Podcasts about Cold War

A historian helps us re-envision Europe's eastern half, from the Baltics to the Balkans, with a lively account of how most of the region's countries have modernized since the Cold War, and of the challenges they face today. And an American-born artist and creative-writing teacher shares her joy of being "Welsh by choice," telling us of Welsh words that describe feelings we don't easily express in English. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

In March 2000, a 23-year-old from North Carolina left a note about Jack Kerouac, packed her Jeep, and drove west toward a mountain she'd only read about – and what searchers found in the woods nine days later still has no explanation.EPISODE BLOG PAGE (includes sources): https://weirddarkness.com/LeahRobertsREAD or DOWNLOAD the full transcript of this episode: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/y6mnafrdFEATURED STORIES IN THIS EPISODE: If you have information regarding Leah Roberts's disappearance, contact the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office at 360-778-6600 or the Whatcom Communication Dispatch Center at 360-676-6711. A free-spirited young woman set off on a soul-searching road trip inspired by Jack Kerouac — but what she left behind in the wilderness was a wrecked Jeep, a haunting mystery, and no trace of herself. What happened to Leah Roberts? (Leah Roberts' Last Road Trip) *** In the tropical beauty of Antigua, a chilling mystery unfolds as locals continue to vanish without a trace — leaving a trail of grief, fear, and dark speculation. (The Mystery of Antigua's Missing People) *** Would you still eat a special love-attracting cake if you knew it was covered in someone's sweat from their armpits and... everywhere else? (The Horrifying History of Love Potions) *** As if death isn't unnerving as it is, science is now suggesting that you might still be conscious after death — aware your body has failed, but powerless to escape the darkness. (We Might Know We're Dead When We Die) *** Some believe doppelgängers are omens of death – and some found out personally. (Haunted By Your Own Ghost) *** Biblical legend, Cold War espionage, and decades of silence — the hunt for Noah's Ark might be stranger than fiction… and it includes the CIA. (The CIA Searches For Noah's Ark) *** What if a murderer didn't act alone… but under orders from a mind-control program no one was supposed to know about? (Programmed To Kill: The MKUltra Murders)CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)…00:00:00.000 = The Foreboding00:00:59.741 = Show Open 00:03:16.502 = Leah Roberts' Last Road Trip00:13:30.991 = Programmed To Kill: The MKUltra Murders ***00:22:12.690 = The Mystery of Antigua's Missing People00:26:30.224 = The Horrifying History of Love Potions00:35:18.384 = We Might Know We're Dead When We Die ***00:39:41.170 = Haunted By Your Own Ghost00:46:44.479 = The CIA Searches For Noah's Ark00:54:56.045 = Show Close*** = Begins immediately after inserted ad breakLISTEN ON PODCAST APPS: Look for this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and other podcast apps. Get a list of free listening apps here: https://weirddarkness.com/wdapps*No AI Voices Are Used In The Narration Of This Podcast*SOURCES and RESOURCES:“Leah Roberts' Last Road Trip”: https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-leah-roberts-disappearance/jenn-dzikowski, https://charleyproject.org/case/leah-toby-roberts, “The Mysterious Disappearance of Leah Roberts” (Investigation Discovery)“Programmed To Kill: The MKUltra Murders”: https://theintercept.com/2019/11/24/cia-mkultra-louis-jolyon-west/“The Mystery of Antigua's Missing People”: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn0jrk81qpwo“The Horrifying History of Love Potions”: https://www.ranker.com/list/real-love-potion-recipes/cleo-egnal“We Might Know We're Dead When We Die”: https://www.ranker.com/list/study-shows-brain-works-after-passing/matthew-lavelle“Haunted By Your Own Ghost”: https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-with-mysterious-doubles/chuck-stern“The CIA Searches For Noah's Ark”: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14547623/cia-noahs-ark-search-document-biblical-ship-found.html(Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.)WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2026, Weird Darkness.Originally aired: April 07, 2025LIKE WHAT YOU'RE HEARING? WEIRD DARKNESS posts episodes 7 DAYS A WEEK! Listen FREE wherever you get podcasts or visit https://weirddarkness.com/listen. • Paranormal • True Crime • Ghosts • UFOs • Cryptids • Unexplained • Want even more? Become an OFFICIAL WEIRDO for commercial-free episodes, bonus episodes, weeknight live chats, audiobooks & more at https://WeirdDarkness.com/OFFICIAL

After serving as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ezra Taft Benson returned to full-time service as an Apostle and became one of the most influential—and sometimes controversial—leaders in modern Latter-day Saint history. In this episode of Church History Matters, Scott Woodward and Casey Griffiths examine Elder Benson's post-Washington years, including his outspoken warnings about communism during the Cold War, his strong advocacy for constitutional principles and free-market economics, his criticism of government welfare programs, and the debates surrounding his association with conservative political movements such as the John Birch Society. They explore how his political views were received both inside and outside the Church and how Church leaders worked to keep the Church politically neutral despite the personal convictions of individual Apostles. The episode also traces the remarkable transformation of Ezra Taft Benson's public ministry after he became the 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rather than emphasizing politics, President Benson focused the Church on what he believed mattered most: becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ through daily scripture study and repentance. His landmark call for members to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon renewed worldwide interest in the keystone scripture of the Restoration, while his unforgettable teachings on pride, humility, and the Atonement of Jesus Christ continue to influence Latter-day Saints around the world. Join Scott and Casey as they separate history from myth, examine the historical context surrounding President Benson's political legacy, and discover how his prophetic ministry ultimately centered on Christ, the Book of Mormon, and the invitation for every disciple to come unto Him. Topics covered in this episode: Ezra Taft Benson after leaving Washington, D.C. Cold War fears and anti-communism The John Birch Society and political controversy Government welfare, self-reliance, and constitutional principles Republican politics and Church neutrality Becoming President of the Church Flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon "Beware of Pride" and the call to humility President Benson's lasting prophetic legacy #ChurchHistoryMatters #EzraTaftBenson #BookofMormon #LDSHistory #ChurchHistory #Restoration #JesusChrist #ScriptureStudy #Pride #Humility #ScottWoodward #CaseyGriffiths

  This week on Cocktail Nation, we're slipping behind the velvet curtain and into the glamorous world of 1960s espionage — where secret agents, Cold War intrigue and suspicious cats meet some of the coolest music ever recorded. Our main feature explores Spy Music — The Sound of Espionage, looking at how the Cold War and classic spy films created an instantly recognisable musical language of jazz, orchestration, lounge, exotica and danger. We also uncover the extraordinary CIA experiment Acoustic Kitty, meet a listener whose love of spy movies may have gone slightly too far, and explore more international intrigue in Lounge Life Magazine. Robert Short - The Cairo Connection Tiki Delights - The Sneaky Tiki Spy Dana Countryman - Spy Out From Outer Space Alex Khaskin - Austin Powers Combustible Edison - Spy Vs Spy Kenny Sasaki - Jill The Spy Robby Poitevin - Jazz Cave Metrolites - Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Spy Tabu Recordings - Enter The Spy Magician Hugo Montenegro - The James Bond Theme Spyfi - Black Tie Spy Alex Khaskin - Bond The Spy Keith Williams And His Orchestra - Sound And The Fury Beat Generation - Spy Time Ludovic Bource - Spicy Spy Bruno Nicolai - Spy Chase

On Q&A Friday, Todd examines why socialism and communism are gaining appeal among younger Americans despite their devastating historical record. Using an Armstrong Williams column as a springboard, he considers how distance from the Cold War, financial crises, student debt, unaffordable housing, stagnant wages, and disappointment with institutions shape the next generation's outlook. Todd argues that conservatives must answer sincere questions with honesty and persuasion, distinguish free markets from government-distorted systems, acknowledge real corruption without surrendering liberty, and ground freedom in moral truth and America's founding principles.

This week on Bad Dads Film Review, Wolf Week continues as Sidey, Dan and new dad Jamie sink their teeth into Martin Scorsese's riotous financial crime epic The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau and Joanna Lumley. With Reegs absent and therefore no proper intro to keep things vaguely professional, the dads begin by catching up on what they've been watching. Dan has largely swapped screen time for Cold War spy histories while his wife is away in the Czech Republic for the summer, Jamie has returned to the comforting embrace of Blue Bloods, No Offence and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and Sidey has endured Jason Statham's Mutiny, a revenge-on-a-boat action thriller with suspiciously Die Hard-adjacent poster energy. The Top 5 this week is Wolves, which naturally sends the conversation roaming all over the cultural wilderness. There's Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction, Moro from Princess Mononoke, Teen Wolf and the obvious sporting advantage of being Michael J. Fox with werewolf powers, plus Shrek's Big Bad Wolf and a detour through wolf-related music from Warren Zevon, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Duran Duran, Howlin' Wolf, Steppenwolf, Los Lobos, Wolfmother and Wolf Alice. Liam Neeson's miserable survival odds in The Grey get a mention, as do Bad Wolf and Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, Jack Nicholson in Wolf, Remus Lupin, Dances with Wolves, Portia Crystal from Sing 2, Lupine Howl, the direwolves from Game of Thrones, How Wolves Change Rivers, Rainier Wolfcastle and Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Then it's on to The Wolf of Wall Street, a film the dads note is arriving neatly alongside Jersey's current Martin Scorsese cinema season. They follow Jordan Belfort from his first day as Wall Street pond scum through Matthew McConaughey's career-rescuing lunch scene of coke, booze,chest-thumping and “rookie numbers”, before Black Monday promptly ends any chance of a respectable finance career. From there it's penny stocks, Spike Jonze, 50% commissions and the arrival of Donnie Azoff, whose cousin-wife logic, blinding white teeth and crack-pipe networking help turn Stratton Oakmont into a full-blown fraud machine. Along the way, the dads dig into the film's most notorious moments: the “sell me this pen” lesson, motivational speeches, middle fingers to clients, dwarf tossing, strippers, head shaving, Rob Reiner as Belfort's furious father, Margot Robbie's Naomi making her entrance, Donnie's appalling first impression, the famous 11-second romance, Vegas excess, penicillin shots and a superyacht wedding present. They also cover Kyle Chandler's FBI agent Patrick Denham closing in, Jon Favreau's lawyer trying desperately to make Jordan stop, the Steve Madden IPO, hidden stock ownership, Joanna Lumley's Aunt Emma and the Swiss bank account, plus Jordan's spectacularly arrogant attempt to bribe the FBI with lobster, prostitutes and absolutely no self-awareness. The review also takes in the yacht storm and Italian rescue, the infamous Lemmon Quaaludes sequence with crawling, ham-choking and the destroyed Lamborghini reveal, Jordan wearing a wire while warning Donnie not to incriminate himself, and the ugly final collapse as Naomi demands a divorce, Jordan turns violent and everything finally crashes. By the end, the dads are left wrestling with prison, sales seminars and the uncomfortable question of whether the film really works as a cautionary tale, or whether it is simply too entertaining for its own good. Verdicts are strong across the board. Sidey recommends it, while still insisting it is far too long. Dan also gives it a strong recommend, particularly for the endlessly quotable scenes, and Jamie calls it a must-watch — although preferably consumed as three one-hour chunks rather than one enormous sitting.You can now text us anonymously to leave feedback, suggest future content or simply hurl abuse at us. We'll read out any texts we receive on the show. Click here to try it out!We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads

Castles, cannons, concrete, and the persistent human desire not to get blown up. This week, Shane and Duncan trace the strange evolution of the bunker, from medieval fortifications and the arrival of artillery to the underground defenses of the World Wars and the nuclear paranoia of the Cold War. ~ Become an Insomniac! Join the Midnight Masses by supporting the show on PATREON and unlock exclusive bonus content. ~ Join the community, chat with fellow insomniacs, and vote on episode topics via DISCORD ~ Send Shane and Duncan a message at midnightfactsforinsomniacs@gmail.com ~ Rep the show! Grab a tee or mug at the MIDNIGHT MERCH store and spread the word. ~ Follow us on INSTAGRAM

The Cold War is over. The weapons are not. The United States and Russia still hold roughly 6,000 nuclear warheads each — most on hair-trigger alert — and one person, the president, can launch them inside seven minutes with no vice president, no secretary of defense, no Congress, no court. Paul Rieckhoff opens with the news of the moment — Trump's escalating economic war on Canada and the passing of the great Dolly Parton — before diving into a replay conversation with Joe Cirincione, one of the most respected nuclear policy voices in the world, on why this existential threat has been buried under partisan noise while a bipartisan defense-contractor machine keeps the arsenal fat and the debate quiet. Cirincione walks through the full landscape: the seven nuclear states, the nightmare India-Pakistan scenario that could kill a billion people through nuclear winter, the atomic veterans and downwinders America poisoned and abandoned, and the new arms race unfolding in space, cyber, and hypersonics. He explains why Joe Biden — if allowed to be Biden — would cut the arsenal by a third, and why the Pentagon bureaucracy and contractor lobby make that nearly impossible. This is intelligence-grade analysis about the one threat that can end human civilization in an afternoon — and why staying vigilant on nukes is a truly independent American issue. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we're doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code [INDEPENDENT] to get ten dollars when you trade ten. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and help us get independent veterans elected to office. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Things are getting weird – looks like someone is panicking. The Dumber side of finance – let’s dig in. A big week ahead – major earnings could move markets. – Gold, Bitcoin moving on a lower USD. PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env:'production', hosted_button_id:'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src:'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt:'Donate with PayPal button', title:'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!', } }).render('#donate-button'); Follow John S. Dvorak on X Follow Andrew Horowitz on X Warm-Up - Things are getting weird - looks like someone is panicking - The Dumber side of finance - let's dig in (5 top items) - Cold War and Hot War - Canada, China and Iran - Economic "D" day - no one cares - Saying goodbye to Dolly Parton Markets - Gold, Bitcoin moving on a lower USD - Oil starting to settle - Big Week - NVDA earnings on tap - all eyes! STUPID IS WHAT STUPID DOES - A DHU One-Time Series On The Dumber Side of Finance 1) LOWER BEEF PRICES - Trump plans temporary tariff relief for certain ground-beef imports as U.S. beef prices remain near record highs. - The plan would allow up to 300,000 metric tons of discounted imported ground beef over roughly 90 days. - Supposedly this will reduce the prices for consumers - Ranchers and several farm-state Republicans are pushing back, arguing cheaper imports could hurt domestic producers. ---- Question: Tariff reduction is going to reduce prices for consumers? Didn't someone say that tariffs are paid by the companies and exporting countries??? 2) IRAN SANCTIONS - BIG THREAT, LIMITED IMMEDIATE ACTION - Treasury warned countries doing business with Iran that they could face secondary sanctions, calling it an "economic D-Day." - New sanctions hit about 60 individuals, companies and vessels, but major Chinese financial institutions were not targeted. - China remains the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, making Chinese banks the potential pressure point. - Treasury says sanctions could expand into gold, digital assets, aviation, shipping and other sectors. 3) TREASURY TRIES TO TAME LONG-TERM YIELDS - Treasury will at least double the maximum size of certain long-term bond buybacks to $4 billion per operation. - The announcement briefly knocked nearly 10 basis points off the 30-year Treasury yield. - Critics say this treats the symptom rather than the cause - huge deficits, heavy issuance and persistent inflation risk. ------Bessent had to come out on Friday to say "at least" $4B - as bind yields moved back up -------Maybe there is a concern over the $40TRILLION debt we have amassed as a country? 4) SOMEONE GOT LONG BONDS AT THE RIGHT TIME - TLT took in roughly $529 million of net inflows on August 18, one day before Treasury's surprise bond-buyback announcement. - The next day Bessent doubled planned buybacks of 10- to 30-year Treasurys, immediately pushing long yields lower. - TLT jumped about 1.7% on the announcement. - No public evidence identifies a single buyer - but the timing of the unusually large inflow is certainly worth noting. 5) DOLLAR GETS HIT BY THE BOND RESCUE - The dollar weakened as investors questioned Treasury's expanded bond-buyback strategy. - The concern is that suppressing yields without fixing fiscal problems simply transfers pressure from bonds to the currency. - The 30-year yield has remained elevated despite Treasury intervention. - Bitcoin rallied as investors looked toward alternatives to traditional fiat assets. - PEOPLE: This is NOT Quantitative Easing - Just a move to buy longer dated and issue more short dated WALMART FLASHES A CONSUMER WARNING - Walmart U.S. comparable sales grew just 2.6%, its slowest pace in roughly six years and below expectations. - Shares dropped sharply after the report. - E-commerce remained strong, while store traffic and discretionary spending showed more weakness. - Walmart raised full-year guidance but gave a softer-than-expected third-quarter outlook. - As America's biggest retailer, Walmart's slowdown is an important read on the broader consumer. VENEZUELA HAS OIL - BUT CAN'T SHIP IT FAST ENOUGH - Tankers are waiting as long as 30 days to load Venezuelan crude because of aging ports, outages and equipment failures. - Venezuela has struggled to push exports much higher despite rising production and strong demand. - The Jose terminal handles about 70% of exports and has become a major bottleneck. - Venezuela's ports may impose a physical ceiling on production growth until infrastructure is upgraded. JANE STREET'S $15 BILLION AI HIT - Jane Street reportedly lost about $15 billion in July as AI and technology positions moved sharply against the firm. - A major source of the damage was exposure to concentrated AI trades that were forced to unwind. - Jane Street posted its first negative month of trading revenue since 2016. - As a reminder: this episode highlights how quickly crowded AI trades can overwhelm even sophisticated risk-management systems. LEAVITT LEAVES THE WHITE HOUSE - Karoline Leavitt resigned as White House press secretary after returning from maternity leave. - Trump said she would become a top outside adviser and prominent Republican voice heading into the midterms. - Looking fior a kinder and gentler replacement? HA! probably not OFF THE HIGHS NVDA - 9% off high AMD - 19% off high AVGO - 23% off high MU - 23% off high TSM - 13% off high MRVL - 28% off high INTC - 35% off high NVIDIA - THE MARKET'S NEXT STRESS TEST - Nvidia reports Wednesday - now basically a referendum on the entire AI trade. - Blackwell demand and hyperscaler spending are the key tells. - A strong guide could quickly reset tech sentiment. - A miss would raise the uncomfortable question: how much AI optimism is already priced in? - Revenue expected around $92.1 billion, up roughly 97% year over year. - Adjusted EPS expected around $2.09, nearly double last year. - Data Center revenue expected around $85.7 billion - still the main engine. - Biggest watch items: Blackwell demand, Vera Rubin timing, China sales and hyperscaler capex. - Options imply roughly a 5%-6% move after earnings. - Discussion .... NVIDIA - AI SERVERS GETTING EVEN MORE EXPENSIVE - Major Nvidia customers have reportedly been warned that AI server prices could rise more than 15% beginning early next year. - Higher memory costs are the main driver, affecting Grace Blackwell and upcoming Vera Rubin systems. - Nvidia is effectively passing higher component costs through despite gross margins around 75%. - ALWAYS INTERESTING THESE ANNOUNCEMENTS SO CLOSE TO EARNINGS - HMMMM CANADA-U.S. TRADE FIGHT GETS WORSE - Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion of U.S. goods after Washington imposed new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports. - Canada's tariffs range from 15% to 50% across roughly 700 products and begin September 8. - Canada also announced a C$7.5 billion support package for affected businesses and workers. - Another escalation that could hit autos, manufacturing costs and cross-border supply chains. HOUSING - BUYERS KEEP DISAPPEARING - July new-home sales plunged 10.5% to a 607,000 annual rate, the weakest since January. - Median new-home price fell to $393,800, the lowest in four years. - Mortgage rates are still around 6.8%, keeping affordability under pressure. - Only 5.2% of consumers said they expect to buy a home in the next six months - the sharpest drop in more than five years. JACKSON HOLE - WARSH GETS THE MICROPHONE - Kevin Warsh speaks next week at Jackson Hole. - Markets want to know whether sticky inflation, oil and tariffs are enough to keep the Fed in tightening mode. - Long yields are already doing some of the Fed's work. - One sentence could move bonds, the dollar and stocks. - Friday, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET. --- BUT - Didn't Warsh say less communication is more? They can't keep put of the spotlight. PCE - THE FED'S FAVORITE INFLATION READ - "The Fed's preferred gauge/measure of inflation" - July PCE lands next week. - Watch for tariff, energy and goods inflation creeping back into the numbers. - A hot print revives hike fears. - A soft print gives risk assets some breathing room - especially with long yields already elevated. THE CONSUMER VS. THE AI BOOM - MORE EARNINGS COMING - Salesforce, CrowdStrike and Marvell give another read on corporate AI spending. - Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Best Buy and Ulta test the other side of the economy. - The setup is getting interesting: companies are still spending aggressively on AI while consumers look increasingly selective. - If that gap widens, it could become one of the bigger market themes into the fall. AROUND THE WORLD EUROPE - QUIETLY GETTING INTERESTING - European stocks slipped this week, but money has started flowing back into the region. - Euro-zone business activity is growing at its fastest pace this year, while Q2 earnings growth for STOXX 600 companies is running surprisingly strong. - CONCEPT: Europe may be turning into the anti-U.S. trade - less AI concentration, cheaper valuations, but more sensitivity to energy. JAPAN - BETTER DATA, WORSE MARKET - Japan's Nikkei lost about 4% this week even as the economic data improved. - August manufacturing PMI jumped to 55.1, with new orders rising at the fastest pace since 2018. - Semiconductors and AI-related demand are helping drive the factory rebound. - Stronger growth also keeps the BOJ rate-hike discussion alive - good economy, potentially tougher market. BIG PHARMA - CHINA'S WEIGHT-LOSS GOLD RUSH - Lilly, Novo Nordisk and others are aggressively targeting China's obesity market, where obesity rates are projected to top 65% by 2030. - China bans direct prescription-drug advertising, so companies are using subway ads, gyms, influencers and "disease awareness" campaigns instead. - China's GLP-1 market could reach roughly 30 billion yuan over the next 5-7 years. - Interesting regulatory gray area: education campaigns that look a lot like drug advertising without actually naming the drug. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? PayPal.Donation.Button({ env: 'production', hosted_button_id: 'JJJHP2GDEJC7J', image: { src: 'https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif', alt: 'Donate with PayPal button', title: 'PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!' } }).render('#donate-button-2'); THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN for SpaceX (SPCX) Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt!   FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS   See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter

Germania Rodriguez was 11 years old when her family fled Venezuela . Her mother, one of the regime's most aggressive journalist critics, had just been falsely accused by Hugo Chávez's government. Two decades later, sitting in NYU lecture halls, Germania became a Bernie Sanders supporter anyway. In this episode, Germania joins The Curious Middle to explain how someone who watched socialism destroy her home country still fell for it in an Ivy League classroom — and what finally broke the spell.   We get into why the New York Times and Hollywood have a decades-long blind spot for left-wing dictatorships, the actual difference between Norway's social democracy and Venezuela's socialism, why "free stuff" isn't the same thing as the government seizing the means of production, and how Cuba spent 70 years exporting revolution across Latin America. Venezuela went from a top-5 global economy in the 1960s to nearly 9 million refugees and 70%+ of households in poverty in under 30 years. Germania breaks down how that happened, and why the same playbook is showing up in New York City politics right now.   Timestamps:  0:36 – Fleeing Venezuela at 11: her mother's persecution by the Chávez regime 2:00 – Quitting the Daily Mail after refusing to stay silent about the NYT calling Delcy Rodríguez a "moderate" 3:09 – Media bias: is it ideology, or access  5:17 – The NYT's long history of covering for communism 6:29 – Hollywood's blind spot: Danny Glover, Chávez, and a Peabody-winning documentary 8:34 – The cost of being a radical centrist: everyone hates you 9:36 – Confession: Germania was a "Bernie Bro" at NYU 11:04 – What made her fall for it 14:10 – NYU campus culture in 2016, and Bernie's Castro comments 15:47 – How moral superiority becomes an excuse for authoritarianism 16:12 – Is anyone actually moving toward the center? 17:06 – The John Leguizamo clip: confusing social programs with socialism  18:34 – What "socialism" actually means, according to the DSA's own website 20:11 – Venezuela's refugee crisis: nearly 9 million fled 20:39 – 71–73% of Venezuelan households now live in poverty 21:12 – How Venezuela went from a top-5 global economy to collapse 25:25 – Less than 30 years to destroy a country 25:43 – The same playbook, today, in Zohran Mamdani's New York City 26:39 – Where's the actual red line between healthy social programs and socialism? 27:58 – Bodega owners vs. taxpayer-funded competition 28:34 – What government should do — and where it should stop 30:57 – Gun control and Chávez's disarmament of Venezuelans 2:04 – NYC rent control and the housing supply death spiral 33:22 – "If I were a billionaire, I'd fund a sexy pro-capitalism Netflix show" 34:12 – Norway vs. Venezuela: what makes one work and the other collapse 36:05 – Why progressive support for Chavismo is its own kind of racism 37:53 – Cuba's 70-year role exporting revolution across Latin Americaa 39:49 – Did the US actually win the Cold War?  40:44 – "Democracy privilege," and forgetting what's at stake

Cold War Spies Series with Shane Whaley For decades, Sweden presented itself as neutral and determined to remain outside the Cold War struggle between East and West. But behind that public image, the Swedish Stay Behind network was preparing for an altogether darker possibility: Soviet occupation. Shane Whaley is joined by Swedish historian and author Johan Wennström to uncover the extraordinary story of Sweden's secret Stay Behind resistance network — a clandestine organisation created in 1949 to operate behind enemy lines in the event of a Soviet invasion. Drawing on previously classified documents, archival research and first-hand testimony from surviving members, Johan reveals how ordinary Swedes — farmers, insurance brokers, businessmen and travelling salesmen — were secretly recruited into cells designed to survive occupation. They trained in intelligence gathering, clandestine communications, psychological warfare and resistance operations, all while keeping their involvement hidden from colleagues, friends and even their own families. We also explore Sweden's real relationship with NATO during the Cold War, Soviet submarine incursions, Cold War traitors, the human cost of living a secret life — and why one of Sweden's most important intelligence chiefs bears an uncanny resemblance to George Smiley. And, naturally, the conversation eventually turns to spy fiction, John le Carré, Len Deighton, Carl Hamilton, Jan Guillou and the surprisingly underdeveloped world of Swedish spy novels.  

Author and journalist James R. Chiles joins Morgan Childs to discuss the half-forgotten history of Project Doorstop - the US Government's Cold War strategy against nuclear arms smuggling. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk about borders, trade wars, and belligerence.We also discuss Trump's tariffs, inflation, and nationalism.Recommended Book: Vulture Capitalism by Grace BlakeleyTranscriptThe US and Canada share the longest international border in the world, totaling more than 5,500 miles, or nearly 8,900 km. The specific details of this border have changed over the decades, but the current delineation was largely in place following the San Juan Islands water arbitration of 1872, which brought a 12-year joint military standoff between the US and Great Britain, known as the Pig War, to an end, and fed into a 1908 legal framework that relied on modern mapping of the entire frontier, which led to the precise cartography of the current international border between the US and Canada.Since then, after some issues with gold rush-era land rights were figured out in Alaska, and some treaties were signed regarding the disarmament of the Great Lakes, things have been pretty calm along this massive border. Trade hasn't always been the most efficient and free—the early 20th century in particular was pretty fraught in this regard, as Anti-Americanism raged through Canada. That led to a dismissal of a proposed lowering of trade barriers by the Canadian Liberal government in 1911, anti-American sentiment flogged by the Conservatives, who rode their slogan, “No truck or trade with the Yankees,” to a Canadian nationalism-powered victory.After the US entered WWI and the Allies tallied a victory, though, the US and Canada exchanged their first ambassadors, Warren Harding became the first US President to make an official visit the confederated Canada, visiting Vancouver in 1923, and things between these two countries were looking pretty good until 1930, when the US passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which was a protectionist trade act that, among other things, raised tariffs on incoming Canadian goods in order to protect competing American business interests; making the local offerings artificially more competitive than the stuff coming in from Canada, basically.The Canadian government hit back with their own higher tariffs and shifted more of their trade to other Commonwealth nations, which led to a decrease in trade between the US and Canada of about 75%; and this was happening during the Great Depression, which is why that Act was enacted, the US government was hoping to bolster their own economy, but instead of helping, it furthered those economic difficulties, because of that drop in trade and international custom—Smoot-Hawley is generally considered to have been an incredibly bad economic move, and US President Hoover signed it against the advice of senior economists, because it seemed politically expedient, US businesses were clamoring for advantages because they thought it would help them, but instead it worsened the Great Depression, and this Act is now taught as a cautionary example of why protectionist trade policies, while appealing in a nationalist sense, tend to be pretty bad, almost always, economically.US-Canadian relations improved a bit in the WWII-era, and into the early decades of the Cold War. By the late-1960s, the US had become Canada's largest export market, and that's why Nixon's 1971 decision to enact a 10% tariff on all imports, including those from Canada, hit the Canadian economy so hard. Overall US-Canadian relations soured during Nixon's time in the White House, in part because the Canadian government pivoted toward Europe, rather than kowtowing to the US' economic demands, and Nixon's belligerence in the face of that pivot didn't help matters.When US President Carter stepped into office, however, things improved for a while, and though there were serious bouts of stagflation in both nations through his time in the White House, American investment in Canada increased, and relations continued to be friendly leading into the 1990s, at which point the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA was signed, in 1994. NAFTA created a common market in North America, between the US, Canada, and Mexico, and that meant the $19 trillion or so in trade between the 470 million people or so living in North America by 2014, would be entirely or almost entirely without barriers, no tariffs or very small, focused tariffs.Though imperfect by many measures, NAFTA is generally considered to have been a major success, at least in terms of raw economic productivity in North America. And in 2020, is was replaced by the USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which is often called NAFTA 2.0, which is in many ways just a modernization of NAFTA that updates many of the earlier provisions and focuses more on digital trade and intellectual property than its precursor.In July of 2026, however, the US government announced that it would not be renewing the USMCA, after Canada asked the US and Mexico to renew it for another 16 years. The pact remains in effect until it expires in 2036, though it can also be renegotiated or replaced before that. The US Trump administration pointed at rising trade deficits between the US and both Mexico and Canada as the rationale for not renewing it, and at loopholes in the agreement that allowed other nations, like China, to send car components to Mexico and then essentially get Chinese vehicles into North American markets, benefitting from the agreement despite not being a signatory of it.What I'd like to talk about today is a new trade scuffle between the US and Canadian governments, and what it might mean for the two nations in the coming years if said scuffle becomes a more persistent trade war.—In July of 2026, US President Trump threatened to invoke a provision of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, that Act from 1930, the Great Depression, which was previously unused, to impose additional tariffs on Canada, despite the continued existence of the USMCA trade agreement.Stepping back a bit, in his second administration, Trump has unilaterally imposed all kinds of tariffs on pretty much everybody, arguing that those tariffs would bring in more money and thus allow him to lower taxes on the wealthy and on businesses while still bringing in enough to reduce the federal deficit. This claim wasn't backed by economists and the deficit has continued to increase at a record rate under his administration, but he's continued to try this approach and make these claims, regardless.The Supreme Court eventually stepped in to limit Trump's ability to impose tariffs in early 2026, saying that the Presidency doesn't have the power to create a bunch of tariffs and impose them on everyone, even when he points at the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as justification. That halting of Trump's tariffs seem to have helped temper inflation in the US a bit, but now Trump is now taking another approach to try to accomplish the same, invoking this 1930, Great Depression-era act to try to give himself broad tariff-applying powers, once more, despite that Supreme Court decision.As I mentioned in the intro, the application of Smoot-Hawley tariffs worsened the Great Depression, as the US applied all these tariffs on foreign goods to try to give its own industries an advantage, and that led to counter-tariffs from most of its targets. Within a few years, the people behind those tariffs were booted from office, and the bad taste it left in the US government's mouth is part of what led to the wave of trade liberalization that happened post-WWII—everyone was done with the heavily tariffed trade environment because it kind of sucked for everyone, so free trade was the name of the game for decades.Now at the time, even though the tariffs had a net-negative impact on the US, they didn't exactly crush the US because international trade only made up about 10% of the US economy back then. Today, about 25-27% of US GDP relies on international trade. So still not a majority by any means, and the global average is about 63%, so the US is more capable of undertaking this sort of trade barrier strategy than many other nations, but that's still a pretty substantial chunk of economic activity in the US that's impacted by such efforts.This declaration by Trump that he would be using this old Tariff act to apply new tariffs on Canadian goods arrived after trade negotiations between the US and Canada fell apart, reportedly mere minutes before a deadline, with both sides claiming to the press that the other side attempted to make a last-minute change that was untenable.After Trump announced that additional 50% tariff on certain goods, the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announce that he would be matching those tariffs, dollar for dollar—a move that's likely to hurt Canada more than the US, though many US industries, including those that are already hurting because of resource shortages that have been amplified by Trump's war with Iran and the consequent shut-down of the Strait of Hormuz, not to mention all the uncertainties that have arisen because of his other tariff threats, those industries and businesses will suffer more than most; the US auto industry, for instance, relies on goods that pass back and forth across the Canadian border several times before eventually ending up in US-made automobiles. The US construction industry is likewise reliant on Canadian lumber products.It seems like Canada has generally tried to work with the US government to come to a mutually beneficial and appealing compromise, but when that happens, the US then pushes for more, then blames Canada for fighting back when the US attempts to punish them for not just giving in. And this is something the Trump administration, and Trump himself, have become fairly notorious for, so it's a decent assumption, even though we don't know all the details here, yet, that this is what happened in this case, too.And as a result, it sounds like the US will apply 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods coming into the US, including things like honey, seeds, and agricultural products, and some types of furniture, clothing, and fabric.About 72% of all Canadian exports went to the US in 2025, and many of those exports, the ones to which this new tariff will be applied, will now be more expensive, because these costs are almost always passed on to the end-consumer, not just eaten by the business, which in some cases wouldn't be able to afford to eat those higher costs and stay in business. This is part of why these sorts of tariffs often increase inflation rates.Both sides of this conflict have publicly committed to not back down, and there's political hay to be made in sticking with that sentiment; the US is not terribly popular in Canada, or in many allied countries, right now, due to the antagonistic stance the Trump administration has taken toward those relations, so the Canadian government might actually benefit from taking a hard line against the US, here. Likewise, Trump's supporters might rally around his bullying of a neighboring nation, especially if the administration can successfully frame this as an effort to reduce the deficit or support US businesses, protecting them from foreign competitors are are unfairly competing.There's still a fair bit of fog of war on all of this, and we'll know a lot more within the next few weeks, both in terms of the details of what happened, and in terms of what's likely to happen next. Right now, though, it would seem that we could be headed for a new trade war between two of the world's most deeply intertwined wealthy economies, and that could lead to a lot of global economic disruptions as some of that trade is rerouted, and as inflation continues to spiral.Show Noteshttps://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-us-trade-war-293908564c7a381ea58a61db6e9a8517https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-tariffs-trump-857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678ehttps://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-war-trump-carney-tariffs-4d18583fe52134ca8550652ad9772d2chttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/business/economy-trade-war-us-canada.htmlhttps://www.axios.com/2026/02/20/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-illegalhttps://access.heinonline.com/HOL/LandingPagehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreementdoi.org/10.1017%2FS0022050700019549https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Acthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%E2%80%93United_States_trade_relationshttps://www.axios.com/2026/08/22/us-canada-tariffs-trade-trump-carneyhttps://www.npr.org/2026/08/22/nx-s1-5941584/us-canada-tariffshttps://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-tariffs-trump-857ef76b20a766e370d70176135b678ehttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgvyy4x2mvohttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/22/world/canada/carney-trump-canada-tariffs.html This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

Zo somehow finds himself deep, deep under the surface of the ocean: near the Cayman Trough while America and the Soviet Union have their Cold War. He's aboard the most advanced underwater facility ever constructed. The Navy commandeered the facility to investigate a sunken submarine, but, to Zo, the Navy SEAL officer sent to oversee operations don't appear wrapped to tight. The SEAL's presence only cranks up the tension for the hard working crew as the engineer and designer of this underwater office space is also here. By herself she's messy enough, but she's in the middle of a contentious divorce with this cramp space's commander. There's almost too much drama for comfort, but then designer/engineer starts seeing . . . things. She claims that their are underwater crafts that don't belong to either the U.S. or U.S.S.R. She even suggests that humans may no longer be the most advanced species on Earth. Episode Chapters 00:10:28 Opening Credits for The Abyss starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn 00:21:03 Favorite Parts of the 1989 film The Abyss  01:28:34 Trivia from the Underwater Sci-Fi Adventure - The Abyss  01:39:45 Critics' Thoughts on James Cameron's The Abyss Please leave a comment, suggestion or question on our social media: Back Look Cinema: The Podcast Links:Website: www.backlookcinema.comEmail: friends@backlookcinema.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@backlookcinemaTwitter: https://twitter.com/backlookcinemaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BackLookCinemaInstagram: https://instagram.com/backlookcinemaThreads: https://www.threads.net/@backlookcinemaTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@backlookcinemaTwitch https://www.twitch.tv/backlookcinemaBlue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/backlookcinema.bsky.socialMastodon: https://mstdn.party/@backlookcinemaBack Look Cinema Merch at Teespring.comBack Look Cinema Merch at Teepublic.com Again, thanks for listening.

In this episode of Trekking Through Time and Space... Hoai-Tran and Jacob continue their "Descent" as the finale of this Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter takes them into season 7 of the series. And the final chapters of "The Ice Warriors" takes Cold War pretty literally over on classic Doctor Who. Star Trek: The Next Generation: Descent (Part 2) - 1:21 Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors (Parts 5-6) - 48:28 Episode Rankings - 1:15:41 Logo by David Scaliatine. Send all questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, and complaints to trekkingtimepodcast@gmail.com Support us on Patreon for early access to new episodes, weekly bonus episodes, and more.

Just days before the ARWS European Championship Montane Adventure Race, race director Lars Bukkehave sits down with TDZ to explain the 48-hour course that he built. Showcasing the beauty and challenge of Denmark, the race runs 19 stages including a sea cliff where you can still see the black clay layer left by the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs, underwater checkpoints, a Cold War nuclear bunker turned checkpoint, a vertical orienteering stage that sends racers climbing into the trees, and a maze set in a public park so spectators can watch.Lars also gets into what holds it all together: 70+ volunteers, and the bonfires, stick bread, and shared meals that turn 50 teams from 17 countries into a reunion before the gun even goes off. His 22-year career as an adventure racer, race director, and championship-winning teammate has led to this moment, and he looks forward to sharing it with the world.Shownotes:Race Social Media - https://www.facebook.com/MontaneAdventureRaceAtlas Explorers Expeditions - https://www.atlas-explorers.com/

Host Andrew Camp interviews historian and author Kristin Du Mez about her background in the Christian Reformed Church, her scholarly approach to evangelicalism as a cultural historian, and a pivotal moment watching Donald Trump's 2016 speech at Dordt University that prompted her to reassess white evangelical values. Du Mez argues support for Trump is not a “betrayal” but reflects deeper values embedded in evangelical subculture, shaped through Christian media, bookstores, and products, especially those marketed to white Christian women. Discussing her forthcoming book Live, Laugh, Love, she connects evangelical women's culture, multi-level marketing dynamics, and New Thought/positive-thinking theology to prosperity logic, purity culture, and “biblical womanhood,” highlighting Elisabeth Elliot's complex story. She links domesticity and purity to authoritarian politics and Christian nationalism, notes post–Cold War shifting threats sustaining high-control religion, and closes with cautious hope grounded in truth-telling, faithfulness over winning, and history's unpredictability.Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History at Calvin University. She is a Senior Democracy Fellow with the Public Religion Research Institute. Her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. Her most recent books include Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (2020) and Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made (September 2026). She is a Distinguished Associate at the Institute for Christian Studies (Toronto) and recently served as a Fellow at the University of Notre Dame's Center for Philosophy of Religion (2024-2025).Preorder Live, Laugh, Love (release date: September 15, 2026)Follow Kristin Kobes Du MezFacebook: kkdumezInstagram: @kkdumezSubstack: Du Mez CONNECTIONSFollow Andrew CampFacebook: andrew.camp.9Instagram: @andrewcamp80Substack: @thebiggesttableThis episode of the Biggest Table is brought to you in part by Wild Goose Coffee. Since 2008, Wild Goose has sought to build better communities through coffee. For our listeners, Wild Goose is offering a special promotion of 20% off a one time order using the code TABLE at checkout. To learn more and to order coffee, please visit wildgoosecoffee.com.  (00:00) - Kristin Du Mez Origins (03:46) - Trump and Evangelical Values (17:37) - Live Laugh Love and New Thought (28:41) - Women's Christian Media World (30:54) - Elizabeth Elliot's Complicated Legacy (38:33) - Purity Politics and Hope

Gaius and Germanicus: Germanicus attributes these failures to a psychological myth of omnipotence that has "suckled" every post-Cold War president: George H.W. Bush dipping a toe into Somalia, Bill Clinton's cruise missile war on Serbia, Barack Obama's targeted killings, Donald Trump mesmerized by unlimited power despite "mature" advisers, and Joe Biden's "feckless adventure" in Ukraine, sputtering that the US was the "greatest nation with the biggest military of all time." The failed campaign to defeat Russia should have been the alarm bell; instead the establishment stayed blind, and the current president—driven by instant gratification and poll rises, as in the first-term Miami meeting with Xi Jinping where he launched cruise missiles at a Syrian airport while serving chocolate cake—has proven American power "evanescent," "brittle," and "superficial." The hosts then catalog the petty feuds with "subkings" that Rome would have discouraged: the aggressive feud with Canada and Mark Carney despite a century of shared history; threats to invade Greenland, prompting the Danes to enlarge their army; disparaging loyal South Korea while courting Kim Jong-un, a "fratricidal cretin" whose flattery Germanicus calls "creepy"; threatening to throw steadfast Oman "into the ocean"; and destroying the bridge built by Giorgia Meloni, the EU's effective "Trump whisperer." Rather than championing an end to Europe's migration crisis, the president has backed the Sultan of Morocco over Ceuta and Melilla, inciting one of the continent's worst flashpoints—conduct Germanicus reads not as dementia but as narcissism grown into "incipient and growing megalomania," in sharp contrast with the implicit rules of the "divine Augustus," whose disregarding heirs Caligula and Nero did not last long. (2)

Dr Eric Davis joins Andy for a major conversation about recovered UAP technology, NHI bodies, alleged government contact and decades of secret reverse-engineering efforts.Davis begins with his bottom line up front, explaining why he believes UAP are real, controlled by non-human intelligence and have interacted with humanity for thousands of years.He discusses the classified evidence he says he has personally examined, including original documents and photographs from a foreign Cold War crash retrieval; the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and its alleged storage of preserved NHI bodies; a recovered craft apparently abandoned by its occupants; and evidence of contact involving a government office and defence-industry contractor.The conversation also covers Congress, AARO, the White House PURSUE programme, Trump and the SF-312, Holloman, Kingman, Robert Bigelow, James Lacatski, Jay Stratton, the credibility of different NHI morphologies and reverse-engineering programmes allegedly revived every ten years.This interview contains claims based partly on classified material that is not currently available for independent public examination.

Today, Justin talks woth Nicholas Reynolds. Nick has had a very enviable career. After graduating from Oxford University in the 1970s, he served in the US Marine Corps as an infantry officer and later as a historian. He retired from the reserves as a colonel and the officer in charge of field history. He also served with the Central Intelligence Agency, including as the historian for the agency's museum at their headquarters in Langley. You might remember Nick from his first appearance on the podcast for episode 102 when we discussed his book Need to Know. Now he's back with his newest book, Ortiz's War, which he co-wrote with Katie Sanders. It's the story of Peter Ortiz, a legendary Marine Corps officer who served with the Office of Strategic Services behind enemy lines in France during World War II. Check out Nick's first appearance on Ep 102: The Rise of American Intelligence with Nicholas Reynolds here. https://bleav.com/shows/spycraft-101/episodes/102-the-rise-of-american-intelligence-with-nicholas-reynolds/ Connect with Nick: nicholasreynoldsauthor.com Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Substack: spycraft101.substack.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! https://kruschiki.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Unravel the chilling 1954 UFO mystery that pitted the Doublemint Twins against the CIA! In this captivating episode of My Dark Path, host MF Thomas dives into the extraordinary story of Marie and Mildred Maier, the original Doublemint Twins, whose encounter with an alien signal shook Chicago and exposed a shadowy government cover-up. On November 28, 1954, during a live WGN radio broadcast, the sisters recorded eerie, high-speed tones—described as a coded message resembling Jingle Bells—after host Jim Mills invited extraterrestrials to respond. What followed was a web of deception involving the CIA, fake Air Force officers, and a relentless UFO skeptic, Dr. Leon Davidson, who uncovered the truth.This episode of My Dark Path explores the Maier's journey from advertising fame as Wrigley's Doublemint Twins to accidental UFO hunters. In June and August 1954, the sisters captured mysterious objects in photographs during a solar eclipse and at the Baha'i Temple, images that baffled experts and fueled their fascination with the unexplained. Their WGN recording, detailed in a rare 1955 Journal of Space Flight article, caught the CIA's attention, leading to a covert operation to seize the tape. Posing as Air Force officers, CIA agents George O. Forrest and Dewelt Walker visited the sisters, claiming the signal was mere Morse code from a U.S. radio station. But was it?Enter Dr. Leon Davidson, a Los Alamos scientist who believed UFOs were a CIA-orchestrated psychological warfare tactic. In 1957, Davidson contacted the Maiers, exposing inconsistencies in the CIA's story and accusing the agency of fabricating UFO sightings to manipulate public perception during the Cold War. His dogged pursuit—writing to CIA Director Allen Dulles and confronting fake Air Force officials—revealed a deeper conspiracy. The CIA's 1997 report, The CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90, later admitted mishandling the case, confirming Davidson's suspicions of agency involvement.Set against the backdrop of 1954's UFO frenzy—sparked by Aviation Week's report of two mysterious satellites orbiting Earth—this episode uncovers a time when Cold War paranoia, public obsession with flying saucers, and government secrecy collided. From the 1952 Washington, D.C., UFO sightings to the Pentagon's scramble to dismiss the satellites as natural asteroids, the Maier sisters' story is a microcosm of a nation grappling with the unknown. Why did the CIA go to such lengths to bury a single tape? Were the sisters' photographs and recording evidence of extraterrestrial contact, or part of a larger psychological operation?Join My Dark Path as we navigate this tangled tale of UFOs, government lies, and the unrelenting quest for truth. MF Thomas weaves archival research, declassified CIA documents, and the Maier's own words to bring this forgotten chapter to life. Perfect for fans of The X-Files, true crime, and historical conspiracies, this episode will leave you questioning what the government isn't telling us. For all references and music, visit https://www.mydarkpath.com/73-doublemint-twins-vs-the-cia0:00 - The Doublemint Twins and the Alien Signal0:56 - The 1954 Satellite Mystery3:57 - The Hoaxer: Richard Miller's Fabricated Contact11:05 - The WGN Radio Experiment14:22 - The Original Doublemint Twins18:45 - The Journal of Space Flight Report21:19 - Anomalies at the Baha'i Temple23:09 - The Eerie Jingle Bells Recording26:38 - CIA Operation: Recovering the Evidence29:36 - Dr. Leon Davidson's Quest for Truth34:44 - Deciphering the Robertson Panel37:09 - The Final Confrontation with the CIABuy MF Thomas' novels on Amazon. Like Clockwork https://amzn.to/417lOzy Arcade https://amzn.to/4aTpisx A Sickness in Time https://amzn.to/41apSPK Seeing by Moonlight https://amzn.to/4gySl5WConnect with usInstagram: @mydarkpathpodcast Twitter/X: @mfthomasauthor Email us: explore@mydarkpath.com Visit us: www.mydarkpath.com Subscribe: www.patreon.com/mydarkpath

What did South African anti-apartheid activists once think about Israel and Zionism? The answer is more complicated than most seem to think. Dr. Asher Lubotzky, research fellow at the University of Houston's Department of Political Science, takes us through the extraordinary—and often surprising—relationship between the South African anti-apartheid movement and Israel, from the birth of both countries in 1948 through the Cold War, the end of apartheid, and into the present. Lubotzky is the author of Shifting Solidarities: The South African Anti-Apartheid Movement's Perception of Zionism. In the early years, some of the movement's most prominent activists actually supported Israel. Jewish and non-Jewish communists saw the new Jewish state as an anti-fascist, socialist project. African nationalists found parallels between Zionism and their own struggle for national liberation. And Israel itself was actively reaching out to anti-apartheid movements in Africa. So how did that relationship turn into today's association of Israel with apartheid? The answer involves the Six-Day War, Israel's growing military ties with Pretoria, the Cold War, South Africa's Jewish community, and shifting ideas about colonialism and national liberation. It's a fascinating history of how political alliances change—and how today's certainties can look very different when viewed through the lens of the past.

For me, it is funny but serious that the phrase I started saying in 2019 that we were going to keep building Arleigh Burke DDGs “until the crack of doom” has turned into prophecy. With the anticipated death of DDG(X) and FFG-62, the Burkes are about the only game in town. That fact naturally flows into a point we have raised here and on the Midrats Podcast for the last couple of decades: How are we going to conduct repair and maintenance under combat conditions should we find ourselves in a fight west of the International Date Line?Well, we've got the perfect intersection of both issues for the next episode of Midrats.This RAND Report from May caught my eye:The Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer, commonly known as a DDG-51, is the primary surface combatant vessel of the U.S. Navy. These ships—designed to operate in contested environments—are likely to sustain widespread battle damage from diverse attacks should a conflict develop in the Indo-Pacific region. The prevalent nature of this damage would give rise to the greatest demand for ship repair that the Navy has experienced since World War II.To evaluate requirements for and potential issues with a significant demand for salvaging and repairing battle-damaged destroyers, the authors conducted a tabletop exercise on August 13–14, 2025, with participants from the United States and allied nations in the Indo-Pacific. The participants were split into four groups, and each group represented U.S. and allied stakeholders who would be involved in the repairs.The report is titled, Battle Damage Repair for Arleigh Burke–Class Destroyers: Tabletop Exercise Results.Our guest is one of the authors of the report, Bradley Martin.Bradley Martin is a senior policy researcher at RAND. He retired from the Navy as a surface warfare Captain after 30 years of service, including four command tours.In addition to his operational tours, Martin served on the staff of U.S. Forces Japan, on the OPNAV staff as an operations analyst, and, most recently, as the Navy coordinator for participation in Joint Staff and OSD requirements and resources forums. His subspecialties included operations research, operational logistics, and strategic planning. His work at RAND focuses on Navy force structure and capabilities, supply chain security and resilience, and national security strategy. Prior to joining the Navy, he achieved a doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan, while working as a research assistant for the Correlates of War Project.Show LinksBattle Damage Repair for Arleigh Burke–Class DestroyersRepair CFT Brief for JTEG Forum on “Expeditionary Repair” CDR Erich C. Schwarz, USN, July 2022SummaryIn this episode, we explore the insights from a recent tabletop exercise on naval repair capabilities and strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific, featuring Captain Brad Martin. We discuss the importance of organic repair assets, the vulnerabilities of fixed bases, and the need for adaptable logistics in wartime scenarios.Chapters00:00: Introduction to the tabletop exercise and its significance04:02: What makes a successful tabletop exercise and team composition09:01: Key findings: surprises and vulnerabilities in naval repair15:03: The importance of organic repair capabilities and their current gaps21:03: Lessons from history: Cold War to modern challenges27:11: The impact of logistics, parts, and industrial base on wartime readiness34:01: Geopolitical considerations and the role of partner nations40:09: The need for mobile, flexible repair assets in contested environments50:05: Concluding thoughts: preparing for a prolonged conflict

From September 13, 2023: On August 30, soldiers and high-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of Gabon seized control of government buildings and communication channels in the capital city of Libreville, detaining Gabon's President Ali Bongo in his residence and declaring an end to the Bongo family's 56-year rule. It was a coup—one of nine in the last three years in West and Central Africa, including in Niger just one month prior. Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien spoke with Naunihal Singh, author of the book Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups, to discuss the spate of coups in the region, the origins of coups, what makes certain countries more coup-prone than others, and the rise and fall of anti-coup norms during and after the Cold War. They also dispelled several coup myths, including the myth of the coup contagion. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Max Boot, Part Two: Boot traces Reagan's presidency, beginning with his campaigns and the 1981 assassination attempt. It analyzes his supply-side domestic economics, foreign relations ending the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev, and the damaging Iran-Contra scandal. (2)

Max BootBook: Reagan: His Life and Legend Part One (Hour One) explores Ronald Reagan's early life, from a nomadic childhood shaped by an alcoholic father and an optimistic mother, to his success as a lifeguard, sports broadcaster, and Hollywood B-movie actor. It details his marriage to Jane Wyman and his leadership of the Screen Actors Guild during the anti-communist red hunts. Part Two (Hour Two) traces Reagan's presidency, beginning with his campaigns and the 1981 assassination attempt. It analyzes his supply-side domestic economics, foreign relations ending the Cold War with Mikhail Gorbachev, and the damaging Iran-Contra scandal. Alan TaylorBook: American Civil Wars: A Continental History, 1850 to 1873 Part One (Hour One) examines the ideological and geopolitical conflicts of mid-19th-century North America. It profiles figures like expansionist Jane McManis Cazneau, abolitionist Jane Swisshelm, and Black leaders Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany. It details the pre-war political struggles over slavery's expansion, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Part Two (Hour Two) covers post-1865 developments across the continent, focusing on Canadian confederation under John A. Macdonald, the French imperial intervention in Mexico against Benito Juárez, and the violent realities of Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson. It also outlines the brutal assimilation and subjugation of Native Americans in both the U.S. and Canada. Dennis SewellBook: Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War Part One (Hour One) introduces George Downing, a brilliant Harvard graduate who rose to become Oliver Cromwell's scoutmaster general during the English Civil Wars. It explores his ideological training, his ruthless perspective on slavery, his intelligence victories in Scotland, and his facilitation of selling Scottish prisoners of war into colonial servitude. Part Two (Hour Two) details Downing's secret diplomacy with Cardinal Mazarin, followed by his opportunistic defection to Charles II upon Cromwell's death. To secure his position under the restored monarchy, Downing orchestrated the capture and rendition of his former regicide allies. David SheddBook: The Great Heist: China's Epic Campaign to Steal America's SecretsShedd analyzes China's multi-decade campaign of intellectual property and data theft against the United States, costing up to $600 billion annually. He explains how admitting China to the WTO in 2001 failed to foster democratization and details the massive scale of the Ministry of State Security. Using corporate examples like Apple and Google to illustrate this threat, he warns of America's vulnerabilities and advocates for defensive reforms, including a partial economic decoupling, modernized legal deterrence, and the establishment of a National Economic Security Council to better protect critical domestic industries and safeguard the nation's technological crown jewels.David K. RandallBook: The Monsters Bones: The Discovery of T-Rex and How It Shook Our WorldRandall recounts the historic discovery of the Tyrannosaurus Rex by pioneering paleontologist Barnum Brown. The narrative traces Brown's journey from a Kansas farm to his recruitment by Henry Fairfield Osborn for the American Museum of Natural History. Driven by Gilded Age competition funded by wealthy industrialists, Brown used geological expertise and dynamite in 1902 to unearth the first T-Rex fossils in Hell Creek, Montana. Despite facing devastating personal tragedy, Brown's efforts culminated in the legendary 1915 public mounting of the apex predator in New York, forever transforming the public's understanding of prehistoric life.

My Path to Global International Relations: A semi-autobiographical textbook by Dr Vendulka Kubalkova https://www.amazon.com/Path-Global-International-Relations-semi-autobiographical/dp/B0GJSFG95W Drvkubalkova.com My Path to Global International Relations is a semi-autobiographical textbook. Textbooks are comprehensive compilations of content in a branch of study students learn. Textbooks are produced to meet primarily the needs of educators. They come with ready-made PowerPoints, quizzes, videos, lesson-by-lesson schedules, etc., to facilitate the teacher’s job. Unlike textbooks but like fiction generally, the autobiographical format of this work is designed primarily with a reader in mind: to be learned in an enjoyable way since it tells a real-life story. It is a story of “study abroad” gone awry at the height of the Cold War. The permission to study abroad in the Communist country came with strings attached: a KGB espionage assignment. The author’s home Prague, and she was only 24 at the time, was occupied by tanks. It became a moral issue for her, and having been blackmailed into accepting the espionage assignment, she blew her cover in England, where she was to study on a British scholarship. It started a lonely path of exile through international relations, statelessness, undocumented, and, for decades, unable to go home. It led to a challenging but successful career as a Professor of International Relations in several countries. Standard textbooks quickly become out of date, the Preface stresses, the “Globe is in everybody’s living room.” Many stories and animated learning videos are referenced throughout this book and available separately. The chapter’s topics are interdisciplinary with history excursions, the philosophy of knowledge, social sciences, postcolonial studies, and sociology of knowledge (challenges universities face), and it introduces some of her friends and colleagues, the prominent scholars of the field of International Relations.

Year(s) Discussed: 1945-2026 This episode explores how leadership can be shaped by fear, strategy, and the deliberate projection of strength. It traces the ideas behind the Madman Theory, showing how Cold War thinking, presidential power, and public perception collided to influence some of the most consequential decisions in modern politics. Along the way, it asks what happens when a leader tries to turn unpredictability into control. More information can be found at https://www.presidenciespodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode explores John F. Kennedy's transformation from Cold War hawk to advocate for peace. The 1961 Vienna Summit, Berlin Crisis, and especially the Cuban Missile Crisis forced Kennedy to confront how quickly nuclear confrontation could spiral beyond anyone's control. Cuba became a turning point, convincing him that military strength alone could not guarantee security and that managing escalation was essential to survival. By 1963, Kennedy was challenging the assumptions of the Cold War and publicly calling for a new “Strategy of Peace,” even as his changing worldview increasingly collided with the powerful military and national security institutions built around permanent confrontation with the Soviet Union.

This week we're revisiting an episode from last year with Harvard historian and sociologist Dr. Rebecca Lemov, author of The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyper-Persuasion.What if you could be persuaded to confess to a crime you didn't commit—or believe that an identity was manufactured for you? Dr. Lemov explores how the manipulation of belief has shaped modern society from Cold War psychology to today's social media. Mayim and Jonathan discuss the case of Leonard Kyle, who claimed the government implanted devices in his brain… and turns out, it was true! They deep dive into the psychological transformation of Patty Hearst and why her brainwashing defense was rejected and how government experiments like MK-Ultra still influence policy today.Plus, understand the rise of hyper-persuasion in the digital age and how social media can manipulate your emotions by harvesting your trauma using targeted algorithms. Learn how to spot the signs of mind control in abusive relationships and why false confessions are more common than you'd think.Whether you're a fan of cults, psychology, digital ethics or government conspiracy theories, this episode is a mind-bending journey into how belief, identity, and freedom have been transformed in ways we barely recognize.Go to https://helixsleep.com/breakdown to receive up to 30% off your Helix mattress.Visit https://drinkag1.com/BREAKDOWN and get a FREE AG1 Flavor Sampler and a FREE bottle of Vitamin D3 + K2 in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order.Get your annual IANDS Conference tickets at https://conference.iands.org.Go to https://tidd.ly/4uVltMe and use the code MAYIM50 to get $50 off your Elastique order.Follow us on Substack for Exclusive Bonus Content: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bialikbreakdown.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BialikBreakdown.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube.com/mayimbialik⁠⁠⁠See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of Thinking Fellows, Caleb Keith, Adam Francisco, Bruce Hillman, and Scott Keith share their summer reading lists, ranging from the Bible and church fathers to history, politics, philosophy, fiction, and swimming. Their conversation explores everything from the transition of Rome from paganism to Christianity and Thomas Sowell's ideas about human nature to the problem of evil and the history of Finland during World War II. They also discuss Lutheran scholarship, vocation and theological disagreement. Adam Francisco The Bible — New Living Translation (NLT) The Quran Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles — Thomas Sowell Bruce Hillman On Death and Eternal Life — Gregory of Nyssa The Oxford Reading and Philosophy: Problem of Evil — Marilyn McCord Adams (editor) Scott Keith The Long Way Home: A Journey into the History of Captain Robert Ford — Ed Dover The Fourth Option — Jack Carr The Spy Who Came in from the Cold — John le Carré Ice — Ulla-Lena Lundberg  How Finland Survives Stalin: From the Winter War to the Cold War, 1939–1950 — Kimmo Rentola Why We Swim — Bonnie Tsui Caleb Keith The Final Pagan Generation: Rome's Unexpected Path to Christianity — Edward J. Watts The Pieper Lectures: The Lutheran Doctrine of Vocation, Vol. 11 — various authors   More from 1517: Support the work at 1517 1517 on Youtube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education 1517 Podcast Listeners Get a Free Book When They Sign Up for Memento This August New Books from 1517 Publishing: The Turk at the Door by Adam Francisco Luther and the Lion: A Narnian Catechism by Samuel Schuldheisz By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith More from the hosts: Caleb Keith Scott Keith Adam Francisco Bruce Hilman Follow 1517:  Instagram X/Twitter Facebook  

For twenty-six years, war, exile and the Iron Curtain kept one Polish family apart. Torn from his homeland and sent into Stalin's labour camp system, Aleksander Jablonski survived hunger, forced labour and a wartime journey through Russia, Iran and Italy before fighting at Monte Cassino. When the war ended, returning to communist Poland was impossible. He built a new life in Britain, but the family he had left behind remained painfully out of reach. Then, after more than a quarter of a century, came the chance to cross back behind the Iron Curtain. In this moving episode, his daughters tell a story of separation, survival and a reunion in communist Poland. It is also the story of a Polish community in Britain, the children who inherited its memories, and the enduring pull of a homeland that distance, politics and time could never entirely erase. Additional thanks to Stefan Hales-Józefczyk and the Leek Polish Connection for welcoming me into their group and allowing me to record this story. Curated episode extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode470 Help me preserve Cold War history via a simple monthly donation, You'll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, receive a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank-you, and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we also welcome one-off tips via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ CONTINUE  THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION o BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Twitter/X ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ o Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Q&A Friday, Todd asks why socialism and communism appeal to many young Americans despite the historical record of the Soviet Union, Maoist China, Cambodia, North Korea, and other communist regimes. He explains how distance from the Cold War, financial crises, college debt, unaffordable housing, stagnant wages, and distrust of institutions make sweeping promises of equality and fairness attractive. Todd argues that conservatives must listen carefully, acknowledge real economic frustrations, teach history persuasively, distinguish genuine free markets from government intervention, and defend a constitutional system that can reform itself without surrendering individual liberty.

Several Trump cabinet officials have visited Iowa recently. A western Iowa community is dealing with the environmental fallout of a Cold War missile site over 60 years after it was deactivated. And how are international students feeling about stricter visa rules?

Where did “In God We Trust” really come from, and was it merely Cold War anti-communist propaganda? In this episode of The Magistrate, Josh Howard and James Baird trace the forgotten Civil War-era origins of the phrase on American currency. They discuss Baptist pastor Mark Watkinson, Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase, U.S. Mint Director James Pollock, Henry Boardman of Tenth Presbyterian Church, the original National Reform Association, and the push to recognize God and the Christian character of the nation in public life. This episode uncovers how “In God We Trust” was part of a broader pan-Protestant effort to call America to national repentance, acknowledge divine sovereignty, and confess dependence upon the God of the Bible.

Tom, Brian, and Amos kick off their Get Smart experiment with the 1965 pilot “Mr. Big” and are delighted to discover that nearly everything they associate with the series—from the shoe phone and Cone of Silence to “Would you believe…”—was there from the beginning. Mel Brooks' absurd Cold War spy parody proves smarter and funnier than expected, though the big question now is whether those wonderfully ridiculous recurring gags will still be funny after four episodes.Next week: Get Smart (203 - "A Spy for a Spy")Subscribe, get expanded show notes, and past episodes at http://Cordkillers.comSupport Cordkillers at http://Patreon.com/CordkillersYouTube: https://youtu.be/as5XoEEsW4s Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1954, a massive government-run resettlement programme began in Canada.This saw the relocation of nearly 30,000 people from isolated ‘outport' fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador to designated ‘growth centres', intended to provide better education and facilities.In some cases this involved physically moving houses with ropes and pullies, then floating them to new locations.Catherine Harvey speaks to Don White, who recalls being resettled from Port Nelson where he grew up, and how this affected him and his family. A Roguegunners production.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: A house waiting for the tide to bring it ashore. Credit: Library and Archives Canada)

I'm delighted to tell you about  Cold War Conversations History Tours I'm exploring the idea of hosting a Cold War history tour via a specialist tour company, and I'd like your help working out what it should be. There are several directions it could take, and your answers will shape the plan. There's a short survey which should take about 5 minutes. Here's the link https://survey.chasehistorytours.com/coldwar   As a thank you, those who complete the survey will be eligible for a discount if a tour is announced (please provide your email at the end). Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

National Review Senior Editor Charles C.W. Cooke, who hosts the Charles C.W. Cooke Podcast, fills in for Jim on the Tuesday 3 Martini Lunch. Join Charlie and Greg as they discuss Abdul El-Sayed's latest radical economic idea, James Talarico claiming school choice and the SAVE America Act are designed as tools of oppression against black people, actor Jeff Daniels missing the point of his new movie about Reagan, & a Democrat rejects an endorsement from Kamala Harris.First, they shudder as El-Sayed says he would be more aggressive than Bernie Sanders in government taking over private companies. Charlie explains why this is basically totalitarianism. And they fume over how the left has twisted the definition of "democracy" beyond recognition.Next, they shake their heads as Democratic Texas U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says Voter ID is designed to suppress the black vote and that school choice is a "tool of segregation." Charlie says 80 percent of black voters supporting Voter ID undercuts Talarico's pathetic narrative. And Greg sees a pattern in how Talarico and other Democrats approach these issues.Then, they react to Jeff Daniels suggesting the takeway from his new movie about the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Iceland  is that John Lennon's Imagine might really come true. Charlie explains the real reason the U.S. won the Cold War, why Daniels is missing the main point of the story, and why Reagan and Imagine have virtually nothing in common.Finally, they get a good laugh as Democrat Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola publicly rejects an endorsement from former Vice President Kamala Harris. But other accounts suggests Peltola asked for the endorsement.Please visit our great sponsors:Brooklyn Beddinghttps://BrooklynBedding.comGet 30% off sitewide Brooklyn Bedding with promo code 3ML. BetterHelphttps://betterhelp.com/3ML See the reviews, see what stands out, and see if BetterHelp is right for you. Noble Goldhttps://NobleGoldInvestments.com/3MLIf you want to see how physical gold and silver could fit into your portfolio, download Noble Gold Investments FREE Wealth Protection Kit.New episodes every weekday. 

In March 1945, the British Fourteenth Army were advancing on the city of Mandalay in central Burma, now known as Myanmar, which was held by the Japanese Army. The army was made up of soldiers from across the British Empire, with units from the United Kingdom, India, East and West Africa all fighting side by side. The BBC's Douglas Cleverdon accompanied those troops into battle, making what is thought to be one of the first ever radio programmes recorded from the front line of a war. Witness History is produced and presented by Tim O'Callaghan, in collaboration with the BBC Archives, using the recordings made by Cleverdon in 1945. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: British Indian soldiers at the gates of Fort Dufferin in Mandalay. Credit: Official photographer/Imperial War Museums via Getty Images)

Rob Zettel joins Dylan and Max to tell the story of flying MiG-21s and MiG-23s with the USAF's secretive Red Eagles under the Constant Peg program. For professional pilots, it's a fascinating look at training, aircraft handling, risk management, and what happens when experienced aviators are handed an airplane with no two-seat trainer and no simulator. Rob gets into fighting frontline U.S. fighters in the MiG-21, taking the MiG-23 to Mach 2.35, handling a serious hydraulic failure, and later trading Cold War fighters for a career at United and the 757. Listen and subscribe for more conversations with the pilots who have some truly ridiculous logbook entries. Check out Rob's book on his website Show Notes 0:00 Intro 2:10 Who Were The Red Eagles? 6:48 Acquiring MiGs & Flying Solo 30:59 MiG-21 vs MiG-23 39:24 Maintenance & Overhaul 44:02 Airplane Design & Flying Aggressor 57:48 The Good And The Better 1:05:49 Glory Days & Fun Stories 1:10:39 Writing the Book 1:17:11 Post Air Force Career Our Sponsors Tim Pope, CFP® — Tim is both a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and a pilot. His practice specializes in aviation professionals and aviation 401k plans, helping clients pursue their financial goals by defining them, optimizing resources, and monitoring progress. Click here to learn more. Also check out The Pilot's Portfolio Podcast. Advanced Aircrew Academy — Enables flight operations to fulfill their training needs in the most efficient and affordable way—anywhere, at any time. They provide high-quality training for professional pilots, flight attendants, flight coordinators, maintenance, and line service teams, all delivered via a world-class online system. Click here to learn more. Raven Careers — Helping your career take flight. Raven Careers supports professional pilots with resume prep, interview strategy, and long-term career planning. Whether you're a CFI eyeing your first regional, a captain debating your upgrade path, or a legacy hopeful refining your application, their one-on-one coaching and insider knowledge give you a real advantage. Click here to learn more. The AirComp Calculator™ is business aviation's only online compensation analysis system. It can provide precise compensation ranges for 14 business aviation positions in six aircraft classes at over 50 locations throughout the United States in seconds. Click here to learn more. Vaerus Jet Sales — Vaerus means right, true, and real. Buy or sell an aircraft the right way, with a true partner to make your dream of flight real. Connect with Brooks at Vaerus Jet Sales or learn more about their DC-3 Referral Program. Harvey Watt — Offers the only true Loss of Medical License Insurance available to individuals and small groups. Because Harvey Watt manages most airlines' plans, they can assist you in identifying the right coverage to supplement your airline's plan. Many buy coverage to supplement the loss of retirement benefits while grounded. Click here to learn more. VSL ACE Guide — Your all-in-one pilot training resource. Includes the most up-to-date Airman Certification Standards (ACS) and Practical Test Standards (PTS) for Private, Instrument, Commercial, ATP, CFI, and CFII. 21.Five listeners get a discount on the guide—click here to learn more. ProPilotWorld.com — The premier information and networking resource for professional pilots. Click here to learn more.   Feedback & Contact Have feedback, suggestions, or a great aviation story to share? Email us at info@21fivepodcast.com. Check out our Instagram feed @21FivePodcast for more great content (and our collection of aviation license plates). The statements made in this show are our own opinions and do not reflect, nor were they under any direction of any of our employers.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit chrisryan.substack.comWe dig into what it feels like to come of age under a permanent sense of "the world could end any moment," comparing Cold War duck-and-cover anxiety to a millennial generation shaped by 9/11, economic collapse, and climate dread. Anya shares thoughts about turn…

Keith breaks down why global crises, geopolitical shocks, and nonstop "doom" headlines haven't stopped stocks and real estate from reaching near all-time highs, and what that means for investors focused on inflation-resistant assets.  He also discusses Memphis as a surprising cash-flow market poised to benefit from the AI boom, sharing details on an upcoming webinar with Mid South Homebuyers.  Keith is joined by real estate investor and educator Jared Garfield to unpack the "Seven-Figure Solution," a strategy that combines cash-flowing rentals with tax-advantaged life insurance to create liquidity, reduce risk, and support long-term retirement income.  Together, they explore how disciplined portfolio growth, smart leverage, and coordinated tax planning can help real estate investors better align their assets with their long-term financial goals. Episode Page: GetRichEducation.com/619 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  For predictable 10-12% quarterly returns, visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE or text  FAMILY to 66866  Join Mid South Home Buyers' one-time, free live webinar featuring Keith Weinhold on September 30 at GetRichEducation.com/MidSouth to learn how Memphis' economic expansion could create new real estate investment opportunities, and have your questions answered in real time. Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search "how to leave an Apple Podcasts review"  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— GREletter.com  Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript: Keith Weinhold  0:02   Welcome to GRE. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. The world is about to end again. It's the economic disaster that never arrives. I'll break it down. Then you've been earning money and investing well all these years. How does it all go together? It can culminate in the seven-figure solution, it's about seeing your future today on Get Rich Education. What if I told you that one of America's strongest cash flow real estate markets is also becoming the new brains and brawn behind AI? That city is Memphis, believe it or not. And September 30th, we're going to show you why the smart money is paying attention now, along with an investing opportunity you won't want to miss. Join me, Terry Kerr and Matthew Van Horn of Mid South Homebuyers, the largest turnkey company in Memphis with more than 6,000 homes under management, for a free live webinar, the likes of which I've never done before, we're going to look at what billions in new investment could mean for jobs, housing demand, neighborhood appreciation, and your portfolio. Everyone who attends live will also get exclusive access to the best deal terms Mid South has ever offered. Reserve your free seat at getricheducation.com/midsouth again that september 30. Don't say we didn't tell you. Save your spot at getricheducation.com/midsouth.   Speaker 1  1:39   You're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is Get Rich Education.   Keith Weinhold  1:55   Welcome to GRE from Kankakee, Illinois, to Cherokee, Iowa, and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm Keith Weinhold. This is Get Recid Education, and the world is about to end. Even if you survive, your portfolio surely won't. Oh, jeez. At least that's the impression you get from mass media and what I'll call the Doom Scroll Industrial Complex. Fear creates urgency. Urgency attracts eyeballs. Eyeballs attract ad dollars. And I guess that using a slogan like "everything will probably be fine" well, that's never been a great ratings strategy. Now, can what has happened since 2020. Just this cheery little sequence: COVID, then Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, tariffs, and then the war in Iran. All that just since 2020. I mean, that right there sounds less like an economic timeline and more like a movie plot, or that the world is repeatedly spinning the wheel of misfortune. Yet after all of that, what is the result? Both stocks and residential real estate are near all-time highs. Apparently, the apocalypse has been postponed yet again-at least economically speaking. Now let's zoom out and break down these threats and a few more, all just since 2020, because 2020 is the year where, of course, you had the COVID-19 pandemic, economic shutdowns, the fastest major stock bear market in history, supply chain breakdown. You saw empty shelves, and there was unprecedented government intervention from the Paycheck Protection Program to stimulus checks to mortgage loan forbearance. Then, in 2021 and 2022, you had post-COVID inflation and supply shortages. Now, this was more of a result, not strictly geopolitical, but a major investment threat, and that led to aggressive interest rate hikes. From 2022 to the present, you have Russia's invasion of Ukraine, energy and food shocks came from that, sanctions, instability over in Europe, and really a heightened nuclear risk in 2023. You had the U.S. regional banking crisis. Remember SVB, yes, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic. They raised fears of a financial contagion that would spread like fat. Than a secret in a small town, it actually made me buy some gold. From 2023 to the present, you had the Israel-Hamas war and this broad Middle East instability, Hezbollah attacks, Houthi attacks, Red Sea shipping disruptions. It's almost like a geopolitical group project. And then from 2025 to the present, you have renewed U.S. tariffs and a global trade war, and this year you have the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz disruption. That is the biggest current geopolitical investment threat because it combines all of these things: war, oil disruption, inflation, higher interest rates, and a recession risk. So it's a lot like this particularly unpleasant smoothie that's been blended together.   Keith Weinhold  5:55   All right. Well, all of that-that is just an absurd amount of uncertainty and disruption only since 2020, and though major markets are at all-time highs in the face of this, let's acknowledge that some were hurt here, like apartment building owners vulnerable to interest rate resets, and certain commercial sectors like office. Even worse, let's be sensitive to the fact that COVID in wars have resulted in a real loss of life. GRE's enduring strategy of primarily owning long-term residential rentals with fixed-rate debt has been comparatively really resilient. In fact, these calamities-they probably made you better off from the inflation that it has spurred. More people work from home. Well, that means that they're consuming our product while higher inflation debased our debt and jacked up our property values and our rents. And you know somehow every. single generation thinks that their collection of crises is uniquely terrifying, and it is not. And what do I mean by this? Well, in the 1980s, people feared war with the Soviet Union, the Cold War. A global population explosion so bad that millions or billions of people would surely die from hunger. You had the AIDS crisis. You had a hole in the ozone layer. Well, all those things. Virtually zero investors make decisions based on that stuff: an imminent Soviet attack or mass starvation from overpopulation. There is one thing that is 100% certain here, and that is that more shocks are coming. In case you don't want to sleep well, you can get worked up over the certainty of future calamities, artificial intelligence is making cyber attacks faster and more scalable. AI has even created entirely novel viruses. A confrontation between China and Taiwan that could create risk in the semiconductor space.   Keith Weinhold  8:18   A blockade that might disrupt the world's advanced chip supply, creating more inflation and more uncertainty. Here is what's changed, though, for what investors care about. You know what has changed with today's set of calamities versus those of the 1980s and earlier, because there is something, and it's a big deal for investors. Here's what's changed: recent history shows that the government does more to intervene during disasters, stimulus checks, liquidity programs where they're printing trillions, bailouts, pushing interest rates down to almost zero, quantitative easing. How about a foreclosure moratorium? Anything you know during COVID, it was a lot of these things, and it was the CARES Act, and it was a student loan payment pause. I mean, the Federal Reserve even set up emergency credit facilities. We now know that when the economic building catches fire, policymakers they rarely stand around admiring the flames. They just flood the place with currency. So the best investors they keep prudently building real estate portfolios in the face of risk, not the absence of risk, because the latter does not exist. This incessant government intervention, whether you agree with it or not, it gives you more safety cushions the next time that things fall apart. That's why what appears risk. Is still risky, but less so. So there is more incentive to take on prudent risk than I've ever seen. You know, no politician wants America to fall apart under their watch. So increasingly, they'll just paper over the problem by printing, printing, printing, and then, therefore, the resultant inflation, the consequence of this, that can be dealt with under the next president's watch, not theirs. In fact, future calamities they almost make you want to own scarce real assets that benefit from inflation, not a hedge, a benefit. Trying to time every war, election, banking crisis, tariff announcement, virus, and Fed decision. Trying to time all of those things-that is usually ineffective. You either own more assets, or you get left behind in everything that's happened since 2020. That just underscores this. In fact, Berkshire Hathaway, the closely watched company that Warren Buffett ran for a long time, but he still has influence in.   Keith Weinhold  11:16   You know, they recently began moving out of cash and into assets, they ended their long net selling stretch. In fact, in the latest quarter ended, they've now done the most buying that they've done since early 2022. They have jumped back in the game. It appears that Berkshire Hathaway got tired of sitting on the sidelines and seeing others make gains, and they're pretty bullish on housing too. They bought a home builder. The bottom line here is that shocks are going to keep arriving, and yet productive assets and well-financed residential real estate has repeatedly survived them and just continued appreciating. Don't wait for a risk-free world because you'll wait forever. When you evaluate all these calamities, just since 2020, again, COVID, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, tariffs, and war in Iran, and then you realize that both real estate and stocks are near all-time highs anyway, and the government keeps backstopping asset owners like never before. This is just a fresh angle on how much better off you are when you prudently own more inflation-benefiting assets sooner. I want to tell you about something called the seven-figure solution. You've been here listening to me weekly since 2014. You've been earning money. You've been investing well, and now you're going to see how it all goes together. It's about making sure that your real estate and your other assets appropriately fund your retirement in a way that gives you protection against market downturns, a tax advantage pool of liquidity, the death benefit of a life insurance policy, and actually introduces you to a new form of leverage all at the same time. Now the liquidity here is key because this is where a 401(k) or IRA limit you, they have taxes and penalties if you want to use those funds early. This doesn't, but the seven-figure solution-it's not just for retirees. In fact, our own in-house investment coach Narayish uses something like this, and he is in his 30s. Let's discuss it, and then you'll see where I have an invitation for you, where you can get involved. I'd like to welcome in a guest we last had on the show a few years ago.   Keith Weinhold  13:54   He's a frequent guest on popular shows, including our friends over at the Real Estate Guys Radio Show, and this guest has also been a terrestrial radio show host himself. He's a long-time real estate educator and an active investor, just like you and I. So he speaks from experience and not a textbook. He's the creator of what we'll discuss today, called the Seven Figure Solution. Welcome back to the show, Jared Garfield.   Jared Garfield  14:21   Hey, it's great to be with you again. Thanks for having me.   Keith Weinhold  14:25   It's so good. Now you're with the Haven Bridge Group, and you help people, especially real estate investors, with what's called the seven-figure solution. Tell us about it.   Jared Garfield  14:37   it. Well, Haven Bridge, we get the name for that because people are really looking for a haven of safety, and the bridge is kind of what crosses the gaps that could kind of destroy your wealth, and it's the path to get there. So we want to take people on a path to safety, and the seven-figure solution is the idea that if you're going to be drawing out even 4% per year to not outlive your money, because people are living now. To 8590, 95 years old, and so that means you could have 35 years in retirement. And with inflation and different things like that, you really have to have a lot bigger nest egg than what most people realize. So a seven-figure solution is how to get to more than a million dollars liquid that you can draw on in a tax advantaged manner for the rest of your life, while also having living benefits. And we pull real estate in with it because we want people to have 10 or 15 or 20 rental properties by the time they retired. That they 1031 exchange regularly, so that they're always keeping tax advantages. So that even in retirement you have strong tax advantages, and ultimately we think that when you're 65 or 70, you might want to go from 30 single-family houses to 1031 exchange into one institutional asset that's a little bit less management intensive.   Keith Weinhold  15:57   Okay, so this is a tax advantage vehicle that real estate investors can use during their investing career, and those tax advantages then really convert into something that you can use in retirement as well.   Jared Garfield  16:11   Yes, what it does is it's a vehicle that instead of saving the money from your cash flow from your rental properties in the bank, we say, well, why wouldn't you rather invest in something where it grows tax-free, number one, and then number two, you don't have the penalties like you would with a 401k, where you get taxed and you get penalized 10% if you pull it out. It's liquid, usually about 80 to 90% liquid, so you can pull from it whenever you like, and you can use it for down payments to grow your real estate portfolio. But you can earn sometimes between five and even seven or 8% in a tax advantaged manner where you're not taxed on it, but you're earning a much higher return than if you put the cash flow into a bank.   Keith Weinhold  16:51   All right, so you're building this tax advantage pool of capital that grows over time, and this is important to have some liquidity. You know, Jared, I've often talked to our audience, about three to 5% of your portfolio value ought to be kept liquid. Maybe with a vehicle like this, you would want to put in more of that because real estate investors we have expenses, so you have this liquidity to cover things like vacancies and major repairs, or perhaps you could even use this account for future down payments on additional investment properties. Is that how it's utilized?   Jared Garfield  17:27   Yeah, absolutely. And I get it partially this way because in my early 20s, I got up to where I had about six rentals, and at the time, I also owned a real estate brokerage, and I was doing very well. I was making a six-figure income and things. And what happened is, I back when a   Keith Weinhold  17:41   six-figure income was a big deal.   Jared Garfield  17:43   Yeah, back in the early 2000s, it was a little bit better money. But the funny thing was, I had four rental properties that all went vacant at the same exact time, and so now all of a sudden, I was paying like 4500 bucks a month in mortgages, not counting the house I lived in, but I had to cover four mortgages on four of my rental properties all at the same time, and I hadn't saved the cash flow, so I didn't have a huge emergency fund. All my liquid capital went into down payments and into renovation money to rehab the properties. Okay, and so it put me in a real bind, and I was out driving a Volvo S80 around throwing two paper routes in the mornings, and then going to my real estate brokerage after my paper routes to cover those rental properties. And so this was basically meant as a way to say, okay, this is a way that I have the liquidity. I'm getting a higher return, but now my tenants are not only buying me the houses, but they're also giving me a couple million dollars in life insurance, and they're wrapping my investment component or the cash value of that, the cash value part of the policy. They're wrapping that in a way that it grows tax-free, so it just accomplishes a lot of things. But the other thing that's a beautiful thing about it is there's a lot of things that we call living benefits.   Keith Weinhold  19:02   All right, so you have the living benefits and the tax advantages, and I know how you have pointed out that this can save an investor 10s of 1000s of dollars in taxes per year and hundreds of 1000s or more over time. Can you tell us more about that?   Jared Garfield  19:20   Yeah, because what happens is the money that goes in is growing tax-free, so you don't get taxed on any of the growth. But what we really like about it is, let's say that you're cash-flowing $2,000 a month off your rental properties, and you're putting 2000 a month into this policy. Usually, after the first year, if you're max funding, 80 to 90% of that's liquid. So if you've got 24,000 sitting in there, you've got access to 89 to 90% of the money. So it's pretty liquid. But what happens is over a 20 or 30 year period, that money could turn into three or 400,000 a year that you can pull out in the form of policy loans. And by doing that, it's not taxed. And you can pull that out throughout your retirement tax-free. So if you were paying 25% in taxes and you're pulling out 200 grand a year, that's $50,000 a year in retirement that you're saving in taxes. But that could be over a 20 or 30-year period. So over 20 years, that 50,000 could end up being a lot of money. I mean, 500,000 over 10 years, a million over 20, and so that means you don't have to accumulate as much. But a lot of our investors love it because they'll save it up with discipline, and then that way it's there if the furnace blows. So it makes your real estate safer, but it also becomes your down payment funds to expand your portfolio.   Keith Weinhold  20:40   Okay, the seven-figure solution is the vehicle that we're talking about here, and what part of the IRS code, just briefly, is it that gives this tax advantage?   Jared Garfield  20:51   It's Internal Revenue Code Section 79 that allows it to grow tax-free. In the 1980 s, doctors and a lot of very wealthy people were using this to the point that IRS changed the laws. They went and sued the insurance companies because doctors would go in and dump $2 million in, and they would buy a $2 million life insurance policy. So they were self-insured, which meant that they didn't have any cost of mortality on it. So they basically got all the benefits of the tax-free growth and the tax-free pullout. And the IRS said, "Wait a minute! We think you're doing tax evasion. So what they did is they came around and they said, "We're not going to let you use this loophole anymore for the very wealthiest people to have this. So they came to a compromise, and the compromise was that if you wanted to put in 2 million, you had to maintain a corridor where there had to be a little bit higher amount of life insurance. So you might have to buy a $2.3 million policy, but then you could still dump, say, $2 million in and have all the tax advantages. It's a strategy that's been used for over 100 years by families like the Rockefellers and the Hunts and J.P. Morgan. The very wealthiest families have always used these strategies to grow and protect their wealth.   Keith Weinhold  21:59   Okay, so it's a part of the tax code that allows cash value to accumulate within and be withdrawn from a life insurance policy tax-free.   Jared Garfield  22:11   Correct, and it gives you living benefits, which I alluded to a minute ago. And the living benefits are if if you end up having to go through things like long-term care, disability, if you can't perform, you know certain functions for a certain period of time, chronic illness, critical illness, terminal illness. If any of those things happen to you, you can borrow against the policy and have access to money during those things that would normally decimate your wealth, because you can actually access the death benefit in advance.   Keith Weinhold  22:42   Now I know a little about the six risks. Tell us about that.   Jared Garfield  22:47   Well, Keith, there are six risks that all investors face regularly. The first one is inflation erosion, and that means that your purchasing power often ends up leaking out of your balance. And the balance might look fine, but inflation can eat away at it. So even if you've raised a lot of money, if inflation means that you can buy half as much five or 10 years from now, then you know your wealth isn't as big as you thought. The second is the volatility setback, and that's sequence of return risk. That means that if you retire on a bad year where things really bad, stock market drops, you could end up using your money at a time where it really weakens your wealth because it may have dropped by 50% So if you had a million, now you have a half a million, and you're spending 100,000 a year. At the end of year one, you might only have 400,000 left. So sequence of of return risks from volatility setback, tax drain. That's just the compounding cost of an uncoordinated tax picture can really be a problem, and then the next one is liquidity. If you don't have liquidity and you've locked up all your money and you can't access it until you're 59 and a half without significant taxation and 10% penalties, the liquidity lock is a problem. There's the longevity paradox. What happens if you outlive your money, you know. So living longer is a benefit, but it exposes you to where you might not have enough money to live on in your latter years. The last two are care avalanche, and that is if an unexpected health event happens at the wrong time, it could really destroy your wealth because medical costs have spiraled out of control, and then the last one is the line to land, and that's only one of the six that's really about growth.   Keith Weinhold  24:28   Right, only one of the six of those was about growth. I can't stand the longevity paradox. Yeah, we think we all want to live a long time, but then it's more difficult to fund living a long time, and if you outlive everybody, nobody shows up at your funeral either. The longevity paradox-one of the six risks that the seven-figure solution can really help you with. Now, tell us more about funding it, so you can get a good cash value balance in. There, I know that one way you do it is actually with short-term rentals instead of a paycheck.   Jared Garfield  25:06   We love short-term rentals, especially for our highest net worth clients, because the reason is is the bonus depreciation of the big beautiful bill. Oh, right! You could take up to like 150 or even $200,000 in year one, they take that depreciation that they used to spread out over a whole lot of years, and they make it to where if you get with your CPA and you analyze your short-term rental, you could potentially take all of the furnishings, all of the artwork, all of the dishes and things that are in the property. Sometimes they'll let you take components like the appliances, the air conditioning unit, the furnace, and they'll let you take it all in year one instead of having to line item it and spread it out over you know 27 and a half years. So what this means is, if you have a short term rental, then you you might get like 150 to 200,000 tax break in the first year on the right property, but it's better than that because instead of having to have like 750 hours to hit full-time real estate professional status, it cuts the hours that you have to have significantly down. I think it's more like 150 hours or something like that, or 300. It's like half the hours, and so you can hit the benefits of taking unlimited passive loss much easier if you have a couple of short-term rentals.   Keith Weinhold  26:24   You're listening to Get Rich Education. We're talking with Jared Garfield about the seven-figure solution, something that takes some time to understand, but it can give you a tax-advantaged pool of capital that grows over time, and it also creates this overall tailwind, not just during your investor life, but then it provides tax advantaged retirement income at the same time. More on this when we come back. 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It's a straightforward approach built on real assets, not speculation. And full disclosure, I'm an investor myself. What I like is that their team walks you through how it all works, so you can decide if it aligns with your portfolio and income goals. Every investment carries risk, and nothing is guaranteed. But with a track record of consistent, on-time investor payouts, they built real credibility. Go to freedomfamilyinvestments.com to book a clarity call, or text family to 66866. That's family 266866. This is the   Speaker 2  28:28   Real Wealth Network's Kathy Betke, and you are listening to the Always Valuable Get Rich Education with Keith Weinhold.   Keith Weinhold  28:46   Welcome back to Get Rich Education. I'm your host Keith Weinhold. We're talking about the seven-figure solution with Jared Garfield. Something that can be a particular benefit to real estate investors both during your investing career and then once you're in retirement as well, and this can take the form of either an indexed universal life policy or a whole life policy. There are a lot of wrong ways to do this and wrong things to get into. We're talking about the right way. Part of that is funding it as best you can. Can you tell us more about that?   Jared Garfield  29:20   Well, there's a lot of different ways to fund it. A lot of our clients will come in. We have some people who will use rollovers if they're nearing the end of retirement. Some people will roll over a 401k into a cash value life insurance policy because they can do it over a five or seven year period, and they pay the taxes when they roll it over, so their taxes go up a little bit for five or seven years of retirement, but then what happens is that means that during their retirement they're not taxed on the income all the way through retirement, so that can save really significantly. But a lot of our clients will do a flip and dump 40 or 50,000 a year in by just saying I'm going to do one flip a year and use that to. Fund the whole thing, or they'll take the cash flow and dump the cash flow into here instead of the bank, just so that they get the living benefits and they get the much higher return with still 80 to 90% liquidity. So could be cash flow from rentals, could be money from a flip, or sometimes some of these short-term rentals can make 20 to $30,000 a year, and if you get $100,000 tax break, you have more money that's not going to Uncle Sam, and then because that's your discretionary income now, because of the tax break, you could use that money to for down payments to grow your portfolio or to do a flip.   Keith Weinhold  30:35   Now, Jared, I sort of think of the cash value that you're accumulating in this policy as safe money that grows at a slow to moderate steady rate, but if it rarely or ever loses value, can you tell us more about that and the rate of return expected in the policy?   Jared Garfield  30:52   Yeah, absolutely. With the IULs, it's going to depend a little bit upon the carriers and stuff like that, and whether you go with a mutual company and stuff like that. It can vary, but a lot of times people are going with things that are what we call indexed. So you can actually index it to the S and p5 100 if you think that we're going to have a bull market and the market's going to really go up strongly. You can index it to the market, and sometimes they'll have a participation rate where they'll say, "Okay, you can participate up to 12% So if the stock market does 17% the most you can make is 12% So you're giving up a little bit of upside, but that's still not nothing. I mean, that's not three or 4% You can still make you know 10 or 12% that year, but you're giving up the part above the participation rate. And the reason that you do that is if the market tanks and drops by 30 or 40% The worst you can do is 0% return. Zero is my hero because you didn't lose anything. So if you had a half a million sitting there, you don't go down to 250 and then wait eight years to get back to break even. Instead, you're still at half a million. And if the market goes up next year by 20% and you had a 10% cap. Then your half a million, you know, is now at 550,000. When everybody else, if it went up by 10% they're at half the amount that they had.   Keith Weinhold  32:13   You have a story or example of how you've helped somebody with this, because I know a lot of investors that are passionate about utilizing the cash value inside an insurance policy tell us.   Jared Garfield  32:28   Well, I've got one friend who's a developer, and he did like a $5 million policy. And every time he flip a subdivision or flip a house, and let's back   Keith Weinhold  32:36   up. Does a $5 million policy mean that's the death benefit?   Jared Garfield  32:40   Yeah, that's the death benefit. Thanks for catching that. That's the death benefit, but that also has a correlation to how much money you can dump into it. So if you have a $5 million policy, you can dump a lot more money in for the tax free growth. And the quicker you hit that death benefit amount, at that point you're self-insured, and so at that point you really don't have cost of insurance on administering the policy hardly at all, and so at that point, when you're what we call self-insured, the return on the investment becomes a lot better. But this particular developer was able to use this policy because he had so much cash value in, and if he sold a house, he'd take 40,000. If he sold 10 a year, he might take you know 400,000 and dump it into this policy, and so it made him bankable. And he was able to use the money to go out and do new subdivision developments because the bank would actually use the policy as the collateral to be able to give him loans at much lower interest rates.   Keith Weinhold  33:38   That's valuable. Tell us about that. I don't want to use the wrong words here, but then effectively with this example, are you borrowing against the funds in the policy? So therefore, you can get those dollars working for you somewhere else, all while simultaneously the cash value continues to compound and grow. Sort of another form of leverage.   Jared Garfield  34:01   Correct. What they basically do is they basically freeze part of the amount and say, okay, we're using this as the collateral and stuff like that to be able to do the loan. But if it grows and and makes 7% you're still making the money off of the money that's sitting in there. It's just collateralized as part of the loan. And some people will even use it to like go buy a car, like instead of buying a car and going getting a bank loan and paying 7% to the bank, they might borrow money out, go pay cash for the car from the life insurance policy loan, and pay 2% instead of 7% But they're paying it to themselves, and as long as they're paying the interest to themselves, if the money that they borrow out could potentially still earn the same money and earn 7% even though you had borrowed out. So it's doing two things for you at the same time, as long as you're paying that loan interest. But and that depends on the option that you take when you do your loan.   Keith Weinhold  34:54   We love leverage around here. Leverage trumps compound interest. In so many ways. Oh, I'm really glad that you told us some more about that using the funds in more than one way at the same time. Tell us more about what it costs for the investor, the costs of setting this up, and then what some of those trade-offs are, Jared.   Jared Garfield  35:18   Well, that really depends on the individual. I mean, everybody has to sit down and be able to decide what is acceptable for them. You know, a lot of times people will want to max fund the 401k that they're doing at least just to the amount that's matched. But then after that, this could be a great place instead of putting a whole bunch more money into a 401k. Some people will elect to say, "I'm going to put the matching portion into my 401k, but then I'm going to take my cash flow from my real estate and money that I could have contributed to other alternatives and put it into this because I want the liquidity. I want to be able to leverage this money and pull it out without any restrictions. That as long as I can pull out 80 to 90 percent, I could go buy a car wash, or I could invest in a business, or I could, you know, do whatever I wanted to. I could loan it to my kids for their college and make them pay me loans back to my policy. There gives you a lot of flexibility to do it. But the thing that we love about it is we'll do what's called an illustration, and it may end up if you start at the right time, it could be a six-figure passive income stream at retirement, and then if you have the real estate, because this helped you grow your portfolio, where without doing the strategy, you might have ended up with say 10 properties. We might be able to get you to 20 or 30 properties working together as a team with your real estate coaches and stuff like that. Then we can potentially grow your real estate portfolio, and what we want to do is 1031 exchange every seven to eight years. I don't believe in holding properties for 30 years.   Jared Garfield  36:47   I believe in exchanging them every seven to eight years because when the tax benefits have been used up, if you exchange to twice the size portfolio, you have better appreciation on a portfolio worth twice as much. But that new value, you still get the depreciation advantages, where the old value that was half, you know, the depreciation is used up. So you're you're getting new depreciation on the higher value assets, and then our goal would be that by the time you don't want to be involved in managing the property managers, that at some point you're going to have a 200 unit apartment complex with on-site management, and at that point you don't have any financial worries really because you're 1031 exchanging into those apartment complexes, but you have so much equity that you're still maintaining depreciation during your retirement years. When most people who have lesser plans don't have the tax advantages,   Keith Weinhold  37:41   I love that you said so much of that, and to you, the listener, Jared is licensed to do this, and our own in-house investment coach. You mentioned coaching. Naresh has the proper licensing as well to holistically help integrate this into your investor life. And for example, yes, we are rarely of the mindset that you would hold a property for all 30 years because after seven to 10 years, your leverage ratio gets worn down, and then additionally, if you're buying turnkey properties, oftentimes that's when capex expenditures start to enter into the picture. So yes, oftentimes we do these seven to 10 year holds.    Jared Garfield  38:23   I love that. Yeah, that's a really really good strategy, and and it always makes it to where you can grow so much bigger portfolio by not being taxed through that exchange. And you know, believe it or not, there's actually even ways when you have extra cash boot, they do allow if you notify them in advance. Sometimes you can take some of the cash boot on the exchange and roll it into some of the products that we utilize.   Keith Weinhold  38:47   For more specifics, I know you said it's based on one's individual situation, but how much does it cost to set up a policy? And then, are there any ongoing maintenance fees? Can you give us more specifics there?   Jared Garfield  38:59   So, there's small fees to administer the policy because you have people who are trading and doing different things and working within the policy for the funds. But usually, you can set policies up as low as 100 or even $200 a month. We don't usually recommend that because you want to max fund it. Usually, when you're doing these strategies, if you're just doing $100 or $200 a month, you're basically buying life insurance, but you're missing a lot of the benefits because what you want to do is to be able to max fund it. So what we like people to do is get as minimum life insurance. That's not in our advantage because we get paid based on the premium of the amount of life insurance you get. But you get the smallest amount of life insurance for the amount that you can max fund. I would much rather have somebody get a $500 a month policy that, let's say, they could put you know a thousanmd a month in or something like that, than to have somebody get $1,000 a month policy where they're paying a thousand a month but they can't max fund it because by max funding it you're maximizing the growth component of the cash. Value, and so it depends on how much you want. But you can go anywhere from $100 or $200 a month to we have clients that will dump $20,000 a month in because they really want to shield as much money as they can from tax growth.   Keith Weinhold  40:15   Tell us more about who the seven-figure solution is for and who it's not for.   Jared Garfield  40:20   Well, if you're living month to month and you don't have discretionary income, it's probably not a good solution. In that situation, you probably want to get term insurance and just make sure that you cover catastrophic things. But if you've got discretionary income and you've got an extra four to $500 a month that you could use to max fund, we figure most people need life insurance anyway, and the way that we teach it, when you mix it with real estate, rather than pulling it from your monthly budget, doesn't it make a lot more sense to let your tenants buy the houses for you, but also pay for a half a million or a million dollar life insurance policy for you, where the tenants are covering the savings for anything that happens at the property with capex or vacancy or damage, and at the same time covering life insurance and potentially a six-figure passive income that's tax advantaged at retirement. So I pull the money out from other assets and let the assets cover this asset.   Keith Weinhold  41:18   Oh well, Jared, this has been great. Before I ask you if you have any last things to tell the audience about the seven-figure solution, I invite you, the audience, to join us. It's going to be Jared and our own in-house investment coach, Nareesh, bringing you a live online event that you can join from the comfort of your own home next Thursday, the 27th at 8 PM Eastern. You can register now; it's free at grewebinars.com because there are a lot of moving parts, and it does take some time to wrap your head around this, benefiting from the cash value of an insurance policy. And this way you can have a Q and A, and you can get answers in real time at this event. It's called the Seven Figure Solution: Build wealth, reduce risk, and create tax advantage retirement income through real estate. Again, it is next Thursday, the 27th at 8p.m. Eastern, you probably have generated some questions inside your head while you're listening to this, and you can sure have them answered there as you're going to learn a whole lot more about it next Thursday. This could help a lot of people. Jared, do you have any last thoughts?    Jared Garfield  42:38   I think the only thing is that we like to work with the team. We like to work with your CPA. We like to work with your real estate investment coach. I used to be a coach and trainer for Robert Kiyosaki, who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad, and he always talked about power teams. And so we want to be able to be a part of your power team and work with your other advisors to help you implement something. We're not here to give you tax advice. We want you to be able to work with your investment advisors and your CPAs, and just be a part of the team. But I would point out that over my career, I've owned hundreds and hundreds of single-family cash flow rentals, duplexes, fourplexes, apartment complexes. I've done some land development, and I implement these strategies myself. I had 17 Airbnbs, and so these are the strategies that I implemented as a full-time real estate professional. I felt like that this strategy of having a seven-figure solution could help you to avoid some of the pitfalls that I experienced in my 20s.   Keith Weinhold  43:32   So much all comes together for one pretty comprehensive solution. It's the intersection of growing your portfolio, getting tax advantages and having the death benefits of insurance and more all coming together next Thursday, so that you can learn more. Jared, it's been great having you back on the show.   Jared Garfield  43:52   Thanks, Keith. Always glad to join you.   Keith Weinhold  44:00   Integrate the seven-figure solution the GRE way, where we have this conscientiousness about leverage and cash flow. In this case, it's how to prudently leverage a life insurance policy. When it's time to tap your cash value, you take what is a policy loan, not a withdrawal, because you're borrowing against your cash value, hence using the funds in more than one place, and the IRS does not tax loan proceeds. This reminds me of a billionaire and how they borrow against the value of their stock. That way, they don't have to sell their assets. This is similar to what you can do with this. Another thing is that you know real estate investors are not used to a volatile ride because our asset values stay stable. You heard Jared mention the acronym IUL there. That's an indexed universal life policy. It's a real benefit. That says you tie yours to the S and P five hundred. Well, that index was down 18% in 2022, and that your cash value can have an upside ceiling and loss protection on the downside-an option that you'll care more about as you get toward retirement. In 2008, the S&P was down 37% so the math is cruel on value losses. In fact, it's even worse than it sounds because if you're down 30%, then you need a 43% gain just to get back to even. That is just math.   Keith Weinhold  45:39   There are some mistakes to avoid here, and you don't just want to set up your seven-figure solution off of a website. And it is based on products that you might have heard of from companies like Nationwide and Mass Mutual. I strongly encourage you learn more, see how it all goes together, learn how the seven-figure solution compares to other vehicles like a Roth IRA, 401k, 721 exchange, and 1031 exchange. This is very much about seeing your future. You've been listening to me here every week for almost 12 years, earning money from your day job, building your real estate portfolio, either from our investment coaching or on your own. This is how it all goes together. Next week with Jared and GRE investment coach Naresh. By attending live, you can have your questions answered in real time. One last time, you can sign up for the event for next Thursday, the 27th at 8 PM. Eastern, 5 PM. Pacific. Learn about something that's potentially really valuable to you: the seven-figure solution at grewebinars.com. Until next week, I'm your host Keith Weinhold. Don't quit your daydream.   Speaker 2  46:59   Nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal, or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial, or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of Get Rich Education LLC exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  47:26   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building, getricheducation.com  

In 2011 Asha Bhosle, India's queen of melody, was officially named the most recorded artist in music history. The Guinness World Record recognised the astonishing scale of her career, having performed up to 11,000 songs in more than 20 Indian languages since 1947.The title previously belonged to her sister Lata Mangeshkar, and together the siblings dominated India's playback singing world for decades, lending their voices to film soundtracks that actors later lip‑synced onscreen.Reena Stanton-Sharma uses BBC archive interviews to tell the story. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken.We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Haitian singer Emerante de Pradines' life and Omar Sharif's legendary movie entrance in Lawrence of Arabia.You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, like the invention of a stent which has saved lives around the world; the birth of the G7; and the meeting of Maldives' ministers underwater. We cover everything from World War Two and Cold War stories to Black History Month and our journeys into space.(Photo: Asha Bhosle performs in New York in 2008. Credit: Jack Vartoogian/Getty Images)

We're continuing our celebration of nine years of Two Girls One Ghost with the second half of our two-part deep dive into the Grand Canyon, where we investigate the baffling disappearance of honeymooners Glen and Bessie Hyde. Their dangerous journey down the Colorado River ended with an intact boat, a journal, and decades of theories involving murder, a skull, secret identities, and a woman who claimed years later that she was Bessie herself. Then we head 210 feet underground to explore the haunted Grand Canyon Caverns, a place filled with forgotten remains, Cold War secrets, prehistoric creatures, and a hotel room surrounded by total darkness and near-total silence. Watch the video version here. Have ghost stories of your own? E-mail them to us at twogirlsoneghostpodcast@gmail.com New Episodes are released every Thursday and Sunday at 12am PST/3am EST (the witching hour, of course). Corinne and Sabrina hand select a couple of paranormal encounters from our inbox to read in each episode, from demons, to cryptids, to aliens, to creepy kids... the list goes on and on. If you have a story of your own that you'd like us to share on an upcoming episode, we invite you to email them to us!  If you enjoy our show, please consider joining our Patreon, rating and reviewing on iTunes & Spotify and following us on social media! Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Discord. Edited and produced by Jaimi Ryan. Original music by Arms Akimbo! Disclaimer: the use of white sage and smudging is a closed practice. If you're looking to cleanse your space, here are some great alternatives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael McFaul — Multi-Part, Part One: Michael McFaul, a Stanford professor and former US Ambassador to Russia, details his book Autocrats Versus Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. In Part One, McFaul examines historical turning points, beginning with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1991 Soviet collapse. He argues that the West was too complacent following the Cold War, missing critical opportunities to consolidate democratic institutions in Russia and China. He also explains how China's century of humiliation informs Xi Jinping's current desire for strength. (1)

In 2025, Voice of America was thrust into the spotlight when the bulk of its funding was taken away. But in an era shaped by the internet and social media revolutions and with the West's funding priorities changing, it was not the first international broadcaster to go quiet. The soft power war of the airwaves has now moved to a decisive phase.Josephine McDermott traces the start of international radio and its heyday through World War Two and the Cold War as a tool of soft power. Hear the hosts of shortwave radio, from the Nazi propagandists Lord Haw Haw and Mildred Gillars to Doris Maxina, the presenter of Soviet radio's Moscow Mailbag, plus June Taylor, the New Zealander who became the global voice of communist Albania.Tune in to the sounds lost to time from Radio Netherlands' Happy Station Show to Radio Berlin International, and the Russian version of the British institution, The Archers, which came about following the collapse of the USSR.Featuring Thomas Witherspoon, creator of the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive; Jamie Shea, Nato spokesperson from 1993 to 2000; Sir John Tusa, managing director of the BBC World Service from 1986 to 1992; Ivana Stradner, research fellow at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies in the United States and Nic Newman, senior research associate at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University, UK. With archive from the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive, including recordings from Thomas Witherspoon, Paul Watson, Greg Shoom, Mark Hirst, Tom Gavaras and Keith Perron. Moscow Mailbag recording from KSN's Tech Topics on YouTube.

Henry Sokolski examines the "Golden Dome," a proposed $185 billion space-based missile defense project that mirrors the Cold War-era SDI. He warns that the program's lack of transparency is "suicidal" for its funding, as Congress remains in the dark about its primary mission. Sokolski notes that while technology is closer to practicality than 40 years ago, current threats are often low-cost drones rather than intercontinental missiles. In the energy sector, he highlights Elon Musk's $10 billion "Project Crystal Sun" solar factory in Texas, which Musk frames as capturing the "fusion reactor" of the sun. Sokolski observes that even conservative states are voting with their pocketbooks for renewables as battery storage investments double. Finally, he touches on a mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, suggesting a "Sunni NATO" is emerging due to a lack of confidence in U.S. security guarantees. (7)

TABLE OF CONTENTS THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW 8-14-2026.Jeff Bliss discusses the severe threats posed by a potential "super El Niño," which could lead to massive coastal erosion, mudslides, and heavy rains in Los Angeles, similar to the damage seen in previous severe weather years. He also reports on active wildfires in California, such as the Timber Fire in Monterey County and the Bug Fire near the Nevada border, noting that humans cause roughly 90 to 95% of these blazes. Shifting to entertainment, Bliss describes the highly anticipated opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which features the "Skywalker Grill"—a restaurant causing excitement among Los Angeles foodies for its Michelin-star potential. Additionally, Bliss covers the landmark $12.8 billion purchase of the Los Angeles Lakers by a group involving Jared Kushner and Bob Iger. Finally, he touches on the legal controversy surrounding the Paramount-Skydance merger and David Ellison's threat to move production out of Hollywood. (1)Gene Marks shares insights from White House advisor Kevin Hassett regarding the validity of government economic data, with Hassett favoring durable goods orders and unemployment claims over revised surveys. Marks reports a generally positive outlook for small businesses, citing an uptick in optimism and a four-year high in manufacturing activity driven by the AI and data center explosion. He notes that while tariffs and $4 gasoline remain concerns, many businesses are absorbing costs without significant impact on sales. Marks characterizes the United States as an "entrepreneur's paradise" because of the ease of starting a business and the high availability of capital. He highlights that nearly half a million new business applications are filed monthly, supported by record levels of private debt and venture capital. Marks concludes that despite various uncertainties, the small business sector remains resilient and is continuing to hire. (2)Jim McTague provides a report on the "mixed" economy of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, observing that retail activity is picking up due to back-to-school shopping despite inflationary pressures. He notes that discount giants like Costco are packed as shoppers seek relief from high prices, while tourism traffic at local hotels and amusement parks has lightened midweek. McTague also highlights local opposition to data centers, making them a contentious political issue for upcoming elections. A central focus is the "Heritage Paris" patisserie at Park City Mall, where a French chef sells premium handcrafted pastries. McTague describes high-end offerings like the "Popcorn Illusion" pastry priced at $17.95, illustrating a market for luxury food even in a cautious economy. He humorously recounts his own difficulty resisting these treats while on a low-carb diet, emphasizing that the shop is a significant draw for local residents. (3)Lorenzo Fiori describes a "disaster" situation in Europe caused by severe drought and record heat, with water restrictions implemented in Swiss towns and critically low levels in northern Italy's Po River. The drought has turned the normally green Alps brown and disrupted lake navigation. Simultaneously, Sicily's Mount Etna has entered a prolonged eruption phase, spewing ash for seven days and forcing the cancellation of 700 flights at Catania airport during the peak tourist season. Fiori notes the chaos caused by tourists seeking "eruption selfies" in dangerous areas. For a cultural reprieve, he recommends the Bernina Express rail journey, which reaches the highest railway point in Europe. He also shares a traditional recipe for polenta with Gorgonzola cheese, paired with local Valtellina wine, though he expresses concern that the drought may soon impact milk production from Alpine cows. (4)Bob Zimmerman details the robotic mission by startup Catalyst to rescue NASA's Swift Space Telescope, utilizing innovative software to maneuver a servicing craft despite thruster failures. He highlights SpaceX's massive Starshipproduction line in Boca Chica, noting that four prototypes are ready for monthly launches and upcoming orbital refueling tests. Zimmerman also discusses Lockheed Martin's strategic investments in rocket startups like Firefly to secure launch capabilities. On the international front, he reports on Poland's successful protest against Starlink roaming restrictions and Vietnam's first satellite contract with an American company, SpaceX, signaling a shift toward U.S. ties. Additionally, Zimmerman covers the State Department's efforts to pull India away from Russian space partnerships and NASA's collaboration with the Department of Energy on nuclear propulsion for Mars. He concludes with breathtaking imagery of stars orbiting the Milky Way's central black hole. (5)Alex Wright, author of Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper, Part Two: Wright recounts the history of American newspapers, focusing on the Civil War's impact on journalism. He highlights George Smalley's groundbreaking combat reporting at Antietam, where Smalley wrote a vivid account on a night train to secure the "scoop of all scoops" for the Tribune. Wright also explores "soldier-published" newspapers that provided a slice of camp life and the origins of Stars and Stripes. Moving west, he describes the dangerous life of frontier editors, such as Mark Twain, who carried revolvers to defend against aggrieved readers and occasionally fled town to avoid duels. Wright explains how newspapers became "gold mines" by discovering the revenue potential of patent medicine advertising, which once accounted for half of all ads. He concludes by drawing parallels between the fragmented, anything-goes media landscape of the 19th century and today's digital era of content creators and AI. (6)Henry Sokolski examines the "Golden Dome," a proposed $185 billion space-based missile defense project that mirrors the Cold War-era SDI. He warns that the program's lack of transparency is "suicidal" for its funding, as Congress remains in the dark about its primary mission. Sokolski notes that while technology is closer to practicality than 40 years ago, current threats are often low-cost drones rather than intercontinental missiles. In the energy sector, he highlights Elon Musk's $10 billion "Project Crystal Sun" solar factory in Texas, which Musk frames as capturing the "fusion reactor" of the sun. Sokolski observes that even conservative states are voting with their pocketbooks for renewables as battery storage investments double. Finally, he touches on a mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, suggesting a "Sunni NATO" is emerging due to a lack of confidence in U.S. security guarantees. (7)Angela DiFulvio explains a theoretical method for detecting nuclear weapons in low Earth orbit to prevent catastrophes like the 1962 Starfish Prime experiment, which destroyed a third of existing satellites. She describes an "inspector" satellite designed to induce a unique radioactive signature from fissile material using high-energy protons. DiFulvio details technical challenges, such as "pulse shape discrimination," to distinguish weapon-related neutrons from background cosmic radiation in the harsh space environment. She suggests that an international agency like the IAEAmight oversee these inspectors to ensure space remains weapon-free. DiFulvio emphasizes that while tests can occur in classified environments, more research is needed on the survivability of sensing electronics. She warns that a modern orbital nuclear detonation would be catastrophic for global infrastructure, specifically mentioning the vulnerability of massive constellations like Starlink. (8)