Journalist who writes for Wired, Slate, the New York Times and other publications; author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
Tom Vanderbilt on KCRW
More from KCRW
Richard Silverstein: Israel, ‘The far right extremist state that I can no longer identify with’
PoliticsIsrael and its lobby today try to conflate the state with Jews around the world, that it speaks for Jews and encompasses the entire diaspora.
Everything your kids won’t learn in school about our democracy: Can parents fill the void?
Child developmentAt a time of book bans and the withholding of critically important struggles in our history, our education system has increasingly failed to provide our young with the tools to become…
Michael Tracey: Why working class Americans of all races voted for Trump
PoliticsReporting on the election often involves being glued to computer screens dictating the polling numbers around the country and using statistics revolving around race and gender to make…
Will Trump-Harris debate change voters’ minds?
PoliticsDid voters learn anything new from the Trump-Harris debate? Are live fact checks useful or fair? Plus, disinformation muddies the discourse on immigration.
Juan Cole: Where is the Middle East Heading?
PoliticsIn the 365 days following the events of Oct. 7, the situation in the Middle East is as complicated as ever.
OC candidate claims to speak fluent Viet, his opponent wants answers
PoliticsDerek Tran, a Vietnamese American running for California's 45th District, says he’s the only candidate who speaks fluent Vietnamese.
Can Israel decide who qualifies as Jewish?
PoliticsThe genocide in Gaza has brought the issue of Israel — and what it represents for Jewish people — into the forefront of Jewish communities worldwide.
The CIA: The world’s first secret empire
PoliticsThe CIA’s destructive role in world politics since the end of World War II as a secret rogue spy agency controlled by unelected intelligence officers has become so ubiquitous that it…
These 10 companies run our ‘democracy’
Business & EconomyAmidst the hype, excitement and nervousness of the election, the bigger picture of what the United States is and how it operates often gets lost on people.