The only reason that magic tricks actually work, according to the world famous magician and puzzle-maker David Kwong, is that “people want to believe.” The same theory applies to politics, fake news, and the entire tricks that Trump used to win the White House. Kwong joins us this week to share fascinating stories about magicians playing an integral role in war efforts, clandestine government operations, and yes, politics. In part two of this week’s show, Nick talks about his latest feature in Vanity Fair, about Russian, Chinese and domestic spies working in Silicon Valley.

Is Trump making it more difficult to be African American in the U.S.? Does Ben Carson secretly dislike people of color? Is Donald Trump a true racist? Jamil Smith, a writer for The New Republic, Time, and now, Rolling Stone, joins us to explain why, 155 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, black men are arrested for just sitting in Starbucks coffee shop, why President Obama could have done more to speak out against these issues, and why we’re all so sick and tired of hearing about James Comey.

Since the Cambridge Analyitca scandal broke just a few weeks ago, Facebook has seen its stock fall by $100 billion, and Mark Zuckerberg was forced to go before Congress. But what happens next to the 2.25-billion user social network? Will it be regulated? Or will it be broken up? Kevin Roose, NYT Tech columnist, joins us to explain what happened on the hill this week, and what will happen next in Silicon Valley.

Will America finally vote a women into the White House in 2020? Will she be a Democrat or a Republican? Does it even matter? Could Stormy Daniels be the scandal that topples Trump? Jennifer Palmieri, former Director of Communications for the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, and author of the new book, “Dear Madam President,” joins us this week to talk about all these topics, and what life in the Obama White House was like, how it felt to lose to Trump in the 2016 election (“surreal”), and the fear of knowing that Russia was trying to break our democracy, and change the outcome of the 2016 election. 

Stormy's in, Hope is out. Bolton's hired as Shulkin is fired. How does FLOTUS feel POTUS? Emily Jane Fox joins us to explain what's going on inside the Trump's chaotic White House. Then, Nick Bilton and Jon Kelly talk about all the problems at Facebook, and if a company that just lost $100 billion in value because of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, can survive in the longterm.

Ryan Holiday, author of the new book "Conspiracy," tells the inside story of how Peter Thiel took down Gawker Media and Nick Denton, how the tech billionaire's relationship with Donald Trump isn't what it used to be, and why we should kind of — just a little bit — feel sorry for Thiel, even though he is one of the most disliked people in Silicon Valley.

Will robots kill us all? Will a rogue A.I. shut off the power grids? Could we lose track of what is real, and what is not, in a permanently augmented reality? My guest today, Kevin Kelly, has spent his entire career (accurately) predicting what tomorrow will look like, and quelling the fears that come with each new technology. He offers a prediction of what culture, society and politics will look like over the next thirty years, and if humanity will survive a technological apocalypse.

One minute, Dennis Crowley, the co-founder of Foursquare, was building a little app in a New York City coffee shop, and the next he was being wined and dined by every VC in Silicon Valley, being offered hundreds of millions of dollars for his young startup, and seeing the valuation of his company head towards a billion dollars. Crowley takes us through the tumultuous, breakneck, insane ride of running a startup.

Gabe Sherman, who has known Hope, Lewandowski and Trump since the nascent days of the campaign trail, joins us to explain what the latest round of chaos inside the White House means, how Jared Kushner might be the next to get booted, and why Hope Hicks has left the building. 

The students behind the #neverAgain movement are more eloquent than any politician, and are totally unphased by Trump and his online trolls. Abigail Tracy, who covers Washington for The Hive, joins us to explain how a group of high schoolers could take down Trump, how they could turn Florida blue, and why the NRA might have finally met it’s match.