Wars on Every Front
This week: Iran, criminal justice, and the battles we fight with one other.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Podcast
A war correspondent on the crisis in Iran.
As the war with Iran enters its second week, two big questions loom: How did we get here? And how will it end? Scott Anderson is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Sudan, and El Salvador. He’s also the author of King of Kings, a riveting account of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Scott helps us unpack the long, complicated history between the U.S. and Iran — countries that were once close allies — and looks ahead at what may come next. “In the Middle East,” he says, “things can always get worse.”
Listen to our conversation on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch it on YouTube.
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Book Bite of the Week
Can economics help us fight crime?
We tend to assume that harsher punishments are the best way to fight crime. But what if the real key to safer communities is better incentives — like text-message court reminders, DNA databases, and mental health interventions at just the right moment? Jennifer Doleac brings the tools of economics to criminal justice in her new book The Science of Second Chances: A Revolution in Criminal Justice, showing how small, evidence-based changes can reduce reoffending and break the incarceration cycle. Check out the summary on the Next Big Idea app, or pick up a copy of the book on Amazon.
This Week on the Next Big Idea Daily Podcast
The science of oversharing: why revealing more builds trust.
We worry constantly about saying too much. But Leslie John says the bigger problem in our lives isn’t oversharing — it’s undersharing. When we default to silence instead of thoughtful honesty, we miss opportunities for connection, trust, and influence. Leslie is a professor at Harvard Business School who studies the psychology of disclosure, privacy, and decision-making. Hear her big ideas on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
This edition of Book of the Day is sponsored by Granola. Get three months free at granola.ai/idea.
🎉 Happy Publication Week! 🎉
The following Next Big Idea Club Must-Read authors got to celebrate the publication of their books this week--congratulations to them all! 📖 Join us in reading and discussing these exciting new releases:
Nir Eyal & Julie Li, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough Results
Samantha King & Gavin Weedon, Protein: The Making of a Nutritional Superstar
Erin McGoff, The Secret Language of Work: Hyper-Helpful Scripts for Every Situation
Leanne ten Brinke, Poisonous People: How to Resist Them and Improve Your Life