We chat with Bruce Schneier — renowned security technologist and, most recently, co-author of Rewiring Democracy — to discuss the relationship between technology and democracy. We get into how people with money/power use systems like AI to create a flywheel of more money/power. But importantly, as an advocate of public-interest technology, Bruce also lays out how AI is being used to empower citizens and strengthen democracy, and the techno-political conditions needed to build these democratic systems.
••• Check out all of Bruce’s work https://www.schneier.com/
••• Rewiring Democracy | Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049948/rewiring-democracy/
••• The Promptware Kill Chain: How Prompt Injections Gradually Evolved into a Multi-Step Malware https://www.schneier.com/academic/archives/2026/01/the-promptware-kill-chain-how-prompt-injections-gradually-evolved-into-a-multi-step-malware.html
Standing Plugs:
••• Order Jathan’s book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills
Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
How do you turn an empty house into a buyer’s dream home? Zachary Crockett pulls back the curtain. This episode was originally published on August 27th, 2023.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More than a dozen health and environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its rollback of a rule that fought climate change. The “endangerment finding”, states that the buildup of heat-trapping pollution in the atmosphere endangers public health. The rollback is widely seen as a major setback to efforts to combat the climate crisis.array(3) {
[0]=>
string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source"
[1]=>
string(0) ""
[2]=>
string(1) "0"
}
How did PFAS chemicals, once used in popular stain-resistant carpets, end up in the water and environment in parts of Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina? FRONTLINE, The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Post and Courier and AL.com investigate what happened with these forever chemicals and the ongoing health impacts.array(3) {
[0]=>
string(38) "https://www.tpr.org/podcast/the-source"
[1]=>
string(0) ""
[2]=>
string(1) "0"
}
Maurine Molach lost her son, David, in 2016 when he died by suicide. She is the co-founder of Parents for Safe Online Spaces, a coalition of families who have lost children to online harms and are bringing similar lawsuits. She is not a plaintiff in the case currently on trial. Ali Rogin spoke with Molach about social media's risks to children. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
A senior Trump administration official told PBS News that the U.S. will reduce the number of troops who have been fighting ISIS in Syria. The statement comes after a major shift in U.S. policy in the country. Meanwhile, Iran appears to be bracing for a U.S. strike. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
Areas that recently experienced the largest slowdowns in unauthorized immigration also saw the largest slowdowns in employment growth, according to data analysis by the San Francisco Fed. This disproves the accusation that immigrants take jobs from American citizens. In this episode, how tighter immigration restrictions could affect the U.S. labor market long-term. Plus: It’s too early to tell how AI affects workplace productivity, California gas prices reflect more than high taxes, and the upcoming PCE index will tell Fed economists where we're at with inflation.
Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.
Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.
Trump sought $163 billion in cuts, including slashing the EPA by 54 percent, HUD by 44 percent, and the CDC by 41 percent, but even his most loyal House allies let the effort stall under the cover of the budget process. A separate bipartisan attempt to shore up Obamacare subsidies for 24 million Americans also fizzled, with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick warning that letting them lapse would be bad policy and worse politics. The throughline is inertia: Congress will not enact maximalist right-wing cuts, but it will not pass incremental fixes either. Plus, a handoff to the debut of How To!: "How to Be a DJ, Not a Playlist," featuring the DJ with hooks for hands, Tom Nash, on craft, resilience, and commanding a room. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ad-sales@libsyn.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist
Israel’s military says it’s planning a new barrier along the eastern border of the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. Palestinian farmers and shepherds say existing walls and the construction of Jewish settlements are keeping them from reaching and working their fields.
