Sports betting and marijuana have been broadly and rapidly legalized in much of the United States. What have been the consequences thus far and what does the future portend for America's growing population of gambling and marijuana addicts?

Is America still mature enough to handle dramatic expansions of personal freedom? And are we capable of distinguishing between something being legal and being socially acceptable?

• Finnish Study on Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29557758/
• Nature Magazine Study on Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00261-x?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• Siena College Study on Gambling: https://scri.siena.edu/american-sports-fanship-survey-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Zaid Jilani is an American journalist and author of the popular Substack The American Saga. Follow him on X: @ZaidJilani

In this episode we discuss the state of journalism and the War in Gaza.

I encourage everyone to pray for the people of Gaza and for peace in the wider region including Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and beyond. And to donate if you're able to an organization like Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Jeff Shaara is the author of the American Civil War epics Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. His father, the late Michael Shaara, is the author of The Killer Angels, a historical fiction novel about the Battle of Gettysburg and winner of The Pulitzer Prize.

The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals were made into the major motion pictures Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003).

Jeff and I discuss the humanity on both sides of the Civil War and the war, as illuminated by the individual profiles and perspectives of Union and Confederate soldiers in this indispensable Civil War trilogy.

Jeff Shaara has not stopped writing, and I encourage everyone interested in American history to check out his other published works, and watch for Jeff's upcoming projects at his website:

https://jeffshaara.com/

Jeff Shaara is the author of the Civil War epics Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. His late father, Michael Shaara, is the author of The Killer Angels, winner of The Pulitzer Prize.

Jeff and I discuss the humanity on both sides of the Civil War and the war, as illuminated by the individual profiles and perspectives of Union and Confederate soldiers in this indispensable Civil War trilogy.

Jeff Shaara has not stopped writing, and I encourage everyone interested in American history to check out his other published works, and watch for Jeff's upcoming projects at his website: https://jeffshaara.com/

Dr. Iain McGilchrist is the author of The Master and His Emissary and The Matter With Things. A psychiatrist by training, Dr. McGilchrist is a leading expert on the brain and hemispheric differences. He is, I believe, the most important thinker of our time.

In this episode we discuss hubris, the scalability of languages, empathy, and the intrinsic value of asymmetry.

Check out his website at ⁠https://channelmcgilchrist.com/⁠

Watch Dr. McGilchrist's Lecture on ⁠Symmetry and Asymmetry

In his book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, Dr. Iain McGilchrist paints a picture of our brains and the world in crisis.

This episode is meant to be a primer on "McGilchristian thought" in advance of an upcoming conversation with Dr. McGilchrist himself. My hope with this is to establish some of the "basics" about Dr. McGilchrist's theories so that we can waste as little time as possible in diving right into the many implications of his work and what it reveals.

Animated video explaining the "Double Slit Experiment"

The Fentanyl Project's Brock Bevell and I cruise the streets of Mesa, Arizona to talk with the growing number of fentanyl addicts who have been relegated to the streets. America is now losing 100,000 citizens in their prime to drugs every year,. Why is this happening? Why is it not being talked about more? And what can be done about it?

Follow The Fentanyl Project on Instagram at @fentanylprojectaz and donate to support their efforts bringing awareness and lifesaving supplies to victims of this historic drug epidemic.

*Warning* This episode contains explicit language and discussions of illicit drug use. Listener discretion is advised.

We sit down with author and historian David O. Stewart about his book The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution. How did America get the Constitution it has? What timeless or transient issues informed their decision-making? And who were these men who painstakingly deliberated for months while away from their homes to reach a compromise that would hold the Union together and set it on a path to uncommon peace and prosperity?

For more books from David O. Stewart, check out https://davidostewart.com/

Angel Oakley is a consummate independent if ever there was one, so why did a political party marshal its resources to intimidate her supporters and ultimately block her from getting on the ballot in Illinois?

We talk about her run, the cancer of partisanship in America, and everything We the People are up against to achieve a more perfect Union.

By surviving an assassination attempt, former President Trump had a golden opportunity to have a reset with undecided voters in the 2024 Election. Instead, he delivered another partisan stemwinder to his base.

We discuss what would happen if an American politician, equal parts hated and loved, were to be killed in front of our eyes, and our conclusions are as unsettling as the act itself.