The Progress Report: Techie to Trekkie: AirPods That Translate!

The Progress Report: Techie to Trekkie: AirPods That Translate!

Author: The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas September 19, 2025 Duration: 13:43
Get ready for another uplifting Progress Report! This week, Zachary and Emma bring you inspiring stories of innovation and hope from across the globe. Trekkies rejoice as Apple’s new AirPods push tech into sci-fi territory with real-time language translation, Europe is seeing fewer flood fatalities and less damage thanks to cutting-edge warning systems and disaster response improvements, and France just made history by launching the world’s first commercial plant capable of recycling polycotton. What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.orgWatch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

It’s easy to feel that everything is falling apart, but what if the dominant narrative of decline is missing a crucial piece of the story? What Could Go Right? asks that question directly, offering a necessary counterpoint to the daily drumbeat of crises. Hosted by The Progress Network’s Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas, this podcast operates from a simple but radical premise: while the problems are real, so is the human capacity for ingenuity and constructive change. Each episode brings together a diverse group of thinkers, from scientists and activists to policymakers and cultural commentators, for conversations that go beyond diagnosing issues to exploring tangible solutions and underreported advances. You’ll hear nuanced discussions on everything from climate technology and economic innovation to the reshaping of governance and culture, all grounded in a realistic sense of possibility. This isn’t about blind optimism; it’s about engaged, evidence-based hope. Tuning in means joining a community that believes understanding what’s working is just as important as understanding what’s broken. If you’re weary of doomscrolling and looking for substantive dialogue that charts a path forward, this is the podcast for you.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What Could Go Right?
Podcast Episodes
Parent by Numbers with Emily Oster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:12
How can parents use data without becoming overwhelmed by getting things right and wrong? Zachary and Emma welcome Emily Oster, a professor of economics and author of several data-driven parenting and pregnancy books, inc…
The Progress Report: Clean Energy Is Crushing It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:30
On this week’s Progress Report, Emma covers a whopping five reports of optimism from around the world. Poverty is declining in Iraq and Indonesia, and risk of child poverty is down across Europe. China reports a dip in i…
Godfather of the New Right with Sam Tanenhaus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:56
What can we learn from the history of the American Right? Zachary and Emma welcome Sam Tanenhaus, historian and author, whose most recent work is his biography Buckley: The Life and Revolution That Changed America. Sam s…
The Progress Report: We're Divorcing Like It's 1959 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:47
This week on The Progress Report, Zachary and Emma cut through the doom and gloom to deliver feel-good news. This episode covers stories from the USDA’s hilariously unconventional wolf-deterring tactics (hint: it involve…
Is the US Still a Rule of Law Country? with Joyce Vance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:51
It’s time to right the ship of democracy! Zachary and Emma sit down with powerhouse legal expert Joyce Vance, former U.S. Attorney and author of the popular Civil Discourse Substack and upcoming book Giving Up Is Unforgi…
The Progress Report: Crime Is Down, Fear Is Up! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:14
On this week’s episode, Zachary and Emma dig into three surprising pieces of underreported good news. Illinois becomes the first state to ban AI from acting as a therapist, which is sparking a debate about ethics, tech l…
Shaking Up the Vatican with Austen Ivereigh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:54
How can an American pope change the world? Zachary and Emma dive deep with renowned papal expert Austen Ivereigh, British journalist, acclaimed author, and historian, to discuss Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the US.…
Are We Wasting Our Talent? with Rutger Bregman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:04
Are we measuring success all wrong? Rutger Bregman seems to think so. Zachary and Emma welcome Rutger, a Dutch historian and journalist, and author of Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Differenc…
The Progress Report: Japan’s Tsunami Tech Saves Lives [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:01
On this week's Progress Report, Zachary and Emma dive into some optimistic stories you may have missed during your doomscrolling. From tsunami-stopping tech in Japan to social media-powered rescue missions in Ghana and t…
Does the Deficit Even Matter? with Stephanie Kelton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:38
Is everything you know about government spending upside down? Zachary and Emma welcome trailblazing economist and author Stephanie Kelton, champion of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), to challenge the way we think about def…