The News Items Podcast

Episode 15: Jeff Greenfield

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 conversation then widens to the national landscape, from the emerging Democratic field, to the Republican succession fight that could follow Donald Trump. Along the way, Greenfield and Ellis explore why figures like Rahm Emanuel and Gina Raimondo may be better positioned than conventional wisdom suggests. The episode closes with a deep dive into artificial intelligence as a political issue. As Silicon Valley leaders openly discuss building a "machine god," Greenfield and Ellis examine whether public anxiety over AI could become the defining fault line of the 2028 election. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Episode 14: Josh Tyrangiel

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 impossible problems. The discussion moves from Palantir Technologies and Operation Warp Speed to the modernization of the IRS, AI tutors in classrooms, and new tools helping doctors reduce burnout and improve patient care. Along the way, Tyrangiel explores the political future of AI, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and why the next generation of leaders may be judged less on ideology than on whether they can understand (and govern) the most powerful technology of the century. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Episode 13: Sebastian Mallaby

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 explains the breakthroughs behind AlphaGo and AlphaFold, why AI may soon revolutionize medicine faster than the human genome project transformed biology, and why the technology’s dangers are no longer theoretical. The discussion moves from Hassabi’s Nobel Prizes to rogue states, AI arms races, cyberwarfare, and the unsettling possibility that machines may soon improve themselves faster than humans can understand them. It is a fascinating, occasionally terrifying portrait of a future arriving far sooner than most people realize. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Episode 12: Stephen Roach

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 electric vehicles to Taiwan, Evergrande, COVID lockdowns, and the mounting global debt crisis. Roach argues that China’s technological rise is real and underestimated, but warns that both Beijing and Washington are trapped in a cycle of suspicion that makes meaningful cooperation increasingly difficult. Along the way, he offers rare firsthand insight into China’s political culture, the collapse of open debate inside the country, and why he still believes some form of U.S.-China collaboration remains possible before economic rivalry hardens into something far more dangerous News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]

Episode 11: Taegan Goddard

In this episode of the News Items podcast, John Ellis sits down with Taegan Goddard, the founder of Political Wire [https://politicalwire.com/], 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 discussion turns to Trump’s collapsing approval numbers, Democratic momentum heading into the midterms, and the Senate races that could decide control of Washington. They dissect everything from AI data-center revolts in rural America to the future of MAGA after Trump, while gaming out whether figures like Gavin Newsom, JD Vance, or a dark horse nobody sees coming will dominate 2028. It’s equal parts campaign autopsy, media criticism, and insider shop talk from two veteran political obsessives. News-Items.com [http://news-items.com/] Hosted by John Ellis Produced by Dale Eisinger [https://www.daleweisinger.com/about]