Almost every aspect of our life from the likes we get on social media to the professional metrics we receive have been in some ways gamified. Games are basically everywhere. What impact does this gamification have on our lives? C. Thi Nguyen is a philosophy professor at the University of Utah and the author of “The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else's Game.” He joins WITHpod to discuss why we’ve gamified so many things, why we are so drawn to keeping score, recapturing value that can’t be obtained from data and more.

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It was only a year ago that Los Angeles was devastated by some of the worst wildfires in recent recorded history. Jacob Soboroff is the Senior Political and National Reporter for MS NOW and the New York Times best-selling author of "Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster.” He joins WITHpod to discuss his own personal connection and story with his childhood home burning down, the politics of rebuilding and more.

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It's been a little more than a week since the United States invaded Venezuela and abducted its president Nicolás Maduro. Trump has contended that Venezuela, which reportedly has the world’s largest known oil reserves, has "unilaterally seized and sold American oil." There's a lot to discuss about the geopolitical context and how it intersects with new energy developments. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) is the creator of a new energy plan and joins Chris Hayes to talk about that plan, his reaction to Venezuela and more.  

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With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get early access to select shows, plus exclusive bonus content – like a new episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order,” out Friday. Sign up right here, then search “Burn Order” to listen to that Premium episode.

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Autonomous vehicle technology and safety has changed drastically recently. Once thought of as a far off goal, we’re now at a point where self-driving cars have begun operating at quite a sophisticated and high level. But there's still a lot of work to be done before these vehicles become more mainstream. Tim Lee is a journalist and the founder of Understanding AI. He joins WITHpod to discuss advancements in autonomous tech, the impact on jobs, safety concerns and more.

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Happy New Year! Given the holidays, we're re-sharing one of our most memorable conversations. You’ve probably come across content online that seems real but is actually fake. And that experience is becoming more common with the proliferation of AI generated content. Our guest this week points out that the mental gymnastics of this starts to take a toll. Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker, wrote a piece all about this aptly titled, “My Brain Finally Broke.”  She joins WITHpod to discuss how AI is changing our perception of the world, how online content can make us more likely to detach from reality and more. Note: this episode was recorded on 6/11/25. 

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We’re approaching the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2026. There’s been a few inflection points recently, including talks of a peace deal amidst the gruesome conflict. Tim Mak is a journalist and the founder of The Counteroffensive, which covers the war in Ukraine from a human interest perspective. He joins WITHpod to discuss what life has been like for him living in Kyiv, what he sees as a possible way forward politically and more. 
 

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Saudi Arabia has executed more than 335 people this year, according to a tally by international news agency AFP. It’s something that hasn’t gotten much coverage in the U.S. What’s behind this killing spree? Ebtihal Mubarak is a journalist from Saudi Arabia, who now lives in the U.S. She joins WITHpod to discuss what’s been driving this trend, relations with the U.S., the role that Saudi Arabia’s entertainment industry plays in perceptions of the country and more.

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Political violence has become an increasingly urgent issue in Trump 2.0. Elected officials continue to grapple with what’s driving this. Why does it flummox officials from both parties so much? That’s the subject of a recent piece, “In The Line of Fire,” written by Benjamin Wallace-Wells, a staff writer at The New Yorker. He joins WITHpod to discuss the marked rise of political violence in the U.S., what it means for the way politicians engage with constituents and more. 
 

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Senator Chuck Schumer posted this week in part, “Trump’s only principles are hypocrisy and corruption. Bombing unmarked boats in the Caribbean one day, pardoning notorious drug traffickers the next.” How can such high levels of corruption happen and what has led us to this point? Journalist and author David Sirota points out that the staggering levels of corruption that we’re seeing within U.S. politics right now is the result of a decades long agenda to essentially make anti-bribery laws unenforceable. Sirota is a co-author of “Master Plan: The Hidden Plot To Legalize Corruption In America” and the founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever. He joins WITHpod to discuss historical parallels to the present moment, corruption being normalized and more.

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