at the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Alex Macdonald, former first chief economist at NASA, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.   RESOURCES: "The mission to create a searchable database of Earth's surface," by Will Marshall (TED, 2018). The Long Space Age, by Alex Macdonald (2017). Planet Labs A.I.    EXTRAS: "Should A.I. Move to Space?," series by Freakonomics Radio (2026). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of

Gary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well.   If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. infrastructure off the planet. Part one of a two-part series.)   SOURCES: Blaise Agüera y Arcas, vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society. Travis Beals, senior director of product management at Google, Project Suncatcher lead. Will Marshall, co-founder and C.E.O. of Planet Labs.   RESOURCES: What Is Intelligence?, by Blaise Agüera y Arcas (2025). "Towards a future space-based, highly scalable AI infrastructure system design," by Blaise Agüera y Arcas, Travis Beals, Maria Biggs, Jessica V. Bloom, Thomas Fischbacher, Konstantin Gromov, Urs Köster, Rishiraj Pravahan, and James Manyika (Google, 2025). Reason, by Isaac Asimov (1941).   EXTRAS:  "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and

Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of Better in Person. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode.   SOURCES: Kimberly Blumenthal, allergist-immunologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic. Theresa MacPhail, associate professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology. Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia. Elena Resnick, allergist and immunologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.   RESOURCES: Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World, by Theresa MacPhail (2023). "Evaluation and Management of Penicillin Allergy: A Review," by Erica S. Shenoy, Eric Macy, and Theresa Rowe (JAMA, 2019). "The Allergy Epidemics: 1870–2010," by Thomas Platts-Mills (The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2016). "Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption