It's Been a Minute

Across the country, Evangelicals are facing a moral dilemma -- is supporting government actions in line with their religious beliefs?

The answer shows a rift in Evangelical communities, as government officials like Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth use scripture to justify war and deportation.

To parse through these questions of God and country, Brittany is joined by NPR Religion correspondent Jason DeRose, and Reverend Dr. Gabriel Salguero, president and founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and pastor of the Gathering Place in Orlando, Florida.

(00:00) The Evangelical Dilemma: do the Trump Administration's actions line up with the Bible?
(06:29) How the Trump Administration uses the Bible for political messaging. Is it Christian, though?
(15:29) What is the line between church and state? And who decides?
(20:06) The Evangelical belief that American Christians are under siege

For more on belief and politics, check out these episodes:
The not-so-secret lives of Mormon women
Is Christianity cool again?

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When you can bet on anything, everything changes. 

Unlike sports betting, prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi give users the freedom to bet on anything that comes to mind. Will Lady Gaga sing at the Super Bowl? What words will Trump say in his next speech? Or worse… the assassination of a world leader.

Those bets - which are illegal - is what has prediction markets in hot water and lawmakers hustling to put guardrails on the industry. It’s also what today’s guest predicted in our 2026 predictions episode at the top of the year. 

NPR’s Bobby Allyn returns to the show to unpack the wild west of prediction markets and what the unfettered access to this market could do to us as a culture.

Want more? Check out these IBAM episodes:
2026 Predictions: Beyoncé retires, AI busts, Democrats lift weights
Get rich or die trying: how sports betting is changing our love of the game

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What makes someone a star nowadays? And why does every generation of humans crave to celebrate them?

For decades, Hollywood has promoted a carefully curated ideal of aspirational talent, beauty, and intrigue. But in 2026, it feels like that power is in the hands of the one thing that alleges to know us best: the algorithm. Now computer programs hold more power in shaping who is famous and what we all are fed as aspirational ideals: from who is a star to what our bodies should look like. Enter the algorithm body.

In this episode, host Brittany Luse is joined by Christiana Mbakwe Medina, screenwriter and host of the Pop Syllabus podcast. They get into the evolving nature of fame and why Christina thinks the thin body ideal is out and the sculpted body ideal is in.

Want more about tech, beauty, and cultural cache? Check out these IBAM episodes:
The morbid lifelessness of modern beauty
Peptides & the pursuit of the "perfect" body

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Is AI in the workplace lightening your load...or frying your brain?

Researchers at Boston Consulting Group and the University of California, Riverside coined the term "AI brain fry" to describe “mental fatigue that results from excessive use of, interaction with, and/or oversight of AI tools beyond one's cognitive capacity.” In other words, doing too much with A.I.
There's something kind of comically tragic about the idea that these tools that were meant to lighten our loads seem to be doing the opposite for some. But beyond the psychic damage, there's a lot in this brain fry idea that points to how we work with AI: for example, with all the managing it needs, is turning us all into bosses? And is this really the future of work?

Brittany is joined by John Herrman, tech columnist for New York Magazine, to get into the ins and outs of AI brain fry.

(00:00) Who gets "AI brain fry"
(05:34) The strange incentives behind more AI-powered output
(09:30) Is working with AI simulating management?
(12:42) How AI chat tools challenge workplace boundaries
(16:18) The anxious future of work with AI

For more episodes about AI and modern life, check out:
Me and my partner don't see eye-to-eye about AI. Now what?
The hard work of having "good taste"
You're not broken - the job market is.

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With everything going on in the world, it makes sense that some of us want to check out. But at what cost?

In this episode, host Brittany Luse is dissecting our current obsession with numbing ourselves to the moment and tuning out. This so-called “numb girl” attitude and aesthetic is defined by detachment, irony, and a world weary cynicism. Think the "Gen Z pout," "expressionless Botox chic,” a deadpan voice, or selfies with a vacant gaze. Of course, It appears effortless and nonchalant, but it’s highly curated and self-aware — it’s the perfect mask for avoiding humiliation in a world that is always there to judge you. But is avoiding the pain of the world good for us?

Brittany is joined by writer Rayne Fisher-Quann aka Internet Princess and freelance cultural critic Sophie Lou Wilson to get into why all the cool girls are dissociating and what we lose when we numb ourselves to the world around us.

(0:00) News fatigue, detachment, & irony are cooler than ever
(5:02) Gucci runways to political nihilism: numbness went mainstream
(10:15) Lobotomy Chic: an ironic joke turned beauty trend
(14:57) The privilege of dissociating. Who can afford to disconnect?
(18:08) Is numbness a form of feminist resistance?
(20:15) How to un-numb and reconnect with humanity

This episode contains mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9 8 8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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