The Council on Foreign Relations podcasts claim the opinions presented are that of their hosts and the Council takes no positions on policy as an institution. However, this belies the fact that every one of their hosts is a progressive liberal and views anyone to the right of a liberal as a fascist.

I was a loyal Foreign Affairs subscriber for a decade or more after college, but over time the content and impartiality eroded. This podcast is a great example. Take the recent episode about abortion where the views of the Guttmacher Institute were represented as objective truth rather than arguments from an advocacy group. The podcast consistently argued the US was one of a handful of countries reducing abortion and was thus swimming against the tide, without acknowledging Roe created one of the most unrestricted environments in the world. Most post-Roe state laws are actually far closer to policies across Europe than they were before Roe was overturned. Yet, at no point in the podcast did the host or any of the guests acknowledge this. While this was a particularly glaring example of CFRs political bent, it’s consistent with the general trend. CFR needs to get out of the politics business and back into the objective forum business. Abortion is almost an entirely domestic issue and has no place at CFR. Foreign Policy used to be an invaluable place to debate policy, but now it is just a place to regurgitate the same staid arguments.

For CFR promoting the leftist Elite’s agenda is all that matters. Concern for freedom of the press only extends to the leftist liars.

Love this podcast! It does cover what’s hot in the headlines now which can be a little tiring (and redundant) but a lot of episodes are topics that you really don’t hear much about but may be the underpinning factor(s) in current events.

I found it through the “webby awards”. It makes absolutely no mention of the USA surveillance state when discussing the “American internet”. Are they all completely unfamiliar with Edward Snowden’s memoir? To not address USA government surveillance shows impressive ineptitude. It is hatf to imagine them having a trustworthy presentation on any other matter.

Hugs to uoiger

Our foreign policy thinkers are now gen Z speculating about nuclear policy.

Love the content but the host needs to learn best practices of podcasting and be aware that the mic picks up every nonverbal response. While these responses are natural in daily conversation they are distracting when played on a podcast. Host severely distracts from the guest speakers. Stop interrupting with affirmative “uh huh” and just let people talk. It’s not pleasant for listeners!

Informative with a wide range of topics. Love diving deep into things I might not otherwise consider.

Although I only recently discovered this podcast and am just two episodes deep thus-far, I am impressed with the topics being covered as well as the depth and attention of their coverage. Am recommending this to my friends and family as a podcast to go deeper and more thoughtful on issues we all already know something about, but could benefit from additional perspectives and expertise on.

I really enjoy this podcast. They cover the latest current events that keep you educated beyond the major news media headlines. Fairly unbiased too which is great, albeit not perfect (but honestly what is these days). Highly recommend their coverage of interesting and often complex topics in a digestible manner!

I think they do an outstanding job of explaining or putting perspective on current and complicated issues/headlines. I really look forward to each new episode. Keep up the great work.

It is disconcerting for the podcaster, Gabrielle to interrupt every few word with a hm, right, um-um.

We don’t Ned women who sound like men unless their voices are pitched low. But we also don’t need and can’t bear women who sound like children. Unbearable! Spoils a great show!

Superbly scripted, edited, produced and highly informative podcast. Very accessible and intelligent. If you actually want to learn things give this pod a chance.

Gabrielle presents topics well with good historical perspective. Focus is on policy and ethics while avoiding partisan politics. What I seek is quantitative info and expert explanation: sometimes that’s what’s given. However the Media Narrative is never rebuked and often reinforced despite facts. One example is the episode on domestic terrorism focused exclusively on white supremacy despite the truth that 8 or 9 out of 10 deaths from mass shootings are caused by non-white perpetrators. Interestingly, at the end of the episode, Gabrielle explained why she personally was worried about the threat yet never questioned the stereotyping that fueled the fear. Ironic to make yourself a fear victim when it could be your job to dispel fear using facts/statistics . This podcast does not escape the tendency of the Media Narrative to fear-monger with bigotry instead of fighting fear with truth.

The Perspective on Ukraine with guest Richard Haas was outstanding. Very well presented fact based dissertation on all the factors leading up to the invasion of Ukraine. Plus a reasoned discussion about why the events 1/2 a world away, matter to me.

I was looking forward to this, but you can’t have a real conversation along this line without putting Tesla significantly in the middle of the discussion. Most every challenge you discuss is being addressed masterfully by Tesla. Instead, much of your discussion ignores Tesla just like inept Biden administration. Tesla is looking decades ahead while our government cares not beyond the next election.

A great foreign and domestic relations podcast that doesn’t get too overwhelming. They say the basic facts and it keeps you hooked. They give you the facts you need to educate yourself and keep up to date.

Expert interviews on a variety of important, interesting topics of national concern, but what separates it from the pack is the host’s ability to weave in candor, humor, and a wry inquisitiveness. Great work!

I’m referring to the segment on hypersonic weapons. First, I have heard from other sources that the U.S. has held back from developing these weapons to avoid an arms race. This was never mentioned in the podcast. Second, if China was worried about about the U.S. missile defense systems then they could have developed their own. Instead they are developing a first strike weapon (a term that the podcast conveniently never used). The conclusion of this podcast was that it’s really the United States fault that China is building hypersonic weapons because the U.S. develops missile defense systems. No balance was offered. It’s better to know nothing about a subject than to get a biased version.

Concepts and ideas talked about are intriguing but lack visibility of the whole picture. Would be great to get viewpoints from opposing sides instead of being so biased.

Want to really start to understand the issues circling the headlines? Why it Matters goes deep and tells the stories behind the headlines to give the listener a clearer comprehension of the subject matter. A++. Keep up the great work y’all!

"So" is the word that the host says prior to every question. Every single one. At no point does the word "so" add anything, and at every point it's irritating. Humans use filler words and noises. That's normal. However, this is a well-funded podcast, and there is no reason all of this can't be cleaned up with editing. One star for being cheap or lazy.

great production, good rhetoric and presentation, but overtly leftist and misleading// outright untrue reporting on anything partisan.

Great Show! About time this got the attention due! Seems to me the best way to not continue the crazy train is to stop insisting on growing the same old way that requires soil - the much sade cleaner and in the long run less wasteful Way to grow what we humanos need to live well —?— hydroponics

Really enjoy this podcast - interesting and comprlling

I always learn so much from every episode but it was the phrase “fish law” that made me review. Love Gabrielle’s topic choices!!

Interesting and informative approach to important matters. Look forward to each new episode. Way to go!

I listen to three different CFR podcast. All are partisan or bias. The amount of liberal internationalist vs realist. Free market vs Keynesian. So on and so forth. They put out what they advocate for but sometimes give the spiel that CFR holds no institutional positions. Having a civil debate or at least highlighting different viewpoints would be better.

Jogging and learning at the same time! Keep them coming!

Why it matters is one of my favorite podcasts. The shows takes various complex issues and explains them in a thorough and easy to understand form. Thanks for what you do.

Great show covering critical topics that somehow fall between the cracks in other outlets. Interesting, entertaining and always informative!

Season 3 episode on China & Hollywood was really good!

I just found this podcast. The Amazon episode was outstanding. Thought I understood the issue pretty well, but I learned a lot. I’m looking forward to playing past episodes now.

I have a Pavlovian response to the theme song of this pod, I look forward to it every week! I love hearing about what’s going on in the world and appreciate the deep dives that I don’t always get from other pods. 10/10 would recommend!

Great podcast on Fast Fashion and its impact on climate change. I thought that wearing cotton clothes was environmentally better than clothes made with synthetic fabric. I need to better educate myself!!!

They really helped explain how WhatsApp is the one stop all for Information and the danger of that

Absolutely love this podcast! However, they rarely release new episodes, and those that are released are only about 30 min. Just wish they put out more content, because the topics discussed are so interesting!

Well done as usual! We were most impressed with how WIM has taken a complicated, rapidly breaking news story, and identified two crucial factors that were clearly examined and enhanced by articulate guest experts, great writing, and an always engaging host. In addition, the show provided information that helped address questions where there are no easy answers.

Fresh and informative.

Bite sized news!!

Friend turned me onto the show. I listened to the hacking episode and enjoyed it so much that I binged all the way back to the beginning. I’m now a super fan. Keep up the good work and hope they start making them every week.

It’s an interesting podcast with lots of food for thought. One thing that I have noticed is that there’s a very obvious political/partisan slant which isn’t bad in itself as everyone has their own opinion. My problem with this podcast is that they don’t usually attempt to cover the other side of the argument. Very in-depth research that is crammed into a short amount of time, but the one sidedness of the podcast is starting to bug me... Other than that, well done.

Good work Gabrielle! Refreshing to have a young woman as the host asking the important questions on foreign policy

I love how the show packs so much info in a 24 minute podcast. The diversity of topics is nice too. There is something for everyone from the environmental issue of recycling to a president being able to hit the nuclear “red button”. I learn something new ever time.

Thanks for giving us a sense of the scope of the work you do, and for the relevant info!

Well protected and written

Everything is bad. The United States is terrible. There is no hope. Playing off people’s fears gets subscribers so why not right?

A great, very interesting podcast. Thanks.