Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

Candid conversations about what power leaves unsaid—and the questions shaping what happens next. Byline with Ben Dennis is a weekly interview series that goes beyond the headlines to examine how consequential decisions are made and who influences them. Journalist Ben Dennis brings together experts, policymakers and people with firsthand experience for thoughtful conversations about politics, media, technology, law, national security and the forces reshaping public life. Each episode cuts through the noise to explain why the story matters—and what it could mean for everyday people.

Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines is a news podcast hosted by Ben Dennis, with 36 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Ben Dennis hosts Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines, a news show with 36 episodes published.

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  Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

  Can the U.S. Win the Iran War Without Boots on the Ground?

  Sep 28, 202641 min

  Can the United States win the war with Iran without putting American troops on the ground? Retired Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland joins Ben Dennis to examine what a successful U.S. strategy would actually require — and whether Washington has clearly defined what victory looks like. MacFarland, who commanded the coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, discusses the limits of air power, pressure on U.S. weapons stockpiles, the changing role of drones and AI in warfare, the threat from ISIS and Iranian-backed groups, and what lessons the United States should — and should not — take from Ukraine. The conversation also turns to China and Taiwan, the balance between military tactics and political strategy, and the larger question hanging over the conflict: if the United States does not intend to fight a ground war, how does this war end?

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  Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

  Should We Panic About AI? A Former Facebook Insider Weighs In

  Sep 15, 202651 min

  AI leaders are openly warning about what could go wrong as increasingly powerful models are developed and deployed. So how worried should the rest of us actually be? Katie Harbath says: “panic responsibly.” Harbath spent a decade at Facebook working at the intersection of technology, elections and democracy. She is now CEO of Anchor Change and the author of the forthcoming book Disrupting Politics: A Front Row Seat to the Collision of Technology & Democracy . In this episode of Byline with Ben Dennis , we start with the new warnings surrounding AI safety and ask what happens when technology advances faster than government can respond. Katie and Ben discuss why AI companies are talking more openly about safety, whether greater transparency should reassure or alarm the public, why Congress has struggled to regulate technology, what power the White House and states actually have, and whether the enormous infrastructure demands of AI could themselves slow its expansion. Then we look backward to understand what could come next: what Katie learned inside Facebook after the 2016 election, why she believes the industry underestimated the consequences of social media, and what those failures can teach us about governing AI before another crisis forces the issue. They also examine a larger question running through both eras: How much power should unelected technology executives have over systems increasingly woven into politics, information and everyday life? Disrupting Politics is scheduled for release October 6. Subscribe to Byline with Ben Dennis for conversations about the forces behind the headlines—and what happens next.

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  Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

  Food Recalls: Can You Trust What’s in Your Fridge?

  Sep 8, 20261h 2m

  After losing his 16-month-old son, Riley, during the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, Dr. Darin Detwiler devoted his career to food safety. He explains what today’s recalls reveal about our food supply, how convenience can increase risk, what consumers can do—and why preventing the next outbreak cannot rest on shoppers alone. And, as always, I have questions of my own.

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  Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

  Trump Is Expanding Presidential Power. What Happens When a Democrat Inherits It?

  Sep 1, 202651 min

  President Trump is testing how far executive power can reach. But could the precedents he establishes outlast his presidency? Bowdoin College professor Andrew Rudalevige explains what a future Democratic president could do with that authority, why Congress has struggled to serve as a check and whether the founders’ system can still restrain the White House. His proposed solution begins not with the president, but with changing Congress.

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  Byline with Ben Dennis: The Forces Behind the Headlines

  AI in Schools: Can It Help Students Learn Without Removing the Challenge?

  Aug 25, 202649 min

  AI can solve a math problem, rewrite an essay and return an answer in seconds. But can it help students learn without removing the challenge learning requires? In the latest episode of Byline with Ben Dennis , Ben Dennis speaks with Dr. Jonathan Strecker—head of school at Valley School of Ligonier and author of Emergence —about what happens when artificial intelligence enters the classroom. The conversation explores when assistance becomes avoidance, why friction and boredom still matter, and whether parents and teachers can give students the benefits of AI without allowing it to do the thinking for them. “AI in Schools: Can It Help Students Learn Without Removing the Challenge?” Watch the full conversation on YouTube, listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and read the companion essay on Substack.

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