Shane Smith Has Questions

The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and energy expert Amos Hochstein is calling this the single greatest energy crisis in global history bigger than the 1973 OPEC embargo. With roughly 10 million barrels of oil per day missing from global markets, prices have surged from $60 to nearly $100 a barrel, gas is climbing toward $4 a gallon, and major producers like Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar have already slashed production. According to Hochstein, if the Strait remains closed for just 10 more days, the economic damage could become permanent and very difficult to reverse. The ripple effects are already being felt everywhere food prices, shipping, airline tickets, and everyday goods are all taking a hit. Meanwhile, Republican senators are privately warning the White House that if this continues, they risk losing both the House and the Senate. Hochstein breaks down the best case, worst case, and most likely scenario for how this war ends and what it means for everyday Americans already feeling the squeeze at the pump and the grocery store. The conversation also goes beyond oil, connecting the dots between energy, AI, and the new geopolitical battleground. The real competition isn't just over oil fields and shipping lanes anymore it's over data centers, chips, and who controls the future of artificial intelligence. With China closing the gap fast, the stakes for America's global dominance have never been higher. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with Senator Bernie Sanders for a conversation that cuts straight to the heart of America's biggest crisis artificial intelligence. Bernie warns that a handful of the world's wealthiest men are quietly engineering the most consequential revolution in human history, one that could wipe out millions of jobs overnight and leave ordinary Americans with nothing but unanswered questions. Driverless trucks, automated warehouses, AI lawyers and accountants the future is arriving fast, and Congress isn't even having the conversation. Bernie then unloads on the billionaire class fueling this transformation exposing how wealth and power have never been more dangerously concentrated, how money has corrupted American democracy from Citizens United to Elon Musk's $290 million in campaign spending, and why a federal wealth tax may be the last line of defense for working people. This is Bernie Sanders unfiltered and he's sounding the alarm. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith travels to Venezuela for a special episode of Shane Smith Has Questions, on the ground for the first meeting between U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez — the Trump administration’s first official visit since the regime change.Reporting from Caracas, Shane gets rare access as U.S. officials engage Venezuela’s new leadership and begin shaping what comes next for the country — and its vast oil reserves.He also sits down with Venezuelan journalist María de los Ángeles Graterol and Wall Street Journal South America Bureau Chief Juan Manuel Ferero to unpack the power shift, the stakes for Washington, and whether Venezuela is entering a new chapter — or a new uncertainty. A firsthand look at a country at a turning point. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at https://www.shopify.com/shane Subscribe to VICE News here: ⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane sits down with Andrew Yang, entrepreneur, Forward Party founder, and former presidential and mayoral candidate for a wide-open conversation about what happens to America when AI collides with a political system stuck in the 1800s. They start with why anyone even runs for office in the age of opposition-research-as-bloodsport, then rewind to Yang’s 2020 run, when he was dismissed as the “magical Asian man from the future” warning truckers in Iowa that automation and AI would wipe out their jobs. Now that ChatGPT and self-driving tech are here, Shane presses Yang on UBI 2.0, why his original $1,000 “Freedom Dividend” is probably too low, and what a truly human centered economy would look like, one where people are rewarded not just in dollars, but through new forms of value for art, care, health, and community. By the end, Shane issues a call to podcasters and young voters to use their outsized cultural power to help build whatever comes after the two-party era, while Yang predicts that America will elect an independent president in his lifetime. Get 50% off your first box plus free breakfast for 1 year at https://www.factormeals.com/SHANE50OFF and use code SHANE50OFF Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harvard Law’s Lawrence Lessig, founder of Creative Commons and Equal Citizens, joins Shane for look at how money captured American politics and what it will take to break its grip. Lessig explains why the real super PAC problem wasn’t created by Citizens United but by a lower-court ruling, and why a new Maine initiative could become the test case that finally reins in unlimited outside spending, potentially nationwide by 2028. They dig into the Supreme Court’s expanding power, how crypto and AI money are rewriting policy in real time, and whether “lawfare” is a buzzword or a genuine threat. Along the way: wage theft vs. our TV-obsession with robberies, why institutions keep settling with extortionists, and what reform has the best odds. In the lightning round, Lessig names dark money as democracy’s bigger danger over disinformation. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane sits down with Maverick Carter, CEO of SpringHill Company, business partner to LeBron James, and one of the most influential figures in modern sports and entertainment, for an unfiltered, masterclass conversation about capitalism, culture, and coming up from nothing. Maverick opens up about his roots in Akron, Ohio, where his grandmother ran an underground after-hours club that doubled as a community hub and a crash course in entrepreneurship. He explains how sweeping floors and watching dice games taught him the rules of capitalism long before business school ever could. From there, the discussion dives into his early days at Nike, the founding of SpringHill, and his lifelong friendship with LeBron, including the now-legendary story of how a teenage LeBron turned down a $10 million check from Reebok to bet on himself and ultimately sign with Nike. Along the way, Shane and Maverick riff on the psychology of money, what it really means to “earn your name,” and how winning — in sports, business, or life — is about raising all ships. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with Aaron Parnas, the 26-year-old lawyer, journalist, and viral political commentator who’s redefining how Americans get their news. Together, they unpack the collapse of public trust in mainstream media, the rise of social platforms as new journalism hubs, and how Gen Z’s relationship to truth and power differs from every generation before. Parnas opens up about growing up amid political scandal, as the son of Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, and how personal trauma forged his drive to bring clarity and speed to today’s chaotic information ecosystem. He explains how he built a platform reaching more than 80 million Americans on TikTok by reporting in real time using court filings, direct government sources, and social feeds instead of corporate newsrooms. Shane and Aaron compare notes on their own careers in war zones and misinformation battlegrounds, exploring how “social media has democratized journalism” but also created echo chambers, rage cycles, and conspiratorial feedback loops. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/SHANE. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Subscribe to VICE News here: ⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with Hollywood titan Barry Diller, the media mogul behind Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, QVC, Expedia, and IAC, for a sweeping journey through one of the most remarkable careers in modern entertainment. From his mailroom days at William Morris to creating the “Movie of the Week” at ABC, Diller recounts how failure, luck, and relentless curiosity shaped his path to becoming one of the most powerful figures in media. He opens up about his nervous breakdown at 19, the creative chaos of running Paramount during Grease, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Beverly Hills Cop, and how he embraced technology early, spotting the potential of interactivity decades before the internet boom. Shane and Barry dive into the lost art of creative confrontation, the decline of instinct in Hollywood, and the tectonic shift from storytelling to data-driven content. Diller also shares deeply personal reflections on his relationship with Diane von Furstenberg, his sexuality, and how a lifetime of contradictions, the shy kid who became a global powerbroker, has defined him. Along the way, there are stories of Beverly Hills scandals, the Munich Olympics tragedy, near misses with Amazon stock worth billions, and why Barry still believes his greatest bet was always on curiosity itself. Book your doctor's appointment at https://www.zocdoc.com/shane  Get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year at https://www.factormeals.com/SHANE50OFF and use code SHANE50OFF Subscribe to VICE News here: ⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with Sam Harris, philosopher, neuroscientist, and bestselling author for a deep conversation about artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the fragile future of humanity. They begin with Sam’s early life and unlikely path, from studying English at Stanford to dropping out after a transformative MDMA experience that led him to India and Nepal, where he meditated and even served briefly on the Dalai Lama’s security detail. What follows is a wide-ranging exploration of how psychedelics, meditation, and neuroscience all shape our understanding of the mind and what happens when machines start thinking faster than we ever could. From the quantum weirdness of parallel universes to the moral peril of unaligned AI, Sam warns that humanity isn’t in an arms race with China or Google—but with its own ignorance. The two dive into the ethics of wealth and power, the danger of tech billionaires acting like Bond villains, and how meditation might be the only antidote to an accelerating world we no longer understand. Funny, philosophical, and fearlessly honest, this episode tackles everything from Elon Musk and Bill Gates to psychedelics and the illusion of the self, weaving science and spirituality into a single, provocative conversation about where we go next. Subscribe to VICE News here: ⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with veteran journalist Chuck Todd, former Meet the Press moderator and current host of Sunday Night with Chuck Todd, in a deep dive on the state of American politics and media today. Chuck opens up about his decision to leave legacy media behind and reinvent political journalism for the long-form podcast era, why Meet the Press became “an aircraft carrier that couldn’t turn,” and how he rediscovered his voice in independent media. Together, he and Shane dissect how the Democrats misread Obama’s 2012 victory, how identity politics replaced class politics, and why Gen X got “screwed” out of ever having a president of its own. The two discuss the decline of institutional trust, the collapse of local journalism, and the growing “cold civil war” fueled by redistricting and algorithmic polarization. Todd argues that saving democracy begins at the local level by rebuilding trust through community storytelling, youth sports, and bottom-up journalism, while Shane connects the dots between sports, politics, and America’s addiction to tribalism. The conversation moves seamlessly from Obama and Trump to Reagan and Ross Perot, from Moneyball politics to AOC’s rise, from Walter Cronkite’s myth to TikTok reality. Along the way, Chuck delivers one-liners worthy of a newsroom veteran (“A man named Craig made classifieds free, and yada yada yada, Trump became president”), while Shane pushes him into bold territory on civil war, secession, and whether democracy itself can survive the age of social media. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Galloway and Shane Smith dive into the growing tension in today’s society, exploring how economic instability, digital culture, and political unrest are shaping people’s frustrations and anger. They analyze the rise of digital platforms, the deepening wealth divide, and the decline of traditional work structures, which have fueled a wave of anxiety and frustration. Galloway breaks down how capitalism’s evolution and the collapse of old economic systems are leaving many feeling powerless and left behind. The conversation delves into the cultural forces that amplify anger, and how these shifts are not only affecting individuals but also reshaping businesses and politics in ways that could have long-lasting consequences. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Psychedelics are reshaping medicine and culture. Ayahuasca ceremonies, ibogaine treatments, and ketamine clinics promise breakthroughs but raise hard questions about safety, tradition, and control. Hamilton Morris joins Shane Smith to unpack the science, myths, and politics behind today’s psychedelic movement. He breaks down the promises of ibogaine clinics, the rise of ketamine in psychiatry, and the battles over MDMA research, showing how curiosity and controversy continue to shape the future of psychedelics. The conversation highlights how political and economic forces influence the direction of psychedelic research. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Drone warfare is changing the battlefield fast. Cheap swarms can overwhelm defenses, strike deep, and create new security threats—from war zones to stadiums. Add cyber attacks and grid probes, and the gray zone keeps expanding with no clear rules or deterrents. Global power dynamics are shifting. Trump’s tough talk on Xi, Putin, and Kim clashes with stalled diplomacy and a rising China filling global gaps. With India tensions growing and Europe carrying more of Ukraine, globalization looks more fractured than ever. The tech race is also splitting. The U.S. leads in AI—for now—but China is sprinting ahead in clean energy. Climate risks are real, but so is the chance to build a cheaper, cleaner future—if politics doesn't block the way. Book your doctor's appointment at https://www.zocdoc.com/shane  Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johnny Knoxville sits down with Shane Smith to discuss the physical and emotional costs of his career. He reflects on the chaotic start of Jackass, the pressures of sudden fame, and serious injuries like concussions and an eye fracture that nearly ended his life. The conversation covers his collaborations with Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine, the shift from MTV to feature films, and the political backlash that ultimately forced the show off the air. Knoxville speaks openly about his mental health struggles after repeated head trauma and how he found stability through therapy. Beyond the stunts, Knoxville highlights projects he’s proud of, including The Ringer, his outlaw country radio show, and documentaries like The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. This honest talk reveals a rarely seen side of Knoxville—the man behind the daredevil persona who lived through the consequences. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane sits down with investigative filmmaker and UFO researcher Jeremy Corbell to explore the most controversial and captivating subject of our time: Are we alone in the universe? Corbell—known for his viral military UFO releases and his documentaries like Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers—walks Shane through some of the most compelling cases of unexplained aerial phenomena ever captured. From the infamous “Mosul Orb” to Navy encounters with pyramid-shaped craft, Corbell shares vetted military footage, insider accounts, and the ongoing fight to force government transparency. The two dig into the shift from “UFO” to UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena), testimony before Congress about crash retrieval programs and “biologics,” and the broader philosophical stakes if non-human intelligence is confirmed. Along the way, they debate proof, secrecy, and what disclosure could mean for humanity. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane sits down with psychiatrist and bestselling author Phil Stutz to unpack the failures of modern psychiatry and why traditional methods often fall short. They explore how Stutz developed The Tools after realizing most therapy wasn’t helping patients, and why action—not endless analysis—is the real path to change. Stutz shares how experiences with anxiety, depression, and the fight against “Part X” informed his groundbreaking methods. They discuss gratitude as a weapon against despair, the power of human connection in healing, and why facing mortality head-on can spark creativity and meaning. Visit RocketRX now for 30% off your first order - https://www.rebrand.ly/ada758 Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane sits down with Liquid Death Founder/CEO Mike Cessario to talk branding, politics, and the power of provocation. They dive into how Liquid Death turned Internet hate into a billion-dollar water brand, why execution matters more than ideas, and how cultural tension fuels marketing breakthroughs. Cessario draws parallels between brand-building and political strategy, analyzing figures like Gavin Newsom, AOC, Trump, and Bernie Sanders through a marketer’s lens. They explore the dangers of brands playing it too safe, the role of advertisers as modern-day censors, and the shifting landscape of media in the age of AI, social virality, and meme culture. Packed with war stories, from Brandy ventures to high-stakes Super Bowl ads, this episode is a masterclass in disruptive marketing, joined with part cultural commentary and banter between two media-savvy provocateurs. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane and nuclear-physics prodigy Taylor Wilson on the past, present, and future of atomic science, how Cold-War close calls, and today’s aging launch warning systems, make accidental nuclear war scarier than a deliberate attack, why Russia’s hypersonic torpedoes and cheap Ukrainian drones both reveal the same uneasy truth: deterrence math is being rewritten in real time. They dive into Wilson’s quest for radiation-proof bacteria, his optimism about compact fusion reactors and geothermal grids that could outcompete fossil fuels, and the data-driven breakthroughs quantum computing may unlock in medicine and materials. They dismantle moon-landing conspiracies with hard evidence, reveal natural fission reactors buried in Gabon two billion years ago, track the search for dark matter and alien microbes on Europa and Mars, and argue that the 21st-century energy race could end in abundance—if humanity can keep its trigger finger off aging warheads long enough for science to deliver. Get your fix with Zippix Toothpicks! Save 10% by using code Shane at http://www.ZippixToothpicks.com today. Must be 21+Instantly book a top-rated doctor today at https://www.zocdoc.com/shane  Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane Smith sits down with Julian Kelly, Senior Director of Hardware at Google  Quantum AI and architect of the groundbreaking Willow chip, to map out the next frontier of computing. Kelly explains how Google’s 100 plus qubit processors now complete benchmark tasks in minutes that would outlive the universe on today’s fastest supercomputers, why error corrected “logical” qubits are the last hurdle to practical machines, and which real world problems will fall first once quantum power comes online. Along the way they tackle encryption panic, AI synergy, the global quantum race, and the mind bending philosophy behind many worlds. Conversation Highlights: Willow & “beyond classical” benchmarks: 10²⁵year speedup over conventional supercomputers Roadmap milestones → quantum supremacy → scalable error correction →“Milestone 3” logical qubit Drug discovery, battery chemistry, fertilizer synthesis, fusion research & other early killer apps Post-quantum cryptography and the myth vs. reality of “QDay” data breach fears Cooling to 10 milliKelvin, chip design shifts from DWave annealers to gate based processors How AI can train on quantum generated data—and how quantum can turbocharge AI research Global landscape: Google’s lead, government labs, and the rise of private startups Philosophical detours: superposition, entanglement, many worlds interpretations Five-year horizon for the first commercially useful quantum workload Kelly’s personal journey—from UCSB lab tinkerer to Google’s quantum hardware chief Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shane  Smith sits down with Channel 5 and All Gas No Brakes founder Andrew Callaghan. They discuss Andrew’s hitchhiking origins, his first full-length interview with Hunter Biden and they unpack the rise and fall of All Gas No Brakes, the birth of Channel 5’s “global newsroom,” and why a single bad real-estate deal turned a Louisiana lawyer into the Q-pilled protagonist of Callaghan’s documentary This Place Rules. Smith and Callaghan swap war stories about embedding with warlords, avoiding stomach parasites, and learning to read a room when everyone is armed. They riff on Hunter Thompson, Louis Theroux, depersonalization, and the perils of becoming “industry approved.” The conversation veers from South African politics and resource curses to the revelation that Democratic Party powerbrokers pressured President Biden to bow out of 2024—straight from Hunter Biden, according to Callaghan. Part origin story, part media-critique, part travelogue, the episode is a masterclass in modern gonzo journalism and a candid look at what relentless public scrutiny does to artists and politicians alike. Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out VICE News for more: ⁠⁠⁠⁠http://vicenews.com⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices