Podcasts about Italian

Preet Majithia breaks down the biggest moments and surprises from day two at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Poland.A couple of today's highlights include:- After getting beaten by Cole Hocker in his first race of the season at the Millrose Games two mile, Josh Kerr has the last laugh by outkicking Hocker and the field to win his third global title and second in the 3000m, running 7:35.56 ahead of Hocker's 7:35.70.- Nadia Battocletti finally got her golden moment in the 3000m, as the Italian used a 28.54 final lap to outkick Jessica Hull with Battocletti claiming her fourth global medal in 8:57.64.- Khaleb McRae led for about 390 meters of the 400m final, but it wasn't quite enough to hold off the late charge of Christopher Morales Williams, who closed best to win in a championship-record of 44.76.- Lurdes Gloria Manuel had only won one 400m so far in 2026 heading into this weekend, but she clocked three straight indoor PBs in the three rounds of racing and won her first global title in 50.76.+ More____________Host: Preet Majithia | ⁠⁠@preet_athletics⁠⁠Produced by: Jasmine Fehr |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠@jasminefehr⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠____________SUPPORT OUR SPONSORSOLIPOP: Olipop's Tropical Punch tastes like a vacation in a can. It has the perfect balance of pineapple, passionfruit, mandarin, and apple. You get that nostalgic fruit punch flavor, but way more crisp and way more refreshing. Every can contains their Olismart blend, which includes ingredients designed to support digestive health and help feed your gut microbiome. If you haven't had tried Olipop yet, grab a can and see what the hype is all about!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Head to DrinkOlipop.com and use code CITIUS25 at checkout to get 25% off your orders.⁠⁠⁠⁠XENDURANCE: When you finish a hard workout, the work isn't actually done. That's when recovery starts. Xendurance Protein is designed specifically to help your body recover, rebuild, and get stronger after training. It combines four different types of protein, so your body gets both fast absorbing protein for immediate recovery and slower release protein to support muscle repair over time. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Check it out at Xendurance.com and use code CITIUS for 25% off your first order.

6. Italian Judicial Reforms and Tourism in Mantua Guest: Lorenzo Fiori Summary:Lorenzo Fiori discusses an Italian constitutional referendum regarding judicial independence. He also provides a travel guide to historic Mantua, recommending its medieval architecture, local artichoke pasta, and regional Amarone wine for visiting tourists. (6)1939 OKLAHOMA CITY

#368: Skeery is still living out of boxes and a makeshift podcast studio and may soon have his first houseguest- Tall Darren; Brody gives butt wiping stats; Skeery got accused of "walking Italian;" Brody got security called on him at a store after they accused him of stealing; Skeery is so lazy he wants to buy self-watering plants; Facebok marketplace stories; Skeery wants to host Easter for his family and Brody thinks it's a terrible idea; the boys learn about mulesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Was there really a 17th century Italian woman who helped hundreds of wives murder their husbands, or is her story a myth born of fear and gossip?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the legend of Giulia Tofana, the so-called criminal mastermind behind a secret poison network. With historical novelist Cathryn Kemp, she uncovers the blurred line between truth and terror, reveals how the Pope hunted down a group of women who were not only independent businesswomen but who were striking back at abusive husbands across Italy.More:Tudor True Crime: Murder in Renaissance RomeListen on AppleListen on SpotifyMurderous WomenListen on AppleListen on SpotifyPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About :Festa Italiana Charlotte: Ciao! St. Anthony Foundation of Charlotte welcomes you to The 21st Annual Festa Italiana Charlotte: An Italian Food & Wine Festival.Our All-inclusive event features 25+ Culinary Partners showcasing Italian and Italian-American cuisine and beverages during our Grand Tasting experience. Guest can anticipate Live Performances, Chef Demonstrations, Italian Sports Car Exhibit, Art Show, an Italian Village Market and more in the heart of Uptown Charlotte, NC. Spring Cocktail Attire is encouraged.We invite you to join us for one the premier Italian Food & Wine events in the Southeastern U.S.Bio:Chef and entrepreneur Majid Amoorpour is the driving force behind The Everyday Market, a European-style cafe and market with locations in Belmont and Charlotte, North Carolina. An internationally trained pastry chef who began his career in Sweden and worked across Europe before co-founding Charlotte's Bistro La Bon, Amoorpour centers his culinary philosophy on the "everyday" rather than the occasional. He prioritizes technique over complexity, advocating for focused, small menus of 10 to 15 scratch-made items perfected to the highest quality within a community-centered environment.Bio:Dr. Vincent E. Voci is a board-certified, fellowship-trained plastic surgeon based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with over 35 years of private practice experience and a distinguished medical background including degrees from the University of Louisville and training at Duke University. Beyond his clinical expertise—which includes pioneering the first medical spa in North Carolina and introducing procedures like Botox and liposuction to the region—Dr. Voci is widely recognized as the Founder and Chair of Festa Italiana Charlotte. Inspired by his family's Italian roots, he established the festival in 2006 as a cultural and humanitarian event hosted by the St. Anthony Foundation of Charlotte, which he also chairs. Under his leadership, the festival has grown from a small gathering to a major annual gala in Uptown Charlotte, raising over $300,000 for Nevins Inc. to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Voci continues to balance his surgical milestones in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery with a deep commitment to community service and Italian heritage.Website: https://www.festaitalianacharlotte.org/

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling.In Episode 9, La vita qui non è poi così male, Lorenzo's friend talks about life in Berlin and his surprising new perspective on Italy.Fabrizio è tornato in Italia per le vacanze e passa il suo tempo andando al mare e rilassandosi. Decide che forse rimarrà in Italia più del previsto…Tune into Episode 9 of Scenes, where you'll learn plenty of useful vocabulary and expressions to boost your Italian.Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What separates successful women leaders from the rest often comes down to curiosity, courage, and the willingness to use their voice. In this special episode honoring International Women's Month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Doughty, CEO of The Chicago Network, an organization made up of some of the most influential women leaders across Chicago's business, nonprofit, healthcare, and government sectors. Maria shares the key traits she sees in extraordinary women leaders, including intellectual curiosity, humility, and a deep commitment to civic engagement. We explore the importance of advocacy, making the ask, and building authentic professional relationships that create opportunities over time. Maria also discusses why women should pursue board service earlier in their careers, how advisory boards can be powerful leadership training grounds, and why executive presence and personal brand play a critical role in professional success. Above all, Maria reminds us that women supporting women remains one of the most powerful forces for creating opportunity and lasting change. Here are the highlights: ● Traits of Exceptional Leaders: The most successful women leaders share intellectual curiosity, humility, and a strong commitment to civic engagement.● The Power of the Ask: Women must confidently articulate what they need and clearly make the ask in professional conversations. ● Why Civic Engagement Matters: Involvement in community and civic organizations often leads to powerful relationships and new opportunities. ● The Value of Board Experience: Serving on advisory or corporate boards helps women build leadership, governance, and strategic decision-making skills. ● Executive Presence & Personal Brand: How leaders show up, communicate, and present themselves shapes their influence and career trajectory.   About the guest: Maria Doughty is the CEO of The Chicago Network, the premier organization of Chicagoland's most influential women leaders. Since joining in 2020, she has guided the organization through the global pandemic while strengthening its strategic vision, modernizing operations, and deepening member engagement. Maria brings extensive experience in insurance, financial services, public policy, regulatory compliance, and enterprise risk management, with a career that includes senior leadership roles at Allstate Insurance Company. She currently serves on several boards and advisory bodies, including The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Roosevelt University, and the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Maria is passionate about servant leadership, civic engagement, and advancing opportunities for the next generation of women leaders. She lives in Chicago with her husband and has two grown sons.   Connect with Maria: Website: thechicagonetwork.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-doughty/   Connect with Allison: Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/ Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/  #CEO #leadership #startup #founder #business #businesspodcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

L'8 marzo delle donne in lotta L'Europa e il problema della deterrenza nucleare Lo strano viaggio di Guido Crosetto a Dubai MasterChef Italia ha un nuovo vincitore

Watch The Confident Italian Speaker Workshop✨ FREE 60-minute workshop for Italian learners who want to finally speak with confidence (without translating in their head)✨What you'll learn inside:✅ How to actually remember Italian verbs when you speak (instead of blanking out)✅How to think directly in Italian (instead of translating every word from English)✅ A simple, brain-friendly method to remember all verb endings (yes, even those scary irregular verbs!)This isn't another “ Italian grammar class”Inside I will teach you the proven, neuroscience-backed approach that has allowed hundreds of my students to learn Italian verbs easily — and finally speak Italian naturally and fluently in every conversation!⁠⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WORKSHOP⁠⁠⁠⁠The link doesn't work (or isn't clickable)? Send me an email to ciao@rightwayitaliano.com for the link to the workshop!Or send me a private message with the word "CONFIDENT" on my instagram @rightwayitaliano to receive an automated message with the link ;)

In this episode, we’re revisiting Raffaldini Vineyards in Ronda, NC! This year marks the 25th anniversary of Raffaldini’s founding. We sit down with Jay Raffaldini to reflect on how the winery has evolved from its earliest days and what lies ahead for the next quarter century. We first interviewed Jay back in season 1, and a lot of things have changed over time so listen in for details. Raffaldini Vineyards has been known for its focus on Italian varietals and embracing Old World traditions. As Jay shares in our conversation, the story of Raffaldini is also rooted in perseverance, experimentation, and deep family connections. At its founding, the North Carolina Wine industry was just taking shape. Many practices, techniques, and vineyard practices for the North Carolina climate were being written in real time. Jay talks to us about those early challenges and what he’s learned over time to establish his house style and build on quality over time. Wine Class with the Wine Mouths is back again! Join us as they talk about Tannat; a bold and structured grape that’s gaining in popularity here in North Carolina. For more information about the Wine Mouths, head to https://www.winemouths.com/ or find them on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @Winemouths. The Wine Mouths theme was written and performed by Joshua Morris. You can find him at https://soundcloud.com/joshtime. If you like this episode, please leave us a rating and review. It really helps spread the word. Subscribing and sharing with a friend is another great way to support Cork Talk. This episode was made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council. For more information, please visit https://www.ncwine.org

Read the February 2026 issue of our industrial matters free sheet as a pdf: https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3.cpgb-ml.org/TheSpark004.pdf With farcical brazenness, a Dubai-based asset stripper has suggested it might buy the remnants of Liberty Steel with help from the UK's National Wealth Fund. Despite weasel words from politicians of all stripes about ‘saving jobs' and ‘saving steel', the truth is that the fate of this vital sector is in the hands of another government committed to carrying forward the ruling class's long-term deindustrialisation agenda. Manufacturing in Britain is simply not as profitable as manufacturing abroad, and has not been for well over a century. The reality of capitalism in its senile, imperialist phase is that the ruling class finds it far more profitable to fight wars aimed at ensuring access to cheap labour in other countries than to invest in more expensive works and labour here at home – even in these days of minimum wages and neutered trade unions. Subscribe! Donate! Join us in building a bright future for humanity! www.thecommunists.org www.lalkar.org www.redyouth.org Telegram: t.me/thecommunists Twitter: twitter.com/cpgbml Soundcloud: @proletarianradio Rumble: rumble.com/c/theCommunists Odysee: odysee.com/@proletariantv:2 Facebook: www.facebook.com/cpgbml Online Shop: https://shop.thecommunists.org/ Education Program: https://thecommunists.org/education-programme/ Each one teach one! www.londonworker.org/education-programme/ Join the struggle www.thecommunists.org/join/ Donate: www.thecommunists.org/donate/

Back with another Foreign Film Month pick this week we watched the 1961 black comedy Divorce Italian Style. Directed by Pietro Germi the film tells the tale of an impoverished Sicilian nobleman who is trapped in a loveless marriage and fantasizes killing his wife.It stars Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, and Leopoldo Trieste. Come join us!! Website : https://tortelliniatnoon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortelliniatnoonpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TortelliniAtNoon Twitter: https://twitter.com/PastaMoviePod

Israel has ordered Lebanese civilians as far as 25 miles from the border to leave their homes. The UK, German, French and Italian governments have warned of "devastating humanitarian consequences" if Israel does not halt its ground operation. We report from southern Lebanon and hear from an Israeli government spokesperson.Also on the programme: the government says the adoption system needs to change after a BBC investigation finds parents were left without support and even faced false accusations by adoptive children.And a decision that's rocked African football, people in Senegal react to their team being stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The dog is loose in the house, coaxing Caruso isn't working, and after 11 days of parenting solo Sebastian's vibes are hard to be around. Pete wants to know why everyone can make fun of Italians and extols the virtues of blowing your nose in cloth towels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We catchup on the latest Bravo news, Vanderpump talk, Hollie's NYC trip and get into the latest Italian episode of Beverly Hills. We share some fun personal stories that relate to this episode as well. Check out Patreon for link to our next Hangout!Show Notes:Visit www.acorns.com/vpr to signup for a $5 bonus investment and build your financial future!Visit www.quince.com/vpr for free shipping and 365 day returns! www,patreon.com/vanderpumprulesparty for bonus content and live hangouts and trivia!This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Magellan AI - https://docsend.com/view/5vdvbdx7cr4tikmyClaritas - https://claritas.com/privacy-legalPodscribe - https://podscribe.com/privacy

The Italian verb “potere” means “can”, but it doesn't always work the same way. Learn how to use it correctly and avoid common mistakes. Learn about our Online Italian School and get a free mini lesson every week: https://joyoflanguages.online/italian-school Subscribe to our new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@joyoflanguages.italian?sub_confirmation=1 Get the bonus materials for this episode: https://italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast/Italian-verb-potere Today's Italian words: Posso? = Can I? / May I? Possiamo andare = We can go Puoi prenotare un tavolo per stasera = You can reserve a table for tonight (singular, informal) Potete lasciare le valigie qui= You can leave your luggage here (plural)

Jimmy drove down to have dinner at Nan Ban Kan, and record a fresh episode of the podcast. Jannik Sinner wins his first Indian Wells crown, which was the only Masters 1000 hard court title missing from his resume. Having only played 2 tournaments so far this year it was nice to see the young Italian play some of the best tennis of the year. Aryna Sabalenka also broke through to win her first IW title after being runner up in 2025 to Andreeva. She played an instant classic vs AO champ Elena Rybakina in the final winning 7-6 in the third. Daniil Medvedev is back playing some of the best tennis of his career and is back in the top ten of the ATP tour. Med played a great match beating Carlos Alcaraz in the SF and almost pushing Sinner to 3 in the final. With 2 titles on the year already it seems like there is more positive things ahead for the Russian. Elena Rybakina has been one of the best players in the world the past 9 months. The AO champ played some amazing tennis to get to the final and was up a set and a break on Sabby before things turned around. In what has to be one of the best matches of the year the two biggest hitters on tour blasted away for 3 high powered sets. Sadly someone had to lose, but something tells us these two will play more important matches down the road. All that plus more on a new episode of the Advantage Connors podcast. Follow us on - Twitter - @AdvConnors @JimmyConnors @Brett_Connors Instagram - @AdvConnors @Bretterz @GolddoodIsabella Facebook - Jimmy Connors official Facebook page Leave your questions/topics/or links to stories you want us to talk about next week on Jimmy's official Facebook page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

217: On this episode, Beretta tries to take control of Ruger!? Smith and SIG release guns with gold on them! Tony also interviews Yevgeniy Kogan of Kobura Custom, a new holster company who is putting a unique upscale spin on your kydex holster! If you guys want to save some on your own set of sexy Italian wood furniture from Woox for your shotgun, AR, bolt or lever gun be sure to use code: laughnload10 For that Blackout Coffee link to support the show click https://www.blackoutcoffee.com?p=SJxs6gMea Be sure to use code LNL20 if it is your first order and get 20% off! Thanks for all of your guy's support! We love ya! Please help us out by rating and reviewing the podcast! Thank you! Got questions? Email us at pewtimepodcast@gmail.com If you want to book Tony for a class email him at performancegun@gmail.com Looking for some new range wear? Head over to https://www.laughnload.com to check out some of the shirts, hats, hoodies and more that are currently available. What to check out some more from us you can search Laugh n Load on IG, FB and YouTube. FB: https://www.facebook.com/252407111792056/ IG: https://instagram.com/laughnload?igshid=tm0tboj9syru YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvK8P5NQ_sCpz1Hwasmd62Q

Jimmy's second cousin Liz Abbott joins the show from Sanibel, Florida to document her career as an actress, community involvement specialist, mom and overall force of nature. They reminisce about growing up in a loving environment, surrounded by love in their immediate and extended family. Liz & Jimmy talk about the experience of growing up as only children to parents they adore & having cousins who are like siblings in every way. Lastly, Liz takes the JBK On Air Questionnaire to discuss her love of Prince, Italian sandwiches, & much more! Full episode is available now! #jbkonair Links to watch, rate, review, subscribe & donate - https://linktr.ee/jbkonair

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about Amazon categories, Spotify, and Simon & Schuster's new CEO. Then, stick around for a chat with J.R. Thornton! J.R. Thornton is a writer and the author of two novels, Beautiful Country, and Lucien. Born in London, UK, J. R. graduated from Harvard College in 2014, where he studied history, English, and Chinese. An internationally ranked junior tennis player, he later competed for Harvard and on the men's professional circuit. Shortly after graduating from Harvard, J. R. published his first novel, Beautiful Country, loosely inspired by experiences he had living in Beijing as a teenager. The novel became a best-seller in China, and the film rights were subsequently purchased by WME/IMG. J. R. returned to China in 2016 as a member of the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars, earning an M.A. from Tsinghua University. He speaks Chinese and Italian, and lives in Milan, where he works for AC Milan. Lucien is his second novel. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

217: On this episode, Beretta tries to take control of Ruger!?Smith and SIG release guns with gold on them!Tony also interviews Yevgeniy Kogan of Kobura Custom, a new holster company who is putting a unique upscale spin on your kydex holster!If you guys want to save some on your own set of sexy Italian wood furniture from Woox for your shotgun, AR, bolt or lever gun be sure to usecode: laughnload10For that Blackout Coffee link to support the show click https://www.blackoutcoffee.com?p=SJxs6gMea Be sure to use code LNL20 if it is your first order and get 20% off!Thanks for all of your guy's support! We love ya!Please help us out by rating and reviewing the podcast! Thank you!Got questions? Email us at pewtimepodcast@gmail.comIf you want to book Tony for a class email him at performancegun@gmail.com Looking for some new range wear?Head over to https://www.laughnload.com to check out some of the shirts, hats, hoodies and more that are currently available. What to check out some more from us you can search Laugh n Load on IG, FB and YouTube. FB: https://www.facebook.com/252407111792056/IG: https://instagram.com/laughnload?igshid=tm0tboj9syruYT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvK8P5NQ_sCpz1Hwasmd62Q

Many of the most enduring displays of human artistic greatness have been, in some way, religious.The Egyptian pyramids were constructed to accommodate the needs of a king's soul after his death.The oldest architectural structures still standing today are almost exclusively temples, and archaeologists hypothesize that many ancient cave paintings depict religious scenes and images.As history progressed, towering cathedrals, opulent mosques, and brilliantly ornate Hindu temples were erected and maintained for centuries. Worshipful hymns and poems abound in nearly all religious communities. Sacred texts are transcribed with careful calligraphy and detailed illustrations. Elaborate dances celebrate the supernatural, and massive marble statues are carefully carved to depict the holiest beingsThe beautiful things that humans have made throughout time, have most often been made for a deity.But, in a secularized world, the purpose of art is much more varied. Today, art is most often defined as creative self-expression—there has been a clear shift from creating for a higher power to creating for the rest of humanity.
But, has the absence of spiritual motivation made art worse, or has the decision to tell human stories for a human audience made excellence more attainable?Actor, director, and producer David Henrie is interested in this question. It's one of the reasons he recently took a trip to Italy. This trip was filmed and is now available as a 6 episode documentary series called “Seeking Beauty” in which Henrie engages with some of the most sacred Italian churches and artwork to understand the motivations and beliefs of the artists who created them. Religion Unplugged's Culture Critic Joseph Holmes interviewed Henrie to understand his own faith journey and what he learned from centuries of Italian Catholicism.Seeking Beauty: https://www.ewtn.com/programs/9875-seeking-beauty#davidhenrie #henrie #christianity #catholicism #seekingbeauty #art #expresssion #artist #architecture #cathedral #church #wizardsofwaverlyplace #howimetyourmother

In this episode, we're deconstructing the blueprint of the ultimate modern defender: Alessandro Bastoni. We trace his evolution from a promising youth prospect at Atalanta to the tactical heartbeat of Inter Milan. Bastoni isn't just a center-back; he's a deep-lying playmaker disguised in a defender's frame.We dive deep into his "midfielder-standard" technical ability, his telepathic partnership with Federico Dimarco, and how he manages to maintain a staggering 7.53 match rating while anchoring a title-contending backline. Whether he's delivering cross-field diagonals or shutting down elite strikers, Bastoni is proving that the traditional Italian "catenaccio" has been upgraded for the digital age.

"My dear Duce, it's no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.”  This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky.  On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini surely know they'll be aiming for Sicily next, right? Actually, pre-Husky Allied intelligence victories have the Germans and Italians barking up the wrong tree (shoring up the wrong island defenses), all thanks to one Major William Martin.  Meanwhile, back in mainland Europe, Germany is wondering if Italy is still 100% committed to the Fascist alliance. After all, Mussolini's popularity is tanking, and it looks like he might get the boot any day. Things are… uncertain, to say the least. How will the combined Allied forces fare in Sicily? Which army will win the race to catch the Axis retreaters at Messina? Will George Patton get promoted again, as he so desperately wants? And perhaps most importantly—where to next?  ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Somali cuisine is a mixture of many traditions, from meat prepared according to nomadic customs, to a spice mix made possible by medieval Indian Ocean trade routes. There are even pasta dishes, owing to Italian colonization until 1960 – and you'll often find a banana served on the side. Ifrah F. Ahmed has made it her mission to document and preserve the food of Somalia in her new cookbook, Soomaaliya: Food, Memory and Migration. At a time when Somali and Somali-American culture is under threat, Ifrah's work feels especially important. Somali culture prizes its oral tradition, but Ifrah has decided to write it all down: the history, the recipes, and her own story. This week, Dan visits Ifrah in her kitchen as she makes an iftar meal for Ramadan, and he tries his hand at making sambuus (a deep-fried meat dumpling). Sign up for our newsletter by March 31 for a chance to win a copy of Soomaaliya! Open to U.S. entrants only. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, Jared O'Connell, and India Rice. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's Headlines: Three weeks into the Iran "excursion" — Trump's word, not ours — and there's no end in sight. Trump claimed Iran asked for a ceasefire; Iran said that didn't happen. Either way, 5,000 more marines and three more warships are headed to the region, joining the 50,000 U.S. troops already there. Oil is stuck at $100 a barrel, every country Trump asked to help escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz said no, and the U.S. bombed Iran's Kharg Island oil hub — which Trump said he might hit "a few more times just for fun," as one does. Iran fired a missile at an Italian base in Iraq's Kurdistan region, a drone killed a French soldier in the same area, and Emmanuel Macron had to call Tehran to say that's unacceptable. At home, a federal judge blocked the DOJ's attempt to criminally investigate Fed Chair Jerome Powell, ruling it was a pretext to pressure the Fed on interest rates — the Trump administration is appealing. The FCC chair threatened to pull local TV licenses over Iran war coverage he doesn't like, and Trump threatened media outlets on social media for the same reason. Neither has real teeth yet, but that's sort of the point. Meanwhile, a viral six-hour deposition of two former DOGE employees revealed they used ChatGPT to identify 1,400 grants to cut — including ones for Black civil rights documentaries and Holocaust research — with zero government or academic experience between them. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration will collect a $10 billion fee from the TikTok deal — on an app valued at roughly $14 billion total. Palantir's CEO went on CNBC to brag that his AI will shift economic power away from educated women who vote Democratic. Kash Patel announced the FBI will now train with UFC fighters. Marco Rubio is on the witness list in his close friend's federal trial for acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Venezuela. A Florida Democrat won the Boca Raton mayoral race by one vote, and the Republican loser said he'd "sleep on" whether to accept the results. And a UCLA study found that diverse film casts outperform at the box office — which landed the same weekend the Oscars completely snubbed Sinners. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: The Guardian: Middle East crisis live: Israel says it has launched ‘extensive strikes' on Iran as Trump says US ‘not ready' to make a deal to end war NYT: More Marines and Warships Being Sent to Middle East, U.S. Officials Say Reuters: Airstrike on Italian base in Iraq was deliberate, defence minister says Bloomberg: Oil Erases Gains as Traders Gauge Supply Impact of Kharg Attack CNBC: Iran sends millions of oil barrels to China through Strait of Hormuz even as war chokes the waterway The Sun: Russians ‘forced to use walkie-talkies and paper maps' after Putin's internet blackout as Kremlin intensifies crackdown CNN: FCC chair threatens TV networks amid Iran war coverage — but his warning rings hollow Politico: Court blocks probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, DOJ to appeal WSJ: Trump Administration Set to Receive $10 Billion Fee for Brokering TikTok Deal The New Republic: Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power 404 Media: I Watched 6 Hours of DOGE Bro Testimony. Here's What They Had to Say For Themselves Deadline: Kash Patel Confirms UFC Fighters Will Train FBI Agents: "Historic Opportunity" Vanity Fair: Marco Rubio's Florida Bestie Is an Accused ‘Foreign Agent' Set to Go on Trial— With Rubio On the Witness List Palm Beach Post: Recount makes Andy Thomson new Boca mayor. Liebelson may fight result Variety: Audiences Prefer Films With Diverse Casts, UCLA Study Finds Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: ⁠⁠⁠betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

F1TV commentator and former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer joins Tom Clarkson in the Shanghai paddock to reflect on an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix.Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history, leading George Russell to the second consecutive Mercedes 1-2 of 2026. So can Kimi fight his more experienced teammate for the title this year? Kimi's race engineer Pete ‘Bono' Bonnington joins the pod to share what this victory means to them and where the Italian goes from here. Lewis Hamilton claimed his first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari, after an epic battle with teammate Charles Leclerc for third place. After a strong start to the new era of F1, is Lewis back to his best? Why did he have the better of Charles in China? And have we seen more evidence that Ferrari can fight with Mercedes for wins this year? The guys also discuss another big result for Ollie Bearman at Haas, double points for Alpine, a fighting performance from Carlos Sainz in the Williams and more difficult weekends for McLaren, Red Bull and Aston Martin.

Last time we spoke about the Soviet-Japanese neutrality pact. In the summer of 1939, the Nomonhan Incident escalated into a major clash along the Halha River, where Soviet-Mongolian forces under Georgy Zhukov decisively defeated Japan's Kwantung Army. Zhukov's offensive, launched on August 20, involved intense artillery, bombers, and encirclement tactics, annihilating the Japanese 23rd Division and exposing weaknesses in Japanese mechanized warfare. The defeat, coinciding with the Hitler-Stalin Nonaggression Pact, forced Japan to negotiate a ceasefire on September 15-16, redrawing borders and deterring further northern expansion. Stalin navigated negotiations with Britain, France, and Germany to avoid a two-front war, ultimately signing the German-Soviet pact on August 23, which secured Soviet neutrality in Europe while addressing eastern threats. Post-Nomonhan, Soviet-Japanese relations warmed rapidly: fishing disputes were resolved, ambassadors exchanged, and the Chinese Eastern Railway sale finalized. By 1941, a neutrality pact was concluded, allowing Japan to pivot southward toward China and Southeast Asia.   #193 The Chiang-Wang Divide Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. After that lengthy mini series covering the battle of Khalkin Gol, we need to venture back into the second sino-japanese war, however like many other colossal events….well a lot was going on simultaneously. I wanted to take an episode to talk about the beginning of something known as the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China, or much shorter, the Wang Jingwei Regime. It's been quite some time since we spoke about this character and he is a large part of the second sino-japanese war.    After the fall of Tianjin and Beiping, the government offices in Nanjing entered their annual summer recess. All of GMD's senior leadership, from Chiang Kai-shek down to Wang Jingwei, gathered on Mount Lu, a picturesque resort in northern Jiangxi, south of the Yangtze, famed for cliffs, clouds, and summer villas. Although Chiang had visited Mount Lu every summer, this was the first occasion that nearly the entire central government assembled there. Analysts suspected the gathering was a deliberate move to relocate government functions inland in the event of total war. Dozens of the nation's leading intellectuals were invited to Mount Lu to discuss strategies for countering Japan's ambitions. The forum was scheduled to begin on July 15 and to last twenty-seven days in three phases. The bridge incident caught them off guard. Unlike Manchuria, Beiping had long been the nation's capital, and the shock added urgency to the proceedings. When the forum, chaired by Wang, finally opened on July 16, speculation ran as to whether this signaled another regional conflict or the onset of full-scale war. The media pressed for a resolute stance of resistance from the government. To dispel the mounting confusion and perhaps his own indecision, Chiang delivered a solemn speech on July 17, declaring that if the incident could not be resolved peacefully, China would face the "crucial juncture" of national survival and would consider military action; if war began, every Chinese person, from every corner of the country and from every walk of life, would have to sacrifice all to defend the nation.   Chiang's Mount Lu Speech was now commonly regarded as the moment when China publicly proclaimed its firm commitment to resistance. Contemporary observers, however, did not take Chiang's stance at face value. Tao Xisheng, a Peking University law professor who had been invited, recalled that after the speech, people gathered in Hu Shi's room to discuss whether a peace option remained. Chiang left the mountain on July 20, leaving Wang to chair the conference. The discussions continued upon their return to Nanjing, where a National Defense Conference was organized in mid-August. It was also Tao's first encounter with Wang Jingwei. A "peace faction," largely composed of civil officials and intellectuals, began to take shape around Wang, favoring diplomatic solutions over costly and potentially ineffective military action.   During this period, both Chiang and Wang publicly called for resistance, while both harbored hopes for a peaceful solution. Yet their emphases differed. On July 29, Wang Jingwei delivered a radio address from Nanjing titled "The Critical Juncture," echoing Chiang's slogan. He likewise asserted that after repeated concessions and retreats, the critical juncture had come for China to rise against Japan. It would be a harsh form of resistance, since a weak nation had no alternative but to sacrifice every citizen's life and scorch every inch of land. Yet toward the end, Wang's speech took on an ironic turn. He stated, "The so-called resistance demands sacrificing the whole land and the whole nation to resist the invader. If there is no weakness in the world, then there is also no strength. Once we have completed the sacrifice, we also realize the purpose of resistance. We hail 'the critical juncture'! We hail 'sacrifice'!" The sentiment sounded almost satirical, revealing his doubt about the meaning of total sacrifice.   The hope for containment was crushed by Japan's ongoing advances. On November 12, Shanghai fell. Chiang's gamble produced about 187,200 Chinese casualties, including roughly 30,000 officers trained to German standards. Japanese casualties were estimated at a third to a half of the Chinese losses, still making it their deadliest single battle to date. The battered Japanese Imperial Army and Navy, long convinced of their invincibility, were consumed by vengeful bloodlust. The army swept from Shanghai toward Nanjing, leaving a trail of murder, rape, arson, and plunder across China's heartland.   With the fall of Nanjing looming, the central government announced on November 20 that it would relocate to Chongqing, a city upriver on the Yangtze protected by sheer cliffs. Plans for Chongqing as a reserve capital had already begun in 1935, with Hankou as the midway station. To preserve elite troops for the future while saving face, Nanjing was entrusted to General Tang Shengzhi and his roughly one hundred thousand largely inexperienced soldiers. Nanjing fell on December 13. Despite this victory, Japan's hopes of ending the China Incident within three months were dashed. The carnage produced by the war, especially the Rape of Nanjing, left a profound moral stain on humanity. A mass exodus from the coastal provinces toward the hinterland began. People fled by boats, trains, buses, rickshaws, and wheelbarrows. Universities, factories, and ordinary households were moved halfway across China, step by step. The nation resolved to persevere, even in distant mountains and deserts if necessary. In Sichuan alone, government relief agencies officially registered about 9.2 million refugees during the war years.   Chiang Kai-shek, after paying respects at Sun Yat-sen's mausoleum, flew to Mount Lu with Song Meiling. The so-called Second Couple chose a more modest path: like most refugees, the Wang family traveled upriver along the Yangtze. On November 21, they left Nanjing, abandoning a recently renovated suburban home and thirty years of collected books. Coincidentally, the ship carrying Wang Jingwei from Nanjing to Wuhan was SS Yongsui, the former SS Zhongshan that had escorted Sun Yat-sen to safety and witnessed Wang's ascent and subsequent downfall from power. Ironically renamed "Yong-sui," the ship's new title meant "peace," while the compound term suijing denoted a policy of appeasement. This symbolism—Wang being carried away from Nanjing by a ship named "Eternal Peace"—foreshadowed his eventual return to the city as a champion of a "peace movement."   After the Mount Lu Forum, Hu Shi and Tao Xisheng could not return to Beiping, now under Japanese occupation. They joined the government in Nanjing. Beginning in mid-August, Japanese bombers began attacking Nanjing. Air power—an unprecedented weapon of mass destruction—humbled and awed a Chinese public largely unfamiliar with airborne warfare. By striking a target that did not serve its immediate interests, Japan demonstrated its world-class military might and employed psychological warfare against the Chinese government and people. Because Zhou Fohai's villa at Xiliuwan had a fortified cellar suitable as an air-raid shelter, a group of like-minded intellectuals and civil servants sought refuge there. They preferred a peaceful approach to the conflict, subscribing to the idea of trading space for time—building China's industrial and military capabilities before confronting Japan. Tao Xisheng and Mei Siping, old allies of Zhou Fohai, lived in his house. Another frequent guest was Luo Junqiang, an ex-communist. The former CCP leader Chen Duxiu, recently released from prison, joined their gatherings a few times. Gao Zongwu hosted another meeting site. Hu Shi, as a guest himself, jokingly called this circle the "Low-Key Club" (Didiao julebu), a label that underscored their pragmatic defiance of the government's high-flown rhetoric urging all-out resistance. Many members of this group would later become central figures in a conspiracy known as the "peace movement," with Wang Jingwei as its leader and emblem.   As Gerald Bunker noted, the peace scheme did not originate with Wang but with certain associates of Chiang, elements in Japanese military intelligence, and members of liberal-minded Japanese political circles who were linked to Konoe. Zhou Fohai belonged to the Chiang-loyalist CC faction, named for Chen Guofu and Chen Lifu. Zhou believed that resistance under current conditions was suicidal. He sought to influence Chiang through people around him, including Wang Jingwei, whom he found impressionable and began visiting at Wang's salon. Gao Zongwu, head of the Foreign Ministry's Asian Department, felt sidelined by Chiang's uncompromising stance. They shared the sense that Chiang might be willing to talk but feared the price, perhaps his own leadership. They were dismayed by the lack of a long-range war plan beyond capitulation. Their view was that China's battlefield losses would worsen the terms of any settlement, and that the war's outcome seemed to benefit Soviet Russia and undermine the GMD more than China itself. The rapid collapses of Shanghai and then Nanjing vindicated their pessimism. Chiang's autocratic decision-making only deepened their dissatisfaction. They feared China was again at risk of foreign conquest from which it might not recover.   Wang Jingwei became the focal point for these disaffected individuals, drawn by his pacifist leanings, intellectual temperament, and preference for consensus-building. After the government relocated to Hankou, he lent guidance to the Literature and Art Research Society (Yiwen yanjiu hui), a propagandist body led by Zhou Fohai and Tao Xisheng. Its purpose was to steer public opinion on issues like the war of resistance and anticommunism, and to advocate a stance that the government must preserve both peace and war as options. Many believed it to be Wang's private organization; in truth, Chiang supported its activities. For much of 1938, Chiang's belligerent anti-Japanese rhetoric and Wang's conciliatory push were two sides of the GMD's broader strategy.   Among the society's regional branches, the Hong Kong chapter flourished under Mei Siping and Lin Baisheng. In addition to editing South China Daily News, Lin established Azure Books and the International Compilation and Translation Society (Guoji bianyishe) as primary propaganda organs. Ironically, Mei Siping had himself been a radical during the 1919 student protests, when he helped set fire to the deputy foreign minister's house in protest of perceived capitulation to Japan.   Wang Jingwei also actively engaged in international efforts to broker peace between Japan and China, including Trautmann's mediation by the German ambassador. Since the outbreak of war, various Western powers had contemplated serving as mediators, but none succeeded. Nazi Germany, aligned with Japan in an anti-Soviet partnership, emerged as China's most likely ally because it did not want Japan to squander its strength in China or compel China to seek Soviet help. Conversely, Japan's interest lay in prolonging the war or achieving a swift settlement. Ambassador Trautmann met with Wang Jingwei multiple times from October 31 to early November 1937 to confirm China's preference for peace before negotiating with Japan. The proposal Trautmann carried to Chiang Kai-shek on November 5 proposed terms including autonomy for Inner Mongolia, a larger demilitarized zone in North China, an expanded cease-fire around Shanghai, a halt to anti-Japanese movements, an anti-communist alliance, reduced tariffs on Japanese goods, and protection of foreign interests in China. Although Japan did not specify territorial gains, these terms deviated significantly from Chiang's demand to restore pre–Marco Polo Bridge status. After Shanghai fell, Chiang's rigidity softened.   On December 5, at Hankou, the National Defense Conference agreed to begin peace negotiations based on Trautmann's terms, a decision Chiang approved. But it was too late: Nanjing fell on December 13, and a provisional Beiping government led by Wang Kemin was established, signaling Japan's growing support for regional separatism. On December 24, Japan issued an ultimatum for a harsher deal to be accepted by January 10. In response, Chiang resigned as chairman of the Executive Yuan on January 1, 1938, and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Kong Xiangxi. Chiang declared that death in defeat was preferable to death in disgrace and refused to yield under coercion. The Konoe Cabinet announced on January 16 that Japan would not negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek. Trautmann's mediation had failed.   After Konoe's announcement, mediation became even more precarious, as it placed the already deadly, no-win situation between the two nations in deeper jeopardy. Secret contacts between the two governments persisted through multiple channels—sometimes at the direction of their own leaders, other times at the initiative of a cadre of officials and quasi-official figures of dubious legitimacy. Many of these covert efforts were steered by Chiang himself. In late 1937, Wang Jingwei even sent Chen Gongbo to Rome to explore the possibility of Italian mediation between China and Japan. After meetings with Mussolini and Foreign Minister Ciano, Chen concluded that Italy had no genuine goodwill toward China and favored Japan. His conversations with other Western leaders (Belgium, France, Britain, and the United States) proved equally fruitless. In diaries, Zhou Fohai and Chen Kewen recorded a pervasive mood of pessimism among Hankou and Chongqing's national government factions. Although direct champions of negotiating with Japan were few, many voices insisted that China was on the brink of collapse while secretly hoping peace talks would begin soon. Gao Zongwu's mission emerged from this tense atmosphere.   With Konoe's cabinet refusing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek, many regarded Wang as the best candidate to carry forward a diplomatic solution. Yet Wang remained convinced of his loyalty to Chiang and to Chiang's policy. The Italian ambassador visited Wuhan to offer mediation between Wang and the Japanese government, an invitation Wang declined. Tang Shaoyi's daughter traveled to Wuhan to convey Tokyo's negotiation intent, but was similarly turned away. Even Chen Bijun, then in Hong Kong, urged Wang to join her and start peace negotiations; he again declined. Tao Xisheng remembered a quiet night when Wang confided in him: "This time I will cooperate with Mr. Chiang until the very end, regardless of how the war unfolds." His stance did not change when Gao Zongwu reported that the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office wanted him to head the peace talks.   Gao Zongwu's bid was brokered by Dong Daoning, head of the Japan Affairs Section in the Foreign Ministry. Shortly after Konoe's statement, Dong traveled to Shanghai to meet Nishi Yoshiaki, representative of Mantetsu, and Matsumoto Shigeharu, a Dōmei News Agency journalist. Nishi and Matsumoto then introduced Dong to Kagesa Sadaaki, head of the Strategy and Tactics Department in the General Staff Office. Kagesa introduced Dong to Deputy Director Tada Hayao and colleagues Ishiwara Kanji and Imai Takeo, who agreed that a peaceful resolution to the China crisis aligned with Japan's interests. It would be inaccurate to paint these figures as pacifists: Ishiwara, who helped build Manchukuo, also recognized that further incursions into China could jeopardize Japan's hard-won gains. They proposed a temporary resignation by Chiang to spare Konoe from having to retract his refusal to negotiate, thereby allowing Wang to lead the talks. In short, the scheme aimed to save face for Konoe.   Dong returned to Hong Kong and delivered the proposal to Gao Zongwu, who had been stationed there since February under Chiang's orders to oversee intelligence and liaison with Japan. Luo Junqiang, Gao's contact, testified that Gao was paid monthly from Chiang's secret military fund. Gao went back to Hankou twice, on April 2 and May 30. On the second trip, he personally conveyed Japan's terms to Chiang. Gao later admitted that Chiang never gave him explicit instructions, but rather cultivated an impression of tacit approval. At no point did Gao view the deal as Chiang's betrayal. As long as Chiang retained control of the military, Wang's leadership could only be nominal and temporary. Unbeknownst to Wang, Gao's personal ties to Chiang remained hidden from him; he learned of them only through Zhou Fohai. Startled, he handed the information to Chiang Kai-shek and told Tao Xisheng: "I cannot broker peace with Japan alone. I will not deceive Mr. Chiang." Given Tao's later departure from Wang's circle to rejoin Chiang, Tao's recollection could be trusted.   Two months later, Wang left Chongqing to pursue a peace settlement. A key factor may have been persistent lobbying by Zhou, Gao, Mei, Tao, and especially his wife Chen Bijun. Luo Junqiang recalled that Kong Xiangxi objected that Gao acted without him, prompting Chiang to order Gao to halt his covert efforts, an order Gao ignored. Gao and Mei Siping continued to press for a deal. Gao even spent three weeks in Japan in July, holding extensive talks with Kagesa Sadaaki and Imai Takeo. Their discussions produced the first substantive articulation of the Wang peace movement as a Sino-Japanese plot to end the "China incident." On November 26, Mei flew from Hong Kong to Chongqing with a draft of Japan's terms and Konoe's planned announcement. The proposal stated that the Japanese army would withdraw completely within two years once peace was reached, but it demanded that China formally recognize Manchukuo. Wang was to leave Chongqing for Kunming by December 5, then proceed to Hanoi. Upon Japan receiving news of his arrival in Hanoi, the telegram would reveal the peace terms. This pivotal moment threw Wang into intense inner turmoil. Zhou Fohai visited Wang daily, and Wang delayed decisively each time, much to Zhou's frustration. Ultimately, it seemed that Chen Bijun rendered the final judgment on Wang's behalf. As in earlier episodes, Wang found himself trapped by an idealized image of himself held by family, followers, and loyalists, seen by them as a larger-than-life figure who must undertake a mission too grand to fail.   Yet Wang's stance was not purely involuntary. As Imai Takeo noted, he fundamentally disagreed with Chiang's strategy of resistance. The so-called scorched-earth approach caused immense suffering. Three episodes stood out: the 1938 Yellow River flood, ordered by Chiang to impede Japan's advance, which destroyed dikes and displaced millions, yielding devastating agricultural and humanitarian consequences; the subsequent epidemics and famine that followed, producing about two million refugees and up to nine hundred thousand deaths, while failing to stop the Japanese advance toward Wuhan (which fell in October); and the Changsha fire, ignited in the early hours of November 13, which killed nearly thirty thousand people and devastated most of the city. These events sharpened Wang's doubts about Chiang's defense strategy, especially its reckless execution and cruelty. By late November, Wang began to openly challenge Chiang's approach, delivering a series of speeches advocating his own war-weariness and preference for limiting resistance to preserve national strength for future counterstrikes. He argued that guerrilla warfare burdened the people and wasted national resources that could be saved for a later, more effective defense. He urged soldiers to exercise judgment and listen to their consciences, and he attributed much of the civilian suffering to the Communists; nonetheless, with General von Falkenhausen, Chiang's German adviser, now urging a shift toward smaller-unit mobile warfare, Wang's critique of Chiang's strategy took on a more pointed, risksome tone. If resistance equaled total sacrifice, Wang was not prepared to endorse it. As Margherita Zanasi noted, Wang Jingwei and Chen Gongbo had long shared a vision of a self-consciously anti-imperial "national economy", the belief that China's economy had not yet achieved genuine nation-power and that compromising with the foe might be necessary to save the national economy.   Wang and Zhou also worried that continuing resistance would strengthen the Communists and that genuine international aid would not arrive, at least not soon. After Nazi Germany occupied Czechoslovakia, Wang briefly hoped for the formation of an antifascist democratic alliance. Yet the Munich Agreement disappointed him. Viewing Western democracies as culturally imperialist, he doubted they would jeopardize their relations with Japan, another imperial power, on China's behalf. This view was reinforced by Zhou Fohai and other China specialists who had recently joined Wang's circle; they argued that China would fall unless the international situation shifted dramatically. Their forecast would prove accurate only after Pearl Harbor.   In the end, Wang longed for decisive action. He had been sidelined since the government's move to Wuhan. At the GMD Provisional National Congress in Hankou (March 29–April 1), the party resolved to restore Chiang Kai-shek to near-total control by reasserting the authoritarian zongcai system. The Congress also established the People's Political Council as a nominal nod to democracy, but it remained largely consultative. Wang was elected deputy director and chairman of the council, yet he clearly resented the position. Jiang Tingfu described Wang's Hankou mood as "somewhat resentful," recognizing the role as largely ceremonial. More optimistic observers attributed his dismay to the return of dictatorship, and he likely felt increasingly useless. Since the Mukden Incident, Wang had prioritized party unity and been content to play a secondary role to Chiang, but inaction did not fit his sense of historical purpose. It was Zhou Fohai who urged Wang to risk his reputation for a greater cause, presenting a calculated nudge to someone susceptible to idealism. A longing to find meaning through action may have finally pushed him toward a fateful decision. As Chen Bijun bluntly told Long Yun, her husband "was merely an empty shell in Chongqing and could contribute nothing to the country; thus he wanted to change his surroundings."   Wang considered staying abroad as a serious option amid the Hanoi uncertainty. Gao Zongwu had previously told Japanese negotiators that if Konoe's stance did not satisfy Wang, he might head to France. Chongqing echoed this possibility. On December 29, Ambassador Guo Taiqi, acting on Chiang's orders, telegraphed Wang suggesting he go to Europe "to take a break." It would have offered a graceful exit. Kagesa recommended Hanoi as Wang Jingwei's midway station because, as a French colony, it offered a relatively safe environment. Only the French were armed there, and several members of the extended Wang family had grown up in France, enabling them to communicate with the colonial authorities.   After Wang departed for Hanoi, Long Yun hesitated for weeks. On December 20, he telegraphed Chiang, saying Wang had paused in Kunming on the way to Hanoi to seek medical treatment. Knowing this was untrue, Chiang replied on December 27 with a stern warning about Japan's unreliability, a message that appeared to have persuaded Long. A day later, Long urged leniency for Wang. Following Wang's publication of the "yan telegram," public anger likely pushed Long toward a final decision. On January 6, he informed Chiang of a letter from Wang delivered by Chen Changzu, and he noted that the Wangs were considering the French option, but recommended allowing Wang to return to Chongqing to show leniency and to enable surveillance.   Chiang replied two days later that Wang would be better off going to Europe. The extended Wang family resided in two Western-style mansions at 25 and 27 Rue Riz Marché, surrounded by high walls. On February 15, Chongqing's envoy Gu Zhengding brought their passports to Hanoi. Accounts differed on what happened next. One version had Wang offering to travel abroad if Chongqing accepted his proposal to start peace talks; if Chongqing remained indecisive, he would return to voice his dissent. Another version claimed Gu's primary task was to bring Wang back to Chongqing, which Wang declined, preferring France.   Although the French option was gaining favor, the Wang circle continued to explore other avenues. In early 1939, secret contacts with the Japanese government persisted, though not always in a coordinated way. Chiang's intelligence advised that the Wang group was forming networks in Shanghai and especially Hong Kong, with Gao Zongwu playing a central role. On February 1, Gao returned from Hong Kong and stayed for five days, finding Wang in a despondent mood. Wang asked Gao to pass along a few letters to Japanese leaders urging the creation of a unified Chinese government to earn the Chinese people's understanding and trust. Wang believed his actions would serve the best interests of both China and Japan. On March 18, the Japanese consulate in Hong Kong informed Gao that funding for the Wang group would come from China's customs revenues that Japan had seized.   Meanwhile, Chiang Kai-shek sensed a shift in the war's direction. On February 10, Japan seized Hainan, China's southernmost major island. The next day, Chiang held a press conference describing the development as "the Mukden Incident of the Pacific." He warned that Japan's ambitions could threaten British and French colonial interests and U.S. maritime supremacy. Gao Zongwu read the speech and concluded that Chiang's outlook had brightened.   For three months, the Wang circle met frequently to weigh options. The prominent writer and scholar Zhou Zuoren, who had already accepted a collaborationist post as head of the Beiping library, warned Tao Xisheng, saying "Don't do it," signaling his misgivings about collaborating with Japan based on his reading of Japanese politics. As Zhou observed, many young Japanese militarists did not even respect General Ugaki, let alone a foreign leader.   Then the assassination of Zeng Zhongming, Wang's secretary and protégé, abruptly altered the meaning of Wang's mission. The Wang group was deeply unsettled by Zeng Zhongming's assassination. The event came as a shock. On March 20, Gu Zhengding's second Hanoi visit concluded. Allegedly Gu delivered passports and funds for a European excursion. On a bright spring day, the entire Wang family enjoyed a lighthearted outing to Three Peaches Beach, only to be halted by a French officer who warned they were being followed. During their afternoon rest, a man posing as a painter, sent by the landlord to measure rooms for payment, appeared at the door and was turned away when he insisted on entering every room. More than twenty people in the household, none were armed.   Since January, Hanoi had been a hive of BIS activity. The ringleader was Chen Gongshu, a veteran operative under spymaster Dai Li, though Chen's recollections clashed with those of other witnesses, leaving the exact sequence unclear. Chen claimed their role was intelligence and surveillance until March 19, when an unsigned telegram from Dai Li ordered, "Severest punishment to the traitor Wang Jingwei, immediately!" The mission supposedly shifted. The Wang family was followed the next day but evaded capture in traffic, prompting a raid on the house. Reports varied: some said Wang resided on the second floor of No. 27; others suggested he lived in No. 25, with No. 27 used for day guests. The force entered the courtyard, forced open the door to Wang's room, and a getaway car waited outside. Chen, in the car, heard gunshots: initial shots toward a downstairs figure, then three shots through a bedroom door hacked open with an axe, aimed at a figure beneath the bed, believed to be Wang Jingwei. The team drove off after four to five minutes. Vietnamese police soon detained three killers who lingered in the courtyard and even listened in on a hospital call. Chen didn't realize the target had been misidentified until the next afternoon. Some BIS records suggested Wang and Zeng Zhongming had swapped bedrooms that night, a detail Chen doubted. Chen did not mention a painter's earlier visit.   There were competing accounts of the event with their numerous inconsistencies that fueled conspiracy theories. Jin Xiongbai outlined three possibilities: (1) the killers killed the "wrong person" as a warning to Wang Jingwei; (2) they killed Zeng to provoke Wang toward collaboration; or (3) the episode was always part of a broader Chiang-Wang collaboration plan.   In any case, Dai Li showed unusual leniency toward Chen Gongshu, who was never punished and later led the Shanghai station. After Dai Li's agent Li Shiqun was captured in 1941, Li not only spared Chen's life but recruited him on a double-agent basis for the remainder of the war, with Chen retiring to Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek never discussed the case publicly or in his diary, and his silence was perhaps the strongest indication that he ordered the killing.   I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Wang Jingwei, once a key figure in China's resistance against Japan, grew disillusioned with Chiang Kai-shek's scorched-earth tactics during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Amid devastating events like the Yellow River flood and Changsha fire, which caused immense civilian suffering, Wang joined a peace faction advocating negotiation. Secret talks with Japanese officials led to his defection in 1938. He fled Chongqing to Hanoi, where an assassination attempt, likely ordered by Chiang, killed his secretary Zeng Zhongming instead.   

In this episode of Gangland Wire, retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective Gary Jenkins sits down with author Aaron Mead to discuss his gripping novel Body in the Barrel, a story inspired by a real-life discovery in Lake Mead that shocked the nation. In 2022, as water levels at Lake Mead dropped to historic lows, authorities discovered a body in a barrel with a gunshot wound to the head—a killing style that many investigators immediately linked to organized crime. The discovery triggered speculation that the remains could date back to the 1970s or 1980s, the heyday of mob activity in Las Vegas. Aaron Mead explains how this discovery sparked the idea for his novel. Although Mead is a longtime water engineer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the mystery of the barrel victim and the history of mob activity in Las Vegas inspired him to craft a fictional story grounded in real events. Gary and Aaron dive deep into the Chicago Outfit's influence in Las Vegas, discussing figures like Tony Spilotro and hitman Frank Cullotta, whose violent methods and stories helped shape the mythology of organized crime in the desert. They also explore the long-standing mob practice of disposing of bodies in barrels, including the infamous case of mobster Johnny Roselli, whose body was also discovered stuffed in a drum. The conversation examines several possible identities of the Lake Mead victim, including casino insiders and Outfit associates who disappeared during the era of casino skimming. Mead's novel follows a fictional mob associate named Lenny Battaglia, who becomes terrified when news breaks about the barrel discovery. The reason? He knows there's another barrel—with his victim—still resting somewhere in Lake Mead. The discussion moves beyond mob history into the psychological consequences of violence, comparing Mead's story to classic works like Crime and Punishment. Rather than focusing on a traditional “whodunit,” the novel explores what happens after the crime, examining guilt, fear, and the moral weight carried by those who commit violence. Gary and Aaron also discuss the broader context of violence in American culture, including parallels between organized crime murders and modern tragedies such as the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. Finally, the conversation shifts to Mead's professional expertise in Western water law and the Colorado River, explaining how drought and declining water levels at Lake Mead are literally revealing pieces of hidden history—sometimes including crimes buried for decades. This episode blends mob history, real crime mysteries, and fiction inspired by true events, offering listeners a fascinating look at how the past can resurface in unexpected ways. Click here to find Body in a Barrel Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. [0:02]Introduction to Gangland Wire [0:00]Hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in studio of Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. You know, I’m a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective. Now I have a podcast and I interview real crime mobsters, policemen, FBI agents, do authors that are doing true crime books. And I do authors that are doing novels that are based on true crime. Because we stick with true crime as close as we can here, guys. You know that. And today I have one of those authors that has written a book that is a novel, but it’s based on a lot of real events in Las Vegas. And we all know a little bit about Las Vegas and the Mafia. So Aaron Mead, welcome, Aaron. Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s great to have you on the show. Tell us a little bit about yourself, a little bit about your history. [0:47]Sure. Yeah, I’m actually I’ve been working as an engineer, a water engineer for 30 some odd years. And so I come by my writing habit as a sort of a side interest. I, I, yeah, I just, I got a very, I’ve got a varied educational background too. So I started out as a, as an engineer in my training and then just had a creative itch and went back to school, ended up doing a PhD in philosophy of all things. And while I was doing that, I, I thought I might be an academic. I thought I might be a professor at one time and through the job search, things didn’t really work out. I did find a job, but it just wasn’t going to pay well enough, consider moving my family across the country for it. So I ended up not going into academia, but I stuck with writing, which was my favorite part of the PhD, the dissertation. [1:31]And I just started writing different things, some nonfiction stuff related to my dissertation research, but then just got an idea for a story, wrote a novel. It’s still sitting in the drawer. I’m interested in publishing that someday. But this idea for the book related to kind of Las Vegas mob stuff actually came connected with my work as a water engineer. So I work for Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. We import water to Southern California from the Colorado River. And so I track the Colorado River news pretty closely. And in 2022, the lake was dropping because of drought and overuse. And this body in a barrel showed up on the shore of Lake Mead. And there was a gunshot wound to the head. And this looked an awful lot like a mob hit to the authorities. And so this just piqued my interest and got me thinking about how did this barrel get there and this body and what’s the story behind it. And I started doing a little research and it turns out that the clothing on the body was pretty well preserved. [2:29]So the police dated it to the late 70s, early 80s potentially. And that’s of course the heyday of the mob activities in Las Vegas. It got me onto the Chicago outfit and, Some of the characters involved in the outfits activity in Vegas there. And so my story just went from there. But, yeah, I guess that’s a little about me and the story. So, yeah. Yeah. Those are the days when Tony Spolatro was really active out there. Chicago outfit man on the scene, if you will. And Body in a Barrel, another interesting Chicago link is they found a guy named Johnny Roselli, who was a highly placed mob guy who was connected to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He had been their guy before Spalatro. He had been their representative out in the West, and they found his body in a barrel down in Florida. Wow, okay. There’s some reference there. [3:21]I’d read a little that this is a pretty popular method of body disposal in various times. And Tony Spalatro was, I understand that they haven’t actually identified the victim yet, but the kind of style of killing they think is pretty connected with something Tony Spalatro might do. I guess the sort of low caliber gunshot wound was a popular way to dispose of it, to whack people just because it was a little less messy than a high caliber weapon. Yeah, this is one they call it a lupara blanca, which means white shotgun in Italian. And that means that you never find the body. In this case, they found the body. Every once in a while, they’ll find the body. Not very often, though. Usually they hide them pretty good. Now, who’d ever thought that Lake Mead would drop that much? Yeah, they dropped it at 100 feet of water, and I don’t think anybody expected it to drop that low. And it could go even lower in the next couple of years here, honestly. Really? Oh, really? It’s still dropping. I thought there’d been some more rain and some snow up in the mountains that were going to add to that. It’s going to be still dropping, huh? Yeah, there has been a fair bit of precipitation this year, but in the areas that count most, where you get most of the runoff, which is up in the mountains of Colorado and Utah, it’s really quite dry, actually. They’ve had some rain, but not much snow, and so they’re talking about a snow drought. Yeah, things could. It just depends. We’ll see how things develop, but it could get bad. Yeah, talk about that gun now. Chicago was noted. [4:40]For using these 22 caliber high standard i think they’re browning semi-automatic pistols with a silencer on it and they had them out there i believe and they also another interesting thing about the outfit in order to keep the sound down they would load their own shells and so they were had less powder in them and sometimes the shells didn’t do the job that they wanted to do now frank Kulata, who was in Las Vegas working for Tony Splattro during these years, he tells a story about trying to kill a guy with one of those guns and how he had such a hard time getting him killed. So I don’t know how many holes were in this guy’s head, but you got to get somebody just right in the head with that .22 caliber pistol. Yeah, they say it had to be pretty close range. You’re talking about the Jerry Listener murder, I think. Is that right? Yeah. I read about that one. That’s actually the kind of the murder in question in my book is based on that loosely. And so yeah, Kolata advises my main character, Lenny, to load his gun with half loads because they’ve lost their silencer or something. So that’ll keep the sound down. But yeah, I guess Lister ended up with multiple bullets to the head. And when they found them, more than you’d imagine would be necessary. [5:55]Really? There’s a guy that worked for the Stardust named Jay VanderWalk that disappeared at the time. It disappeared for a long time. Did you look at that one, too, as some of your source material? Yeah. So there’s this great article that’s been turned into a podcast on the Mob Museum website. I don’t know if you’re familiar with that in Las Vegas there. And they suggest there might be three potential victims. [6:21]VanderMark is one of the—is that the guy you mentioned, George VanderMark? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, they call him by Jay. That’s right. Yeah. So, yeah, he is one of the, he’s a missing person, right? From that era, had connections with the Argent company. So they think he, that’s one of the possibilities. He was running the skimming operation, at least in some of the casinos there for Argent. And I guess the, as the gaming control board in Nevada found out about the skimming operation, gradually, they were starting to talk to people. And I think that they were worried that he was going to talk or actually this is, I think the, the outfit suspected he was stealing money from him. I think it was a combination. Stealing money is worse than talking. Right, yeah. So I guess he took off to Mexico, maybe, I read, or Costa Rica even. But I think… He came back. I can’t remember the exact story, but yeah. Yeah. So from what I read, Nick Calabrese, who I guess was a hitman for the outfit, and then turned eventually and started talking to the feds. He suggested that, I guess, Vandermark ended up in a hotel in Phoenix or something, and the outfit sent a couple of hitmen after him and whacked him there. And then Calabrese said they buried his body in the desert. So that means, you know, if that’s true, then obviously it’s not the guy in the barrel, but he’s one of the ones they talk about because they never found his body. Yeah. And I guess the other one I read about was William Crespo. [7:40]I don’t know that story. Yeah. So the little I know of it is he was a drug runner [7:48]Stories of the Las Vegas Mob [7:45]involved with the outfit in Las Vegas. And he got caught kind of landing in the Las Vegas airport coming from Miami with $400,000 worth of cocaine on him. And the feds arrested him. He accepted an offer of immunity to become an informant. And he was set to testify about this drug ring that the outfit was part of. And he actually ended up testifying before a grand jury, got a bunch of folks indicted. I guess one of the names of folks who was indicted was Victor Greger, according to this article. He was a former Argent executive. But then when Crespo himself went to testify, he was set to testify in June 83. And they got to him before then and he never testified. So, he’s another kind of missing person they suspect could be in the barrel. But the article thought the most likely candidate was a guy named Johnny Pappas. I don’t know if you know him at all. Yeah, I don’t know the story of that. Okay. So, this is a Chicago native guy who was involved in some of the Argent Corporation casino work. And he was, I guess by the 70s, late 70s, he was managing this resort on the northern part of Lake Mead called Echo Bay Resort, which was an Argent Corporation Resort. [9:00]And it’s closed now. It’s not there anymore. It used to be like a hotel and a boat launch. And so he was at the lake at different times. He also owned a boat on Lake Mead. And so in 1976, the day he disappeared, his wife told authorities basically that he went to meet this guy at a restaurant who was interested in buying his boat at Lake Mead. And so they think it could have been a ruse set up by outfit folks luring him basically down to the lake to show him his boat. And then they knock him off and take him out on his own dang boat and drop him in the lake. The motive is a little less clear in this case, but it was around that time when stuff was coming out about the Argent Corporation and the skimming. And they could have just thought he was a liability, might be set to talk or something. Yeah, those are the three that I read about anyway. He just disappeared after this meeting to go sell his boat. Yeah, they found that theory makes sense. They found his car parked in the circus casino parking lot on the strip the next day. And yeah, he’s just gone, disappeared. [10:01]I’ll be darned. I hadn’t heard that story. That is a pretty likely scenario. Say, hey, I’ll drive and let’s run down there and let’s see that boat. I got the money right here. You show the guy a bunch of money and he’ll drop all caution. It’ll go to the wind. That’s how they do it. and got him isolated then. [10:18]Yeah. And maybe it’s a last minute deal. So nobody really knows who he’s meeting and where he’s going and that he’s even going. So that’s, that’s a classic in the mob. Yeah. Apparently he told his wife he was going to go sell his boat, but that’s about it. Yeah. I’ll be darned. Yeah. The, as Lake Mead’s gone down, has there been any other bodies or any other things that have been found out there recently? Yeah, there’s been some strange things turned up. One is a sort of a World War II era airplane, honestly, started coming out of the water. But that was known about for some time. You could see it, I guess, from aerial photos. But other bodies, yeah, there’s a few other bodies, just skeletons, nothing in barrels and no gunshot wounds. And so, people just, I think authorities have identified most of those and suspect they were just drowning victims, unfortunate boating accidents and whatnot. But nothing like this body in a barrel. I think they’ve been trying to identify that body. There’s lots of DNA evidence, right? You got still a pretty intact body. But the problem is back in that era, I guess they didn’t have the DNA database to be matching with. Yeah. So, it’s not borne a lot of fruit. I think it’s still an open case, honestly. Really? The chance they have is if one of that guy’s descendants goes to something like 23andMe and then does that. And I know they’ve come up with a deal where they can start running an unknown DNA through those… [11:44]Files and see if you can come up with a connection and then go back and say, okay, where would this guy have ever come across or be in this other person’s family tree, if you will, and then they can eventually get it. That’s fascinating. Amazing. Yeah, it is what they could do. I had a guy that used to be a professional criminal talking about it. He said, I don’t know why anybody does crime today. He said with the DNA and the cameras and the cell phones and all that, he said, there’s just way, way too many ways to get caught. That’s wild. Yeah. Oh boy. Yeah. I watch a lot of crime shows and I see a lot of that stuff. And everybody watches those crime shows. So they know about those tools out there. So first thing, you got to go get a burner phone. If you’re going to go do something, you better go get a burner phone. And then you better dress up in one of those suits in those English police movies, those white hazmat suits and your whole face covered. Crazy, crazy. Yeah. And then go do it. Don’t use your own car. You better go steal a car somewhere. Man, complicated. It’s too hard. Yes. And even then, if they look at you and say, your phone never moved for 24 hours, but yet you were seen over here or over there. How come you didn’t have your phone with you or your car? You parked your car here for 12 hours and then you came back and got it. What were you doing? [13:08]It is just crazy, isn’t it? Yeah. But tell us, what’s the storyline of your book? Don’t give too much away. You want people to buy it. I understand that. But tell the guys the storyline of your book. Sure, yeah. So the storyline is, it starts out with the true events of 2022, right? This headline that there’s a body in a barrel shows up on the shore of Lake Mead. And my main protagonist, who’s sort of made up from my imagination, his name’s Lenny Battaglia. [13:37]The Body in the Barrel [13:33]And he reads this headline. He’s an old time mob associate. He, at one time when he was young, was connected with the outfit, but ended up getting out of it barely. But he reads this headline and starts to get worried because he’s got a barrel with a body in it that’s his victim farther out in the lake. So this one that he reads about is not his. It’s actually his partners who, in my story, the partners loosely based on Frank Collada, actually. [14:01]And so he reads this headline, gets worried, goes out in his little boat to try to move his victim farther out into the lake because he’s concerned that his lake, the lake’s continuing to drop and the kind of the falling lakes acts like a ticking clock in my story in some ways. I think the Sopranos did something like this. They thought somebody was going to come up and buy some farm, and they had said, these guys have to dig this body up and move it. So that is not out of the realm of possibility, is it? No, no. But what is out of the realm of possibility is this old guy in his tiny little boat actually moving the barrel. So he goes out with just a gaff with a hook on it and tries to yank it out with his little outboard motor, and it just won’t budge. The thing’s really heavy. If you know anything about water, stuff under water is really heavy. Really heavy. Yeah. He’s wrestling with it and ends up falling in while he’s trying to pull this barrel farther out. And so it’s a big failure. And while he’s falling in, he has this flashback to the killing, basically. And so the story kind of goes from there, but it’s really focused on how he deals with what he’s done, basically. [15:10]Crime is no mystery from the beginning. it’s not a it’s not a traditional it’s not a traditional police procedural of where who done it yeah it’s not like that it’s more like kind of what is what’s the aftermath what’s the effect of, a terrible crime like this on even the perpetrator yeah yeah and as I said one of my characters is based on Frank Collada who so he was the story takes place in kind of two time frames right we’ve got the, contemporary time frame, but then we got flashbacks to his time at the mob and Frank was his partner in this hit. We’ve also got a character showing up who’s based on Tony Spolatro. I call him Tony Bonucci, named after one of my favorite Italian soccer players. [15:50]But yeah, so we’ve got this connection to the early 80s, late 70s, and then also this kind of contemporary period. And I understand Frank Collado was actually, he recently just died, right he was he did during covid times i think he he already had copd he was already everything he did he you’d see me to have his oxygen on and so he was already weakened then he got covid during uh during covid that’s a shame you know yeah i did some listening to a podcast he was on in researching my book and it was really fascinating to listen to yeah yeah he is he’s and he’s got his there’s a whole book out there that he mainly just told stories about his life during the whole book. It’s amazing. I did one with him and then added some more clips in from that a long time. One of my earlier ones, I got to know him real early because we had the mob con out there. I knew the guy that was getting it going and I went out to the guy that actually Denny Griffin who wrote the books with Frank Collider, wrote several books with Frank Collider and I’d gotten to know Denny and so Denny invited me to come out and do a program at the first mob conference and I met Frank then. I met him and a couple others after that. He was gruff, but he was a good guy. I mean, he was gruff, I’ll tell you. He wasn’t a guy that just, it was hard to joke around with him. Interesting. Okay, interesting. [17:12]Yeah, I got a bit of that vibe from the podcast of him that I was listening to. Yeah, it’s funny. Just genuine Italian Chicago, like to the core. Yeah, he was that. He was born and bred, born and bred from early his childhood. He was a Chicago mobster. There’s no doubt about that. That’s wild. [17:32]Yeah, Denny Griffin’s book was really helpful to me, actually, in my research. Yeah, the battle for Las Vegas in particular was. Yeah, that’s the one I used. Denny was that. Denny’s dead now. I don’t know if you knew that. I did know that, unfortunately. Yeah, I was pretty good friends with Denny. He helped me out a lot when I got started and got me out there. And he gave me for my first documentary, which was about the skimming, a lot about the skimming. He got me several people to interview, lined me up with them and verified, hey, this guy’s okay and work with him. And I flew out to Las Vegas and interviewed a bunch of people and interviewed him too. But he got me an employee of the Best Casino that knew Lefty Rosenthal really well. She gave us some really great sound bites. I get calls today or emails wanting to know if she’s still around. She’s died since. People are still trying to find her to get to interview her. That’s wild. That’s wild. That’s because old Denny Griffin, he was a good guy. He really was. That’s neat. His book was certainly good. Yeah. Interesting. So what else do you want to say about your book before we get out of here? Besides, go out and buy it. Go out and buy it. It’s on Amazon, I’m sure, and I’ll have a link to the Amazon site. I appreciate that. Yeah, it is on Amazon. What do I want to say about it? I guess the other thing to say is it’s got some, I don’t want to give too much away, but gun violence is really a big part of the book. Not only this single mob hit, but also it wraps in. [18:56]This mass shooting in 2017, the one where the guy was a shooter was in the hotel suites up high and he was shooting across the street into that country music festival. So it’s really funny. I compare it to two things, right? I compare it to Casino, which is this famous Scorsese film from that mobster era, which everybody knows about. And actually, Frank Collado was in. He had a cameo in that. Yeah, that’s funny. But then the other thing I compare the book to is Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, which is obviously this sort of towering literary novel. But the parallel is just dealing with this aftermath of violence, right? What happens when you kill somebody and what’s the sort of dealing with guilt and fear and the consequences. [19:44]Exploring Themes of Violence [19:40]So I’d say those are the sort of things I point to as parallels for the book. I don’t know. There’s a lot more to say. Like you’ve said, it’s grounded in true life crime, but it’s also definitely fiction. I’ve made up the better part of it. Yeah. [19:54]All right. Aaron Mead. The book is Body in the Barrel. Aaron, I really appreciate you coming on the show. And guys, I’ll have links to this book down below. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It’s been a pleasure meeting you and hearing some of your stories. And I’m enjoying your podcast. And it’s been a privilege to be on here. So thank you. Okay. We like to hear that. Thanks a lot, Aaron. [20:17]Yeah, thank you. Okay. Okay. I’ll do a little extra here in a minute. I just want to tell you something. When I went to law school at the police department and my favorite class was water law and I did my, you have to do a 50 page publishable paper to get out of law school. I did mine on Western water law and it was just, I was fascinated by that Western water law and all the things that go into that, the Rio Grande Pact and all the different political entities that are trying to use that water and how they use it. And then how the EPA rules and figured in on using water out West. And the fact that out West, they treated water like they treated gold or some other mineral. If you found the source, you owned it. Whereas they had riparian interest in [21:06]The Complexities of Water Law [21:03]laws back East here, where you have plenty of water. You can use all the water you want as long as you don’t reduce it. But nobody owns that source of water. [21:12]If it’s a big source, it’s just a fascinating topic. Yeah, it is a bit of the Wild West, like applies to water out West. It’s that first in time, first in right thing. It’s pretty crazy. The Colorado River especially is so complicated. You got seven, seven states take water from it. You got the federal government running the dams there. You’ve got Mexico that takes a portion of it. You’ve got this whole hundred year history of law layered on top of each other. And even today, the rules on how the water gets distributed are about to expire in this year. And so we’re trying to come up with new rules. And it’s just so tough because… [21:49]There’s less water in the river than there used to be, and so the old agreements don’t quite work out, and we’re having to take reductions, and, you know, who takes what? It’s just sort of a big mess, honestly. We’re fighting over it. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up in court, honestly. But that would be not a good outcome, but it seems potentially likely. Yeah. There’s a judge I heard say once that, you better make a deal outside of my courtroom. If you come into my courtroom, my decision is not going to hurt everybody’s feelings with my decision. Yeah. And inevitably, like the folks, the special masters or whatever the justices are that are making the decisions, they don’t know as much about water as we do. If we can’t work it out, it’s going to happen. I know. And there are just so many pressures that are on it. And it’s tough. And plus, one thing we haven’t mentioned is a huge growth in population over the last 20, 30 years out there. It’s true. Yeah, it’s true. Yes, unbelievable how many people have moved to Phoenix and Albuquerque and Las Vegas, especially Las Vegas, but just being such a huge growth in population out. And before it was desert that nobody really, they didn’t live, they didn’t want to live out there. [22:55]It’s true. Yeah. And surprisingly, like in a lot of these cities, actually, the demand for water has not increased. Like in Las Vegas, it’s actually gone down. Oh, really? They have done an incredible job of conserving water. Same in Los Angeles. The demands for water have gone down despite the population growth. The thing that makes it challenging is that the whole pie is shrinking and it’s the agricultural use that’s the highest. I think it’s something like 85% or 80% of the water in the Colorado Basin is agriculture. And so, those are the things you’re going to need to find conservation there, which is harder. [23:30]Like those Israelis did, it was something called drip irrigation where they used, they were more skillful in the way they used their water in their fields down in the desert. Yeah, and some of the folks that’s been, some of the agricultural folks have been converting to that kind of irrigation for quite some time now. So, it’s like we’re wringing out every sponge we got and running out of options. But, yeah, we’ll figure it out one way or the other here. Yeah, I’m sure we will. This is America, after all. [23:59]Or is it still America? It’s hard to know. Yeah, it’s hard to know. We’re going down that path. Looking a little different these days. Yes, it is. Yeah. Oh, my God. Okay, Aaron, I really appreciate it. I’ll get in touch with you whenever I send an email with the links after I put them up. It’ll be, I don’t know. It’ll probably be a month or more before I get it up. Sure. I stay way ahead. I’ve got quite a few kind of scheduled up for the next two weeks now or three. Smart. Two weeks now, one just went up today. So I put it up, video, I put them up on Sunday evening, and then the audio comes out like 4 o’clock in the morning on Monday morning. Okay. Don’t ask me why. I just started doing that. Yeah. No worries. It gets ahead of everybody. Then they can see it. Hey, I’ve got a question for you, if you don’t, if you don’t mind. No. Do you know about any contemporary organized crime activity in Las Vegas? Is there still stuff going on or is it? I don’t. I really don’t. Yeah. Okay. [24:59]Trying to think of a source for you. I’ll check with a source for you. Okay. I know it’s not Midwest folks from your era, but yeah. Yeah, no, probably something up there out at Los Angeles and people that moved out there a generation ago and stayed under the radar. And then, of course, international. Yeah. Those like Russians and people like that out of Phoenix or in Los Angeles, both. Anyhow, I’ll check on that. Okay. Yeah. If you think of something, that’d be great. I’d be interested. Okay. Okay. I will. All right. Thank you. Thank you again. Take care. All right. Bye-bye. Can you go ahead and do, can you exit the meeting? I’m going to do a little ending thing here. I will. Yeah. [25:40]That was interesting, folks. I did Waterlaw in, well, that was interesting, folks. I really liked Aaron and I think his Body in the Barrel book is going to be pretty darn good. [25:53]Concluding Thoughts on Crime and History [25:50]So I’d recommend you try it. I haven’t actually read it myself. I’ve read excerpts from it. I’ve got it here. I need to sit down and take some time and read it. I like when they base it on the real life people and some people that I know something about. It’s kind of like hearing stories about your hometown. Oh, yeah, I know that guy. Oh, yeah, I remember when that happened. And it’s an interesting thing, the lowering of Lake Mead. He and I, he’s a water engineer, and he and I talked a little bit more about it. I find it a fascinating topic, that Western water law and Western water rights and how that all works. It’s different than back east where we have plenty of water. So don’t forget, I’ve got videos on Amazon Prime for rent. Just use my name and mafia, Gary Jenkins Mafia on Amazon Prime, and you’ll find them. And I’ve got books there. Do the same thing. Gary Jenkins Mafia books. I’ve got three books on Amazon and I’ve got them on my website. And I always appreciate when people make comments on my YouTube channel or on my Gangland Wire podcast page. We’re just here to report mob history. That’s all we want to do is report mob history. And in this case, we got a fictional book that’s reporting mob history based on real mob history. I’ll do that every once in a while, too. [27:07]So thanks a lot, guys. I always appreciate doing this show. It’s a way to end my life out, if you will. I’m down to that last quarter, maybe down to the last two minutes one of these days, but we’ll get there. Thanks a lot, guys.

Today's story: For decades, the United States followed other wealthy democracies in becoming less religious. The share of Americans identifying as Christian fell sharply, while the number of people with no religious affiliation grew. But new data suggest that this long decline may have slowed. Younger generations are no less religious than Millennials, and adults today are not becoming less religious as they age. Transcript & Exercises: https://plainenglish.com/847Get the full story and learning resources: https://plainenglish.com/847--Plain English helps you improve your English:Learn about the world and improve your EnglishClear, natural English at a speed you can understandNew stories every weekLearn even more at PlainEnglish.comMentioned in this episode:Hard words? No problemNever be confused by difficult words in Plain English again! See translations of the hardest words and phrases from English to your language. Each episode transcript includes built-in translations into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish. Sign up for a free 14-day trial at PlainEnglish.com

Improve your English vocabulary today by reading breaking news about President Trump asking other countries for help. I will teach you key words from the article so you can understand advanced news topics with confidence.

ON TODAYS PROGRAM…     CONGRATULATIONS TO KIMI FOR POLE AND THE WIN! MERCEDES CLEARLY AHEAD OF THE PACK! WITH FERRARI RIGHT BEHIND FERNANDO SEES THE END OF RACING WITH DRIVING SLOW IN THE CORNERS TO HARVEST KILOWATTS… LAWRENCE STROLL CLOSE TO THE BRAKING POINT COULD SELL ASTON MARTIN TO BYD! UNLIKE MAX…LCH LOVES THE NEW CARS! AND….   THIS WEEK'S NASIR HAMEED CORNER WE HAVE: ARVID LINBLAD AND UGO UGOCHUKWU….ENJOY! Kimi Antonelli became the second youngest F1 winner of all time, beating Mercedes team-mate George Russell into second place in Shanghai, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first ever podium for Ferrari. But it was another chaotic, controversial grand prix under these new 2026 regulations. Neither McLaren made it to the grid, world champion Lando Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri both suffering from unspecified technical gremlins. After his crash on the formation lap in Melbourne last weekend, Piastri becomes the first driver since team founder Bruce McLaren back in 1969 to fail to start successive races. But they were hardly alone. Williams' Alex Albon and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto also failed to start, while Red Bull's four-time world champion Max Verstappen was one of three more drivers who failed to finish.   Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso had to retire due to excessive vibrations from his power unit – the same vibrations he was worried might lead to “permanent nerve damage” in Australia. The controversial new 50–50 hybrid power units for this season, combined with active aerodynamics, have completely split fans and drivers. Some are enjoying the lack of reliability and hugely increased overtaking, with drivers able to deploy “boost” and “overtake” modes. Others, notably four-time champion Max Verstappen, decry the action as “artificial”, comparing this new era to computer games such as Mario Kart. You certainly cannot accuse these new rules of failing to produce action. China, the second race of the season, was meant to herald a return to something more “normal” after an extraordinary120 overtakes at the season opener in Australia last weekend. But it was just the same. A wild start, in which the fast-starting Ferraris surged to the front from the second row. A wacky first stint, in which the Ferraris and Mercedes battled for supremacy. And then – after a safety car came out on lap 10 when Aston Martin's Lance Stroll retired – Mercedes gradually pulling clear. Antonelli, 19, eventually won by 5.5sec ahead of Russell to become the first Italian winner of a Formula One race for 20 years, since Giancarlo Fisichella at Sepang in 2006, and the second youngest grand prix winner of all time behind Verstappen, while Hamilton was another 19.7sec back, having emerged victorious from a furious tussle with team-mate Charles Leclerc in which they repeatedly swapped positions and went wheel to wheel. Leclerc said it was “fun” while Hamilton called it “one of most enjoyable races” he has ever had. Fans will be split on that sentiment. Briton Oliver Bearman was an impressive fifth for Haas, just shy of his best ever finish, fourth place in Mexico last year. Kimi Antonelli... What an incredible day! This win is a fulfilment of one of the dreams I've had ever since I first drove a go-kart. I want to say thank you to my amazing family and the incredible team at both Lauda Drive and Morgan Drive. I couldn't have done this without any of them, and it means so much to take my first victory in F1. It was a very special moment for all of us. The race itself wasn't easy. I lost a position at the start and had to fight back to get ahead. We then had to manage the Safety Car restart which wasn't easy on the Hard compound. It was difficult to get the tyres working but fortunately we were able to before we were under threat from those behind. This has been a great way to close the first double-header of the season but there is lots of work ahead. We aren't taking anything for granted and will make sure we work hard ahead of Japan and arrive in Suzuka in the strongest position we can. George Russell... Firstly, huge congratulations to Kimi on his first victory in F1. He drove a great race, and it was brilliant to be up there on the podium with him. I am sure it is a moment he will never forget and to do it with the team scoring a 1-2 is fantastic. My own race was not straightforward. I lost positions both at the start and then at the Safety Car restart as we struggled to switch the Hard tyres on. The Ferraris were quick, particularly in the early stages, and we had to get back past them twice. They were fast in all the right places and that made our job a lot more difficult. Happily, we were able to do it each time, but it cost us the chance to fight for the win. It has been a great way to start the season, and we are definitely the team to beat at the moment. We have been put under a lot of pressure at these first two races, and we need to keep pushing hard. The package is strong though so I'm looking forward to heading to the next race in Japan. Kirkwood Outduels Champ Palou To Win Arlington, Take Series Lead    ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – It's been a long time since a rival driver made Alex Palou blink, but Kyle Kirkwood achieved that rare feat to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix at Arlington on Sunday. Kirkwood took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead and earned his first victory of the season despite a sluggish final pit stop by his Andretti Global crew, driving his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda to victory under caution over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time series champion Palou, who has won the title the last three seasons. SEE: Race Results “That was so incredible,” Kirkwood said. “Man, did we have some pace. This JM Bullion Honda, Andretti, all these guys right here, they gave me the tools today. It's because of this race car we won today, because of teamwork. “One-three-four (finish) for Andretti; we're just so stacked here. I'm so stoked.” Andretti Global placed three drivers into the top four at the finish of the 70-lap street-circuit race around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Will Power placed third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda for his first podium finish at his new team after 16 full-time seasons at Team Penske. Marcus Ericsson, who earned his first career pole Saturday, finished fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Honda. Pato O'Ward rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the highest-placing Chevrolet-powered driver on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile circuit. “This Andretti Honda camp is fricking strong on street courses,” O'Ward said. “We've got a lot of work to do if we want to start winning races on outright pace against them.” Pure pace helped Kirkwood, who started seventh and overcome a tepid final pit stop to overhaul Palou down the stretch. Palou and Kirkwood were running first and second, respectively, when both made their final stops on the preferred three-stop strategy on Lap 49. The Chip Ganassi Racing crew completed Palou's stop in 7.7 seconds, while Kirkwood's service took 9.5 seconds due to a slow change of the right rear wheel. When both drivers returned to full steam on their out lap, Palou led Kirkwood by 2.2 seconds. But Kirkwood used the speed that helped him lead the pre-qualifying practice Saturday, pulling to within .323 of a second of Palou at the start of Lap 55, with both drivers on the more durable Firestone Firehawk tires in a straight-up duel for the win. Kirkwood didn't waste any time flexing muscle, diving under Palou from a long distance in Turn 13 near the end of Lap 55 and making the daring pass stick for the lead. “He did an awesome pass; hats off to him,” Palou said. “It was super clean, and it was pretty impressive. We'll get them in a couple weeks.” Kirkwood then started to pull away, building a five-second lead by Lap 66. Then that margin evaporated when ECR driver Christian Rasmussen nosed his No. 21 Java House Chevrolet into the tire barrier at pit exit on Lap 68, triggering the first full-course yellow of the race. That bunched the field for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Kirkwood pulled away on the restart and was able to exhale early in the final lap when the second and final full-course yellow flew due to a collision between the No. 18 BMax Honda of Dale Coyne Racing's Romain Grosjean and the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Nolan Siegel deep in the field. “Not today,” Palou said when asked if he thought he could have caught Kirkwood on the final lap. “I was pushing really hard on the first and second stint, and I could see that the 27 (Kirkwood) and the 12 (Power) were a little bit faster than us. I was like, ‘Oh, man, it's going to be quite hard.'” Kirkwood then cruised around the circuit one last time under yellow to cheers from the capacity crowd at this event, a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. He leads the standings by 26 points over second-place Palou after three of 18 races. “It's only race number three, so I'm not looking at the championship,” Kirkwood said. “But it is nice to say it's the first time I've ever led the championship in the INDYCAR SERIES.” The taut nature of the race, with its varying strategies about how often to stop for tires, resulted in terrific parity up front. Kirkwood, Palou and Power each led 16 laps to tie for the race high, with Ericsson fourth with 15 laps led. Caio Collet was the top-finishing rookie, 12th in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing. Phoenix winner Josef Newgarden, who entered this event in the series lead, fell to third after finishing 15th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. After three consecutive race weekends to open the season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will get a short break before resuming with the Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on March 27-29 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.

Find me on Substack!Arie van Gemeren is a CFA, Goldman Sachs veteran, and CEO of Lombard Equities Group who translates 2,000 years of wealth-building history into actionable modern real estate and investment strategy.Episode Sponsor: Fiscal AI is a modern data terminal that gives investors instant access to twenty years of financials, earnings transcripts, and extensive segment and KPI data—use my link for a two-week free trial plus 15% off: https://fiscal.ai/talkingbillions/3:00 – Ari's family origin story: grandmother fled Nazi Berlin to South America, father grew up fatherless in Bolivia, came to the U.S. at 18 speaking no English, put himself through medical school. History was alive in the household.5:15 – The contrarian leap from Wall Street to real estate. Started at Fisher Investments, moved to Goldman Sachs, but it was his Persian father-in-law who kept asking: "Why would I do that when I could buy a good property?"7:30 – The live-in flip that changed everything. Bought a Bay Area bungalow for $515K, invested $60K in renovations, saw equity jump to $850–900K. "I was hooked."9:18 – At Goldman, wealthiest clients — especially Middle Eastern tech entrepreneurs — were pouring profits into real estate, not stocks. Pattern recognition clicked.11:59 – Real estate vs. stocks: "They're both tremendous wealth-building asset classes." Ari argues for a portfolio approach — stocks as majority for passive investors, real estate as complement. Introduces the scarcity insight: the stock market is the only market where inventory shrinks over time via buybacks.19:51 – Timeless principles and behavioral finance. Nothing new under the sun — 8,000 years of recorded history isn't enough for human nature to evolve. Patience, discipline, avoiding excessive leverage are the throughlines of lasting fortunes.21:43 – Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union as an investing parable: certainty vs. conviction. "If you are so convinced of your thesis that you cannot hear contrary advice… guys confuse having a strong thesis with it being the absolute truth."33:27 – Concentrated wealth creation. 67% of the world's billionaires are self-made first-generation who built companies — a form of concentration investing.40:17 – Generational wealth traps. The "first generation builds, second maintains, third loses" proverb exists in Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish. Contrasts Vanderbilt collapse with Walton and Grosvenor family structures.47:12 – The Hanseatic League: 500+ years of patient, boring warehouse ownership that generated extraordinary wealth and even conquered Copenhagen.57:33 – Success redefined: "What we're really looking for is freedom and independence."Podcast Program – Disclosure StatementBlue Infinitas Capital, LLC is a registered investment adviser and the opinions expressed by the Firm's employees and podcast guests on this show are their own and do not reflect the opinions of Blue Infinitas Capital, LLC. All statements and opinions expressed are based upon information considered reliable although it should not be relied upon as such. Any statements or opinions are subject to change without notice.Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

In this episode of the Only in OK Show, we're traveling from the serene canopy of the Kiamichi Mountains to a revived 1930s speakeasy in Oklahoma City. First, we explore Mount Mirabelle, a luxury cabin in Hochatown that feels like a romantic movie set, complete with cathedral ceilings and sunset views. Then, we head to OKC to visit Carletti's, where a 200-year-old Bolognese recipe is being served inside a historic hillside building once known for its "shady" nightlife. Part 1: The Ultimate Romantic Getaway – Mount Mirabelle Looking for a "workcation" spot or a romantic escape? We're diving into the details of Mount Mirabelle, a Sababa Homes property that perfectly balances modern luxury with the rugged beauty of Broken Bow. The Vibe: 1,000 sq. ft. of massive glass windows, 18-foot ceilings, and dual fireplaces. The Amenities: A private hot tub, digital board game table, and even a Level 1 EV charger—a rare find in the mountains! Pro Tip: It's a pet-free zone and just 5 minutes from the "Big Three": Grateful Head Pizza, Girls Gone Wine, and Mountain Fork Brewery. Book Your Stay: Mount Mirabelle Property Page Part 2: An "Edible Museum" – Carletti's Italian Heritage After the break,  we discuss Carletti's in this weeks News 9, Flavor of Oklahoma.  The History: Originally the notorious Kentucky Club speakeasy in the 1930s, you can now dine inside original horse stalls converted into cozy booths. The Secret Sauce: Learn how Chef Becker had to "chase the matriarchs with a scale" to finally write down a Bolognese recipe that has been a family secret since the 1800s. The Experience: From a recreation of the 100-year-old C&R Grocery store to the moody, late-night speakeasy bar in the back, Carletti's is a love letter to the Italian coal miners of Krebs who shaped Oklahoma's food scene. Learn More: Flavor of Oklahoma: Carletti's Links Mentioned in This Episode Mount Mirabelle: https://sababahomes.com Carletti's OKC: News 9 Feature Only in OK Show: Facebook  #Oklahoma #OnlyInOK #Hochatown #BrokenBow #OKCEats #ItalianFood #Speakeasy #TravelOK #MountMirabelle #Carlettis #FlavorOfOklahoma #Podcast

Handing down Heritage: Italian traditionsGuest Daniela Sfara Host: Anna Harsh Director of Allegro Dance CompanyListen in on ways to be practicing your Italian heritage on a daily basis and why it's so important to learn about your roots.Daniela Sfara is an internationally recognized authority and ambassador of Italian culture, regional traditions, cuisine and diaspora, dedicated to preserving and promoting southern Italy's lesser-known corners. As the visionary behind ITALUS, a signature initiative, she brings decades of immersive experience living and working in Italy, connecting deeply with local leaders, communities, artisans, and cultural custodians. Visit https://danielasfara.com/meet-the-founderAnna Harsh, Director, Dancer, Author, Podcastervisit www.AnnaHarsh.com Like, Share & Subscribe to keep listening

From the "next Andrea Pirlo" at Brescia to a Scudetto winner with AC Milan, Sandro Tonali has always been destined for greatness. In this episode, we trace his remarkable journey to the Premier League, exploring how he overcame early challenges at Newcastle United to become the tactical heartbeat of Eddie Howe's midfield. We break down his unique playing style—a rare blend of Italian elegance and relentless English intensity—and discuss his pivotal role in Newcastle's 2025–26 campaign. Whether he's dictating the tempo or winning gritty challenges, Tonali is proving why he is one of the most complete midfielders of his generation. Sandro Tonali, Newcastle United, AC Milan, Premier League transfers, football midfield analysis

Mercedes show their strength once again, but will we have an inter-team title fight between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli after the Italian's star show in China? Ferrari produced a battle for the ages, so is Lewis Hamilton back to his best? Plus, what is going on at McLaren? Harry Benjamin, former McLaren Formula E driver Sam Bird and the BBC's F1 correspondent Andrew Benson review the Chinese Grand Prix, asking whether the new rules have worked or whether this is now a ‘battery world championship'.

New Orleans, LouisianaMarch 14, 1891 A jury acquits nine Italians of murdering the police chief. By noon the next day, a mob of thousands, led by the city's finest citizens, storms the parish prison and slaughters eleven men. Nobody is punished. Nobody ever learns who actually killed the chief.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a buck a week, and you can get access to over 400 ad-free episodes from the dusty vault, Safe House Exclusives, direct access to the Boss, and whatever personal services you require.We invite you to our other PULPULAR MEDIA podcasts:If disaster is more your jam, check out CATASTROPHIC CALAMITIES, telling the stories of famous and forgotten tragedies of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!For brand-new tales in the old clothes from the golden era of popular literature, give your ears a treat with PULP MAGAZINES with two new stories every week.This episode includes AI-generated content.

It's EV News Briefly for Friday 13 March 2026, everything you need to know in less than 5 minutes if you haven't got time for the full show.Patreon supporters fund this show, get the episodes ad free, as soon as they're ready and are part of the EV News Daily Community. You can be like them by clicking here: https://www.patreon.com/EVNewsDailyRIVIAN REVEALS R2 PRICINGThe Rivian R2 launches in four trims, all sharing an 87.9 kWh usable battery, ranging from the $57,990 Performance AWD (656 hp, 330 miles) arriving this Spring to a ~$45,000 base RWD variant in late 2027 with 275+ miles of range. All trims charge 10–80% in 29 minutes via a native NACS port, with a $1,495 destination charge across the board.FORD CUTS EXPLORER ENTRY PRICE WITH LFP BATTERYFord has revised its European Explorer EV with a new LFP battery pack, growing usable capacity from 52 kWh to 58 kWh and boosting WLTP range 17% to 444 km (276 miles), while a stronger APP350 motor lifts output to 140 kW and cuts the 0–100 km/h time to 8.0 seconds. The updated model starts at €39,990 in Germany and adds vehicle-to-load charging, refreshed infotainment, expanded driver assistance features, and standard one-pedal driving, though peak DC charging drops from 145 kW to 110 kW.LUCID NAMES MIDSIZE SUVS COSMOS AND EARTHLucid revealed at Investor Day 2026 that its two upcoming midsize electric SUVs will be called Cosmos and Earth, targeting a ~$50,000 starting price and production before end of 2026. Both will use 800V architecture, bidirectional charging, the new in-house Atlas drive unit (23% lighter, 30% fewer parts), and Lucid claims just 69 kWh would be sufficient for 300 miles of range thanks to a 0.22 drag coefficient.LUCID GRAVITY ADDS CARPLAY AND ANDROID AUTOLucid has rolled out an OTA update (UX 3.5) bringing wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the Gravity SUV for North American owners now, with Europe and the Middle East to follow in late March. Both systems display on the Gravity's 6K Clearview Cockpit screen, addressing one of the most requested features from Lucid customers.JAECOO 8 UK SALES START IN MAYThe Jaecoo 8, a three-row flagship SUV, goes on sale in the UK in May priced from £45,500, using Chery's Super Hybrid System pairing a 1.5-litre turbo petrol with a three-speed auto for 422 bhp, 83 miles of electric-only range, and over 700 miles of combined range. Two trims are offered — Luxury (seven seats, £45,500) and Executive (six Nappa leather captain's chairs, £47,500) — with DC fast charging up to 40 kW for a 30–80% charge in about 20 minutes.EU EV PRICES FALL AS SMALL CARS RETURNAverage EU electric car prices dropped €1,800 to €42,700 in 2025 — the first decline since 2020 — driven by a surge in affordable B-segment BEVs like the Citroën ë-C3 and Renault 5, whose average segment prices fell 13%. T&E expects further price pressure in 2026 as Volkswagen Group prepares a small-car family including the ID. Polo, Cupra Raval, and Skoda Epiq, all targeting around €25,000.HONDA AXES THREE US EVSHonda has cancelled the 0 Series SUV, 0 Series Saloon, and Acura RSX for U.S. production, warning of losses up to ¥2.5 trillion ($15.8 billion) as it reverses its EV strategy amid rollbacks of U.S. fossil fuel regulations and removal of EV incentives. CEO Toshihiro Mibe said the priority is to "stop the bleeding," with operating losses now expected up to ¥1.12 trillion in the current fiscal year; the Sony-Honda Afeela brand is unaffected.VOLKSWAGEN SETS ID. POLO FROM €25,000Volkswagen will world-premiere the entry-level ID. Polo next month, starting at €25,000 and marking the first ID model to carry an established VW brand name. The range spans 37 kWh LFP and 52 kWh NMC battery options with outputs from 85 kW to 166 kW, and includes an R-Line (~€35,000, ~211 hp) and a GTI variant, with up to 450 km (280 miles) of WLTP range from the larger pack.ENEL COMPLETES 3,730 CHARGING STATIONSEnel has finished installing 3,730 EV charging stations across five Italian regions under the first tender of Italy's PNRR recovery plan, with each station offering two points capable of up to 90 kW each. The network is accessible via Enel's app or card and integrates with around 160 mobility service providers, with a further 1,200 stations already contracted under subsequent tenders.ELECTREON COMPLETES INDUCTEV ACQUISITIONElectreon has finalized its acquisition of U.S.-based InductEV, combining dynamic in-road wireless charging with InductEV's high-power stationary wireless charging for heavy-duty transit and freight. The merged portfolio now covers highway and urban corridor charging (LINE), burst charging at stops (DASH), depot charging (DOT), and heavy-duty freight charging (Ultra DOT).SCANDLINES STARTS BALTIC WHALE SERVICEScandlines launched the Baltic Whale on 10 March 2026, claiming it as the world's largest electric freight ferry in operation at 147 metres, running the 18.5 km Rødby–Puttgarden route carrying 66 freight units. Its 10 MWh battery can fully recharge in just 12 minutes via a dedicated 50 kV / 25 MW cable, with an automated docking tower connecting in 15 seconds, while a hybrid diesel mode reduces crossing time from one hour to 45 minutes.

This week comedian Chris Lamberth comes down to the NNFA turtle lair for a hilarious episode that starts with fake spring weather, what it brings, we ask if the CEO of McDonald's really bit that burger, and why are all the CEO's eating on camera now? Dave's apology for the week leads to the debate of Crocs vs Birkenstocks, the trauma of being a spoiled kid, weird retail job hypotheticals, and the absolute worst question you can ask a comedian. Chris also talks about his new stand-up special, teaching theater in Chicago at 22, and why some Italian restaurants might secretly be laundering money by hosting comedy shows. Plus Dave reveals why he thinks he was too ugly to work retail at the mall, Derek shares a wild story about his grandma's malpractice settlement, and the guys debate whether a rich life actually means anything.DON'T FORGET TO LIKE, SHARE & SUBSCRIBE https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLAUp-4rTF4q4XLujbJ51YQ TOUR DATES https://www.linktr.ee/nnfaMERCH https://nnfa.creator-spring.com/ BONUS CONTENT https://www.patreon.com/c/ImDaveTemple?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink -----------------Follow host Derek GainesIG https://www.instagram.com/thegreatboy/ Follow host Dave TempleIG https://www.instagram.com/imdavetemple/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@DAT46Follow guest Chris LamberthIG https://www.instagram.com/chrislamberth/ YouTube Special https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtg9c6H6_8w Follow No Need for ApologiesIG https://www.instagram.com/nnfapodcast/ TT https://www.tiktok.com/@noneedforapologies FB https://www.facebook.com/noneedforapologies/Produced by Teona SashaIG https://www.instagram.com/teonasasha/TT https://www.tiktok.com/@teonasasha -----------------To advertise your product on our podcasts please email jimmy@gasdigitalmarketing.com with a brief description about your product and any shows you may be interested in advertising on.SEND US MAIL:GaS Digital StudiosAttn: NNFA151 1st Ave # 311New York, NY 10003"No Need for Apologies" - NEW Episodes every Saturday at 3PM/ET on YouTube-----------------YouTube Chapters00:00 Intro00:40 Welcome to the show02:12 Chris Lamberth Joins the Show06:49 McDonald's CEO Eats on Camera10:33 Paris Protest Video Discussion12:33 Dave's Weekly Apology: Burger King Dads19:30 Too Ugly for Retail21:25 Could You Work at a Girl Store?23:58 Crocs vs Birkenstocks Debate34:00 Teacher Gets Hit by Kid's Car Prank44:30 “My Father Is Also My Uncle” Video49:46 Chris Lamberth's New Stand-Up Special55:24 The Worst Question You Can Ask a Comic1:03:17 What Does a Rich Life Mean?01:15:30 OutroSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's guest is Danielle Sepsy, baker and founder of The Hungry Gnome, a New York–based wholesale bakery. Danielle has become known as “The Scone Queen” and was a contestant on Dan Levy's culinary competition show, “The Big Brunch.” She's also the author of the upcoming baking book, “The Scone Queen Bakes: 100 Recipes for Scones, Muffins, Cookies, and Cakes from the Founder of The Hungry Gnome.” Danielle joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about growing up in a big Italian family on Long Island and baking alongside her grandmother. She shares how receiving a stand mixer (and a Martha Stewart Living subscription) at eight years old fueled her love for baking and led her to start a scone business as a teenager. They also discuss the early days of The Hungry Gnome and what it was like to compete on TV. Then, the duo walk through Danielle's signature chocolate chip scone recipe. The baker discusses why heavy cream and egg yolks make all the difference, how to cream the butter perfectly into the flour, and why you want a higher oven temperature, at first, to prevent the scones from spreading too much.  Click here for Danielle's Raisin Tea Biscuit recipe.  Get our Mom's the Bombe Issue Jubilee NYC 2026 tickets here Visit cherrybombe.com for subscriptions, tickets to upcoming events, and more. More on Danielle: Instagram, The Hungry Gnome, “The Scone Queen Bakes” cookbook More on Jessie: Instagram, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes” cookbook

Mikey A is adamant about believing in Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell despite his zero playoff wins. Stugotz goes down a rabbit hole of creating a backup quarterback Hall of Fame. Who is going to have a bounce back year between Tua and Kyler Murray. Taylor thinks any person who has a last name that ends in a vowel is Italian. Plus, we keep 3/cut 5 with past and present wide receiver tandems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some episodes start with laughs. This one starts with a warning. When a convicted ISIS supporter is released from prison and then allegedly shows up at the center of another attack, it's not politics as usual. It's not abstract. It's not theoretical. Lives are at stake. So the question hanging over everything is simple: how many warnings does this country need before people start taking terrorism seriously again? The fellas — Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook — start this episode where it matters. The Old Dominion attack, the synagogue attack in Michigan, and the reality that DHS funding has been blocked while terror threats continue to rise. Then… because the news cycle refuses to stop being insane… things take a turn. Because while America is dealing with real threats, Iran's regime is busy looking like the world's most dysfunctional dictatorship.

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE! PART TWOWhat happens when you're born into a family where ghosts are simply part of daily life?For Eric Vitale, growing up in New Jersey meant prayers, rituals, and stories of the unseen were woven into the fabric of his childhood. In his traditional Italian household, the supernatural wasn't dismissed—it was acknowledged. But what began as an awareness of spirits soon turned into something far darker.Eric recounts the disturbing force that seemed to attach itself to him at a young age—an entity that didn't just linger in the background, but actively engaged with his family, even befriending his little brother. As fear escalated and experiences intensified, Eric found himself drawn deeper into understanding the darker side of the paranormal.Those early encounters ultimately shaped his path, leading him into professional paranormal investigation and onto Travel Channel's Ghost Loop. Today, Eric shares the chilling moments that changed his life, the sinister forces he's confronted since, and why some attachments are far more dangerous than they first appear.#GhostLoop #ParanormalInvestigator #DarkAttachment #HauntedChildhood #Ghosts #SpiritualWarfare #DemonicForces #TheGraveTalks #Paranormal #ParanormalPodcast #RealGhostStories Love real ghost stories? Want even more?Become a supporter and unlock exclusive extras, ad-free episodes, and advanced access:

This week, Juliet and Jacoby discuss the perfect drinking temperature for water, gush over the Italian exchange student who went to Olive Garden, and unravel the show's first reverse heist. For this week's Taste Test, they try a midday snack. Finally, they share their Personal Food News and react to some Listener Food News. Do you have Personal Food News? We want to hear from you! Leave us a voicemail at 850-783-9136 or email ListenerFoodNews@Gmail.com for a chance to have your news shared on the show. Be sure to check us out on YouTube and TikTok for exclusive clips, new taste tests, and more! Hosts: Juliet Litman and David Jacoby Producer: Mike Wargon Musical Elements: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alba is a pretty town in northern Italy that visitors from around the world flock to each autumn for prized white truffles. Compact, cobbled and full of history, it is nestled in the Langhe wine region and is a great base for the exploring the area. Join us as we take a walk through this off the beaten path Italian town with our friend Monica who shares her favorite things to do and places to eat. Let us open the door to your Italy.Join our tour of PiedmontRead the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/315The premium Untold Italy app has ad-free access to our complete archive of 300+ episodes searchable by place and topicFOLLOW: Instagram • Facebook • YouTube GET OUR NEWS: Subscribe hereTRIP PLANNING SERVICES: Learn more hereJOIN US ON TOUR: Upcoming departuresThe Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast editing and audio production by Mark Hatter. Production assistance by the other Katie Clarke 

On today's show, Pat, AJ Hawk, and the boys chat about Team Italy saving Team USA in the World Baseball Classic as they beat Mexico 9-1 to move on to the single elimination rounds along with Team USA, they continue to track some of the free agency moves, chat more about the Ravens situation with Maxx Crosby after GM Eric De Costa's interview yesterday, and everything else going on in the sports world. Joining the progrum to recap last night, the vibes around the Italian team, why these games are so special, and much more is Team Italy and Kansas City Royals 1B, Vinnie Pasquantino. Next, New York Times best-selling author and golf columnist, Mark Schlabach joins the show to preview The Players Championship. Later, future Hall of Famer, Houston Texans Ring of Honor member, 3x NFL DPOY, Walter Payton Man of the Year, and color commentator for the NFL on CBS, JJ Watt, joins the progrum to recap everything that has happened over the course of free agency thus far, his thoughts on the Maxx Crosby situation, and more. Make sure to subscribe to youtube.com/thepatmcafeeshow or watch on ESPN (12-2 EDT), ESPN's Youtube (12-3 EDT), or ESPN+. We appreciate the hell out of all of you. We'll see you on tomorrow, cheers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this Thursday edition of 2 Pros & A Cup Of Joe, Jonas Knox & Brady Quinn go over Eric DeCosta's presser where he expressed his regret over the Maxx Crosby situation. Plus, the guys react to Italy beating Mexico in the WBC, caffeine talks, a barrel of ale edition of ICYMI, and more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a Grave Talks CLASSIC EPISODE!What happens when you're born into a family where ghosts are simply part of daily life?For Eric Vitale, growing up in New Jersey meant prayers, rituals, and stories of the unseen were woven into the fabric of his childhood. In his traditional Italian household, the supernatural wasn't dismissed—it was acknowledged. But what began as an awareness of spirits soon turned into something far darker.Eric recounts the disturbing force that seemed to attach itself to him at a young age—an entity that didn't just linger in the background, but actively engaged with his family, even befriending his little brother. As fear escalated and experiences intensified, Eric found himself drawn deeper into understanding the darker side of the paranormal.Those early encounters ultimately shaped his path, leading him into professional paranormal investigation and onto Travel Channel's Ghost Loop. Today, Eric shares the chilling moments that changed his life, the sinister forces he's confronted since, and why some attachments are far more dangerous than they first appear.#GhostLoop #ParanormalInvestigator #DarkAttachment #HauntedChildhood #Ghosts #SpiritualWarfare #DemonicForces #TheGraveTalks #Paranormal #ParanormalPodcast #RealGhostStories Love real ghost stories? Want even more?Become a supporter and unlock exclusive extras, ad-free episodes, and advanced access:

Rohan, of NBC News and sandwich fame, is back! He fills Drew and Roth in on his Italian Olympic experience, including, most importantly, his favorite meals. Rohan, like the rest of us, was bowled over by ice dancing, and by how Italians eat Italian food every day. Then, they talk Miami's new QB, the US losing to Italy in the World Baseball Classic, and Bam's 83 point game. Finally, they open up the funbag to answer real questions from real listeners, and only one of the questions is trash.Do you want to hear your question answered on the pod? Well, give us a call at 909-726-3720. That is 909-PANERA-0!Stuff We Talked AboutBeing profiled as AmericanCool, smoking ItaliansPocket CoffeeLife-changing spicy salamiA bee-keeping suit for ice cream eating Conductors – real or fake?Secret trashbagsSponsors- Raycon, where you can get 20% off Essential Open Earbuds- MeUndies, where you can get 20% off your first order, plus free shippingCredits- Hosts: Drew Magary & David Roth- Producer: Brandon Grugle- Editor: Mischa Stanton- Production Services & Ads: Multitude Podcasts- Subscribe to Defector!About The ShowThe Distraction is Defector's flagship podcast about sports (and movies, and art, and sandwiches, and certain coastal states) from longtime writers Drew Magary and David Roth. Every week, Drew and Roth tackle subjects, both serious and impossibly stupid, with a parade of guests from around the world of sports and media joining in the fun! Roth and Drew also field Funbag questions from Defector readers, answer listener voicemails, and get upset about the number of people who use speakerphone while in a public bathroom stall. This is a show where everything matters, because everyone could use a Distraction. Head to defector.com for more info.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.