The 2024 election was a lot. And now that we're past it, you might be avoiding political news

altogether, or you might want to understand the other side of the aisle, but without poisoning

your algorithm or treading into online territory that feels like an alien planet, you need left, right,

and center. It's your weekly political news check-in

with representatives from both parties,

so you can hear from the other guys

in a way that helps you actually make sense of it.

I'm David Green.

Join me on Left, Right, and Center from KCRW.

New episodes drop every Friday

wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thank you. Friday, wherever you listen to podcasts. You know the classic American advice to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps?

It suggests that relentless effort is the one thing that stands between ambitious people and success.

Except we've forgotten that the expression originated as a joke because, you know, it's actually

physically impossible to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.

From KERA in Dallas, this is think.

I'm Chris Boyd.

It is not that nobody achieves material success in this country or that work isn't necessary for pretty much any human endeavor. But from the start, our national culture often linked economic well-being with moral worthiness via hard and dedicated labor. And for centuries, people toiling away

without getting anywhere near prosperity have been told the solution is just to keep doing the

thing that has failed to yield results, except do it more. So what is the cost of our national

work obsession? Journalist Adam Chandler explores this in his new book, 99% perspiration,

a new working history of the American way of life. Adam, welcome to think.

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