Best Micah Hanks Podcasts (2025)

1
Jacques Vallée: In Pursuit of Forbidden Science | MHP 02.25.25. 1:05:18

1d ago1:05:18

1:05:18

Few have worked longer and with more passion toward understanding the unexplained than astronomer, computer scientist, and internet pioneer Jacques Vallée, who for most of his life has pursued the "forbidden science" of unidentified aerial phenomena. A scientist, researcher, and author of an impressive number of non-fiction and fiction offerings, V…

1
The New 'State Media.' Plus, Podcasters Are Running the FBI. 50:35

1d ago50:35

50:35

Breaking from a century of tradition, the White House says it will seize control of the press pool covering the president. On this week’s On the Media, the new administration is prioritizing access for an array of far-right influencers and news outlets. Plus, what President Trump’s pivot toward Russia means for Ukraine after three years of war. [00…

1
Writing (and Rewriting) Russian History 15:51

3d ago15:51

15:51

Days before Russia invaded Ukraine 3 years ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin read an essay he’d written in 2021, “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” wherein he claimed that Ukraine is a fake country that was invented by Lenin. This version of Russian history, which is full of inaccuracies amplified on Russian state media, has …

1
Learning Elon Musk’s Media Playbook. Plus, Silicon Valley’s Rightwing Roots. 50:32

8d ago50:32

50:32

Elon Musk’s claims of fraudulent government spending contain some wild inaccuracies. On this week's On the Media, how the mythos surrounding tech entrepreneurs paved the way for MAGA’s embrace of Silicon Valley leaders. Plus, meet the scholars and librarians who helped the Allies win World War II. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger looks at Elon Musk’s n…

1
Kidnapped by Sasquatch | ST 62 1:42:12

1d ago1:42:12

1:42:12

In this episode of Sasquatch Tracks, the team takes a deep dive into the enigma of Sasquatch kidnappings, with a look at the most well-known cases involving alleged abductions by relict hominoids. We also examine traditional beliefs among Indigenous American groups regarding such incidents, and the possible anthropological and biological factors be…

1
How Kash Patel Came to Loathe the Media and Love Trump 17:21

11d ago17:21

17:21

This week, the Senate will consider more of Trump’s Cabinet nominees, including his pick for FBI director, Kash Patel. For this midweek podcast, we're looking back at this conversation host Micah Loewinger had with Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott Calabro, who charted Patel's rise to power, starting at the very beginning of his legal career. She …

1
The UFO Messengers of Deception | 02.18.25. 59:00

9d ago59:00

59:00

For decades, belief in unidentified aerial phenomena has found its way into the ideas espoused by a number of religious and political groups, as well as other organizations with unusual backgrounds. In his landmark analysis of this aspect of modern UFO-related beliefs, computer scientist Jacques Vallee argued in his 1979 book Messengers of Deceptio…

1
Donald Trump is Rewriting the Past. Plus, the Christian Groups Vying for Political Power 50:29

16d ago50:29

50:29

The new administration is purging data from government websites and databases, such as the Department of Justice and the National Security Agency. On this week's On the Media, a historian shares the political playbook for rewriting the past in order to control the future. Plus, meet the different Christian groups vying for power at the White House.…

1
The Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets | MHP 02.11.25 1:00:03

9d ago1:00:03

1:00:03

On Tuesday, Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna announced the formation of a new government task force that aims to investigate and declassify U.S. government information on some of America's most perplexing secrets. Dubbed the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, the new effort will examine the assassinations of John F. Kenn…

1
The J6 Commutations Have Ripple Effects 51:15

9d ago51:15

51:15

Micah joins Anna Sale on Death, Sex and Money to revisit their 2023 conversation with Tasha Adams, ex-wife of Stewart Rhodes the founder of the Oath Keepers. Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6th insurrection –– prosecutors argued that members of the Oath Keepers used force to block the results of the election…

1
How Wired Magazine is Scooping the Competition. Plus, Whither the Democrats? 50:21

23d ago50:21

50:21

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has accessed sensitive information at the treasury and gutted the United States Agency for International Development. On this week’s On the Media, how a tech magazine scooped mainstream outlets with its reporting on the DOGE taskforce. Plus, at the Department of Justice, data wipes and mass firings ta…

1
The FBI's UFO X-Files | MHP 02.05.25. 59:40

15d ago59:40

59:40

Controversy is brewing in Washington, and recent reports indicate that the jobs of potentially large numbers of FBI agents may be in jeopardy resulting from a shake-up involving the Justice Department. However, in the midst of the controversy, new reports of an alleged "UAP Working Group" within the FBI has renewed attention on the Bureau's UAP inv…

1
Musk's Meddling in European Politics 16:42

16d ago16:42

16:42

According to the Financial Times, 225 out of Musk’s 616 tweets and retweets in the first week of January were about UK politics. Meanwhile, Musk has praised the prime minister of Italy, far-right politician Giorgia Meloni, describing her as “even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside.” At a time when his company SpaceX is reportedly in t…

1
Is That Legal? Plus, DeepSeek and the A.I. Bubble. 50:13

30d ago50:13

50:13

President Donald Trump has signed dozens of executive orders since returning to office. On this week’s On the Media, how the directives are butting heads with existing laws. Plus, what the DeepSeek saga reveals about American A.I. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Dahlia Lithwick, a senior editor at Slate and host of the podcast Amicus, …

1
Brooke Talks AI With Ed Zitron 43:49

1M ago43:49

43:49

When OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, all the big tech firms were clamoring to make their own versions of the “intelligent” chatbot. Billions of dollars have been thrown into the technology – training the models, creating more advanced computer chips, building data centers. But last week, a Chinese artificial intelligence company called De…

1
The Summoners: Whistleblower Claims and the 'CE-5 Protocol' | MHP 01.28.25. 1:00:05

23d ago1:00:05

1:00:05

Claims involving an alleged secret government retrieval program continue to dominate the UAP discussion following the recent airing of an interview with Jacob Barber, a former USAF serviceman who alleges that he participated in a covert government operation that employed "psionics" to assist in summoning UAP. How much, if any, of Barber's claims ar…

1
Tim Halloran: The Bigfoot Influencers | ST 61 1:21:53

26d ago1:21:53

1:21:53

It's an all new year of Sasquatchery... and as the team kicks off 2025, we dive into the famous story of the "Minnesota Iceman" and the claims involving a frozen relict hominoid, and then shift out attention over to recent news involving a Texas-based company's efforts to try and revive ancient extinct species that include the Woolley Mammoth, the …

1
Week One of Trump 2.0 50:20

28d ago50:20

50:20

President Donald Trump’s second term began with a flurry of executive orders and press. On this week’s On the Media, how to navigate the onslaught of news. Plus, executives at major outlets are telling reporters to tone down coverage of the new administration. And, what we can learn about Trump by looking at the legacy of his favorite president, Wi…

1
Covert Controversy: The Jacob Barber UAP Allegations | MHP 01.21.25. 1:00:20

1M ago1:00:20

1:00:20

On Saturday, an exclusive interview aired on News Nation in which Jacob Barber, a retired U.S. Air Force serviceman, made a bombshell claim to Australian journalist Ross Coulthart: that he had served for years as part of an alleged covert program that recovered spacecraft of non-human origin. Amid claims of encounters with UAP, Barber also told of …

1
Wars Are Won By Stories 27:07

1M ago27:07

27:07

We are living in history all of the time. Nevertheless, there are some times that seem more historical than usual. Like now, when academics and artists and even librarians have come under attack. We mention this particular sign of these times because of a new, delightful book by historian Elyse Graham, professor of Sociology at Stony Brook Universi…

1
Farewell TikTok? Plus, the Role of Memory and Forgetting with the L.A. Wildfires. 50:10

1M ago50:10

50:10

The Supreme Court has upheld a ban on TikTok. On this week’s On the Media, hear how the ruling could affect other media companies, and where TikTokers are going next. Plus, California’s latest wildfires are devastating, but they’re not unprecedented. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger sits down with David Cole, professor of law and public policy at Georg…

1
A Shake Up In The Briefing Room? 10:26

1M ago10:26

10:26

There have been hints dropped that the incoming administration intends to shake up the White House briefing room to potentially allow in more podcasters and outlets friendly to Trump. Whether or not it happens, the threats set the tone for another period of bad relations with the press corps. Time Magazine’s Olivia Waxman told Brooke back in 2017 t…

1
Sightings III: Anomalous Encounters and Secret Technologies | MHP 01.14.25. 1:00:10

2M ago1:00:10

1:00:10

Witnesses from all parts of the world spanning several decades have reported sightings of mysterious phenomena in our skies. Currently, these phenomena are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Defense, which formally refers to them as unidentified anomalous phenomena. What are these objects, what are their origins, and could some of the mys…

1
Public Broadcasting Is In Danger (Again) 49:58

2M ago49:58

49:58

NPR and PBS stations are bracing for war with the incoming Trump administration. On this week’s On the Media, the long history of efforts to save—and snuff out—public broadcasting. Plus, the role of public radio across the country, from keeping local governments in check to providing life-saving information during times of crisis. [01:00] Hosts Bro…

1
Incident in Las Vegas: New Year's Attacks, UAP Secrets, & Conspiracy Claims | MHP 01.07.25. 59:28

2M ago59:28

59:28

As 2025 kicks off, U.S. officials have been on high alert following a pair of New Years Day attacks that occurred in separate American cities only hours apart. One of the incidents, a suicide bombing involving a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, has also become the focus of controversy for reasons few might have p…

1
How Trump Re-Wrote the History of January 6 26:57

1M ago26:57

26:57

In the aftermath of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, politicians, pundits, and the American public condemned the violence—while many considered Donald Trump responsible for what had happened. In a few weeks, Trump will be sworn in for a second term at the very same place rioters overran four years ago. For this midweek podcast …

1
America’s Empire State of Mind 50:45

2M ago50:45

50:45

The complete story of American imperialism is missing from our history books. On this week’s On the Media, how the United States worked to capture territory and expand power, while preaching democracy and freedom. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with historian Daniel Immerwahr, on the hidden history of the United States empire. For American…

1
Do Sex Scandals Matter Anymore in Politics? 43:38

2M ago43:38

43:38

With Trump’s imminent return to the White House, we’ve decided to take stock of how political and journalistic norms have evolved over the years. For this week’s midweek podcast, we’re sharing an episode from Radiolab that aired in October, on the whirlwind history of Gary Hart, a young charismatic Democrat who in 1987 was poised to win his party’s…

1
2025 Predictions: A New Year of UAP and AI Revelations? | MHP 12.30.24. 1:00:08

2M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

From humanity’s interstellar ambitions, to the rise of quantum computing, AI, and the U.S. government's investigations into UAP, 2024 has been another groundbreaking year for science. But what might await in the new year, and what kinds of 2025 predictions indicate developments that could potentially reshape life on Earth, and perhaps even beyond? …

1
How AI and Algorithms Are Transforming Music 50:42

2M ago50:42

50:42

It’s been almost a year since the historic music outlet Pitchfork shrank considerably. On this week’s On the Media, why the distinctive voices in music journalism are worth saving. Plus, how AI music generators could upend the industry. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger, speaks with Ann Powers, critic and correspondent for NPR Music, on Condé Nast's acq…

1
A New Film Unearths the Depths of Netanyahu's Corruption 16:31

2M ago16:31

16:31

For the new documentary, The Bibi Files, director Alexis Bloom uses hundreds of hours of leaked, previously unseen interrogation footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, his son Yair, his staff and inner circle – to trace how the corruption charges against Netanyahu and Israel’s war on Gaza have converged. On this week’s…

1
The Curious Case of 'Navy X' and 2024 UAP Revelations | MHP 12.23.24. 59:56

2M ago59:56

59:56

In recent days, following the release of "The Program," the latest documentary offering by filmmaker James Fox, an alleged U.S. government whistleblower identified only as "Navy X" released a statement online that makes allegations that are now all-too-familiar to those who closely follow the UAP mystery. Who is this alleged source, and can their c…

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