What your Congressman is listening to

By Rep. Adam Gray 

What kind of city elects a mayor named Piglet? Are the best-educated people in America wasting their time? Where can you find some of our state’s best foods, wines, beers and most scenic roads?

The research required to do my job in Congress is, well, intense. But there are down moments – sitting in airplanes, in cars or during increasingly infrequent workouts – when I can dedicate my ears to something different and interesting.

The beauty of podcasts is that they can provide a break from the most pressing matters of the day and keep you informed or entertained at the same time.

Not to sound like a pod-snob, but a lot of folks have asked what podcasts I listen to when I have the opportunity. So, here are some pods I’ve been listening to recently.

1, The Ezra Klein Show. 
I got interested in this New York Times podcast after reading the book “Abundance,” which Klein co-authored.  It is a clear-eyed look at how, despite the best intentions, California got a lot of stuff wrong and, more importantly, how to address it.

In his podcast, Klein invites in guests to take on a host of topics – from AI to rethinking “the purpose” of education to the actual impacts of tariffs on the US economy.

2, Cement City. 
This podcast is hosted by Jon Meacham, one of our nation’s pre-eminent historians. Speaking of Meacham, he’s featured on a bunch of podcasts, including some that are extremely entertaining such as Jon Stewart’s Weekly Show. Stewart interviewed Meacham back in January, and they talked about putting the news of the into an historical perspective — including how “a flawed 33-year-old white guy” created the foundational document of our nation, “then 30 seconds later fell short” in living up to its ideals.

Meacham called Stewart the baby of a union between Edward R. Murrow and Johnny Carson. Maybe.

3, The Prof G Pod.
One guy making a lot of sense right now is Scott “Professor G” Galloway, who admits to being a mediocre college student, a pretty good entrepreneur, a best-selling author and now a college professor. I can relate to several of these personas.

Galloway is asking some really important questions for our nation. The answers he gets will make people on both sides of the political divide unhappy or uncomfortable – again, something I can relate to.

For me, podcasts can’t replace reading. But they can help provide good information, perspective or a laugh when sitting down with a book, magazine or newspaper is impossible.

If you’ve been listening to a podcast others should hear, send along your suggestions to editor Mike Dunbar ([email protected]). He’ll find a way to share.

Adam Gray represents California’s 13th Congressional District covering all of Merced County and parts of Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Madera and Fresno counties.