Smart Girl Dumb Questions

David McCraw has gone to battle with Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Palin, Justin Baldoni and Presidents from Bush and Obama to Biden and Trump. Today, Nayeema asks the lead newsroom lawyer for the New York Times what he’s learned fighting powerful people … what’s normal (or not) when it comes to tension between the government and a free press … and why the recent appearance of federal agents with subpoenas at the homes of New York Times journalists should shock the conscience of every American.

Nayeema gets David to give grades to each President (um, does anyone get an A on press freedom?). They talk about The New York Times’ unique role in protecting the first amendment (is David basically Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard?). Plus: the Nerdy Legal 101 you didn’t know you needed.

**ps: even if you hate the news these days, this episode is worth listening to. It will make you smarter.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR LAWYER.
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Nayeema’s learning all about NASCAR today with rising star Carson Hocevar, who’s constantly compared to the legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.

So: what’s the difference between NASCAR and F1? What’s Hocevar’s risk-reward analysis on aggression? Does he have a safe word with the dude who’s in his ear? And when you go 200 mph most days, what’s it like to be stuck in traffic with the rest of us? Most of all: what is “Hurricane Hocevar” afraid of?

Plus: we dive into Carson’s (one-sided?) feud with Zane Smith and break some news about his relationship with one of the leading TikTokers of our time.

Send us your "dumb questions" on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. Make sure you're following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR DAD, and anyone who thinks NASCAR is "just left turns."

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR UBER DRIVER.
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And does it even need to be fixed? In this episode Nayeema tries to understand whether demographic collapse is a crisis or a con job. She sits down with Malcolm and Simone Collins, a New Right pronatalist couple with ties to the Heritage Foundation and Elon Musk and policy drafts being submitted for White House consideration. They have 5 kids, 30 embryos on ice and aspirations to keep going til Simone’s uterus “falls out”.

On the agenda: why aren’t people having kids (is it a modern marriage crisis, does picking embryos based on IQ make you a eugenicist, and in a movement that intersects with racist overtones are the Collins interested in drawing a line in the sand or in co-opting controversy in their aspirations of fame? Also: how does one afford five to twelve kids anyway?

Whether you think they're visionaries or completely off the rails, this is one conversation you won't forget.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR PREGNANT FRIEND.
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Nayeema and cult expert Amanda Montell unpack why cults are everywhere now, why we’re obsessed with them and what all of that has to do with modern loneliness and capitalism. Montell — the bestselling author of Cultish and host of the podcast Sounds Like A Cult breaks down the innocuous language that will suck you in and how to help someone you love get OUT.

Oh, and naturally they try to build a cult around Smart Girl Dumb Questions. We’re not above that.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ.

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM and YOUR CULT LEADER.
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Nayeema sits down with evolutionary biologist Dr. Justin Garcia, Director of the world-famous Kinsey Institute, to unpack the science of love, sex and attraction. Why are there more single peoplethan ever? Are we still having sex? Why do breakups … feel like withdrawal? And what do pandas, penguins and pigs have to teach us about modern relationships?

Also on the agenda: is kissing is “normal,” short kings and what makes someone a great long-term partner. For more from Justin check out his awesome book, The Intimate Animal.

Send us your “dumb questions” on IG/TikTok @smartgirldumbquestions or by calling 1-855-MyDumbQ. 

Make sure you’re following Nayeema and the show on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.  And obvi: SHARE THE SHOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR MOM AND THE EX YOU KEEP GOING BACK TO. 
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