Podcast appearances and mentions of Marshall Plan

My weekly chat with my socialist pal Xander Schultz, in this week's talk we discussed a potential “Marshall Plan” for Mexico that could be a win-win for everyone. Btw, check out our website - thesearchforsolutions.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today is Charles Ellis, founder of Greenwich Associates, longtime member of Yale's investment committee, and author of more than 20 books, including the classic Winning the Loser's Game. In today's episode, Charley reflects on writing the first major book on share repurchases 50 years ago, when the idea was so foreign that Goldman mailed it to 1,000 corporations as a “legitimizer.” Charley also walks us through his new book, Great American Investments: A History of the Bold Initiatives that Shaped a Nation, covering 14 audacious public investments from the Louisiana Purchase to the Marshall Plan. He explains how each came down to one or two obsessed individuals, why Alaska turned out to be the bargain of the century, and how Frances Perkins muscled Social Security into law. As the episode winds down, he shares the lunch with Sandy Gottesman in the early 1970s that led him to buy Berkshire Hathaway at $700 a share — and hold it ever since. (0:00) Starts (1:54) Charley on stock buybacks (8:06) Current state of investing and behavioral economics (11:37) Advice for young investors and long-term strategies (16:41) Charley's new book: Great American Investments: A History of the Bold Initiatives that Shaped a Nation (25:42) The origins of social Security (32:46) American entrepreneurship (36:43) Will AI be the next great American investment? (42:34) Most memorable investment ----- Sponsor: ⁠Ivy Invest ⁠- To learn more about Ivy Invest's SEC-registered endowment-style fund, view the prospectus, and learn how to invest, visit ⁠ivyinvest.co/fund ----- Follow Meb on X, LinkedIn and YouTube For detailed show notes, click here To learn more about our funds and follow us, subscribe to our mailing list or visit us at cambriainvestments.com ----- Follow The Idea Farm: X | LinkedIn | Instagram | TikTok ----- Interested in sponsoring the show? Email us at Feedback@TheMebFaberShow.com ----- Past guests include Ed Thorp, Richard Thaler, Jeremy Grantham, Joel Greenblatt, Campbell Harvey, Ivy Zelman, Kathryn Kaminski, Jason Calacanis, Whitney Baker, Aswath Damodaran, Howard Marks, Tom Barton, and many more.  ----- Meb's invested in some awesome startups that have passed along discounts to our listeners. Check them out here!  -----Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode unpacks how the Marshall Plan transformed postwar Western Europe and why security, allied cooperation, and forward thinking were the real keys to its enduring success.   To mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of independence, CFR is dedicating a yearlong series of articles, videos, podcasts, events, and special projects that will reflect on two and a half centuries of U.S. foreign policy. Featuring bipartisan voices and expert contributors, the series explores the evolution of America's role in the world and the strategic challenges that lie ahead.   Host: James M. Lindsay, Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, CFR   Guest: Benn Steil, Senior Fellow and Director of International Economics, CFR   We Discuss: How the British Empire's rapid collapse in early 1947 forced the United States to assume responsibility for Western European security. What George Marshall's six weeks of negotiations in Moscow revealed about Soviet intentions in Germany and Western Europe. How Marshall deliberately crafted the plan's offer to include the Soviet Union while ensuring Soviet leader Joseph Stalin would reject it. How Congress, controlled by Republicans, was persuaded to support a massive foreign aid program from a Democratic administration. Whether the Marshall Plan's $13 billion actually explains Western Europe's economic recovery in the late 1940s. What role NATO played in making the Marshall Plan work, and why the French and British insisted on security guarantees before cooperating. Why security has to precede economic reconstruction—and what Afghanistan and Iraq  reveal about ignoring that lesson. What Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.'s 1947 prediction about sustained alliances tells us about the stakes of U.S. foreign policy today.   Mentioned on the Episode:   The 10 Best and Worst Decisions in U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations   Benn Steil, The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War   George Kennan's Long Telegram, February 22, 1946   “Sinews of Peace (‘Iron Curtain' Speech).” at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1946.   Harry Truman, “The Truman Doctrine,” Address to Congress, March 12, 1947   George C. Marshall, Commencement Address at Harvard University June 5, 1947   For an episode transcript and show notes, visit The President's Inbox at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/presidents-inbox/america-at-250-the-marshall-plan   Opinions expressed on The President's Inbox are solely those of the host or guests, not of CFR, which takes no institutional positions on matters of policy.

James Holland is one of the greatest WWII historians alive, and his new book should be on the desk of every world leader. We get into the three decisions that built the entire postwar order, and why dismantling them might be the biggest mistake of our lifetime. James Holland, one of WWII's finest historians, is the co-author of Victory '45, and author of Cassino '44, The Savage Storm, Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy '44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany, and The Allies Strike Back in The War in the West trilogy, Burma '44, and Dam Busters. He has written and presented the BAFTA shortlisted documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC, and his WWII podcast, “We Have Ways of Making You Talk,” now has millions of listeners. He is the founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival, and I am proud to attend again this year. I love James Holland, and his new book (OUT TODAY), The Visionaries: Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and the Making of the Post-World War II Order, does not disappoint and is critical at this time. Anthony Scaramucci is the founder and managing partner of SkyBridge, a global alternative investment firm, and founder and chairman of SALT, a global thought leadership forum and venture studio. Pre-order my next book, All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, out on the 17th of September in the UK and the 22nd of September in the US: ⁠https://www.scaramucci.net/allthewrongmoves Here is what James Holland had to say about my new book, All The Wrong Moves: "All the Wrong Moves is a profound, compelling, and deeply thought-provoking book. Drawing on the past centuries of America's rich history, this is a story filled with razor-sharp analysis, wisdom, and pragmatic common sense. Authoritative, incisive, often disturbing, but ultimately offering a path for redemption, it needs to be read by as wide an audience as possible." ―James Holland, author of Normandy '44 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stargate Empire: Trump's Marshall Plan, Chokepoint Conquest, and the Suez Trap – America's Final Power Grab or Total Collapse? Today's episode is a marathon of pure, uncut red-pill fire. If you've been riding with me since Episode 47 back in late 2024 – “The Oil Empire Strikes Back: Why Trump's Energy Play Was Never About ‘Drill Baby Drill' Alone” – you know I've been screaming this from the rooftops. Then Episode 89, “BRICS Betrayal: The Dollar's Death Warrant and the Globalist Counterstrike.” And Episode 112, just weeks before Trump's second inauguration – “Stargate Rising: AI, Surveillance, and the New American Century They Don't Want You to See.” We connected these dots before the mainstream even admitted the moves were happening. Today we go nuclear: the full unified conspiracy, no holding back.  Web Site: www.DontTreadonMerica.com https://linktr.ee/DontTreadonMerica Email the show: Donq@donttreadonmerica.com DTOM Store (Promo code DTOM for 10% off) Sponsors: www.makersmark.com www.NordVPN.com  Promo Code: DTOM www.alppouch.com/DTOM www.dubby.gg Promo code: DTOM Social Media:   Don't Tread on Merica TV   DTOM on Facebook   DTOM on X    DTOM on TikTok    DontTreadonMericaTV   DTOM on Instagram    DTOM on YouTube

This past week we discussed the Plessy v Ferguson case, which helped open the door to the Jim Crow era in the American South. Today, a story from 1951 about the efforts to dismantle it -- starting with a group of students walking out of their school over unfair conditions.Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how this effort mirrored some of the elements of The Marshall Plan in Europe — and why US attempts to support Latin America generally fell short.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

“The current crisis was far from inevitable. Politicians made consistently bad choices. In doing so, they fostered a crisis of confidence in political institutions, empowered anti-system candidates, and produced a new Cold War as dangerous as the last.” — Ian Shapiro The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 was a moment of extraordinary euphoria. Fukuyama even described it as the end of history. But what seems to have really fallen in November '89 was the vitality of democracy. Almost forty years later, we have Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, and, perhaps most worrying of all, Keir Starmer. Callous and inept politicians are breaking our democratic world. Our job is to put it back together. That's the thesis of a new book by Ian Shapiro — Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale. In After the Fall, Shapiro argues that it's politicians who have created today's crisis of democracy. His pivotal moment is 2008 rather than 1989. The global financial crisis was the inflection point — the moment at which the corruption of the neoliberal order became self-evident, when elites bailed out the banks and we see the birth of left and right wing illiberal populism. The roots go back before 2008. Clinton's greatest failure, Shapiro argues, was not NAFTA or welfare reform. It was Russia. Yeltsin wanted to join NATO. Even Putin, in his early years in power, acknowledged that Russia considered itself European. George Kennan, Brent Scowcroft and Richard Nixon warned that expanding NATO eastward would create a new enemy. Clinton ignored them all. So history repeated itself in the form of Versailles rather than the Marshall Plan. So how to raise ourselves up after this fall? What road to take? Maps, Shapiro suggests, aren't always helpful. The New Deal had no GPS algorithm. FDR invented it on the fly. What democratic governments need now, he insists, is massive investment in physical, technological, and labor market infrastructure. Charismatic leaders matter. But the ideas matter more. We need politicians who take risks. Otherwise we'll be saddled with Keir Starmer and our current crisis of extraordinary dysphoria. Five Takeaways •       2008, Not 1989, Was the Inflection Point: The fall of the Wall in 1989 produced euphoria. The real break came nineteen years later. The 2008 financial crisis exposed the neoliberal model, undermined the supremacy of the US-led world system, and — crucially — left behind a large population that would subsequently be mobilizable by political entrepreneurs. Elites bailed out the banks and returned to business as usual. They didn't realize that business as usual was over. From 2008 you can draw a straight line to 2016, to Brexit, to Trump, to every anti-system surge that followed. •       We Repeated the Mistake of Versailles: After World War II, the Marshall Plan invested in the defeated powers — Germany, Japan — and folded them into the new security and economic architecture. After World War I, Versailles punished Germany, and Keynes predicted the results. After the Cold War, the victorious West chose Versailles over Marshall. Yeltsin wanted to join NATO and the EU. Even early Putin said Russia considered itself European. Kennan, Scowcroft, Nixon all warned that expanding NATO eastward would create a new enemy. Clinton ignored them. We created the enemy we warned ourselves about. •       Politicians Broke the World — Not Capitalism, Not Culture: Shapiro's subtitle is precise. The crisis of democracy was not caused by inevitable economic forces or cultural shifts. It was caused by specific bad decisions by specific politicians at specific moments of choice. Clinton on NATO expansion. Bush on the Iraq War and the refusal to build a genuine rules-based international order after 9/11. Obama on the financial crisis response. These were decisions, not fates. They could have been made differently. Which means the current situation is not irreversible — and that future decisions can be made better. •       Starmer as Exhibit A: Having Power Without Ideas: Shapiro's prescription for what democratic governments need: a policy agenda. His cautionary tale: Keir Starmer. Starmer came into office with a massive parliamentary majority — he could have passed legislation that attracted 50 or 60 backbench no votes and still won. He had nothing to pass. Tiny step left, tiny step right, reverse, repeat. His comparison: Trump's main policies came out of Project 2025 — put together not by Trump himself but by people who created the ramp he ran on. Without a ramp, even a charismatic leader stumbles. Without ideas, power is squandered. •       The New Deal Had No Blueprint: FDR Made It Up: The lesson for what comes next. The New Deal — the last great democratic reconstruction — was not designed in advance. Roosevelt made it up as he went along, trying things, abandoning what didn't work, building a coalition of extraordinarily unlikely bedfellows. What democratic governments need now, Shapiro argues, is massive infrastructure investment: physical infrastructure, tech infrastructure, labor market infrastructure. The CHIPS Act model. Incentivize business to retrain the workforce for the tech revolution and the green transition. Chancellor Merz in Germany has just borrowed half a trillion euros for this. Without it, there will be another Trump. And another. And another. About the Guest Ian Shapiro is Sterling Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at Yale University and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy — How Politicians Broke Our World (Basic Books, May 5, 2026), Uncommon Sense, The Wolf at the Door (with Michael Graetz), and many other books. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut. References: •       After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy — How Politicians Broke Our World by Ian Shapiro (Basic Books, May 5, 2026). •       Episode 2881: Adrian Wooldridge on The Revolutionary Center — the companion episode on the crisis of liberalism that Shapiro's book diagnoses. •       Episode 2895: Glyn Morgan on The Rise and Fall of American Europe — the international dimension of Shapiro's argument about the post-Cold War missed opportunities. •       Episode 2880: Gal Beckerman on How to Be a Dissident — on the tradition of resistance that Shapiro's “roads not taken” argument implicitly invokes. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than th...

“Post-war Europe is essentially an American protectorate. Europeans don't like to admit that. They only came to realize just how dependent they were on the United States in 2025, when Trump basically leveraged US security and forced Europe into a very disadvantageous trade deal.” — Glyn Morgan Post Second World War Europe was always an American project. At least according to The Rise and Fall of American Europe by Glyn Morgan, the Director of the Moynihan Center of European Studies at Syracuse University and a proud Welshman. All that post-war civilizational jazz — the Marshall Plan, NATO, the EU — weren't really European achievements. Instead, they were American-designed ideas and institutions that proud Europeans boasted they had built themselves. For Morgan, post-war Europe was, in fact, little more than a US protectorate. Gaul colonized by Rome. Wales as a backwater of Great Britain. Europeans only discovered this unpalatable truth in 2025, when Trump leveraged their security dependence to force a ruinous trade deal. JD Vance made the official press announcement at the Munich Security Conference. Today's crisis of NATO is its obit. The original architects of American Europe were deeply Europeanized Americans — Bill Bullitt, who loved France; George Kennan, who spoke better German than most Germans; Ivy League Libs who cherished Europe as a café-rich sibling of New York City. That imaginary continent lasted eighty years. Morgan defines its MAGA replacement as “civilizational America.” It's a United States that sees itself as a distinct civilization with distinct interests, willing to transact with Russia and China and leave an increasingly marginalized Europe to fend for itself. Wales is the future of Europe, Morgan says. The Welsh lost the Darwinian struggle for world power very early — conquered, then absorbed and shrunken into a rainy museum for English romantics. Sheep, rugby and singing ex-miners. That's the fate of 21st century Europe. Bon Voyage. And don't forget your umbrella. Five Takeaways •       American Europe Was a US Protectorate: The story Europeans like to tell is that they built post-war Europe themselves — the Marshall Plan, the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Rome, the EU. Morgan's counter: the construction of post-war Europe was theorized by Americans and pushed through by American pressure. Europeans resisted and begrudgingly went along. NATO provided the security. The EU organized the trade. Democratic nation states were the units. Enlargement was the engine. Europeans got comfortable inside this structure and convinced themselves they were in charge. Trump's arrival in 2025 revealed the truth they had been avoiding for eighty years. •       The Architects: Bullitt, Kennan, and the Europeanized Americans: The Roosevelt Democrats who built American Europe were deeply European in origin and values. Bill Bullitt loved France. George Kennan spoke better German than most Germans. They were steeped in the idea that America and Europe were one civilization. They wanted to rescue Europe both from the Europeans themselves and from the Soviet threat they were among the first to identify clearly. Bullitt and Kennan broke with Roosevelt over the Soviets — Roosevelt thought a deal could be struck; they said no. A strong democratic Europe as a bulwark against Soviet communism was the founding logic of the whole enterprise. •       Trump and Vance: The Return of Isolationism: American isolationism — powerful in the 1930s, defeated by Pearl Harbor, marginalized through the Cold War — has returned. It returned in JD Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference in 2025, and in Trump's leveraging of European security dependence to force a disadvantageous trade deal. Morgan's framing: what has emerged is “civilizational America” — a United States that sees itself not as the guarantor of European democracy but as a distinct civilization with distinct interests, willing to transact with Russia and China and leave Europe to manage its own affairs. •       Putin and Trump Are Playing the Same Playbook: Putin seeks a Europe of nation states — not the integrated EU — where he can deal transactionally, playing different European states against each other. Europeans were slow to realize that's what they were facing. Then they faced the same thing from Trump. The beneficiary of the collapse of American Europe, Morgan argues, is China: investing in Eastern Europe, doing trade deals across the continent, acquiring economic leverage while Russia and America compete for security dominance. A Chinese Europe in fifty years is not inconceivable. •       No Solution: Look to Wales: Europe faces an impossible dilemma. Rebuild the military and lose the welfare state. Or preserve the welfare state and rely on security that may no longer be provided. De Gaulle's line: it is a fundamental error to think that to every problem there is a solution. At some moments there is no solution. We await a Bismarck; we have mediocre politicians who can only stop things from getting worse. The bleak future: a pleasant museum, highly dependent on American tech, visited by Chinese and American tourists. Morgan is from Wales. Wales lost the struggle for world power very early. He can see what's coming. About the Guest Glyn Morgan is Director of the Moynihan Center of European Studies at Syracuse University and the author of The Rise and Fall of American Europe (Polity, August 2026) and The Idea of a European Superstate. References: •       The Rise and Fall of American Europe by Glyn Morgan (Polity, August 2026). •       Episode 2875: Daniel Bessner on Cold War Liberalism — the companion episode on the Cold War liberal tradition that built American Europe. •       Episode 2887: Steven J. Ross on The Secret War Against Hate — referenced in the interview; the American neo-Nazi tradition that ran alongside American Europe. •       Episode 2881: Adrian Wooldridge on The Revolutionary Center — the crisis of liberalism that American Europe's collapse is accelerating. About Keen On America Nobody asks more awkward questions than the Anglo-American writer and filmmaker Andrew Keen. In Keen On America, Andrew brings his pointed Transatlantic wit to making sense of the United States — hosting daily interviews about the history and future of this now venerable Republic. With nearly 2,900 episodes since the show launched on TechCrunch in 2010, Keen On America is the most prolific intellectual intervi...

In Episode 133 of DC EKG, Joe Grogan welcomes back Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau for Part 2 of their conversation, this time turning to the European Union. Christiaan walks Joe through the post-World War II origins of the EU as a peace initiative built around the Schuman Plan, the pooling of coal and steel between France and Germany, and the visionary leadership of Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. He explains why understanding the EU's founding purpose is essential to understanding what has gone wrong since. Joe and Christiaan unpack the principle of subsidiarity, the rise of EU bureaucracy and over-regulation, the ideological capture of Brussels institutions, and the long detour into cultural battles that were never the EU's job to fight. They discuss Germany's strategic mistake of abandoning nuclear energy, the widening economic gap between the US and Europe, and why Friedrich Merz himself has called the EU the world champion of over-regulation. The second half of the episode looks at the US-EU relationship under President Trump's second term, including the Digital Services Act and free speech, decades of European free-riding on American defense, and the rise of bilateral engagement between Washington and individual European capitals. The conversation closes with a sharp discussion of the leadership vacuum across the West and Europe's growing economic dependence on China. In This Conversation How the European Union began as a Franco-German peace project Why the Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel still shape Europe today The principle of subsidiarity and how Brussels has overstepped it Why Germany's abandonment of nuclear energy was a strategic disaster How EU institutions have been captured by ideology The Digital Services Act and the threat to free speech in Europe Why the US-EU relationship is under serious strain Whether Washington should deal with Brussels or with national capitals Europe's leadership vacuum and growing dependence on China Timestamps 0:00  Why Brussels has become the global champion of over-regulation 1:10  Joe welcomes back Christiaan for Part 2 1:32  Christiaan reintroduces himself and his background 3:00  Why the EU is misunderstood on both sides of the Atlantic 4:15  The historical origins of the EU and the Franco-German conflict 6:00  The Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel 11:30  Truman, the Marshall Plan, and Dean Acheson 12:37  What went wrong with the EU 14:50  Bureaucracy, nuclear energy, and the German mistake 19:35  The principle of subsidiarity and why it matters 23:24  Cultural overreach by Brussels 26:44  Friedrich Merz on EU over-regulation 27:28  The widening US-EU economic gap 32:03  Free speech, the Digital Services Act, and Trump 38:33  European free-riding on American defense 44:07  Should Washington bypass Brussels 48:30  The rise of bilateral engagement 51:23  The leadership vacuum across the West 58:30  Europe's economic dependence on China 1:01:12  Wrap-up European Union, EU history, Schuman Plan, Franco-German conflict, subsidiarity, EU bureaucracy, EU overregulation, German nuclear energy, Digital Services Act, free speech Europe, US-EU relations, Trump and the EU, NATO defense spending, Europe-China dependence, transatlantic relationship, Christiaan Alting von Geusau, DC EKG About Our Guest Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau is a lawyer, professor, advisor, and host of the podcast The Educated Leader. Born in the United States and raised in the Netherlands, he studied law at Leiden University and Heidelberg University. He earned his doctorate in philosophy of law at the University of Vienna. He leads the International Catholic Legislators Network, serves as the principal of Ambrose Advice, and is the Rector emeritus and Professor of Philosophy of Law and Education at ITI Catholic University in Austria. Podcast: DC EKG with Joe Grogan Episode: 133 Guest: Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau Sponsor: Survivors for Solutions –  https://survivorsforsolutions.org Executive Producer: John “CZ” Czwartacki, DC EKG Podcast Producer: Stay on Course Studios –  https://www.stayoncourse.studio

In Episode 133 of DC EKG, Joe Grogan welcomes back Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau for Part 2 of their conversation, this time turning to the European Union. Christiaan walks Joe through the post-World War II origins of the EU as a peace initiative built around the Schuman Plan, the pooling of coal and steel between France and Germany, and the visionary leadership of Robert Schuman and Konrad Adenauer. He explains why understanding the EU's founding purpose is essential to understanding what has gone wrong since. Joe and Christiaan unpack the principle of subsidiarity, the rise of EU bureaucracy and over-regulation, the ideological capture of Brussels institutions, and the long detour into cultural battles that were never the EU's job to fight. They discuss Germany's strategic mistake of abandoning nuclear energy, the widening economic gap between the US and Europe, and why Friedrich Merz himself has called the EU the world champion of over-regulation. The second half of the episode looks at the US-EU relationship under President Trump's second term, including the Digital Services Act and free speech, decades of European free-riding on American defense, and the rise of bilateral engagement between Washington and individual European capitals. The conversation closes with a sharp discussion of the leadership vacuum across the West and Europe's growing economic dependence on China. In This Conversation How the European Union began as a Franco-German peace project Why the Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel still shape Europe today The principle of subsidiarity and how Brussels has overstepped it Why Germany's abandonment of nuclear energy was a strategic disaster How EU institutions have been captured by ideology The Digital Services Act and the threat to free speech in Europe Why the US-EU relationship is under serious strain Whether Washington should deal with Brussels or with national capitals Europe's leadership vacuum and growing dependence on China Timestamps 0:00  Why Brussels has become the global champion of over-regulation 1:10  Joe welcomes back Christiaan for Part 2 1:32  Christiaan reintroduces himself and his background 3:00  Why the EU is misunderstood on both sides of the Atlantic 4:15  The historical origins of the EU and the Franco-German conflict 6:00  The Schuman Plan and the pooling of coal and steel 11:30  Truman, the Marshall Plan, and Dean Acheson 12:37  What went wrong with the EU 14:50  Bureaucracy, nuclear energy, and the German mistake 19:35  The principle of subsidiarity and why it matters 23:24  Cultural overreach by Brussels 26:44  Friedrich Merz on EU over-regulation 27:28  The widening US-EU economic gap 32:03  Free speech, the Digital Services Act, and Trump 38:33  European free-riding on American defense 44:07  Should Washington bypass Brussels 48:30  The rise of bilateral engagement 51:23  The leadership vacuum across the West 58:30  Europe's economic dependence on China 1:01:12  Wrap-up European Union, EU history, Schuman Plan, Franco-German conflict, subsidiarity, EU bureaucracy, EU overregulation, German nuclear energy, Digital Services Act, free speech Europe, US-EU relations, Trump and the EU, NATO defense spending, Europe-China dependence, transatlantic relationship, Christiaan Alting von Geusau, DC EKG About Our Guest Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau is a lawyer, professor, advisor, and host of the podcast The Educated Leader. Born in the United States and raised in the Netherlands, he studied law at Leiden University and Heidelberg University. He earned his doctorate in philosophy of law at the University of Vienna. He leads the International Catholic Legislators Network, serves as the principal of Ambrose Advice, and is the Rector emeritus and Professor of Philosophy of Law and Education at ITI Catholic University in Austria. Podcast: DC EKG with Joe Grogan Episode: 133 Guest: Dr. Christiaan Alting von Geusau Sponsor: Survivors for Solutions –  https://survivorsforsolutions.org Executive Producer: John “CZ” Czwartacki, DC EKG Podcast Producer: Stay on Course Studios –  https://www.stayoncourse.studio

Chuck Todd unpacks a wave of devastating new polling that shows Americans have lost confidence in Trump across nearly every metric, with his approval cratering among independents and only his hardcore base still standing by him. He notes Trump is underwater on virtually every issue except taxes, immigration, and the border — that his trustworthiness is lower than any past president, that even 22% of his own 2024 voters don't believe he's kept his promises, and that his approval has collapsed with younger voters even as it holds up with the elderly. In a particularly striking finding, only 1 in 10 Americans approve of Trump naming things after himself, and even the "own the libs" voters can't get behind that particular vanity. Todd warns this is a political disaster in the making for Republicans: the enthusiasm gap is now massive in the Democrats' favor, and the Iran war is polling more unpopular than the worst polling ever recorded for Iraq or Vietnam. Yet despite all this, neither party's brand has actually improved with swing voters — both parties still carry almost identical unfavorability ratings, voters of both parties don't even want their leaders to work across the aisle anymore, and the political incentives are now firmly aligned with confrontation rather than compromise — creating an enormous opportunity for independent candidates that neither major party seems prepared to address. On Iran, he says there is no political room for Trump to escalate militarily — his only real escalation option would be ground troops, which would risk total political collapse — and predicts the eventual deal will look like whatever framework the Iranians put forward. He flags a striking recent Tucker Carlson interview in which Carlson was forced to face hard facts, observing that Tucker increasingly looks like a combination of Pat Buchanan and Roger Ailes who is genuinely trying to build a political movement of his own. He returns to the case for expanding the House of Representatives as the fix for the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling, warns that Republicans could pay a serious political price if Southern voters perceive the GOP as actively trying to disenfranchise Black voters and closes with the news that Janet Mills has dropped out of the Maine Senate race — leaving Democrats now trying to coalesce around Graham Platner, in what Chuck says feels increasingly like a mirror image of the 2016 presidential campaign. Then, Yale political scientist Ian Shapiro — author of the new book After the Fall — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the missed opportunities of the post-Cold War era and what it would take to actually fix what's broken in the global political economy. Shapiro argues America fundamentally squandered its chance to integrate Russia into the West after the Soviet collapse — there should have been a Marshall Plan for Russia along the lines of what was done for Germany and Japan after World War II, and both Yeltsin and Putin (in his early years) actively lobbied to join the Western order. Clinton was hesitant to help Russia economically, the 1994 midterm results pushed him away from foreign policy ambition entirely, and the eventual pivot toward NATO expansion in Eastern Europe — rather than transforming NATO into something genuinely inclusive — froze Russia out and is exactly when Putin's worldview hardened into the revanchism we're dealing with today. Shapiro extends this analysis to 2008, calling the financial crisis another massive missed opportunity: Obama had to bail out the banks, but his failure to insist on a parallel bailout for Main Street allowed the elites to rescue themselves while imposing austerity on everyone else, which directly fueled the right-wing populism now reshaping politics across the West. The conversation pivots to what comes next. Shapiro is clear that the good policies of the 2030s won't be a rehash of the New Deal — they need to address modern realities. He argues governments need to help workers be flexible rather than redistributing wealth through politically toxic taxation, advocating instead for portable health insurance and portable child care that follows the worker. Shapiro makes a forceful case for immigration as the only realistic answer to America's demographic challenges, noting that Spain and Poland are economically outperforming much of Europe specifically because they've embraced immigration to support aging populations. He warns that we're living in a world disturbingly similar to the 1930s — if ordinary people don't benefit from economic growth, they will not continue supporting the existing order — and notes that right-wing populists don't actually have answers; they just attack the elites. Shapiro argues Trump is inadvertently benefiting China enormously, but cautions that authoritarian governments are fundamentally bad at managing complex economies, so it's still unlikely China's model wins the 21st century. Shapiro closes by warning that the anti-Trump coalition has become too big to govern, but that if Zohran Mamdani succeeds in New York, it could meaningfully energize progressive politics nationally — proof that the road forward requires real ideas about power, not just opposition to Trumpism. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the Hindenburg disaster and how it was the origin of “breaking news”, and also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, No credit card needed! Go to https://ShipStation.com and use code TODDCAST for 60 days for free! Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 08:30 New polling shows Americans have no confidence in Trump 09:15 Trump’s approval has cratered with independent voters 10:00 Trump is only above his approval rating on taxes, immigration and border 10:45 The only people that approve of Trump are his base 12:45 The polling shows a massive repudiation of Trump 14:15 Trump’s trustworthiness is lower than any past president 16:45 Only 78% of Trump voters believe he’s kept his promises 18:15 Trump’s highest approval is with older voters, collapsed with younger voters 20:00 Only 1 in 10 Americans approve of Trump naming things after himself 21:00 Even the “own the libs” voters don’t like Trump naming things after himself 24:30 Republicans expected ethics in government to improve & they haven’t 25:45 Both parties still have almost identical unfavorability ratings 26:15 The Democratic brand hasn’t improved amongst swing voters 28:15 Voters of both parties don’t want leaders to work across the aisle 29:15 Neither side is incentivized to compromise 31:15 Voters are rewarding confrontation 33:45 Dems more trusted on healthcare, Republicans trusted on crime 34:15 Almost every other issue is up for grabs for both parties 34:45 Neither party has trust on dealing with AI 36:15 There’s a huge opportunity for independents in this political climate 36:45 There’s a huge enthusiasm gap favoring the Democrats 38:00 This is a political disaster in the making for Republicans 38:30 Iran war is more unpopular than worst polling for Iraq & Vietnam 40:15 Trump’s only escalation option in Iran is to send in ground troops 41:15 If Trump wants to escalate he better have a plan 41:45 Far more damage to American military assets than we were told 42:30 The Iranian framework for a deal will likely be the one agreed to 43:30 There is no political room for Trump to escalate militarily 44:00 Trump risks total political collapse if he escalates in Iran 45:00 Tucker Carlson forced to face facts in recent interview 46:00 Tucker is a combination of Pat Buchanon and Roger Ailes 47:45 Carlson feels like someone who is trying to build a movement 49:00 Expanding congress would fix SCOTUS Voting Rights Act ruling 50:30 There will be angry voters in the south after this ruling 52:00 Republicans could pay a political price due to backlash from SCOTUS 53:45 If Republicans try to disenfranchise black voters, they could juice turnout 54:45 Trump is more focused on targeting disloyal Republicans than Democrats 56:00 Janet Mills drops out, Dems trying to come around on Graham Platner 56:45 Platner race feels like mirror image of 2016 campaign for president 1:03:45 Ian Shapiro (After the Fall) joins The Chuck ToddCast 1:05:15 How long did you work on the book? 1:07:00 The lack of a Marshall Plan for Russia was a missed opportunity 1:07:45 Russia should have been dealt with like Germany & Japan after WW2 1:08:45 Yeltsin & Putin lobbied to join the west & we blew that opportunity 1:10:00 Clinton was hesitant to help Russia economically 1:11:15 ‘94 midterm results dissuaded Clinton from focusing on foreign policy 1:12:45 Clinton pivoted from rapprochement NATO expansion in eastern Europe 1:13:45 There were opportunities to transform NATO into something else 1:15:15 NATO feels necessary again, we’re back in another cold war 1:16:15 What if we had brought Ukraine into NATO in the 90s? 1:17:00 When Russia was frozen out of the west, that’s when Putin changed 1:17:30 Eastern Europeans have a deep distrust of the Russians 1:18:45 The rise of right wing populism is driven by economics 1:19:30 2008 financial crisis was a missed opportunity for Obama 1:21:15 Elites bailed themselves out in 2008 & imposed austerity on everyone else 1:22:45 Obama had to bail out banks, but didn’t force a bail out of main street too 1:24:30 How do you begin to undo protectionism and nationalism? 1:25:15 Good policies of the 2030s won’t be a rehash of the New Deal 1:26:15 Gina Riamondo has smart policies for transforming the labor force 1:27:45 Government needs to aid the modern worker to help them be flexible 1:29:00 Taxation and redistribution is politically toxic. Better to incentivize business 1:30:00 Portable health insurance and child care would give workers flexibility 1:31:15 Domestic immigration is incredibly difficult and cost prohibitive 1:32:00 Every state needs immigration in order to fix demographic challenges 1:33:15 Spain & Poland’s economies are performing well because of immigration 1:34:00 We need immigrants in order to support services for an aging population 1:34:45 In some ways, we’re living in a world similar to the 1930s 1:36:00 If people don’t benefit from growth, they won’t support the existing order 1:36:45 Right wing populists don’t have answers, they just attack the elites 1:37:15 Spain is one of the few western countries that is getting it right 1:39:15 The west hasn’t dealt well with the rise of China 1:39:45 Everything Trump is doing has benefitted China enormously 1:41:15 Unlikely that China’s model wins the 21st century 1:42:30 Authoritarian governments aren’t good for managing a complex economy 1:43:30 India is even further down the nationalist road than the U.S. 1:44:45 UK’s two major parties are facing the potential of collapse 1:45:45 Could either of the two major two parties in America collapse? 1:46:45 Both parties pushing the same policies & benefits go to the top 1:48:45 Do globally integrated economies make world war less likely? 1:50:15 Major war results in mutually assured economic destruction 1:51:15 The calamities of the 30s and 40s led to massive, inclusive economic growth 1:52:15 Massive, stateless companies are accruing more power than states 1:53:45 The global oligarchs are still reliant on markets and consumers 1:54:30 Governments will need to coordinate to put guardrails on the oligarchs 1:55:15 If business isn’t part of the solution, they will be part of the problem 1:56:45 The Trump administration is cratering & left is reveling in the schaudenfreude 1:58:15 The anti-Trump coalition is too big to govern 1:59:00 If Mamdani succeeds, could that energize progressive politics nationally? 2:01:00 Where can people find your work? 2:02:15 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Ian Shapiro2:02:30 ToddCast Time Machine - May 6th 1937 - The Hindenburg Disaster2:03:30 Crowds arrived to watch the Hindenburg arrive2:04:45 Commercial zeppelin travel had existed for 30 years already2:05:30 The Hindenburg carried the symbols of Nazi Germany2:06:15 In 34 seconds the entire airship was destroyed2:07:00 “Oh The Humanity” becomes an iconic term from broadcasting2:07:30 The recording wasn’t broadcast live, but was presented as breaking news2:08:45 Airships fell out of fashion and airplanes made them uncompetitive2:09:30 The Hindenburg didn’t just fail technically, it failed publicly2:10:30 Ask Chuck2:10:45 Have you fallen into the normalization trap? Trump has impeachable offenses2:16:15 Thoughts on Adam Hamilton running as a Dem in Kansas?2:19:45 Has any president been as intentionally divisive as Trump?2:22:00 Take on the expansion of March Madness tournament?2:26:30 How much impact could the Forward Party have?2:32:00 Thoughts on the weekend in sportsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yale political scientist Ian Shapiro — author of the new book After the Fall — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the missed opportunities of the post-Cold War era and what it would take to actually fix what's broken in the global political economy. Shapiro argues America fundamentally squandered its chance to integrate Russia into the West after the Soviet collapse — there should have been a Marshall Plan for Russia along the lines of what was done for Germany and Japan after World War II, and both Yeltsin and Putin (in his early years) actively lobbied to join the Western order. Clinton was hesitant to help Russia economically, the 1994 midterm results pushed him away from foreign policy ambition entirely, and the eventual pivot toward NATO expansion in Eastern Europe — rather than transforming NATO into something genuinely inclusive — froze Russia out and is exactly when Putin's worldview hardened into the revanchism we're dealing with today. Shapiro extends this analysis to 2008, calling the financial crisis another massive missed opportunity: Obama had to bail out the banks, but his failure to insist on a parallel bailout for Main Street allowed the elites to rescue themselves while imposing austerity on everyone else, which directly fueled the right-wing populism now reshaping politics across the West. The conversation pivots to what comes next. Shapiro is clear that the good policies of the 2030s won't be a rehash of the New Deal — they need to address modern realities. He argues governments need to help workers be flexible rather than redistributing wealth through politically toxic taxation, advocating instead for portable health insurance and portable child care that follows the worker. Shapiro makes a forceful case for immigration as the only realistic answer to America's demographic challenges, noting that Spain and Poland are economically outperforming much of Europe specifically because they've embraced immigration to support aging populations. He warns that we're living in a world disturbingly similar to the 1930s — if ordinary people don't benefit from economic growth, they will not continue supporting the existing order — and notes that right-wing populists don't actually have answers; they just attack the elites. Shapiro argues Trump is inadvertently benefiting China enormously, but cautions that authoritarian governments are fundamentally bad at managing complex economies, so it's still unlikely China's model wins the 21st century. Shapiro closes by warning that the anti-Trump coalition has become too big to govern, but that if Zohran Mamdani succeeds in New York, it could meaningfully energize progressive politics nationally — proof that the road forward requires real ideas about power, not just opposition to Trumpism. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, No credit card needed! Go to https://ShipStation.com and use code TODDCAST for 60 days for free! Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Ian Shapiro (After the Fall) joins The Chuck ToddCast 01:30 How long did you work on the book? 03:15 The lack of a Marshall Plan for Russia was a missed opportunity 04:00 Russia should have been dealt with like Germany & Japan after WW2 05:00 Yeltsin & Putin lobbied to join the west & we blew that opportunity 06:15 Clinton was hesitant to help Russia economically 07:30 ‘94 midterm results dissuaded Clinton from focusing on foreign policy 09:00 Clinton pivoted from rapprochement NATO expansion in eastern Europe 10:00 There were opportunities to transform NATO into something else 11:30 NATO feels necessary again, we’re back in another cold war 12:30 What if we had brought Ukraine into NATO in the 90s? 13:15 When Russia was frozen out of the west, that’s when Putin changed 13:45 Eastern Europeans have a deep distrust of the Russians 15:00 The rise of right wing populism is driven by economics 15:45 2008 financial crisis was a missed opportunity for Obama 17:30 Elites bailed themselves out in 2008 & imposed austerity on everyone else 19:00 Obama had to bail out banks, but didn’t force a bail out of main street too 20:45 How do you begin to undo protectionism and nationalism? 21:30 Good policies of the 2030s won’t be a rehash of the New Deal 22:30 Gina Riamondo has smart policies for transforming the labor force 24:00 Government needs to aid the modern worker to help them be flexible 25:15 Taxation and redistribution is politically toxic. Better to incentivize business 26:15 Portable health insurance and child care would give workers flexibility 27:30 Domestic immigration is incredibly difficult and cost prohibitive 28:15 Every state needs immigration in order to fix demographic challenges 29:30 Spain & Poland’s economies are performing well because of immigration 30:15 We need immigrants in order to support services for an aging population 31:00 In some ways, we’re living in a world similar to the 1930s 32:15 If people don’t benefit from growth, they won’t support the existing order 33:00 Right wing populists don’t have answers, they just attack the elites 33:30 Spain is one of the few western countries that is getting it right 35:30 The west hasn’t dealt well with the rise of China 36:00 Everything Trump is doing has benefitted China enormously 37:30 Unlikely that China’s model wins the 21st century 38:45 Authoritarian governments aren’t good for managing a complex economy 39:45 India is even further down the nationalist road than the U.S. 41:00 UK’s two major parties are facing the potential of collapse 42:00 Could either of the two major two parties in America collapse? 43:00 Both parties pushing the same policies & benefits go to the top 45:00 Do globally integrated economies make world war less likely? 46:30 Major war results in mutually assured economic destruction 47:30 The calamities of the 30s and 40s led to massive, inclusive economic growth 48:30 Massive, stateless companies are accruing more power than states 50:00 The global oligarchs are still reliant on markets and consumers 50:45 Governments will need to coordinate to put guardrails on the oligarchs 51:30 If business isn’t part of the solution, they will be part of the problem 53:00 The Trump administration is cratering & left is reveling in the schaudenfreude 54:30 The anti-Trump coalition is too big to govern 55:15 If Mamdani succeeds, could that energize progressive politics nationally? 57:15 Where can people find your work?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This past week we discussed the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, 1961. Today, another episode about JFK' in the very same time period -- when he hosted a couple hundred Latin American diplomats to lay out his vision for the “Alliance for Progress,” an ambitious plan to support democracy and economic development throughout the region.Jody, NIki, and Kellie discuss how this effort mirrored some of the elements of The Marshall Plan in Europe — and why US attempts to support Latin America generally fell short.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

From colliers carrying coal out of Newcastle to Marshall Plan grain crossing the Atlantic, Peter and Afua trace how the movement of goods by sea built the modern world. This is the story of bulk cargo — and why the ships that carried it changed everything.Join Legacy Plus for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.comJoin Legacy+ for bonus episodes, early access, Q&A's, fewer adverts and more.legacy.supportingcast.fmStay connected with Legacy:Instagram: @originallegacypodcastTikTok: @legacy_productionsExplore more from Peter and Afua — essays, sources, and ideas: Substack: peterfrankopan.substack.com | afuahirsch.substack.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Day in Legal History: Marshall PlanOn April 3, 1948, the United States formally enacted the Marshall Plan signing, a landmark legal and economic initiative designed to rebuild war-torn Europe after World War II. Officially known as the Economic Cooperation Act, the law authorized billions of dollars in aid to Western European nations. It represented a major expansion of U.S. foreign policy, grounded in Congress's constitutional power over spending and international commerce. The legislation also reflected a strategic legal response to the growing influence of the Soviet Union, using economic assistance as a tool of containment.The Marshall Plan required participating countries to cooperate with one another, creating legal agreements that promoted trade liberalization and economic integration. This cooperation laid early groundwork for institutions that would later evolve into the European Union. Domestically, the law raised important questions about the limits of federal authority in directing funds abroad and the role of the executive branch in administering large-scale international programs. Congress delegated significant discretion to the executive, particularly the State Department, to oversee implementation.One key legal element of the Marshall Plan was its use of conditional aid, meaning recipient countries had to meet certain economic and political requirements to receive funding. This introduced a model for future foreign aid programs, where compliance with specified conditions became a standard legal mechanism. The program also required oversight and reporting, ensuring accountability for how funds were spent, which helped shape modern administrative law practices.In practice, the Marshall Plan proved highly successful, contributing to rapid economic recovery and political stabilization in Western Europe. It also reinforced the legal concept that economic policy could serve as an instrument of international law and diplomacy. By blending domestic statutory authority with international agreements, the plan set a precedent for how the United States engages in global economic governance.President Donald Trump announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi will step down after serving about 14 months at the Department of Justice. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will assume the role on an acting basis while Bondi transitions out over the next month. Trump praised Bondi's tenure, highlighting reductions in violent crime and calling her service highly successful. Bondi also expressed pride in her role and indicated she will move into a private-sector position while continuing to support the administration's agenda.Her time in office, however, drew bipartisan criticism, particularly over the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which Congress had required to be released. Lawmakers from both parties accused the department of mishandling transparency and failing to fully pursue accountability. Some Republicans voiced frustration with delays in releasing information, while Democrats argued Bondi oversaw unequal treatment in related prosecutions.Bondi also faced scrutiny over political pressure to investigate individuals viewed as opponents of the president, raising concerns about the independence of the Justice Department. Her background included prior service as Florida's attorney general and involvement in Trump's political and legal efforts before her appointment.​​Bondi Out As Attorney General After Contentious Time At DOJ - Law360Trump fires Pam Bondi as US attorney general | ReutersDLA Piper is set to face a rare jury trial in federal court over allegations that it fired a pregnant associate after she requested maternity leave. The lawsuit was brought by Anisha Mehta, who claims she was terminated in 2022 while six months pregnant, shortly after seeking leave. She argues the firm acted to avoid paying her during a period of reduced work and financial pressure.DLA Piper disputes the claims, asserting that Mehta was dismissed for performance issues and did not meet expectations for a senior associate. However, the presiding judge, Analisa Torres, found enough conflicting evidence—such as Mehta's prior bonuses and strong client work—to allow the case to proceed to trial. The claims include violations under federal, state, and New York City anti-discrimination laws, as well as interference and retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act.The case is notable because employment discrimination trials involving large law firms are uncommon, as such disputes are often settled privately. A public trial could expose sensitive internal practices, including evaluation systems and compensation structures.A key legal issue in this case is the protection of employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This law guarantees eligible workers the right to take unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons, including pregnancy, without fear of losing their jobs. Mehta's claim centers on whether the firm unlawfully interfered with that right or retaliated against her for attempting to use it.Law firm DLA Piper faces jury trial over pregnancy bias claims | ReutersA federal judge is scrutinizing President Donald Trump's proposal to build a large “Independence Arch” near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Tanya Chutkan questioned whether the administration has the legal authority to move forward without clear approval from Congress, especially given the scale of the project. The proposed structure, expected to be taller than both the Lincoln Memorial and Paris's Arc de Triomphe, has raised concerns about its impact on a protected historic area.The lawsuit, brought by local residents, seeks to block construction before it begins, arguing that the project could cause irreversible damage to federally protected land. Plaintiffs contend that any major construction on such land requires explicit congressional authorization. The administration, however, argues that Congress previously granted broad authority for structures in that area and delegated oversight to the National Park Service.During the hearing, Judge Chutkan expressed skepticism about whether earlier congressional approvals actually cover a project of this magnitude. She also pressed government lawyers on conflicting signals between official agency statements—describing the project as preliminary—and Trump's public comments suggesting it is moving forward quickly.The judge has not yet ruled on whether to halt the project but is considering an injunction and may require additional disclosures about planning, permits, and contracts. She also asked whether the administration would agree not to proceed without proper approvals.A central legal issue in this case is the separation of powers, particularly Congress's authority over federal land and spending. The dispute turns on whether the executive branch can rely on prior delegations of authority or must obtain new legislative approval for a major project like this.Judge questions Trump plan for ‘Independence Arch' near the National Mall | Reuters This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Chuck Todd delivers a devastating week-by-week timeline of Trump's increasingly incoherent Iran war messaging that reads like a case study in presidential self-entrapment. He reports that military movements on the ground suggest escalation even as Trump's rhetoric promises de-escalation, that Defense Secretary Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before the war began, that Pam Bondi's DOJ has been quietly dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases, and that in the middle of a war, Trump has proposed building a massive skyscraper Trump library in Miami — all while reports emerge that the president is simply getting bored with the conflict. He warns that the second and third-order effects of the war haven't landed yet but will hit hard in the next four to six weeks, that markets look calmer than they should given the geopolitical reality. He also flags that Trump's poll numbers are lower than ever and the political environment is so favorable for Democrats they should win both chambers without even needing redistricting help, and closes with the emergence of a new but manageable COVID variant dubbed "Cicada" — a reminder that we can no longer rely on HHS to provide normal, common-sense public health guidance when the country needs it most. Then, Vanan Murugesan — executive director of Sahan Journal, Minnesota's only nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering immigrants and communities of color — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss a dimension of the local news crisis that rarely gets attention: community news deserts. Murugesan explains that even in Minnesota — a state with relatively strong local news — immigrant stories were consistently missed or covered with biased narratives by mainstream outlets. He draws a vivid analogy: mainstream news organizations are like Target, offering broad coverage for a general audience, while immigrant outlets are specialty stores that reflect the specific realities of their communities. The conversation turns to the business of sustaining community journalism in a fractured media landscape. Murugesan argues that the ideal model is 50 to 70 percent reader-funded through a combination of subscribers and donors, noting that audience size isn't the ultimate goal — who the audience is can matter as much as how large it is. He explains that immigrant newsrooms actually have an advantage because they don't follow the conservative, cautious practices of legacy media — they're willing to experiment with video, social media, and syndication partnerships that allow them to overindex their audience relative to their size. They discuss why local service journalism — helping people navigate schools, immigration processes, and government services — isn't always sexy but is incredibly useful, while insisting that the joyful parts of the immigrant experience need to be better covered alongside the hardship. Finally Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue in the midterm elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15 Trump’s rhetoric over the war is confusing. Keeps saying it’s almost over 02:45 Military movements suggest we’re about to escalate the war 03:15 Trump is trying to balance the war with the markets 04:45 Week 1 Trump tried to project a sense of control, and says war will be short 05:30 In Week 2, Trump proposes something like a Marshall Plan for Iran 06:15 In Week 3, Trump promises that Iran is seeking a deal 07:00 Week 4, Trump proposes a pause on strikes to calm markets 07:45 Now Trump says talks are happening, but also issues threats to infrastructure 08:30 Trump’s social posts are frontrunning the Pentagon briefings 09:15 Trump knows he’s boxed himself in, put himself in impossible situation 10:30 Trump is clearly manipulating the markets with his social posts 11:45 Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before war 13:30 Pam Bondi’s DOJ has been dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases 15:30 During a war, Trump proposes a huge skyscraper Trump library in Miami 17:15 Reports are that Trump is getting bored with the war 18:00 Trump’s poll numbers are lower than ever, Dems should win both houses 19:00 Political environment is so favorable for Dems, they don’t need redistricting 21:00 Markets look calmer than they should considering geopolitical concerns 22:00 2nd & 3rd effects of the war haven’t landed yet 23:30 The effects of the war are likely to hit hard in the next 4-6 weeks 24:30 Trump treated NATO allies terribly, then gets mad they won’t bail him out 25:30 If Trump walks away, he hands Iran more leverage of Strait of Hormuz 26:45 Eventually the markets & traders will have to accept reality 27:30 Trump cares most about his financial allies that pay him personally 29:30 The Gulf states thought they could manipulate Trump, but he’s erratic 30:15 Gulf states are probably having buyer’s remorse 31:30 War is accelerating green energy transition, China set to benefit most 32:45 War has strengthened Russia & China, weakened the United States 34:30 New but manageable COVID variant has emerged, the Cicada variant 36:00 We can’t rely on HHS to give us normal common sense health advice 42:00 Vanan Murugesan (Sahan Journal) joins the Chuck ToddCast 44:00 There are both local news deserts, and community news deserts 45:00 How would you describe the Sahan Journal and its mission? 46:00 Minnesota has great local news, but immigrant stories were missed 48:30 Immigrant media was created to reflect realities of their audience 50:30 Immigrants truly want to understand the place they’re living in 52:00 Mainstream outlets are like Target, immigrant outlets are specialty stores 54:00 How do you decide when a community needs a full time reporter? 55:00 Sahan publishes in English to serve all Minnesotans 57:00 Addressing immigrant issues can uplift the entire community 58:30 Why not publish in multiple languages? Is it a resource issue? 59:30 Sahan added a spanish language version 1:00:30 Insisted on using a spanish speaking human for translations 1:01:30 Digital tools allow for pretty good translation 1:04:30 What works about the nonprofit model? Could you see going for-profit? 1:05:30 Sustainability is the ultimate goal regardless of profit model 1:07:15 Generating revenue from subscribers + donors is the ideal model 1:08:45 Washington Post has become beholden to Jeff Bezos 1:10:45 Ideally, 50-70% reader funded is the business model 1:11:30 Audience size isn’t the ultimate panacea 1:12:30 Who the audience is can matter as much as the size of it 1:14:30 Craigslist destroyed the business model for local newspapers 1:17:00 Newsrooms tend to be conservative and cautious trying new models 1:20:30 Immigrant newsrooms due well to not follow national media practices 1:23:00 Media is fracturing, but the barrier to entry is getting lower 1:25:00 Able to overindex audience by using video & social media 1:26:00 Are you able to syndicate any of your work to other outlets? 1:27:30 Finding stories they can collaborate on with other outlets 1:28:30 Local service journalism isn’t always sexy but is incredibly useful 1:29:30 What type of service journalism do you produce? 1:30:45 The joyful part of the immigrant experience needs to be better covered 1:32:00 Trying to balance what the audience wants with what they need 1:33:45 Celebrating Local News Day on April 9th 1:34:15 Don’t forget Local News Day on April 9th! 1:35:00 ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue 1:36:30 The political environment for Republicans is terrible 1:37:30 May will be the month where we see if Republicans break with Trump 1:38:45 #1 North Carolina 1:40:15 #2 Maine 1:42:15 #3 Ohio 1:45:00 #4 Alaska 1:46:15 #5 Nebraska 1:52:00 Ask Chuck 1:52:15 What is going on with all the alien talk from government officials lately? 1:56:00 Is it possible to play by the old rules when both parties feel fight is existential? 1:59:30 Why don’t journalists more directly call out obvious lies? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd delivers a devastating week-by-week timeline of Trump's increasingly incoherent Iran war messaging that reads like a case study in presidential self-entrapment. He reports that military movements on the ground suggest escalation even as Trump's rhetoric promises de-escalation, that Defense Secretary Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before the war began, that Pam Bondi's DOJ has been quietly dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases, and that in the middle of a war, Trump has proposed building a massive skyscraper Trump library in Miami — all while reports emerge that the president is simply getting bored with the conflict. He warns that the second and third-order effects of the war haven't landed yet but will hit hard in the next four to six weeks, that markets look calmer than they should given the geopolitical reality. He also flags that Trump's poll numbers are lower than ever and the political environment is so favorable for Democrats they should win both chambers without even needing redistricting help, and closes with the emergence of a new but manageable COVID variant dubbed "Cicada" — a reminder that we can no longer rely on HHS to provide normal, common-sense public health guidance when the country needs it most. Finally Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue in the midterm elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15 Trump’s rhetoric over the war is confusing. Keeps saying it’s almost over 02:45 Military movements suggest we’re about to escalate the war 03:15 Trump is trying to balance the war with the markets 04:45 Week 1 Trump tried to project a sense of control, and says war will be short 05:30 In Week 2, Trump proposes something like a Marshall Plan for Iran 06:15 In Week 3, Trump promises that Iran is seeking a deal 07:00 Week 4, Trump proposes a pause on strikes to calm markets 07:45 Now Trump says talks are happening, but also issues threats to infrastructure 08:30 Trump’s social posts are frontrunning the Pentagon briefings 09:15 Trump knows he’s boxed himself in, put himself in impossible situation 10:30 Trump is clearly manipulating the markets with his social posts 11:45 Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before war 13:30 Pam Bondi’s DOJ has been dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases 15:30 During a war, Trump proposes a huge skyscraper Trump library in Miami 17:15 Reports are that Trump is getting bored with the war 18:00 Trump’s poll numbers are lower than ever, Dems should win both houses 19:00 Political environment is so favorable for Dems, they don’t need redistricting 21:00 Markets look calmer than they should considering geopolitical concerns 22:00 2nd & 3rd effects of the war haven’t landed yet 23:30 The effects of the war are likely to hit hard in the next 4-6 weeks 24:30 Trump treated NATO allies terribly, then gets mad they won’t bail him out 25:30 If Trump walks away, he hands Iran more leverage of Strait of Hormuz 26:45 Eventually the markets & traders will have to accept reality 27:30 Trump cares most about his financial allies that pay him personally 29:30 The Gulf states thought they could manipulate Trump, but he’s erratic 30:15 Gulf states are probably having buyer’s remorse 31:30 War is accelerating green energy transition, China set to benefit most 32:45 War has strengthened Russia & China, weakened the United States 34:30 New but manageable COVID variant has emerged, the Cicada variant 36:00 We can’t rely on HHS to give us normal common sense health advice 40:00 Don’t forget Local News Day on April 9th! 40:45 ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue 42:15 The political environment for Republicans is terrible 43:15 May will be the month where we see if Republicans break with Trump 44:30 #1 North Carolina 46:00 #2 Maine 48:00 #3 Ohio 50:45 #4 Alaska 52:00 #5 Nebraska 57:45 Ask Chuck 58:00 What is going on with all the alien talk from government officials lately? 1:01:45 Is it possible to play by the old rules when both parties feel fight is existential? 1:05:15 Why don’t journalists more directly call out obvious lies? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andra världskriget lämnade Europa i ruiner och socialt lamslagen. Städerna var grushögar, infrastrukturen var sönderslagen och de finansiella systemen fungerade inte. När järnvägarna stod stilla, kol saknades och valutor tappade värde blev det rationellt för bönder att hålla inne mat och för fabriker att dra ned eller stänga.Det är här den amerikanska Marshallplanen – officiellt European Recovery Program (ERP) – blir ett av 1900-talets mest avgörande politiska projekt. Den presenterades som hjälp mot hunger och desperation, men var samtidigt en strategisk investering: utan fungerande ekonomier skulle demokratierna vackla och kommunistpartier vinna mark i ett Europa där Sovjetunionens inflytande redan växte.I detta avsnitt av podden Historia Nu Premium samtalar programledaren Urban Lindstedt med Ulf Zander, professor i historia vid Lund universitet. Vill du höra hela avsnittet blir du premium-prenumerant på www.historia.nu/premium.Efter kriget var Europas problem större än de bombade kvarteren. Regeringar tvingades att använda hårdvalutareserver för att överleva, i stället för att investera i återuppbyggnad. Vintern 1946–1947 blev krisen akut. Extrem kyla och energibrist stoppade transporter och produktion. I Washington växte oron för att misären skulle bli politiskt explosiv – särskilt i länder som Frankrike och Italien, där starka kommunistpartier kunde vinna inflytande via val eller gatupolitik. I skärningspunkten mellan ekonomisk kollaps och geopolitisk rädsla fick Marshallplanen sin form.Den 5 juni 1947 höll USA:s utrikesminister George C. Marshall sitt berömda tal vid Harvard. Retoriken var avsiktligt bred: USA:s politik var inte riktad mot ”något land eller någon doktrin” utan mot ”hunger, fattigdom, desperation och kaos”. Marshall krävde klokt nog ett europeiskt initiativ. USA skulle inte rita upp Europas räddningsplan – ”initiativet … måste komma från Europa” – och programmet behövde vara gemensamt, samordnat mellan flera länder. Här fanns ett frö till framtidens Europa: samarbete som förutsättning för hjälp.Den amerikanska kongressen godkände planen genom Economic Cooperation Act (1948 års Foreign Assistance Act), som president Harry S. Truman undertecknade den 3 april 1948. Därmed startade ERP i praktiken, med målet att återställa produktion, handel och stabilitet i Västeuropa – och att skapa politiska villkor där demokratiska institutioner kunde överleva.Totalt förde USA över omkring 13,3 miljarder dollar (i dåtidens värde) i bidrag, lån, varor och tekniskt stöd till västeuropeiska mottagarländer. Det var mycket pengar – men ännu viktigare var hur stödet organiserades och vilka regler som följde med.USA gav ofta inte kontanter rakt in i statsbudgetar. I stället levererades varor (bränsle, spannmål, industrimaskiner) som betalades i lokal valuta av importörer. Den lokala valutan placerades i särskilda fonder som sedan användes – ofta med amerikanskt inflytande – till investeringar, stabiliseringsåtgärder och modernisering.Effekten blev dubbel:Akuta flaskhalsar löstes (kol, transporter, reservdelar).Reformer blev politiskt möjliga, eftersom länder kunde undvika tvärbromsningar och sociala sammanbrott när valutor stabiliserades och produktionen kom i gång.Musik: Scherzot (II. Molto vivace) ur Ludwig van Beethovens Symfoni nr 9, inspelat 1956 med Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra och Pro Musica-Choir under Jascha Horenstein. Inspelning: Jascha Horenstein m.fl. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.Bild: Byggarbete i Västberlin efter 1948, där en skylt anger: ”Emergency Program Berlin – with the help of the Marshall Plan”, som vittnar om USA:s ekonomiska stöd till återuppbyggnaden i det kalla krigets inledning. Foto: St.Krekeler. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CBD is joined by Buck Throckmorton (the EV industry’s worst nightmare)… we discuss how the template of the Marshall Plan and “You Break It You Bought It” has been discredited by President Trump, Mexico is a flashpoint or an opportunity, more EV debacles, should we reserve employment for US citizens only, and more!

Please take 5 minutes to fill out Ark Media's LISTENER SURVEY___________________________________Prime Minister Netanyahu's meeting with President Trump ended without any clear declaration about simmering tensions with Iran, so Ark Media contributor Nadav Eyal joins Dan to try to read between the lines. What did Netanyahu hope to achieve? Does anyone know Trump's plan? Is an attack on Iran still on the table and did Netanyahu move the needle? Could the talks with Iran be just a head fake?In this episode:- What Netanyahu asked for in Washington- Why Israeli officials think the Iran talks may be “dead on arrival”- U.S. military buildup and strike contingencies- Why Trump's Iran policy is not about Israel — and never has been- The China factor: oil, energy, and Cold War II-  Will Israel participate in a strike?- The Board of Peace and a potential Marshall Plan for Gaza- Why Hamas will only disarm under credible threatMore Ark Media:Subscribe to Inside Call me BackExplore Israel VotesListen to For Heaven's SakeListen to What's Your Number?Watch Call me Back on YouTubeNewsletters | Ark Media | Amit Segal | Nadav EyalInstagram | Ark Media | DanX | DanDan Senor & Saul Singer's book, The Genius of IsraelGet in touchCredits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo 

Thanks for your support! We couldn't do this without you. For more content, early access and the chance to put questions to future guests, join our community on Substack HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/winstonmarshallIn this episode of The Winston Marshall Show, I sit down with historian and peer Lord Andrew Roberts for a sweeping conversation on Britain after 1945, the defeat of Churchill, and the post-war settlement that shaped the modern world.We begin with why Winston Churchill lost the 1945 general election, despite winning the war, and how promises of state provision, nationalisation, and the Beveridge Report reshaped British politics. Lord Roberts explains how wartime socialism, propaganda, and unrealistic expectations laid the foundations for decades of economic stagnation.The discussion explores Britain's post-war decline, austerity, debt, and the illusion of prosperity created by Lend-Lease, Marshall Plan aid, and Keynesian economics. We examine why Germany and Japan rebuilt faster than Britain, how trade unions and high taxation crippled growth, and why successive governments chose to manage decline rather than confront it.We also discuss immigration, the welfare state, deindustrialisation, and how the failures of the 1945 settlement echo through Brexit, Trump, globalisation, and the collapse of the rules-based international order. Lord Roberts reflects on NATO, the United Nations, American power, and why the West now faces a historic turning point.A wide-ranging and authoritative conversation about history, power, leadership, and whether Britain can rediscover the courage to reverse its long decline.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------WATCH EXTENDED CONVERSATION HERE: https://open.substack.com/pub/winstonmarshall/p/why-winston-churchill-lost-the-1945?r=18lfab&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Substack: https://www.winstonmarshall.co.uk/X: https://twitter.com/mrwinmarshallInsta: https://www.instagram.com/winstonmarshallLinktree: https://linktr.ee/winstonmarshall----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapters 00:00 Introduction 02:23 Why did Churchill lose the 1945 Election05:00 Appeasement, Blame & the Conservative Collapse06:34 The Beveridge Report & the Dream of a New Jerusalem10:51 War Socialism, Lend-Lease & National Delusion12:36 Bankruptcy, Austerity & Britain's Financial Reality14:28 Why Germany & Japan Recovered Faster17:24 Keynes, American Loans & Avoiding Collapse22:23 The Marshall Plan & Stopping European Communism24:09 Learning the Wrong Lessons from Victory28:04 Trade Unions, Inflation & the Road to the 1970s33:24 Immigration After the War & Changing Britain39:35 Corelli Barnett & Britain's Long Economic Decline54:43 The Revolt Against the 1945 Settlement1:07:43 Leadership, Thatcher & Britain's Future Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mario Bros. is the biggest franchise of all time. Bigger than Star Wars, Marvel… bigger than Harry Potter. Nintendo is an empire. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get into today’s episode, a word from our sponsor, which is… Well, it’s us, but we’re highlighting ads we’ve written and produced for our clients. So here’s one of those. [Travis Crawford Ad] Dave Young: Welcome back to the Empire Builders Podcast. Dave Young here with you, and Stephen Semple’s alongside, with another empire-building story for us that- Stephen Semple: An exciting story. Dave Young: It’ll take you back to childhood, but it doesn’t take me back to childhood because I’m too goddamned old. Stephen Semple: Well, it depends how you look at this, this might be- Dave Young: No, I suppose. I suppose the company [inaudible 00:01:55]. Stephen Semple: It might be older than your childhood, but depends what we decide to talk about. Dave Young: Yeah, it’s just like when the big games came out, the… So we’re talking about Nintendo today. Stephen Semple: Correct. Correct. Dave Young: And I had Atari and things like that. And my kids all had the Nintendo. I actually have a Nintendo Switch, but I didn’t get that until I was… Stephen Semple: It also originally started as an arcade game, if we go back, because we are going to go back far enough. Dave Young: Well, that’s true. That’s true. Stephen Semple: Yes, yes. But if we actually went back to the company, Nintendo, we would be going back to 1889. Dave Young: Okay. So not so much my childhood. There you go. Stephen Semple: 1889. Yeah. And we’re really not going to talk so much about the origin and Nintendo as a company, but really, the origin of the video game business, and more specifically Donkey Kong, and went on later to become the Mario Brothers franchise. That’s really what we’re going to talk about. Dave Young: Now, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Now, I don’t know everything, but I’m pretty sure video wasn’t around in 1889. Stephen Semple: It was not. Dave Young: There was no video games. Stephen Semple: No, there was not. So that’s why we’re really going to be talking about more of the recent history of Nintendo. Dave Young: A real Donkey Kong, climbing ladders and throwing barrels. Stephen Semple: Okay. That’s it. That’s it. Dave Young: Or a monkey, a gorilla. Yeah. Stephen Semple: And here’s the thing, the Mario Brothers franchise is huge. It’s one of the biggest franchises in history. There’s been 800 million video games sold worldwide, making it the bestselling video game of all time. It’s bigger than Pokemon in game sales alone. The estimated lifetime sales across all revenues for the Mario Brothers franchise is $60 billion. Bigger than Star Wars, bigger than Harry Potter, bigger than Marvel. Dave Young: Wow. Stephen Semple: The movies alone sold over a billion dollars. There’s theme park now. It’s huge. It’s absolutely massive. And the Nintendo company is very old. It was founded back in Kyoto, Japan in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi. That’s it, Yamauchi. Dave Young: Oh. Stephen Semple: Boy, I’m going to struggle with these names. Dave Young: What were they doing back then? What was the company doing? Stephen Semple: The first product they did was a playing card called Hanafuda, and it was very, very successful. So they actually started- Dave Young: As a gaming company. Stephen Semple: … in game business doing playing cards. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: Now, during the 1950s, during Japan’s economic recovery, because if you remember, the economy was decimated in World War II, and through the Marshall Plan and whatnot, there was this rebuild going on. And during that time, they had a new leader, Hiroshi Yamauchi, who decided to explore all sorts of new businesses. He was doing all sorts of stuff. They had taxis, they had love hotels. Yes, you heard it right, love hotels. Dave Young: Love hotels. Stephen Semple: Instant rice, and of course, toys. And most of the things they did failed, except toys held a promise, so they continued to lean into toys. So it’s April 1978, so this is basically really where our story starts, and Taito, a competitor, releases a game called Space Invaders. Dave Young: Oh, right. I remember Space Invaders. Sure. Stephen Semple: Remember Space Invaders? And of course, this is back in the day of arcades, and you’re putting money into the games. This is so big in Japan, there’s 100 yen shortage. It would be like being in the U.S., and we run out of quarters. Dave Young: Right. Stephen Semple: It’s so big. So Nintendo, because it’s having some success in the game space, decides to make a knockoff of Space Invaders. So it’s October 1980, they create this knockoff called Radar Scope, and they decide also to ship it to the U.S., because they’ve started up a U.S. division. And it takes four months for the game to travel from Japan to the United States, and once it arrives, the trend has changed, it’s no longer Space Invaders, it’s now Pac-Man is the big game. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So they’re left with these 2,000 unsold cabinets sitting in the United States. Enter Shigeru Miyamoto, who’s a graphic designer with Nintendo, and he has an idea, and he says to them, “Look, let’s reuse the cabinets, and let’s just create a new game. Let’s do that.” And it’s like, “What the heck? Let’s give this a try.” So Shigeru grew up in rural Japan, and this deeply influenced how he looked at games, because he grew up in a place where there was no television, none of these things, and he would go and he would play in like a cave that was nearby, and he would create all of these stories and characters. And this is the ’80s where the games do not have characters or a story. Dave Young: Okay. Yeah. Stephen Semple: They didn’t have that. Dave Young: Space Invader, you’re just knocking down… Stephen Semple: Right. Pac-Man, the same thing, there was no story. Pong, all that stuff, no stories. He takes a look around and he realizes that Nintendo has the rights to use Popeye, so Shigeru makes a suggestion to create a game using Popeye, where they already have the rights, and he moves ahead and does that. And so he also decides to make a game where characters move up rather than scrolling left to right, and there’d be different levels, which was also a relatively new idea. And he created this whole thing where they could jump, and using just a joystick in the buttons that already existed. So they started to create this game, but they hit a snag. Just before the release, they discovered Nintendo only had the rights to use Popeye for playing cards. Dave Young: For playing cards. Darn it. Stephen Semple: Now, turns out this was a gift from heaven, and the best thing that could ever happen in Nintendo. Dave Young: So it would’ve been Bluto up at the top, and Popeye trying to get up there, climbing the ladders and- Stephen Semple: And saving- Dave Young: So sort of a nautical theme? Stephen Semple: And saving olive oil. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: Because remember, he would always capture olive oil. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And Popeye was this love triangle, right? Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: So what does Shigeru do? Replaces- Dave Young: Bluto becomes- Stephen Semple: … with- Dave Young: … the gorilla. Stephen Semple: Right. Popeye becomes Mario. Dave Young: Yeah. Stephen Semple: And olive oil is Princess Peach. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: It’s the same story. Dave Young: Yeah. Beautiful. Stephen Semple: It’s exactly the same story. And if you think about it, even the whole idea of this gorilla capturing the princess kind of sounds like King Kong, doesn’t it? Dave Young: A little bit. Sure. Stephen Semple: A little bit. And of course, they can’t use the name King Kong, so it’s Donkey Kong. And the reason why Donkey Kong is, he went looking through English dictionaries, and there’s all this stubbornness, and all this other things that go along with it. So we went, “You know what? This monkey, this Kong is kind of stubborn.” So Donkey Kong is the name of the game. Dave Young: Did they run into any issues with the King Kong folks? Stephen Semple: Nope. Dave Young: No? Stephen Semple: No, because you think about it, it’s a completely different name, Donkey Kong, right? Dave Young: Yeah, but it’s still a big gorilla with the word Kong in it. Stephen Semple: Yeah. Nope, no. It was different enough. Dave Young: [inaudible 00:09:14] just because it’s stubborn, and it sort of went with the word Kong? Stephen Semple: Yep. So it was different enough. It was all great. And the original character was not Mario. Dave Young: Stay tuned. We’re going to wrap up this story and tell you how to apply this lesson to your business right after this. [Using Stories To Sell Ad] Let’s pick up our story where we left off, and trust me, you haven’t missed a thing. Stephen Semple: And the original character was not Mario. The original character was Jumpman. Jumpman. Dave Young: I kind of remember that. Stephen Semple: Jumpman. And the game allowed them to reuse the cabinets, and just do it. And think about it, the objective of this, because he was also just a very junior graphic designer, and the objective on this was, “Hey, if we can sell these 2,000 unsold cabinets sitting in the U.S., that’ll take the financial strain off of our U.S. operations, and it will be great, it will keep them afloat.” And here’s what happened, they sold in 1981 alone 60,000 cabinets. Dave Young: I tell you, I poured a lot of money into one of those cabinets when I was in college. Stephen Semple: So Shigeru goes from this low-level designer to the creator of one of the best performing games up to that point. And one of the things that also ends up happening, he starts making modifications to the game. And one of the modifications is, he’s walking one day, and he sees these pipes, and he realizes character should be a plumber, and the landlord for one of the Nintendo properties’ name was Mario. Dave Young: Okay. Stephen Semple: So that’s where the whole idea of Mario came from, and eventually evolved to being brothers, Mario and Luigi. And of course, there was continuing success, and other formats and differing games. And Mario Brothers grew beyond Donkey Kong, it went from Donkey Kong to really the franchise being the Mario Brothers, with all sorts of new characters being added, and all sorts of new themes, like there’s go-kart racing and all sorts of different things. But the birth of the idea happened when they had this problem of, “We’ve got to have these cabinets…” And Shigeru saying- Dave Young: “And we either have to make a whole bunch of Popeye playing cards, or we have to find something to put in these cabinets.” Stephen Semple: “We have to find something to put in these cabinets.” And Shigeru saying, “It needs to be a story.” Dave Young: Yeah. No, that’s brilliant. And I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out to our listeners here in the U.S. that Steve is Canadian, and he pronounces it Mario, and everybody I’ve ever met says Mario. Stephen Semple: Mario. Dave Young: Mario. It’s Mario Brothers. Stephen Semple: Mario. Dave Young: It’s sort of like you say Mazda, we say Mazda. Stephen Semple: Right. Yes. Yes. Dave Young: So- Stephen Semple: Yeah, that’s true. Dave Young: Here’s a weird tangential thought. Do you have a minute for one of my weird tangential thoughts? Stephen Semple: Isn’t that why we’re here? Just for your weird tangential… Isn’t what we tune in for? Dave Young: That’s the way I look at it. I wonder if the guy that shot the UnitedHealthcare… Luigi, I wonder if there was a little bump in Nintendo stock. Stephen Semple: Oh, I wonder. Dave Young: And I wonder too, what was the discussion inside Nintendo about that? At first it was probably, “Oh my God, a guy named Luigi just shot someone.” And that was probably, “Oh my God, a guy named Luigi just shot someone that… Okay.” It’s not cut and dry. Stephen Semple: Well, it isn’t, because sometimes these negative events actually have positive impacts on sales. The one that I always remember that always comes to mind, I always find bizarre, is the white two-door Ford Bronco was due to be discontinued until O.J. Simpson went and did a joyride on LA freeways, and it actually extended the sales of that vehicle several years. And to this day, the white two-door Ford Bronco is a premium price from that year. Dave Young: Yeah- Stephen Semple: It’s nuts. Sometimes these crazy things happen. Dave Young: I don’t know if it was a joyride, but yeah. But we remember it, for sure. Stephen Semple: But we remember it. But- Dave Young: And those things have these impacts that you couldn’t buy that. There’s nothing Ford Motor Company could do that would’ve done that, that would’ve saved the Bronco. Stephen Semple: So here’s the interesting thing, coming back to Nintendo, that I find… So one of the influences it had was it was the first game that came along and basically said, “We should have a story.” And if we take a look at video games today, they’re all very heavy story based. And in fact, the stories are unbelievably rich, like Zelda, and all these other ones are these very complex universes that have been created. And he was kind of the first to come along, and his influence from that came from the fact that he didn’t grow up with these things. Dave Young: Yeah, he grew up with stories. Stephen Semple: So again, it’s this whole outside… We had this graphic designer that didn’t grow up with these things saying to a game, “Here’s what it should do. It should have this story, and there should be this imagination.” And all these things. And when you think about it, there was a couple of accidents, a couple of lucky happenstances that led to the birth of this. First of all, the console. Because if you think about it, if it was the creating of a brand new game, you wouldn’t take some junior graphic artist and put on it. The objective was, “All we need to do is move these 2,000 consoles.” So it was like, “Okay, so we’ll give it to the junior guy to do.” And then it blows out of the water. The other lucky happenstance is, think about how Nintendo’s fortunes would be completely different if they actually had the rights to use Popeye. Dave Young: Yeah, it would have been, like, Mario Brothers, that whole universe would never have come about, and- Stephen Semple: Well, the whole universe would be Popeye Universe, even if it worked. Dave Young: And I can’t see that happening. Stephen Semple: Right. But even if it worked, it would not have been theirs, it would have been- Dave Young: Oh, true. Stephen Semple: The people who would have made all the money were the owners of the Popeye license, would have been a licensee. Dave Young: Yeah, that’s true. Stephen Semple: So they had a couple of really lucky, fortunate things that happened that totally changed the trajectory of Nintendo. But here’s the other interesting lesson, and look, we talk about this all the time in storytelling, is there’s a couple of things you can do in storytelling. One is, you can take an existing story and just change the characters. We just took Popeye, changed as Donkey Kong. And what you know is, we knew that story worked, so it’ll work over here with different characters. Or what you can do is, you can take existing characters, and you can change the setting. In magical worlds, you’re always talking about how Sherlock Holmes, and- Dave Young: House M.D. Stephen Semple: … House M.D. is the same story. Dave Young: Sure. Stephen Semple: It’s just one is a detective during Elizabethan times, and the other one is an emergency room doctor in modern times. Same character, different setting, changes the story. Dave Young: Right. Stephen Semple: So when you’re looking to use stories, find ones that work, and do that. Dave Young: Find the popular stories and just take the framework. And I’ll give you another example- Stephen Semple: Right. Either change the characters, make it same story with different characters, or take the characters and put them in a different setting. Dave Young: … there’s a book called the Bible that had this story about this Jesus fella. Stephen Semple: I think it’s rather a relatively popular book. Dave Young: And then in 1605, a guy named Miguel Cervantes wrote a book called Don Quixote, and he took a lot of the storylines and metaphors from this story in the Bible and created a book that became the second bestselling book of all time right after the Bible. Then a guy named John Steinbeck took a lot of the stories from Don Quixote, and renamed characters, and put them in different situations, but took the structures of the stories, and… So this works. Just do this. Stephen Semple: Oh, yeah. Dave Young: Just find a story you like- Stephen Semple: Absolutely. Dave Young: … and take the [inaudible 00:17:59]. Stephen Semple: Reimagine it. Reimagine it. Reimagine it. Either change it, keep the same story and change characters, or take the characters and put them in a new setting. Dave Young: I mean, the cool thing is, you can’t copyright a story arc, right? Stephen Semple: No, no. Dave Young: Something bad happens to someone and they overcome it. “Okay, no, that’s mine.” Stephen Semple: I’m still waiting for the overcome part. Dave Young: Yeah. Right? Stephen Semple: Yeah. Dave Young: That’s still the part of the story. Oh, I love it. Stephen Semple: I just found these things that came together for the creating of the Mario Brothers to be really interesting. And it’s also interesting when you consider who was expected to be the star of the show was the donkey, and it ended up becoming the Mario Brothers. Dave Young: Yeah. Great story. And I see it. Thank you for switching to English. American English. I’m sorry. Stephen Semple: American. Dave Young: [inaudible 00:18:54]. Stephen Semple: All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: Where can we go play some Donkey Kong next time? Stephen Semple: Well- Dave Young: Anybody got an old Donkey Kong console? Stephen Semple: Yeah. You know what? My kids have got some old play stuff, I’ll bring it down. Dave Young: No, I want the console. I want the big- Stephen Semple: Oh, you want that… Well, I think we may have to look hard for that. Dave Young: Yeah, that’s good. Well, keep your eyes out. Stephen Semple: I will. Dave Young: Thanks for the story of Nintendo, Stephen. Stephen Semple: All right. Thanks, David. Dave Young: Thanks for listening to the podcast. Please share us. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and leave us a big, fat, juicy five-star rating and review at Apple Podcasts. And if you’d like to schedule your own 90-minute empire-building session, you can do it at empirebuildingprogram.com.

Today, Jess, Les, Andrew, and Joshua take a step back from the headlines for a Fun Friday roundtable on the best and worst American foreign policy decisions, inspired by a recent Council on Foreign Relations article drawing on conversations with the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. From the Marshall Plan and Bretton Woods to PEPFAR and the peaceful end of the Cold War in Europe, the team reflects on moments when U.S. leadership, economic power, and long-term thinking paid real dividends.What separates foreign policy successes from failures? Why do some hard-power decisions look effective at first but unravel over time? And as the U.S. looks ahead, what should decision-makers keep firmly in mind before reaching for any one instrument of power?Check out the article that helped shape our Fellows' discussion: https://www.cfr.org/ten-best-ten-worst-us-foreign-policy-decisions/?utm_source=newsrelease&utm_campaign=best-worst-2026&utm_medium=email&utm_term=PressCFR%20-%20Including%20Members%20and%20Staff @NotTVJessJones@lestermunson@AndrewBorene@joshuachuminskiLike what we're doing here? Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe. And don't forget to follow @faultlines_pod and @masonnatsec on Twitter!We are also on YouTube, and watch today's episode here: https://youtu.be/FR_W1-fpr5o Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US-Präsident Donald Trump warb gerne mit dem Slogan „Make Amerika Great Again“. Aber wer kennt schon „Making Europe Great Again“? Das anstehende Investitionsprogramm Europas übertrifft den Marshallplan nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg und erreich damit historische Dimensionen. Genau auf die Profiteure der Mission, Europa wieder nach vorne zu bringen setzt ein relativ junges Produkt, der HANetf Making Europe Great Again UCITS ETF (WKN: A3EB32). So können Anleger hierüber gezielt auf führende Unternehmen aus jenen Branchen setzen, die Europa zukunftsfähig machen sollen. In diesem Interview sprechen wir mit David Lump, der bei HANetf für den Vertrieb im deutschsprachigen Raum zuständig ist. Es geht um die Möglichkeit, mit einem ETF direkt vom „Marshallplan 2.0“ Profit zu schlagen. ++++++++ Mehr Überblick, bessere Entscheidungen, weniger Aufwand: Der extraETF Portfolio Tracker bietet dir maximale Übersicht über all deine Depots, smarte Analysen deiner Assets und eine einfache Optimierung deiner Anlagestrategie – zum BESTPREIS. Denn zum Start ins neue Börsenjahr profitieren Neukunden von einem exklusiven Angebot: Mit dem Code: 2026 bekommst du 30 % Rabatt auf alle Portfolio Tracker Jahresabos (Investor und Expert). Nur bis 31.01.2026 gültig. Jetzt Code: 2026 einlösen! https://go.extraetf.com/portfoliotracker ++++++++

Liberty Dispatch ~ January 10, 2026In this episode of Liberty Dispatch, host Matthew Hallick breaks down the recent American strike on Venezuela and the subsequent extradition of President Nicolás Maduro.Is it unprecedented? Is it a violation of “International law”? Or is it congruent with longstanding American foreign policy dating back over a century? What does it mean for geopolitics? Are we entering a New Cold War? And… what does it all mean for Canada? For full access to all our content, including the extended interviews, become a paid subscriber at: https://ldcanada.substack.com. Opening & Intro (00:00–00:44)Welcome & Introduction (00:44–01:49)AD: Rocklinc Investment Partners (01:49–02:59)– Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462;Segment 1 - NEWS: American Military Action in Venezuela (02:59–05:23):Segment 2 - The World’s Response (05:23–12:20):Segment 3 - Longstanding American Foreign Policy vs. International Law (12:20–27:10):AD: Bull Bitcoin (27:10–28:47)– https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch;Segment 4 - The “Pax Americana,” The Marshall Plan & Foreign Policy Hypocrisy (28:47–44:22):Segment 5 - Venezuela: A Failed Narco-State, Corruptocracy is a Threat to U.S. Security (44:22–51:30):Segment 6 - A New World Order (51:30–56:00):Segment 7 - The Canadian Implications (56:00–57:45):Conclusion: A New Cold War (57:45 –01:02:21)Outro (01:02:21–01:02:56)Source Citations:AP News: “Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela…”: https://apnews.com/article/e62f2c0d48bd3214529960c6edf6e753?utm_source=chatgpt.com The Guardian: UN condemnation of U.S. action: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/05/un-security-council-trump-attack-venezuela?utm_source=chatgpt.com Washington Post: Senate advances bill to restrict military action: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/08/senate-venezuela-war-powers-trump/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Time (Reuters/AP): U.S. seizes Venezuelan oil tankers: https://time.com/7344992/oil-tanker-venezuela/?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Monroe Doctrine (1823): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/monroe-doctrine?utm_source=chatgpt.com State Dept — Roosevelt Corollary: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/roosevelt-corollary?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Marshall Plan: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com NATO — Founding Treaty: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm Reuters — Trump warns BRICS nations on tariffs: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-warns-brics-nations-could-face-100-tariffs-2025-02-13/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Government of Canada — Oil sands overview: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/oil-sands/18085 Government of Canada — LNG facts: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/liquefied-natural-gas/5859 EIA — Canada–U.S. Energy Trade: https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/CAN Fraser Institute — Barriers to Canadian energy development: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/barriers-to-oil-and-gas-investment-in-canadaSHOW SPONSORS:New Sponsor! Genesis Gold Group: https://bibleandgold.com; Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462; Diversify Your Money with Bull Bitcoin: https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch; BarterPay: https://barterpay.ca/; Barter It: https://www.barterit.ca/; Get freedom from Censorious CRMS by signing up for SalesNexus: https://www.salesnexus.com/; SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SHOWS/CHANNELS:LIBERTY DISPATCH PODCAST:https://libertydispatch.podbean.com;https://rumble.com/LDshow; CONTACT US: libertydispatch@pm.me STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALL THINGS LD:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberty_dispatch/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyDispatchCanada; X: @LDCanada - https://x.com/_LDCanada; Rumble: https://rumble.com/LDshow; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@libertydispatch Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, RATE, & REVIEW, and SHARE it with others!

Liberty Dispatch ~ January 10, 2026 In this episode of Liberty Dispatch, host Matthew Hallick breaks down the recent American strike on Venezuela and the subsequent extradition of President Nicolás Maduro. Is it unprecedented? Is it a violation of “International law”? Or is it congruent with longstanding American foreign policy dating back over a century? What does it mean for geopolitics? Are we entering a New Cold War? And… what does it all mean for Canada? For full access to all our content, including the extended interviews, become a paid subscriber at: https://ldcanada.substack.com. Opening & Intro (00:00–00:44) Welcome & Introduction (00:44–01:49) AD: Rocklinc Investment Partners (01:49–02:59)– Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462; Segment 1 - NEWS: American Military Action in Venezuela (02:59–05:23): Segment 2 - The World's Response (05:23–12:20): Segment 3 - Longstanding American Foreign Policy vs. International Law (12:20–27:10): AD: Bull Bitcoin (27:10–28:47)– https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch; Segment 4 - The “Pax Americana,” The Marshall Plan & Foreign Policy Hypocrisy (28:47–44:22): Segment 5 - Venezuela: A Failed Narco-State, Corruptocracy is a Threat to U.S. Security (44:22–51:30): Segment 6 - A New World Order (51:30–56:00): Segment 7 - The Canadian Implications (56:00–57:45): Conclusion: A New Cold War (57:45 –01:02:21) Outro (01:02:21–01:02:56) Source Citations: AP News: “Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela…”: https://apnews.com/article/e62f2c0d48bd3214529960c6edf6e753?utm_source=chatgpt.com The Guardian: UN condemnation of U.S. action: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/05/un-security-council-trump-attack-venezuela?utm_source=chatgpt.com Washington Post: Senate advances bill to restrict military action: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/08/senate-venezuela-war-powers-trump/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Time (Reuters/AP): U.S. seizes Venezuelan oil tankers: https://time.com/7344992/oil-tanker-venezuela/?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Monroe Doctrine (1823): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/monroe-doctrine?utm_source=chatgpt.com State Dept — Roosevelt Corollary: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/roosevelt-corollary?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Marshall Plan: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com NATO — Founding Treaty: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm Reuters — Trump warns BRICS nations on tariffs: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-warns-brics-nations-could-face-100-tariffs-2025-02-13/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Government of Canada — Oil sands overview: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/oil-sands/18085 Government of Canada — LNG facts: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/liquefied-natural-gas/5859 EIA — Canada–U.S. Energy Trade: https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/CAN Fraser Institute — Barriers to Canadian energy development: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/barriers-to-oil-and-gas-investment-in-canada United Nations Charter: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/full-text; SHOW SPONSORS: New Sponsor! Genesis Gold Group: https://bibleandgold.com; Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462; Diversify Your Money with Bull Bitcoin: https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch; BarterPay: https://barterpay.ca/; Barter It: https://www.barterit.ca/; Get freedom from Censorious CRMS by signing up for SalesNexus: https://www.salesnexus.com/; SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SHOWS/CHANNELS: LIBERTY DISPATCH PODCAST: https://libertydispatch.podbean.com; https://rumble.com/LDshow; CONTACT US: libertydispatch@pm.me STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALL THINGS LD: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberty_dispatch/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyDispatchCanada; X: @LDCanada - https://x.com/_LDCanada; Rumble: https://rumble.com/LDshow; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@libertydispatch Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, RATE, & REVIEW, and SHARE it with others!

Liberty Dispatch ~ January 10, 2026In this episode of Liberty Dispatch, host Matthew Hallick breaks down the recent American strike on Venezuela and the subsequent extradition of President Nicolás Maduro.Is it unprecedented? Is it a violation of “International law”? Or is it congruent with longstanding American foreign policy dating back over a century? What does it mean for geopolitics? Are we entering a New Cold War? And… what does it all mean for Canada? For full access to all our content, including the extended interviews, become a paid subscriber at: https://ldcanada.substack.com. Opening & Intro (00:00–00:44)Welcome & Introduction (00:44–01:49)AD: Rocklinc Investment Partners (01:49–02:59)– Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462;Segment 1 - NEWS: American Military Action in Venezuela (02:59–05:23):Segment 2 - The World’s Response (05:23–12:20):Segment 3 - Longstanding American Foreign Policy vs. International Law (12:20–27:10):AD: Bull Bitcoin (27:10–28:47)– https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch;Segment 4 - The “Pax Americana,” The Marshall Plan & Foreign Policy Hypocrisy (28:47–44:22):Segment 5 - Venezuela: A Failed Narco-State, Corruptocracy is a Threat to U.S. Security (44:22–51:30):Segment 6 - A New World Order (51:30–56:00):Segment 7 - The Canadian Implications (56:00–57:45):Conclusion: A New Cold War (57:45 –01:02:21)Outro (01:02:21–01:02:56)Source Citations:AP News: “Trump says U.S. will run Venezuela…”: https://apnews.com/article/e62f2c0d48bd3214529960c6edf6e753?utm_source=chatgpt.com The Guardian: UN condemnation of U.S. action: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/05/un-security-council-trump-attack-venezuela?utm_source=chatgpt.com Washington Post: Senate advances bill to restrict military action: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/08/senate-venezuela-war-powers-trump/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Time (Reuters/AP): U.S. seizes Venezuelan oil tankers: https://time.com/7344992/oil-tanker-venezuela/?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Monroe Doctrine (1823): https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/monroe-doctrine?utm_source=chatgpt.com State Dept — Roosevelt Corollary: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/roosevelt-corollary?utm_source=chatgpt.com National Archives — Marshall Plan: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marshall-plan?utm_source=chatgpt.com NATO — Founding Treaty: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_17120.htm Reuters — Trump warns BRICS nations on tariffs: https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-warns-brics-nations-could-face-100-tariffs-2025-02-13/?utm_source=chatgpt.com Government of Canada — Oil sands overview: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/oil-sands/18085 Government of Canada — LNG facts: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/liquefied-natural-gas/5859 EIA — Canada–U.S. Energy Trade: https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/CAN Fraser Institute — Barriers to Canadian energy development: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/barriers-to-oil-and-gas-investment-in-canadaSHOW SPONSORS:New Sponsor! Genesis Gold Group: https://bibleandgold.com; Invest with Rocklinc: info@rocklinc.com or call them at 905-631-5462; Diversify Your Money with Bull Bitcoin: https://mission.bullbitcoin.com/dispatch; BarterPay: https://barterpay.ca/; Barter It: https://www.barterit.ca/; Get freedom from Censorious CRMS by signing up for SalesNexus: https://www.salesnexus.com/; SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SHOWS/CHANNELS:LIBERTY DISPATCH PODCAST:https://libertydispatch.podbean.com;https://rumble.com/LDshow; CONTACT US: libertydispatch@pm.me STAY UP-TO-DATE ON ALL THINGS LD:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liberty_dispatch/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyDispatchCanada; X: @LDCanada - https://x.com/_LDCanada; Rumble: https://rumble.com/LDshow; YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@libertydispatch Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, RATE, & REVIEW, and SHARE it with others!

Episode Summary:In this episode of Explaining History, Nick explores the escalating crisis that threatens to destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). With Donald Trump eyeing Greenland as a territorial acquisition and European leaders issuing a rare, unified rebuke, the alliance forged in 1949 to contain Soviet power is facing its greatest existential threat.We delve into the history of NATO—from the Berlin Airlift and the Truman Doctrine to its expansion after the Cold War. How did an alliance built on the principle of "an attack on one is an attack on all" crumble into transactionalism? Nick argues that Trump doesn't see a Pax Americana; he sees a world of rival great powers where alliances are liabilities unless they pay cash.If the US moves against Danish sovereign territory, can NATO survive? And what does this mean for Vladimir Putin, who may be watching the disintegration of his greatest enemy with glee?Plus: Big announcements! We are launching on Patreon for ad-free listening, and tickets are now live for our Russian Revolution Masterclass on January 26th.Key Topics:The Greenland Crisis: European leaders draw a line in the sand over Danish sovereignty.The Origins of NATO: How the Berlin Blockade and the Marshall Plan built the Western alliance.Trump vs. The Alliance: Why the "America First" doctrine views NATO as a bad deal.A European Defense Force? What happens to European security if the US pulls out?Books Mentioned:The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis (contextual reference)Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Durven dromen, plannen, investeren. Eigenlijk wil Peter Wennink van ons land één groot PPS-project maken: publiek-private samenwerking. Het doet denken aan 50 jaar geleden, toen op 1 december 1975 Wim Leeman de eerste sleutel kreeg van een groepje tijdelijke houten huizen, het Bivak, in het nieuwe Almere. Nederland bouwde een nieuwe stad op drooggelegde zeebodem. Een nieuwe omgeving in een nieuw landschap in een nieuw land. Letterlijk een poldermodel. Nu, 50 jaar later, wil Rob Jetten maar liefst tien nieuwe steden, Henri Bontenbal overal 'een wijkje erbij' en Wennink wil het hele land op de schop nemen. Lukt dat? En wat leren zij, wij en u van Almere? Jaap Jansen en PG Kroeger nemen u mee naar de toekomst van gisteren en de noodzaak, uitdaging en inspiratie om in het komende nieuwe jaar weer vooruit te durven kijken. *** Deze aflevering is mede mogelijk gemaakt met donaties van luisteraars die we hiervoor hartelijk danken. Word ook vriend van de show! Heb je belangstelling om in onze podcast te adverteren of ons te sponsoren? Zend ons een mailtje en wij zoeken contact. *** In de jaren van wederopbouw en woningnood vonden de grote politieke families elkaar in een maatschappelijk ideaal waarin beginselen als 'volksverheffing', 'eigen verantwoordelijkheid', 'bezitsvorming' en 'zelfstandig leven' tot uitdrukking kwamen. Toen de ergste nood gelenigd was, ontstond de ambitie van een herontwerp naar een modern, welvarend en geëmancipeerd land. Grote projecten en nieuwe locaties als de Maasvlakte, de Bijlmermeer, Zoetermeer, Nieuwegein en Purmerend werden aangepakt. Daar hoorde Almere bij, ‘de zuidweststad’ in de nieuwste polder. Het begon met een nostalgisch imitatie-Hanzestadje en een ontwerp van een verzameling losse kernen, à la Los Angeles. Maar dat concept veranderde allengs tot een meer urbaan geheel. Almere groeide naar 100.000 bewoners in 1995, meer dan 232.000 inwoners nu en tijdens het kabinet-Balkenende IV werd zelfs gedacht aan expansie naar 350.000 in 2030. Maar het deels verkrotte Amsterdam herleefde en werd een onverwachte concurrent voor de nieuwe stad. Almere 'verzoetermeerde'. De samenwerkingsplannen van de Vrije Universiteit en Hogeschool Windesheim voor een kenniscentrum sneefden en het idee om de stad met de Floriade op de kaart te zetten werd een dure flop. Niet drie miljoen, slechts 600.000 bezoekers vonden de weg naar de stad in de polder. In het ambitieuze advies van Peter Wennink heeft Almere een bijzondere plek gekregen. In een gloednieuw Institute for Advanced Materials and Metrology (IAMM) moeten ‘A.I., materialenwetenschap en metrologie in één geïntegreerde omgeving worden samengebracht’, schrijft hij. Daarmee zal een essentiële bouwsteen voor de halfgeleiderindustrie en versnelling van de materiaalontwikkeling worden gevormd, waardoor technologische doorbraken in de nieuwste kennis en toepassing ervan mogelijk worden. De High Tech Campus van Almere - op de locatie waar ooit die Floriade had moeten schitteren – biedt zo een extra ruimtelijke aanvulling op de kennishub van Brainport. Het is geen toeval dat IMEC, ASM International en ASML bij de initiatiefnemers horen. De hightech toekomst van ons land wordt daarmee een soort coproductie van Leuven, Eindhoven en Almere. Hiermee kan alsnog de ambitie van een stevig kenniscentrum van de grond komen. Windesheim slaat alsnog de handen ineen met de Universiteit Twente voor ICT- en AI-opleidingen aan diezelfde campus. Ook wordt een LLO-initiatief gestart om mensen bij- en om te scholen naar de IT-sector, waar de behoefte aan talent nijpend is. Almere heeft natuurlijk veel pluspunten voor de gedurfde dromen van Wennink. Er is ruimte voor studentenhuisvesting en voor woningen voor toptalent uit de hele wereld dat naar het IAMM zal trekken. Ook voor de uitbouw van zo'n kennishub en nieuwe startups en scale-ups biedt de polder alle ruimte. Waar Brainport nu al moet woekeren met plekken voor de cruciale kennisinfrastructuur kent Almere de luxe van kansen voor expansie. Geen wonder dat Jeroen Dijsselbloem op de vraag in Betrouwbare Bronnen naar de mogelijkheden voor een vijfde Technische Universiteit als perspectief bij 'Wennink', dat direct bevestigde Daarmee is ineens de kans aanwezig - net als in de wederopbouwjaren de verschillende politieke stromingen vanuit 'Draghi' en 'Wennink' met nieuwe accenten uit hun beginselen - zoals talentbevordering, kenniseconomie, Europese integratie, ondernemerschap, de kwaliteit van het bestaan – voor ons land een wenkend perspectief mogelijk maken. Het kan immers wel en het kan ook echt anders. Net als toen. *** Verder lezen Rapport-Wennink Almere begon met 13 volwassenen en 9 kinderen in 8 houten huizen Tenttonstelling: het Bivak Nog meer over Almere *** Verder kijken In de polder komt de nieuwe stad Almere (Polygoonjournaal 1 januari 1973) Allereerste bewoners Almere (Polygoonjournaal 1976) Andere Tijden: wonen in Almere Presentatie rapport-Wennink (2025) *** Verder luisteren 547 – Knopen doorhakken, hervormen en stevig investeren: het formatie-advies van Jeroen Dijsselbloem en Pieter Duisenberg https://omny.fm/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/547-knopen-doorhakken-hervormen-en-stevig-investeren-het-formatie-advies-van-jeroen-dijsselbloem-en-pieter-duisenberg 525 – Wat Brainport Eindhoven ons leert en hoe we onze economie nóg toekomstbestendiger kunnen maken https://omny.fm/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/525-wat-brainport-eindhoven-ons-leert-en-hoe-we-onze-economie-n-g-toekomstbestendiger-maken 446 - Doe wat Draghi zegt of Europa wacht een langzame doodsstrijd https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/7af41d6c-1463-4010-94df-a702f6f5cf08 512 – Hoe onderwijs, bedrijven en overheden samen de arbeidsmarktkrapte bestrijden https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/da589da5-3d17-468f-9fcf-536388414e67 431 - Kabinetsformatie: Handelsland Nederland staat op het spel https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/8f019a55-5189-4ed9-972a-3987b4de72c6 422 - Een eigen huis, een plek onder de zon - woningnood toen en nu https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/abaeec39-90bb-4c8c-a969-63653742e18e 371 - Banen op zoek naar mensen. Hoe in Europa bedrijven en beroepsonderwijs intensief samenwerken https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/160ba8a6-0cbe-4400-9cba-2407f3f33701 273 - 75 jaar Marshall Plan https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/28792df9-eb00-4adf-af7d-d11f5d4478d3 183 - Samen slimmer worden: het Leidse kennisecosysteem als aanjager van duurzame groei https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/87c5e519-2b67-4a16-ba44-ea1f3b52ba97 *** Tijdlijn 00:00:00 – Deel 1 00:25:41 – Deel 2 00:44:32 – Deel 3 00:57:20 – EindeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As global powers double down on militarism and defense, Daniel Zoughbie argues that the most transformative force in the Middle East has always come from citizen diplomacy. A complex-systems scientist and diplomatic historian, Zoughbie joins Mark Labberton to explore how twelve U.S. presidents have "kicked the hornet's nest" of the modern Middle East. Drawing on his work in global health and his new book Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump, Zoughbie contrasts the view from refugee camps and microclinic networks with the view from the Oval Office, arguing that American security rests on a three-legged stool of defense, diplomacy, and development. He explains why Gerald Ford stands out as the lone president who truly leveraged diplomacy, how the Marshall Plan model of enlightened self-interest can guide policy now, and why nationalism, not mere economics, lies at the heart of Gaza's future. Throughout, he presses listeners toward "citizen diplomacy" that resists pride, militarism, and fatalism. Episode Highlights "We've constantly ignored diplomacy." " You don't have to be enemies with people to get them to do what is in their own self-interest." "You can build skyscrapers in Gaza. You can build the Four Seasons in Gaza and it's not going to work. You're just going to have another war until you address that core issue of nationalism." "These three Ds defense diplomacy development are the three legged stool of American security and we know how important diplomacy and development are." "From Truman to Trump, only one president, and that is Gerald Ford, surprisingly the only unelected president, gets this right." "Pride—national pride, the pride of any one individual—is toxic. It's toxic to the individual. It's toxic to the nation. It's toxic to the world." "Foreign policymaking is not just something for secretaries of state and those in power. All of us in a democracy have a role to play." Helpful Links and Resources Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Kicking-the-Hornets-Nest/Daniel-E-Zoughbie/9781668085226 American University of Beirut (founded as Syrian Protestant College), a key example of long-term educational diplomacy https://www.aub.edu.lb Al-Ahli Arab (Gaza Baptist) Hospital in Gaza City https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ahli_Arab_Hospital Max Weber, "Politics as a Vocation" https://open.oregonstate.education/sociologicaltheory/chapter/politics-as-a-vocation About Daniel Zoughbie Daniel E. Zoughbie is a complex-systems scientist, historian, and expert on presidential decision-making. He is associate project scientist at UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies, a faculty affiliate of the UCSF/UCB Center for Global Health Delivery, Diplomacy, and Economics, and principal investigator of the Middle East and North Africa Diplomacy, Development, and Defense Initiative. He is the author of Kicking the Hornet's Nest: U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East from Truman to Trump and of Indecision Points: George W. Bush and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. His award-winning research has appeared in journals such as PLOS Medicine, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Social Science and Medicine. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UC Berkeley, he studied at Oxford on a Marshall Scholarship and completed his doctorate there as a Weidenfeld Scholar. Show Notes Middle East Background and Microclinic Origins Daniel Zoughbie recalls visiting the Middle East as a child—"frankly horrified" by what he saw UC Berkeley protests over the Iraq War and post-9/11 U.S. policy in the region Metabolic disease and type 2 diabetes as an overlooked "greatest killer in the region." Neighbors in the West Bank sharing food, medicine, and blood-pressure cuffs—leads to the "micro clinic" concept Good health behaviors, like bad ones and even violence, can be contagious through social networks Social Networks, Anthropology, and Security Social anthropology, political science, and international relations Medical problems as simultaneously biological and sociological problems Understanding Middle East security demands attention to decisions "at the very bottom" as well as "the view from above" October 7 and 9/11 illustrate how small groups of people can "change the world with their decisions." Complex Systems and Foreign Policy Complexity is always increasing, and diplomacy and development exist to slow it down. Definition of "complex system": as one where many inputs produce outcomes that cannot be reduced to single causes. "We almost have a new law here, which is that complexity is always increasing in the universe. And the role of diplomacy and development, as I see it in international relations, is to slow things down. It's to stop complexity from advancing so that people have time to cool their tempers and to solve major security crises." Type 2 diabetes as a model for thinking about how city planning, economics, relationships, and habits interact He applies that lens to international relations: nations, leaders, institutions, and history form a "cascade of complexity." From Refugee Camps to Presidential Palaces George Shultz and Tony Blair: decision-makers as "real human beings," not abstractions Theological and ideological forces—such as certain apocalyptic readings of scripture—that shape U.S. foreign policy Gnosticism and eschatology within American right-wing Christianity Painstaking global health work on the ground and sweeping decisions made in Washington, Brussels, or New York Twelve Presidents and One Exception Kicking the Hornet's Nest: analysis of twelve presidents from Truman to Trump through the lens of Middle East decision-making Core claim: Only Gerald Ford truly rebalanced the three Ds of defense, diplomacy, and development. U.S. policy in the Levant: heavy reliance on militarism, coups, and covert actions while underinvesting in diplomacy and development Claim: "Far better alternatives were on the table" for every administration, yet consistently passed over. Gerald Ford, Kissinger, and the Path to Peace Daniel contends that the 1967 and 1973 wars were both preventable and nearly became global nuclear catastrophes. Ford inherits the presidency amid Watergate and national division, but keeps Henry Kissinger at State. Ford presses Israel and Egypt toward serious negotiations, empowering Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy and personal ties. A sharply worded letter threatening to "reconsider" the U.S.–Israel relationship Ford's diplomacy and the development of Camp David and the enduring Egypt–Israel peace based on "land for peace." Pride, Personality, and Presidential Failure Did Ford's temperament keep him from making himself the center of the story? In contrast, many presidents and other leaders write themselves "thickly" into the narrative of the conflict. Pride—personal and national—as a toxic force that repeatedly undermines U.S. policy The Iraq War and democracy-promotion agenda and the self-defeating nature of moralistic, militarized crusades Marshall Plan and Enlightened Self-Interest George Marshall and harsh punishment after World War I helped produce Nazi Germany The Marshall Plan models an "enlightened way of viewing the American self-interest": rebuilding Europe and Japan to secure U.S. security. He contrasts that with the neglect of the Levant, where aid and institution-building never matched military activism. Marshall's genius lies in locating the intersection between others' deepest needs and American capabilities. Militarism, Iran, and Nuclear Risk Recent U.S.–Israel–Iran confrontation as an "extremely dangerous moment"—with 60 percent enriched uranium unaccounted for JCPOA as an imperfect but effective diplomatic achievement, but dismantled in favor of militarism Claim: Bombing Iran scattered nuclear material and increased complexity rather than reducing the threat. He warns that one nuclear device could be delivered by low-tech means—a boat or helicopter—endangering civilians and U.S. forces in the Gulf. The only realistic path forward: renewed multilateral diplomacy between U.S., Israel, Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, and regional actors Ethical Realism and Max Weber "Ethical realism"—Max Weber's distinction between the ethic of the gospel and the ethic of responsibility Statespeople bear responsibility for using force, yet the greatest can still say "here I stand and I can do no other." Claim: True leadership seeks a higher ethic where national interest aligns with genuine concern for others. Gaza, Nationalism, and Two States Welcoming the end of active war between Israel and Hamas and critiquing reconstruction plans that ignore politics Conflict is fundamentally nationalist: a struggle for self-determination by both Jewish and Palestinian peoples Claim: Economic development without a credible political horizon will not prevent "another October 7th and another terrible war." In his view, only partition of mandatory Palestine into two states can meet legitimate self-determination claims. For example, "You can build skyscrapers in Gaza… and it's not going to work" without addressing nationalism. Citizen Diplomacy and a Better Way Foreign policy is not only the work of secretaries of state; democratic citizens have responsibilities. American University of Beirut and the Gaza Baptist Hospital as fruits of citizen diplomacy Claim: Educational and medical institutions can change lives more profoundly and durably than military campaigns. Redirecting resources from bombs to universities and hospitals to reduce the need for future military interventions An invitation to citizen diplomacy: informed voting, sustained attention, and creative engagement for a more just peace Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.  

The median age of all homebuyers is a record-breaking 59. First-time homebuyers average age 40, up from 29 in 1981. This is the result of not building enough houses and allowing too many people in our country, both legally and illegally.    We need big solutions to solve big problems. Some are calling for a Marshal Plan for housing. Many ideas are being floated to improve housing affordability.    50-year mortgages are a particularly bad idea for many reasons. The one positive would be lower monthly payments than a 30-year mortgage. But interest rates would likely be higher on a 50-year mortgage than a 30-year; similar to 15-year mortgage interest rates are typically lower than 30-year. This would eliminate most of the benefit of lower payments.   The American dream includes owning your own home, not renting an apartment.   This is a supply problem. Solutions: 1. There needs to be incentives to build affordable single-family homes.  2. Permit and infrastructure fees average 24% of the cost of the average home.  3. Deport illegal immigrants and fraudulent legal immigrants.   HB-1 visas are supposed to be for the rare "genius". No one would have an issue if a few HB-1 visas were needed to train Americans to build high-end computer chips. The reality is that HB-1 visas are currently about 750,000. About 80% take entry-level and junior-level jobs from Americans.   Some work visas do not require the company to pay payroll taxes. The foreign worker's job is typically tied to their job. If they lose their job, they have to go back home. This gives the company control over the employee. The company saves taxes, can pay the foreign employee less, and has more control. It is a form of indentured servitude.    The US Census counts illegals and the 55 million visa holders. This gives more seats in the House of Representatives and Electoral College votes. The majority of illegal immigrants and visa holders live in blue states. It is about political power.   Fewer people in the US would prefer the quickest method to increase affordability.

At the end of the Second World War, Europe was a mess. The economies of most countries were in shambles and the threat of communism loomed over the continent.  In a speech at Harvard University on June 5, 1947, U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall proposed a plan which could help get Europe back on its feet.The plan is widely considered one of the most successful foreign aid programs in history. Learn more about the Marshall Plan, how it came about, and how it worked on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.  Sponsors Quince Go to quince.com/daily for 365-day returns, plus free shipping on your order! Mint Mobile Get your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com/eed Stash Go to get.stash.com/EVERYTHING to see how you can receive $25 towards your first stock purchase. Newspaper.com Go to Newspapers.com to get a gift subscription for the family historian in your life! Subscribe to the podcast!  https://everything-everywhere.com/everything-everywhere-daily-podcast/ -------------------------------- Executive Producer: Charles Daniel Associate Producers: Austin Oetken & Cameron Kieffer   Become a supporter on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/everythingeverywhere Discord Server: https://discord.gg/UkRUJFh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everythingeverywhere/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/everythingeverywheredaily Twitter: https://twitter.com/everywheretrip Website: https://everything-everywhere.com/  Disce aliquid novi cotidie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Hidden Lightness with Jimmy Hinton – Affordable housing shortages are pushing families into overcrowded conditions, driving young adults back into multi-generational homes, and leaving many working people unable to secure stable shelter at all. The severity of the crisis has led some commentators to call for a modern Marshall Plan devoted to housing...

We've done shows before on how contemporary America resembles late-stage Soviet society. But none quite as intriguing as with the Russian-born, US-based journalist Mikhail Zygar. In The Dark Side of the Earth, his new history of the Soviet Union's demise, Zygar underlines the moral exhaustion of its citizens. People no longer believed in anything, he reports on the collapse of this vast Euro-Asian empire. And that's the analogy Zygar makes with contemporary America which, he suggests, is equally exhausted. From the Soviet Union to the United States, a descent into a morally bankrupt nihilism defines the end of empire. Zygar even identifies the idealistic Obama with Gorbachev and the pugnacious Trump with Yeltsin, implying that a self-styled Putin-like “savior” lurks in the dark shadow of the American future. 1. Putin's Russia is worse than the Soviet Union The Soviet Union had dozens of political prisoners in the 1970s; Putin's Russia has thousands. Putin threatens the West with nuclear weapons far more aggressively than Soviet leaders ever did. What we thought was a victory over totalitarianism proved short-lived—Putin has built something more oppressive than what collapsed.2. The 1991 coup failed because of one woman History turns on ordinary people, not just great men. Emma Yazov, wife of the Soviet Defense Minister, spent three days crying in her husband's office, demanding he withdraw tanks from Moscow and resign from the junta. On the third day, he did. Her belief in democracy defeated the KGB and the Soviet military.3. Soviet citizens stopped believing after 1968 The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia killed whatever faith remained in communism. Afterward, Soviet people became perhaps the most cynical on earth, practicing “internal immigration”—pretending to participate in official life while living secret, clandestine private lives. When no one believes in an empire's ideology, collapse becomes inevitable.4. Solzhenitsyn's ideas shaped both Putin and the American New Right The author of The Gulag Archipelago evolved from Soviet dissident to fierce critic of liberal democracy. He wanted to preserve the Soviet empire by replacing communist ideology with Orthodox Christianity—precisely what Putin is attempting now. His attacks on Western liberalism's “weakness” and “woke culture” have found new audiences among American conservatives.5. Dick Cheney's approach to Soviet collapse enabled Putin George H.W. Bush and James Baker believed preserving a democratic Soviet Union would create a reliable partner. Dick Cheney disagreed, preferring “15 little dictatorships instead of one mighty Soviet Union.” Cheney's view prevailed. Without a Marshall Plan for post-Soviet states, Russian nationalism flourished, and Putin portrayed the collapse as Western conspiracy—the foundation of his power today.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

   There's a shocking piece of journalism at the Daily Caller website as we have learned the Chinese own a 27 acre trailer park that shares a fence with Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri.  Are you kidding me?  This is a huge story and even bigger problem.    Kansas Senator Roger Marshall says he and the GOP will have a new health care plan by Christmas.  Spoiler alert, it also sounds like a big government handout.    Speaking of handouts, a journalist in Ukraine has found stacks and stacks of unsealed, stolen cash from the Kansas City Federal Reserve.  Zelensky is literally stealing from us, we explain how.    Elon Musk sums up the sad state of affairs of taxation in America in one brilliant post.  Pat McAfee gets President Trump on his show and then tries to apologize to liberal media for it.  Lame.   Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe didn't take long to respond to our report that the Chiefs are talking to NASCAR and the state of Kansas regarding land acquisition at the speedway.  Kehoe says he can put a fabric roof on cables above Arrowhead and the Chiefs have no comment.    KU star Darryn Peterson has officially turned the Jayhawks into an NBA team.  He makes millions, he takes games off when he doesn't want to play and they are coming to T-Mobile Center in KC.  We finally have an NBA team!    And our Final Final is a pair of sexy bridesmaids.

Seg 1 – The Path to Peace BeginsSeg 2 – A Marshall Plan for Gaza?Seg 3 – Stars Align for Israel PeaceSeg 4 – Historical Warnings for Israel

„Kein Mensch ist so stereotyp, wie er gesehen wird“, sagt Richard David Precht. Das gilt auch für Donald Trump. Der US-Präsident hat den Nahen Osten dem Frieden zumindest ein Stück nähergebracht. Das sollte man anerkennen, unabhängig davon, was man sonst vom US-Präsidenten hält, meint Precht. Der diplomatische Erfolg in Gaza wurde maßgeblich von zwei New Yorker Immobilienmilliardären eingefädelt: Trumps Schwiegersohn Jared Kushner und Steve Witkoff. Doch verknüpfen die beiden dabei amerikanische Außenpolitik mit eigenen Geschäftsinteressen? Gibt es womöglich bereits so etwas wie einen neuen Marshallplan? Und könnte diese Form der Diplomatie als Blaupause für die Ukraine dienen? „Der Hebel, den Trump bei Putin hat, ist deutlich kleiner“, meint Markus Lanz. Zudem steht ein Großteil des globalen Südens hinter dem russischen Präsidenten. „Die Ära der solidarischen liberalen Demokratien ist vorbei“, kommentiert daher der französische Historiker Emmanuel Todd. Was bedeutet das für uns im Westen? Müssen wir uns wieder stärker auf Pragmatismus besinnen?

The new 2.5-liter F1 of 1954 raised the bar for engineering excellence and cost of entry to the pinnacle of motor racing. With Mercedes-Benz leaving the shadows of WWII and becoming an accepted participant in motor racing again, the Grand Prix community had to anticipate a full-out effort of a new generation of Silver Arrows. Indeed, new standards were set with a series of W196 variants born out of vast corporate resources, supported by component suppliers like Continental, Bosch, and Esso. In this story, the imaginary Italian “Unione Automobili,” previously formed of national legacy manufacturers other than Fiat, takes on the role of the Auto Union AG of the 1930s as an antagonist of Mercedes-Benz and promoter of the mid-engine layout. A probabilistic SWAT analysis reveals what it will take to beat the mighty opponent from Stuttgart. This is the start for a motley crew of Austrian and Italian engineers lead by Robert Eberan-Eberhorst to create a victorious challenger. The prescribed engine configuration is a compact V6 in homage to the Lancia brand. Breaking with Italian traditions, emphasis is put on chassis development where innovations in tires, brakes, and aerodynamics will provide decisive competitive advantages. Dr. Karl-Heinz Mertins (“K-H”) holds degrees in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in mechatronics/ag engineering from the Technical University Berlin, Germany. In more than 35 years of engineering and business experience in Europe and the US, he focused on product innovation and new business incubation, applying cross-disciplinary methods with cross-cultural considerations. His work included experimental work on intelligent mobile equipment and wind energy systems in multinational corporations and start-ups. His enthusiasm for F1 goes back to the 1961 season. ===== (Oo---x---oO) ===== 00:00 The Challenge of Beating Mercedes-Benz 03:01 Mercedes-Benz's Post-War Comeback; The 300 SL and the Marshall Plan 08:59 The Shift to Mid-Engine Layout 12:28 The Italian Engineering Dream Team 18:45 Mercedes-Benz's Methodical Development 26:43 Lessons from the 300 SL 29:04 Chassis Design, Radial Tires, Space Frame and Aviation Influence 33:26 Innovative Suspension Systems 38:39 Brakes and Aerodynamic Innovations 40:43 Driver Position and Engine Choices 47:20 Fuel Injection and Aerodynamics 50:29 Concluding Thoughts and Acknowledgements ==================== The Motoring Podcast Network : Years of racing, wrenching and Motorsports experience brings together a top notch collection of knowledge, stories and information. #everyonehasastory #gtmbreakfix - motoringpodcast.net More Information: https://www.motoringpodcast.net/ Become a VIP at: https://www.patreon.com/gtmotorsports Online Magazine: https://www.gtmotorsports.org/ This episode is part of our HISTORY OF MOTORSPORTS SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC), The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Argetsinger Family. 

1006: Apple's success in China is more complicated—and consequential—than most realize. In this episode, Peter High speaks with Financial Times journalist and author Patrick McGee, who covered Apple for years and recently published Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company. Patrick's reporting reveals how Apple became deeply intertwined with China's manufacturing and political landscape, why the company's investment strategy mirrors the scale of the Marshall Plan, and what it means for America's technological and geopolitical future. Patrick explains how Apple trained tens of millions of Chinese workers, enabled critical industrial know-how, and inadvertently supported the rise of China's tech and military capabilities. He also discusses the internal tensions between product design and supply chain mastery, Tim Cook's evolution as a CEO, and the risks of Apple's continued dependence on a single nation for its most critical operations. Key insights include: The little-known “Gang of Eight” and Apple's in-China-for-China strategy Why Apple's $275B China deal dwarfs U.S. tech investments like the CHIPS Act How Apple's success helped catalyze Huawei's resurgence and HarmonyOS The supply chain realities that make shifting manufacturing nearly impossible

Tom Bodrovics welcomes Michael Kao to the show. Michael Kao is Private Family Office Investor & Author - Former Hedge Fund Manager & Commodities Trader. In this comprehensive discussion, Kao provides an in-depth analysis of the Trump 2.0 economic strategy, focusing on several key policy initiatives designed to reshape the United States' economic trajectory. He describes the current approach as navigating an "asteroid field" with strategic policy levers aimed at addressing significant economic challenges, including massive deficits, global conflicts, and critical dependencies on adversarial nations. Kao highlights four primary policy initiatives: tariffs and economic statecraft, redirecting fiscal spending, managing inflation, and containing internal and external threats. A critical component of this strategy involves what he calls a "reverse Marshall Plan," where other countries and private industries shoulder fiscal responsibilities traditionally borne by the US government. This approach could potentially redirect billions of dollars in spending through trade deals, NATO commitments, and corporate reshoring initiatives. The discussion extensively explores potential deflationary mechanisms within the policy framework, including strategic tariffs, oil price management, and potential productivity gains from AI and deregulation. Kao suggests that these policies could create a "disinflationary growth" scenario, potentially allowing the US to grow its way out of its current debt challenges. Kao remains cautiously optimistic about the United States' economic future, emphasizing the importance of maintaining these strategic initiatives beyond the current presidential cycle. He believes the US has significant untapped potential on its balance sheet and that the current approach could create more favorable long-term economic conditions. The conversation also touches on geopolitical dynamics, including potential shifts in Middle Eastern relationships, China's economic challenges, and the importance of creating sustainable economic conditions that don't rely on short-term monetary manipulations. Ultimately, Kao presents a nuanced view of the current economic strategy, arguing that bold, potentially controversial initiatives might be necessary to break the US out of its current low-volatility "death spiral" and create more positive economic outcomes.

May 23, 1951 - Jack Benny guest stars on the radio show Family Theater, introduced by Lucille Ball. They reference The Marshall Plan, Hedda Hopper and hats. Enjoy!

Today Anjney Midha, General Partner at a16z joins The Cognitive Revolution to discuss sovereign AI and China's growing semiconductor capabilities. Check out our sponsors: Gemini CLI, Labelbox, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Shopify. Shownotes below brought to you by Notion AI Meeting Notes - try one month for free at https://notion.com/lp/nathan What is Sovereign AI? Varies by stakeholder - for enterprises it means controlling where AI workloads run, while for nation-states it represents both technical independence and cultural alignment with local values Semiconductor Competition with China: "Chip sanctions on China have resulted in an enormous doubling down of local investment in Huawei's ecosystem... they're in a full-on tear to try to decouple themselves from American chips" Middle Path on American AI Policy: Midha advocates for a Marshall Plan for AI where countries maintain sovereignty over models while partnering with the US on semiconductor infrastructure European AI Alignment: "It's a huge win for America that MARA in Europe is going with American chips and not Huawei chips... the European continent has been courted by the Chinese semiconductor industry like never before" The Race to Close the Gap: "Huawei is in a much stronger position today than it was three years ago... They will be able to close the gap and because workloads are becoming more efficient, they can decouple at least the inference part of their ecosystem from the US within two to three years" Cultural Independence in AI: Nations seek models that align with their values while maintaining technical independence - requiring a nuanced approach to global AI partnerships Links:Anjney Midha & Jensen Huang on Winning the AI Race https://a16z.com/podcast/jensen-huang-and-arthur-mensch-on-winning-the-global-ai-race/ Sponsors: Gemini CLI: Open-source, lightweight utility for direct Gemini access—find Gemini CLI on GitHub. Labelbox: Labelbox pairs automation, expert judgment, and reinforcement learning to deliver high-quality training data for cutting-edge AI. Put its data factory to work for you, visit https://labelbox.com Oracle Cloud Infrastructure: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is the next-generation cloud that delivers better performance, faster speeds, and significantly lower costs, including up to 50% less for compute, 70% for storage, and 80% for networking. Run any workload, from infrastructure to AI, in a high-availability environment and try OCI for free with zero commitment at https://oracle.com/cognitive Shopify: Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing

US President Donald Trump has threatened heavy tariffs on BRICS, claiming the organization is "dead", but it is actually growing in size and influence. 10 members and 10 partners participated in the 2025 BRICS summit in Brazil, where they discussed plans for dedollarization, trade and investment in national currencies, and how to create a more multipolar global order. Ben Norton explains. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmR03QFdhfs Topics 0:00 Trump attacks BRICS 0:25 (CLIP) Trump claims "BRICS is dead" 1:16 BRICS is growing 1:49 BRICS: 10 members & 10 partners 2:26 BRICS: 44% of global GDP (PPP) 2:41 BRICS: 56% of world population 2:55 Vietnam joins BRICS 3:27 Cuba joins BRICS 4:11 Mexico attends BRICS summit 4:58 Trump threatens tariffs on BRICS 6:07 Trump doesn't understand BRICS 6:21 (CLIP) Trump claims Spain is in BRICS 6:58 Lula: World doesn't want an "emperor" 8:03 Dedollarization 8:31 (CLIP) Trump threats to save US dollar 8:48 BRICS promotes dedollarization 9:54 Brazil challenges US dollar dominance 10:44 New Development Bank (NDB) 11:03 US meddling in Colombia 11:50 US-backed coup in Bolivia 13:01 US-backed judicial coup in Brazil 13:40 BRICS trade in local currencies 14:38 Dedollarization: slow and steady 15:29 Dedollarization in BRICS declaration 17:32 IMF alternative: Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) 20:29 New international financial system 21:27 Vladimir Putin's speech 21:48 Why the absence of Xi Jinping and Putin? 23:31 Why Iran's president did not attend 24:22 China's view of BRICS 26:15 Goals of BRICS 27:03 Financial imperialism: the "reverse Marshall Plan" 30:28 Billionaire oligarchs 31:58 Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim 32:22 Non-Aligned Movement 33:37 (CLIP) BRICS inspired by Non-Aligned Movement 35:02 (CLIP) Malaysia PM on de-dollarization 35:44 Bandung Conference 36:46 (CLIP) Malaysia PM: BRICS follows Bandung 37:27 Decolonization and multipolarity 39:57 NATO militarization and warmongering 40:32 Climate change 41:17 Palestine and Iran 41:57 Multilateralism under attack by USA 42:50 Imperialism vs democracy 43:27 Capitalist oligarchy 43:43 Trump: symbol of US imperialism 44:28 Meaning of BRICS 45:14 Outro

How did the Potsdam Conference lead to the Marshall Plan, NATO, and The Warsaw Pact? What was The Long Telegram and the US policy of Containment? When did the Big Three of WW2 stop being antifascist allies and start being ideological enemies? Join James Holland, Al Murray, and guest Giles Milton for Part 2 on this exploration of the Potsdam Conference, as they discuss the superpowers at the end of World War Two, and how dictators like Stalin set the stage for the Cold War. BONUS CONTENT IS AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS - SIGN UP AT patreon.com/wehaveways A Goalhanger Production Produced by James Regan Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Social: @WeHaveWaysPod Email: wehavewayspodcast@gmail.com Join our ‘Independent Company' with an introductory offer to watch exclusive live shows, get presale ticket events, and our weekly newsletter - packed with book and model discounts. Membership Club: patreon.com/wehaveways Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America is turning 250. And we're throwing a yearlong celebration of the greatest country on Earth. The greatest? Yes. The greatest. We realize that's not a popular thing to say these days. Americans have a way of taking this country for granted: a Gallup poll released earlier this week shows that American pride has reached a new low. And the world at large, which is wealthier and freer than it has ever been in history thanks to American power and largesse, often resents us. We get it. As journalists, we spend most of our time finding problems and exposing them. It's what the job calls for. But if you only focus on the negatives, you get a distorted view of reality. As America hits this milestone birthday, it's worthwhile to take a moment to step back and look closely at where we actually are—and the reality of life in America today compared to other times and places. That reality is pretty spectacular. Could Thomas Jefferson and the men gathered in Philadelphia who wrote down the words that made our world—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—ever have imagined what their Declaration of Independence would bring? The Constitution. The end of slavery—and the defeat of Hitler. Astonishing wealth and medical breakthroughs. Silicon Valley. The most powerful military in the world. The moon landing. Hollywood. The Hoover Dam. The Statue of Liberty (a gift from France). Actual liberation (a thing we gave France). Humphrey Bogart and Tom Hanks. Josephine Baker and Beyoncé. Hot dogs. Corn dogs. American Chinese food. American Italian food. The Roosevelts and the Kennedys. The Barrymores and the Fondas. Winston Churchill (his mom was from Brooklyn). The Marshall Plan and Thurgood Marshall. Star Wars. Missile-defense shields. Baseball. Football. The military-industrial complex. Freedom of religion. UFO cults. Television. The internet. The Pill. The Pope. The automobile, the airplane, and AI. Jazz and the blues. The polio vaccine and GLP-1s, the UFC and Dolly Parton. The list goes on because it's really, truly endless. Ours is a country where you can hear 800 languages spoken in Queens, drive two hours and end up among the Amish in Pennsylvania. We are 330 million people, from California to New York Island, gathered together as one. Each of those 330 million will tell you that ours is not a perfect country. But we suspect most of them would agree that their lives would not be possible without it. So for the next 12 months, we're going to toast to our freedoms on the page, on this podcast and in real life. And we're doing it the Free Press way: by delving into all of it—the bad and the good and the great, the strange and the wonderful and the wild. And today—on America's 249th birthday—we're kicking off this yearlong event with none other than Akhil Reed Amar. Akhil has a unique understanding of this country—and our Constitution. Akhil is a Democrat who testified on behalf of Brett Kavanaugh, is a member of The Federalist Society, who is pro-choice but also anti-Roe—and these seeming contradictions make him perfectly suited to answer questions about the political and legal polarization we find ourselves in today. Akhil is a constitutional law professor at Yale and the author of the brilliant book The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760–1840. He also hosts the podcast Amarica's Constitution, and you might recognize his name from his work in The Atlantic. I ask him about the unique history that created our founding document, the state of the country, our political polarization, the American legal system, and what this country means to him. The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apple, like all successful companies, became successful by maximizing profits and minimizing costs. However, to achieve this, they sold their soul to America's biggest adversary: the Chinese Communist Party. The story of how this transpired is chronicled in exceptional detail by my guest, Patrick McGee, who joins me to discuss his book “Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company” and explains whether or not he believes Trump can return manufacturing to America. - - -  Today's Sponsor: Balance of Nature - Go to https://balanceofnature.com and use promo code KLAVAN for 35% off your first order PLUS get a free bottle of Fiber and Spice.

What happens when AI stops being just infrastructure—and becomes a matter of national identity and global power?In this episode, a16z's Anjney Midha and Guido Appenzeller explore the rise of sovereign AI—the idea that countries must own their own AI models, data centers, and value systems.From Saudi Arabia's $100B+ AI ambitions to the cultural stakes of model alignment, we examine:Why nations are building local “AI factories” instead of relying on U.S. cloud providersHow foundation models are becoming instruments of soft powerWhat the DeepSeek release tells us about China's AI strategyWhether the world needs a “Marshall Plan for AI”And how open-source models could reshape the balance of powerAI isn't just a technology anymore - it's geopolitical infrastructure. This conversation maps the new battleground.Resources:Find Anj on X: https://x.com/AnjneyMidhaFind Guido on X: https://x.com/appenzStay Updated: Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16zFind a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zSubscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/Follow our host: Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. 

Harry talks with Max Boot about his latest article, “US soft power took decades to build. Trump is dismantling it in weeks.” Boot explains the critical source of U.S. influence in the world, more than military might, is “soft power,” foreign aid and other far-seeing acts of altruism for people around the world. Soft power is the key to the country's diplomatic, commercial, and cultural success. It was built up painstakingly over decades with programs like the Marshall Plan and in 3 short weeks Trump has taken a battering ram to it, acutely harming our international standing. Allies such as Canada are perplexed at the U.S.'s bullying tactics, and people around the world dependent on U.S. aid have been gravely harmed. The chief beneficiary of this short-sighted abandonment of longstanding U.S. policy is China, which will aim to fill the void left by the end of U.S. aid programs. Boot concludes, “[i]t is staggering to see how much damage Trump has done to U.S. soft power in just two weeks and painful to imagine how much ore he could do in the next 206 weeks.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, the U.S. and Ukraine are finalizing a rare earths mineral deal, which is a brilliant business partnership countering Russia's interest in Ukraine's resources, a key motive for Putin's invasion. This arrangement beats Ukraine joining NATO and surpasses the Marshall Plan, benefiting both nations as an investment—not spending—yielding huge returns for Americans while bolstering national security for the U.S. and Ukraine, and sending a clear message to Russia, China, and others. Also, reform Jewish organizations have united to oppose Mike Huckabee's confirmation as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Their problem is that Huckabee has strong pro-Israel, pro-American, and pro-Christian stances. These opposing groups are merely left-wing Democratic organizations masquerading as religious ones.  Later, Elon Musk has given federal government workers a final warning for not replying to a second email asking what they've accomplished. He aims to confirm their identities and ensure they're actually working, pushing for accountability despite pushback from bureaucrats. Afterward, an ethics watchdog has raised concerns about Sen Sheldon Whitehouse aiding his wife in securing millions for a nonprofit. A criminal investigation into Whitehouse is warranted to assess whether he cast votes to personally benefit himself financially. Finally, a Muslim scholar explains that that the foundation of Israel is rooted in faith and scripture rather than solely in historical or archaeological evidence. The Jewish people have a divine connection to the land. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On Friday's Mark Levin Show, corporate media isn't dead yet but it's not what it used to be. It's filled with propaganda and pseudo-events. There are aggregator sites like Mediaite that don't have a single clip about the horrors in Israel breaking every hour, but lots of Ukraine-Russia etc. Also, there's a small percentage of people in America who support Putin, Putinoids, - Trump is not one of them despite the media's efforts.  The issue with Putin and Russia extends beyond Ukraine, but too often, people fail to see the bigger picture. Putin has openly talked about ambitions that reach far beyond Ukraine's borders. Later, Trump's minerals strategy is a stroke of genius. Ukraine holds trillions in untapped mineral wealth, a prize Russia is desperate to claim. Rather than simply funneling cash into Ukraine, Trump suggests a smarter play: partner with Ukraine through deals that bring American companies in to mine and process these resources. A mutually beneficial financial arrangement could be struck, fueling Ukraine's reconstruction while securing vital metals and minerals for the U.S.—and keeping them away from Russia.  This approach outshines the Marshall Plan, offering more than just aid—it's a strategic win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices