#464 — The Politics of Pragmatism and the Future of California

Sam Harris speaks with Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and Democratic candidate for governor of California, about governance, pragmatism, and California's policy failures. They discuss the dysfunction of progressive governance, the homelessness crisis and what San Jose has done to reduce it, the proposed wealth tax and its likely backfire, why California can't build housing affordably, rent control, mandatory psychiatric holds, the influence of special interests in Sacramento, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Sam Harris speaks with Rob Reid about biosecurity, pandemic risk, and the alarming fragility of our defenses against biological catastrophe. They discuss the controversial USAID program DEEP VZN, the dangers of gain-of-function research, open science norms that could arm bad actors, the role of AI in accelerating bioweapon development, biosurveillance tools, lone wolf bioterrorists, chaos agents, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss whether the U.S. was right to take military action against Iran, the new era of American amorality, antisemitism on the left and right, Tucker Carlson's provocative interview with Mike Huckabee, navigating feelings of hopelessness and dread, the dangers and promise of psychedelics, the corrosive effects of social media on culture and politics, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Sam Harris speaks with Garry Kasparov about the erosion of American democracy and the global authoritarian threat. They discuss Trump's systematic corruption, the GOP's moral collapse, the 2026 midterms as a decisive moment for democracy, Trump's entanglement with Russia and Putin, what a Ukrainian victory would mean for the free world, why Putin's nuclear threats are a bluff, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Sam Harris speaks with Jonah Goldberg about the state of American conservatism and the Trump presidency. They discuss the politicization of federal institutions, the erosion of legal norms, the schism between Never Trump conservatives and the nationalist right, infighting over figures like Nick Fuentes, J.D. Vance's political future, a theory of mind for Tucker Carlson, the prospects for regime change in Iran, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss Trump's cryptocurrency dealings with the UAE and their national security implications, AI timelines and the looming end of white-collar work, the impact of Trump's immigration crackdown on U.S. population decline, potential U.S. military action in Iran, the end of the Minnesota ICE surge, the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime controversy, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.  

Sam Harris speaks with Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller about Trump and the future of American politics. They discuss the origins of The Bulwark, the bewildering psychology of Trump's base, the new era of authenticity, memory-holing January 6th, how media broke politics, why Kamala Harris should never run again, the difference between America First and MAGA, potential 2028 Democratic candidates, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss Sam's unexpected appearance in the Epstein files, the revolting behavior of various public figures named, the political viability of Gavin Newsom in 2028, the wisdom of celebrity political statements, the societal implications of AI-driven job displacement, what makes Sam and his family laugh, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

Sam Harris speaks with Jonathan Rauch about the emergence of fascism in American politics. They discuss Rauch's article, "Yes, It's Fascism," the 18 criteria of fascism, the glorification and unapologetic use of state violence, "might is right" foreign policy, the politicization of law enforcement, the complicity of the rich and powerful, blood and soil nationalism, the influence of Carl Schmitt, the resilience of American institutions, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the lack of outrage from gun culture, the escalating humanitarian crisis in Iran, Melania Trump's pay-to-play documentary deal, the societal implications of AI-driven job displacement, the fascistic social media imagery of the Trump administration, Sam's youthful misadventures with psychedelics in Muir Woods, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.