The Control Variable with Kim Cutter
The Control Variable with Kim Cutter is a weekly podcast series that takes a deep look at the many problems plaguing our fractured country and talks to the people who are offering solutions to help us evolve as a society. Hosted by journalist Kim Cutter, the weekly series picks up from Kim’s five-part investigation into the propaganda that led to the attack on the Capitol and continues to examine the myths we’ve been telling ourselves since the founding of our country and how these myths continue to polarize our society. Each week, Kim talks to people from all professions, and all over the political spectrum, who help unravel fact from fiction around the greatest challenges of our times: the limitations of our two-party system, the widening wealth gap, the inequity baked into the American meritocracy, gun violence, the perils of climate change, the hunger for God amidst religious corruption, and many other issues. Join Kim for in-depth, always enlightening, and humorous conversations with the people who are trying to put our world back together.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 40 minutes
- Episodes
- 20
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2022
Episode 013. Jeanna Kadlec: American Heretic
As this season of The Control Variable comes to a close, Kim sits down with former evangelical Christian Jeanna Kadlec to discuss her gripping new memoir Heretic. Together, they explore how Jeanna es…
Episode 012. Busy Philipps: A Dance with Joy and Responsibility
The wonderfully hilarious actress, writer, producer, director and activist Busy Philips (Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, Busy Tonight, Girls 5eva) joins Kim on The Control Variable to detail her journ…
Episode 011. Diane Benscoter, Mike Rothschild and Janja Lalich: On the Cult of QAnon
In the wake of a sudden resurrection of QAnon in Trump’s midterm election campaigns, Kim revisits the haunting investigation into the cult-like political group from episode 4 of American Propaganda. …
Episode 010. Saul Schisler - On the Pleasures and Problems of Gun Ownership in America
Why do so many Americans love guns? What would it take to end our epidemic of gun violence? On this week’s show, Kim—a lifelong “gunophobe”—explores these questions and more with her friend Saul Schi…
Episode 009. Craig McNamara - Part #2: Because Our Fathers Lied
The conversation continues between Kim and Robert McNamara’s son Craig McNamara - author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied. This time Kim wants to know: Is Craig still haunted by his father's le…
Episode 008. Craig McNamara - Part #1: On War & Peace
Kim sits down with writer, activist, and farmer Craig McNamara (author of the memoir Because Our Fathers Lied) to discuss his complicated relationship with his father, former secretary of defense Rob…
Episode 007. Ayelet Waldman: On American Stories, The Mental Heath Crisis, and How to Stay Sane in 2022
Writer, activist and Hollywood showrunner Ayelet Waldman joins Kim to talk about America’s raging mental illness epidemic, the healing power of storytelling and the magical Yiddish word bashert. Also…
Episode 006. Bill McKibben: On the Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
Award-winning author, activist, and environmentalist Bill McKibben joins Kim to discuss how the American story has evolved into an individualistic patriotism that excludes a large swath of people and…
Episode 005. Jennifer Baumgardner: On the Stories We Keep Secret – and Why They Must Be Told
Writer, filmmaker and activist Jennifer Baumgardner says shame has been weaponized in America to keep many women from prioritizing their reproductive freedoms. On today’s trailblazing episode—made in…
Episode 004. Maureen McGough: Is the Future of Policing… Female?
Long term studies have shown that women make more effective and less violent police officers. Looking for answers to our flawed criminal justice system, Kim sits down with Maureen McGough, Chief of S…
Episode 003. Michael Sandel: On the Tyranny of Merit
Kim talks to rockstar Harvard philosopher Michael J. Sandel about the dark heart of meritocracy and how we can begin to bridge America’s great divide.
Episode 002. Abbie Dillen: On How to Save Our Hot AF Planet
Kim talks to her old friend, Earthjustice President Abbie Dillen, about what we need to do right now to save our melting planet and why becoming an environmentalist is weirdly sexy.
Episode 001. Sam Woolley: On The Media & America’s Great Divide
Following American Propaganda, Kim’s five-part investigation about the role propaganda played in the insurrection of January 6th, Kim kicks off the weekly show by having a longer chat with Sam Woolle…
The Control Variable with Kim Cutter: Weekly Show Trailer
The Control Variable with Kim Cutter is a weekly podcast series that takes a deep look at the many problems plaguing our fractured country and talks to the people who are offering solutions to help u…
American Propaganda: We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live (Chapter 5)
Kim wraps up her investigation into the propaganda that powered the Capitol riots by looking at the role social media websites—and the rapacious algorithms that support them—played in the attack. In …
American Propaganda: True Believers (Chapter 4)
What role did QAnon play in the January 6th insurrection? How did so many fall prey to this bizarre cult-like phenomenon? As she seeks answers to these questions, Kim interviews cult experts and depr…
American Propaganda: Beautiful People (Chapter 3)
Wanting to know more about how the January 6th insurrection turned violent, Kim visits her high school teacher Merj (whose parents were orphaned by the Armenian genocide) and learns about unsettling …
American Propaganda: The Amygdala Hijack (Chapter 2)
Kim explores the startling relationship between WWI propaganda, American advertising, and Donald Trump. As she investigates the tools of psychological manipulation used to sell everything from ice cr…
American Propaganda: Gods and Monsters (Chapter 1)
In her attempt to understand how the January 6th insurrection was instigated, journalist Kim Cutter discovers surprising links between deadly religious propaganda in the Middle Ages, cutting edge neu…
The Control Variable: American Propaganda Trailer
American Propaganda is an investigative five-part podcast series from The Control Variable, hosted by journalist Kim Cutter, that takes an unprecedented look into the history and science of propagand…