The Ezra Klein Show - How the Attention Economy Is Devouring Gen Z — and the Rest of Us

Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani are both proof of how the ability to capture attention is power. And the attention economy isn’t reshaping just politics; it’s also reshaping the actual economy: the crypto market, A.I. venture capital, and how people, especially Gen Z, are making career decisions. Kyla Scanlon has emerged as a leading theorist on the economics of attention and is herself a member of Gen Z. She is the author of the book “In This Economy?” and Kyla’s Newsletter on Substack. I asked her on the show to walk us through her theory of the attention economy.

This episode contains strong language.

Mentioned:

Gen Z and the End of Predictable Progress” by Kyla Scanlon

‘We Are the Most Rejected Generation’” by David Brooks

A Divided Gen Z Is Crying for Mercy” by Rachel Janfaza

The Price of Nails Since 1695” by Daniel E. Sichel

Give People Money by Annie Lowrey

The World of Wrestling” by Roland Barthes

Peter Thiel and the Antichrist” by Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

Book Recommendations:

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com.

You can find the transcript and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.html

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris with Kate Sinclair. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Aman Sahota. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Annie Galvin, Elias Isquith, Marina King, Jan Kobal, Kristin Lin and Jack McCordick. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Pod Save America - MAGA Revolts Over Epstein List Reversal

Right-wing influencers and conspiracy theorists lose it over a Justice Department memo that says there’s no evidence Jeffrey Epstein had a “client list” or blackmailed his associates. Criticism of DOGE’s cuts to the National Weather Service resurface after catastrophic floods hit central Texas. In a Fourth of July ceremony, President Trump signs his disastrous economic plan into law. Jon and Tommy break down the Medicaid cuts, ICE funding, and the highly unusual tax breaks that made it into the final “Big Beautiful Bill.” Then they check in on Elon Musk’s growing threat to launch a new political party, and they discuss Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s allegation that he was tortured in El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

Chapo Trap House - 949 – Big Beautiful Swill feat. Tim Faust (7/7/25)

Tim Faust returns to the show to look at the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and its dire consequences for American medicine. We discuss Medicaid as a load-bearing feature of our healthcare infrastructure, how this bill will affect millions of Americans using the program, and the potential ways forward in the wake of its evisceration. We also look at last week’s absolute omnishambles article on Zohran’s college admission, a perfect encapsulation of the Failing New York Times approach to just about everything. Pre-Order YEAR ZERO: A Chapo Trap House Comic Anthology at https://badegg.co/products/year-zero-1

The Source - How the SBA can assist in Kerr County’s recovery

When natural disasters strike and federal emergency declarations are made, the U.S. Small Business Administration steps in with a vital recovery tool: low-interest disaster loans — including for communities in Central Texas recently impacted by flash flooding.array(3) { [0]=> string(20) "https://www.tpr.org/" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }

The Gist - The Un “Fudge” America Tour Gets “Fudged” From Within

Zee Cohen-Sanchez, a Bernie Sanders campaign veteran, launched “Un**** America” (we're going with Unfudge America) to counter Charlie Kirk’s influence on college campuses. But internal drama and performative purity politics quickly sabotaged the project. She recounts how influencer apologies empowered whiny critics and fractured the left’s ability to wield electoral power. Plus, with nearly 100 dead from the Texas floods, we examine the explanations. Climate change likely played a role, but history, geography, and neglected hydrology account for just as much—and the reflexive invocation of climate alone can obscure other actionable causes.

Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠

 

1A - ICYMI: The Megabill, Medicaid And Rural Americans

On Friday, President Donald Trump celebrated the passage of his signature tax and spending bill into law.

At nearly 900 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. It will also reduce Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion over the next decade. That will result in an estimated 11.8 million people losing health insurance coverage. Among those who will be hardest hit? Rural Americans.

We discuss what kind of challenges people living in rural areas could face with the new law and what ripple effects the law could have across rural public health systems.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

1A - ‘If You Can Keep It’: American Values

Who are we as a nation? What's important to us? And who do we want to be?

1A recently spent some time at the Aspen Ideas Festival where Gallup Research unveiled data that indicates most Americans can agree broadly on the answers to those queries, but differ on which ones are the most important.

We sit down and get into what values make an American, an American.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Bad Faith - Episode 489 Promo – Tentative Hope (w/ Maura Finkelstein)

Subscribe to Bad Faith on Patreon to instantly unlock this episode and our entire premium episode library: http://patreon.com/badfaithpodcast

Formerly an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Muhlenberg College, Maura Finkelstein is thought to be the first tenured professor to be fired for pro-Palestine speech in the US. She joins Bad Faith to talk to Briahna Joy Gray about the state of academic freedom, predictions for college campus protests come fall (including in NY, where Zohran Mamdani may soon be mayor), the role of Hillel & other institutional pro-Zionist actors in influencing campus speech, and the struggle to keep the faith as Israel continues to be able to execute its genocide with impunity.

Subscribe to Bad Faith on YouTube for video of this episode. Find Bad Faith on Twitter (@badfaithpod) and Instagram (@badfaithpod).

The Commentary Magazine Podcast - Can Mamdani Be Defeated?

We're back after a patriotic Fourth of July to talk about the anti-patriotic Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City and whether there are ways in which he can be made to lose the November election. Is the best way the one least talked about? We also discuss the horrible Texas disaster, the One Big Beautiful Bill, Elon Musk's new party, and the Bibi visit. Give a listen.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Daily - A Dark Moment for Journalism — and Devastation in Texas

Last week, when Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, announced a $16 million settlement with President Trump over editing of a segment of “60 Minutes,” many of the network’s journalists were furious.

The deal also raised questions about the independence of CBS’s journalism, and how much news organizations could be cowed by threats from the president going forward.

David Enrich, an investigations editor at The Times, takes us inside the settlement, and Lowell Bergman, a former CBS producer and investigative journalist at The Times, reminds us that the network has been in a similar situation before and discusses why this time may be different.

First, Edgar Sandoval, who is on the ground in Texas, explains what is happening in the wake of the flooding.

Guest:

  • Edgar Sandoval, a reporter for The New York Times covering Texas.
  • David Enrich, a deputy investigations editor for The New York Times.
  • Lowell Bergman, a journalist and former producer for CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

Background reading: 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.