Great Podcasts


Podcasts are some of the best ways to learn about the world around you while doing other things! Ciera and I use podcasts while we workout or drive. Below are some of the podcasts we've found most enjoyable or are ones we hope to listen to in the future!

Ciera's Favorite Podcasts

I love podcasts! They are supper convenient and they are the easiest way (I think) to learn about the world! I listen to podcasts daily. Normally, I listen to 15 to 25 hours a week of podcasts. Below is my personal schedule. Hopefully, this can give you an idea of how to incorporate podcasts into your life!

While I get ready for school, I listen to Up First by NPR. This podcast is 15 minutes long and briefly covers national news. It makes the perfect morning routine!

I hate working out, so I motivate myself by listen to podcasts. Normally, I work out for about an hour, so I like listening to NPR Politics. This podcast is about 30 minutes long and covers national news. My favorite international news source is BBC News World Service. It's about 30 minutes long and covers the most important stories from around the globe.

Here's a list of other podcasts that I love and believe that everyone should listen too! In general, I prefer podcasts that include analysis on the issues. Thus, some of them tend to lean towards the left. If you just want the news with now analysis you should listen to Up First by NPR or The BBC's World Service.

*My Fav Fav Favorites!!!

National News:

**The Weeds by Vox: This podcast goes deep into crucial issues that affect the US. It's hosted by Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matthew Yglesias. It's about 45 minutes to an hour each, and they release two podcasts a week. This podcast is absolutely fantastic if you want to learn more about health care, taxes, and other technical political topics. They bring in experts, and they break down the issue in a way that is easy to understand.

Up First by NPR: I talk about this podcast above. Overall, it covers the major news stories in 15 minutes. Perfect for people that don't have a lot of time.

*NPR Politics: I talk about this podcast above. This podcast has a little bit of analysis and covers the major stories. It's released every day, and episodes are 20 to 45 minutes long.

International News:

Africa Today: Produced by BBC World Service, this podcast covers the most important news stories in Africa. I love the proverb of the day and the non biased coverage of the region. This podcast is perfect for you if you want to learn more about Africa and don't know where to start. My highlight is the Resident Presidents, it's a comedy segment on poor decisions made by leaders.

*Worldly: Produced by Vox, Zack Beauchamp, Jennifer Williams, and Alex Ward talk about the most important international news. They provide great analysis. Episodes are 30 to 50 minutes long. I love this show. It's perfect if you want to understand whats going on in the world. This show does have a bit of left lean. There overall coverage of the history of the issue more than makes up for it.

Sound Africa: Sound Africa aims to be a space for narratives that capture the dizzying complexity of the world’s second most populous continent. Trying to avoid the one dimensional coverage of the continent, Sound Africa aims to amplify the important yet ignored voices from all over the continent. This podcast falls towards the bottom of my list because it doesn't focus on major issues.

The BBC's World Service: I mention this podcast in more depth above. Overall, great coverage of major news stories. It's about 30 minutes and it's released every day.

Military:  

War College: This podcast explores conflict around the world. The show examines the root of conflicts, going back in time as far as it takes. Additionally, it examines the weapons with which the next wars will be fought.I like it because it has great coverage of military issues. 

Dark Secret Place: This podcast covers current military conflicts. I listen to it occasionally, but it's never been my favorite. It spends too much time telling war stories and not enough time talking about actual news.

National Defense Magazine: I just discovered this podcast last week. This podcast focuses on military technology. 

Deep Dives: 

*The Impact: This podcast is hosted by Sarah Kliff. (I love her! She knows so much about health care and she has a fantastic voice!) It focuses on how policy affects people. I love it because it focuses on the human consequences to policy. I think debaters forget how policy actually affects people in positive and negative ways. This podcasts helps humanize those that are affected by the decisions made in Washington.

No Jargon: The No Jargon podcast presents weekly interviews with America's top researchers on the politics, policy problems, and social issues facing the nation.Overall, it tends to present important issues in a non-biased way.

The Ezra Klein Show: This is an interview based show. Each week Ezra Klein asks influential people questions about hard problems, big ideas, illuminating theories, and cutting-edge research. I like this podcast, but I don't listen to it very often. It's not as useful for debate as some of the other podcasts that I listed.

*The Inquiry: This podcast is released once a week. It explores a major issue by talking to four expert witnesses. Normally, episodes are about 20 to 40 minutes long. I used to love the Inquiry. Lately, however, their topics have not been the most interesting/useful for debate.

Sam's Favorite Podcasts 

In addition to the podcasts listed by Ciera, I love listening to cultural podcasts.  Here are some of my favorite!

Without Fail :This is an interview podcast hosted by Alex Blumberg. In this podcast, Blumberg interviews individuals from the worlds of business, sports, and culture.

The Allusionist: Hosted by Helen Zaltzman, she explores the complex and beautiful history of the English language.



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