Trillions in commitments. Billions in off-balance-sheet debt. Circular investments between vendors and their own customers. The AI infrastructure build-out looks less like a gold rush and more like a house of cards — and policymakers have no plan for when it falls.

Today on Second Request, executive editor Teddy Downey sits down with Asad Ramzanali, Director of AI and Technology Policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, to discuss his paper "After the AI Crash" — and why the time to prepare for a financial crisis is before it happens.

Understanding A.I., it seems, is the fastest way to start doubting it.

Today on Second Request, we're re-sharing a conversation Executive Editor Teddy had with Chiara Longoni, Associate Professor of Marketing at Bocconi University, to discuss her research on AI literacy — and why people who understand AI less may actually trust it more.

Note: This conversation originally aired on Second Request on November 10, 2025.

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Your life insurance policy may be private equity's ticking financial time bomb.

In this episode of The Capitol Forum Investigates, reporter Lisa Epstein explains her recent investigation into sweeping changes in the life and annuities sector driven by private equity-owned insurers. Despite promising security to policyholders, many of these companies use complex financial structures to shift liabilities into offshore accounts — masking the true health of the policies millions depend on. Now, the recent collapse of a Connecticut-based life insurer has observers around the world asking whether the next global financial crisis is already being built from the inside.

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In this episode of Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Brendan Ballou, founder of the Public Integrity Project, to examine corruption enforcement under the Trump administration. They also discuss the legal implications of Trump's presidential pardons, which have been criticized for benefitting allies and donors. 

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Affordability is the hottest word in politics, but how does it actually become a reality? One idea: home savings accounts to help new homebuyers compete in an inflated real estate market.

Today on Second Request, executive editor Teddy Downey sits down with Jon Schweppe, director of policy initiatives at the American Principles Project, to hear why he thinks home savings accounts could be a powerful tool to help bring down the cost of housing.

Today on Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey is joined by Jonathan Kanter, the former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice from 2021 to 2024. Together, they unpack the evolving antitrust argument against Ticketmaster.

Editor’s note: This conversation was recorded before the Department of Justice announced a settlement with Ticketmaster on March 9, 2026.

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Today on Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Seth Bloom,  President and Founder of Bloom Strategic Counsel, to unpack what would have been the antitrust implications of Netflix's potential acquisition of Warner Bros. 

This conversation was recorded before Netflix announced they would be ending their bid for Warner Bros. 

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In November, the Department of Justice made headlines when they announced a settlement with the software company RealPage in the DOJ's lawsuit against the company for antitrust violations.  But, some have questioned that strategy, especially with several state governments pursuing action against the company. 

In this episode of Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey unpacks the DOJ's settlement with David O. Fisher, Senior Counsel at the American Antitrust Institute, and the author of the recent commentary "Closing Costs, a Critical Examination of the DOJ's Proposed RealPage Settlement.”

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When a Pittsburgh based business owner opened a franchise of one of Xponential Fitness' exercise brands, he had no idea it would end in bankruptcy, intimidation and threats of violence. 

Today on The Capitol Forum Investigates, investigative correspondent Kim Geiger discusses her multi-year investigation into the company Xponential Fitness, and reveals how they lured franchise owners into a predatory relationship that led multiple franchisees to file for bankruptcy, and has made Xponential the target of multiple government probes and lawsuits. 

Today on Second Request, Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Sacha Sloan a senior correspondent at The Capitol Forum to discuss Sacha's recent reporting on potential collusion in the microchip sector. Together they discuss how coordinated production cuts, reduced capital expenditures, and public signaling by major NAND manufacturers are contributing to a sharp supply crunch and record price increases. 

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2026 could make or break Roblox. That's because the multi-billion dollar children's video game company is mired in dozens of private lawsuits on top of multiple probes from several state governments, the FTC and the DOJ. In this episode of The Capitol Forum Investigates, reporter Ethan Ehrenhaft sits down with Arjun Singh to talk about the future of Roblox in the wake of major allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse on its platform.

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