Podcast roundup: The best this week, from CYBER to The Last Laugh and The Ezra Klein Show

Podcasts have seen a rapid upsurge in popularity in recent years. From true crime to design, popular culture and modern relationships, fiction to in-depth reportage, podcasts have proliferated to the point where no matter how esoteric the subject, there’s bound to be a show that deals with it. Amid this cornucopia of audio delights, however, how do you pick the podcast that’s most worth your while? This is where our weekly curated playlist steps in; it’s a lowdown on the best episodes from a selection of podcasts that deserve a listen. Ready to tune in? *** — CYBER Edward Snowden on Julian Assange, the Mueller Report, and Press Freedom About the podcast: Hacking. Hackers. Disinformation campaigns. Encryption. The Cyber. Host Ben Makuch talks every week to Motherboard reporters Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai and Joseph Cox about the stories they are breaking and to the industry’s most famous hackers and researchers about the biggest news in cybersecurity. About the episode: In this week’s podcast, Makuch sits down with Edward Snowden to talk about his life in Russia, WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and press freedom in the United States and beyond. This one’s got everything. Runtime: 61 minutes Listen to the episode here.

—  The Ezra Klein Show Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle About the podcast: Vox’s founder and editor-at-large,  Ezra Klein, presents far-reaching conversations about hard problems, big ideas, illuminating theories, and cutting-edge research. About the episode: In light of two recent essays on the world’s changing relationship to work — Anne Helen Petersen’s  BuzzFeed piece defining and describing, “millennial burnout”, and Derek Thompson’s Atlantic article on “workism” — Klein sits down with Petersen and Thompson for a conversation about what happens when work becomes an identity, capitalism becomes a religion, and productivity becomes the way we measure human value. No prizes for guessing which country Petersen says resembles closest to what she describes in her piece (outside the United States). Runtime: 82 minutes Listen to the episode here.

— The Last Laugh: A Daily Beast Podcast Jon Lovett Gets Frustrated About the podcast: Every week, The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein interviews some of the biggest names in comedy — as well as the new voices crashing the party — about what it’s like to be a comedian in this current cultural and political moment. About the episode: Former Obama speechwriter and host of Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It, Jon Lovett talks about the first comedy-free White House Correspondents’ Dinner since 2003. He also shares his thoughts on Donald Trump’s Saturday Night Live obsession, allegations against Al Franken and Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic field, what it’s like to write jokes for the president of the United States, and a lot more. Runtime: 68 minutes Listen to the episode here.

—  Bon Appétit Foodcast Episode 214: Notes From a Young Black Chef

 About the podcast: Featuring interviews with chefs, writers, editors and anyone who has something cool to say about food, the Bon Appétit Foodcast covers it all.

About the episode: Kwame Onwuachi, chef of Kith and Kin in Washington DC and author of the recently-published memoir Notes From a Young Black Chef, talks to Adam Rapoport, editor-in-chief of Bon Appétit, about his life story — from a difficult upbringing to becoming a chef. Runtime: 44 minutes Listen to the episode here.

—  Hannibal Buress: Handsome Rambler Open Mike Eagle and Video Dave About the podcast: Hosted by  Hannibal Buress along with DJ  Tony Trimm, Handsome Rambler is “unfiltered observations on sports, sex, wrestling, relationships, philosophy, books, watches, other podcasts, bottled water reviews…” Recorded on the road, Buress is often joined by friends. About the episode: Open Mike Eagle and Video Dave join the podcast in Chicago to ramble about everything from rap to the 90s to airports and sleep masks. Runtime: 68 minutes Listen to the episode here.