Here We Go Again With Kal Penn

Comedy is often political. In fact, it's been landing comedians in hot water for years. Take the warrant for George Carlin's arrest after those seven memorable words he said on television. In 1973, a year after Carlin's arrest, the US Supreme Court made it much harder to throw performers in jail for their offensive language, but that doesn't mean comedians in plenty of places don't still end up in jail -- or at least with warrants out for their arrest. Vir Das is an Emmy-award winning actor, writer and comedian, and today he sits down with Kal to talk about the politics of comedy, how it's changing, and satire about the government.
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It's no secret that during acts of war, artifacts get stolen as an old act of dominance. But you may not realize that it's still happening today. In 2024, the Metropolitan Museum of Art physically returned 14 statues to Cambodia when they discovered that they had been looted during decades of civil war. And in 2023, the CEO of Hobby Lobby was indicted when he was found to be at the center of stolen Iraqi pieces that were for his Bible museum. Kal sits down with J.P. Labbat, a retired special agent who worked in the US government's Cultural Property, Art, and Antiquities unit. He's spent his career investigating stolen artifacts and returning them home.
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Last week, you heard about brain rot and its neuroscience. So this week, we wanted to tackle how to combat it. Manoush Zomorodi is a journalist and host of TED Radio Hour. Mostly, she's trying to figure out how technology is changing your body, your brain, and your behavior. She and Kal sit down to talk about how movement and boredom can be vital parts of warding off the more negative effects of scrolling and screentime.
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Brain rot is a slang term for the cognitive decline we're experiencing these days due to screentime, social media, and the like. But is it a real thing? And is technology making us dumber? Kal sits down with neuroscientist David Eaglemann to delve into the relatively new idea of brain rot -- and whether it's so new after all.
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Despite its massive popularity, the culture of NASCAR has shifted -- from banning the Confederate flag at races to settling an antitrust lawsuit. Kal sits down with legendary NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, who just celebrated his first "crown jewel" victory. How is the sport evolving? How has it stayed the same? And, what's next?
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