Podcasts about Estonian

Estonia has requested a consultation with other NATO members after Russian warplanes violated its airspace on Friday morning. Russia issued a denial. But tensions have been escalating after Poland and Romania said Russian drones had breached their airspace. We'll hear from Estonia's ambassador to Britain. Also in the programme: Several European airports have reported delays and cancellations after a cyberattack; and Newshour's Lyse Doucet on her book that details the rise and fall of Afghanistan through the lens of a luxury hotel in Kabul. (Picture: A still photo published by Swedish armed forces that it says shows a Russian fighter jet that violated Estonian airspace. Credit: Swedish Armed forces/Handout via REUTERS)

The Israel Defence Forces said it would use “unprecedented force” against Hamas as it continues its offensive on Gaza city, and urged civilians to leave the area Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace in a dangerous 12-minute incursion, intercepted by NATO forces. European leaders call it a reckless provocation, the latest sign of Putin testing the West's defenses. This escalation didn't happen in a vacuum. Years of Donald Trump's appeasement of Putin, undermining NATO, dismissing Russian aggression, and weakening U.S. credibility, have emboldened Moscow. Now, the world is paying the price for Trump's failure to confront authoritarian power. #NATO #Trump #Putin #Ukraine #Russia #Estonia #Geopolitics Join this channel for exclusive access and bonus content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbwLFZhawBqK2b9gW08z3g/join Five Minute News is an Evergreen Podcast, covering politics, inequality, health and climate - delivering independent, unbiased and essential news for the US and across the world. Visit us online at http://www.fiveminute.news Follow us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/fiveminutenews.bsky.social Follow us on Instagram http://instagram.com/fiveminnews Support us on Patreon http://www.patreon.com/fiveminutenews You can subscribe to Five Minute News with your preferred podcast app, ask your smart speaker, or enable Five Minute News as your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing skill. Please subscribe HERE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkbwLFZhawBqK2b9gW08z3g?sub_confirmation=1 CONTENT DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed on this channel are those of the guests and authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Anthony Davis or Five Minute News LLC. Any content provided by our hosts, guests or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything, in line with the First Amendment right to free and protected speech. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

//The Wire//2300Z September 19, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT INCURSION REPORTED IN ESTONIA. POCKETS OF CIVIL UNREST BECOME SOLIDIFIED IN CHICAGO AS LOCALS CONTINUE TO OPPOSE ICE.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Europe: Controversy has continued over the past few days regarding the Online Safety Act. Details are hard to verify, however users noted that they could not access the Bible Gateway app from a British or European IP address yesterday afternoon. In a statement posted to their website, the app was reportedly offline due to "technical issues". Some time after this notice was posted, the main support website was taken down completely.Analyst Comment: It's not clear as to if this is a technical problem unrelated to censorship efforts, or if this website was taken offline due to noncompliance with the Online Safety Act. Either way, this app has a very large userbase, so answers will be sought regarding what is going on.Estonia: This morning several Russian fighter aircraft reportedly violated Estonian airspace. Estonia stated that 3x Russian MiG-31 fighters entered their airspace, remaining inside Estonia for 12 minutes before departing. 3x Italian F-35's were scrambled to respond to the incursion, though it is unclear as to if the Russian aircraft were actually intercepted. This morning Estonia enacted Article 4 of the NATO charter, which mandates a meeting of NATO to discuss the incident.This afternoon, Polish authorities reported that 2x Russian fighter aircraft conducted a low-pass flyover of a Polish oil rig platform in the Baltic Sea.-HomeFront-Utah: A truck driver was arrested yesterday after a minor traffic incident led to the discovery of two children in the back of his truck. Jacob Ortell Scott was arrested after two girls (aged 12 and 14) were found in the refrigerated trailer he was hauling, which turned out to be his sisters.Analyst Comment: Very few details have become public regarding this strange case, but local journalists are set on this not being a human trafficking case, simply because the driver was related to the children in his trailer. This is not a certainty, and the mere act itself is exceptionally suspicious; this could have been trafficking or attempted murder, or anything in between.Illinois: This morning local tensions flared in Chicago as activists have intensified operations to disrupt ICE, with local politicians urging resistance to deportations as well. Various ICE facilities around the city have been targeted by demonstrators attempting to prevent access to the facilities. Several federal vehicles have been attacked and the tires slashed by rioters, and a few dozen protesters (mostly led by local politicians or political candidates) remained demonstrating outside federal facilities throughout the day.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Violating Estonia's airspace is a classic Russian pastime, so even though Estonia is (understandably) freaking out about it, this incident is the fourth time airspace violations have been reported this year alone. This is mostly due to where the airspace violations are taking place...over the Gulf of Finland. Due to the very tight geography of the region, Russia can very easily violate Estonia's airspace by flying across the east-west corridor over the Gulf. Most of the time, Russia uses this as a way of poking Estonia and thus conveying their regional power to NATO. In this case, Russia chose to "poke" this time using MiG-31s...a platform that was a powerhouse during the Cold War, but is a bit dated today and is in the process of being phased out. This is probably an attempt to bully Estonia (again, as Russia is known to do), but in such a manner that is "softer" than sending Su-35's or another more modern platform. Nevertheless, the Cold War antics will continue to escalate as diplomatic effort

Estonia's landscape is dominated by forests and lakes. Nearly half the country is covered by dense woodlands, making it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. The bogs, wetlands, and national parks preserve pristine ecosystems that feel untouched by time. Lahemaa National Park is particularly famous for its coastal villages and manors. Estonia's natural beauty invites visitors to slow down and reconnect with nature.The Estonian people take pride in their language, which belongs to the Finno-Ugric family, closely related to Finnish. This sets Estonia apart from its Baltic neighbors, whose languages are Indo-European. Estonian is filled with rhythm and melody, and its preservation became a symbol of independence. Folk songs are treasured, and the country hosts massive song festivals. Music is more than entertainment—it is national identity.Estonia's “Singing Revolution” of the late 1980s is legendary. Tens of thousands gathered in Tallinn to sing forbidden patriotic songs under Soviet rule. These peaceful protests shook the foundations of the Soviet Union. By 1991, Estonia regained independence, thanks to the courage of its people and the power of culture. It is a reminder that unity and art can overcome oppression. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Published 14 September 2025This week we chat to the new Finn World Champion, Deniss Karpak. The Estonian sailor has just won the Finn Gold Cup in Cascais in Portugal. It was a true mix of conditions and his consistency won the day. The Gold Cup win has been a dream for Deniss for many years and after 4 years out of the class he came back to the Finn and made it happen.We also focus in on some of the many World Champs that have been happening this week including Nick Bice winning the Maxi World Championship's.#denisskarpak #finnclass #imamaxi #vaikobi #vaikobisail #radixnutrition #barkarate #sailingpodcast  #barkarateconversations #worldsailingofficial #sailing #boat #ocean #sport #voile #sail #sea #offshore #sailors #sailingworld #extremesailing #foils #yacht #yachts #saillife #instayacht #sailingblog #instasail

Send us a message!Created from everyday detritus and animated through a pact with the devil and a shape-shifting spirit that preys on travelers. The Kratt and the Külmking are two of Estonian's local cryptids being covered in today's episode.  Music is by Alexander Nakarada.Support the show

Flags are flying across Britain—but behind the bunting lurks a far-right campaign. Chris and Matt kick off Season 10 with a look at "Operation Raise the Colours," the extremist-led push to turn patriotism into intimidation. From there, they move to Ukraine, where the US has signaled willingness to offer critical support to a potential European-led peacekeeping force, even as Trump hedges on a deal with Moscow. Next, Tulsi Gabbard ignites turmoil at the top of the intelligence community, revoking dozens of clearances—including an undercover CIA officer's—raising fears of politicization and damage to US alliances. Finally, the guys head to New Zealand, where a soldier's espionage case exposes ties to far-right groups and highlights how extremists exploit culture wars from both sides. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, geopolitics, and current affairs. Join Chris on a one-day podcast course Podcast Workshop Monday 22nd September 10am - 5pm @ The Guildford Institute: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1477046087609 Articles discussed in today's episode "'Operation Raise the Colours' Organised by Well-Known Far-Right Extremists" by Joe Mulhall | Hope Not Hate: https://hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/22/operation-raise-the-colours-organised-by-well-known-far-right-extremists/ "US offers air and intelligence support to postwar force in Ukraine" by Henry Foy, Christopher Miller & Steff Chávez | The Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/66ec25a0-4af8-467f-9fbe-cf42de890a7e "Ukraine has unbreakable pledge from West with Trump's backing - Starmer" by Paul Kirby | BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czxwl15w2qko "'Operation Raise the Colours' Organised by Well-Known Far-Right Extremists" by Joe Mulhall | Hope Not Hate: https://hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/22/operation-raise-the-colours-organised-by-well-known-far-right-extremists/ "Soldier admits spying against NZ by trying to give military base maps to foreign country" by Jeremy Wilkinson | The New Zealand Herald: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/soldier-admits-spying-against-nz-by-trying-to-give-military-base-maps-to-foreign-country/EJHSLUWH2JH65ERPPAZASVNBDY/ What else we're reading this week "DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family." by Avi Asher-Schapiro and Christopher Bing | ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-musk-mohammad-halimi-institute-peace-taliban "Tehran's Homeland Option: Terror Pathways for Iran to Strike in the United States" by Matthew Levitt | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/tehrans-homeland-option-terror-pathways-for-iran-to-strike-in-the-united-states/ "Estonian citizens warned of spy games if they travel to Russia" by Eloise Hardy | The Parliament: https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/estonian-citizens-warned-of-spy-games-if-they-travel-to-russia "The choices facing Britain's next MI6 chief" The Economist: https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/08/23/the-choices-facing-britains-next-mi6-chief Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies Buy merchandise from our Redbubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996 Subscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com Connect with us on social media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies Follow Chris and Matt on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.net Secrets and Spies is produced by F & P LTD. Music by Andrew R. Bird USAF Photo by Senior Airman Ali Stewart Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.

Reece & Nate are once again joined by Martin Käos, as we discuss the last couple of months in Estonian football. After a month of in July, we combine the 2 months, with plenty of talking points and hot takes

Based in Glasgow, Angela Kirkwood is an illustrator and animator known for her whimsical, topsy-turvy worlds filled with expressive characters that inspire joy and curiosity. Having worked for clients like Adult Swim, Nike and The New York Times, her work is characterized by a unique DIY aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for childhood cartoons. Angela transitioned from a career in graphic design during the pandemic to pursuing animation and illustration full-time. In this episode, Angela emphasizes the value of seeking inspiration beyond the screen. She shares how stepping away from the computer and immersing herself in real-life experiences fuels her creativity and helps avoid repetition. Angela believes that seeking out inspiration off-line allows for a more personal touch in her work, helping her create authentic art that resonates deeply with audiences. Angela's approach to character design is both intuitive and intentional, capturing the essence of human emotion in a playful and engaging way. She draws inspiration from everyday interactions, infusing her characters with a sense of joy and underlying complexity. Her characters—although often simple in form—are designed to be easily animated, allowing their personalities to shine through in motion. She also discusses the importance of community support, the impact of AI on jobs, and why life is hard, but reality TV helps. Listen, learn and stop asking for permission to be your own weird, authentic self. _________MENTIONED LINKS: • University of Dundee: BDes Illustration • “The Animator's Survival Kit” by Richard Williams • Norman McLaren (Scottish-Canadian animator) • “Quasi at the Quackadero” (1976) by Sally Cruikshank • Priit Pärn (Estonian cartoonist & animation director) • Bravo TV _________FOLLOW ANGELA: Instagram: @angelakirkwood Website: angelakirkwood.com Shop: angelakirkwood.com/shop _________If you liked this episode, please subscribe and leave a review. And follow Paid 2 Draw on Instagram, Spotify and TikTok. _________Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert. Music by Amanda Deff.

Shut down for trademark infringement, this seller pivoted from print-on-demand to Amazon FBA, doubling revenue four years straight and now projecting $3M this year. ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft ► Watch The Podcasts On YouTube: youtube.com/@Helium10/videos E-commerce seller Ranno Tasane from Estonia joins the Serious Sellers Podcast to share his fascinating journey from print-on-demand to skyrocketing private label Amazon sales. Imagine doubling your revenue every year for four consecutive years and reaching a projected $3 million! Despite Estonia's modest population, Ranno is part of a vibrant e-commerce community that thrives on innovation and tenacity. This episode also includes a chuckle-worthy tale from the host about a prolonged identity mix-up between Ranno and another Estonian seller, Neeme. Ranno's story is packed with entrepreneurial wisdom as he recounts the challenges of managing multiple brands and the strategic pivots that led to his current success. During the pandemic, Ranno made bold decisions that involved phasing out brands and selling others, propelling him to concentrate on a flourishing fruit powder business. Listen as he details an unexpected move to Kenya and the intricacies of building a sustainable business model between Estonia and Poland, all while keeping a sharp eye on inventory management. The episode also uncovers Ranno's aggressive marketing techniques and niche strategies that make his Amazon ventures stand out. From the Subscribe and Save program to sourcing rare ingredients like the wild blueberry, Ranno's focus on market dominance is unwavering. With a customer-first approach, Ranno emphasizes the importance of turning potential negative experiences into positive ones, maintaining a robust brand reputation. As the conversation wraps up, the Bradley shares his admiration for Estonia, considering it one of their top 10 favorite countries, and looks forward to seeing if Ranno's impressive growth trend will continue. In episode 697 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley and Ranno discuss: 01:41 - Estonian Seller Community Growth  04:24 - Ranno's Backstory 07:46 - Copyright Infringement and Revenue Growth 12:46 - Struggles of Launching Multiple Brands in Amazon 16:28 - Brand Phasing and Selling Success 20:40 - Steps to Scale a Brand 26:06 - Optimizing Subscribe and Save Discounts 28:39 - Aggressive Marketing Strategies for Unique Products 30:59 - Customer-Centric Amazon Success Strategy 32:06 - The Jungle Powders Brand 34:32 - Future Growth and International Success

Shortly after Peter F. Lane took office as a New York City Civil Court judge in January, he was surprised to get a call from the Estonian Embassy. He assumed it was a wrong number. Regardless, he picked it up and learned that he's apparently the first and only judge in the nation of Estonian descent. In this podcast, we'll explore Judge Lane's background and learn a little about a country in Northern Europe that some of us may have heard of, but most of us could never pinpoint on a map. Transcript: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/files/2025-08/Judge%20Peter%20Lane.pdf

Europe has just gained its first unapologetically defense-first venture fund. Archangel Ventures, led by Nicholas Nelson and Daniel Carew, is not here to hedge, not here to play dual-use semantics, but to put defense front and center.Nic brings the lived experience of government, strategy, and deployments, with the policy networks to match. Daniel comes from a deep tech/DARPA-inspired investing background, obsessed with the frontier of what technology can achieve. Together, they're building a fund that rejects the hype cycle and instead anchors itself in Europe's sovereignty, resilience, and the urgent reality of our geopolitical moment.Why Estonia? Why now? Because the frontier matters. From Tallinn to Vilnius to Warsaw, the tyranny of geography makes defense personal. Partnering with Superangel, Archangel is embedding itself in the heart of the Baltics—a region that already knows what it means to digitize, mobilize, and defend.Archangel Ventures is a platform, a coalition of the willing, a bet that Europe can and must build its own defense ecosystem. As they put it, defense is not a bubble, not a passing Ukraine-driven hype cycle. It's the crucible where the next generation of European technology—and deterrence—will be forged.We're proud to have launched this journey with them on the pod. Tune in: 01:00 Origins of Archangel — Nic on why he wouldn't start with just any partner.04:00 Why they teamed up — Daniel recalls NATO roots and complementary skillsets.08:30 Why defense-first matters — Nic explains why dual-use doesn't work at seed.11:00 The timing challenge — Daniel on NATO's long horizon investing.14:00 Portfolio construction — Nic's three buckets: unmet needs, future needs, unknown unknowns.20:00 Filling the ecosystem gap — Daniel on bridging startups and primes in Europe.27:00 Why Estonia — Nic on geography and teaming with Superangel.33:00 Personal ties — Daniel on his Estonian family and NATO links.41:00 On working with primes — Nic pushes back on the “dinosaurs” narrative.53:00 Risks ahead — Nic on what happens if the war in Ukraine ends tomorrow.

It's another full moon, and Charles and Cassie are still trying to learn everything they can before they transform into werewolves! They delve into Slavic and Estonian folklore, 19th century German stories, the origins of Hollywood werewolves, and the psychiatric condition of lycanthropy, and even find a few other wolf figures from around the world! https://www.patreon.com/theHistocrat https://bsky.app/profile/thehistocrat.bsky.social Mythillogical logo + Thumbnail art by Ettore Mazza. You can find more of Ettore's excellent artwork below: https://www.instagram.com/ettore.mazza/ https://ettoremazza.tumblr.com/ Suonatore di Liuto Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/  

Tallin Estonia is discussed by using fun facts, and then I give information about Estonian food over 200 more episodes giving fun mind-blowing facts about different locations around the World and their cuisine can be found on your favorite Podcast platform, including Spotify, IHeartRadio, Amazon Music and many more or you can simply click this link https://learn-about-world-cuisine.simplecast.com

#371 In this episode, Guy talked with spiritual researcher and teacher, Richard Lawrence.They delved into the profound teachings of Dr. George King, founder of the Aetherius Society. Richard discussed Dr. King's fearless journey in spreading messages from extraterrestrial intelligences and the prophecy of an awakened Earth. They explored Kundalini awakening, the crucial role of Mother Earth's energy, and how benevolent extraterrestrials are guiding humanity towards a greater purpose. Richard also shared practical spiritual practices and underlines the importance of service and intuition in spiritual evolution. Join this fascinating conversation that may challenge your perceptions and confirm deeper truths. About Richard: Described by Kindred Spirit magazine as one "of the biggest talents in MBS", Richard's books, DVDs and CDs have been sold in many countries - translations have included Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Estonian. He has taken part in hundreds of radio shows around the world, including several appearances on Coast to Coast AM, which airs on more than 600 stations in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico and Guam, and is heard by nearly three million weekly listeners; on Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis, that is broadcast to 200 stations in the US. He regularly appeared as a co-host on Mike Allen's weekly show on LBC called The Phenomena Files. His TV appearances include GMTV on topics ranging from UFOs to angels, psychic powers and complementary medicine. He has also appeared on TV with Esther Rantzen, Eammon Holmes, Gloria Hunniford, Terry Wogan, Noel Edmonds and James Whale, and a host of documentaries and magazine programmes on all the terrestrial and many of the satellite channels. In addition to having had a column in The Observer, he has written for the Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Sun, Woman's World, Here's Health, Health and Fitness, the USA's Whole Life Times and Phenome-News, New Zealand's Lifestyle magazine and many other journals. He has appeared in most of Britain's national newspapers, and many magazines and local papers. Key Points Discussed:  (00:00) - Renowned Contact Researcher REVEALS the Hidden Truth Behind Ascension & Cosmic Consciousness (00:56) - Guest Introduction: Richard Lawrence (03:29) - Richard's Journey and Teachings (06:59) - The Controversy and Evolution of UFO Beliefs (09:49) - Spirituality and Kundalini (14:15) - The Role of Extraterrestrial Intelligences (16:15) - Mother Earth and Kundalini Energy (23:58) - The Path to Enlightenment (28:02) - The Challenge of Describing Spiritual Experiences (28:51) - Meditation and Cosmic Consciousness (30:21) - The Practicality of Spiritual Service (32:31) - The Role of the Sun and Other Planets (33:48) - The Importance of Serving Others (36:01) - The Necessity of Descending from Higher States (40:58) - The Law of Karma and Spiritual Evolution (44:03) - The Power of Prayer and the 12 Blessings (47:37) - Connecting with the Mother Earth (53:03) - The Role of Intuition in Spiritual Practice (54:59) - Affirmation for Divine Presence How to Contact Richard Lawrence:www.richardlawrence.co.ukwww.aetherius.org www.youtube.com/@thespiritualfreedomshow   About me:My Instagram: www.instagram.com/guyhlawrence/?hl=en Guy's websites:www.guylawrence.com.au www.liveinflow.co

A ransomware attack exposes personal medical records of VA patients. New joint guidance from CISA and the NSA emphasizes asset inventory and OT taxonomy. The UK government reportedly spent millions to cover up a data breach. Researchers identified two critical flaws in a widely used print orchestration platform.  Phishing attacks increasingly rely on personalization. Rooting and jailbreaking frameworks pose serious enterprise risks. Fortinet warns of a critical command injection flaw in FortiSIEM. Estonian nationals are sentenced in a crypto Ponzi scheme. Michele Campobasso from Forescout joins us to unpack new research separating the hype from reality around “vibe hacking.” Meet the Blockchain Bandits of Pyongyang. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Michele Campobasso from Forescout joins us to unpack new research separating the hype from reality around “vibe hacking.” Their team tested open-source, underground, and commercial AI models on vulnerability research and exploit development tasks—finding high failure rates and significant limitations, even among top commercial systems. Selected Reading Medical records for 1 million dialysis patients breached in data hack of VA vendor (Stars and Stripes) NSA Joins CISA and Others to Share OT Asset Inventory Guidance (NSA.gov) CISA warns of N-able N-central flaws exploited in zero-day attacks (Bleeping Computer) U.K. Secretly Spent $3.2 Million to Stop Journalists From Reporting on Data Breach (The New York Times) From Support Ticket to Zero Day  (Horizon3.ai) Personalization in Phishing: Advanced Tactics for Malware Delivery (Cofense) The Root(ing) Of All Evil: Security Holes That Could Compromise Your Mobile Device (Zimperium) Fortinet warns of FortiSIEM pre-auth RCE flaw with exploit in the wild (Bleeping Computer) Estonians behind $577 million cryptomining fraud sentenced to 16 months (The Record) Someone counter-hacked a North Korean IT worker: Here's what they found (Cointelegraph) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here's our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered about the dark side of the American dream? In this episode, we delve into the complete Seabrook Farms history, a story of ambition, innovation, and betrayal that built—and ultimately destroyed—one of America's largest agricultural empires. Author John Seabrook, grandson of the company's visionary founder, joins us to discuss his book, The Spinach King, and unearth the secrets buried beneath a dynasty built on frozen vegetables. We explore the complex question of how a family can create a national brand from nothing, only to have it torn apart by the very man who built it.From its humble beginnings as a small truck farm in southern New Jersey, Seabrook Farms grew into a powerhouse that froze one-third of the nation's vegetables. John Seabrook recounts the story of his great-grandfather, a skilled farmer, and his grandfather, C.F. Seabrook, a Fordist industrialist who brought mass production to agriculture. C.F. Seabrook partnered with the legendary Clarence Birdseye to pioneer the flash-freezing process for vegetables, introducing staples like the lima bean to the East Coast. But this success came at a cost. We uncover the shocking story of CF Seabrook erasing his father from history, fabricating a more "illustrious" ancestry to bolster the family brand while cheating his own father out of the company he helped build.The episode examines the complex labor practices that defined the company. We discuss the controversial story of the Seabrook Farms Japanese-American workers, who were recruited from internment camps during World War II under Executive Order 9066, as well as Estonian workers from displaced persons camps after the war. While the company created a unique, multicultural community in Seabrook, New Jersey, this benevolent image is contrasted with a much darker chapter: the violent 1934 Seabrook Farms labor strike. John Seabrook reveals how this event, involving armed vigilantes and the KKK, was systematically erased from the official company narrative. The full Seabrook Farms history is a complex tale of both progress and oppression, culminating in a family war that led to the company's collapse in 1959. This interview, inspired by the book John Seabrook The Spinach King, exposes the human drama behind the iconic brand, from a cameo in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey to the family's strange friendship with a gangster bodyguard and the fairytale meeting of John's parents at Grace Kelly's royal wedding.About Our Guest:John Seabrook is the author of The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty and a long-time staff writer at The New Yorker. As the son and grandson of the men at the center of the Seabrook Farms empire, he provides a deeply personal and unflinchingly honest account of his family's incredible rise and devastating fall, piecing together a story of innovation, family conflict, and the hidden costs of success.Timestamps:(0:00) The Dark Secrets of an American Food Dynasty(2:05) The Rise of a Frozen Vegetable Empire and the History of Seabrook Farms(8:40) Erasing a Patriarch: How C.F. Seabrook Rewrote His Family's History(13:51) A Controversial Workforce: Japanese-American Labor During WWII(23:55) The 1934 Strike: Labor, Race, and the KKK in South Jersey(29:54) From the Farm to Outer Space: Seabrook's Cameo in 2001: A Space Odyssey(33:07) An Unlikely Friendship: John Seabrook's Father and Red Saunders the Gangster(37:23) A Royal Wedding: How Grace Kelly United John Seabrook's Parents(46:24) The Art of Four-in-Hand Coaching: A Father's Peculiar Passion(52:13) The Fall of a Dynasty: Who Owns Seabrook Farms Today?Learn More From Our Guest / Episode Resources:Read the book we discussed, The Spinach KingLearn more about John Seabrook

We update our list of the year's best songs with new obsessions from The Antlers, polymath Keaton Henson, pianist Julia Hamos, Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and more.Featured artists and songs:1. Julia Hamos: “Ellis Island,” from Ellis Island 2. The Antlers: “Carnage,” from Blight 3. Gabriela Ortiz: “El olo del Jaguar,” from Yanga 4. Keaton Henson: “Lazy Magician (feat. Julia Steiner)” (single) 5. Arvo Pärt: “Nunc dimittis,” from And I heard a voice'All Songs Considered' 25th anniversary segment: Our No. 1 songs from 2023 Weekly reset: Crows in a D.C. suburb on a summer afternoon. Enjoy the show? Share it with a friend and leave us a review on Apple or Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On Friday's Football Daily, Phil Egan brings you all the latest as St. Patrick's Athletic book a Europa Conference League date with Besiktas.Joe Redmond said it was a mad night.Jake Mulreaney counts his blessings.Stephen Bradley wants to take Shamrock Rovers to the next level.Tiernan Lynch happy to add new faces to his Derry squad.And are Cork City already doomed.And the first bid for Alexander Isak is rejected.Become a member and subscribe at offtheball.com/join

On today's special episode, Erik checks in from the locker room at Royal Portrush with amateur golfer Richard Teder—fresh off his debut at The Open. The 21-year-old Estonian talks about the nerves, the surreal calm of Thursday's tee shot, and how golf impacted him from an early age.The Erik Anders Lang Show is brought to you by Abercrombie! Shop the newest collab at Abercrombie.com Craving more golf podcast content? Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to RGC Radio YouTube Channel.Follow us!RANDOM GOLF CLUBwww.randomgolfclub.comIG: @randomgolfclubTwitter: @randomgolfclubTikTok: @randomgolfclubofficial

In this episode Mike, Rich and Steve cover 8 new releases - as usual, click the links to see the trailer for each film! We start and end with a boxing movie, kicking off with SALVABLE (Vertical), in which boxer Toby Kebbel tries to reconnect with his daughter (good) & shady old pal Shia LaBeouf (bad!) Up next is the western, THE UNHOLY TRINITY (Signature Entertainment) where the arrival of a young man bent on revenge stirs up a whole town's worth of trouble! NIGHT TERROR (aka Eye for an Eye) (Signature Entertainment) sees a young woman sent to live with her blind grandmother in Florida, only to discover dark secrets and deadly curses... MONSTERS OF CALIFORNIA (Plaion Pictures) finds a group of teens in over their heads with monsters, aliens, missing parents and military secrets! CHILD MACHINE (aka Lapsmasin) (4Digital Media) is an Estonian film where a young girl becomes trapped in a bunker with tech start-ups and a new AI... ANGEL OF THE WARRIOR (hewes pictures) is an ultra low budget, independent action thriller from new film-maker Alexandre Legrange... THE CELLAR (Red Owl Films) is where a young ex-addict called Abigail finds herself, and must use her courage and instincts to escape! FRANKIE FREAKO (Lightbulb Film Distribution) is a freakish imp who brings anarchy and chaos to stuck-up yuppie Conor's life when he calls a special party line. Our Short Shot is LEPRECHAUN: REVENGE, a fan film which provides an update on one of the surviving characters. Click the link to see the whole short film! Our DTV Throwback this week is a homage to the late Michael Madsen. in STRENGTH AND HONOUR he plays an ex-boxer who gets back in the game to try and raise money for his son's life-saving operation. Madsen is playing an Irish character but however good or bad his accent is, it's completely overshadowed by the performance of Vinnie Jones! You can find a copy of the film on YouTube.   Follow the Short Shots  on X (formerly Twitter) where you will find hundreds of links to awesome short films! Don't forget to also check out our main show, the DTV DIGEST on X and FACEBOOK! We are also now on Bluesky! Follow us here: @thedtvdigest.bsky.social and @dtvshortshots.bsky.social

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by Miles Chambers, senior vice president of international business development at EDGE Group, to discuss how the United Arab Emirates established and manages its own defence prime to work collaboratively with government, provide leadership in industry and coordinate defence exports. Chambers, with more than two decades of experience in the defence sector, leads EDGE Group's international growth strategy, overseeing export sales and global partnerships. He holds a bachelor of commerce degree in information systems and a bachelor of commerce (honours) degree in information systems from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. The pair discuss a range of issues, including: EDGE Group's recent achievements in defence projects since it's establishment in 2019 and the acquisition of Estonian robotics company Milrem Robotics and Swedish VTOL company Anavia. How the company effectively coordinates its separate branches and more than 35 entities across the differing environments of land, sea, air, space and cyber. The increasing focus on the importance of domestic manufacturing ability in the UAE, compared to traditional acquisition of externally produced international defence technology and vehicles. Initiatives to help UAE citizens enter or work in the defence industry, as a foundation principle of the company. EDGE Group's market-leading strategy in prioritising domestic research and manufacturing of drones, artificial intelligence and uncrewed robotic systems. Corporate strategy and defence priority projects into the future, such as uncrewed aircraft and automation. Enjoy the podcast, The Defence Connect Team

Did Robert Griffin III set a bad example for his four children and other young people when he posted a picture of Angel Reese's body with a monkey's head?And, of all the animals in the world, why did he specifically choose a monkey to insult Angel Reese?As a self-proclaimed Christian, did he demonstrate righteous and noble behavior?Does Griffin hate Black women and that's why he is acting like a big bully instead of a big brother to Angel Reese?What statement is he really making when he includes his Estonian wife in videos as he denigrates Angel Reese?Are Griffin's actions reflective of a professional or immature adult male struggling with trauma and issues of identity?Listen and learn!News clip from Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bU_yYcgO-Y"The Unmistakable Difference" by Bishop Dale C. Bronner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uNfamTTk8o

Michael and Heather break down an Estonian e-commerce business selling lighting kits for LEGO sets, questioning its steep 7x EBITDA price tag amid thin margins, one-time buyers, and China sourcing risks.Business Listing – https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/lights-for-lego-game-of-bricks/2322004/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.

Michael and Heather break down an Estonian e-commerce business selling lighting kits for LEGO sets, questioning its steep 7x EBITDA price tag amid thin margins, one-time buyers, and China sourcing risks.Business Listing – https://www.bizbuysell.com/Business-Opportunity/lights-for-lego-game-of-bricks/2322004/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.

Part 2 of my conversation with guest Jay Breitling about our favorite music of 2025 so far. Show notes: Counting down our favorite albums Breitling's #6: Dan Bejar with another well-done Destroyer album "Slacker Sinatra" singing about aging Kumar's #6: Striking solo effort from Tunde Adebimpe Breitling's #5: Shoegaze goodness from NJ's High Kumar's #5: Dax Riggs with fuzz-laden goth grunge Breitling's #4: Digging the Estonian dream pop from mariin k. Kumar's #3: Impressive 15th solo album from Bob Mould plays to his strengths Still kicking ass into his mid-60s Breitling's #3: Boston trio with a dumb name and a great album, (T-T)b Kumar's #2: Mclusky returns after 21 years with a razor-sharp ripper Breitling's #2 and Kumar's #4: Surprise return to thunderous form from The Men Kumar's #1: PUP's fifth album finds them exploring more mature themes while still kicking ass Breitling's #1 and Kumar's #7: The four-album magnum opus from Hallelujah the Hills exceeds expectations Many guest appearances among the 54 songs Looking forward to new releases from the Lemonheads, Sloan, Superchunk, Pile, Wednesday Completely Conspicuous is available through Apple Podcasts. Subscribe and write a review! The opening and closing theme of Completely Conspicuous is "Theme to Big F'in Pants" by Jay Breitling. Voiceover work is courtesy of James Gralian.

SPONSOR: Quince -Stick to the staples that last—with elevated essentials from Quince. Go to https://www.Quince.com/HONEYDEW My HoneyDew this week is comedian Ari Matti! Ari joins me to Highlight the Lowlights of growing up in Estonia after its newly gained independence in 1991. We dive into his unconventional upbringing with a stepfather who had three other families. Ari opens up about losing both of his parents at a young age and shares a surprising revelation about his biological father that came to light in the midst of it all. SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE and watch full episodes of The Dew every toozdee! https://youtube.com/@rsickler SUBSCRIBE TO MY PATREON - The HoneyDew with Y'all, where I Highlight the Lowlights with Y'all! Get audio and video of The HoneyDew a day early, ad-free at no additional cost! It's only $5/month! AND we just added a second tier. For a total of $8/month, you get everything from the first tier, PLUS The Wayback a day early, ad-free AND censor free AND extra bonus content you won't see anywhere else! https://www.patreon.com/TheHoneyDew What's your story?? Submit at honeydewpodcast@gmail.com Get Your HoneyDew Gear Today! https://shop.ryansickler.com/ Ringtones Are Available Now! https://www.apple.com/itunes/ http://ryansickler.com/ https://thehoneydewpodcast.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE CRABFEAST PODCAST https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-crabfeast-with-ryan-sickler-and-jay-larson/id1452403187

In this episode—5,400 miles from home—I sit with my new friend, Anna Avstriyskaya. She's an anthropologist who is passionate about people, cultures, borders, and migration.Born in the Soviet Union, Anna was raised on the Estonia/Russian border and lived in Moscow for 13 years. We discuss what it was like growing up in a place caught between worlds—Estonian on paper, Russian in culture—and how that shaped the way she views identity, language, and belonging.I ask about the Stalin-created famine in Ukraine in 1930s aka Holodomor. You'll hear stories about life in Moscow, opposition leaders being assassinated, and what most concerns her about the Russia/Ukraine War.Anna also opens up about how hard (and rewarding) it is to be a single mom. She discusses the lack of support from the father of her 2-year old and how difficult it was to lose her own mother shortly after her baby was born.From anthropology studies to her dream destination, Anna's story is one of quiet resilience and determination.

This Nordic Asia Podcast episode explores how Estonia and Japan, two countries under demographic pressure with different immigration histories, are managing the integration of foreign labour. Despite Estonia's EU membership and Japan's more recent policy shifts, both nations face labour shortages due to rapidly ageing populations. Estonia maintains a controlled but gradually liberalised immigration policy, while Japan has adopted Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). The system that will be replaced in coming years with a new program aiming for better job mobility and stronger language requirements. A key theme throughout is the role of language as a structural barrier. In both countries, immigrants' language proficiency remains low: only 11% achieve fluency in Estonian, while Japan's pre-arrival language training often falls short of workplace demands. This barrier limits not only job mobility, but also social integration and emotional well-being. The dominance of local languages in workplace culture fosters exclusion, even when basic communication in English or Japanese is possible. Support systems also diverge. Estonia offers spouse integration programs and community-based language initiatives, whereas Japan restricts family migration under most visa categories. The discussion emphasises that language barriers are not simply logistical, they are also deeply embedded in social expectations and everyday interaction. In sum, while Estonia and Japan face similar demographic challenges, their tools, legal frameworks, and cultural attitudes toward foreign labour differ sharply. Estonia's EU-aligned policies and family-inclusive approach may offer valuable lessons to Japan. Conversely, Estonia could learn from Japan's structured pre-arrival preparation programs to improve early-stage immigrant adaptation. Ultimately, the episode argues that integration is not just a matter of policy, it is a broader societal test of inclusivity and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This Nordic Asia Podcast episode explores how Estonia and Japan, two countries under demographic pressure with different immigration histories, are managing the integration of foreign labour. Despite Estonia's EU membership and Japan's more recent policy shifts, both nations face labour shortages due to rapidly ageing populations. Estonia maintains a controlled but gradually liberalised immigration policy, while Japan has adopted Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). The system that will be replaced in coming years with a new program aiming for better job mobility and stronger language requirements. A key theme throughout is the role of language as a structural barrier. In both countries, immigrants' language proficiency remains low: only 11% achieve fluency in Estonian, while Japan's pre-arrival language training often falls short of workplace demands. This barrier limits not only job mobility, but also social integration and emotional well-being. The dominance of local languages in workplace culture fosters exclusion, even when basic communication in English or Japanese is possible. Support systems also diverge. Estonia offers spouse integration programs and community-based language initiatives, whereas Japan restricts family migration under most visa categories. The discussion emphasises that language barriers are not simply logistical, they are also deeply embedded in social expectations and everyday interaction. In sum, while Estonia and Japan face similar demographic challenges, their tools, legal frameworks, and cultural attitudes toward foreign labour differ sharply. Estonia's EU-aligned policies and family-inclusive approach may offer valuable lessons to Japan. Conversely, Estonia could learn from Japan's structured pre-arrival preparation programs to improve early-stage immigrant adaptation. Ultimately, the episode argues that integration is not just a matter of policy, it is a broader societal test of inclusivity and resilience.

This Nordic Asia Podcast episode explores how Estonia and Japan, two countries under demographic pressure with different immigration histories, are managing the integration of foreign labour. Despite Estonia's EU membership and Japan's more recent policy shifts, both nations face labour shortages due to rapidly ageing populations. Estonia maintains a controlled but gradually liberalised immigration policy, while Japan has adopted Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). The system that will be replaced in coming years with a new program aiming for better job mobility and stronger language requirements. A key theme throughout is the role of language as a structural barrier. In both countries, immigrants' language proficiency remains low: only 11% achieve fluency in Estonian, while Japan's pre-arrival language training often falls short of workplace demands. This barrier limits not only job mobility, but also social integration and emotional well-being. The dominance of local languages in workplace culture fosters exclusion, even when basic communication in English or Japanese is possible. Support systems also diverge. Estonia offers spouse integration programs and community-based language initiatives, whereas Japan restricts family migration under most visa categories. The discussion emphasises that language barriers are not simply logistical, they are also deeply embedded in social expectations and everyday interaction. In sum, while Estonia and Japan face similar demographic challenges, their tools, legal frameworks, and cultural attitudes toward foreign labour differ sharply. Estonia's EU-aligned policies and family-inclusive approach may offer valuable lessons to Japan. Conversely, Estonia could learn from Japan's structured pre-arrival preparation programs to improve early-stage immigrant adaptation. Ultimately, the episode argues that integration is not just a matter of policy, it is a broader societal test of inclusivity and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

This Nordic Asia Podcast episode explores how Estonia and Japan, two countries under demographic pressure with different immigration histories, are managing the integration of foreign labour. Despite Estonia's EU membership and Japan's more recent policy shifts, both nations face labour shortages due to rapidly ageing populations. Estonia maintains a controlled but gradually liberalised immigration policy, while Japan has adopted Technical Intern Training Program (TITP). The system that will be replaced in coming years with a new program aiming for better job mobility and stronger language requirements. A key theme throughout is the role of language as a structural barrier. In both countries, immigrants' language proficiency remains low: only 11% achieve fluency in Estonian, while Japan's pre-arrival language training often falls short of workplace demands. This barrier limits not only job mobility, but also social integration and emotional well-being. The dominance of local languages in workplace culture fosters exclusion, even when basic communication in English or Japanese is possible. Support systems also diverge. Estonia offers spouse integration programs and community-based language initiatives, whereas Japan restricts family migration under most visa categories. The discussion emphasises that language barriers are not simply logistical, they are also deeply embedded in social expectations and everyday interaction. In sum, while Estonia and Japan face similar demographic challenges, their tools, legal frameworks, and cultural attitudes toward foreign labour differ sharply. Estonia's EU-aligned policies and family-inclusive approach may offer valuable lessons to Japan. Conversely, Estonia could learn from Japan's structured pre-arrival preparation programs to improve early-stage immigrant adaptation. Ultimately, the episode argues that integration is not just a matter of policy, it is a broader societal test of inclusivity and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/japanese-studies

A cheeky little BONUS pod recorded live (last week) in Estonia. Pete and Mel (and Rory the Baby) went to an Estonian top division game so talk about that a bit, plus footy in Latvia. Crew are back to playing (and winning) and they barely talk about that. Enjoy!

The future of transportation isn't what you think. While autonomous vehicles grab headlines, a different revolution is already happening – remote driving technology that puts humans behind virtual wheels, controlling vehicles from anywhere on earth.ooSpeaking with Enn Lans, CEO of Estonia-based Elmo Remote Driving, we discovered a technology that's not just theoretical but actively deployed and road-legal since 2022. Unlike the still-developing autonomous systems, Elmo's technology creates a seamless connection between remote drivers and vehicles, with applications spanning car rentals, taxis, mining operations, and even defense sectors in conflict zones.What makes this technology particularly fascinating is its practical approach to solving real transportation problems. Imagine renting a car that arrives at your doorstep, driven remotely by an operator who then relinquishes control to you. When you're finished, you simply end your session, and a teledriver takes over again. For taxi services, companies can tap into global workforce pools, potentially transforming the economics of an industry perpetually challenged by driver shortages.The affordability is striking – retrofitting costs approximately 10% of a vehicle's value, working with both gasoline and electric vehicles. The only real limitation is manual transmissions, which would require robotic manipulation to operate remotely.Beyond the transportation industry insights, our show featured Jeff's fascinating exploration of rare muscle car colors – from the eye-catching Pink Panther Duster to the screaming Orbit Orange GTO that collectors now pursue with passion. And as Texas temperatures climb, Mars shared perfect swimming destinations across the state where you can cool off, from Austin's historic Deep Eddy Pool to the pristine Blue Hole in Wimberley.Want to learn more about how remote driving technology could transform your business or daily transportation? Visit elmoremote.com and discover how this Estonian innovation is changing the way we think about who's really behind the wheel.Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!---- ----- Want more In Wheel Time car talk any time? In Wheel Time is now available on Audacy! Just go to Audacy.com/InWheelTime where ever you are.----- -----Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider for the next episode of In Wheel Time Podcast and check out our live multiplatform broadcast every Saturday, 10a - 12noonCT simulcasting on Audacy, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and InWheelTime.com.In Wheel Time Podcast can be heard on you mobile device from providers such as:Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Podcast, iHeartRadio podcast, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Castro, Castbox, YouTube Podcast and more on your mobile device.Follow InWheelTime.com for the latest updates!Twitter: https://twitter.com/InWheelTimeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwheeltime/https://www.youtube.com/inwheeltimehttps://www.Facebook.com/InWheelTimeFor more information about In Wheel Time Car Talk, email us at info@inwheeltime.comTags: In Wheel Time, automotive car talk show, car talk, Live car talk show, In Wheel Time Car Talk

In this one off show, we speak to Estonia's Minister of Education, Kristina Kallas, to find out what's behind the country's reputation for having one of the best education systems in Europe. We explore how teachers are trained, paid, and supported in Estonia — and how that compares to the UK. From classroom teaching methods and SEND provision to workload, behaviour, and the role of support staff, this is a chance to hear what works elsewhere and why. We also dig into Estonia's approach to curriculum, technology, and assessment. What's their policy on mobile phones? How do they use AI? And what role do national tests play? Finally, we ask: what could the UK take from Estonia's model — and are there any elements of the UK system that Estonia is watching closely?

Dive into a conversation between Bioneers senior producer J.P. Harpignies and David Rothenberg. David is a musician, composer, author, naturalist, philosopher, and an independent publisher. He's been a unique and fascinating explorer of humanity's connections to the natural world for more than four decades. ⁠Watch the video version of this conversation⁠ One of David's unique forms of experimentation in his extensive travels has been not only his recordings of bird and whale and other animal songs, but his attempts to engage with other species in musical exchanges. Quite a few have been captured on film and discussed in his many books. David has released some 40 albums under his own name and collaborated with many prominent musicians. Someone recently said that David has “played with everyone from Peter Gabriel to Pauline Oliveros, Suzanne Vega, Scanner, cicadas, humpbacks, frogs, Estonian pond organisms” and many others.  JP invited David to recount some of the key episodes in his career trajectory, unpack some of his guiding ideals and passions, and regale us with anecdotes from an extremely full life. To learn more about the extraordinary intelligence of life inherent in fungi, plants and animals, check out Bioneers' Earthlings newsletter. Each issue delves into captivating stories and research that promise to reshape your perception of our fellow Earthlings – and point toward a profound shift in how we all inhabit this planet together. You can subscribe at bioneers.org/earthlings

We explore how digital technology is reshaping the creative industries in Estonia, from live AI-generated theatre to immersive VR dance and the future of digital fashion. Mart-Matteus Kampus shares the behind-the-scenes challenges of co-creating a stage production with ChatGPT. Choreographer Liis Vares and interdisciplinary artist Taavet Jansen introduce a performance where the audience becomes part of the show through virtual reality. And fashion designer Xenia Joost reflects on how digital tools can drive both innovation and sustainability in the fashion world. Tune in to discover how Estonian artists are merging creativity and code to push the boundaries of what's possible in performance, design, and cultural heritage.

It's time for another Listener Special, and Yvette is back with a spine-tingling lineup of your real-life paranormal encounters — and this month's stories might just be the most chilling yet.In this June edition, we begin with a confession years in the making from Susie, who shares a behind-the-scenes revelation from a Most Haunted investigation at the Royal Marines Museum — involving a coin, a ghostly colonel, and a perfectly timed spectral throw!Next, Rachel brings us into a deeply personal and extraordinary final chapter in her stepfather's life, where the veil between worlds seemed to lift, revealing music, movement, and messages from beyond in the hours before his passing.Daniel then takes us to a forgotten railway station in the north of England, where an eerie steam train from the past glided silently into his lens — followed by a ghostly figure in uniform that still haunts his memories.We travel to a quiet library in rural Oxfordshire with Sam, who uncovers something (or someone) hidden behind the walls — a spirit that may not want to stay forgotten.And finally, Juliana recounts a harrowing night in an Estonian hotel room, where sleep paralysis gave way to an encounter so vivid, so terrifying, it still lingers in her mind — and left a handprint behind as proof.Grab your headphones, dim the lights, and hold someone's hand… if you dare.

What can we learn from Estonia? It's not a question you hear often — the nation of under two million residents doesn't mean much to many. But for good governance advocates, it's long been a touchpoint for its “e-government” model. The New Yorker wrote in 2017 that, “apart from transfers of physical property, such as buying a house, all bureaucratic processes can be done online.” Wired called Estonia “the world's most digitally advanced society.” On its “e-Estonia” site, the country itself brags, in a mod font, “We have built a digital society and we can show you how.”The Estonian model has a lot going for it from the perspective of a citizen. For example: Taxes take a few minutes to file, you can see every time the government looks at your data, and you never have to give the government a piece of information more than once. And it makes governance easier: the bureaucracy is leaner, information is shared across agencies, and data is more secure.But how much of this model could be adopted here in the US, or in the rest of the West? And how much is reliant on a cultural and societal context we just don't have here? To get answers, I talked to Joel Burke, author of the new book Rebooting a Nation: The Incredible Rise of Estonia, E-Government and the Startup Revolution. Joel is an American who worked with the Estonian government, and I learned a lot from his book.For the full transcript of this conversation and others, visit www.statecraft.pub. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Watch the Q&A session here: https://youtu.be/3ntebbsM4HwThis lecture delves into musical forms which rely on the most economical of materials and concepts. From Steve Reich's adoption of rhythmic cycles and phasing in Ewe drumming to the expressive power of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt's music, we explore how profound effect can emerge from such apparent simplicity. This lecture unpacks the processes behind celebrated minimalist works and reveals the quiet and elegant mechanisms underpinning their musical power. This lecture was recorded by Milton Mermikides on 1st May 2025 at Rich Mix, London.Milton Mermikides  is Gresham Professor of Music.He is Associate Professor in Music at the University of Surrey, Professor of Guitar at the Royal College of Music and Deputy Director of the International Guitar Research Centre.The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/minimalist-processGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todayWebsite:  https://gresham.ac.ukTwitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeSupport Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-todaySupport the show

Reece & Nate sit down with former Paide & Levadia head coach Ivan StojkovićWe talked about his 3 years in Estonian football, from youth football up to the mens game.His time with Levadia, Paide, future plans to return to Estonia?The dreaded Narva pitch

The #1 English speaking podcast on Estonian football is back!Reece & Nate are once again joined by Martin Käos to discuss the month of May in Estonian football. We discuss all 10 teams, as well as players who have impressed us in May.

Vishnu Khare  was a poet, translator, literary and film critic, journalist and scriptwriter. He was a polyglot, proficient in several languages, including Hindi, English, German, and other European and Asian languages. He wrote and translated extensively in both Hindi and English, and his translations included works from German, Finnish, Estonian, and other languages. He also translated modern Hindi poetry into English and GermanKhare was a recipient of many awards and honours, including an Order of the White Rose of Finland for his Hindi translation of the national epic of Finland, Kalevala. He was also awarded Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, IV Class by the Government of Estonia for his Hindi translation of the national epic of Estonia, Kalevipoeg.विष्णु खरे एक कवि, अनुवादक, साहित्यकार और फिल्म समीक्षक, पत्रकार और पटकथा लेखक थे। वे बहुभाषी थे और हिंदी, अंग्रेजी, जर्मन और अन्य यूरोपीय और एशियाई भाषाओं सहित कई भाषाओं में पारंगत थे। उन्होंने हिंदी और अंग्रेजी दोनों में बड़े पैमाने पर लिखा और अनुवाद किया, और उनके अनुवादों में जर्मन, फिनिश, एस्टोनियाई और अन्य भाषाओं की रचनाएँ शामिल थीं। उन्होंने आधुनिक हिंदी कविता का अंग्रेजी और जर्मन में अनुवाद भी किया। खरे को कई पुरस्कारों और सम्मानों से सम्मानित किया गया, जिसमें फिनलैंड के राष्ट्रीय महाकाव्य कालेवाला के उनके हिंदी अनुवाद के लिए फिनलैंड के व्हाइट रोज़ का ऑर्डर भी शामिल है। एस्टोनिया के राष्ट्रीय महाकाव्य कालेविपोएग के उनके हिंदी अनुवाद के लिए उन्हें एस्टोनिया सरकार द्वारा टेरा मारियाना के क्रॉस का चतुर्थ श्रेणी का ऑर्डर भी दिया गया था।

 Santi: Hi, this is a special episode of Statecraft. I've got a wonderful guest host with me today. Kyla Scanlon: Hey, I'm Kyla Scanlon! I'm the author of a book called In This Economy and an economic commentator. Santi: Kyla has joined me today for a couple reasons. One, I'm a big fan of her newsletter: it's about economics, among many other things. She had a great piece recently on what we can learn from C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, which is a favorite book of mine.Kyla's also on today because we're interviewing Wally Adeyemo, who was the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury in the Biden administration. We figured we each had questions we wanted answered.Kyla: Yeah, I've had the opportunity to interview Wally a couple times during the Biden administration, and I wanted to see where he thinks things are at now. He played a key role in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act, financial sanctions on Russia, and a whole bunch of other things.Santi: For my part, I'm stuck on Wally's role in setting up the IRS's Direct File program, where you can file your taxes for free directly through the IRS instead of paying TurboTax a hundred bucks to do it. “Good governance types” tend to love Direct File, but the current admin is thinking of killing it. I wanted to understand how the program got rolled out, how Wally would respond to criticisms of the program, and what he learned from building something in government, which now may disappear.Kyla, you've talked to Wally before. How did that conversation go? Kyla: I actually was able to go to his office in D.C., and I talked to a couple of key people in the Biden administration: Jared Bernstein, the former chair of the CEA, and Daniel Hornung, who was at the National Economic Council.We're talking to Wally on the day that the House passed the one big beautiful bill. There's also so much happening financially, like the bond market is totally rebelling against the US government right now. I'm really curious how he thinks things are, as a key player in the last administration.Santi: Wally, you've spent most of your career in Democratic Party institutions. You worked on the Kerry presidential campaign in 2004. You served in the Obama admin. You were the first chief of staff to the CFPB, the president of the Obama Foundation, and, most recently, Deputy Treasury Secretary in the Biden admin.30,000ft question: How do you see the Democratic Party today?My view is that we continue to be the party that cares deeply about working-class people, but we haven't done a good job of communicating that to people, especially when it comes to the things that matter most to them. From my standpoint, it's costs: things in America cost too much for a working-class family.I want to make sure I define working class: I think about people who make under $100,000 a year, many of whom don't own homes on the coast or don't own a significant amount of stocks (which means they haven't seen the asset appreciation that's led to a great deal of wealth creation over the last several decades). When you define it that way, 81% of Americans sit in that category of people. Despite the fact that they've seen their median incomes rise 5-10% over the last five years, they've seen the cost of the things they care about rise even faster.We haven't had a clear-cut agenda focused on the standard of living, which I think is the thing that matters most to Americans today.Santi: There are folks who would say the problem for Democrats wasn't that they couldn't communicate clearly, or that they didn't have a governing agenda, but that they couldn't execute their agenda the way they hoped to in the time available to them. Would you say there's truth to that claim?Most people talk about a communications issue, but I don't think it's a communications issue. There are two issues. One is an implementation issue, and the second is an issue of the actual substance and policy at the Treasury Department. I was the deputy secretary, but I was also the Chief Operating Officer, which meant that I was in charge of execution. The two most significant domestic things I had to execute were the American Rescue Plan, where $1.9 trillion flowed through the Treasury Department, and the Inflation Reduction Act. The challenge with execution in the government is that we don't spend a lot on our systems, on making execution as easy as possible.For example, the Advanced Child Tax Credit was intended to give people money to help with each of their children during the pandemic. What Congress called on us to do was to pay people on a monthly basis. In the IRS system, you pay your taxes mostly on an annual basis, which meant that most of our systems weren't set up to pay a monthly check to Americans. It took us a great deal of work to figure out a way to recreate a system just to do that.We've underinvested in the systems that the IRS works on. The last time we made a significant investment in the IRS's digital infrastructure was the 1960s; before we had an ATM machine, before we sent a man to the moon, before we had a personal computer. So that meant that everything was coded in a language called COBOL.So execution was quite hard in the American Rescue Plan. People were left out and felt that the government wasn't working for them. If you called the IRS, only 13% of your calls were being answered. We got that back up to 85% before we left. Ultimately, I think part of this is an execution challenge. In government we want to spend money coming up with new policies, but we don't want to pay for execution, which then means that when you get the policy passed, implementation isn't great.When Jen Pahlka was on your show, she talked about the need to focus on identifying the enablers to implementation. Direct File was one of the best examples of us taking implementation very seriously.But also, on some policy issues that mattered most to Americans, we weren't advancing the types of strategies that would've helped lower the cost of housing and lowering the cost of medicine. We did some things there, but there's clearly more that we could have done, and more we need to do going forward to demonstrate that we're fighting to bring down those costs. It's everything from permitting reform — not just at the federal level, but what can we do to incentivize it at the state and local level — to thinking about what we can do on drug costs. Why does it cost so much more to get a medicine in America than in Canada? That is something that we can solve. We've just chosen not to at the federal level.At the end of the year, we were going to take action to go after some of the middlemen in the pharmacy industry who were taking out rents and large amounts of money. It dropped out of the bill because of the negotiations between the Republican Congress and then President-elect Trump. But there are a lot of things that we can do both on implementation, which will mean that Americans feel the programs that we're passing in a more effective way, and policy solutions that we need to advance as a party that will help us as well.Kyla: Some people think Americans tend to vote against their own self-interest. How can your party message to people that these sorts of policies are really important for them?Ultimately, what I found is that most people just understand their self-interest differently, and for them, a big part of this was, “Who's fighting for me on the issues that I care most about?”From my standpoint, part of the problem we had with Direct File, which I think was an innovative solution, was that we got to implementing it so late in the administration that we didn't have the ability for it to show the impact. I'm hoping future administrations will think through how to start their implementation journey on things like Direct File sooner in the administration, when you have a great deal of political capital, so people can actually feel the impact over time.To your question, it's not just about the messaging, it's about the messenger. People tend to trust people who look like them, who come from the places they come from. When it came to the Child Tax Credit and also to Direct File, the biggest innovation wasn't the technology: the technology for Direct File has been used by the Australians, the British, and other countries for decades.The biggest innovation was us joining that technology with trusted people in communities who were going out to talk to people about those programs and building those relationships. That was something that the IRS hadn't done a great deal of. We invested a great deal in those community navigators who were helping us get people to trust the things the government was doing again, like the Child Tax Credit, like Direct File, so that they could use it.We often think that Washington is going to be able to give messages to the country that people are going to hear. But we're both in a more complicated media environment, where people are far more skeptical of things that come from people in Washington. So the best people to advocate for and celebrate the things that we're doing are people who are closer to the communities we're trying to reach. In product advertising today, more companies are looking to influencers to advertise things, rather than putting an ad on television, because people trust the people that they follow. The same is true for the things that we do in government.Santi: I've talked to colleagues of yours in the last administration who say things like, “In the White House, we did not have a good enough sense of the shot clock.” They point to various reasons, including COVID, as a reason the admin didn't do a good enough job of prioritization.Do you think that's true, that across the administration, there was a missing sense of the shot clock or a missing sense of prioritization? No, because I'm a Lakers fan. These are professionals. We're professionals. This is not our first rodeo. We know how much time is on the shot clock; we played this game. The challenge wasn't just COVID. For me at Treasury — and I think this is the coolest part of being Deputy Secretary of the Treasury — I had responsibilities domestic and international. As I'm trying to modernize the IRS, to invest all my time in making the system work better for customers and to collect more taxes from the people who owe money, Russia invades Ukraine. I had to turn a bunch of my attention to thinking about what we were going to do there. Then you have Hamas attacking Israel.There was more we should have done on the domestic end, but we have to remember that part of the presidency is: you get to do the things you want to do, but you also have to do the things you have to do. We had a lot of things we had to do that we weren't planning for which required all-of-the-administration responses.I think the most important lesson I've learned about that is that it comes down to both being focused on the things that matter, and being willing to communicate to the American people why your priorities have to change in light of things that happen in the world.But the people I'm sure you've talked to, most of them work on domestic policy alone, and they probably never have been in a National Security Council meeting, where you're thinking about the risks to the country. The president has to do both of those things. So I get how difficult it is to do that, just given where I sat at the Treasury Department.Santi: Looking back from an implementation perspective, are there things you would've done differently during your time at Treasury?The most important thing that I would've done differently was to immediately set up a permanent implementation and delivery unit in the Treasury Department. We always like to pretend like the Treasury Department is just a policy department where we make policy, we collect taxes. But in any crisis the country ever has, a great deal of responsibility — for execution or implementation of whatever the response is — falls to the Treasury Department. Think about the financial crisis, which is clearly something that's in the Treasury's domain. The vast majority of money for COVID flowed through the Treasury Department. You think about the IRA, a climate bill: the vast majority of that money flows through the Treasury Department.And Treasury doesn't have a dedicated staff that's just focused on implementation: How do we do this well? How do we make sure the right people are served? How do we make sure that we communicate this well? We did this to a degree by a team that was focused on the American Rescue Plan. But it was only focused on the American Rescue Plan. If I could start again, I would have said, “I want a permanent implementation structure within the Treasury Department of people who are cross-cutting, who only think about how we execute the policies that we pass through Congress and that we put together through an executive order. How do we do that extremely well?”Kyla: What you're talking about is very people-centric: How do we get an implementation team, and how do we make sure that the right people are doing the right jobs? Now we have DOGE, which is less people-centric. How do you reconcile what Doge is doing relative to what you would've done differently in this role that you had?As you would suspect, I wasn't excited about the fact we had lost the election, but initially I thought DOGE could be helpful with technology. I think marrying technology with people — that's the key to success for the government. We've never really been great at doing technology in the government.Part of the reason for that is a procurement process that is very slow because of how the federal acquisition rules work. What we are trying to do is prevent corruption and also waste, fraud, and abuse. But what that does is, it leads to slowness in our ability to get the technology on board that we need, and in getting the right people.I was hoping DOGE would bring in people who knew a great deal about technology and put us in a position where we could use that to build better products for the American people. I thought they would love Direct File, and that they would find ways to improve Direct File and expand it to more Americans.My view is that any American in the working class or middle class should not have to pay a company to file their taxes. We have the ability in this country, and I think Direct File was proving that. My goal, if we'd had more time, was to expand this to almost any American being able to use it. I thought they'd be able to accelerate that by bringing in the right people, but also the right technology. We were on that path before they took those two things apart.My sense is that you have to reform the way that we hire people because it's too hard to hire the right people. In some cases, you don't need some of the people you have today because technology is going to require different skills to do different things. It's easier to break something, I found, than it is to build something. I think that's what they're finding today as well.Santi: When I talk to left-of-center folks about the DOGE push, they tend to be skeptical about the idea that AI or modern technology can replace existing federal workers. I think some of that is a natural backlash to the extreme partisan coding of DOGE, and the fact that they're firing a lot of people very quickly. But what's your view? After DOGE, what kinds of roles would you like to see automated?Let me say: I disagree with the view that DOGE and technology can't replace some of the things that federal workers do today. My view is that “productivity enhancing” tech — it's not that it is going to make employees who are currently doing the job more productive. It is going to mean you need fewer employees. We have to be honest about that.Go to the IRS, for example. When I got there, we had a huge paper backlog at the IRS because, despite what most people think, millions of people still file their taxes by paper, and they send them to the IRS. And during the pandemic, the commissioner, who was then working for President Trump, decided to shut down the IRS for public health reasons — to make sure employees did not have to risk getting COVID.There were piles of paper backing up, so much so that they had filled cafeterias at the IRS facilities with huge piles of paper. The problem, of course, is that, unlike modern systems, you could not just machine-read those papers and put them into our systems. Much of that required humans to code those papers into the system by hand. There is no need in the 21st century for that to happen, so one of the things that we started to do was introduce this simple thing called scanning, where you would scan the papers — I know it sounds like a novel idea. That would help you get people's tax returns faster into the system, but also get checks out quickly, and allow us to see if people are underpaying their taxes, because we can use that data with a modern system. But over time, what would that mean? We'd need fewer people to enter the data from those forms.When we get money for the IRS from Congress, it is actually seen as revenue-raising because they expect it to bring down the debt and deficit, which is completely true. But the model Congress uses to do that is reliant on the number of full-time employees we hire. One challenge we have with the IRS — and in government systems in general — is that you don't get credit for technology investments that should improve your return on investment.So whenever we did the ROI calculations for the IRS, the Congressional Budget Office would calculate how much revenue we'd bring in, and it was always based on the number of people you had doing enforcement work that would lead to certain dollars coming in. So we got no credit for the technology investments. Which was absolutely the opposite of what we knew would be true: the more you invested in technology, the more likely you were to bring in more revenue, and you would be able to cut the cost of employees.Santi: If the CBO changed the way it scored technology improvements, would more Congresspeople be interested in funding technology?It is just a CBO issue. It's one we've tried to talk to them about over the last several years, but one where they've been unwilling to move. My view is that unlocking this will unlock greater investment in technology in a place like the IRS, because every dollar you invest in technology — I think — would earn back $10 in additional tax revenue we'd be able to collect from people who are skipping out on their taxes today. It's far more valuable to invest in that technology than to grow the number of employees working in enforcement at the IRS. You need both, but you can't say that a person is worth 5x their salary in revenue and that technology is worth 0. That makes no sense.Kyla: When we spoke about Direct File many months ago, people in my comment section were super excited and saying things like, “I just want the government to tell me how much money I owe.” When you think about the implementation of Direct File, what went right, and how do you think it has evolved?The thing that went right was that we proved that we could build something quite easily, and we built it ourselves, unlike many technology projects in government. We didn't go out and hire a bunch of consultants and contractors to do it. We did it with people at the IRS, but also with people from 18F and from GSA who worked in the government. We did it in partnership with a number of stakeholders outside the government who gave us advice, but the build was done by us.The reason that was important — and the reason it's important to build more things internally rather than hiring consulting firms or other people to build it — is that you then have the intellectual capital from building that, and that can be used to build other things. This was one product, but my view is that I want the IRS home page to one day look a lot more like the screen on your iPhone, so that you can click on the app on the IRS homepage that can help you, depending on what you need — if it's a Direct File, or if it's a tax transcript.By building Direct File internally, we were getting closer to that, and the user scores on the effectiveness of the tool and the ability to use it were through the roof. Even for a private sector company, it would've been seen as a great success. In the first year, we launched late in the filing season, mostly just to test the product, but also to build stakeholder support for it. In the limited release, 140,000 people used it. The average user said that before Direct File, it took them about 13 hours to file their taxes, and with Direct File, it took them just over an hour to file their taxes.But you also have to think about how much money the average American spends filing their taxes: about $200. That's $200 that a family making under $100,000 could invest in their kids, in paying some bills, rather than in filing their taxes.Even this year, with no advertising by the Trump administration of Direct File, we had more than 300,000 people use it. The user scores for the product were above 85%. The challenge, of course, is that instead of DOGE investing in improving the product — which was a place where you could have seen real intellectual capital go to work and make something that works for all Americans — they've decided to discontinue Direct File. [NB: There has been widespread reporting that the administration plans to discontinue Direct File. The GOP tax bill passed by the House would end Direct File if it becomes law. At the time of publication, the Direct File has not been discontinued.]The sad part is that when you think about where we are as a country, this is a tool that could both save people money, save people time, improve our ability to collect taxes, and is something that exists in almost every other developed economy. It makes no sense to me why you would end something like this rather than continue to develop it.Santi: People remember the failure of healthcare.gov, which crashed when it was rolled out all at once to everyone in the country. It was an embarrassing episode for the Obama administration, and political actors in that administration learned they had to pilot things and roll them out in phases.Is there a tension between that instinct — to test things slowly, to roll them out to a select group of users, and then to add users in following cycles — Is there a tension between that and trying to implement quickly, so that people see the benefit of the work you're doing?One of my bosses in the Obama administration was Jeff Zients, the person who was brought in to fix healthcare.gov. He relentlessly focused on execution. He always made the point that it's easy to come up with a strategy to some degree: you can figure out what the policy solution is. But the difference between good and great is how you execute against it. I think there is some tension there, but not as much as you would think.Once we were able to show that the pilot was a success, I got invited to states all over the country, like Maryland, to announce that they were joining Direct File the next year. These members of Congress wanted to do Direct File events telling people in their state, “This product that's worked so well elsewhere is coming to us next.” It gave us the ability to celebrate the success.I learned the lesson not just from Zients, but also from then-professor Elizabeth Warren, whom I worked for as chief of staff at the CFPB. One challenge we had at the CFPB was to build a complaint hotline, at that point mostly phone-operated, for people who were suffering. They said it would take us at least a year to build out all the product functions we need. We decided to take a modular approach and say, “How long would it take for us to build the system for one product? Let's try that and see how that works. We'll do a test.”It was successful, and we were able to use that to tell the story about the CFPB and what it would do, not just for mortgages, but for all these other products. We built user interest in the complaint hotline, in a way that we couldn't have if we'd waited to build the whole thing at once. While I think you're right that there is some tension between getting everyone to feel it right away and piloting; if the pilot is successful, it also gives you the opportunity to go out and sell this thing to people and say, “Here's what people who did the pilot are saying about this product.”I remember someone in Texas who was willing to do a direct-to-camera and talk about the ways that Direct File was so easy for them to use. It gets back to my point on message and messenger. Deputy Secretary Adeyemo telling you about this great thing the government did is one thing. But an American who looks like you, who's a nurse, who's a mom of two kids, telling you that this product actually worked for her: That's something that more people identify with.Healthcare.gov taught us the lesson of piloting and doing things in a modular way. This is what companies have been doing for decades. If it's worked for them, I think it can work for the government too.Santi: I'm a fan of Direct File, personally. I don't want this administration to kill it. But I was looking through some of the criticism that Direct File got: for instance, there's criticism about it rivaling the IRS Free File program, which is another IRS program that partners with nonprofits to help some folks file their taxes for free.Then there's this broader philosophical criticism: “I don't want the feds telling me how much I owe them.” The idea is that the government is incentivized to squeeze every last dollar out of you.I'm curious what you make of that, in part because I spoke recently to an American who worked on building e-government systems for Estonia. One of the things that has allowed Estonia to build cutting-edge digital systems in the government is that Estonia is a small and very high-trust society. Everybody's one degree of separation from everybody else.We're a much bigger and more diverse country. How do you think that affects the federal government's ability to build tools like Direct File?I think it affects it a lot, and it gets back to my point: not just the message but the messenger. I saw this not just with Direct File, but with the Advanced Child Tax Credit, which was intended to help kids who were living in poverty, but also families overall. What we found initially in the data was that, among families that didn't have to file taxes because they made too little, many of them were unwilling to take advantage of Direct File and the Advanced Child Tax Credit because they couldn't believe the government was doing something to just help them. I spent a lot of time with priests, pastors, and other community leaders in many of the communities where people were under-filing to try and get them to talk about this program and why it was something that they should apply for.One of the challenges we suffer from right now in America, overall, is a lack of trust in institutions. You have to really go local and try to rebuild that trust.That also speaks to taking a pilot approach that goes slower in some cases. Some of the criticism we got was, “Why don't you just fill out this form for us and then just send it to us, so that Direct File is just me pressing a button so I can pay my taxes?”Part of the challenge for us in doing that is a technology challenge: we are not there technologically. But the other problem is a trust problem. If I were to just fill out your taxes for you and send them to you, I think people, at this stage, would distrust the government and distrust the technology.Direct File had to be on a journey with people, showing people, “If I put in this information, it accurately sends me back my check.” As people develop more trust, we can also add more features to it that I think people will trust. But the key has to be: how do you earn that trust over time?We can't expect that if we put out a product that looks like something the Estonian government or Australia would put out, that people would trust it at this point. We have to realize that we are on a journey to regain the trust of the American people.The government can and will work for them, and Direct File was a part of that. We started to demonstrate that with that product because the people who used it in these communities became the spokespeople for it in a better way than I ever could be, than the Secretary or the President could be.Everyone knows that they need to pay their taxes because it's part of their responsibility living in this country. The things that make people the most upset is the fact that there are people who don't pay their taxes. We committed that we were going to go after them.The second frustration was: “Why do you make it so hard for me to pay my taxes? Why can't I get through to you on the phone line? Why do I have to pay somebody else to do my taxes?” Our goal was to solve those two problems by investing money and going after the people who just decided they weren't going to pay, but also by making it as easy as possible for you to pay your taxes and for most people, to get that tax refund as quickly as possible.But doing that was about going on a journey with people, about regaining their trust in an institution that mattered to them a great deal because 90 something-percent of the money that funds our government comes in through the IRS.Kyla: You have a piece out in Foreign Affairs called “Make Moscow Pay,” and what I found most interesting about that essay is that you said Europe needs to step it up because the United States won't. Talk through the role of Treasury in financial sanctions, and your reasons for writing this piece.People often think about the Treasury Department as doing a few things. One is working with Wall Street; another one is collecting your taxes. Most people don't think about the fact that the Treasury Department is a major part of the National Security Committee, because we have these tools called financial sections.They use the power of the dollar to try and change the behavior of foreign actors who are taking steps that aren't consistent with our national security interests. A great example of this is what we did with regard to Russia — saying that we're going to cut off Russian banks from the US financial system, which means that you can't transact in US dollars.The problem for any bank that can transact in dollars is that the backbone of most of the financial world is built on the US dollar. It increases their cost, it makes it more difficult for them to transact, and makes it harder for them to be part of the global economy, nearly impossible.And that's what we've done in lots of cases when it comes to Russia. We have financial sanction programs that touch all over the world, from Venezuela to Afghanistan. The US government, since 9/11, has used sanctions as one of its primary tools of impacting foreign policy. Some of them have gone well, some of them I think haven't gone as well, and there's a need for us to think through how we use those policies.Santi: What makes sanctions an effective tool? Positions on sanctions don't line up neatly on partisan lines. Sanctions have a mixed track record, and you'll have Republicans who say sanctions have failed, and you'll have Democrats say sanctions have been an effective tool, and vice versa.The way I think about sanctions is that they are intended to bring change, and the only way that they work is that they're part of an overarching foreign policy strategy. That type of behavior change was what we saw when Iran came to the table and wanted to negotiate a way to reduce sanctions in exchange for limits on their nuclear program. That's the type of behavior change we're trying to accomplish with sanctions, but you can't do it with sanctions alone. You need a foreign policy strategy. We didn't do it by the United States confronting Iran; we got our allies and partners to work together with us. When I came into office in 2021, Secretary Yellen asked me to do a review of our sanctions policies — what's worked, what hasn't — because it had been 20 years since the 9/11 attacks.And the most important lesson I learned was that the sanctions programs that were the most effective were the ones we did on a multilateral basis — so we did it with our friends and allies. Part of the reason for this is that while the dollar is the most dominant currency around the world, oftentimes if you can't do something in dollars, you do it in a euro, or you do it in a Japanese yen, or pound sterling.The benefit of having allies all over the world is that the dominant, convertible currencies in the world are controlled by allies and partners. When we acted together with them, we were more effective in curtailing the economic activity of our adversary, and our pressure is more likely to lead to them changing their behavior.We had to be very cautious about collateral damage. You might be targeting an individual, but by targeting that individual, you might make it harder for a company they're affiliated with to continue doing business, or for a country that they're in to get access to banking services. Let's say that you're a huge bank in America, and you're worried about sanctions risk in a small country where you do little business. Why not pull out, rather than having to put in place a huge compliance program? One of the challenges that we have is that the people who make the decisions about whether to extend sanctions don't necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about some of these economic consequences of the sanctions approach.Whenever I was around the table and we were making a decision about using weapons, there was a process that was very elaborate that ended up with something going to the president. You'd often think about kinetic force very seriously, because you were going to have to get the president to make a decision. We didn't always take that kind of rigor when it came to thinking about using our sanctions policy, but the impact on the lives of people in these countries was just as significant for their access to not only money, but to food and to the resources they needed to live.Santi: What do you make of the effectiveness of the initial sanctions on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine? I've heard mixed reviews from folks inside and outside the Biden administration.Sanctions, again, to my point, are only a tool. They've had to be part of a larger strategy, and I think those sanctions were quite effective. I think the saving grace for the Russians has been the fact that China has largely been able and willing to give them access to the things they need to continue to perpetuate.There was a choice for Ukraine, but when you think about Russia's economy today vs. Russia's economy before the sanctions were put in place, it's vastly different. Inflation in Russia still runs far higher than inflation anywhere else in the world. If you were a Russian citizen, you would feel the impacts of sanctions.The challenge, of course, is that it hasn't changed Vladimir Putin's behavior or the behavior of the Kremlin, largely because they've had access to the goods and supplies they need from China, Iran, and North Korea. But over time, it means Russia's economy is becoming less competitive. They have less access to resources; they're going to struggle.I think everyone hoped that sanctions would immediately change the calculus of the Kremlin, but we've never seen that to be the case. When sanctions are effective, they take time, because the economic consequences continue to compound over time, and they have to be part of a larger strategy for the behavior of the individual. That's why I wrote the article, because while the Kremlin and Russia are under pressure, their view is that ultimately the West is going to get tired of supporting Ukraine, financially and politically, because the economic consequences for us — while not as significant as for Moscow or for Kiev — have been quite significant, when you think about the cost of living issues in Europe.I think it's important to write this now, when it appears that Russia is stalling on negotiations, because ultimately, US financial support is waning. We just know that the Trump administration is not willing to put more money into Ukraine, so Europe is going to have to do more, at a time when their economic situation is quite complicated as well.They've got a lot to do to build up their economy and their military-industrial base. Asking them to also increase their support for Ukraine at the same time is going to be quite difficult. So using this money that Russia owes to Ukraine — because they owe them compensation at this moment — can be quite influential in helping support the Ukrainians, but also changing Russia's calculus with regard to the ability of Ukraine to sustain itself.Kyla: On CNBC about a month ago, you said if we ever have a recession over the next couple of months or so, it would be a self-inflicted one. Do you still resonate with that idea? To build on the point I was making, the economy has done quite well over the course of the first few months of the year, largely because of the strength of the consumer, where our balance sheets are still quite strong. Companies in America have done well. The biggest headwind the US economy faces has been self-inflicted by the tariffs the president has put on. Part of what I still do is talk to CEOs of companies, big and small. Small businesses feel the impact of this even more than the big businesses. What they tell me is that it's not just the tariffs and the fact that they are making it more expensive for them to get the goods that they need, but it's the uncertainty created by the off-again, on-again, nature of those tariffs that makes it impossible for them to plan for what supplies they're going to get the next quarter. How are they going to fulfill their orders? What employees are they going to need? It's having a real impact on the performance of these companies, but also their ability to hire people and plan for the future.If you go to the grocery store, you're going to start seeing — and you're starting to see already — price increases. The thing that Americans care most about is, the cost of living is just too high. You're at the grocery store, as you're shopping for your kids for the summer, you're going to see costs go up because of a self-imposed tax we've put in place. So I still do think that if we do find ourselves in a recession, it's going to be because of the tariffs we've put in place.Even if we don't enter a technical recession, what we're seeing now is that those tariffs are going to raise the cost for people when they go out to buy things. It's going to raise the cost of building homes, which is going to make it harder for people to get houses, which is ultimately going to have an impact on the economy that isn't what I think the president or anyone wants at this point.Kyla: Is there anything else we haven't asked about? I think the place where we continue, as a country, to struggle is that, given the federal system we have, many of these problems aren't just in Washington — they're in state and local governments as well. When you think about the challenges to building more housing in this country, you can't just solve it by doing things at the federal level. You have to get state and local governments unified in taking a proactive approach. Part of this has to be not just financial or regulatory from the federal government, but we have to do more things that force state and local governments to get out of the way of people being able to build more housing. I think that the conversations that you've had on your show, and the conversations we're having in government, need to move past our regular policy conversations of: “Should we do more on LIHTC? Should we try to fix NEPA?” Those, to me, are table stakes, and we're in the middle of what I'd say is a generational crisis when it comes to housing. We have to be willing to treat it like a crisis, rather than what I think we've done so far, which is take incremental steps at different levels to try and solve this. That's one thing that I wanted to make sure that I said, because I think it's the most important thing that we can do at the moment.Kyla: Absolutely. During your time there, the Treasury was doing so much with zoning reform, with financial incentives. What I really liked about our last conversation was how much you talked about how important it is that workers can live close to work. Are you optimistic that we will be able to address the problem, or do you think we are sinking into quicksand?I'd say a little bit of both, and the thing that I'm doing now is getting hyperlocal. One of the projects I'm working on in my post-administration life is I'm working with 15 churches in D.C., where they have vacant land and want to use it to build affordable housing as quickly as possible.I'm learning that even when you have the land donated for free and you're willing to work as quickly as possible, it's still quite hard because you have regulations and financial issues that often get in the way of building things. Part of what we have to do now is just launch as many natural experiments as possible to see what works.What I've learned already from this lived experience is that even cities that are trying to get out of the way and make it easier to build housing struggle because of what you all know to be true, which is that the local politics of this is quite complicated. Oftentimes, the way that you get them over the line is by creating incentives or disincentives.In the past, I talked a lot about incentives in terms of “giving people money to do things.” I'm now in favor of “not giving money to people who don't do things” — if you don't take steps to fix your zoning, some of the federal money that you regularly get is not coming to your jurisdiction. I'm going to reallocate that money to places that are doing this activity. I think we have to take those types of radical steps.It's similar to what we did with the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, where if you didn't spend your money, we could take your money back and reallocate it to people who were giving away emergency rental assistance money.That motivates people a lot — when they feel like something's going to be taken away from them. I'm of the view that we have to find more radical things that we can do to get housing built. If we don't, costs will continue to rise faster than people's incomes.Santi: Wally, I have to ask after that point you just made: did you read the paper by my colleague Chris Elmendorf on using LIHTC funds? The idea is to re-allocate those federal funds away from big, expensive cities and into other places in a state, if the cities don't commit to basic zoning reforms.I completely agree with him, and I think I would go even further than just LIHTC money. I would reallocate non-housing money as well, because from my standpoint, if you think about the most important issue for a family, it's being able to find housing that is affordable near their place of work and where their kids go to school. I said that on purpose. I didn't say “affordable housing.” I said “housing that is affordable,” because affordable housing is, in lots of ways, targeted towards a population of people who need it the most. But for even people who are middle income in this country, it crowds out their ability to pay for other things when housing costs continue to creep higher.The only way we solve that problem is if you get rid of restrictive zoning covenants and fix permitting. The natural thing that every city and state is thinking about right now is throwing more money at the problem. There's going to need to be money here, just in light of some of the headwinds, but it's going to be more costly and less effective if we don't fix the underlying issues that are making it hard to build housing where we want it.Right now in California, we're having a huge debate over what we do with infill housing in urban areas. A simple solution — you don't have to do another environmental review if one was already done in this area— is taking months to work through the California legislature, which demonstrates that we're going too slow. California's seeing an exodus of people. I just talked to a CEO who said, “I'm moving my business because the people who work for me can't afford to live in California anymore.” This is the kind of problem that you can solve. State legislatures, Congress, and executives have to get together and take some radical steps to make it easier to build housing.I appreciate what you said about what we were doing at Treasury, but from my standpoint, I wish we had done more earlier to focus on this issue. We had a lot going on, but fundamentally, the most important thing on housing is taking a step to try and build housing today, which is going to have an impact on the economy 10, 20, 30 years from now. We just have to start doing that as soon as possible.Thanks to Emma Hilbert for her transcript and audio edits. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Comedian Ari Matti stops by the TigerBelly studio for the first time and brings us full Estonian vibes. We talk Ozempic workouts, funeral laughs, behind-the-scenes Kill Tony, dick delusions, goat milk culture, fat whites, and Estonia’s first boba shop. Turn those dreams into $$$ and give them the best shot at success with Shopify. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial and start selling today at www.shopify.com/tigerbelly Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/p06g4a8g] #CashAppPod *Referral Reward Disclaimer: As a Cash App partner, I may earn a commission when you sign up for a Cash App account. Use our exclusive referral code [TIGERBELLY] in your profile, send $5 to a friend within 14 days, and you’ll get $10 dropped right into your account. Terms apply. That’s Money. That’s Cash App.

Chapter 616 - "Emotionally Loaded" ...as read by Robert Leht and Martin Randalu of PridianToday we welcome Robert and Martin from Estonian metal band Pridian to the podcast! Pridian released their Century Media debut, Venetian Dark, last Friday. The guys talk about the generational divides in Estonia, how the music scene is changing in Estonia, the history of the band, the themes behind Venetian Dark, trying to navigate their future on a bigger scale, and a lot more. https://pridianband.com/https://pridianmusic.bandcamp.com/DiscordPatreonSubstackEmail: asthestorygrows@gmail.comChapter 616 Music:Pridian - "Endless"Peidian - "Near Dark"Pridian - "Out For Blood" 

Ari Matti is an Estonian comedian known for his energetic performances and sharp humour. He's a regular guest on the hugely popular Kill Tony. Follow Ari on X - x.com/AriMattiComedy SPONSOR. Shipstation. Go to https://shipstation.com and use code TRIGGER to sign up for your FREE trial. SPONSOR

//The Wire//2300Z May 14, 2025////ROUTINE////BLUF: TRUMP'S MIDDLE EAST TRIP CONTINUES. NAVAL CONFRONTATION EMERGES IN THE GULF OF FINLAND.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Baltic: A brief scandal erupted between Russia and Estonia regarding the attempted halting of a cargo ship suspected of violating trade agreements. Estonian naval forces attempted to board the tanker M/T JAGUAR in the Gulf of Finland. This tanker was bound for Russia, and in a continuation of Estonia's history of detaining vessels suspected of breaching sanctions, Estonian forces attempted to conduct boarding operations to inspect (and probably detain) the vessel. In this case, however, Russian fighter jets appeared and carried out international relations in the form of buzzing the Estonian vessels and aircraft that were attempting to board the vessel. Due to this development, Estonian forces backed off, and halted the boarding attempt.AC: This confrontation is not entirely out of the realm of normalcy at this point, but it does highlight the tensions that remain between NATO and Russia. All it takes is one mistake for this passive-aggression to turn into active aggression, and for very serious consequences to occur.-HomeFront-Michigan: This morning federal authorities issued a press release detailing the arrest of Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said for his attempt to target a military installation in an act of terrorism. Said was arrested by undercover agents shortly before the alleged attack was to begin.AC: This is an interesting case, but as with all cases involving "confidential informants" that help a would-be terrorist plan their attack, more context would be helpful to determine what really happened. Based on the report itself, there are several details that would be careful to consider. For one, the very first line of the press release states that Said was a "former member of the Michigan Army National Guard"...however the next paragraph states that he is currently 19 years old. Since the shortest military service contracts are generally 4 years long, and one must be at least 17 years old to enlist in any service branch...something is off here. As such, the details of his discharge would be exceptionally helpful for determining if a pattern of terroristic behavior was displayed early on.Minnesota: Concerns are growing regarding a potential Presidential pardon of Derek Chauvin, the officer convicted during the George Floyd scandal years ago. Gov. Tim Walz has stated that the White House is planning to pardon Chauvin, however President Trump has stated that he knows nothing about this when directly questioned by reporters on the issue.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: This is almost certainly an information operation carried out by the guy who ran against Trump during the last election, and intended to stoke dissent at a time when race-relations in the United States are not doing well. For one, Derek Chauvin was convicted on state-level charges, so even if he was pardoned by President Trump for the federal hate-crime charges, he would still remain in prison on state charges for 22 more years. Gov. Walz's statements have also been very indicative of this being what one might colloquially refer to as a "psyop" because his statements (to paraphrase) essentially boil down to "well, we don't have any evidence that Trump is planning this pardon, but it seems like something he might do". So in other words, this a giant pile of nothing that has been plopped into the circuit for the media to chew on for a few days, and hopefully stir up another "mostly-peaceful" summer of violence. How successful this effort will be is anyone's guess.In the Middle East, President Trump's overseas visit continues as a plethora of trade deals are signed with various nations around the Middle East. Yesterday President Trump met with the

It's that time of year again: Eurovision Song Contest is upon us. And with the competition comes a tradition at Switched On Pop, where Charlie and Nate look at the songs (and countries) that have the best odds to take home the title. This year, we have an ode to the sauna, soaring operatics, and a feast of food-themed tunes – including the Estonian entrant Tommy Cash's ode to the "Espresso Macchiato." This episode of Switched On Pop, we take a sonic trip to Basel, Switzerland – and in the back half of the episode, talk to Tommy Cash himself about his entry and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices