Synopsis
Hosted by Hollywood producer and political media strategist Ben Mathis, KickAss News is a twice weekly podcast that features the most interesting personalities and thought leaders in politics, entertainment, tech, business, science, and more. Enjoy the podcast? Then please support the show and help keep us on the air by making a donation to our GoFundMe campaign at www.gofundme.com/kickassnews. Another way you can support the show is to subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review on iTunes to help keep us ranking strong on the top podcasts charts. For more information visit www.kickassnews.com. Thanks for listening!
Episodes
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Director Rod Lurie on "Killing Reagan" for National Geographic Channel
14/10/2016 Duration: 51minDirector Rod Lurie talks about his new film Killing Reagan for Nat Geo. He sets the record straight about the popular myths of a situation room crisis and a power grab by Alexander Haig while Reagan was in the operating room. Rod talks about where he was on the day Reagan was shot, collaborating with Killing Reagan author Bill O'Reilly, and the recent release of Reagan attacker John Hinckley Jr. Killing Reagan airs Sunday, October 16 at 8/7 Central on the National Geographic Channel or you can watch online at www.natgeotv.com. For more information about Killing Reagan, including clips, and behind the scenes extras, go to www.channel.nationalgeographic.com/killing-reagan. Follow Rod Lurie on Twitter at @RodLurie. Please subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Facebook at Kickass News or on Twitter at @KickassNewsPod. You can also visit www.kickassnews.com for more fun stuff. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a
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Dylan Thuras of Atlas Obscura on the World's Hidden Wonders
10/10/2016 Duration: 44minDylan Thuras is the co-founder and creative director at AtlasObscura.com, the popular travel site that revels in the weird, the unexpected, the overlooked, the hidden and the mysterious. He co-authored a new book based on the site and it's called Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders. Today we'll talk about some of the strangest attractions the world has to offer including a Fiery crater that has been burning in the desserts of Turkmenistan since 1971, the independent micronation of Sealandia on an abandoned offshore oil platform in the North Sea, and a saloon in the Ukon that serves cocktails garnished with a severed human toe. Plus hipster tourism, lake monsters, doggie suicide bridges, and the hidden wonders in your neighborhood. If you enjoyed this episode, then order Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders on Amazon and visit www.AtlasObscura.com to read articles, find new travel ideas, and join special Atlas Obscura tours abroad and in your city.
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Artificial Intelligence (Pt. 2) w/ Prof. Nick Bostrom, Dr. Seth Baum, & the Creators of AMC's HUMANS
07/10/2016 Duration: 54minArtificial Intelligence, Superintelligence, Singularity, cognitive computers, technology, Science, AMC, Humans, Threats, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Artificial Intelligence (Pt. 1) w/ Michio Kaku, IBM's Guru Banavar, Wired's Kevin Kelly, & Martin Ford
05/10/2016 Duration: 44minArtificial Intelligence is coming, and in Part 1 of this two part podcast, I talk with some of the leading A.I. scientists, tech journalists, and futurists about how A.I. may change our lives within the next three decades. First I ask futurist Prof. Michio Kaku about just how close we are to developing real artificial intelligence. Then I talk with Dr. Guruduth Banavar, Vice President and Chief Science Officer in charge of IBM's Cognitive Computing Division, about the latest version if IBM's Watson computer and how it's already transforming a wide range of industries from medicine to law. Then I'll talk with Martin Ford, author of Rise of the Robots and Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired Magazine, about their competing visions of how A.I. could affect our economy and society in the next few years. Special thanks to the Milken Institute for hosting parts of this interview during the 2016 Milken Global Conference. Visit www.milkeninstitute.org to learn more about their work in the areas of science, educa
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Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer of CRIMINAL Podcast
29/09/2016 Duration: 48minCRIMINAL is the wildly popular true-crime podcast hosted by Phoebe Judge and produced Lauren Spohrer. These "partners in crime" talk about the criminal justice system, their love of fictional detective stories, and how the name of their podcast sometimes proves problematic when booking guests. They share some of the quirkier and more touching stories they’ve investigated including a truck stop owner with a Bengal tiger, the black market for a famously hard to get bottle of bourbon, and a white collar prison inside the last leper colony in America. Plus we discuss getting letters from prison, cops who won’t talk, and whether or not they would take an interview with Charles Manson. Subscribe to CRIMINAL on iTunes and visit their website at www.thisiscriminal.com. Follow CRIMINAL on Twitter at @CriminalShow and follow Phoebe Judge and Lauren Spohrer at @PhoebeVJudge and @LaurenSpohrer. Please subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Facebook at Kickass News or on Twitter at @KickassNews
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CNBC'S Larry Kudlow & Historian Brian Domitrovic on JFK the Tax-Cutter
28/09/2016 Duration: 43minCNBC's Larry Kudlow and historian Brian Domitrovic talk about their new book JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity. They dismantle the perception of John F. Kennedy as a Keynesian and make the case that he was the first President to embrace supply-side economics and an inspiration for Reagan's Presidency. Brian and Larry talk about the popular myth of post-war prosperity in the 1950s, the unusual team of rivals who advised Kennedy on economic policy, and how that policy influenced civil rights. Plus Larry Kudlow talks about his role as informal economic advisor to Donald Trump. Order JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity on Amazon or download the audio version for free through a special offer for our listeners at www.audibletrial.com/kickassnews. Larry Kudlow can frequently be seen on CNBC and you can read his articles at National Review Online. His radio show The Larry Kudlow Show airs on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET on WABC Radio a
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Al Jean, Head Writer/Exec Producer of "The Simpsons" Is Doing What He Loves
23/09/2016 Duration: 50minThe moment Al Jean completed the first episode of The Simpsons in 1989, he knew that he wanted to work on that show for the rest of his career. He's been doing just that as the head writer and exec producer of The Simpsons, guiding that groundbreaking series to a record-breaking 28 seasons. Today Al Jean talks about his early days writing for “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” including those famous letters to Santa that were supposedly from little children. Then he talks about the birth of the Simpsons, the origin of many of the characters, and the early controversies that surrounded the show including a strange rivalry between the fictional Simpsons family and the first President Bush. We talk about the process of making the show, the challenge of keeping the show fresh after 625 episodes, and what he’d like to do with the final episode (if that day ever comes). Plus we talk about the fans and some of the crazy conspiracy theories they have about the show. Be sure to watch the season premiere of Th
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HBO's "Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks" w/ filmmaker Dan Reed
19/09/2016 Duration: 41minEmmy-nominated filmmaker Dan Reed talks about his new HBO documentary THREE DAYS OF TERROR: THE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACKS. He discusses the cartoons that served as the catalyst for the vengeful massacre of 10 employees at the French satiric magazine Charlie Hebdo by two brothers affiliated with Al-Qaeda in Yemen and the sympathy attacks by a third terrorist which became the Islamic State’s first assault on the French homeland. We talk about the broader issue of freedom of speech, the French government’s “burkini ban,” and the second wave of deadly Paris attacks that caught French authorities off guard just 10 months after the Charlie Hebdo murders. THREE DAYS OF TERROR: THE CHARLIE HEBDO ATTACKS airs Monday, September 19, at 8PM Eastern on HBO. You can also watch THREE DAYS OF TERROR any time with HBO ON DEMAND, HBO GO or HBO NOW. For more information, visit www.HBO.com. Follow Dan Reed on Twitter at @danreed1000 or at www.amospictures.co.uk. Please subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts and follow us
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James Carville Makes the Democrats' Case for 2016
17/09/2016 Duration: 30minPolitical strategist, author and pundit James "The Ragin' Cajun" Carville comes on the show to talk about his new book We're Still Right, They're Still Wrong: The Democrats' Case for 2016. Carville says "it's still the economy, stupid!" and he claims to have the hard data that proves that the economy does better under Democratic Presidents than Republican Presidents. He credits Donald Trump with dragging the Republican Party to the issue of income inequality but says Trump's solutions to the problem are all wrong. He also discusses his problem with the idea of being a "social liberal and a fiscal conservative," the scandals or non-scandals around the Clintons (including Hillary Clinton's health), and why he says politics and social media don't mix. If you enjoyed today’s episode, then order James Carville's new book We're Still Right, They're Still Wrong: The Democrats' Case for 2016 on Amazon, or you can download the audio version for free with a special offer for our listeners at www.audibletrial.com/
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Discovery Network's "Taking Fire" w/ Kyle Boucher & J.J. McCool
13/09/2016 Duration: 35minTAKING FIRE is a 5-part docu-series for The Discover Network that follows a handful of rookies with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division who packed helmet cameras to film their one year deployment to the farthest flung region of the Taliban-held Korangal Valley in Afghanistan in 2010. Today I talk with Kyle Boucher and J.J. McCool who did triple duty as soldiers, cameramen and stars of this unconventional series. They reveal how they were able to film this remarkable footage without interference from the Pentagon, they talk about some of the risks they took to get the perfect shot, and discuss the creepy feeling of fighting an enemy they couldn’t see but who was constantly watching them. They speak frankly about their working relationship with the Afghan National Army and the local Police forces, and what it's like getting shot at in the shower, at dinner, and while working out at “the world’s deadliest gym.” The first episode of TAKING FIRE premieres tonight, Tuesday, September 13, at 10PM ET/9PM CT on
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David Cay Johnston On The Making of Donald Trump
08/09/2016 Duration: 44minDonald Trump, Politics, Taxes, Net Worth, Fraud, Campaign, Trump U, Atlantic City, Election, Investigation, Business, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ann Coulter on Trump, Immigration, The Roast & More
06/09/2016 Duration: 41minCoulter, Trump, Conservative, Reagan, Republican, Election, Politics, Hannity, Comedy Central, Roast, Rob Lowe, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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David Priess Reveals All About "The President's Book of Secrets"
02/09/2016 Duration: 49minMy guest today is former CIA analyst and daily intelligence briefer Dr. David Priess, and he talks about his new book The President's Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents from Kennedy to Obama. Today he’ll talk about the history of the top secret document, how it’s tailored to each President’s taste, and the massive intelligence bureaucracy that goes into publishing what is essentially a highly classified daily newspaper created just for one customer. We talk about the daily briefers like David who personally deliver “the book” every morning and discuss the most sensitive national security developments with the most powerful man in the world. We also discuss the intelligence briefs that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are now getting as candidates and which President’s had preference for gossip about the bedroom antics of fellow world leaders in the daily brief. And if you enjoyed today’s episode with David Priess, then order his book The President's Book of Se
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CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin on the Patty Hearst Kidnapping
29/08/2016 Duration: 36minJeffrey Toobin is a CNN legal analyst, journalist, and best-selling author. Today he talks about his new best-seller American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst. He discusses bizarre story of her captors the Symbionese Liberation Army, some of the desperate measures the FBI resorted to in their effort to find her, and Patricia Hearst’s strange transformation from captive to criminal. We talk about how the case influenced media coverage of breaking news events, and how the Patty Hearst saga came to be synonymous with the idea of “Stockholm Syndrome.” And if you enjoyed today’s episode, then order Jeffrey Toobin's new bestseller American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst on Amazon or download the audio book at www.audibletrial.com/kickassnews. You can follow Jeffrey Toobin on Twitter at @JeffreyToobin or at www.JeffreyToobin.com, and look for his legal analysis on breaking events on CNN or in The New Yorker Magazine. Pleas
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Mary Matalin Says the GOP Needs to Change, not Donald Trump
25/08/2016 Duration: 31minMary Matalin is one of the most respected conservative strategists, authors and pundits in America, and this April she left the Republican Party to register as a Libertarian, but says she will still vote for the GOP nominee Donald Trump. We discuss her motives for leaving the GOP, why she says it’s been a long time coming, and why she’s more inclined to vote for Trump over the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Plus I ask Mary Matalin how her mentor President George H.W. Bush and her husband James Carville took the news of her exit from the Republican Party. If you enjoyed this interview, you can tune in to Mary Matalin's radio show Both Sides Now. Find out more at www.BothSidesRadio.com. You can also keep up with Mary at www.MaryMatalin.info. Finally, I highly recommend Mary Matalin's and James Carville's most recent book Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home. Order it on Amazon or download the audio version for free through a special trial offer just for ou
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Creators of AMC's Halt & Catch Fire, Chris Cantwell and Chris Rogers
22/08/2016 Duration: 44minTV, tech, AMC, Silicon Valley, television, Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Silicon Prairie, programmers, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Can a Robot Take YOUR Job? w/ guest Martin Ford
12/08/2016 Duration: 38minRobots, Artificial Intelligence, A.I., tech, science, economics, economy, jobs, singularity, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Alexandra Pelosi Exposes the World of Political Mega-Donors
09/08/2016 Duration: 40minMy guest today is Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi who has a new film called MEET THE DONORS on HBO. Today she’ll talk about the Top 100 people who fund US political campaigns including the Koch Bros and George Soros, and she’ll reveal why one Soros family member is working to get money OUT of our politics. We’ll discuss what these mega-donors want from politicians, the perils of this nuclear arms race to buy political influence, Citizens United, and possible solutions to campaign finance reform. Plus I ask Alexandra what her mom Nancy Pelosi had to say about her efforts to shut down the gravy train for Washington politicians. You can watch MEET THE DONORS on demand with a subscription to HBO GO or HBO NOW. Keep up with Alexandra Pelosi by visiting her website at www.AlexandraPelosi.com. Please subscribe to Kickass News on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Facebook at Kickass News or on Twitter at @KickassNewsPod. You can also visit www.kickassnews.com for more fun stuff. See omnyst
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100th Episode! Special Guest Dick Cavett
01/08/2016 Duration: 51mintelevision, TV, history, Hollywood, comedy, Cavett, talk show, Tonight Show, Groucho Marx, wit, stories, anecdotes, jokes, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Ben Shapiro on Political Correctness & Journalistic Integrity in the Age of Trump
25/07/2016 Duration: 35minDaily Wire, Breitbart, Conservative, Free America, Political Correctness, Colleges, Republican, GOP, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices