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James B. Meigs joins us to talk about Anthony Fauci’s shockingly disingenuous, and possibly perjurious, testimony before the House on the origins of COVID—as we recall and recollect the series of disastrous policies he and others enacted without consequence to themselves. And here today, from New York to D.C. to Los Angeles, it’s Charlottesville 2017 […]
James B. Meigs joins Brian C. Anderson to discuss the decline of science journalism.
James B. Meigs, our tech columnist, comes on to discuss the amazing rapidity with which a bipartisan coalition formed around the idea of forcing the Chinese-Communist company Bytedance to divest itself of TikTok. Who says the parties can’t work together? But why did they manage to work together so easily this time? Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss new revelations about the possible cover-up of the origins of COVID and the role of leading figures in politics and science who participated in it. And we lament the Secretary of State’s words in Israel. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the fire catastrophe in Maui and the fact that, once again, ordinary people are doing the work to help those in need while government just can’t get itself organized—and the president of the United States thinks it’s all right to say “no comment” when asked about […]
James B. Meigs joins today’s podcast to talk about what a D.C. jury might think of the fraud charge against Donald Trump, what’s really happening with all this UFO stuff, and what’s significant about a new commercial nuclear reactor in Georgia. Give a listen.
Today’s entry in listener-questions week features James B. Meigs, who helps us consider the case of Sam Bankman-Fried, charged with all sorts of crimes in relation to the cryptocurrency exchange he started and claimed was only running in order to be an “effective altruist.” And is The Dark Knight the most neoconservative movie ever made? […]
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about the submersible that seems to have disappeared on its way to the bottom of the ocean on a Titanic viewing expedition. Why are we so obsessed with this story, and what does it say about our view of exploration as a whole? And what do […]
James B. Meigs joins us to discuss how some GOP candidates have shifted their tone on Trump’s indictment. We also go into the contingencies that could complicate his troubles. And then some frightening revelations about the likely origins of Covid. Give a listen.
Emotions often get in the way of good decision-making. This may be true in the case of nuclear energy, which many people associate with nuclear bombs. But nuclear energy could be the key to a green future according to James B. Meigs of the Manhattan Institute. He joins Michele.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Emotions often get in the way of good decision-making. This may be true in the case of nuclear energy, which many people associate with nuclear bombs. But nuclear energy could be the key to a green future according to James B. Meigs of the Manhattan Institute. He joins Michele.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about his January COMMENTARY column, “Twilight of the Tech Gods,” and how the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX represents another example of the way in which the Silicon Valley techno-optimist culture has done injury to capitalism. And how about them Twitter files? Give a listen.
Renowned urban economist Edward L. Glaeser joins Manhattan Institute senior fellow and City Journal contributing editor James B. Meigs to discuss the American housing crisis and how—or whether—it can be fixed. Find the transcript of this conversation and more at City Journal.
James B. Meigs, our Tech Commentary columnist, joins the podcast today to talk about the protests in China and how they relate to what we know about the Chinese government’s response to COVID—and our own government’s response. Plus, is Elon Musk just acting crazy or is he up to something interesting? Give a listen.
Renowned urban economist Edward Glaeser joins MI senior fellow and City Journal contributing editor James B. Meigs to discuss the American housing crisis and how—or whether—it can be fixed.
Tom welcomes James Meigs to the program. James is senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Contributor to City Journal. He formerly worked on three magazines as editor, including Popular Mechanics. James discusses how his views on nuclear energy have changed over his career. Studying our existing grid and the problems around carbon dioxide has changed his views. Good clean energy solutions are few and far between, and nuclear can fill a key role in base energy. Wind and solar have a place, but they are difficult to use as a foundation for the grid. Nuclear provides that steady, reliable power source for months on end. Which is essential for modern society. James explains the purpose of the Manhattan Institute to find solutions that are compatible with free markets. Maximum individual and business freedom while not relying on heavy-handed government interventions. There are practical solutions that market forces can bring. Governments have bad records at figuring out rapidly evolving technology. We need rapid progress in clear zero carbon energy that works for the consumer. Europe and Germany in particular have seen themselves as green power pioneers. Germany wanted to ween themselves from coal, gas and oil. However, they weren't able to get away from using coal like they imagined. Likewise, they spent a fortune on electricity before the war, and now we see a huge drag on the economy. We could see major industries shut down this winter and homes that go unheated. Modern economic activity has largely been decoupled from carbon emissions. However, energy is necessary to run everything, and therefore it's important not to abandon existing technologies. Grids are less reliable when nuclear power is decommissioned. The truth is that modern reactors don't take that long to decommission. Funds are normally set aside during operations to pay for the decommissioning process. Nuclear is the most regulated energy market in the United States. It's an extremely long process to license and permit these plants. France has had the most success with reducing carbon output. They became quite concerned during the 70s as to their energy security. So, they invested heavily in Nuclear Power by building a couple of dozen nuclear plants. Today, their grid is run from 70% nuclear sources. Not only that, but they have lower prices than most of the rest of Europe. James is excited about some of the nuclear technology that is in development. There is a lot of cool research that has been done in nuclear within the United States, but we haven't deployed these ideas commercially. Many of these plants could be much smaller and modular. Instead of powering a major city, we could power individual manufacturing plants or remote sites like in Alaska. These would be built in factories and trucked to their locations. They are inherently safe and would not require constant supervision. Lastly, he discusses the potential of nuclear fusion and the technologies behind carbon capture and sequestration. Time Stamp References:0:00 - Introduction0:39 - Nuclear Energy2:40 - Manhattan Institute4:42 - Europe & Energy7:23 - Carbon Tax Reality12:47 - New Tech. Costs16:15 - Green Subsidizes21:26 - Reopening Plants28:35 - Carbon-Neutral Energy31:00 - Green & Grid Stability34:33 - Future Nuclear Tech.39:17 - Nuclear Roadblocks42:15 - Fusion in 20 Years?45:30 - Carbon Capture50:16 - Wrap Up Talking Points From This Episode How views are gradually changing on the benefits of nuclear energy.The purpose behind the Manhattan Institute.The problems with green energy and trying to transition too quickly from carbon-based sources.Why France has benefitted greatly from nuclear and what the future holds in newer technology. Guest links:Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbmeigsWebsite: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/expert/james-b-meigsWebsite: https://www.howdowefixit.me/Twitter: https://twitter.com/fixitshow James B.
Tech commentary columnist James B. Meigs is back on the show today to talk about how the scientific community's conduct creates environments where anti-scientific conspiracy theories thrive. Also, the hosts discuss the Democrats' climate change/inflation bill and the attack on Republicans who voted against the PACT Act.
Tech commentary columnist James B. Meigs is back on the show today to talk about how the scientific community's conduct creates environments where anti-scientific conspiracy theories thrive. Also, the hosts discuss the Democrats' climate change/inflation bill and the attack on Republicans who voted against the PACT Act.
Former Popular Mechanics editor and new Manhattan Institute senior fellow James B. Meigs joins Brian Anderson to discuss the state of the global energy economy, the technological innovations that could make energy use more efficient, and the bad policies that contributed to the current crunch.
Joe Biden's speech lobbying for new gun laws was emotional and affecting, but is that enough to convince the Senate to enact his policy preferences? Plus, good jobs numbers and student loan debt relief as evidence of the White House's ideological capture. COMMENTARY tech columnist James B. Meigs joins the show today to talk about all this and more.
Joe Biden's speech lobbying for new gun laws was emotional and affecting, but is that enough to convince the Senate to enact his policy preferences? Plus, good jobs numbers and student loan debt relief as evidence of the White House's ideological capture. COMMENTARY tech columnist James B. Meigs joins the show today to talk about […]
The news of a “stealth variant” emerging in Asia has news media on edge, but are they the only constituency left in America who is still bracing for renewed Covid restrictions? James B. Meigs joins the podcast to discuss this and more.
The news of a “stealth variant” emerging in Asia has news media on edge, but are they the only constituency left in America who is still bracing for renewed Covid restrictions? James B. Meigs joins the podcast to discuss this and more.
The COMMENTARY podcast welcomes tech columnist James B. Meigs back to the show as Russian troops converge on Ukraine ahead of what looks like a pivotal weekend. Will Russia invade, or will it allow the exercises that have served as a pretext for mobilization to end quietly? Also, the return of “herd immunity” as a […]
The COMMENTARY podcast welcomes tech columnist James B. Meigs back to the show as Russian troops converge on Ukraine ahead of what looks like a pivotal weekend. Will Russia invade, or will it allow the exercises that have served as a pretext for mobilization to end quietly? Also, the return of “herd immunity” as a Covid off-ramp and Jim's astute article in the March issue on “Good NASA vs Bad NASA.”
Today's podcast begins with a lengthy reminiscence of our colleague and critic-at-large, Terry Teachout, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday. Then, with our columnist James B. Meigs, we take up his blockbuster piece, "The Pandemic Public Health Disaster." And conclude with thoughts on Biden's terrible week. Give a listen.
Today’s podcast begins with a lengthy reminiscence of our colleague and critic-at-large, Terry Teachout, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday. Then, with our columnist James B. Meigs, we take up his blockbuster piece, “The Pandemic Public Health Disaster.” And conclude with thoughts on Biden’s terrible week. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to discuss his two articles in the November issue of Commentary. One, "COVID and the Authorities: It's Even Worse Than We Thought," has only gained momentum over the past week as more has emerged to suggest leading figures in the public-health community might have been involved in a major cover-up at the beginning of the pandemic. The second, "How Alan Sokal Won the Battle but Lost the Science Wars," tells the story of a brilliant satirical early effort to confront Wokeness and how time has shown wokeness's horrifying strength. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today’s podcast to discuss his two articles in the November issue of Commentary. One, “COVID and the Authorities: It’s Even Worse Than We Thought,” has only gained momentum over the past week as more has emerged to suggest leading figures in the public-health community might have been involved in a major […]
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about, what else, the bizarre behavior of the CDC in relation to the pandemic. And we have a fun argument about the question of mandating vaccination passes. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to talk about, what else, the bizarre behavior of the CDC in relation to the pandemic. And we have a fun argument about the question of mandating vaccination passes. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today's podcast to discuss the Delta variant surge and the continuing refusal of many on the Right to act to contravene it. We also talk about the weirdness of Democratic senators announcing they had agreed to a $3.5 trillion deal that, in fact, they hadn't all agreed to—and why on earth the Biden administration is giving into Iran. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins today’s podcast to discuss the Delta variant surge and the continuing refusal of many on the Right to act to contravene it. We also talk about the weirdness of Democratic senators announcing they had agreed to a $3.5 trillion deal that, in fact, they hadn’t all agreed to—and why on earth […]
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the news that the FDA and CDC have “paused” the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and what it might mean. We also discuss infrastructure bills and polling misses. Give a listen.
James B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the news that the FDA and CDC have "paused" the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and what it might mean. We also discuss infrastructure bills and polling misses. Give a listen.
Tech COMMENTARY columnist James B. Meigs joins us today to discuss his piece, "We're Living in a New Space Age"—and the launch of the massive rocket yesterday by Elon Musk's SpaceX that was both a triumph and a disaster. Give a listen.
Tech commentary columnist James B. Meigs joins the program to break down Thursday’s congressional hearing on Silicon Valley. How consolidation in the tech world makes disasters more likely. Also, Barack Obama’s politicized eulogy for the late Rep. John Lewis and his naked effort to raise the temperature on a nation already near the boiling point.
Can You Trust People in a Pandemic? Writer, editor, and author James B. Meigs joins the COMMENTARY podcast to discuss his essay in the latest issue of the magazine, “Elite Panic vs. the Resilient Populace.” How one disaster tells the tale of American ingenuity and how they are so often not trusted to do the right thing by their leaders in government.
James B. Meigs joins Seth Barron to discuss last month's power blackout in Manhattan, California's self-inflicted energy crisis, and potential energy sources for the future. "As power outages go," Meigs writes, "the Broadway Blackout of 2019 was pretty modest." But energy reliability is becoming an issue in states across the country. California's largest power supplier, Meigs reports, recently announced that it will begin shutting down parts of the grid to help reduce the risk of wildfires. Energy problems could get worse as states adopt strict mandates and replace today's power sources with unreliable green alternatives. The Broadway blackout and California's fire-prevention strategy illustrate the same reality: the nation's energy infrastructure is outdated, and upgrading it will require a huge investment.
James B. Meigs joins City Journal senior editor Steven Malanga to discuss the limitations of renewable energy and the need to expand nuclear technology as a source of clean and reliable electricity. For nearly four decades, environmental activists have opposed nuclear power in favor of "green" energy. But as Meigs writes in the Winter 2019 Issue of City Journal, "nuclear power is finding new pockets of support around the world." Meigs is the former editor of Popular Mechanics and cohost of the How Do We Fix It? podcast.
Interview with James B. Meigs, MD, MPH, author of Association of Smoking Cessation and Weight Change With Cardiovascular Disease Among People With and Without Diabetes