Search Engine

Where’s the best free restaurant bread in America?

An enterprising reporter goes on a quest to find the restaurant serving the absolute best free bread in this country, and finds it. She returns to Search Engine with her results.  Read Caity Weaver’s story. [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/05/best-free-restaurant-bread-america/686582/] Support the show! [https://searchengine.supercast.com/] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy [https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Cost of War

The United States has begun a conflict with Iran that two thirds of the American public does not understand. One question we can try to answer: how much is this conflict costing us? The surprising story of how the government learned to hide the costs of war, and how someone learned to get to the bottom of those costs anyway. Check out Professor Bilmes’ work. [https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/international-relations-security/why-war-iran-so-expensive] Additional listening: our episode on ballooning national debt and why it's a big deal [https://www.searchengine.show/why-the-national-debt-might-finally-matter/] Support the show! [https://searchengine.supercast.com/] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy [https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

What we got wrong about GLP-1s

Search Engine is breaking its cowardly three-year silence on GLP-1s. We have been curious about them. We have been afraid of getting in trouble. We are no longer afraid. A conversation with Dr. Rachael Bedard about the many mistakes in how the media covered these drugs and what the research shows about their surprising effects.  Dr. Bedard’s story on the rise of Ozempic [https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ozempic-weight-loss-diet-drug-moral-panic.html] Support the show! [https://searchengine.supercast.com/] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy [https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Trial of the Driverless Car

In blue cities throughout the country, unions and politicians are fighting to ban driverless cars. We travel to Boston, where the fight has reached a fever pitch, and where the cars themselves will create some very unusual political alliances. (This is part two of a two part series, listen to the beginning here [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/search-engine/id1614253637?i=1000757102876].) ⁠⁠Support Search Engine! [https://searchengine.supercast.com/] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy [https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Are you a good driver?

The story of how a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. And, an answer to the question: are the robots actually safer drivers than we are?  Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car [https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Race-Create-Autonomous-Car/dp/1501199439] , Alex Davies ⁠Support Search Engine! [https://searchengine.supercast.com/] To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy [https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]