The News Items Podcast

John Ellis talks with Richard Rushfield, founder of The Ankler, about a Hollywood business model under stress. Rushfield traces the industry’s troubles back to the end of fin-syn rules, the rise of Netflix, and a wave of consolidation that has left studios bigger, safer, and more risk-averse. They discuss Disney’s parks-first future, Paramount’s high-stakes tie-up with Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox’s Roku bet,...

John Ellis talks with historian David Blackbourn, author of Germany in the World: A Global History, 1500-2000, about five centuries of German history viewed through a global lens. They discuss Germany before there was a German state; the role of merchants, soldiers, missionaries, commodities and culture; the rupture of 1914; the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust’s international machinery; and the country’s postwar rebuil...

John Ellis talks with retired Brigadier General Russ Howard about the wars in Iran and Ukraine, why modern warfare is changing faster than most militaries can adapt, and a much bigger problem that could be coming down the road. Howard argues that food, fertilizer, water, and supply chains are becoming national security issues in their own right. They discuss the real-world effects of conflict on agriculture, growing concerns over g...

California's primaries may be local elections, but Jeff Greenfield argues they're offering an early glimpse of the political battles that could define the next presidential cycle. Joining John Ellis, the veteran political analyst breaks down the chaotic races for governor and mayor of Los Angeles, the surprising rise of reality-TV candidate Spencer Pratt, and why vast campaign spending isn't always enough to buy momentum. The conve...

In this episode of the News Items podcast, Josh Tyrangiel joins John Ellis for a wide-ranging conversation about the promises, dangers, and strange human realities of artificial intelligence. Drawing from his new book, AI for Good, Tyrangiel argues that the most important breakthroughs in AI are not happening inside Silicon Valley boardrooms, but among stubborn doctors, educators, and public servants quietly trying to solve impossi...

In this episode of News Items, John Ellis sits down with author and Council on Foreign Relations fellow Sebastian Mallaby to unpack the astonishing rise of Demis Hassabis and the race to build artificial general intelligence. From Hassabis’s childhood as a chess prodigy to the creation of Google DeepMind, the conversation traces how a London-born gamer and coder became one of the most consequential scientists alive. Mallaby e...

On this episode of the News Items Podcast, John Ellis sits down with economist and longtime China watcher Stephen Roach for a sweeping conversation about the uneasy future of the U.S.-China relationship. Roach reflects on three decades of watching China evolve from an open, fast-rising economic experiment into a far more centralized and controlled superpower under Xi Jinping. The discussion ranges from AI, semiconductors, and elect...

In this episode of the News Items podcast, John Ellis sits down with Taegan Goddard, the founder of Political Wire, for a sprawling conversation about the chaos engine that is modern American politics. Goddard traces the unlikely origins of Political Wire, from downloading newspaper front pages at 4 a.m. on a commuter train, to building one of the internet’s earliest and most influential political blogs. From there, the discu...

In this episode of the News Items Podcast, John Ellis speaks with venture capitalist Daniel Adamson about investing at the cutting edge of global innovation. Adamson explains his “network model,” partnering with elite investors worldwide to access breakthroughs across AI, biotech, robotics, and even fashion. The conversation cuts through AI hype, arguing for a more nuanced view of its strengths, particularly in solving ...

John Ellis sits down with journalist John Heilemann for a sharp, fast-moving tour of a volatile geopolitical moment. They unpack a fragile Iran ceasefire, the limits of “madman theory” diplomacy, and the reputational damage to U.S. power abroad. The conversation widens to domestic fallout: Trump’s political erosion, GOP anxiety, and surprising Democratic gains in special elections. Along the way, they dissect elit...

Retired U.S. Army Europe commander Ben Hodges joins the show to deliver a bracing reality check: the next war won’t look like the last one, and it may already be underway. Drawing on his book Future War and the Defense of Europe, Hodges explains how cheap drones, energy choke points, maritime sabotage, and Arctic maneuvering are reshaping the battlefield faster than politicians can draft talking points. From Ukraine’s s...

On this episode of The News Items Podcast, host John Ellis sits down with award-winning journalist Jeffrey Stern, author of Warhead, for a sweeping conversation about how precision-guided bombs reshaped not only modern warfare but also its very moral terrain.

Stern traces the surprising origins of “smart” weapons back to World War II, when early guided bomb experiments, including the ill-fated mission that killed Joseph ...

In this episode of the News Items Podcast, host John Ellis welcomes political analyst Charlie Cook, founder of the Cook Political Report. They delve into the evolution of American politics since the late 1970s, discussing the stark polarization of today's political landscape compared to the more ideologically diverse parties of the past. Cook reflects on how the dynamics of voter behavior have shifted, with a significant portion of...

In the latest News Items Podcast, Juan Enriquez and John got together and discussed the life sciences revolution, the AI revolution, scientific research, the impact of advanced technologies on nation-states and the perils of brain drain. There was more to it than that, but that’s the gist. It’s a fascinating conversation because of Juan’s extraordinary grasp of complex topics and issues and his ability to discuss ...

In this episode of the News Items Podcast, host John Ellis interviews Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports. Rick shares his journey from being a sports enthusiast and basketball player at Providence College to leading NBC Sports. He discusses his early career in fantasy sports, which led to an acquisition by NBC, and his subsequent rise through the ranks. Rick highlights the strategic importance of sports in driving subscript...

In this conversation, John Ellis interviews Sven Beckert about his book Capitalism: A Global History. Beckert discusses the definition of capitalism, its historical evolution, and its global implications. He emphasizes the importance of understanding capitalism from a historical perspective, highlighting key events such as the Industrial Revolution and the rise of neoliberalism. The conversation also touches on the role of inequali...

Dr. Neal Kassell is the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and former Co-Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. He’s the driving force behind focused ultrasound. For the most up-to-date information about focused ultrasound, here’s a link to “The State of the Field 2025” report.

I talked with Neal at some length two weeks ago. The science is remarkable. The technology is de...

In this inaugural episode of the News Items Podcast -- The Future Coming at You --  I interviewed Jane Metcalfe about (1) “capturing” the digital revolution in the 1990s (with Wired magazine, which she co-founded), (2) covering the neobiological revolution with proto.life, (3) helping organize a global consortium to draw the map of the human immune system, and (4) helping advance “focused ultrasound” to...