Vox

Why we can’t see progress | The Gray Area - May 11, 2026 - Vox
If someone asked you to describe the state of the world right now, odds are you’d reach for the bad news first: political division, AI panic, war, ecological crisis, unraveling everywhere. And none of that is imaginary. But Rebecca Solnit thinks the pessimistic view is incomplete. We’re good at seeing catastrophe and reversal, and much worse at seeing the slower, more positive transformations that unfold over decades.
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Solnit’s new book, The Beginning Comes After the End, is an argument for noticing those changes without denying the darkness of the present. She joins Sean to talk about hope, backlash, political despair, and why fragile victories are still victories worth defending.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Rebecca Solnit
00:00 Intro
02:17 Why we struggle to recognize change
08:44 What is driving today’s political backlash?
15:25 How to find hope in fragile victories
20:39 Is backlash an eternal political reality?
24:54 Power vs. culture: where does change really happen?
37:06 Does Rebecca Solnit ever lose hope?
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Progressives have a new playbook. We tested it in Queens | America, Actually - May 9, 2026 - Vox
"Progressive" and "affordability" are trendy political buzzwords today, but for most Americans, they feel more like abstract concepts rather than lived realities. The Congressional Progressive Caucus is trying to change that by launching a 10-point "Affordability Agenda."
Congressman Greg Casar (D-TX) joins America, Actually this week to discuss his caucus’s shift from focusing on identity politics and bills like the Green New Deal to kitchen table issues like banning AI surveillance pricing and capping childcare costs.
Later, we head to one of the country’s most Democratic congressional districts in the country to see if these Washington talking points resonate with voters.
00:00 Intro: New political buzzwords
00:33 Progressives roll out their “affordability agenda”
05:11 Shifting progressive priorities
06:22 Connecting the dots between climate and the economy
08:51 Redefining progressive for 2026
12:30 Reclaiming the narrative from Donald Trump
14:15 Rethinking “defund the police”
17:21 Voices from Queens, New York
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How Gen Z went MAHA | The Gray Area - May 8, 2026 - Vox
Sean talks with Vox senior correspondent Anna North about the strange rise of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. They explore why MAHA resonates, especially with younger people, how legitimate concerns about food and public health blur into conspiracy thinking, and why social media has become such a powerful engine for both. They also discuss the collapse of trust in institutions, the emotional logic behind wellness movements, and what it would take to rebuild trust in science and public health.
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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Anna North (@annanorthtweets)
00:00 Intro
01:35 MAHA: Vaccines and Medical Distrust
08:49 MAHA's Subcultures
15:37 Gen Z Wellness Influencers
29:41 Gen Z Institutional Distrust
36:28 Tools For Rebuilding Public Trust
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How to feel awe every day | The Gray Area - May 4, 2026 - Vox
Sean talks with psychologist Dacher Keltner about the science of awe and why it might be one of the most important emotions we have. They explore how awe quiets the ego, shifts our attention away from ourselves, and reconnects us to other people, nature, and larger patterns of meaning. Along the way, they discuss why music, moral courage, and even grief can trigger awe, how modern life may be starving us of it, and what it reveals about the limits of reason, the power of the body, and the deeper ways we make sense of being human.
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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)
Guest: Dacher Keltner
00:00 Intro
02:39 Awe vs fear
08:14 Awe and human achievement
12:23 How awe quiets the self
20:17 How awe reconnects us to the world
29:29 Awe and moral beauty
37:56 Awe in unexpected places
We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.
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