Rick Rosner shares his experience catching COVID after successfully avoiding it for over five years. Symptoms were mild, mainly a sore throat, possibly due to recent vaccination. He discusses Paxlovid’s benefits and side effects, precautions he’s taking, including reduced exercise intensity, and his hope for minimal long-term effects on cognition.
Rick Rosner talks about James Comey's cryptic "86 47" tweet sparked backlash, with critics accusing him of inciting violence against Trump. Experts argue the phrase more likely implies political rejection. The controversy echoes past misjudgments by Comey and others, as media attention shifts from substantive issues like Republican tax proposals.
In this candid exchange, Rick Rosner reveals his family's Baltic Jewish heritage—roots in Riga, Latvia, and Eastern Europe—while contrasting modern Vilnius life with ancestral shtetl hardships. He recounts ancestor traumas—a great-grandmother's fire escape fall and a great-grandfather's fireworks accident—embodying resilience, timeless immigrant narratives, and legacies across generations. Timeless heritage resonates.
Amid MAGA factions’ debate over Jeffrey Epstein evidence suppression, Rick Rosner considers the conflicting loyalties emerge around Trump’s past ties, Pam Bondi’s role, and commentary from figures like Dan Bongino and Kash Patel. Analysis of under‑18 trafficking as leverage, contrasting power‑based abuse by Trump and Clinton, underscores ongoing blackmail dynamics and public moral dissonance.
Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen discuss Linda Yaccarino’s resignation as CEO of X (formerly Twitter), linking it to Grok AI’s factual but politically inconvenient responses. Rosner highlights the clash between truth-based AI outputs and Elon Musk’s ideological control, underscoring a broader tension between free speech, facts, and belief systems.
Rick Rosner compares Newton, Einstein, and Feynman across intelligence and historical impact. He credits Newton with foundational science and coin reforms, Einstein with revolutionizing physics through relativity and quantum insights, and Feynman with quantum electrodynamics and practical brilliance. Einstein ranks highest for theoretical contributions; Newton for world-changing longevity and influence.
Rick Rosner names Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney as the most creative individuals he has worked with. He praises Kimmel’s comedic ingenuity and long-term success, as well as McNearney’s exceptional writing and production skills. Rosner reflects on how true creativity involves not just ideas, but the ability to realize them.
Rick Rosner shares his thoughts on James Gunn’s reboot of Superman, praising Gunn’s emotional storytelling and comic book knowledge. He critiques MAGA backlash over immigrant themes, notes the film's strong reviews, and discusses the inclusion of a kaiju. Rosner highlights Superman’s rich history and Gunn’s nods to longtime fans.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen and Rick Rosner explore the structural strengths and deep flaws of human beings. They highlight our endurance, cognitive flexibility, and evolutionary advantages, while exposing vulnerabilities like death, cognitive biases, adrenal overload, and small-data thinking. These mismatches between ancient biology and modern life explain many of humanity's systemic struggles.
Rick Rosner discusses the dehumanization behind mass deportation rhetoric and how evolutionary mismatches in language and cognition allow misinformation to thrive. He explains how humans are wired for face-to-face, consequence-driven communication—conditions now absent in modern media—leading to widespread belief in harmful simplifications without social penalties, enabling soft-core fascist ideologies.
Rick Rosner 