Podcast
The Last Invention
The AI revolution has begun – the product of a seventy-year quest by scientists, mathematicians, and visionaries who set out to build machines that could think. But what began as a fringe idea has now become one of the most powerful forces of the 21st century. This is the story of that journey: its rivalries, its competing visions of utopia and apocalypse, and the race to build what may be humanity’s last invention.
- Technology chart
- #64
- Episodes
- 18
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 52 min
- On air since
- 2025
- Latest episode
- 1 month ago
Episodes
18 episodes, from the first
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2 min
Introducing: The Last Invention Trailer
Show notes
For over seventy years, technologists have dreamed of building a true “thinking machine.” An artificial intelligence so powerful it would reshape every aspect of human life. Would it unlock unimaginable abundance? Or bring about our destruction?
Today, many of the people closest to the latest A.I. breakthroughs believe that moment has arrived. Some are walking away from their jobs to sound the alarm. Others argue it can’t be stopped, and the only choice is to unite as a society and try to get ready. Still others dismiss the fears, convinced we’re entering a thrilling new chapter of human history.
Who’s right? Why are some of the most informed minds so sharply divided? And how, exactly, did we get here?
Episode one drops soon. Stay tuned.
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Season 1
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36 min
Ready or Not
Episode 1
Show notes
A tip alleging a Silicon Valley conspiracy leads to a much bigger story: the race to build artificial general intelligence — within the next few years — and the factions vying to accelerate it, to stop it, or to prepare for its arrival.
FEATURING:
Mike Brock, Kevin Roose, Geoffrey Hinton, Connor Leahy, William MacAskill, Liv Boeree, Sam Harris, and Yoshua Bengio
LINKS:
Sam Harris 2016 TED Talk, Can We Build AI Without Losing Control Over It
Nick Bostrom's book Superintelligence
Sam Harris' Making Sense podcast
William MacAskill's book What We Owe the Future
Eliezer Yudkowsky's book If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS: Go to https://groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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54 min
The Signal
Episode 2
Show notes
In 1951, Alan Turing predicted machines might one day surpass human intelligence and 'take control.' He created a test to alert us when we were getting close. But seventy years of science fiction later, the real threat feels like just another movie plot.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Connor Leahy, Max Tegmark, Robin Hanson, Karen Hao, Nick Bostrom, Sam Harris, and Justin Murphy
LINKS:
Karen Hao’s book “Empire of AI”
Nick Bostrom's book "Superintelligence"
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS : Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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51 min
Playing the Wrong Game
Episode 3
Show notes
What if the path to a true thinking machine was found not just in a lab… but in a game? For decades, AI’s greatest triumphs came from games: checkers, chess, Jeopardy. But no matter how many trophies it took from humans, it still couldn’t think. In this episode, we follow the contrarian scientists who refused to give up on a radical idea, one that would ultimately change how machines learn. But their breakthrough came with a cost: incredible performance, at the expense of understanding how it actually works.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Yoshua Bengio, Liv Boeree, Geoffrey Hinton, Karen Hao, Keach Hagey, Jasmine Sun
LINKS:
Karen Hao’s book: Empire of AI
Keach Hagey's book: The Optimist
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS : Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 2 min
Speedrun
Episode 4
Show notes
Is the only way to stop a bad guy with an AGI… a good guy with an AGI? In a twist of technological irony, the very people who warned most loudly about the existential dangers of artificial superintelligence—Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei among them—became the ones racing to build it first. Each believed they alone could create it safely before their competitors unleashed something dangerous. This episode traces how their shared fear of an “AI dictatorship” ignited a breakneck competition that ultimately led to the release of ChatGPT.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Karen Hao, Keach Hagey, Jasmine Sun, Yoshua Bengio, Kevin Roose, Connor Leahy
LINKS:
Karen Hao’s book “Empire of AI”
Keach Hagey’s book The Optimist
Ross Douthat’s Theil interview and article
Joe Rogan Experience 1169 - Elon Musk
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS : Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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52 min
Contact
Episode 5
Show notes
In the strange months after ChatGPT’s release, the world made contact with something new. A tech CEO begged to be regulated, a chatbot seemed to fall in love, and the godfathers of AI became frightened by the implications of what they’d spent their lives building.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Keach Hagey, Kevin Roose, Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton
LINKS:
Keach Hagey’s book The Optimist
Sam Altman testifies at Senate artificial intelligence hearing, May 16, 2023
Sam Altman testifies at Senate hearing on artificial intelligence, May 8, 2025
Kevin Roose’s article on Sydney
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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57 min
The AI Doomers
Episode 6
Show notes
What happens when some of the most idealistic techno-optimists come to believe that superintelligence poses a threat to humanity's survival? Today, the best case for the worst case scenario. We sit down with Nate Soares and Connor Leahy and ask them to make their case for why we need to stop ASI, before it’s too late.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Connor Leahy, Natasha Vita-More, Max More, Keach Hagey, Nate Soares
LINKS:
Nate Soares’s book (with Eliezer Yudkowsky) If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies
Connor Leahy’s AI safety startup Conjecture
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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55 min
The Scouts
Episode 7
Show notes
A decade ago, the leading minds in AI gathered to make sure this technology would benefit everyone. Today, those hopes are colliding with the reality of an AI arms race. Today, game theorist Liv Boeree and philosopher William MacAskill lay out what they see as the “narrow path” between a future of limitless potential and one of irreversible loss.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Max Tegmark, Nick Bostrom, Liv Boeree, William MacAskill
LINKS:
Max Tegmark’s book “Life 3.0, Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”
Nick Bostrom's book "Superintelligence"
William MacAskill’s book “What We Owe the Future”
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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54 min
The Accelerationists
Episode 8
Show notes
Meet the accelerationists: a rising movement that believes expediting AI development is not only inevitable but morally necessary – humanity’s best chance at transcending its limits. What happens when the world’s most powerful technologists treat AI progress as a duty rather than a danger?
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Olivier Oullier, Guido de Croon, Alex Williams, Reid Hoffman, Guillaume Verdon/“Beff Jezos”
LINKS:
Beff Jezos/Guillaume Verdon’s Twitter
Alex Williamss is a contributor here
Reid Hoffman’s Personal Website
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Gregory Warner, Andrew Parsons, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello. It is hosted by Gregory Warner.
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
Listen to the soundtrack Music From The Last Invention by Devendorf Lanz
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News and FIRE
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 2 min
Ezra Klein on the Uncertain Politics of A.I.
Episode 9
Show notes
Ezra Klein – New York Times opinion columnist and an influential voice on the American left – joins us at a hinge moment in the A.I. revolution. As artificial intelligence accelerates, Klein examines what’s at stake politically, socially, and morally: the role that government should play in shaping this technology, the disruptions he believes matter most, and how to think clearly when the landscape is shifting so rapidly.
LINKS:
Ezra Klein’s book Abundance
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, and Ethan Mannello.
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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52 min
“Build the AI Wall” with Steve Bannon
Episode 10
Show notes
Today, Andy interviews Steve Bannon and his War Room tech editor, Joe Allen. They make the populist right-wing case for breaking up Big Tech, forcing transparency on frontier AI labs, and blocking “AI amnesty” efforts that would preempt state oversight. Bannon frames AI as a species-level inflection point driven by what he calls “broligarch” elites pushing “techno-feudalism,” warning that the public is underwriting opaque labs while losing jobs, leverage and eventually autonomy.
LINKS:
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Megan Phelps-Roper, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, Carmen Hilbert and Ethan Mannello.
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 16 min
The AI Skeptics
Episode 11
Show notes
In this episode, we dive into the views of the people who think the AGI race is being oversold, misunderstood, or misframed. As you’ll hear, we break them down into three distinct camps: “AI Is Grift” (a tech-industry con), “Wrong Path” (LLMs can’t reach AGI without new ideas), and “AI as Normal Technology” (powerful, but adoption will be slow and institution-bound). Through interviews with Ed Zitron, Gary Marcus, and Princeton’s Arvind Narayanan, the episode argues that the real fight isn’t just about capability—it’s about incentives, architecture, and how human systems actually change.
FEATURING:
Ed Zitron, Gary Marcus, Arvind Narayanan
LINKS:
Ed Zitron’s newsletter “Where’s Your Ed At”
Gary Marcus’s most recent book, “Taming Silicon Valley”
Arvind Narayanan’s most recent book, “AI Snake Oil”
Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor’s paper “AI As Normal Technology”
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Seth Andrews, Ethan Mannello, and Carmen Hilbert
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Matthew Boll
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us here
Thank you to our sponsors Ground News
GROUND NEWS: Go to groundnews.com/invent to get 40% off unlimited access to global coverage of the stories shaping our world.
This is a paid sponsorship link
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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40 min
Wetwear
Episode 12
Show notes
This episode was originally reported on our podcast Reflector. You can hear this story and many more by visiting us here
What if the next great leap in computing wasn't made of silicon — but of living human brain cells? Reporter Greg Warner takes us inside the lab of Hon Weng Chong, an Australian computer engineer who has built a biological computer: a device that houses actual human neurons in a petri dish, teaches them to play Pong using reward and punishment, and is now being sold to medical researchers, crypto gamers, and roboticists with very big dreams. Along the way, Andy and Greg dig into what these cells might actually feel, why the path to artificial general intelligence might run through a robot's skin rather than its brain, and what it would mean to one day stick a chip of pre-programmed neurons back into a human head. It's weird, it's a little smelly, and it might be the future.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Hon Weng Chong - CEO and founder of Cortical Labs
Dr. Minas Liarokapis - CEO/CTO of Acumino Inc., Director of the New Dexterity Research Group
LINKS:
Dishbrain Paper - In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world
CREDITS:
This episode was reported and produced by Greg Warner, Andy Mills, Simon Adler, and Matthew Boll
Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert and Peter Lalish
Reflector artwork by Jacob Boll
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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21 min
Sam Altman’s Attacker, In His Own Words
Episode 13
Show notes
In this episode we talk with Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama, the man who was recently arrested and charged with attempting to kill Sam Altman. Several months before the attack, our team contacted a young man posting on Discord under the handle "Butlerian Jihadist," who referenced “Luigi-ing tech CEOs” to our producer. He agreed to an interview and to answer questions about his background and how he came to believe that AGI must be stopped for humanity to survive.
To leave a comment and sign up for our mailing list visit us at our website here. To support our ability to report more stories like this you can become a subscriber here. You can email us directly at hello@longview.report
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Daniel Moreno-Gama
LINKS:
San Francisco District Attorney’s Office Press Release
U.S. Department of Justice Press Release
San Francisco Police Department Press Conference
Daniel Moreno-Gama Criminal Complaint
CREDITS:
This episode of The Last Invention was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Simon Adler, Matthew Boll, Seth Temple Andrews, Ethan Mannello, and Carmen Hilbert.
Music for this episode was composed by Scott Devendorf, Ben Lanz, Cobey Bienert, and Simon Adler
The Last Invention artwork by Jacob Boll
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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53 min
Presenting: Book Keeper
Show notes
Today we are sharing with you the first episode of a new series we’ve made here at Longview, called Book Keeper.
In our first episode of this series, host Megan Phelps-Roper, more than 10 years after leaving the Westboro Baptist Church, returns to the Bible. Even though she is no longer what most would consider a “believer,” she wants to explore what ancient wisdom still lives in these stories. And she begins with a tale of profound betrayal and reconciliation.
RESOURCES:
The Book of Genesis — Chapters 37 to 45
CREDITS:
This episode of Book Keeper was produced by Matthew Boll, with editing by Andy Mills and Sarah Hepola. It is hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper.
Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert and Peter Lalish
Artwork by Jacob Boll
WAKING UP OFFER:
Thank you to our partner Waking Up.
You can find their 14-day free trial here
This is an affiliate link. We earn a commission on new subscriptions purchased through this link.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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43 min
Street Fight Part I: Hobos, Bums, and the Homeless
Show notes
What we call “homelessness” is a relatively modern phenomenon. Today, we tell the story of its emergence and why, in the 1980s, one woman fought so fervently for her right to live on a New York City street corner.
You can hear the full series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Stephen Eide
LINKS:
60 Minutes segment on Joyce Brown
Stephen Eide at the Manhattan Institute
The New York Civil Liberties Union
Jack London’s memoir of his hobo years, The Road
Joyce Brown’s obituary
New York magazine story on Brown
Retro Report piece featuring Brown’s niece
Study on homelessness mortality
HUD’s 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (Part 1)
For this series we also read, and recommend, the following books: Homelessness in America: The History and Tragedy of an Intractable Social Problemby Stephen Eide, Reckoning with Homelessnessby Kim Hopper, The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Manby Nels Anderson, and Down and Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American Historyby Kenneth L. Kusmer.
CREDITS:
This story was reported by Emma Pettit and produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello, Matthew Boll, and Simon Adler. It was mixed by Emma Munger.
Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert and Simon Adler.
Artwork for this episode is by Jacob Boll.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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38 min
Street Fight Part II: Cruel & Unusual
Show notes
Homelessness today looks very different than it did in the 1980s, when American cities first woke up to this crisis. Today, we explore the legal battles that turned survival outside into a constitutional question.
You can hear the full series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Estela Lopez, Kevin Cope
LINKS:
Estela Lopez’s organization
Los Angeles magazine article that features Lopez
Jones v. City of Los Angeles settlement
Martin v. City of Boise initial opinion
Martin v. City of Boise amended opinion
NPR story that quotes Pam Hawkes and her lawyer
Kevin Cope of the University of Virginia School of Law
Skid Row 2016 survey on violence against women
For this series we also read, and recommend, the following books: Homelessness in America: The History and Tragedy of an Intractable Social Problem by Stephen Eide, Reckoning with Homelessness by Kim Hopper, The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man by Nels Anderson, and Down and Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History by Kenneth L. Kusmer.
CREDITS:
This story was reported by Emma Pettit and produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello, Matthew Boll, and Simon Adler. It was mixed by Emma Munger.
Music for this episode was composed by Cobey Bienert and Simon Adler.
Artwork for this episode is by Jacob Boll.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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51 min
Street Fight Part III: Can We End It?
Show notes
Everyone agrees that street homelessness is a problem to solve. But that’s where the agreement ends. Today, we explore the two camps that think they’ve found an answer — one that argues for more resources and the other that argues for more rule of law.
THIS EPISODE FEATURES:
Iain De Jong, Stephen Eide, Estela Lopez, Mark Horvath, Traci Park
LINKS:
Iain De Jong’s book, The Book on Ending Homelessness
A few studies on Housing First
The Daily Show segment on Housing First
Stephen Eide’s critique of Housing First
2019 progress report on Proposition HHH
Audit on CA homelessness spending
Oral argument in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson
City of Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court opinion
Los Angeles mayoral primary debate, May 6, 2026
Donald Trump 2023 video about the homeless
Invisible People YouTube channel
Los Angeles City Council meeting, August 18, 2026
For this series we also read, and recommend, the following books: Homelessness in America: The History and Tragedy of an Intractable Social Problem by Stephen Eide, Reckoning with Homelessness by Kim Hopper, The Hobo: The Sociology of the Homeless Man by Nels Anderson, and Down and Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History by Kenneth L. Kusmer.
CREDITS:
This story was reported by Emma Pettit and produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello, Matthew Boll, and Simon Adler. It was mixed by Emma Munger.
Music for this episod was composed by Cobey Bienert and Simon Adler.
Artwork for this episode is by Jacob Boll.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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