Newt's World

Newt talks with Elle Minarik, from the Paragon Health Institute, about their new report, “The Persistent Obamacare Enrollment Fraud” which details the widespread fraud and improper enrollment in Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans, driven by enhanced federal subsidies, weak verification systems, and misaligned incentives for insurers and intermediaries. Paragon Health Institute’s analysis compares Census data on people with incomes between 100–150% of the federal poverty level to the number of highly subsidized enrollees, estimating that 6.2 million people are enrolled in heavily subsidized plans despite not having incomes in that range. They project about $25 billion per year in improper Obamacare enrollment by 2026, with at least $75 billion over the last three years, and note that in one year alone $40 billion in federal payments went to insurers for “zero-claim” enrollees who never used their coverage. Improper enrollment is highly concentrated in non–Medicaid expansion states, especially Florida and Texas, which together account for 63% of projected improper enrollees in 2026; five states including Florida, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina account for 78%.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newt talks with Neil Chilson, Head of AI Policy at the Abundance Institute about the latest AI news. They discuss Anthropic’s IPO and the current AI investment surge. Chilson maintains it is a genuine boom rather than a speculative bubble, driven by massive datacenter and energy buildouts that are already generating substantial revenue. Their conversation turns to Pope Leo’s 42,000-word encyclical on AI. Chilson praises its emphasis on human flourishing but notes its academic skepticism toward technology and markets and observes that it appears only four years into the AI era, long before the full benefits and risks are known. They discuss China as a “fast follower” pursuing “good enough” AI models powered by abundant energy and released as open source, in contrast to U.S. labs’ focus on proprietary frontier models, and Chilson cautions that China may gain economic and military advantages by rapidly integrating AI across its economy and systems even without surpassing U.S. model quality.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newt talks with Brent Dusing, Founder and CEO of TruPlay, a faith-based gaming and entertainment platform for children. They discuss the growing fears surrounding A.I. and the urgent need for values-driven technology. Dusing began his career at Menlo Ventures leading to his first startup, Cellfire. He describes his conversion to Christianity in the early 2000s and how it led him to create Lightside Games, a Christian gaming studio that reached over seven million players. He created TruPlay as a response to what he describes as a crisis facing American children and the time they spend on screens. TruPlay’s game design is protective: the platform has no chat rooms, no ads, and no micro-purchases, relying instead on a single subscription fee. He emphasizes that TruPlay’s mission is to safeguard children while providing enjoyable experiences that convey messages about God’s truth, aiming to create a space parents can trust. Dusing argues that current AI systems embed anti-Christian values and warns that as AI increasingly governs speech, social media access, and financial transactions, it could be used to classify Christian organizations as “dangerous” groups, restricting their funding and public presence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newt talks with Senator Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Education Secretary, about his memoir, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.” He traces his public life from a 1963 Justice Department job under Robert Kennedy, where he heard Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, through the rise of “digital democracy,” social media, globalization, the Great Recession, and the Obama and Trump eras, arguing that social media and economic disruption have transformed American politics since around 2008. Alexander contrasts gubernatorial and senatorial leadership, likening governors to Moses and Senate leaders to drum majors who must recruit, align, and manage diverse “marchers,” and notes that many governors find the Senate frustrating while some senators struggle as pragmatic executives. He credits Howard Baker with teaching him to be an “eloquent listener,” to “learn to count” votes, and to remember “the other fellow might be right.” Relationships, he argues, are the essence of the Senate: he cultivated them by visiting House counterparts, maintaining courtesy, and hosting about 60 Senate couples, both Republicans and Democrats alike, at his Tennessee home. Alexander reflects on his own presidential bids, which he compares to moving from eighth-grade basketball to the NBA finals. He warns that presidential politics are increasingly dominated by “media and money,” recalling a 1999 quip predicting a Trump-like figure emerging from this environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newt talks with Steve Brusatte, paleontologist and bestselling author of “The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present.” They discuss a recent fossil discovery in China, a gigantic, long-necked dinosaur found at a construction site that may approach the largest known dinosaur sizes. Brusatte compares these massive sauropods—potentially 100 feet long and 50–60 tons—to modern aircraft. Brusatte reflects on his role advising Jurassic World filmmakers, contrasting his technical academic work with the opportunity to reach mass audiences through films and popular books. They also discuss the modern scientific consensus that birds are living dinosaurs: a surviving, flight-capable branch of the dinosaur family that flourished after the mass extinction. Brusatte likens dinosaur diversity to that of mammals today, emphasizing that many dinosaurs were small and that birds are the dinosaur equivalent of bats—highly specialized, small-bodied fliers within a larger group. He notes that while non-avian dinosaurs died out in the asteroid impact, birds represent the last remnant of this once-dominant lineage. They discuss how birds have become extraordinarily successful: while there are about 6,500 mammal species, there are likely 10,000–15,000 bird species, meaning roughly twice as many bird species as mammals today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newt talks with Peter Carter, President of Delta Air Lines. Their conversation traces Carter’s transition from 23 years as a trial lawyer to airline leadership. Carter explains how trial practice honed his skills in narrative, simplification of complex issues, and problem-solving, which he now applies to business decision-making and risk navigation, helping Delta pursue opportunities. Carter contrasts law firm culture with corporate leadership, describing the shift from revenue generator to support function and emphasizing the need to add enterprise-wide value in a 100,000-person organization. He underscores the hidden complexity of airline operations—about 5,000 procedures must run correctly daily to deliver safe, clean, on-time flights with baggage and high-quality service—and characterizes Delta as an “endlessly complex” business highly sensitive to geopolitical dynamics. Carter highlights Delta’s safety culture and industry-wide collaboration with the FAA, noting that U.S. airlines do not compete on safety but instead fully report and analyze incidents to drive continuous improvement. Looking to the future, Delta aims to become a leading global airline, focusing on expanding its international route network, particularly in underserved markets like the Middle East, Africa, and India.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.