It Turns Out

A generation ago, a "China Shock" decimated American manufacturing. Today, a second wave is looming—and this time, it’s coming for engineers, scientists, and tech professionals.In this episode, Kara sits down with MIT economist David Autor to discuss why the U.S. is uniquely unprepared for China Shock 2.0. From the "apex predators" of the Chinese EV market to the rapid migration of biotech innovation to the East, Autor explains why American "chauvinism" and a political attention span he describes as being similar to "a squirrel on cocaine" are putting our most strategic industries at risk.We explore the existential threat to companies like Ford, the potential hollowing out of hubs like Cambridge and Silicon Valley, and the "callous" myth that displaced workers can simply re-train for a new career.Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!Sign up for our Substack!

What happens when a culture is suddenly engulfed by 24/7 betting, wagering, and prediction markets?In this episode of It Turns Out, host Kara Miller sits down with Dr. Timothy Fong, a psychiatrist and co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program, to explore the hidden costs of America's new favorite pastime: "solitude entertainment."From the staggering story of a student who drained his $180,000 college fund in just 18 months, to the psychological traps of treating apps like DraftKings and Polymarket as second jobs, Fong explains how the normalization of digital gambling is rewiring our brains and deepening the wealth gap.Discover the science behind addiction, the reality of why the house always wins, and what this unprecedented surge in financial risk-taking means for society's future.For more on the massive growth of sports gambling, check out the work of The Journalist's Resource at Harvard's Shorenstein Center.You can sign up for our newsletter here.Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Why have so many boys and men fallen behind in America?Boys are behind girls in K-12 education. They are behind girls in getting to college - and staying in college. Millions of prime-age men are missing from the labor force. And men die deaths of despair - suicide and overdoses - at much higher rates than women.Richard Reeves talks about what has shifted culturally for men.How do you turn this around? Why do these issues affect even upper-class boys? How has this issue hurt Democrats - and what can they do about it?Reeves is the author of "Of Boys and Men," the founding president of the American Institute For Boys and Men, and a senior fellow at Brookings.Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

For decades, Americans have gravitated to the southern US - from Florida to Arizona. But that may be about to change.This change will also shuffle our finances - and create enormous winners and losers.In this eye-opening interview, ProPublica’s Abrahm Lustgarten, author of On the Move, exposes the "Great American Climate Scam" that is artificially propping up real estate values in high-risk zones like Florida and California. And he talks about how a collapse in one market could become a contagion that spreads across the country.We break down the looming insurance crisis that threatens to bankrupt entire states, why millions of Americans may soon be forced to migrate to northern "climate havens" like Cincinnati and Buffalo, and how extreme heat is widening the economic gap between the rich and the poor.If you want to understand the future of property values, the hidden financial risks of climate change, and who will be the winners and losers of the next great migration, don't miss this deep dive into the shifting US economy.Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

For the last three years, we've been making an enormous bet on AI. It's woven into our investments, our pension funds, even the stability of our economy. But, the bet hasn't paid off yet - and many aren't sure it ever will.AI expert Gary Marcus - who’s been excited about the technology for a long time - explains why society's all-in wager on large language models could be far riskier than we realize.Marcus is author of the book Taming Silicon Valley from MIT Press.MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group recently took a close look at how companies are using agentic AI - one of the most discussed topics in AI right now. Check it out here: sloanreview.mit.edu/ai2025Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

Over the last 40 years, many of the wealthiest Americans have effectively seceded from taxation.While regular Americans - from surgeons to bus drivers - pay large chunks (sometimes half!) of their income in taxes, lots of those with billions of dollars pay a teeny, tiny sliver of their wealth in taxes each year. And their heirs can inherit billions of dollars tax free.How have we let this happen? And why don't most people know about it? Boston College scholar Ray Madoff - author of The Second Estate - talks about what the heck is going on.Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube!

"It Turns Out" reveals the hidden realities reshaping our world—from how marriage impacts inequality to the way that the tax code has transformed wealth. Through conversations with experts who challenge conventional wisdom, award-winning journalist Kara Miller focuses each episode on groundbreaking research, changing how listeners see society, economics, technology, and human behavior. “It Turns Out” delves into data that directly impacts your life—whether you know it or not.