As the AI boom fuels a massive data-center buildout, communities across the country are pushing back. Kara speaks with environmental activist and consumer advocate Erin Brockovich, Utah climate scientist Logan Mitchell, Virginia organizer Elena Schlossberg and Lansing, Mich., Mayor Andy Schor about the industry’s environmental and political impact. They examine the secretive deals and tax incentives behind many data-center projects, and they debate whether even responsibly designed developments can win community support. The panel also explores what meaningful guardrails might look like, whether cleaner energy and greater transparency could make data centers a genuine public benefit, and if it’s even possible to shift public opinion as data centers become increasingly wrapped up in a broader backlash against AI. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After moving to Ireland at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Rosie O’Donnell is back in the U.S. to stage her one-woman show in New York and guest host “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at the end of the month. While she’s taken some time out of the spotlight, Rosie remains an outspoken critic of the president and his policies at a time when a lot of public figures have gone quiet. Kara and Rosie talk about why she decided to turn her life into a theater production, the joys and challenges of raising a child with autism, and the new energy she’s found in her 60s. They also talk about why Rosie continues to speak out against Trump despite the personal costs. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Americans feel pessimistic about the economy even as the stock market soars and unemployment remains low. Kara speaks with a panel of economic experts to explain the disconnect. She’s joined by Atlantic staff writer Annie Lowrey, Catherine Rampell of MS NOW and The Bulwark and economist Claudia Sahm. They examine the impact of President Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the economic fallout from the Iran war and the hidden weaknesses in the current labor market. Plus: How vulnerable is the broader economy to an AI bubble? And what happens when economic growth increasingly benefits investors rather than workers? Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian and actor Jeff Hiller has managed to land roles on two of the buzziest TV shows of the last year. He just earned his second Emmy nomination for a guest role in “Pluribus,” and he seems poised for an even bigger role in the second season of the comedy horror “Widow’s Bay.” His success builds on his Emmy-winning breakout performance in HBO’s “Somebody Somewhere” as Joel, the compassionate best friend to series star Bridget Everett’s character, Sam. Kara and Jeff talk about why he thinks people are drawn to shows like “Pluribus” and “Widow’s Bay,” why Hollywood rarely tells stories about the middle class anymore, and the role faith has played in his life. They also talk about why it’s still hard to land roles, despite Jeff's Emmy success. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Clips courtesy of HBO and Apple TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says America is heading toward an AI jobs crisis. And she doesn't think Washington is ready. Raimondo joins Kara to explain why she's more worried about the country's political system than the technology itself, why Congress has failed to prepare workers for AI, and what she thinks should happen before millions of jobs disappear. She also discusses the future of the CHIPS Act, data centers, AI safety, higher education, and why she's launched a bipartisan effort to help workers adapt before it's too late. Recorded live at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg Center as part of the Discovery Series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ben Wikler, political organizer and former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, joins Kara to discuss his new book, “This Is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy.” Drawing on the grassroots strategies that helped Democrats restore a competitive democracy in Wisconsin, he lays out a national plan to defeat Trumpism and halt America’s slide toward authoritarianism. That starts, he argues, with building a year-round organizing operation capable of competing in races at every level of government. They also discuss the Democratic Party’s internal divisions, the future of the filibuster and structural reforms including a national popular vote, a national ban on partisan gerrymandering and Supreme Court term limits. Plus: how election officials should prepare for President Trump’s attempts to interfere with the midterms. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With just a few months left until the midterms and President Trump’s approval ratings hovering in the 30s, Democrats believe they’re poised to retake power in Congress this November. But party leaders worry a slate of primary wins by insurgent-left candidates could undermine their chances. And yet, Democratic voters made it clear they are looking for change by rejecting some of the establishment’s top recruits in primaries from Colorado to New York and beyond. Kara is joined by three experts to talk about the rise of these insurgent candidates: Adam Jentleson, president and founder of Searchlight Institute and author of the forthcoming book "Supermajority: How Democrats Can Build Lasting Power”; Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something, a progressive group that works to recruit and support first-time candidates in state and local races; and Roshni Nedungadi, founding partner and chief research officer at HIT Strategies, a public opinion research company that specializes in researching young people and people of color. Kara, Adam, Amanda and Roshni explain why these candidates are gaining traction, what voters are looking for, and how Democrats can navigate these divides in the party over the next few months. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In their new book, “Regime Change,” New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan take readers inside President Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 and the chaotic year that followed. It’s an incredibly revealing look at a president and an administration untethered from the historical constraints of the office and willing to take extraordinary risks in pursuit of absolute power. Maggie and Jonathan reveal what they learned about Elon Musk’s chaotic reign in the White House, why so many of the top tech CEOs were eager to get into the president’s good graces, and what Trump seems obsessed with in 2026. They also discuss the future of Trump's political movement and the challenges Democrats will face from this administration should they regain power in Congress. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. ⁠Register now⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Non-consensual deepfake pornography is on the rise. While celebrities were often the earliest targets, these AI-generated deepfakes are now spreading across communities and schools, and the law and tech platforms are struggling to catch up. Kara speaks with victims’ rights attorney Carrie Goldberg, tech journalist and Mostly Human Media CEO Laurie Segall and computer scientist V.S. Subrahmanian about how AI-generated explicit images are created, monetized and distributed. Segall details her investigation into Mr. Deepfakes, one of the internet's most notorious deepfake porn platforms. Goldberg explains her lawsuit against xAI over Grok-generated explicit images. And Subrahmanian breaks down the evolution of deepfake technology and why detection remains so difficult. Plus: why victims often have little recourse, what parents and schools can do and whether new laws like the Take It Down Act can make a difference. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. ⁠Register now⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're bringing you an episode of "The Gray Area," another great show from the Vox Media Podcast Network. In this episode, host Sean Illing talks with Atlantic writer Charlie Warzel about the increasingly weird experience of being online. They discuss AI-generated content, bots, algorithms, the “dead internet theory,” and why so much of the web now feels artificial, manipulated, or unreal. They also explore psyops, conspiracy culture, social media, and the deeper question lurking beneath the AI boom: What are human beings actually for? Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. ⁠Register now⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kara talks to Father Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar, theologian and AI ethics adviser to the Vatican, about why AI has become a central concern for the Catholic Church. They discuss Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, the Church’s role in shaping a more human-centered debate and why Benanti sees today’s AI race as a question of power, democracy, belief and human dignity. Kara presses him on Silicon Valley’s influence, Peter Thiel's views on the Antichrist and whether the Vatican can serve as a public square for global AI debate. Plus: can the Church help unite countries around shared global safeguards? Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. ⁠Register now⁠. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a challenging decade for media, New York Times President and CEO Meredith Kopit Levien and Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff have bucked trends and found ways to grow their respective organizations. Meredith has overseen a massive expansion of the Times’ digital subscriber base since becoming CEO in 2020. And after spending decades scaling up Vox Media, Jim is splitting the company between James Murdoch's Lupa Systems and Penske Media Corporation. In a live interview recorded at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in Cannes, France, Kara talks to Jim and Meredith about how they’ve adapted to a changing media landscape and the effects of AI on the publishing business. They also talk about the importance of independent journalism, the waning public trust in media, and how news organizations can earn it back. (A note to listeners: Vox Media is the parent company of the Vox Media Podcast Network, which produces “On with Kara Swisher.”) Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. ⁠Register now⁠. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For this special episode of “On,” we’re switching things up, and you’re the ones asking the questions. Kara offers concrete tips on dealing with bad managers, navigating AI, deciding whether to change careers entirely, and more. Top performers in the business world turn to Kara for advice all the time. Now, it’s your turn. Come see Kara live in DC. She is sitting down with Former Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo on July 16 at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, and you can be in the room. Register now. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TMZ, the celebrity news juggernaut, opened a Washington, D.C., bureau this spring. Founder Harvey Levin joins Kara to talk about the stories his team is looking for and why he views politics as pop culture. Levin discusses TMZ’s earlier attempts to establish a presence in the capital and how the latest government shutdown helped revive the idea. He and Kara dig into TMZ’s standards, whether it pays sources, and Levin’s relationship with President Trump. They also discuss TMZ’s coverage of Spencer Pratt’s failed Los Angeles mayoral run. Plus: how Levin is pivoting the business toward social media and YouTube. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we’re bringing you an episode of “Create or Destroy: Reimagining Marketing with Seth Matlins,” a new podcast from the Vox Media Podcast Network. In this episode, host and marketer Seth Matlins speaks with political strategist David Axelrod, who was President Obama’s chief strategist and senior advisor. David is currently a senior political commentator for CNN and the co-host of Vox Media’s “Hacks on Tap” podcast. David sees the American brand as devalued but not beyond repair. He and Seth talk about how to fix it. Produced by Wisdomous and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Follow the podcast on Instagram / TikTok: @createordestroypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices