The John Batchelor Show
By John Batchelor
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Category: News
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Rate for this podcast
Subscribers: 1099
Reviews: 8
Episodes: 500
long time listener
May 15, 2024
excellent coverage of global politics and economics with some US domestic politics included
Dan Y
Apr 17, 2020
master of story telling, radio journalism at it's finest, this is how it's done
Jack Drury
Mar 18, 2020
One of the best all-around podcasts out there. It appeals to the seeker in all of us, as it covers, science, history, geopolitics, philosophy...an exhausting list of topics that will always keep you thinking!
Sep 29, 2019
Best radio show / podcast hands down. Most thoughtful conversation around. Space exploration, geopolitics, literature, history, culture, philosophy... The show has it all.
Jan 5, 2019
Longtime listener
Dec 7, 2018
Thoughtful conversations with authors and policy analysts.
Nov 20, 2018
love the mix of politics and science and history. guest interview format. libertarian orientation.
educated consumer
Oct 31, 2018
good program with varied guests
Description
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
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S8 Ep379: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-26-26 1808 GREAT HALL BANK OF ENGLAND
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep378: David Daoud explores what Hezbollah will manage if Tehran fails. The discussion considers the organization's future autonomy and survival prospects should its Iranian patron collapse, examining whether the group can sustain itself independently or faces i
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep378: David Daoud examines how Hezbollah reigns over villages in Lebanon. The segment details the organization's methods of social control, combining armed intimidation with provision of services to maintain dominance over Shia communities and enforce loyalty t
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep378: Janatyn Sayeh describes Iran's mass murders amid a broken economy with no communications or internet access. The segment portrays a regime in crisis, resorting to extreme violence against its population while infrastructure collapse and international isol
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep377: Ahmad Sharawi reports that Al Sharaa continues attacking minorities in Syria, with Kurds being driven back while the U.S. stands aside. The Druze community also faces assault as the new regime consolidates power through ethnic persecution despite initial
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep377: Cleo Paskal and Bill Roggio discuss the UK's giveaway of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, highlighting China's influence over the Mauritian government. The transfer raises concerns about Beijing potentially gaining strategic access to a critical Indian Oc
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep377: Cleo Paskal and Bill Roggio examine the PRC threat to Oceania from Guam's perspective. The segment details China's aggressive influence peddling and buying throughout the Pacific islands, as Beijing systematically works to undermine American strategic pos
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep377: Jack Burnham reveals that Chinese academics have been granted easy access to Energy Department supercomputing resources used in nuclear weapon simulations. The discussion highlights alarming security lapses allowing potential adversaries to benefit from s
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep377: John Hardie reports that Russia continues targeting heat and light infrastructure in Kyiv, while Ukraine retaliates by striking Russian infrastructure. The segment examines the escalating war of attrition against civilian utilities as both sides seek to u
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Jan 27, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter examine Saudi Arabia's internal disagreements over a potential air campaign against Iran. The conversation explores Riyadh's strategic calculations, balancing regional security concerns against the risks of direct mi
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Malcolm Hoenlein and Thaddeus McCotter discuss Iran's ongoing executions and mass murders. The segment details the regime's brutal crackdown on dissent, highlighting the systematic use of capital punishment against protesters and minorities as Tehran inte
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Ernesto Araujo and Alejandro Pena Esclusa report on a spontaneous Rio rally supporting the Bolsonaro family. The demonstration reflects continued popular backing for the former Brazilian president despite legal challenges, indicating that conservative mov
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Ernesto Araujo and Alejandro Pena Esclusa analyze Venezuela's posture of public defiance while remaining privately obedient to the Trump administration. The segment explores the contradictions in Caracas's diplomatic stance, suggesting the regime's theatr
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Bill Rogio and Husain Haqqani examine how Africa remains unprotected from jihadists and plunderers. The discussion explores the continent's vulnerability to extremist expansion and resource exploitation, with weak governance and insufficient international
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep376: Bill Rogigo and Husain Haqqani discuss global turmoil and confrontation, examining U.S. policy failures in Afghanistan. The conversation addresses the ongoing consequences of American withdrawal and the resurgence of threats in the region, highlighting ho
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep375: Ahmad Sharawi Sharawi provides analysis on the situation in Syria, confirming that the self-declared president, Ahmed al-Shara, enjoys "full support" from regional powers, specifically Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Sharawi explains that while some US officials
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep375: Cleo Paskal Paskal discusses the geopolitical and legal complications regarding the transfer of the Chagos Islands (which include Diego Garcia) from the UK to Mauritius. She highlights a critical oversight: a 1966 agreement between the US and the UK manda
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep375: Bill Roggio Roggio characterizes Western policy as an "absolute mess," arguing the US has conceded safe havens to jihadists in both Afghanistan and Syria. He criticizes the normalization of Ahmed al-Shara, noting that al-Shara never denounced his oath of
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep375: Janatyn Sayeh Sayeh describes a "total blackout" of information in Iran, where the regime is using military-grade jammers to block Starlink satellite signals, a tactic he notes is dangerous to people on the ground. Beyond throttling the internet, authorit
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep375: John Hardie Hardie reports that Ukraine’s deep strike campaign against Russian territory intensified in mid-2025, focusing primarily on energy infrastructure like oil refineries. Despite a "very bitter winter" leaving Kyiv without heat, there is talk of p
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep374: Ahmad Sharawi Sharawi confirms that self-named president Ahmed al-Shara enjoys full support from regional powers, specifically Saudi Arabia and Turkey. While some US officials have expressed disagreement with al-Shara's campaign against the SDF (a US coun
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep374: Mark Simon Simon offers a harsh retrospective on US-China relations, arguing that the engagement strategy dating back to 1972 has never really worked for the United States. He dismisses the economic trade-off of "cheap stuff at Walmart" as a poor retur
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep373: Londinium Winter 92AD. Reflecting on military history, the speakers contrast the strategic genius of Hannibal and the eccentric audacity of WWII commando Lord Lovat with the current state of American forces. Germanicus asserts that the "marauder" spirit o
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep373: Londinium Winter 92AD. In this dialogue, the "Emperor" (the U.S. President) is chastised by King Charles III for disparaging the British military, leading to a swift reversal by the American leader. Germanicus argues that despite the 18th-century revoluti
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep373: Londinium Winter 92AD. The debate shifts to the "Greenland affair," which Germanicus contextualizes as part of a long, often "piratical" tradition of American territorial expansion, comparable to the Louisiana Purchase. Rather than a mere real estate deal
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep372: Brett Forrest explores grim theories regarding Billy's fate with a Russian contact. Later, at a Department of Justice event, he confronts high-ranking FBI official Paul Abbate. Abbate admits immediate knowledge of the unpublished Riley case, confirming t
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep372: In Russia, Brett Forrest investigates Billy's path, visiting a Rostov-on-Don volunteer camp and seeking associates like Mikhail Polynov. He analyzes Billy's strange travel photos and highlights the suspicious timing of FBI handler Tim Reintjes' visit to t
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep372: Brett Forrest recounts receiving a tip about a missing American FBI source in Russia. He investigates, visiting Riley's parents in Michigan to review Billy's WhatsApp travel logs. Forrest details Billy's journey to Rostov-on-Don near the Ukrainian war zon
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep372: Brett Forrest introduces Billy Riley, a Michigan youth recruited as an FBI Confidential Human Source after 9/11 due to his online skills. Forrest details Billy's cancelled mission to the Philippines and his parents' concerns regarding his mysterious 2015
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: The Jesse Scouts crippled Lee's retreat by intercepting supply trains, forcing the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. Rejecting guerrilla warfare to preserve the nation, Lee accepted Grant's respectful terms. Post-war, former partisan Mosby surprisingly
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: Lewis Powell worked with the Confederate Secret Service on a plot to kidnap Lincoln, while Union scout Harry Young took command of the Jesse Scouts. Young's disguised scouts provided crucial intelligence, enabling Sheridan to communicate with Grant via me
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: General Grant ordered Philip Sheridan to destroy resources and hang partisans, leading to a "burning season" in the Shenandoah Valley. After Blazer's scouts were annihilated by Mosby's rangers at Kabletown, Blazer was captured and escorted to Richmond by
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: Confederate General Jubal Early marched on Washington, D.C., hoping to free prisoners, but was delayed by Union resistance at Monocacy. Although Early reached Fort Stevens, where President Lincoln famously stood under fire, the attack failed partly due to
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: A failed 1864 Union raid led by Dahlgren intended to burn Richmond and kill Confederate leaders, prompting a Confederate Secret Service response involving political subversion. Meanwhile, author Herman Melville embedded with Union cavalry, writing poetry
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: Union manhunter Richard Blazer led the "Legion of Honor" to hunt Confederate partisans like the ruthless Thurman brothers in West Virginia. Blazer utilized detective work to build a "mosaic" of enemy locations, conducting lightning raids in rugged terrain
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: The Confederate Partisan Ranger Act attempted to regulate irregular guerrilla fighters, leading to the rise of John Singleton Mosby in Northern Virginia. Though General Lee was ambivalent about the lack of discipline among partisans, he recognized the val
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep371: John Batchelor introduces Patrick K. O'Donnell and his book The Unvanquished, focusing on the "Jesse Scouts" and their leader, Captain John Charles Carpenter. Named after Jesse Frémont, these Union scouts utilized disguises and "trade craft" to infiltrate
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip describes how a flow device installed by Mike Callahan saved an Audubon sanctuary pond during Hurricane Ida, proving that coexistence strategies are often more cost-effective than repairing flood damage. She concludes by emphasizing beavers a
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip at the Hubbard Brook watershed discusses how beavers act as a keystone species that aids environmental recovery, challenging the necessity of lethal culling given modern non-lethal management options. She notes that beaver complexes actually
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip visits the Yale Myers Forest with ecologist Dr. Denise Burchsted and learns to view river systems not as single channels but as interconnected veins where beaver ponds act like "beads along a chain." This perspective reveals how beavers resto
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip explores beaver intelligence through the work of Harvard researcher Jordan Kennedy, who studies their collective behavior and connections to Indigenous Blackfeet knowledge. Beavers possess sensors in their tails to measure water flow rates, a
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip shares the story of Dorothy Richards, who established "Beaver Sprite" in the 1930s as the country's first beaver sanctuary, eventually living with over a dozen beavers inside her home. Anecdotes illustrate the animals' engineering instincts,
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip discusses 19th-century anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan, who documented beaver dams in the Lake Superior Basin, where Philip recently observed centuries-old dams still continually cleansing water. Philip also details her immersion into the w
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip describes observing a local beaver pond, noting how these animals create wetlands that act as the "coral reefs of North America" by supporting immense biodiversity. She also recounts the Algonquin legend of the Great Beaver, a story that expl
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep370: Leila Philip explains how John Jacob Astor founded America's first multi-millionaire fortune by overhearing traders discuss the massive profit margins on beaver fur. Astor leveraged the Lewis and Clark expedition to establish global trade routes, utilizin
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Jan 26, 2026 |
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S8 Ep369: Headline: The Failure of "Bazball" and Post-Ashes Fallout Guest: Jeremy Zakis Following a devastating Ashes loss to Australia, the English cricket team is reevaluating their aggressive "Bazball" strategy, admitting it acts as psychological warfare that on
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep369: Headline: Managing Snakes and Kangaroos During Extreme Heat Guest: Jeremy Zakis Extreme heat drives snakes into homes seeking cool air, hiding in shoes and behind furniture. Official advice for spotting dangerous snakes is to stay calm, "grab a beer," and
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep369: Headline: Fatal Shark Attacks and Catastrophic Heat Disrupt Australia Day Guest: Jeremy Zakis A tragic shark attack killed a 12-year-old boy near Sydney, prompting beach closures across the region. Simultaneously, a severe heatwave causing temperatures ne
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 8. INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE AND D-DAY DELAYS. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. The author details how the Soviets utilized Lend-Lease to plunder American intellectual property and entire factories, often with Harry Hopkins’s facilitation,. McMeekin notes th
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 7. SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND FAILED NEGOTIATIONS. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. During 1940 negotiations in Berlin, Hitler attempted to align the Soviets with the Axis powers, but talks failed due to Stalin’s insistence on expanding influence into Finla
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 6. DOMESTIC OPPOSITION AND SECRET LEND-LEASE. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. McMeekin describes how Harry Hopkins bypassed military skeptics to ensure the Soviet Union received unrestricted supplies, such as studebakers and aircraft, starting in July 19
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 5. OPERATION BARBAROSSA AND THE DEFENSE OF MOSCOW. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. McMeekin challenges the narrative that Stalin suffered a nervous breakdown during the 1941 German invasion, noting the dictator remained active despite the shock. The segm
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 4. MOLOTOV IN BERLIN AND THE TRIPARTITE PACT. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. The discussion focuses on Molotov’s November 1940 visit to Berlin, where Hitler invited the Soviets to join the Tripartite Pact against the "Anglo-Saxon" powers,. Negotiations
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 3. THE MOLOTOV-RIBBENTROP PACT AND TERRITORIAL AMBITION. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. McMeekin explains that the 1939 appointment of Molotov signaled Stalin's shift toward collaboration with Hitler, leading to the Moscow Pact. Stalin used this allianc
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 2. THE PURGE OF LITVINOV AND THE MOSCOW PACT. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. On May 3, 1939, Stalin ordered the arrest of Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov and his Jewish staff, replacing him with Molotov to signal a diplomatic shift toward Nazi Germany,.
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep368: FILE 1. HARRY HOPKINS AND UNCONDITIONAL AID. GUEST AUTHOR SEAN MCMEEKIN. Professor Sean McMeekin discusses his book Stalin's War, highlighting Harry Hopkins's pivotal 1941 mission to Moscow to establish direct communication with Stalin,. Despite significa
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Jan 25, 2026 |
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S8 Ep367: 8. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Pandemic, Science, and Unelected Authority. Summary: Hanson argues the pandemic response empowered unelected bureaucrats like Fauci to arbitrarily shut down small businesses while protecting large corpor
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 7. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: Globalist Elites and the End of Sovereignty. Summary: Hanson characterizes "Davos Man" as a global elite class seeking to transcend national borders and impose a technocratic, one-world government. He argue
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 6. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: Sanctuary Nullification and Weaponized Impeachment. Summary: Hanson describes "sanctuary cities" as a form of nullification where local jurisdictions illegally defy federal immigration law. He also contends
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 5. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: Progressive Attempts to Dismantle the Constitution. Summary: Hanson identifies "evolutionaries" who view the Constitution as obsolete, seeking to abolish the Electoral College and the Senate filibuster to en
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 4. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Unaccountable Power of the Deep State. Summary: Hanson warns against the "administrative state," a permanent class of bureaucrats who wield power without democratic accountability, exemplified by regulat
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: . Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Shift from Melting Pot to Tribal Division. Summary: Hanson laments the abandonment of the "melting pot" ideal in favor of tribalism and identity politics, which he believes fracture the nation. He argues
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 2. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: Immigration, Amnesty, and the Erosion of Citizenship. Summary: Hanson critiques the 1965 Hart-Celler Act and subsequent amnesties for prioritizing family ties over merit and failing to secure the border. He
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep366: 1. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Hollowing Out of the American Middle Class. Summary: Hanson argues that the American middle class, historically the backbone of the republic like in ancient Greece, is eroding into a binary of the wealth
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: The Desire for Greatness: Understanding the Motive Summary: Decades later, Paul Gregory attributes Lee’s motive to a desperate need to prove his significance to the world and his scornful wife. Often underestimated, Le
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: The Warren Commission: Testimony and Conspiracy Summary: Paul Gregory visited Dealey Plaza to verify the feasibility of the shot before testifying to the Warren Commission. The hearings were marked by Margarite Oswald’
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: A Tale of Two Funerals: Burial and Delusion Summary: While the world watched JFK’s funeral, a small group buried Lee Harvey Oswald, with reporters serving as pallbearers. The Gregory family’s Thanksgiving was overshado
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: Protective Custody: The Secret Service and the Gregorys Summary: After the assassination, the Secret Service moved Marina and her mother-in-law, Margarite, to the Six Flags Inn for protection. Pete Gregory served as a
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: Escalation: From General Walker to New Orleans Summary: In April 1963, a shaken Lee confessed to Marina that he had attempted to shoot General Edwin Walker. Following this, Lee moved to New Orleans to manufacture crede
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: uest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: Isolation and Rage: The Oswalds' Summer of Struggle Summary: The Oswalds lived in poverty, with Marina isolated and lacking essentials like a baby carriage. Tensions erupted during a dinner with the "Dallas Russians" wh
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: uest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: A Helping Hand: The Gregorys Meet the Oswalds Summary: In June 1962, the Texas Employment Office asked Pete Gregory to evaluate Lee Harvey Oswald’s Russian fluency. Impressed by Lee’s fluency despite his poor grammar, P
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep365: Guest Author: Paul Gregory Headline: The Day the World Changed: Perspectives from Fort Worth and Oklahoma Summary: On November 22, 1963, Pete Gregory watched President Kennedy in Fort Worth while his son Paul, a student in Oklahoma, witnessed the news of
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep364: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-23-26 1935 BRUSSELS
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 16: NON-NUCLEAR ICBM TO DESTROY UNDERGROUND BUNKERS Guest: Henry Sokolski (Nonproliferation Policy Education Center) Sokolski discusses development of a massive conventional ICBM designed to penetrate hardened underground bunkers without nuclear w
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 15: TRUMP TARGETS DICTATORS IN CARACAS, HAVANA, AND TEHRAN Guest: Cliff May (FDD) May argues Trump is aggressively pursuing regime change against the dictatorships in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran. Discussion examines the administration's maximum pres
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 14: SCOTUS SYMPATHETIC TO OIL AND GAS DEFENSE Guest: Michael Toth (Civitas Institute) Toth reports the Supreme Court appears sympathetic to oil and gas companies arguing they supplied the homefront during wartime under government direction. Justic
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 13: SCOTUS HEARS WARTIME OIL EXTRACTION LIABILITY CASE Guest: Michael Toth (Civitas Institute) Toth reports from Supreme Court oral arguments on Louisiana's claim that World War II oil and gas extraction damaged coastlines and quality of life. For
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 12: TRUMP AIMS TO END THE CHINA LOBBY Guest: Lee Smith Smith argues China operates as marauder, thief, and killer, wrecking world trade and undermining American manufacturing while enriching the China lobby Trump calls "globalists." The Trump admi
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 11: FEINSTEIN AND BLUM'S SHANGHAI CONNECTIONS Guest: Lee Smith Smith details how San Francisco Mayor Diane Feinstein and husband Richard Blum cultivated relationships with Shanghai's mayor and later Tiananmen dictator Deng Xiaoping, becoming apolo
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep363: SEGMENT 10: NIXON, KISSINGER, AND MAO'S MURDEROUS REGIME Guest: Lee Smith Smith examines how Nixon and Kissinger flattered and empowered Mao in 1972 despite his murderous record. Tiananmen Square proved the regime's brutality, yet American leaders ushered
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep362: SEGMENT 9: ORIGINS OF THE CHINA LOBBY Guest: Lee Smith, Author of "The China Matrix" Smith traces the China lobby's origins to a pivotal October 1997 White House dinner with the Clintons where VIPs secured immense personal wealth through Beijing connectio
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Jan 24, 2026 |
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S8 Ep361: SEGMENT 8: SPACE TUG AND OUTER PLANET PROBE DISCOVERIES Guest: Bob Zimmerman Zimmerman discusses a new space tug designed to deorbit Pentagon satellites addressing orbital debris concerns. Discussion turns to Jupiter and Saturn probes returning surprising
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep360: SEGMENT 7: BEZOS CHALLENGES MUSK WITH SATELLITE CONSTELLATION Guest: Bob Zimmerman Zimmerman reports Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin aims to launch a communications satellite constellation rivaling Elon Musk's Starlink dominance. Discussion covers the growing co
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep359: SEGMENT 6: LANCASTER COUNTY POST-CHRISTMAS CALM Guest: Jim McTague McTague reports from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania experiencing typical post-Christmas slowdown as locals anticipate incoming snowfall with excitement rather than dread. Discussion recall
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep359: SEGMENT 5: ITALY'S WINTER OLYMPICS FACE SNOW CRISIS Guest: Lorenzo Fiori and Jeff Bliss Fiori and Bliss report on Cyclone Harry striking Italy while the eastern Alps suffer inadequate snowfall threatening upcoming Winter Olympics venues. Discussion covers
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep358: SEGMENT 4: GREENLAND TARIFFS LACK LEGAL FOUNDATION Guest: Richard Epstein Epstein argues Trump's tariff threats over Greenland lack constitutional justification, representing neither genuine emergency nor legitimate tool to punish nations disagreeing wi
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep358: SEGMENT 3: LISA COOK CASE DRAWS FED GIANTS TO SCOTUS Guest: Richard Epstein Epstein analyzes oral arguments in the Lisa Cook case with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and former Chair Ben Bernanke attending the Supreme Court proceedings. Discussion
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep358: SEGMENT 2: NEWSOM'S 2028 PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS Guest: Jeff Bliss (Pacific Watch) Bliss examines Governor Gavin Newsom positioning for a 2028 presidential run through public sparring with Trump. Despite national media attention from these confrontations,
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep358: SEGMENT 1: WEST COAST CITIES IN CRISIS Guest: Jeff Bliss (Pacific Watch) Bliss surveys struggling western cities: Las Vegas grapples with $45 martinis reflecting inflation pressures, Seattle deteriorates worse than Portland, while In-N-Out Burger expands
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep357: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: SAN FRANCISCO DOOM LOOP WORSENS Guest: Jeff Bliss Bliss reports on San Francisco's accelerating urban decay as another major mall closes due to rampant drug use and homeless encampments driving away shoppers and retailers. Discuss
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep357: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: WINTER OLYMPICS FACE SNOW SHORTAGE IN ITALY Guest: Jeff Bliss Bliss reports on concerns surrounding the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy where inadequate snowfall threatens bobsledding and outdoor events. Discussion covers the ch
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep357: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: SCOTUS AND TRUMP'S TARIFF AUTHORITY Guest: Richard EpsteinEpstein analyzes Supreme Court implications for Trump's tariff policies, examining both the emergency powers claims justifying trade barriers and threats against European a
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep357: 3:26 PMPREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GIANT NON-NUCLEAR ICBM TO DESTROY BUNKERS Guest: Henry Sokolski Sokolski discusses development of a massive conventional ICBM designed to penetrate and destroy hardened underground bunkers without nuclear warheads. Discussi
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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357: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: SCOTUS HEARS OIL COMPANY WARTIME LIABILITY ARGUMENTS Guest: Michael Toth Toth analyzes Supreme Court arguments over whether oil and gas companies face liability for pumping operations conducted during World War II under presidenti
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep357: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: CLEANING UP LOW EARTH ORBIT SPACE JUNK Guest: Bob Zimmerman Zimmerman examines growing efforts to address dangerous debris cluttering low Earth orbit. Discussion covers the collision risks threatening satellites and spacecraft, em
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep356: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-22-2025 1954 BRUSSELS
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 16: ABANDONING SMALL GOVERNMENT AND FREE TRADE Guest: Peter Berkowitz Berkowitz argues neither Musk, Carlson, nor Vance champions traditional conservative principles of small government, free trade, and private enterprise without government inte
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 15: MUSK, CARLSON, AND VANCE DIVERGE FROM REPUBLICAN ORTHODOXY Guest: Peter Berkowitz Berkowitz discusses Michael Doran's Tablet article examining three Trump celebrities—Elon Musk, Tucker Carlson, and Vice President J.D. Vance—whose views diverge
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 14: SYRIAN NATIONAL ARMY DRIVES OUT KURDISH ALLIES Guest: Bill Roggio and Ahmed Sharawi (FDD) Roggio and Sharawi report the Syrian National Army increasingly resembles Al Qaeda while attacking Kurdish forces who remain US allies. The Kurds retreat
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 13: AL QAEDA IN DAMASCUS GOVERNMENT Guest: Bill Roggio and Ahmed Sharawi (FDD) Roggio and Sharawi examine Al Qaeda presence within Syria's new government under clever, effective President al-Sharaa. US forces struck an Al Qaeda commander responsib
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 12: MERCOSUR AGREEMENT FINALLY REACHED Guest: Professor Evan Ellis (US Army War College) Ellis reports good news as the Mercosur trade agreement concludes after 27 years of negotiations. The deal now faces court challenges while promising affordab
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 11: TRUMP SEEKS CUBAN REGIME CHANGE Guest: Professor Evan Ellis (US Army War College) Ellis examines the Trump administration's push for regime change in Havana. Dictator Díaz-Canel faces collapsing conditions with no oil, no power, and a broken e
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 10: PERU AND CHINESE INFLUENCE Guest: Professor Evan Ellis (US Army War College) Ellis analyzes China's growing investment and influence in Peru while the US offers military partnership as counterweight. Discussion covers political turmoil in Lim
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 9: COSTA RICA ELECTION AND PANAMA CANAL TENSIONS Guest: Professor Evan Ellis (US Army War College) Ellis examines Costa Rica's upcoming election amid concerns over giant prison construction projects. Discussion turns to unresolved Panama Canal dis
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep355: SEGMENT 8: VENEZUELA'S UNFINISHED TRANSITION Guest: Mary Anastasia O'Grady (Wall Street Journal) O'Grady reports Venezuela's democratic transition stalled with the same regime intact. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Delcy Rodriguez control state se
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 7: MODI'S TIMID REFORM AGENDA Guest: Sadanand Dhume (Wall Street Journal) Dhume assesses Prime Minister Modi as a timid reformer constrained by political realities and socialist-era institutions. India's growth potential remains unrealized as lega
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 6: ESCALATION TOWARD IRANIAN LEADERSHIP Guest: General Blaine Holt (USAF, Ret.) Holt outlines concentric circles of escalation targeting Iranian leadership if conflict erupts. Discussion covers strike planning that moves progressively toward regim
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 5: PREPARING FOR IRAN BOMBING CAMPAIGN Guest: General Blaine Holt (USAF, Ret.) Holt describes military preparations for potential strikes against Iran, including warplane and warship deployments. The KC-135 tanker buildup signals offensive capabil
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 4: MAGA EMBRACES BIG GOVERNMENT LIKE NEW DEALERS Guest: Veronique de Rugy De Rugy argues MAGA policies mirror New Deal-era big government activism through state industrial policy and massive spending programs. Traditional Republican principles of
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 3: GEN Z JOB STRUGGLES AND THE TRADES REVIVAL Guest: Chris Riegel, Co-Host: Jim McTague Riegel explains how artificial intelligence eliminates entry-level white-collar positions, leaving Gen Z struggling to launch careers in traditional profession
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 2: GAZA AND TRUMP'S SELF-ENRICHMENT CONCERNS Guest: Anatol Lieven, Co-Host: Jim McTague Lieven analyzes Gaza ceasefire dynamics and raises questions about Trump administration officials potentially mixing policy with personal financial interests.
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep354: SEGMENT 1: GREENLAND, NATO, AND TRUMP'S REVERSALS Guest: Anatol Lieven, Co-Host: Jim McTague Lieven examines Trump's shifting positions on Greenland and NATO, unsettling European allies who question American reliability. Discussion covers the proposed Boa
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Jan 23, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: INDIA'S STALLED REFORMS Guest: Sadanand Dhume (Wall Street Journal) Dhume discusses disappointment with Prime Minister Modi's cautious third term, noting India's growth remains hindered by socialist-era labor laws. Although Modi r
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: TRUMP'S CUBA REGIME CHANGE PUSH Guest: Evan Ellis Ellis analyzes the Trump administration's unlikely push for Cuban regime change, with officials like Marco Rubio viewing the island as an ideological threat to hemispheric democrac
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: TANKER POWER IN MIDDLE EAST OPERATIONS Guest: General Blaine Holt (Ret.) Holt describes deploying KC-135 tankers to support operations against Tehran, citing the maxim "nobody kicks ass without tanker gas." These aircraft provide
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: EUROPEAN DOUBTS ON US RELIABILITY Guest: Anatol Lieven Lieven explains how Trump's unpredictability on Greenland and NATO reinforces European perceptions of America as an unreliable backstop for Ukraine. France and Britain are rec
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: VIEW FOR LATER TODAY: VENEZUELA'S FAILED DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION Guest: Mary Anastasia O'Grady O'Grady reports the US hope for Venezuelan democracy is failing because Delcy Rodriguez built no institutions respecting President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez. The Int
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep353: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: AI AND THE RISE OF SKILLED TRADES Guest: Chris Riegel Riegel discusses how artificial intelligence displaces white-collar professions like journalism and law yet cannot perform physical tasks like welding or truck repair. Skilled
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep352: **SHOW SCHEDULE 1-21-2025** **SEGMENT 1: RUSSIA'S FAILING ECONOMY** **Guest: Michael Bernstam** Bernstam analyzes the deteriorating state of Russia's economy under the weight of sanctions and war expenditures. Discussion examines inflation, labor shortag
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep351: SEGMENT 16: 2025 BOOSTER LAUNCHES AND 2026 PROSPECTS Guest: Doug Messier Messier previews the ambitious global launch schedule for 2025 and beyond, with multiple nations expanding space capabilities. Discussion covers SpaceX dominance, emerging competito
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep351: SEGMENT 15: TRADE WITH CHINA REMAINS UNWISE Guest: Alan Tonelson Tonelson argues continued American trade dependence on China remains strategically foolish despite political rhetoric about decoupling. Discussion examines persistent vulnerabilities in supp
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep351: SEGMENT 14: PM STARMER'S HISTORIC UNPOPULARITY Guest: Simon Constable Constable examines Keir Starmer's remarkable collapse in public approval, making him Britain's most unpopular prime minister in modern polling. Discussion analyzes policy missteps, econ
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep351: SEGMENT 13: MERCOSUR DEAL UNPOPULAR AFTER 27 YEARS Guest: Simon Constable Constable reports from the Pyrenees foothills on European discontent with the Mercosur trade agreement finally concluded after 27 years of negotiations. Discussion covers farmer pro
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 12: ENERGY, MINERALS, AND KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY PARTNERSHIP Guest: Arthur Herman Herman outlines his vision for a US-Canada economic condominium built on energy resources, critical minerals, and knowledge industries. Discussion details how combining
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 11: SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT AND NORTH AMERICAN UNITY Guest: Arthur Herman Herman traces intellectual roots of Canadian-American cooperation to the Scottish Enlightenment's shared influence on both nations. Discussion explores how common philosophic
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 10: PALAU NEEDS HELP AGAINST CHINA CRIME GANGS Guest: Cleo Paskal Paskal highlights Palau's struggle against Chinese criminal organizations infiltrating the small Pacific nation. Discussion covers illegal activities, money laundering, and how Beij
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 9: OCEANIA DEFENSE AND CHINA THREAT Guest: Cleo Paskal Paskal reports from the Honolulu defense forum on Pacific island security concerns. Discussion examines China's aggressive expansion into Oceania through infrastructure deals and political inf
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 8: NEW NAVY CARRIER WARPLANE EXTENDS RANGE Guest: Jim Fanell Fanell discusses the Navy's next-generation carrier-based aircraft designed to extend strike range against adversaries. Discussion covers the strategic necessity of longer-range platform
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 7: CHAGOS ISLANDS GIVEAWAY TO CHINESE INFLUENCE Guest: Jim Fanell Fanell criticizes the decision to transfer Chagos Islands sovereignty, warning it opens doors to Chinese influence near the strategic Diego Garcia base. Discussion examines the geop
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 6: CANADA SUBSTITUTING CHINA FOR US TRADE Guest: Charles Burton Burton continues analysis of Canadian trade strategy, questioning whether Ottawa might pivot toward China as alternative to American markets under Trump tariff threats. Discussion wei
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep350: SEGMENT 5: CANADA-CHINA TRADE RELATIONS Guest: Charles Burton Burton examines Canada's complex trade relationship with China amid growing geopolitical tensions. Discussion covers economic dependencies, security concerns over Chinese investment, and how Ot
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Jan 22, 2026 |
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S8 Ep349: SEGMENT 4: MARS AVALANCHE AND SPACE EXPLORATION Guest: Bob Zimmerman Zimmerman examines stunning imagery of a Martian avalanche captured by orbiting spacecraft. Discussion explores what these geological events reveal about Mars surface dynamics, ongoing
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep349: SEGMENT 3: SPACE ENGINEERING AND BOOSTER TECHNOLOGY Guest: Bob Zimmerman Zimmerman discusses latest developments in space engineering, focusing on booster rocket technology and satellite deployment advances. Discussion covers SpaceX achievements, competin
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep349: SEGMENT 2: PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT Guest: Mariam Wahba Wahba reports on the ongoing persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, detailing discrimination, violence, and legal challenges facing the ancient community. Discussion covers recent incid
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep349: SEGMENT 1: RUSSIA'S FAILING ECONOMY Guest: Michael Bernstam Bernstam analyzes the deteriorating state of Russia's economy under the weight of sanctions and war expenditures. Discussion examines inflation, labor shortages, industrial decline, and how long
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Charles Burton. SUMMARY: Burton analyzes Prime Minister Mark Carney's ambitious goal to double Canada's non-US trade within a decade to offset American trade difficulties. He argues this pivot to China is unlikely to succeed, noting that Canada's c
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Jim Fanell. SUMMARY: Fanell criticizes the UK's plan to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius due to Chinese influence concerns. He highlights the strategic necessity of the Diego Garcia base for US bombers and carriers, noting that President Tr
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Rebecca Grant. SUMMARY: Grant discusses the Navy's pursuit of new stealth fighter aircraft with 25% greater range. She explains that this extended range is crucial for survival, allowing carriers to operate further away and evade Chinese missile ta
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Arthur Herman. SUMMARY: Herman dismisses Canadian media narratives regarding a US invasion as "inflated flights of fancy" and absurdities. He critiques the hysteria surrounding Greenland and argues that Prime Minister Carney's hope of becoming a st
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Cleo Paskal. SUMMARY: Paskal reports from a defense forum where Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. detailed Chinese political warfare against his strategic nation. Whipps described destabilization tactics including illegal fishing, cyber attacks
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep348: GUEST: Bob Zimmerman. SUMMARY: Zimmerman discusses a private initiative by Black Moon Energy to mine helium-3 on the moon for fusion fuel. He notes they have signed a deal with JPL to send a mapping rover, a venture made possible only because launch costs
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep347: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-20-2025 SEGMENT 1: RETAIL SALES AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Guest: Liz Peek Strong retail sales signal consumer confidence as Trump takes office. Peek discusses holiday spending numbers, the stock market's performance, and economic expectations
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 16: THE CALMING POWER OF KINGSHIP Guest: Gregory Copley Copley offers praise for monarchical systems as stabilizing forces in nations facing discontent. Discussion examines how kingship provides continuity, national unity, and legitimacy that elec
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 15: GREAT POWERS VERSUS SMALL STATES IN STRATEGIC THINKING Guest: Gregory Copley Copley contrasts how great powers often act impulsively while smaller states analyze carefully before moving. Discussion examines the hubris of major nations shooting
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 14: EMERGING SUNNI OR ISLAMIC NATO IN ASIA Guest: Gregory Copley Copley explores the potential formation of a new security alliance among Sunni Muslim nations in Asia. Discussion covers the strategic drivers behind such a coalition, which countrie
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 13: NATO'S DECLINE AND THE GREENLAND CRISIS Guest: Gregory Copley Copley argues the Greenland controversy reveals deeper fractures signaling NATO's erosion. Discussion examines how the alliance has weakened through neglect and diverging interests,
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 12: CHINA'S GROWING THREAT TO JAPAN Guest: Lance Gatling (Tokyo), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Gatling assesses the mounting Chinese military threat facing Japan, including naval provocations and airspace incursions. Discussion examines Japan's defe
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 11: JAPAN'S SNAP ELECTION UNDER PM TAKAICHI Guest: Lance Gatling (Tokyo), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Gatling reports from Tokyo on Prime Minister Takaichi's decision to call snap elections. Discussion covers the political calculations behind this
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 10: GAZA DIPLOMACY AND INVITATIONS TO ADVERSARIES Guest: Mary Kissel Kissel analyzes the peculiar diplomatic landscape surrounding Gaza negotiations, including controversial outreach to bad actors like Putin. Discussion questions the wisdom of eng
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 9: GREENLAND STRATEGY AND ARCTIC AMBITIONS Guest: Mary Kissel (Former Senior Adviser to Secretary Pompeo) Kissel offers insider perspective on Trump's renewed push for Greenland, drawing on her State Department experience. Discussion examines the
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 8: GAZA CEASEFIRE AND POSTWAR GOVERNANCE Guest: Jonathan Schanzer (Washington, DC) Schanzer examines the fragile Gaza ceasefire and critical questions about who will govern after the fighting ends. Discussion analyzes the proposed makeup of any po
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 7: IRAN EXECUTIONS AND TRUMP'S PROMISE OF HELP Guest: Jonathan Schanzer (Washington, DC) Schanzer reports on the surge of executions inside Iran as the regime cracks down on dissent. Discussion covers Trump's remarks signaling support for the Iran
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 6: STARMER'S LEADERSHIP FAILURES AND CHINA EMBASSY CONCERNS Guest: Joseph Sternberg (London) Sternberg critiques Prime Minister Keir Starmer's struggling leadership and lack of clear direction for Britain. Discussion turns to Starmer's belated scr
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 5: POWELL VS. TRUMP ON MONETARY POLICY Guest: Joseph Sternberg (London) Sternberg analyzes the brewing conflict between Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and President Trump over interest rate policy. Discussion examines Trump's public critic
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 4: EU ECONOMY AND TRANSATLANTIC TENSIONS Guest: Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Berlin), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Continued analysis of Europe's economic malaise and political uncertainty ahead of German elections. Dempsey examines how EU leadership plan
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 3: EUROPEAN FRUSTRATION WITH TRUMP'S RETURN Guest: Judy Dempsey (Carnegie Berlin), Co-Host: Thaddeus McCotter Dempsey assesses European anxiety as Trump begins his second term. Discussion covers EU economic stagnation, Germany's struggling industr
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 2: MARKETS AND GREENLAND CONTROVERSY Guest: Liz Peek Peek analyzes market reactions to the incoming administration and addresses Trump's renewed interest in acquiring Greenland. Discussion covers the strategic importance of Greenland's resources a
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep346: SEGMENT 1: RETAIL SALES AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Guest: Liz Peek Strong retail sales signal consumer confidence as Trump takes office. Peek discusses holiday spending numbers, the stock market's performance, and economic expectations for the new administratio
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Jan 21, 2026 |
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S8 Ep345: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Joseph Sternberg. Sternberg discusses the conflict between the White House and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. While the President correctly argues that high interest rates make federal debt service costly, Sternberg
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep344: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Judy Dempsey. Dempsey contrasts Europe's expensive but secure power supply with the dire situation in Kyiv, where Russian bombing has destroyed heating and water infrastructure. While the EU struggles with disunity over gas
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep344: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Lance Gatling. Gatling analyzes the gamble taken by Takaichi Sanae, Japan's first female prime minister, in calling a snap election for February. Despite the ruling party's low polling due to scandals, she boasts a personal
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep344: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Mary Kissel. Kissel describes the President's focus on Greenland as a political diversion from domestic inflation and foreign policy criticisms. However, she notes the move highlights a genuine security issue, citing a forme
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep344: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Elizabeth Peek. Peek argues that the recent drop in gasoline prices to an average of $2.80 acts as a major tax cut for American consumers. She notes that unlike the anger caused by $5-a-gallon gas under previous leadership,
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep344: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Gregory Copley. Copley explains that European states fear the United States will dictate terms regarding Greenland, viewing this as a continuation of post-WWII history. He argues Washington has systematically subordinated al
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep343: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-19-2026 Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine discusses President James Buchanan's January 4, 1861, national fast day, intended to unite a fracturing nation through prayer and repentance. While old-school Presbyterians like Cha
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. The trial ended abruptly with a guilty verdict, denying Bryan his closing speech; he died days later, likely due to heat, stress, and diabetes. John Scopes eventually became a geologist and lived a reclusive life, refusing to exp
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. During a stifling heatwave, the trial moved outdoors where Darrow executed a shocking maneuver by calling prosecutor William Jennings Bryan to the witness stand. Darrow interrogated Bryan on his literal interpretation of the Bible
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. The defense suffered a major setback when the judge ruled that their scientific experts could not testify before the jury, forcing them to read affidavits into the record instead. H.L. Mencken, the acerbic journalist who dubbed th
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. Fundamentalist Judge John T. Raulston presided over the trial, enjoying the publicity brought by loudspeakers and radio coverage. The defense included civil liberties lawyer Arthur Garfield Hayes, a secular Jew, serving as a const
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. Three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan joined the prosecution to revive his political career and defend fundamentalism. Famous for his populist "Cross of Gold" speech, Bryan had become rigid in his views, advocat
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. The ACLU, seeking to defend religious liberty and raise its profile, seized upon the Scopes case. While the board considered prestigious constitutional lawyers, the notorious Clarence Darrow volunteered his services pro bono becau
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. The ACLU, seeking to defend religious liberty and raise its profile, seized upon the Scopes case. While the board considered prestigious constitutional lawyers, the notorious Clarence Darrow volunteered his services pro bono becau
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Brenda Wineapple. In 1925, the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act, banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. At Robinson's drugstore in Dayton, local booster George Rapier and others recruited 24-year-old science teacher John Sc
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine analyzes the war's conclusion and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, which framed the conflict as divine judgment for the shared offense of slavery. He notes that Lincoln intended a Reconstruction based on
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. The discussion turns to the Union's "low point" in August 1864, where Lincoln expected to lose the election to Democrat George McClellan. Carwardine describes the Democratic campaign as "brokenbacked" for pairing a gen
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine discusses James McMaster, the Catholic editor of the Freeman's Journal, characterizing him as an extraordinary polemicist who was imprisoned for his "vituperations" against the war. McMaster argued the war d
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine details the intense political opposition Lincoln faced in 1863 following the Emancipation Proclamation. He highlights Clement Vallandigham, a "Peace Democrat" leader who viewed the war as unwinnable and Linc
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. The discussion turns to Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens' "Cornerstone Speech," which explicitly defined racial inequality as the Confederacy's foundation, a stance widely condemned in the North. Carwardin
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. In September 1861, Lincoln proclaimed a fast day, carefully avoiding specific references to slavery to maintain political unity. Carwardine details the conflict surrounding General Frémont's unauthorized emancipation o
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine explains that President-elect Lincoln did not view Republicans as overly aggressive, positioning himself as a constitution-respecting centrist rather than a radical. Lincoln opposed slavery's expansion but a
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep342: Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine discusses President James Buchanan's January 4, 1861, national fast day, intended to unite a fracturing nation through prayer and repentance. While old-school Presbyterians like Charles Hodge supported this
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Jan 20, 2026 |
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S8 Ep341: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Brenda Wineapple. In a shocking legal maneuver during a blistering heatwave, defense attorney Clarence Darrow called prosecutor William Jennings Bryan to the witness stand. Wineapple explains that while his own team was horr
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep340: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Brenda Wineapple. Wineapple describes William Jennings Bryan arriving in Dayton, Tennessee, like a movie star. Wearing a pith helmet against the heat, the former Secretary of State and three-time presidential candidate viewe
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep340: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Brenda Wineapple. Wineapple details the 1925 Scopes trial preparations, where the ACLU sought a defense attorney for John Scopes. Notorious lawyer Clarence Darrow volunteered his services pro bono, feeling called to battle a
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep340: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine explains that while the Civil War was won on battlefields, peace was secured at the pulpits. Lincoln recognized the influence of religious nationalists who were initially critical of
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep340: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine argues Lincoln's first fast day in 1861 was successful, noting the President subsequently called additional fast days. Lincoln utilized these events and open-door meetings with denomi
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep340: 5:18 PMPREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Professor Richard Carwardine. Carwardine discusses Samuel "Sunset" Cox, a Democratic Congressman famed for his eloquence. Cox vividly denounced New England Puritanism as the root of moral extremism and interference. H
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep339: Carthage, Rome, and Imperial Decline The final debate explores the historical destruction of Carthage to illuminate the modern American Empire's troubled trajectory and uncertain future. Germanicus advances a provocative thesis: the United States now mor
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep339: Rebellion and Theater in Minnesota The dialogue turns to the rebellious American province of Minnesota, where local authorities and National Guard forces reportedly confront federal Department of Homeland Security agents over immigration enforcement in s
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep339: Gaius and Germanicus convene in winter Londinium to debate the American Emperor Trump's bold proposal to purchase Greenland from Denmark, framing this ambition not as mere resource acquisition but as a demonstration of imperial authority in the manner of
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: A LANDSLIDE VICTORY AND POLITICAL REALIGNMENT Colleague David Pietrusza. On election night, early returns from Connecticut signal a massive victory for Roosevelt, contradicting expectations of a close race. FDR sweeps the nation, winning 46 states and sec
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: CAMPAIGN RHETORIC AND ELEANOR ROOSEVELT'S ROLE Colleague David Pietrusza. Alf Landon proves to be an ineffective campaigner with a terrible radio voice, while Eleanor Roosevelt becomes a star, drawing immense crowds. Eleanor is crucial in securing the Afr
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION OF ALF LANDON Colleague David Pietrusza. The Republican Party searches for a candidate to challenge FDR, rejecting a return of Herbert Hoover. After considering isolationist William Borah and publisher Frank Knox, they settle on
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST'S OPPOSITION TO FDR Colleague David Pietrusza. Media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, who controls a vast network of newspapers and radio stations, turns against Roosevelt as the New Deal moves left. Hearst's reputation suffers afte
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: RADICAL PARTIES AND THE POPULAR FRONT STRATEGY Colleague David Pietrusza. Roosevelt contends with fringe parties, including the Socialists led by Norman Thomas and the Communists led by Earl Browder. Browder, selected by Stalin for being pliant and non-Je
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: THE TOWNSEND PLAN AND THE BREAK WITH FATHER COUGHLIN Colleague David Pietrusza. Francis Townsend proposes a popular plan to give the elderly $200 a month, pressuring Roosevelt—who disliked the "dole"—to introduce Social Security. Meanwhile, the radio prie
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: CHALLENGES FROM AL SMITH AND SOUTHERN POPULISTS Colleague David Pietrusza. Roosevelt faces opposition from his former mentor Al Smith, who felt snubbed after 1932 and now leads the conservative American Liberty League. Smith attacks the New Deal as class
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep338: THE DEATH OF LOUIS HOWE AND THE POLITICAL VACUUM Colleague David Pietrusza. In April 1936, Franklin D. Roosevelt faces a critical moment as his longtime advisor, Louis Howe, lies dying. Howe, an unsightly and acerbic man who "worshipped" Roosevelt, had gu
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION Colleague Jonathan Healey. James II, a Catholic, succeeds Charles II despite the earlier "Exclusion Crisis" which birthed the Whig and Tory parties. Initially surviving due to Tory support, James alienates his allies by promoting C
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE RESTORATION AND THE BLAZING WORLD Colleague Jonathan Healey. Seeking stability after political chaos, England invites Charles II to return in 1660. The Restoration maintains parliamentary taxation power but brings a severe Anglican religious reaction
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE REPUBLIC AND THE RULE OF CROMWELL Colleague Jonathan Healey. Following the regicide, John Lambert drafts the "Instrument of Government," creating a constitution with checks and balances. Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector, achieving stability and
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE NEW MODEL ARMY AND THE REGICIDE Colleague Jonathan Healey. Parliament reorganizes its forces into the New Model Army under Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, prioritizing merit over social status. After defeating the Royalists at Naseby, political di
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE OUTBREAK OF CIVIL WAR Colleague Jonathan Healey. By late 1641, Parliament forces reforms, executing Strafford and imprisoning Laud. The King attempts to arrest five parliamentary members in the House of Commons but fails, leading to massive street pro
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE PERSONAL RULE OF CHARLES I AND THE SLIDE TOWARD REBELLION Colleague Jonathan Healey. Tensions rise as lawyer Edward Coke champions the Petition of Right against Charles I's arbitrary imprisonment and taxation. After the Duke of Buckingham is assassina
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: THE SPANISH MATCH AND THE PATH TO WAR Colleague Jonathan Healey. In 1623, Prince Charles and the Duke of Buckingham travel to Madrid in disguise to secure a marriage with the Spanish Infanta, hoping her dowry will solve royal financial issues. This "Spani
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep337: JAMES I, THE GUNPOWDER PLOT, AND THE RISE OF THE MIDDLING SORT Colleague Jonathan Healey. King James I faces a divided England upon his accession, navigating religious tensions between Catholics, Puritans, and the mainstream. The 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a ra
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: The Empire Style: Colonial Influence and the End of Sumptuary Laws GUEST AUTHOR: Anne Higonnet SUMMARY: During the Directory, Teresia and Rose dominated Parisian society, where Rose eventually captivated a young Napoleon Bonaparte. Higonnet expl
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: Cotton, Contraband, and the Invention of the Handbag GUEST AUTHOR: Anne Higonnet SUMMARY: Higonnet details the material revolution where aristocratic silk was replaced by Indian cotton, a "revolutionary fabric" that allowed painters like Jacques
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: The Empire Style: Colonial Influence and the End of Sumptuary Laws GUEST AUTHOR: Anne Higonnet SUMMARY: During the Directory, Teresia and Rose dominated Parisian society, where Rose eventually captivated a young Napoleon Bonaparte. Higonnet expl
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: Emerging from the Terror: The Birth of Revolutionary Style GUEST AUTHOR: Anne Higonnet SUMMARY: Professor Anne Higonnet discusses how the end of the Reign of Terror in 1794 precipitated a radical shift in French fashion. Teresia Tallien, emergin
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: Strategic Vulnerabilities and the Path to a 456-Ship Fleet GUEST AUTHOR: Jerry Hendrix SUMMARY: Hendrix identifies critical economic vulnerabilities in China and Russia, noting that both regimes rely heavily on sea lanes for energy and food, mak
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: Moneyball for the Navy: Balancing the Fleet GUEST AUTHOR: Jerry Hendrix SUMMARY: Applying a "Moneyball" baseball analogy, Hendrix argues the current U.S. Navy is "top-heavy," relying on expensive "home run" carriers while lacking "base hitters"—
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: The Cannonball Rule vs. Anti-Access Denial GUEST AUTHOR: Jerry Hendrix SUMMARY: Hendrix explains how the historical "cannonball rule," which limited territorial waters to the range of shore batteries, is being challenged by modern long-range mis
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep336: HEADLINE: The Western Pacific as the New Inner German Border GUEST AUTHOR: Jerry Hendrix SUMMARY: Captain Jerry Hendrix argues that the Western Pacific has replaced the Cold War's "Inner German Border" as the primary geography of global ideological and mi
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Jan 19, 2026 |
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S8 Ep335: DALLAS THE DOG DEFENDS BACKYARD FROM DESTRUCTIVE COCKATOOS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis reports that his dog, Dallas, now serves as an air defense system, specifically barking at destructive cockatoos attempting to land. Dallas ignores other birds but, a
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep334: AUSTRALIA RETAINS ASHES VICTORY AS ENGLAND'S BAZBALL STRATEGY FAILS Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis discusses Australia's humble celebration after winning the 2026 Ashes series 4-1, noting that England's aggressive "Bazball" strategy was deemed fundamentall
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep334: BRISBANE WOMAN WAKES TO FIND 8-FOOT PYTHON ON CHEST Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis recounts a shocking story from Brisbane where a sleeping woman mistook an 8-foot python curled on her chest for her dog. Her husband alerted her, and a snake catcher removed
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep334: SEVERE STORMS AND BUSHFIRES PLAGUE AUSTRALIA'S CHAOTIC SUMMER Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Zakis describes a tumultuous Australian summer featuring severe storms on the east coast and dangerous bushfires in Victoria. Shifting winds from the desert and Antarcti
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep333: PARTISAN RIFTS AND THE CAPITAL CITY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington selects the Potomac for the new capital to connect the West, while rivals Jefferson and Madison organize political opposition during a northern tour. The series concludes with
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep333: INDIGENOUS RELATIONS AND HIDDEN HISTORIES Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington meets with the Catawba nation to promise federal protection for their lands, even as his administration wages war against tribes in Ohio. Philbrick visits Old Salem to exp
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep333: THE ARDUOUS SOUTHERN TOUR AND CIVIL WAR ECHOES Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington undertakes an exhausting 2,000-mile journey through the South to unify the country, visiting federalist cities like Charleston. Philbrick notes the eerie experience
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep333: A STORMY SEA VOYAGE TO RHODE ISLAND Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington sails to Newport to embrace the former holdout state of Rhode Island, a trip Philbrick reenacts while surviving a terrifying tornado on the water. The discussion uncovers Rhode
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep332: SECRET GRATITUDE TO THE LONG ISLAND SPY RING Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick details Washington's unadvertised 1790 tour of Long Island, which appears to have been a covert mission to thank members of the Culper Spy Ring. This journey included st
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep332: POWER STRUGGLES IN BOSTON AND THE PARADOX OF SLAVERY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. In Boston, Washington asserts federal supremacy by refusing to dine with Governor John Hancock until the governor visits him first. The segment contrasts this political vi
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep331: THE INAUGURATION AND THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Overwhelmed by the moment, Washington collapses into a chair after taking his oath on a hastily acquired Bible. Philbrick parallels this vulnerability with the "only a man" folklore
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep331: THE RELUCTANT PRESIDENT'S JOURNEY TO NEW YORK Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Washington travels from Mount Vernon to New York for his inauguration in April 1789, plagued by inner turmoil and a sense of impending doom. Philbrick describes the President as
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep331: PREVIEW THE FOLKLORE OF THE ONLY A MAN STORY Colleague Nathaniel Philbrick. Nathaniel Philbrick discusses a recurring oral tradition where Washington, touring the country, tells awestruck observers that despite his title, he is "only a man." Philbrick arg
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Jan 18, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: THE LEGACY OF THE MARBLEHEADERS Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. The final segment reflects on the heavy price Marblehead paid for independence, ending the war with a ruined economy and nearly 400 widows. O'Donnell notes that few physical memorials exist toda
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: ASSUNPINK CREEK, PRINCETON, AND INOCULATION Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following Trenton, many Marbleheaders returned home due to expired enlistments and starving families, but those who remained fought in the pivotal Battle of Assunpink Creek. Here, th
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: CROSSING THE DELAWARE AND THE VICTORY AT TRENTON Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. On Christmas night 1776, Washington launched a surprise attack on Trenton requiring a crossing of the ice-choked Delaware River. O'Donnell explains that only the diverse Marbleh
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: ASSASSINATION PLOTS AND THE MIRACLE OF NEW YORK Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. In 1776, a conspiracy orchestrated by Loyalist Governor Tryon to assassinate George Washington and destroy Patriot gunpowder supplies was uncovered. Thomas Hickey, a member of Wa
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: WASHINGTON'S NAVY AND THE LIFEGUARD Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Upon arriving in Cambridge in July 1775, George Washington formed a close bond with the Marblehead Regiment, relying on them for security and expertise. Facing a desperate shortage of gunpow
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: BUNKER HILL, SMALLPOX, AND TREASON Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. The discussion moves to June 1775, covering the Battle of Bunker Hill where Marbleheader Samuel Trevett's cannons successfully repelled British charges despite a critical lack of gunpowder. O
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: THE BATTLE OF MENOTOMY AND INFORMATION WARFARE Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Following the initial skirmishes, the conflict escalated into the Battle of Menotomy, where Marbleheaders engaged the retreating British column in brutal combat. O'Donnell highlig
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep330: THE CORNFIELD ESCAPE AND THE POWDER CRISIS Colleague Patrick O'Donnell. Patrick O'Donnell introduces the Marblehead leadership during the critical nights of April 1775. As the British marched toward Lexington and Concord to seize gunpowder, three key Patr
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep329: NDEMIC POLICY AND THE DYING CITIZEN Colleague Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that unelected health officials like Anthony Fauci exercised excessive power that damaged the middle class while favoring larg
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: DIPLOMATIC COUPS AND THE WEAK CONFEDERATION Colleague Joseph Ellis. John Jay secured a diplomatic triumph by defying instructions to consult the French, negotiating directly with Britain to establish the Mississippi River as the western border. Post-war,
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: GRASSROOTS CONTROL AND VICTORY AT YORKTOWN Colleague Joseph Ellis. Ellis argues the British could not win because local committees enforced the cause in the countryside, neutralizing loyalists. Cornwallis was trapped at Yorktown due to orders from Clinton
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: A GLOBAL WAR AND THE SOUTHERN STRATEGY Colleague Joseph Ellis. The entry of France and Spain transformed the rebellion into a global war, forcing Britain to prioritize the Caribbean over the colonies. Charles Lee was disgraced for his behavior at Monmouth
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: THE BATTLE FOR NEW YORK AND THE STANDING MIRACLE Colleague Joseph Ellis. Washington moved the army to New York to uphold civilian control, despite the location being militarily indefensible. Ellis notes that the Howe brothers, hoping to negotiate peace, h
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: SURVIVAL AT VALLEY FORGE AND A NEW ARISTOCRACY Colleague Joseph Ellis. At Valley Forge, the army suffered from congressional neglect until Nathaniel Greene reorganized the quartermaster corps to provide food. Ellis describes the survivors as a "virtuous a
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: DIVERSE VOICES AND THE MILITIA MYTH Colleague Joseph Ellis. Ellis profiles key figures of 1774-1775, including the conservative John Dickinson, who sought to avoid war, and the revolutionary John Adams. He discusses the "delusion" created by Bunker Hill t
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep328: DEFINING THE CAUSE AND THE MONARCH'S POWER Colleague Joseph Ellis. Ellis explains that colonists adopted the term "the cause" to describe their diverse opposition to British policy and eventual desire for independence, covering various interest groups und
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep327: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-17-25 LAS VEGAS TUNNELS AND THE RELOCATION OF THE ATHLETICS Colleague Jeff Bliss. Jeff Bliss reports on the expansion of The Boring Company's tunnels in Las Vegas, which use Tesla cars to alleviate traffic congestion. He also discusses t
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN INDICATORS AND SECRECY AT THE WHITE HOUSE Colleague Jim McTague, Former Washington Editor of Barron's. Jim McTague observes unusually light traffic and retail activity in Washington, D.C. and Lancaster, signaling a potential economic slo
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: PERU NAMED NON-NATO PARTNER AS US COUNTERS CHINESE INFLUENCE Colleague Oscar Sumar, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Universidad Científica del Sur. Oscar Sumar discusses Peru's designation as a US non-NATO partner, a move designed to counter Chinese geopolitica
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: ISS LAUNCHPAD ACCIDENT AND RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR ROLE IN CHINESE MOON BASE Colleague Anatoli Zak, Publisher of RussianSpaceWeb.com. A launchpad collapse has halted Russian cargo missions to the ISS, endangering the propellant supply required for critical orbit
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: SOVIET UNION'S SECRET 1972 LUNAR BASE AMBITIONS AND THE N1 ROCKET FAILURE Colleague Anatoli Zak, Publisher of RussianSpaceWeb.com. Anatoli Zak explains that in 1972, the Soviet Union pursued the L3M project to establish a permanent lunar base, refusing to
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: EDUCATION REFORM AND THE AVOIDANCE OF A FEDERAL AI DEPARTMENT Colleague Kevin Frazier. Frazier argues for updating education, starting with teacher training in elementary schools and vocational partnerships in high schools, to prepare students for an AI f
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: ECONOMIC LIBERTY AND THE LABOR MARKET IN THE AGE OF AI Colleague Kevin Frazier. Kevin Frazier explores how AI is reshaping the economy, noting that liberal arts graduates may be better positioned than STEM majors to handle new information synthesis. He ad
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: ELON MUSK AND THE GOLDEN DOME DEFENSE PROPOSAL Colleague Henry Sokolski. Sokolski evaluates Elon Musk's proposal to create a "Golden Dome" missile defense system for the US. While the concept involves space-based sensors, Sokolski notes concerns regarding
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: DATA CENTERS STRAIN THE ELECTRICAL GRID Colleague Henry Sokolski. Henry Sokolski discusses the surging demand for electricity driven by AI data centers and the White House's proposal to auction power access. He argues that tech companies should finance th
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: GLOBAL SPACE FAILURES AND CHINA'S REUSABLE CRAFT CLAIMS Colleague Bob Zimmerman. Zimmerman analyzes a failed Indian rocket launch that lost multiple payloads, though a Spanish prototype survived. He also critiques the European Space Agency for delays in d
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: SPACE STATION RETURNS, NUCLEAR MOON PLANS, AND BOEING STRUGGLES Colleague Bob Zimmerman. Bob Zimmerman discusses the early return of an ISS crew due to a medical issue and expresses skepticism about NASA's plan for a lunar nuclear reactor by 2030. He also
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: ITALY STABILIZES PENSION COSTS AND CELEBRATES PASTA TARIFF CUTS Colleague Lorenzo Fiori. Lorenzo Fiori reports that despite high pension costs, Italy's economic reforms under Prime Minister Meloni have stabilized the system by increasing employment. Fiori
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: MEXICO'S ALIGNMENT WITH DICTATORS AND INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURES Colleague Mary Anastasia O'Grady. Mary Anastasia O'Grady discusses Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's ideological support for the Cuban and Venezuelan regimes, including increased oil shipme
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: SUPREME COURT LIKELY TO STRIKE DOWN TRUMP TARIFFS Colleague Professor Richard Epstein. Epstein predicts the Supreme Court will invalidate the Trump administration's emergency tariffs, arguing there is no statutory basis for the trade imbalances cited as j
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: FEDERAL IMMUNITY AND THE ICE SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS Colleague Professor Richard Epstein. Professor Richard Epstein analyzes the legal battle over whether ICE agents have immunity from state prosecution following a fatal shooting in Minneapolis. He explai
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: BIG SUR REOPENS AND COPPER THEFT PLAGUES CALIFORNIA Colleague Jeff Bliss. Highway 1 in Big Sur has reopened after landslide repairs featuring new concrete canopies to protect the road. Bliss also details how copper thieves have crippled infrastructure in
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep326: LAS VEGAS TUNNELS AND THE RELOCATION OF THE ATHLETICS Colleague Jeff Bliss. Jeff Bliss reports on the expansion of The Boring Company's tunnels in Las Vegas, which use Tesla cars to alleviate traffic congestion. He also discusses the Athletics baseball te
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Jan 17, 2026 |
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S8 Ep325: PREVIEW FOR LATER TRADEMARK TROUBLES FOR THE RELOCATING ATHLETICS Colleague Jeff Bliss. As the Oakland A's move to Las Vegas via a temporary stay in Sacramento, they face significant branding hurdles. Jeff Bliss explains the team cannot use "Sacramento At
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep325: PREVIEW FOR LATER REIMAGINING AI REGULATION BEYOND THE SKYNET MYTH Colleague Kevin Frazier, University of Texas Law School. Frazier argues against regulating Artificial Intelligence through a fearful "Skynet mentality," suggesting it is better viewed simp
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep325: PREVIEW FOR LATER MEXICO'S IDEOLOGICAL OIL LIFELINE TO CUBA Colleague Mary O'Grady, Wall Street Journal. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has tripled oil shipments to Cuba, aiding the struggling dictatorship after Venezuela's support waned. O'Grady exp
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep325: PREVIEW FOR LATER THE HIDDEN COSTS OF POWERING AI DATA CENTERS Colleague Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Sokolski questions who will fund the expensive electricity transmission infrastructure required by new AI data centers, noti
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep324: PREVIEW FOR LATER PERU BALANCES CHINESE CULTURE WITH SECURITY CONCERNS Colleague Oscar Sumar, Civitas Institute. While Peru recently became a US non-NATO military partner, China maintains heavy investment in Peruvian infrastructure like the Chancay port.
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep324: PREVIEW FOR LATER SPACE STATION DELAYS AND SHIFTING LAUNCH CONTRACTS Colleague Bob Zimmerman. Axiom Space faces concerning delays in launching modules for its private space station, now pushed to 2028, leaving little margin before the ISS deorbits. Mean
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep323: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-15-25 Rival Factions Contending for Power in Post-Maduro Venezuela. Guest: PROFESSOR EVAN ELLIS, U.S. Army War College. Following Maduro's detention, four major crime families are competing for authority in Caracas, including the Rodrigue
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Lessons from the Superpower's Economic Resurgence. Guest: GREGORY COPLEY. The 21st century reveals that nations prioritizing energy security and enforced borders tend to succeed. President Trump's focus on manufacturing and cheap energy has bolstered the
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: The Reassertion of American Empire. Guest: GREGORY COPLEY. During Donald Trump's second term, the United States moved into an offensive mode to reassert dominance and energy security. Simultaneously, the European Union faces a crisis of legitimacy, with n
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: China's Quest for Legitimacy and Defense. Guest: GREGORY COPLEY. The Chinese Communist Party yearns for ancient China's legitimacy while defending its modern borders. Rather than traditional imperial expansion, China employs "total war" non-military means
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Sovereignty and the Russian Identity Crisis. Guest: GREGORY COPLEY. Sovereignty is fundamentally tied to geography and identity. In the current period of "cratomorphosis," Russia exhibits defensive nationalism rather than expansionism. To the Kremlin, Ukr
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Mapping the Future of Space Observation. Guest: DINESH NANDAL. Advancing cosmology requires a "James Webb 2.0" with larger mirrors and a successor to the Chandra X-ray telescope. Funding is also needed for researchers to develop new mathematical models. W
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Cosmological Mysteries: The Little Red Dots. Guest: DEVESH NANDAL. The James Webb Space Telescopediscovered "little red dots"—compact, bright objects in the early universe that are not easily explained as galaxies or accreting black holes. These findings
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: The Upwardly Mobile but Anxious Middle Class. Guest: VERONIQUE DE RUGY. Despite reports of a shrinking middle class, data shows many individuals are actually moving into the upper middle class. However, significant anxiety remains due to rising costs in g
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Canada's Strategic Pivot to China. Guest: CONRAD BLACK. Prime Minister Mark Carney is visiting China to establish a "new strategic partnership" and a "new world order." This mission serves as a "Plan B" to offset potential trade losses with the United Sta
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Strategies for a Democratic Transition in Venezuela and Cuba. Guest: CLIFF MAY, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Marco Rubio is reportedly developing a plan for a gradual transition in Venezuela by making specific demands on the remaining "gangster
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Economic Realities: Chinese Struggles and U.S. Consumer Strength. Guest: CHRIS RIEGEL, CEO of Stratacache. China's economy is struggling, evidenced by declining imports of raw materials and factory workers facing destitution. In contrast, the U.S. economy
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Russia's Role as a Stabilizing Factor in Middle East Tensions. Guest: ANATOL LIEVEN, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Russia has reportedly arbitrated between Jerusalem and Tehran to prevent preemptive strikes and maintain stability in Eurasia
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: The Risks of Seizing Russia's Shadow Fleet at Sea. Guest: ANATOL LIEVEN, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. The U.S. seizure of Russian-owned "shadow fleet" tankers raises the risk of a direct military clash if European nations follow suit. Russ
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Trade Integration and Security Concerns in Mercosur and Costa Rica. Guest: PROFESSOR EVAN ELLIS, U.S. Army War College. Mercosur has achieved a historic trade deal with the European Union, potentially offsetting U.S. economic pressure and deepening ties w
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Regional Tensions: U.S. Pressure on Mexico and South American Shifts. Guest: PROFESSOR EVAN ELLIS, U.S. Army War College. The U.S. is pushing Mexico for joint military operations against cartels, forcing President Sheinbaum into a "delicate dance" to prot
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Cuba's Collapse Amidst U.S. Oil Blockade and Economic Ruin. Guest: PROFESSOR EVAN ELLIS, U.S. Army War College. The Trump administration has halted oil shipments to Cuba, exacerbating a crisis where the electrical grid is failing and life is becoming "imp
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep322: Rival Factions Contending for Power in Post-Maduro Venezuela. Guest: PROFESSOR EVAN ELLIS, U.S. Army War College. Following Maduro's detention, four major crime families are competing for authority in Caracas, including the Rodriguez siblings and military
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST CONRAD BLACK. Canada's Trade Strategy: Navigating USMCA and China Tensions. Conrad Black discusses Canada's efforts to balance trade between a potential new USMCA agreement and a burgeoning relationship with China. He highli
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST EVAN ELLIS. Venezuela's Economic Opening Amidst Humanitarian Crisis. Evan Ellis explores the state of Venezuela, where millions wait for political change. While sanctions easing has allowed some oil flow and the return of Am
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST ANATOL LIEVEN. British Military Ambition and the Reality of US Dependency. Anatol Lieven criticizes the British military-industrial complex for influencing government policy without pushback. He argues that Britain's attempt
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST CLIFF MAY. Global Hopes for Liberation Under the Trump Administration. Cliff May discusses how people in Venezuela, Iran, and Ukraine are looking to the Trump administration for liberation from tyranny. He emphasizes the nee
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST DINESH NANDAL. The James Webb Telescope and the Mystery of "Little Red Dots". Cosmologist Devesh Nandal explains the James Webb telescope's discovery of "little red dots" dating back over 13 billion years. These dots represe
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep321: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: GUEST CHRIS RIEGEL. Tariffs Force Global Shift in Electronics Manufacturing Away from China. Chris Riegel reports on a major shift in consumer electronics manufacturing away from China toward India, Mexico, and Southeast Asia. Thi
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Jan 16, 2026 |
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S8 Ep320: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-14-25 China Urges Canada to Break from US Influence. Guests: CHARLES BURTON and GORDON CHANG. China is pressuring Canada to adopt "strategic autonomy" and distance itself from US influence as PM Mark Carney visits Beijing. Despite myths
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep319: The China-Iran Partnership: Oil, Surveillance, and Regional Stability. Guest: JACK BURNHAM. China maintains a pragmatic "partnership" with Iran, focused on extracting discounted oil. Beijing provides surveillance technology to help the Iranian regime supp
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep319: The Collapse of the Chinese Real Estate Market and Economic Stagnation. Guests: ANNE STEVENSON-YANG and GORDON CHANG. China's property sector faces a permanent downturn, with prices dropping 30–60% and enough vacant apartments to house billions. The gover
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep319: Pakistan's $1.5 Billion Arms Deal with Sudan and China's Strategic Influence. Guests: RICK FISHER and GORDON CHANG. Pakistan is nearing a deal to supply jets and drones to Sudan, likely funded by Saudi Arabia. China uses these transactions to establish al
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep319: Plunging Russian Oil Prices and the Impact of Global Sanctions. Guest: MICHAEL BERNSTAM. Russian oil prices are dropping significantly, with some major brands selling between $34 and $35 per barrel. Western sanctions and global supply gluts allow buyers l
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: The New Right's Radical Rejection of Traditional Republicanism. Guest: PETER BERKOWITZ, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow. Berkowitz contrasts the New Right's desire for state-led social reform with the Republican Party's traditional focus on liberty and l
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: The Intellectual Factions of the "New Right". Guest: PETER BERKOWITZ, Hoover Institution Senior Fellow. Peter Berkowitz outlines the fracturing of the "New Right" into factions like national conservatives and post-liberals. Referencing Laura K. Field's bo
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Iran in Transition: Assessing a Regime on the Brink. Guest: MARY KISSEL, Executive Vice President at Stephens Incorporated. John Batchelor and Mary Kissel analyze reports of Iran's potential collapse, citing internet blackouts and regime brutality. They d
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Venezuela's Power Vacuum and the Path Forward. Guest: MARY KISSEL, Executive Vice President at Stephens Incorporated. Mary Kissel discusses the "unfinished" state of Venezuela following the removal of Maduro, characterizing the remaining leadership as "th
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Scouting Mars for Helicopters and the Search for Alien Life. Guest: BOB ZIMMERMAN. Scientists are scouting landing sites for future Mars helicopters in areas containing near-surface ice, potentially for future Starship missions. Research suggests liquid w
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Artemis 2 Safety Concerns and SpaceX Dominance. Guest: BOB ZIMMERMAN. The Artemis 2 manned mission faces controversy over unresolved Orion heat shield damage observed during previous tests. Meanwhile, SpaceX has secured a monopoly on recent Space Force co
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: The Risks of Venezuelan Oil and Soaring Copper Prices. Guest: SIMON CONSTABLE. American oil companies remain reluctant to invest in Venezuela due to the historical risk of nationalization and decayed infrastructure. In commodity markets, copper has reache
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Chinese Sinister Intentions in Cuba and Nicaragua. Guest: STEVE YATES. China maintains a significant presence in Cuba, utilizing the island for intelligence gathering and signals facilities targeted at the United States. As Venezuela's oil subsidies to Cu
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Electricity Costs, AI Demand, and Venezuela's Oil Reality. Guest: BUD WEINSTEIN. Rising US electricity prices, up 30-35% over five years, are driven by data center and AI growth alongside infrastructure underinvestment. Meanwhile, Venezuelan oil is deemed
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: Trump's Iran Tariff Threat and China Trade Rift. Guest: ALAN TONELSON. President Trump's threat of a 25% tariff on any country trading with Iran significantly impacts China, which values this trade for political and symbolic reasons. China has already fai
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: China's "Hollow Power" in Iran and Venezuela. Guests: GORDON CHANG and CHARLES BURTON. China's influence appears limited as it fails to substantively support struggling allies like Venezuela's Maduro or the Iranian regime. While China remains a major purc
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep318: China Urges Canada to Break from US Influence. Guests: CHARLES BURTON and GORDON CHANG. China is pressuring Canada to adopt "strategic autonomy" and distance itself from US influence as PM Mark Carney visits Beijing. Despite myths of economic salvation th
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Jan 15, 2026 |
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S8 Ep317: The Futility of Canadian-Chinese Trade Diplomacy PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST CHARLES BURTON. Charles Burton critiques Mark Carney's trade mission to Beijing, noting it mirrors past failures. Despite attempts to ignore human rights to boost trade, historical
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep317: Venezuela's Stability Crisis and the Path to Reinvestment PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST MARY KISSEL. Mary Kissel discusses Venezuela's uninvestable state due to a lack of rule of law. While the opposition engages the Vatican for moral leadership, the regime re
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep317: Texas Leads the Energy Transition for High-Tech Demands PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST BUD WEINSTEIN. Bud Weinstein explains how Texas has become number one in wind and solar energy to power massive data centers. Despite the growth of renewables and batteries i
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep317: Scouting Mars: The Future of Starship and Helicopters PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST BOB ZIMMERMAN. Bob Zimmerman explores plans for future Mars helicopters following Ingenuity's success. Scientists are currently scouting Starship landing zones rich in near-sur
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep316: China's Military Technology and Export Capabilities in Conflict Zones PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST JACK BURNHAM. Jack Burnham explores China's supply of air defense radars to Venezuela and its relationship with Iran. While these systems are tested in foreign
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep316: Evaluating Chinese Strategic Influence and Potential Threats in Cuba PREVIEW FOR LATER: GUEST STEVE YATES. Steve Yates analyzes potential Chinese threats in Cuba, ranging from biological pathogens to electronic signals. Yates suggests the administration i
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: SHOW SCHEDULE 1-13-25 1868 PUBLISHER'S ROW NYC Guests: Elizabeth Peek and John Batchelor. Batchelor and Peek discuss inflation holding firm at 2.7% in December. They evaluate falling gasoline prices and strong holiday retail performance as indicators of
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep315: THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 1-13-25
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Gregory Copley. Reza Pahlavi proposes a constitutional monarchy where the crown serves as a symbolic figurehead, similar to the British system. Copley highlights Pahlavi's unique name recognition and legitimacy as the former crown prince. However,
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Gregory Copley. Following the arrest of Maduro, Venezuela is controlled by four competing "crime families." Copley notes the absence of a clear U.S. plan for citizens facing food and medical insecurity. The U.S. seeks to enforce an oil embargo agai
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Gregory Copley. Iran's collapse could dismantle the "International North-South Transport Corridor," a vital trade route for Russia and India. Copley argues that the Iranian public is increasingly secular, with the youth rejecting clerical authority
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Brandon Weichert. Turmoil in Iran threatens China's energy security, as Beijing receives roughly 70-80% of Iranian oil. Weichert suggests Russia and China are using the crisis to test anti-Starlink technologies. Furthermore, the regime might import
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Brandon Weichert. Turmoil in Iran threatens China's energy security, as Beijing receives roughly 70-80% of Iranian oil. Weichert suggests Russia and China are using the crisis to test anti-Starlink technologies. Furthermore, the regime might import
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Brandon Weichert. Iranian protesters face a brutal regime that may utilize a "Samson Option," firing all missiles at Israel if the government falls. Weichert notes that while the Israelis and CIA have covert assets on the ground, the protest moveme
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: General Blaine Holt (retired). Holt discusses potential U.S. intervention to support Iranian protesters, emphasizing strikes on command nodes rather than ground troops. While the U.S. maintains air superiority, putting special operators on the grou
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Dr. Brenda Shaffer. Iran is a multi-ethnic state where Persians constitute less than 40% of the population. Shaffer explains that while current protests are Persian-led, the regime's survival often depends on the participation of ethnic minorities
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Syria's new central government remains extremely fragile, with authority barely extending beyond Damascus as factions clash in Aleppo. Schanzer describes a "Sunni jihadist regime" facing retribution from sectarian minorities. Mea
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Intense protests in Iran, sparked by decades of mismanagement, have led to a violent crackdown by the regime. Schanzer highlights that these demonstrations are uniquely supported by President Trump's rhetoric. Reza Pahlavi has em
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Joseph Sternberg. President Trump is reportedly using an investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell as a pretext to influence interest rate decisions. Sternberg notes that while central banks like the Bank of England strive for independence, the
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep313: Guest: Joseph Sternberg. China faces a "sluggish zombie economy" characterized by a burst property bubble and anemic consumption. Sternberg warns of "Japanification," where growth remains stagnant for decades. Beijing struggles with price deflation, furth
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep312: Guests: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus Matter. The discussion focuses on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's efforts to address immigration to counter the populist AfD party. Dempsey explores the nuances of refugee integration into the German workforce. Finally, she r
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep312: Guests: Judy Dempsey and Thaddeus Matter. Dempsey explains that the EU lacks a cohesive strategy for Iran despite a consensus on increasing sanctions. Regarding Ukraine, she highlights staggering divisions among European states as the U.S. withdraws milit
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Jan 14, 2026 |
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S8 Ep312: Guest: Elizabeth Peek. This segment addresses political dissent in Minnesota following a tragedy involving an ICE agent. Peek argues that liberal activists are nationalizing the incident to demonize law enforcement. She views this as partisan positioning
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep312: Guests: Elizabeth Peek and John Batchelor. Batchelor and Peek discuss inflation holding firm at 2.7% in December. They evaluate falling gasoline prices and strong holiday retail performance as indicators of improving consumer sentiment. Peek also critique
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep311: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: This transcript features a discussion between John Batchelor and Gregory Copley regarding the potential political return of Reza Pahlavi to Iran. The speakers suggest that the Crown Prince is currently the only figure with suffici
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Elizabeth Peek. Peek discusses the investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell regarding building construction costs. She labels the $700 million budget overage a "red herring," arguing it distracts from more c
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Jonathan Schanzer. Schanzer compares the current unrest in Iran to the tectonic shift of the Soviet Union's collapse. He questions the lack of media coverage despite evidence of massacres and body bags, attributing the relat
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Professor Brenda Shaffer. Shaffer explains that the Iranian revolution's success depends on the participation of ethnic minorities. While IRGC members live safely in major cities like Tehran, they face direct, violent retrib
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Joseph Sternberg. Sternberg criticizes the BBC and Western political left for their delayed response to the massacre of Iranian civilians. He argues this silence stems from the inability to use the situation to criticize Isr
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep310: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY Guest: Brandon Weichert. Weichert analyzes how Iranian turmoil affects Shahed drone production, noting that Russia has already moved toward domestic manufacturing. He suggests that the disruption of Starlink in Iran is not accident
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep309: **"The Making of the John Batchelor Show"** is a live-streaming **"beta" experiment** launched by John Batchelor on Monday, January 12, 2026. The primary objective of this specific program is to demonstrate **"total transparency"** by allowing the audienc
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep309: SHOW 1-12-26 THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW "The Making of the John Batchelor Show" is a live-streaming "beta" experiment launched by John Batchelor on Monday, January 12, 2026. The primary objective of this specific program is to demonstrate "t
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep308: HEZBOLLAH'S SURVIVAL AND THE LOSS OF REGIONAL LIFELINES Colleague David Daoud. David Daoud characterizes Hezbollah as an ideological extension of Iran currently in survival mode as its lifelines in Syria and Venezuela weaken. While Hezbollah wants the reg
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep308: THE ZOMBIE REGIME AND STRATEGIC TARGETS Colleague Jonathan Sayeh. Jonathan Sayeh labels the Islamic Republic a "zombie regime" facing an existential threat despite its brutal crackdowns. He reports that the IRGC and foreign militias are using automatic we
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep308: THE COLLAPSE OF THE AXIS OF RESISTANCE Colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown. Fitton-Brown explains how the fall of the Iranian regime would devastate its regional proxies, including Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi militias, which depend on IRGC funding and tra
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep308: ESCALATING IRANIAN PROTESTS AND POTENTIAL US INTERVENTION Colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown. Edmund Fitton-Brown describes the current Iranian protests as a movement that has shifted into a repression phase characterized by internet blackouts and rising casua
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: THE FOUR FAMILIES OF CARACAS AND THE END OF THE REGIME Colleague Alejandro Peña Esclusa. Esclusa analyzes the four mafias currently competing for power in Caracas: the Rodriguez siblings, Diosdado Cabello, Padrino Lopez, and Maduro's remnants. He argues t
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: REGIONAL REACTIONS TO MADURO'S CAPTURE AND THE ISOLATION OF CUBA Colleague Alejandro Peña Esclusa. Alejandro Peña Esclusa reports that Venezuelans are celebrating Maduro's capture while the Trump administration halts oil shipments to Cuba. He explains tha
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: REGIONAL SHIFTS: COLOMBIA'S DIPLOMACY AND BRAZIL'S POLITICAL FUTURE Colleague Ernesto Araújo. The discussion focuses on Gustavo Petro's pivot toward the United States and the historical concept of "Grand Colombia." In Brazil, they evaluate Lula da Silva's
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: THE US-MANAGED TRANSITION IN POST-MADURO VENEZUELA Colleague Ernesto Araújo. John Batchelor and Ernesto Araújo discuss the US-led operation that captured Nicolas Maduro. Araújo describes the current situation as a well-managed transition where the US is n
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: ESCALATING CONFLICT BETWEEN SYRIAN FORCES AND KURDISH ALLIES Colleague Akmed Khari. Clashes have erupted in Aleppo between the Syrian government and the Kurdish SDF after a failed integration agreement. Akmed Khari notes the complexity of the US coordinat
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: RUSSIA'S ORESHNIK MISSILE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERRENCE Colleague John Hardy. Russia is utilizing the Oreshnik missile to strike Ukrainian infrastructure, leaving thousands without heat. John Hardy explains these strikes serve as psychological intimidation
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: THE SHIFTING BALANCE OF FEAR IN IRAN Colleague Malcolm Hoenlein. As the regime faces potential implosion, discussions involve a return of the Shah's son as a symbolic figurehead, though no clear path to collective leadership exists. Revolutionaries are no
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep307: IRANIAN PROTESTS AND THE COLLAPSE OF REGIME CONTROL Colleague Malcolm Hoenlein. Protests across Iran have turned deadly, with reports of hundreds killed by live fire and hospitals refusing wounded demonstrators. Malcolm Hoenlein highlights a communication
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep306: REGIME CHANGE AND SHIFTING POWER IN THE AMERICAS Colleagues David Shedd and Bill Roggio. Shedd details the removal of Nicolas Maduro and a regional shift toward center-right governments. This transition aims to end Russian and Chinese influence in the Wes
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep306: CHINA'S GREAT HEIST OF AMERICAN SECRETS Colleagues David Shedd and Bill Roggio. David Shedd outlines China's extensive cyber espionage campaigns, including "Salt Typhoon," which successfully hacked US Congressional committees. These operations aim to stea
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep306: FICTIONS IN SYRIA AND THE RISKS OF INTERVENTION Colleagues Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani. The discussion focuses on the Syrian conflict, criticizing the US for maintaining "fictions" about local actors and security forces. Haqqani warns against military
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep306: GLOBAL CHAOS AND THE EROSION OF STABILITY Colleagues Bill Roggio and Husain Haqqani. The guests discuss worldwide instability, arguing that the US has abandoned its traditional role in maintaining global order. They examine conflicts in Iran, Syria, and V
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Jan 13, 2026 |
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S8 Ep305: 5:47 PMRUSSIA'S STRIKES ON UKRAINIAN ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE Colleagues John Hardie and Bill Roggio. John Batchelor and Bill Roggio interview guest John Hardie regarding Russia's strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Hardie highlights the Arashnik mis
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep304: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY REBELLION SPREADS IN IRAN'S SISTAN AND BALUCHISTAN PROVINCES Colleague Malcolm Hoenlein. Malcolm Hoenlein reports on the Moarisun Popular Front, a new coalition supporting rebellion in Sunni majority provinces. With reporting limit
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep304: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY EXISTENTIAL THREAT: IRAN'S REGIME UNLEASHES IRGC AND POLICE ON PROTESTERS Colleague Janatyn Sayeh. Janatyn Sayeh details the repression apparatus in Iran, where IRGC ground forces and Basij militia are opening fire on unarmed civil
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep304: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY CONFLICT IN ALEPPO: US COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNERS CLASH IN SYRIA Colleague Ahmed Sharawi. Ahmed Sharawi examines fighting in Aleppo between Kurdish forces and the Syrian National Army. Despite both being US counterterrorism partners
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep303: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT HEZBOLLAH'S EXPLOITATION OF VENEZUELAN INSTABILITY Colleague David Daoud, Foundation for Defense of Democracies. John Batchelor and David Daoud discuss Hezbollah's operations in Venezuela and the Americas, which involve illicit d
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep303: PREVIEW FOR LATER TONIGHT POST-MADURO TRANSITION AND OIL STRATEGY Colleague David Shedd, Former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. David Shedd analyzes the rendition of Nicolas Maduro to the US for drug trafficking charges and the resulti
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep294: THE CRISIS OF THE THIRD CENTURY AND AMERICAN PARALLELS Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 92 AD. Gaius and Germanicus explore Rome's "Crisis of the Third Century," where military coups and a fractured empire n
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: DOMESTIC MELODRAMA AND THE FOG OF RHETORIC Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 92 AD. Turning to domestic matters, the speakers discuss a controversy in Minnesota involving an ICE-related death, describing the
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: THE THEATER OF CHAOS IN PERSIA AND VENEZUELA Colleagues Gaius and Germanicus, Friends of History Debating Society, Londinium, 92 AD. From a wine bar in Londinium, Gaius and Germanicus analyze modern geopolitical tensions through a Roman lens. They discuss
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: STARBASE AND THE MECHAZILLA CATCH Colleague Eric Berger. The final segment centers on Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, where SpaceX built a modern rocket factory on swampland to construct the massive Starship. Berger details the "Chopstick" system, a tower
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: THE CHUTE SHOW AND HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT Colleague Eric Berger. Berger discusses the Commercial Crew Program, noting that while Boeing's participation legitimized the effort for Congress, SpaceX ultimately led the way. The development of the Crew Dragon invol
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: STARLINK: FUNDING THE FUTURE Colleague Eric Berger. To finance the immense cost of Mars colonization, SpaceX developed Starlink, a constellation intended to comprise 12,000 satellites for global internet coverage. Berger explains that while the concept of
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: LANDING ZONES AND EXPLODING SATELLITES Colleague Eric Berger. Focusing on the historic December 2015 return-to-flight, Berger describes the first successful land landing of a Falcon 9 at Cape Canaveral. This feat required overcoming the National Reconnais
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: DENSIFICATION AND THE CRUSHED SODA CAN Colleague Eric Berger. Berger explains the technical leaps required for the "Falcon 9 Full Thrust," specifically the use of densified propellants. By super-chilling liquid oxygen to nearly -300°F, SpaceX increased pr
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: RISKY BUSINESS: DRAGON, NASA, AND REUSABILITY Colleague Eric Berger. To fund its Mars ambitions, SpaceX relied on NASA cargo contracts, which required the development of the Dragon spacecraft. Berger highlights a pivotal moment in 2012 when SpaceX combine
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: THE ROAD TRIP FROM HADES AND THE FALCON 9 Colleague Eric Berger. Berger chronicles the grueling transition from the single-engine Falcon 1 to the nine-engine Falcon 9 in 2009, describing it as a "long hot summer" of intense engineering. The process involv
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep302: THE AUDACIOUS VISION: A MILLION TONS TO MARS Colleague Eric Berger. In his discussion of the 2016 Guadalajara speech, Eric Berger details Elon Musk's "grandioso architecture" for Mars colonization, proposed during a time of deep skepticism following rocke
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes West
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: THE BRUTALITY OF INVASION AND THE FAILURE OF INTELLIGENCE Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Batchelor and Finkel discuss the historical roots of Russian cruelty in Ukraine, citing a 1932 letter from Stalin fearing the loss of Ukraine. Finkel argues that
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY AND THE EVOLUTION OF UKRAINIAN IDENTITY Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel profiles Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noting his background as a Russian-speaking Jewish media entrepreneur and comedian who built a career in Moscow. Zelenskyy'
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: PUTIN'S REVISIONIST HISTORY AND THE 2014 INVASION Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. During the COVID-19 isolation of 2021, Vladimir Putin wrote an essay based on historical myths, asserting Ukrainians and Russians are one people and denying Ukraine's rig
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: KHRUSHCHEV, CRIMEA, AND THE MYTH OF THE SOVIET FLORIDA Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. The discussion turns to Nikita Khrushchev, who transferred Crimea to Ukraine in 1954 for practical logistical reasons, a decision Putin now contests. Finkel explains
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: SOVIET SUBJUGATION, FAMINE, AND THE DESTRUCTION OF INDEPENDENCE Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Following the empire's collapse, Ukrainians attempted to form independent states (UNR and ZUNR), but these failed due to internal weakness and external aggr
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: SHIFTING BORDERS AND THE FIGHT FOR GALICIAN IDENTITY Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel shares the story of his grandfather, Israel (Lev), a Jew from Galicia who was drafted into the Red Army despite growing up in Poland without speaking Russian. T
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep301: THE STATUE OF KHMELNYTSKY AND THE ORIGINS OF IMPERIAL DOMINATION Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. John Batchelor and Professor Eugene Finkel discuss the 1888 statue of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in Kyiv, originally a project of Russian nationalists who envision
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Jan 12, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. In his final decades, Chamberlain's war wounds continued to plague him, eventually requiring surgeries that revealed the extent of his suffering to the public. Despite financial struggles and failed business attempts, he remained act
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. In 1880, Maine faced a violent political crisis known as the "Count Out," where armed mobs threatened the statehouse over a stolen election. Chamberlain, called upon to keep the peace, courageously faced a mob intent on killing him. H
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin College as its president, attempting to modernize the institution by introducing science and broader curricula. He faced resistance from conservative trustees and alumni but persisted in his vision for
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. After the war, Chamberlain became a celebrated orator, using his rhetorical skills to preach reconciliation between North and South. Drafted by Republicans, he served four terms as Governor of Maine, focusing on economic reconstructio
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. Returning to duty, Chamberlain led a frontal assault at Petersburg in 1864, where he suffered a catastrophic wound through the hips that surgeons deemed fatal. Believing he was dying, he wrote a farewell letter to Fanny, yet miraculou
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. Chamberlain's early war experience included the massacre at Fredericksburg and a smallpox outbreak that sidelined his regiment. Under the tutelage of the disciplinarian Adelbert Ames, Chamberlain learned command strategies. The narrat
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. Chamberlain returned to Bowdoin as a professor, where he prioritized critical thinking over strict regimentation and married Fanny in 1855. During his tenure, he witnessed significant pre-war events, including a visit by Jefferson Dav
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep300: Guest: Ronald White. This segment introduces Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's early life and intellectual formation. In 1848, Chamberlain passed a rigorous entrance exam for Bowdoin College by reciting classical Greek and Roman literature from memory. Raised
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep299: DALLAS THE DOG MONITORS COCKATOO SIEGE DURING HEATWAVE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. During a severe heatwave in New South Wales where temperatures reached 115°F (43°C), Dallas the dog has been vigilantly monitoring a flock of destructive cockatoos from his por
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep299: BAZBALL DECLARED DEAD AFTER AUSTRALIA'S ASHES VICTORY Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Australia's decisive 4-1 victory in the Ashes series is viewed as a failure of England's "Bazball" strategy, which Zakis declares "dead" for test cricket. The strategy, reliant
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep299: SNAKE CATCHER SURVIVES EASTERN BROWN BITE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. The risks of the Australian summer are highlighted by the ironic near-death experience of Michaela, a professional snake catcher who was bitten by a deadly Eastern Brown snake while off-dut
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep299: CYCLONE KOJI STRIKES QUEENSLAND AS BUSHFIRES RAGE ELSEWHERE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Jeremy Zakis reports that Cyclone Koji, described as a "monster" system with winds reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour, struck the Queensland coast near Townsville. Fortunat
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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298: NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION AS DETERRENCE Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. To deter immediate Chinese aggression, Fanell advocates for "war fighting proliferation," suggesting the US should support nuclear capabilities for alli
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep298: ADMITTING STRATEGIC FAILURE AND THE NEED FOR TEAM B Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell argues the intelligence community must admit its "strategic failure" regarding China, likening the current denial to a patient ignoring a cancer diagnos
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep298: HISTORICAL ECHOES: THE 10-YEAR RULE AND TIANANMEN BLINDNESS Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. The authors draw parallels between current US policy and the British Empire's 1919 "10-year rule," which slashed defense spending based on the assumpti
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep298: THE ANACONDA STRATEGY AND THE NEO-ENGAGEMENT TRAP Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell and Thayer discuss the "Joint Sword 2024 Alpha" exercises, describing them as an "Anaconda strategy" where the PRC practices suffocating Taiwan through bl
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep297: UNORDERED HEROISM AND THE ULTIMATE BLUFF Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis recounts the extraordinary heroism of Dorie Miller, a cook at Pearl Harbor who, despite segregation and lack of training, manned a machine gun and saved his captain with
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep297: EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT AND THE COURAGE TO PIVOT Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. The Admiral emphasizes emotional detachment in leadership, using The Godfather as an analogy for not letting hatred cloud judgment. He critiques Bill Halsey for letting a riv
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep297: RESOURCE EVALUATION: FROM IRONCLADS TO PANDEMICS Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis examines how leaders evaluate resources under pressure. He cites David Farragut at Mobile Bay, who successfully combined Army and Navy assets and adapted to new
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep297: INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF COMMAND Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis discusses leadership lessons from his book To Risk It All. He highlights Admiral George Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, which relied on gathering h
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SILENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan discusses the psychological aftermath of the Cultural Revolution with professionals in Shanghai, describing the era as a "collective hysteria." She explores the concept of "eating bitterness,"
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: A SON'S BETRAYAL Colleague Tanya Branigan. This file recounts the tragic story of Zhang Hongbing, who, as a teenager in 1970, denounced his own mother to the authorities. His mother, Fang Zhongmou, was executed after Zhang and his father reported her for
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Jan 11, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: IMPERSONATORS AND THE DEATH OF IDEALISM Colleague Tanya Branigan. The conversation highlights the strange phenomenon of historical impersonators, including one of Lin Biao, the general who was Mao's successor before being branded a traitor. Branigan expla
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: PRINCELINGS AND POLITICAL NOSTALGIA Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan examines "princelings" Bo Xilai and Xi Jinping, children of elite leaders who were victimized during the Cultural Revolution. Xi was exiled to the countryside, while Bo's mother likely
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: THE COMPOSER WHO SURVIVED Colleague Tanya Branigan. This segment focuses on Wang Xilin, a composer and former zealous party member whose career was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Despite his devotion, he was persecuted, subjected to brutal "str
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: TEENAGE ZEALOTS AND THE TRAUMA OF VIOLENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan details the memories of Yu Xiangzhen, a former Red Guard who attended Mao's first mass rally in August 1966. Mao encouraged youth to destroy "the four olds," sparking widesprea
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: THE MURDER OF TEACHER BIAN Colleague Tanya Branigan. The discussion turns to "Red August" 1966 and the murder of vice-principal Bian Zhongyun by her students. Her husband, Wang Jingyao, secretly preserved photographs of her body and her bloodied clothes a
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep296: THE FORBIDDEN MUSEUM OF SHANTOU Colleague Tanya Branigan. Tanya Branigan discusses her book, Red Memory, and her visit to the Cultural Revolution Museum in Shantou. Founded by former official Peng Qi'an, this was the only museum in China dedicated to reco
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep295: THE BATTLE FOR RAFAH AND THE FUTURE OF HAMAS Colleague Seth Frantzman. The discussion focuses on the strategic importance of Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egyptian border, identified as the primary artery for Hamas's weapons smuggling. Fra
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep295: THE OCTOPUS STRATEGY: IRAN'S PROXIES AND ISRAEL'S COUNTERATTACK Colleague Seth Frantzman. Frantzman employs the "octopus" metaphor to describe Iran as the central brain directing proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis to encircle Israel. He detail
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep295: ANATOMY OF AN INTELLIGENCE FAILURE: ARROGANCE AND TECHNOLOGY Colleague Seth Frantzman. This segment analyzes the catastrophic intelligence failure leading to October 7, attributing it to a mix of complacency, arrogance, and groupthink within Israel's defe
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep295: THE HORROR OF OCTOBER 7 AND THE ORIGINS OF HAMAS Colleague Seth Frantzman. Seth Frantzman recounts his harrowing experience on the evening of October 7, discovering a body on the road to Gaza, symbolizing the chaos of the initial invasion. The conversatio
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep294: IRAN'S QUEST FOR SUPREMACY AND FUTURE NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS Colleague Brandon Weichert. Weichert discusses Iran's ultimate goal of regional supremacy, describing the regime as the "octopus brain" directing proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah to attack Israel.
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep294: SHIFTS IN US POLICY AND THE RISE OF THE SHIA CRESCENT Colleague Brandon Weichert. This section tracks US policy shifts from Clinton's diplomatic attempts to the unintended consequences of the 2003 Iraq War. Weichert argues that removing Saddam Hussein el
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep294: THE HOSTAGE CRISIS, THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR, AND THE CARTER DOCTRINE Colleague Brandon Weichert. Focusing on the aftermath of the 1979 revolution, this segment explores the American hostage crisis and the subsequent Iran-Iraq War initiated by Saddam Hussein in
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep294: US INTERVENTION IN IRAN: FROM OPERATION AJAX TO THE SHAH'S FALL Colleague Brandon Weichert. This segment introduces Brandon Weichert's book, The Shadow War, and examines the history of US interference in Iran. It details Ambassador William Sullivan's 1978
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: THE CHINESE JUDGE AND THE MODERN LEGACY OF THE TRIAL Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. Judge Mei Ju-ao represented China, striving to center the suffering of Asian peoples in the judgment before returning to a China engulfed by revolution. The trial's leg
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: DISSENT, EXECUTION, AND THE SHADOW OF IMPERIALISM Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. Judge Radhabinod Pal of India issued a massive 1,200-page dissent, arguing the tribunal was illegitimate and driven by the racism of colonial powers. Pal viewed Japanese a
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: CONSPIRACY CHARGES AND THE LEGALITY OF AGGRESSIVE WAR Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. The prosecution focused on 28 Class A defendants, alleging a grand conspiracy to wage aggressive war. This conspiracy charge, borrowed from Nuremberg, fit awkwardly wi
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: THE COLD WAR SHIFT: GEORGE KENNAN'S STRATEGIC PIVOT Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. By 1948, the trial's context shifted dramatically with the onset of the Cold War and the Chinese Civil War. George Kennan, the architect of containment, visited Tokyo to
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: A FLAWED TRIBUNAL: INCOMPETENT PROSECUTORS AND CRANKY JUDGES Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. The tribunal, involving nine Allied nations, suffered from personnel issues driven by President Truman's cronyism. Unlike the selection of Robert Jackson for Nu
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: ARRESTING THE CABINET AND DEFINING CLASS A CRIMES Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. As MacArthur's occupation forces arrived in a ruined Tokyo, they began arresting suspects, including former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki, who botched a suicide attempt. The
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: THE EMPEROR'S IMMUNITY AND MACARTHUR'S SWIFT JUSTICE Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. Following the surrender on the USS Missouri, General Douglas MacArthur faced the challenge of implementing the Potsdam Declaration's call for justice. A political decis
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep293: TRUMAN INHERITS A WORLD WAR AND THE BURDEN OF JUDGMENT Colleague Professor Gary J. Bass. Following the sudden death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945, Harry Truman assumed the presidency with little preparation regarding foreign policy or the situati
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep292: SOCCER STADIUMS AS PROTEST VENUES AND THE ETHNIC FACTOR Colleague Brenda Shaffer. Shaffer describes how soccer stadiums, particularly for the Azerbaijani team "Tractor," have become venues for ethnic and anti-regime protest. She notes the regime's brutal
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep292: BROKEN PROMISES AND LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION Colleague Brenda Shaffer. Shaffer details how the Islamic Republic initially promised ethnic minorities linguistic and cultural rights to secure power in 1979, only to violently suppress them once established.
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep292: BROKEN PROMISES AND LINGUISTIC DISCRIMINATION Colleague Brenda Shaffer. Shaffer details how the Islamic Republic initially promised ethnic minorities linguistic and cultural rights to secure power in 1979, only to violently suppress them once established.
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep292: IRAN IS MORE THAN PERSIA: A DIVERSE MOSAIC OF ETHNIC MINORITIES Colleague Brenda Shaffer. Brenda Shaffer discusses her book, Iran is More than Persia, arguing that Iran is not a monolithic Persian state but a diverse mosaic where ethnic minorities compris
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE SAM ALTMAN MELODRAMA Colleague Gary Rivlin. The shock firing of Sam Altman by the OpenAI board over trust issues, Microsoft's intervention, and the rapid rehiring that solidified the race for dominance. NUMBER 16
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE DILEMMA OF BIGNESS Colleague Gary Rivlin. How corporate giants like Google were slowed by their own business models, leading Suleyman to leave for Inflection and eventually Microsoft to bypass startup funding issues. NUMBER 15
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: DOOMERS VS. ACCELERATIONISTS Colleague Gary Rivlin. The ideological battle between "accelerationists" who want rapid progress and "doomers" who fear existential risk, with Hoffman positioning himself as a "bloomer." NUMBER 14
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Jan 10, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: TRANSFORMERS AND OPENAI Colleague Gary Rivlin. The development of the "transformer" paper at Google, the rise of large language models like GPT, and OpenAI's pivot from non-profit to a Microsoft-backed entity. NUMBER 13
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: DEEPMIND AND THE GOOGLE ACQUISITION Colleague Gary Rivlin. Mustafa Suleyman and Demis Hassabis founding DeepMind to master games, their sale to Google for $650 million, and the culture clash that followed. NUMBER 12
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE AI WINTER Colleague Gary Rivlin. The history of Frank Rosenblatt's neural networks, their dismissal by Marvin Minsky in favor of rules-based computing, and the decades-long "winter" before the resurgence of machine learning. NUMBER 11
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE CONNECTOR Colleague Gary Rivlin. Reid Hoffman's journey from a lonely childhood to becoming a Silicon Valley "super-connector," his relationship with Peter Thiel, and his early recognition of AI's potential. NUMBER 10
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: AI VALLEY: THE TRILLION DOLLAR RACE TO CASH IN Colleague Gary Rivlin. Gary Rivlin chronicles the personalities driving the AI revolution, including Reid Hoffman and Mustafa Suleyman. He explores the history of "AI winters," the rise of neural networks, an
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE MACHINERY OF REPRESSION Colleague Nilo Tabrizy. The structure of the IRGC and Basij, the specific targeting of ethnic minorities like Kurds and Baluchis, and the state's sadistic use of violence against mourners. NUMBER 8
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: ROOTS OF THE REVOLUTION Colleague Nilo Tabrizy. The historical context of the 1953 coup against Mossadegh, the alienation of the Pahlavi dynasty, and the recurring cycle of foreign interference and internal authoritarianism. NUMBER 7
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: THE DEATH OF GINA Colleague Nilo Tabrizy. The killing of Mahsa Jina Amini by the morality police for her hair, the Kurdish origins of "Woman, Life, Freedom," and the immediate eruption of protests. NUMBER 6
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: WOMAN, LIFE, FREEDOM: THE STORY OF IRAN'S UPRISING Colleague Nilo Tabrizy. Nilo Tabrizy and co-author Fatima Jamalapur document the uprising sparked by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody. They trace the regime's brutality back to the 1953 co
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: ANTISEMITISM IN THE ACADEMY Colleague Josh Hammer. A hostile incident at Loyola University Chicago law school where protesters disrupted a debate on presidential immunity, and the link between anti-Zionism and the eradication of Western civilization. NUMB
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep291: FROM TREBLINKA TO KFAR AZA Colleague Josh Hammer. A visit to the Nazi death camp Treblinka contrasted with the aftermath of the October 7 massacre at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and finding solace in faith and the Golden Rule. NUMBER 3
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep290: WESTCHESTER AND THE AMERICANIZATION OF JUDAISM Colleague Josh Hammer. Growing up in a secular Jewish environment, dropping out of Hebrew school, and the later discovery of conservatism and Edmund Burke leading to religious observance. NUMBER 2
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep290: THE FATE OF THE JEWISH NATION AND THE DESTINY OF THE WEST Colleague Josh Hammer. Josh Hammer discusses his journey from a secular upbringing to Orthodox Judaism and his new book regarding Western civilization. He contrasts the Holocaust site Treblinka wit
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY AI VALLEY: THE EARLY HISTORY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Colleague Gary Rivlin. Author Gary Rivlin reviews the early history of artificial intelligence in his book AI Valley. He details how 1950s pioneers faced mockery because compu
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY PI: THE POLITE CHATBOT DESIGNED FOR EMPATHY Colleague Gary Rivlin. Gary Rivlin examines the creation of "Pi," a chatbot designed by personality engineers to exhibit good manners and empathy. Rivlin explains how humans fine-tuned th
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY AI WINTERS: WHEN FUNDING VANISHED Colleague Gary Rivlin. Gary Rivlin explains the history of "AI winters" in the 20th century, periods when funding vanished due to overhyped expectations. He describes how optimism in the 1970s and
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY ISRAEL AND CIVILIZATION: ANTI-WESTERN SENTIMENT ON CAMPUS Colleague Josh Hammer. Columnist Josh Hammer discusses his book Israel and Civilization, arguing that anti-Israel protests at universities like George Washington University
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY IRAN'S DIVERSE ETHNIC MAKEUP Colleague Nilo Tabrizy. Journalist Nilo Tabrizy, co-author of For the Sun After Long Nights, discusses the diverse ethnic makeup of Iran. She explains how moving to Tehran from the provinces feels like
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep288: SHOW 1-8-2026 THE SHOW BEGINS IN DOUBTS ABOUT THE SARCASTIC INVENTION, THE DON-ROE DOCTRINE. SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND THE RETURN OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE Colleague Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Anatol Lieven argues that "sp
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: ARTEMIS 2 RISKS AND THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN SPACE Colleague Bob Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack.com. Bob Zimmerman urges NASA to fly Artemis 2 unmanned due to unresolved Orion heat shield damage, arguing safety should trump beating China. He also dismisses conce
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: EUROPEAN FREEZE AND THE MYTH OF BOOTS ON THE GROUND Colleague Simon Constable, Journalist and Author. A deep freeze hits Southern Europe while commodity prices like copper rise. Simon Constable reports on the UK's bleak economic mood and dismisses the fea
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: RUSSIA'S OIL CRISIS AND REGIONAL DEFICITS Colleague Michael Bernstam, Hoover Institution. Russia faces a financial crisis as oil prices drop below $60 per barrel. Michael Bernstam explains that increased global supply forces Russia to sell at deep discoun
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: VENEZUELA: THE REGIME SURVIVES MADURO'S EXIT Colleague Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Wall Street Journal. Despite Maduro's removal, the Venezuelan regime remains intact under hardliners Delcy Rodriguez and Diosdado Cabello. Mary Anastasia O'Grady notes that rep
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Jan 09, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: 1204: THE SACK OF CONSTANTINOPLE AND THE END OF CONTINUITY Colleague Professor Ed Watts, Author of The Romans. The Fourth Crusade, diverted by Venetian debt, sacked Constantinople in 1204, burning the city to quell resistance. Watts argues this marked the
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE CRUSADES: FROM COOPERATION TO CONFLICT Colleague Professor Ed Watts, Author of The Romans. Relations between East and West collapsed during the Crusades. While the First Crusade cooperated with Rome, the Second and Third turned hostile, with Crusaders
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE STUPIDITY OF SUCCESSORS: MANUEL AND ANDRONICUS Colleague Professor Ed Watts, Author of The Romans. Manuel Komnenos favored grand gestures over systemic stability, weakening the Roman state. His successor, Andronicus, was a nihilistic sadist whose tyra
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE SIEGE OF 717 AND THE VOLCANO OF THERA Colleague Professor Ed Watts, Author of The Romans. In 717 AD, Arab forces besieged Constantinople but failed due to the city's massive walls and "Greek fire." Professor Watts explains that a subsequent volcanic e
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE NUCLEAR ESCROW: MANAGING PROLIFERATION AMONG ALLIES Colleague Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Henry Sokolski warns that allies like Poland, Turkey, and South Africa are considering nuclear weapons due to eroding trust in US g
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: LANCASTER COUNTY: AMISH SPENDING AND DATA CENTER GROWTH Colleague Jim McTague, Author and Former Barron's Editor. Jim McTague reports that the Lancaster County economy remains robust, evidenced by heavy Amish spending at Costco and thriving local business
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: #SCALAREPORT: AI AND ROBOTICS DOMINATE CES Colleague Chris Riegel, CEO of Scala.com. Reporting from CES, Chris Riegel highlights the dominance of AI and robotics, from household droids to military applications. While the tech sector booms with massive inf
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: ONE YEAR LATER: ANGER AND STAGNATION AFTER THE PALISADES FIRE Colleague Jeff Bliss, Pacific Watch. A year after the Palisades fires, Jeff Bliss reports that residents remain angry over government inaction. Rebuilding is stalled by the Coastal Commission's
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE SUPREME COURT AND THE MYTH OF THE UNITARY EXECUTIVE Colleague Richard Epstein, Civitas Institute. Richard Epstein challenges the view that the Roberts Court blindly supports a "unitary executive." He argues the Court is correctly questioning the const
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: THE SUPREME COURT AND THE MYTH OF THE UNITARY EXECUTIVE Colleague Richard Epstein, Civitas Institute. Richard Epstein challenges the view that the Roberts Court blindly supports a "unitary executive." He argues the Court is correctly questioning the const
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: COLD WAR TACTICS: THE SEIZURE OF A RUSSIAN TANKER Colleague Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Lieven discusses the US Navy's detention of a Russian-flagged ship in the North Atlantic, viewing it as a dangerous escalation akin to
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep287: SPHERES OF INFLUENCE AND THE RETURN OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE Colleague Anatol Lieven, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Anatol Lieven argues that "spheres of influence" have returned, with the US reasserting the Monroe Doctrine in the Western Hem
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY REGULATORY HURDLES AND HIGH WINDS FUEL PALISADES FIRE Colleague Jeff Bliss, Pacific Watch. Jeff Bliss reports on the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fire, allegedly ignited by an arsonist and exacerbated by Santa Ana winds. Bliss no
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY CULTURE CLASH: MODERN TRAFFIC VS. AMISH BUGGIES Colleague Jim McTague. Jim McTague details the dangerous friction between Amish horse-drawn buggies and automobiles in Lancaster County. With over 30 collisions in 2024 and a recent f
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY CES HIGHLIGHTS THE MARRIAGE OF AI AND ROBOTICS Colleague Chris Riegel, Scalar.com. Reporting from the Consumer Electronics Show, Chris Riegel highlights the dominance of robots, ranging from domestic helpers to advanced machines fo
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY TURKEY'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AND IMPERIAL NOSTALGIA Colleague Henry Sokolski, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center. Henry Sokolski explains that Turkey desires a nuclear weapon to assert agency and revive the influence of the Ott
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY EMPEROR MANUEL: CHARISMA WITHOUT SUSTAINABILITY Colleague Professor Ed Watts, Author of The Romans. Professor Ed Watts critiques Emperor Manuel, a 12th-century ruler who prioritized grand gestures, such as jousting, over strategic
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep286: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY ICE CAPS MAY SHIELD LIQUID LAKES ON MARS Colleague Bob Zimmerman. Bob Zimmerman reviews a new computer model suggesting that liquid water lakes could survive on Mars if protected by a cap of ice. While surface water usually sublima
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Edward J. Watts. Heraclius defeated the Persian Empire only to lose the Middle East to rising Arab forces, devastating Rome's food and financial supplies. Facing famine and new barbarian threats like the Avars, Romans interpreted these di
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Edward J. Watts. The Nika riots, sparked by chariot racing factions, nearly toppled Emperor Justinian until Empress Theodora convinced him to stay. After crushing the rebellion, Justinian built the Hagia Sophia to symbolize repentance and
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Jan 08, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Edward J. Watts. Following Julian's failed attempt to restore paganism, Theodosius embraced Christianity and suppressed traditional Roman religion. Simultaneously, the mishandling of Gothic refugees fleeing the Huns led to rebellion. Afte
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Edward J. Watts. Emperor Diocletian reorganized the empire's administration and persecuted Christians to protect his new system. Following Diocletian's retirement, Constantine seized power through civil war, attributing his military victo
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Evan Ellis. Latin America is seeing a shift away from leftist "Pink Tide" governments toward pro-U.S. administrations in countries like Argentina and Paraguay due to failures in addressing security and corruption. Despite this political s
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Evan Ellis. Events in Caracas are shaping upcoming elections in Brazil and Colombia, pushing leaders like Lula toward moderation to appease centrist voters. In Colombia, frustration with President Petro's policies and security failures ma
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Evan Ellis. Havana is in panic as the loss of Venezuelan oil threatens to break the country's petroleum-fired power infrastructure. With the currency in freefall and massive blackouts, the regime hopes to muddle through despite enormous s
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Professor Evan Ellis. Venezuela's oil industry has collapsed due to the firing of professionals and lack of maintenance, leaving infrastructure dangerous and unable to process heavy crude. With storage at capacity, the U.S. is using "coercive diplo
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Brandon Weichert. Chinese tech giant Baidu is developing high-end chips to boost its market valuation. However, the Chinese state drives this "chip war" for military control and resilience rather than profitability. Despite some puffery regarding c
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Alan Tonelson. China's leadership is likely stunned by setbacks with allies in Venezuela and Iran. While China relies on coal, the loss of cheap oil imports will squeeze its industry. Furthermore, China's strategy of exporting its way out of troubl
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Rebecca Grant. The Arctic has become a battleground where Russia and China are increasing military cooperation, including bomber flights and naval exercises. The U.S. needs to expand its fleet of icebreakers and sensors to counter threats, such as
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Steve Yates. China expects repayment for its loans to Venezuela, but the U.S. "Monroe Doctrine 2.0" aims to cut adversaries out of the hemisphere. By blocking oil shipments, the U.S. leverages economic power to disrupt China's supply chains, potent
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: General Blaine Holt. The operation in Caracas revealed that Chinese-made air defense systems failed to detect U.S. aircraft. Electronic warfare capabilities and stealth technology likely blinded radars, rendering Russian missile systems useless. Th
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: General Blaine Holt. The U.S. seized a Russian-flagged vessel, the "Bella 1," in the Atlantic, prompting a Russian submarine to track the operation. This Cold War-style confrontation highlights the risks of miscalculation as Washington enforces an
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Behnam Ben Taleblu. Reports of the Ayatollah planning to flee are likely inaccurate; the regime's ideology drives it to fight rather than seek exile. Despite economic strain, Tehran continues funding proxies like Hezbollah to maintain its transnati
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep285: Guest: Behnam Ben Taleblu. The Iranian regime faces a critical mass of dissatisfaction, responding with violence against protesters and hospitals rather than addressing grievances. Inflation for food has reached nearly 73 percent, and medical security is
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: Evan Ellis discusses the impact of events in Caracas on Brazil's upcoming election. Lula da Silva faces scrutiny over ties to Chavista elites, while the Bolsonaro family alleges political persecution by the courts. The "cultural w
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: Rebecca Grant evaluates Canada's role as a NATO ally in the Arctic, balancing domestic responsibilities with North American defense. While the US lacks sufficient icebreakers to enforce claims, relations remain strong despite mino
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: General Blaine Holt analyzes Vladimir Putin's dilemma following Caribbean maneuvers and the seizure of a Russian shadow fleet vessel. Facing internal pressure from Kremlin war hawks, Putin seeks a way out of the morass, raising fe
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: Behnam Ben Taleblu reports on the dire state of Iran, where security forces target hospitals, forcing protesters to forego medical treatment. Beyond the brutal crackdown, political dissatisfaction is fueled by insane inflation rat
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: PREVIEW FOR LATER TODAY: Alan Tonelson forecasts a difficult year for the PRC's economy in 2026, citing deflation and a property collapse. He predicts a strong global backlash against the surge of Chinese exports, which threaten foreign manufacturing sect
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep284: EW FOR LATER TODAY: Professor Ed Watts details the backstory of the Goths, originally farmers in Ukraine who fled into Roman territory to escape the terrifying Huns. Admitted as refugees in 375 AD, the Goths faced starvation due to inadequate Roman resour
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Bob Zimmerman. A standard solar conjunction has caused a temporary communication blackout with Mars rovers, a routine event for which spacecraft are prepared. In other scientific developments, astronomers have detected the wake of a companion star
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Bob Zimmerman. The global launch industry achieved record numbers led by SpaceX, which Zimmerman argues has effectively become the true American space program by launching 90% of all payload mass and funding its own Mars ambitions through Starlink
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Joseph Sternberg. In Europe, France faces continued political paralysis that may require a decisive election between the right and left, whereas Germany's center-right government under Chancellor Merz is reclaiming the initiative by addressing immi
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Joseph Sternberg. Sternberg analyzes the recent U.S. invasion of Venezuela, noting that while the event disrupted predictions, its global significance ultimately depends on the subsequent U.S. decisions regarding regime support and governance in Ca
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Jan 07, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Gregory Copley. King Charles III is demonstrating resilience by outworking other royals and returning to full duties despite his ongoing cancer treatment, while steadfastly ignoring the distraction of gossip surrounding Prince Harry and Prince Andr
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Jan 06, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Gregory Copley. Discussing Niall Ferguson's comparison of the current geopolitical climate to the imperialism of 1906, Copley argues that while territorial annexation is less common, a new form of technological and economic imperialism has emerged
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Jan 06, 2026 |
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S8 Ep289: Guest: Gregory Copley. President Trump's interest in acquiring or occupying Greenland is driven by the island's strategic value for polar routes, satellite contact, and missile positioning, though Copley argues that administration claims regarding Russian
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Jan 06, 2026 |