Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
This fall, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Hernan Diaz (Trust, In the Distance) released Ply, a sweeping, Dickensian story set centuries in the future, long after the United States has ceased to exist.
We begin with the world of the new book (3:00), why Diaz rejects the idea that it’s a dystopian story (14:00), and how he achieves his fluid authorial voice (22:00). Then, he describes his childhood in exile following Argentina’s 1976 military coup (25:50), the influence of his parents on his writing life (28:05), and his winding path to becoming a novelist (33:00).
On the back-half, Diaz shares how we weathered the years of rejection that preceded his first novel In the Distance (39:00), the through line across his books (45:00), the scientific ideas that inspired Ply (58:00), and why, in an age of technological upheaval, Diaz believes fiction can bring us closer to one another (1:04:00).
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Chris Hayes wants to talk about things we’ve gone through.
In his twenty-five years of covering American politics, Hayes says he’s never seen an election quite like the 2026 midterms.
Together, we unpack the blue wave (2:17), what caused this pendulum swing (3:36), and how Hayes sees the next two years of Trump’s presidency (19:40). Then, he outlines the affordability crisis that shaped voters’ decisions (24:26), what he believes are the top three priorities for Democrats entering Congress (32:07), and the future of party leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries (41:17).
On the back-half, we discuss how the Trump fever finally broke (53:22), our path to a more decent, pluralistic politics (56:45), Democrats’ handling of Gaza (1:08:15), and the road to 2028 (1:11:46). To close, Hayes reflects on the emotional toll of the past few years—and why he’s determined to see this chapter through (1:17:53).
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The way Americans talk about money is changing. Economic commentator Kyla Scanlon has emerged as a fresh, influential voice in that conversation. Recently named one of TIME’s 100 Creators, her New York Times bestseller, In This Economy? How Money & Markets Really Work, has been hailed as “essential reading” by Jon Stewart. She joins us this week to offer her “boots-on-the-ground” understanding of the economy, ahead of the midterms.
We discuss the top-line concerns she’s hearing from young Americans (2:20), the affordability crisis (4:02), why a booming stock market doesn’t reflect the broader economy (6:04), President Trump’s closing message to voters ahead of Tuesday (9:34), a stagnant labor market where companies are reluctant to hire or fire (15:03), and why traditional career advice no longer applies to today’s workplace—a subject she explores on her new Vox podcast Best of Luck (16:35).
On the back-half, Scanlon reflects on her imaginative childhood in Kentucky (25:30), what she learned from working at a Hyundai dealership (32:29), and the leap of faith that brought her to Los Angeles (35:50). To close, she explains how she found her audience explaining economics on social media during the pandemic (37:35), Gen Z’s changing relationship to work (41:07), the rise of speculative investing (43:43), the economic implications of AI (53:15), and the ‘duty’ we have to hold onto to optimism (1:07:06).
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“The rules of engagement have changed already.”
Novelist Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) is a beacon of wit and wisdom. She returns to the show this week with American Hagwon, the long-awaited third installment in her Korean diaspora quartet.
We begin with the ten-year process of writing American Hagwon (3:25), the thesis guiding the novel (4:00), and her experiences with education after immigrating from South Korea to Queens, New York (8:53). Then, Lee describes her process conducting thousands of interviews for the book (14:20), her relationship to security (18:18), and the staggering effects of media on young people (21:55).
On the back-half, we talk about her years at Yale (32:58), how her legal training at Georgetown shaped her approach to fiction (44:32), and the risks of artificial intelligence (45:55). To close, Lee unpacks the dreams we defer for our families (1:10:22), her advice to “choose the important over the urgent” (1:20:07), and the premise for her next novel, Marshall Plan (1:26:30).
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Jason Sudeikis became a household name during his decade-long run on Saturday Night Live. Then, came his Emmy-winning turn in Ted Lasso.
On the heels of the beloved series’ Season 4 finale, we discuss this latest chapter (3:30), writing new characters (6:37), and what shaped Sudeikis’ sense of humor growing up in Kansas (9:50). Then, we talk about his years on the basketball court (12:30), lessons in show business from his uncle, George Wendt of Cheers (14:30), and how he arrived at SNL in the early 2000s (24:30).
In Act II, Sudeikis reflects on a piece of writing advice from Tina Fey (29:00), departing from the show in 2013 (45:00), and who he believes should succeed Lorne Michaels (49:00).
Finally, in Act III, we get into where Jason ends and Ted begins (1:02:24), how his personal life informed the show’s latest chapter (1:08:39), navigating public scrutiny (1:14:35), how the series helped him through difficult moments with his mental health (1:21:52), and what it meant to return to Studio 8H as an SNL host (1:30:27).
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