And, This Is Bestselling Author Michael Lewis On Elon Musk, DOGE and His Newest Book “Blockers”

Bestselling author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short, The Blind Side) joins the show to talk about his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, and what he found reporting on the Trump administration's war against federal civil servants.Lewis often writes about overlooked people inside massive, misunderstood systems, from Wall Street to baseball to government scientists.  In his newest work, he explains how Elon Musk's DOGE actually operated inside agencies like the IRS and NIH, why career civil servants became targets, and what happens when the trust in our government finally collapses. Lewis's new book Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State is out now. 00:00 Opening00:25 Talking To Bannon, Kirk And Understanding Your Enemies7:24 Which Of Michael Lewis’s Subjects Was Most Pissed At Him10:35 How Michael Lewis Decides On His Subjects 18:07 Who Can Tell The Story of Trump’s Second Term  24:42 The Big Question Lewis Asked Himself Before Writing Blockers30:03 Elon Musk, DOGE &  The Origin Of The Term “Blockers” 36:23 What The Hell is The US Institute of Peace?43:22 Government Is Moneyball All Over The Place47:45 How Trump Tries To Weaponize Data Against Undocumented Workers54:33 Better Information Leads To Societal Progress 1:00:06 The Immigrant Who Changed How We Fight Fires vs. The Trump Chaos Machine1:17:46 Trump vs. The NIH: Who Killed The Scientist Curing Our Diseases? 1:25:09 How People Really Deal With RFK Jr. 1:29:31 The Backdoor That DOGE Used to Fire Millions1:34: 36 Trump is A Trust Destroying Machine & Where Trump Goes Next1:38:16 How Permanent Is Trump’s Harm To Government? 1:45:58 How Reagan Ruined America’s Covid Response & Helped Trump Weaponize Grievance 1:51:15 A Sign Of Hope From A Former DOGE Employee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.