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With Constantine Hatzivassiliou—Partner, Certuity Golf taught Constantine Hatzivassiliou how to perform under pressure. Building a nearly $5B multi-family office taught him that the best advisors become the first call when life, not just the markets, gets complicated. In Summary Many advisors spend years mastering investments, but for affluent families, portfolio management is often just the starting point. Jason Diamond welcomes Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity, to discuss how his journey from aspiring professional golfer to leader of a nearly $5B multi-family office shaped his approach to client service. Their conversation explores why trust is earned long before a crisis, how family office services evolve naturally from client needs, and why the advisor's role increasingly resembles that of a quarterback coordinating every aspect of a family's financial life. The discussion also examines organic growth, referrals, fiduciary advice, private equity's impact on the RIA landscape, and the qualities that allow advisors to become indispensable over decades—not just market cycles. The Storyline Many advisors spend years perfecting investment management. But as clients become more successful, the job changes. The questions become bigger than portfolio construction. A business is being sold. A family dynamic shifts. A tax issue emerges. An estate plan needs updating. Suddenly, the advisor isn't simply managing assets—they're coordinating decisions, relationships, and emotions. For Constantine, that broader role was shaped long before he entered wealth management. As an aspiring professional golfer, he learned lessons about discipline, preparation, and performing under pressure that continue to influence how he serves clients today. Jason and Constantine explore how Certuity grew from approximately $210 million in assets to nearly $5B, not through acquisitions but through referrals and a service model built on becoming indispensable to the families they advise. Constantine explains why he believes the best advisors function more like quarterbacks than portfolio managers, orchestrating the many moving pieces that come with significant wealth. The conversation also examines the evolution of the multi-family office model, the role of fiduciary advice, the impact of private equity on the advisory landscape, and why experience, judgment, and trust remain the qualities clients value most. Ultimately, this episode is about what it takes to become the first call when life – not just the markets – becomes complicated. Topics Covered Lessons from professional golf that translate to wealth management Building Certuity from $210mm to nearly $5B in assets What distinguishes a multi-family office from a traditional RIA Why referrals fuel long-term organic growth Becoming the “first call” for affluent families Fiduciary advice and the evolution of the advisory profession Family office services beyond investment management Private equity and M&A in the RIA space Developing the next generation of advisors Trust, relationships, and lifetime client service > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors How did professional golf prepare Constantine for advising wealthy families? (3:45) Constantine explains why competing under pressure taught him discipline, emotional control, and process—qualities that now guide every client relationship. How did Certuity grow from $210 million to nearly $5 billion? (8:00) He shares why nearly all of the firm's growth has come organically through client referrals rather than acquisitions or aggressive recruiting. What separates a multi-family office from a traditional advisory firm? (11:45) The conversation explores how expanding into trust, estate, tax, and family office services became a response to client needs—not a business strategy. Why should advisors think of themselves as quarterbacks? (20:00) Constantine recounts a client business sale that fell apart at the closing table and explains why advisors often become the person holding everything together. How does Certuity view private equity and acquisitions? (36:20) Jason and Constantine discuss when outside capital can make sense—and why Certuity has chosen a different path centered on client alignment. Why do wisdom and experience still matter in an AI-driven world? (29:30) Despite advances in technology, Constantine argues that judgment, trust, and perspective remain the qualities affluent families value most. Key Takeaways High-net-worth clients increasingly value coordination, judgment, and perspective over investment selection alone. Family office services often evolve naturally as advisors respond to increasingly complex client needs. Sustainable organic growth is rooted in trust, which explains why referrals account for the overwhelming majority of Certuity's new business. Golf and wealth management share the same disciplines: preparation, emotional control, patience, and executing under pressure. The most valuable advisors become trusted partners during life's defining moments—not simply portfolio managers. Technology continues to reshape wealth management, but experience and wisdom remain difficult to replicate. Building a lasting advisory business requires investing in culture, succession, and the next generation of talent. https://youtu.be/m72Hq6bMTo4 Quotable Moments “The best advisors aren't simply managing portfolios. They're the first person clients call when life gets complicated.” “A bad shot in golf is the equivalent of a bad day in the market. You can't let one dictate everything that comes next.” “More often than not, we're not just financial advisors—we're financial therapists.” “Growth gets the headlines. Trust is what makes it possible.” FAQs What is a multi-family office? A multi-family office delivers integrated services beyond investment management, often coordinating tax, estate planning, philanthropy, business planning, and other complex financial matters for affluent families. Why has Certuity grown primarily through referrals? Constantine attributes the firm's growth to deep client relationships, a collaborative service model, and becoming the trusted advisor clients recommend to others. How does golf relate to wealth management? Golf reinforces discipline, emotional control, preparation, and performing under pressure—all qualities Constantine believes are essential for effective advisors. What is Constantine's perspective on private equity in wealth management? While he understands why many firms pursue private equity, he believes every strategic decision should ultimately be measured against what best serves clients. What qualities distinguish exceptional advisors today? According to Constantine, exceptional advisors become trusted coordinators of a client's financial life—bringing together specialists, solving problems, and providing perspective during life's most important moments. A multi-family office delivers integrated services beyond investment management, often coordinating tax, estate planning, philanthropy, business planning, and other complex financial matters for affluent families. Constantine attributes the firm's growth to deep client relationships, a collaborative service model, and becoming the trusted advisor clients recommend to others. Golf reinforces discipline, emotional control, preparation, and performing under pressure—all qualities Constantine believes are essential for effective advisors. While he understands why many firms pursue private equity, he believes every strategic decision should ultimately be measured against what best serves clients. According to Constantine, exceptional advisors become trusted coordinators of a client's financial life—bringing together specialists, solving problems, and providing perspective during life's most important moments. Related Resources Emotional Intelligence: The “Untouchable” Differentiator in an AI World Intentional Growth: How Top Advisors Build Businesses That Last The 10 Characteristics of the Most Successful Teams Constantine HatzivassiliouPartner  Constantine Hatzivassiliou is a Partner at Certuity, a nationally recognized multi-family office serving affluent families, entrepreneurs, executives, foundations, and endowments. He advises clients on the complex financial, tax, estate, and business planning decisions that accompany significant wealth, helping families coordinate all aspects of their financial lives through a comprehensive family office approach. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Constantine works closely with successful business owners, corporate executives, and multi-generational families to simplify financial complexity and align investment management, tax planning, estate planning, philanthropy, and family governance strategies. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), he frequently assists entrepreneurs in preparing for liquidity events, business transitions, and the long-term stewardship of family wealth. His clients often view him as a trusted advisor and strategic sounding board, helping them navigate important financial decisions with the perspective of both a family office professional and a coach. Prior to joining Certuity, Constantine held advisory and banking positions with The Bank of New York Mellon, Bernstein Global Wealth Management, and Pacific Mercantile Bank. Before entering the financial services industry, he was a Golf Professional and member of the PGA of America, experiences that continue to shape his disciplined, competitive, and relationship-focused approach to advising clients. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Constantine is passionate about mentoring young athletes and strengthening the communities in which he lives and works. He serves as a Board Member of Coerfontaine Football Club (CFC), a premier youth soccer organization focused on developing young athletes and helping them pursue collegiate and professional opportunities while fostering leadership, discipline, and character. He also serves as Chair of the Safety and Security Committee for Parkland, where he works alongside community leadership to enhance resident safety, security, and quality of life. In addition, Constantine is a Founding Board Member of The Boardroom, a private membership organization focused on fostering meaningful relationships among business leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals through networking, education, and philanthropy. Born in Greece, Constantine spent his childhood in Montreal before relocating to South Florida. He attended the University of Florida before earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida Atlantic University, where he graduated with honors. He holds the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) designation. A lifelong student of the game, Constantine remains active in golf and is a member of Muirfield Village Golf Club, founded by his longtime  hero and mentor, Jack Nicklaus, as well as Parkland Golf & Country Club. Constantine resides in Parkland, Florida, with his wife, Stephanie, and their two children, Nicholas and Olivia. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. Episode Transcript Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner A conversation with Jason Diamond and Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity. Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner. It’s a conversation with Constantine Hatzivassiliou, partner at Certuity. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing $1 billion or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report, it’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions, download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Golf is a way of exposing who you really are, there are no teammates to blame, no clock to run out and no hiding from a bad decision. Every shot demands discipline, patience and the ability to stay focused when the pressure is highest, my guest today knows that firsthand. Before becoming a partner at Certuity, a multifamily office approaching five billion in assets, Constantine Hatzivassiliou was pursuing a career as a professional golfer. An injury ultimately redirected his path towards wealth management but many of the lessons he learned on the course still shaped the way he serves clients today. Certuity has grown from roughly 210 million in assets to nearly five billion, that’s impressive on its own but the more interesting story is how they’ve done it. The firm has grown largely through referrals built around a multifamily office model and focused on becoming far more than an investment advisor to the families it serves. In Constantine’s view, the best advisors aren’t simply managing portfolios, they’re the first person clients call when a business is being sold, a family issue becomes complicated or a major decision carries consequences well beyond the balance sheet. Constantine and I discuss the lessons golf teaches about handling pressure then we dive into the evolution from the traditional wealth management world to the multifamily office model, why referrals drive nearly all of Certuity’s growth, how he thinks about private equity’s influence on the advisory business and what it takes to become the first call for the wealthy families they serve and perhaps, most importantly, why the same qualities that help someone succeed on a golf course may be surprisingly relevant to building trust over a lifetime. It’s a great conversation so let’s dive in. Constantine, thank you so much for joining, thrilled to have you here. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you for having me, excited to be here. Jason Diamond: Yeah, absolutely. So, you had an unconventional path to wealth management, you started as a professional golfer, I think that’s a first for us on this show, before ultimately transitioning into this world. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey and what brought you here? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah, I never thought I’d be here, my parents were certainly shocked that I got here path wise. Growing up, immigrants from Greece, you settle into Florida the traditional way where you either go down the diner route or the gas station route in mechanics which my father was the latter and school and education was never priority, it was always about supporting the family needs. So, next thing you know, sports are a critical part of any good household, that’s how I was raised and I played everything but golf. I grew up on a golf course because my parents believed that a location of a property was critical to long-term financial success. We lived on a golf course, it was in our backyard, we’d stare at it and we’d use it to play football or baseball or anything but actual golf. And my freshman year at the University of Florida, I started dating a girl on the golf team and she got me hooked to the point where, after four years of hitting balls with the women’s and men’s golf team at the University of Florida for six hours a day, we finished school and realized I’m actually pretty good at the game and, while I have a finance and economics background and degree, let’s try and pursue this for a living and I was blessed. I had a sponsor who helped me succeed at golf on a small scale, it was a humbling experience to say the least. I was competing and playing with Sean O’Hair, Ken Duke, guys who made it out on tour for a very long time, we had the same sponsor so we functioned as a team, it was a collegiate team effectively trying to make it out on tour. And, unfortunately, my second year of competing, I blew out my back doing heavy deadlifts which set me aside for 18 months. While I was recovering, my primary sponsor was in financial services and says, “Hey, you have a background in this, it’s killing you not being able to be on the golf course, why don’t you come work for me while you’re rehabbing so that, when you get back to playing golf, it’s easier for you to talk about our business as a sponsor to try and develop business to throw it to the financial services side?” And Jason, the reality is, after 18 months working there, I fell in love with it. I made way more money working in that environment than I ever would’ve made playing golf because, again, I came to the game late. I was decent but I was nowhere near the caliber of players that are succeeding now out on tour. So, I pivoted after having met my wife and decided to settle down into the wealth management space and, what is it now, 26 years later, going strong. So, it’s been a fun transition from golf into wealth management to say the least. Jason Diamond: Probably my favorite background … I watch a lot of golf, I should caveat that, probably my favorite origin story we’ve had, I’ll give you the Wanamaker trophy or whatever you get, first place. Let’s talk about the business now, so Certuity. For our audience who may not be familiar, tell us a little bit about the firm, what types of clients do you serve and any context you can provide on size as well. We’ll talk about how your firm got there but just give us where we are today to start with. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, goal by the end of the year is to have $5 billion in AUM, we’re just shy of that now. We currently service 428 families across the country. So, we’re boutiquey and nimble, we’re based in South Florida, we have offices in New York, San Fran and LA. I’m fortunate to be one of four partners at the firm supporting the growth and the direction of the company and it’s a fun endeavor in the sense that, when we first started, I was employee number four 16 years ago and, with 210 million in AUM at the time to grow it to where we are today, to learn all the things that we have over the years, the curve balls that were thrown at us because all of us came from massive institutional wealth management firms. So, we transitioned from the Bernsteins of the world, the BNY Mellons of the world into an RIA in the South Florida market, there was absolutely an entrepreneurial learning curve involved. Jason Diamond: I bet. And on follow-up question, 16 years ago, did you have a book of business, client business and do you still maintain a book of business today? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I do. The four of us at the firm share in all of the clients, we work together. Being in the Southeast, I’m responsible for, let’s call it, the Southeast demographics of the US which is a large portion of Certuity’s book. I have a partner in Tennessee, I have a partner in LA and San Francisco and we divide and conquer across the country. But, yes, we came over with a small book, we’ve all grown it organically since then. So, we’ve been very effective in how we’ve grown. Jason Diamond: Just from adding new client money? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Strictly through new clients referred to us by existing clients. Jason Diamond: Wow. I want to talk more about the growth because that’s remarkable. But before I do, can we double click on the service model? So, I would say the most typical we hear, I think more of our guests typically come from the wirehouse world where it’s I have my book, you have your book. What does your service model look like? So, is it truly, if it’s working well from the end client perspective, you should be interchangeable with your partners and it’s a true team approach? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: How we engage our clients, the theory should be I can get hit by a bus tomorrow and outside of the client not being able to speak to me directly, they will not have a hiccup in any way, shape or form. And when we’re dealing with families across multiple generations, the way we’ve built our platform, that continuity is critical in the engagement process for the clients hiring us to help them through all of the challenges that they face. Jason Diamond: What’s your sweet spot in terms of client size? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Our average client size today has just shy of eight million AUM with us. We have some clients who have $1 million certainly but they’re strategic in that their friends, their family, they could be centers of influence who help send business our way because they value what it is that we do and there’s a strategic partnership because we might need them for their trust and estate services or their accounting work and they have clients who have a need and we’re on the short list of people they refer to. Jason Diamond: That they trust. Yeah, makes sense. So, I’ve seen this in the news and also even on your own internal materials, I’ve seen you described as both a modern multifamily office, you’ll also obviously hear the term RIA as well. Does that distinction matter at all? And maybe my second part of that question would be what is the distinction between that space, whatever you call it, and the more traditional firm world from a client service perspective? You mentioned that all of your partners from that world. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I started in this industry truly at an institutional level at Bernstein in New York and, for anyone who knows Bernstein, they really do brainwash you on the fiduciary model and the values affiliated with that philosophy has translated through my career at BNY Mellon which has a very similar feel as Bernstein. And then, when we came here, we instilled that same core value principle of fiduciary responsibility for our clients so we are very different than a traditional wirehouse or brokerage house, it is why we’ve grown so successfully. I would never, one, work for an institution that did bide by those standards and, secondarily, I wished Congress and Senate would turn around and actually implement a mandatory fiduciary liability for all financial advisors because, far too often, we see prospective clients or families get taken advantage of because the individual sitting across from them giving them financial advice is not necessarily aligned with their goals and objectives. Jason Diamond: So, I take it you are fee only. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We are fee only. Jason Diamond: Yeah. I don’t want to lose the thread on the first part of my question. Do you think there is a distinction between a multifamily office and an RIA? I don’t want to lead you here but to me it implies a different level or different caliber of service model that probably includes more of the ancillary trust and estate and CPA type stuff that higher network clients need but curious what your thoughts are. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Our first seven years at the firm, we were strictly an RIA, we functioned as an advisory service provider to our clients. What attracted me and my partners to Certuity was the nimbleness of the firm. So, for instance, at BNY Mellon, we often deemed a change necessary as moving an aircraft carrier across the world but it was an impossible task to accomplish. But when you’re small and nimble and clients come to you with a need and you’re in the service, ultimately, first and foremost, it made sense for us to start building out family office services for our clients because they had a need and we found it as a way to centralize everything because, far too often, when the communication standards break down between all the individual parts, one, it’s more expensive for the clients and, two, the process isn’t efficient, things get missed. So, we tried, largely due to our growth, to bring everything in house and our clients appreciate that for it. Jason Diamond: So, this is not a chicken and egg situation, this is very much we had large clients, we were attracting large clients and, in order to service them optimally, here’s what we felt we needed to build. Is that fair? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: 100%. Jason Diamond: Let’s shift gears, I need to go deeper on the professional golf thread a little bit. I promise I won’t make the whole interview about your golf background. I’m curious if you feel like that experience or that, I don’t know, upbringing or, I guess, background laid any foundation for the way you engage with clients today or the way you operate as a business leader today. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, there’s a couple parts to that. The golf side, certainly, just from an engaging client perspective, 90% of our clients are golfers. Jason Diamond: It’s very true. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Right. It just helps because of our background and certainly with some of the clients and partners that we have at the firm, golf is a critical thread in what we do. However, when it comes to golf, what I learned playing golf at a high level directly translates to how we manage money for clients and I’ll express it this way. There’s generally two types of golfers, there’s the artist, the Sergios of the world who don’t fundamentally function off of specific points in their swing or a very structured platform, they see something, their mind becomes creative and they execute on it. I was never that way, I am a numbers person, I think everything analytically, I break everything down to the minute, everything is strategized and organized, I was taught to practice that way by Coach Alexander at the University of Florida and that foundational element seemed easy, it worked. If you practice properly, you’ve succeeded. Under pressure, all those hours and hours of repetition translated to success more often than not. In our industry, it’s process-driven, it has to be unemotional. A bad shot in golf is the equivalent of a bad day in the market, you can’t let one bad day in the market influence everything you do for the next year. Same way on the golf course playing in a tournament, you can’t allow one golf shot to affect the rest of the round. We kid with our clients oftentimes that, while we are fundamentally their financial advisor, more often than not, we’re their financial therapist. We have to control their emotions and make sure they’re not making an irrational decision. For instance, a couple days ago we were out with a client the day that Iran shot down one of the US military helicopters and we’re sitting down at lunch and, all of a sudden, his phone starts blowing up because he’s getting all these Google alerts to the market heading in the wrong direction and he had to go do a life insurance test later on that afternoon. So, all week, he had prepped and he was calm and he was relaxed, he was really excited, he’s, “My wife is setting me up with a new insurance policy and I know it’s for her benefit but all my numbers look good, I’m going to ace this and my premiums will be really low because of it,” it was a $25 million policy. And as he’s looking at his phone and he sees the market collapsing in his mind, his blood pressure rose to no end, you could see that his anxiety level went through the roof and, had I not been there with him at the time to hold his hand through that process, his afternoon would’ve been shot. I would’ve got a phone call saying, “What are we doing to prevent 2% loss in my portfolio,” because that’s how he thinks and, in that moment, I was the therapist to talk him off a ledge. It’s so hard for individuals to manage the stress of the markets, that golfer mentality of, okay, just breathe, relax, let’s see what’s going on, let’s make an educated, confirmed decision, let’s circle back with our caddy if we’re on tour and competing and make a unified decision for the long-term success of the goal that we’re trying to achieve. And what we do every day is the same thing with our clients. Jason Diamond: It’s an incredibly thoughtful answer, I expected a version of the latter part of your answer. I appreciate that you added the part about just most clients like golf, enjoy talking about golf, enjoy playing golf and it’s an effective business development tool, there’s no question. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, I have two kids, a 12-year-old and an eight-year-old, my son who’s 12 who’s an exceptional soccer player and wants to, aspires to play professionally one day has now fallen in love with golf which I’m ecstatic about. I think golf and tennis, from a business development perspective- Jason Diamond: Yeah, lifelong sports. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: And I look at it now and my mentor when I started in the business was absolutely right. The fact that I could get a CEO of a Fortune 100 company to want to actively spend four hours with me where we could dive into the weeds about their personal life, their financial situation, their business, you could never get that time otherwise. I urge everyone who’s coming out of college or is going into college who wants to aspire to be in any type of sales related role, golf is a great venue to make long-term relationships. Jason Diamond: And importantly, tennis is not as good on the knees long-term or the back long-term. So, you stick to golf, you get a little more longevity out of it. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: It does help, yes. You’re right. Jason Diamond: My thought always goes to people call it the 15th club in golf, just this mental element of the game and to me it’s the clear moment in golf that always comes to mind for me is the 72nd hole. I don’t know if you just watched the US Women’s Open but Nelly Korda standing over a two-foot putt that I really thought she missed, is there an equivalent of that moment? Are you ever able to recreate that pressure in your current role or is that something that you miss? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Jason, we have those moments weekly, countless stories. Here’s where I love my job. I’ve transitioned from being the guy behind the screen who is just trading accounts, that’s where we all start and you have to have that foundational perspective of what’s involved in trading an account on a daily basis. Not that we ever picked stocks to an extensive level, we were generally managing ETFs, mutual funds and strategies but I’ll give you an example. So, just last week, we had a family and this is where the family office side comes in more so than the financial advisory services come in. We had spent four months in helping a family sell their business, it was a life altering moment, the dad started the business, the dad had been independently successful, net worth of well into eight figures, was happy and content, brought his son into the business, son was brilliant, saw an opportunity within the business and grew the business by 4,000%. Jason Diamond: Literally? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yup. All because of this, the son saw a different direction and pivoted the business and grew it out and here he is, getting ready to have their first child and he gets approached by a firm to acquire his business. They’re ecstatic, the number was perfect, I thought it was overvalued, I was telling them that there’s no way they could turn it down because the number was too significant. Had they gone to the market, they would probably never achieve that level of return. And literally, the day of closing, as we’re expecting the wire to come through, the deal gets pulled. So, here you have the father who’s crushed because he was trying to provide something for his son, the son who’s just devastated because he now was preparing for the second stage of his life and you go through at that stage the classic stages of grief, it’s the cycle that goes through it. I was holding their hand through the three-month process up to there, every day, hourly calls, strategizing, building everything out, organizing the accounting team, organizing the attorneys, getting it all to work out. And here I am, father and son, unbelievably stressed, you have the wives in the background who can’t quite comprehend what’s going on, you have employees beneath them who are now confused as to there was a transition getting ready to take place and the only person who can step in under that critical moment to bring everybody back together was me. So, here I am thinking, 20 years ago, I’ll just pick stocks and bonds for individuals but now I’m in the middle of deal flow trying to help a family solve the issues that arise. So, those are hugely critical- Jason Diamond: Yeah, that’s right. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: …moments where, because our clients are our friends and family, we care for them like they’re our own, you become emotionally attached. And the same pressure that I felt when I won my first mini tour event after college, when I had to get up and down from the impossible bunker shot and I hit it to six feet and I made the crucial put to win my first $23,000 check which I thought was unbelievable, they gave you those big old-fashioned- Jason Diamond: The Happy Gilmore checks. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Exactly, right? It was the greatest day at that time. The stress of being in that bunker trying to hit that shot is the same stress I felt having two phones ringing, one the father, one the son where we have to keep that situation separate. So, you’re diving into unbelievably stressful situations and the best part is, when we get it all solved and literally yesterday we solved the entire dynamic of the business, I get a text from the son saying that this was the most incredible rollercoaster experience he’s ever experienced, that he’s incredibly grateful for all that I did and our team did for him and that, for the rest of his life, we will always be the first person he calls to solve any of his problems. So, for us, that’s the recreation of that stressful moment and then the victory on the back end. Twenty-five years ago, I got the big Happy Gilmore check. Yesterday, I got that text which I’ve printed out and framed and have it in my office as a constant memory of why it is we do what we do. Jason Diamond: And I would bet that’s more impactful than the $23,000. It’s an incredible story and I’ll tell you why, you said it but it’s as far away from stocks and bonds as you could possibly get. But I think, most advisors, a story like that resonates much more. It leads into my next question. You intentionally choose to service a high net worth segment of the market and I would assume that number’s probably creeping up, not down over time in terms of who you service. My thought is that’s a very competitive segment of the market as well. Is this how you differentiate is just you make it about those types of human examples or is there more to it? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I’m envious of the advisor who could walk into a room of 200 people and they become the central focal point of the room where they can walk up to every single person and fearlessly ask them incredibly personal information, I’m not wired that way. For me, I’m very much the individual that I will find the one person that I have common ground with, I will deepen that relationship and I will add value and, because of the value that I create, I become a critical component of that individual’s success. And that’s how we’ve grown our business holistically at the firm largely buy that extra layer of service. We’re a commodity business. Being in South Florida, the clubs that I belong to, 10 to 15% of the members feel like they’re financial advisors. You could throw a rock anywhere and find a financial advisor so how do I differentiate myself? The only way I can truly differentiate myself and my firm is the level of service we provide, to go that extra step. To where, when we’re calling a client, they know I’m calling them to support their needs not because I’m seeking something for any ulterior motive. Jason Diamond: But you don’t mention financial planning or investment management or asset custody. Is that because I assume just that’s table stakes? Of course we do that but … Okay, yeah. Makes sense. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: That’s the easy part, right? That’s foundationally … And to your earlier point, you were asking the RIA model. One of the biggest challenges that we had down here in South Florida was the RIA model is new. If you were in the northeast, RIAs are very common, out west, incredibly common. Down here in South Florida, I just finished dealing with Bernie Madoff. Jason Diamond: You were fighting the good education fight a little bit. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: At Bernstein, 108 of our clients had assets with Bernie Madoff. Jason Diamond: Yeah. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, when you leave, one of our biggest growing curves as an RIA in South Florida was, when you leave the power of BNY Mellon or Bernstein and you’re some random little shop called Certuity, no one knows who you are. So, there was a big part of our education in the business was learning how to educate clients and prospective clients on the value of the RIA model and the fiduciary model in particular. Jason Diamond: Could you give me the 30-second answer to that if somebody says who are you, your prospect? I’ll tell you why I ask. Forget just Bernstein’s and BNYs of the world, a Morgan Stanley advisor or Merrill advisor has the exact same fear. I’m leaving Merrill to go launch Jason Diamond Wealth Management, my client’s going to say, “Well, who is that?” So, give me the quick pitch. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Your typical broker, let’s say, you’re not really hiring JP Morgan, you’re not really hiring Wells Fargo, you’re not hiring Goldman Sachs, you’re hiring the advisor who works for that institution. Now, yes, that advisor has the Rolodex of data and information available at the firm level but, ultimately, you’re entrusting that individual to make your decisions for you. The broker who leaves the brokerage model to open up their own brick and mortar operation has to then decide are they continuing down the wirehouse brokerage model where they’re transactional in nature, the economics behind that, far more profitable. The revenue streams affiliated with a brokerage house drastically blows us out of the water. But then you have to also look at yourself in the mirror so how are you running your book of business, how are you running your practice. So, to answer your 30-second question, the RIA model, in my opinion, is truly the only way any family of wealth should proceed with an advisory firm because you want an individual who is aligned in your goals and objectives. Our clients know that I’m their chief financial officer, I work for them. They task us with building out a financial strategy that is customized to their individual needs and they never have to worry do I have an ulterior motive as to why I’m presenting an option in that strategy. And, because of that, the fiduciary model, I think, is critical for our success as a firm and, again, as I mentioned earlier, I wish it’s something that was industry well and not the vast minority. Jason Diamond: Yeah. No, that’s a great answer. So, do you think then that, as time has gone on, this has gotten easier? I assume the answer is yes either because more clients are aware of your brand and/or more aware of the space as a whole. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: The first thing that helped the most was some gray hair. When I started at Bernstein, I attempted to solicit new clients very much the same way I do today. But when I was 26 years old and I’m sitting in front of a family worth and the dad was in the 70s and he lived his life and I’m younger than his kids, he would look at me and say, “What do you really know? What experience do you have?” So, doing this now for as long as I have, the number one thing that has helped me the most in growth is just wisdom and time. Without that, yes, you can be a rockstar stock picker. We have so many kids coming out of college today with the advent of AI and technology that have algorithms that could run unbelievable portfolios and there is a segment of the market who wants to hire and engage those individuals but, generally speaking, the families that we service, that is 10th or 12th on the list of importance. Jason Diamond: No, I think that’s spot on. I think most high net worth clients counterintuitively agree with that, that alpha, for lack of a better term, is really not the name of the game or not in the top five reasons why you would engage with a financial advisor. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Agreed. The biggest thing that we’ve been doing to educate clients especially in today’s environment, I had a call yesterday with an individual, a client who lives in New Jersey who works out of New York for a hedge fund, he knows our space incredibly well. He’s one of those kids, 28 years old, brilliant, as smart as you’ll ever be but his tax bracket is atrocious. He is paying so much of his W-2 income in taxes and building out a strategy that can reduce his tax liability by several hundred thousand dollars a year far exceeds any alpha I can generate by picking a top decile performer. Jason Diamond: What was the strategy? Move to Florida? I’m just kidding. Don’t answer that. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We offered that but, unfortunately, he has to be physically in the office in New York City but yes. Jason Diamond: I think that will resonate, by the way, your gray hair comment. I appreciate the humility and the modesty in that because, the reality is, one of the questions I was going to ask you about was next-gen talent cultivation. In my opinion, this is a hard game for younger folks for that reason. People sit across from other people with a lot of money and they say, “Why am I going to entrust you with my life’s work when you just don’t have that degree of experience?” I was asking more even about your firm success and your firm story, have you felt like that’s caught on more? Do you have more brand awareness, if you will, now when you go to a prospect meeting or do you think you’re still constantly fighting that education fight? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, first part, brands, it’s improved in our immediate network. In our little bubble of the world, yes, it’s known. Let’s call it, in South Florida the influential attorneys, the accountants, the divorce attorneys know who we are because, having been down here long enough, we’ve had opportunities to work together. Our network of friends, certainly, the word spreads. But in the grand scheme of things, we are so small in the South Florida landscape or the LA landscape or the New York landscape so any incremental gain that we pick up is meaningful. And then, as it relates to young talent, our success is completely, long-term, derived by the young talent that we bring in to nurture them to help them grow. I look at our success, two of our critical mentors and board members of our firm are in their 80s, their children and grandchildren, nepotism aside, whether it was interning while in college or coming to work for us after school, they’re our best employees. And our goal as a firm, just like how I was offered the opportunity to become a partner and own a piece of the business, our goal long term will be to transition the business to this younger generation that we’re developing. I look at, again, those two board members who are in their 80s, the advice they’ve given me is don’t ever stop working, you have to be doing something. And I turn to them and say, “I don’t work every day.” I put in 20 hour days, well, not quite 20, 18 hour days but it’s never work because, what I do every day, I don’t deem it work, I love what I do, I don’t ever see myself stopping. Because they’ll tell me all of their friends that have stopped working or sold their business, invariably, the men die within six months because boredom and we always joke around that you’ll continue to work forever. So, I would hope that one day I transition into that advisory board member role where I step aside day-to-day activity where I’m now a mentor to our younger generation that we’re promoting into partners because we’ve made promises to our clients that we will forever be their family office. So, we have to, as part of our growth model, have those transitions in place because we’re servicing many families that have 85-year-old clients and two-year-old clients and we’re tasked with the two-year-olds as well as the 85-year-old. Jason Diamond: I also feel like there’s a little bit of younger generations I think have been reluctant to some degree to get it, you can disagree with this, to get into this space because there’s a more appeal to things like investment banking and sales and trading to some degree. The other problem obviously you alluded to is asset gathering. Your model speaks so clearly to success because you don’t say I own the client, that’s my relationship. To me, you plant the seeds of being able to handle succession much better than somebody who does the mine is mine and yours is yours approach. Is that fair? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: That’s completely accurate. And I think there’s two types of people that serve in the financial advisory space. You have the individual who is analytics driven, who likes being behind the bank of monitors trading account and there’s a critical part of our firm and our success is driven by the team in the office that aren’t necessarily client facing that do all the heavy lifting every day because they’re really doing the heavy work. Myself, my partners, the select few, while talented and able to do that, realize the value that we present is quarterbacking the relationship and helping understand all the components. We kid around that we’ve all stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night, we’ve become experts in tax, we’ve become experts at trust and estate planning, we’ve become experts at divorce, we’ve become experts at the medical field. It’s shocking how it’s 2:00 in the morning and you get a phone call, panic attack by a client saying they need a doctor for X, Y and Z, can you connect me. So, the younger generation, yes, the sexy space is investment banking and that is really hard work. I could not do what my friends at Goldman do who are at these private mid-market funds, that’s just not me. I’ve been fortunate that I stumbled into an avenue in financial services that I think perfectly fits my personality and my want and desire to help others because that’s what we’re driven by and we try and hire people with that same mindset. The hardest thing as an RIA especially in South Florida is finding and retaining talent that is like-minded and that could function well within our family. Jason Diamond: If you build a firm predicated on culture and client service, I understand, certainly, the importance of that. I want to shift gears, I don’t want to lose this thought. You mentioned organic growth, it’s incredible. You have not mentioned inorganic growth at all and maybe because you haven’t had to but give me your thoughts on M&A, private equity in this space, do you have plans to sell the business, take on a capital partner, buy other RIAs? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah. So, I understand why private equity in the last 10 years has come into the market. For years, they bought up insurance practices, that recurring revenue, sticky assets, it makes sense. Personally, I’m not a fan of them being in our markets, I think they’re motivated at the end of the day by AUM growth, revenue growth and the second transaction which, for most of our clients, would not make sense because, again, that then questions why it is that we’re motivated to do something. Am I taking extra risk in the portfolio because I want to grow the AUM because I’m looking to sell in a year? Am I bringing in a strategy that has a higher fee? For us, it doesn’t work. In the brokerage model, it makes perfect sense. Now, there are some RIAs who leave the wirehouses, open up an RIA shop, do really well for their clients but don’t have the long-term aspirations of making the institution a legacy to where they’re passing it off. I hope my kids one day want to come work for dad and follow in his steps, that’d be amazing. Just like our younger generation working at the firm, our goal is we’ve already targeted the three or four guys that will be partner one day and we’ll transition the business over to them. But it’s okay if there’s an RIA out there who doesn’t have that transition product or isn’t motivated by that and is looking at it as a vehicle that I’ve built a really good successful book of business and I want to now retire and spend time with my family and kids and travel, et cetera, and that’s where PE steps in and offers an attractive number and the person makes their move. So, I can’t fault the individual for wanting that and I’m not saying that they’re not doing well by their clients, it’s just, for us, I’m not a fan of it because, again, I’m first critically and always focused on what’s best for the client. Jason Diamond: Fair. And I largely agree with some of what you said around private equity in this space but private equity enables … Obviously, it’s capital so which enables acquisitions which is why a lot of firms take on private equity. So, what about the idea of potentially buying businesses to start up inorganic growth? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: We have gone down the road of acquiring other institutions potentially. The challenge is, because we manage money so uniquely and our approach is so different, I’m not going to bring on an institution or bring in a new partner to the firm or a new book of business that we’ve acquired if the methodology and the life of that book doesn’t mirror ours. So, yes, there is opportunities to grow through acquisition, it’s not something that we are leaning on heavily. However, for the right institution that’s available that is aligned with our thinking, whose clients would value and appreciate how we do things or, if that institution is doing something truly unique that we would want to bolt onto our platform, all day long because, again, for the benefit of the client, it makes sense. So, yes, there are opportunities for that. Too often we find that, when a book is available for acquisition, the highest bidder tends to win out and we don’t have the deep enough pockets to write a multiple that we don’t deem to be, let’s call it, market neutral. Jason Diamond: Yeah, market prudent. I understand the premise and I think that’s fair. I also think you have the luxury, because of your organic growth, you can be super, super picky about inorganic and I love how you bring it all back to the lens of the client. Can this improve the client experience in some way? And, if so, yes, we’ll take a look. I got time for one more question, I can’t believe time has flown. You’ve had a remarkable journey, professional golf now partner at a $4 billion plus on the way to $5 billion RIA multifamily office. What are you most proud of when you reflect on your career journey? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: What am I most proud of? To see what Rich, myself and Mark and Jayson built over these years from where we were sitting in a small conference room, struggling to figure out how do we find a way to hire a trust and estate attorney to help with that component, which CPAs do we bring on board in-house because clients have a need. So, the entrepreneurial spirit involved in growing the business, the late nights, the struggles, the banter back and forth, to put so much blood, sweat and tears into this and now to look at all that we’ve accomplished, being in four separate states with offices, having so many wonderful employees that have come to us from all over the world, Germany, from China, from Tokyo, bringing people in to the US and building out something that, when we leave at the end of the day, are incredibly proud of. My father’s no longer with us, for 50 years, I always strived to make him proud because he never told me that he was proud of me, he was the classic Greek old-fashioned dad. I think he looks down on his now for everything that we’ve built and would say that he’s proud of us so, for me, that’s the best. Jason Diamond: Yeah. That’s an incredible place to end. Thank you for sharing that, it’s a touching place to end and I appreciate you being open. Thank you. This has been one of my favorite episodes, your journey, your humility, your honesty, your transparency, it’s no wonder you’ve built a business you’ve built. So, thanks for joining us, Constantine. I look forward to having you back on to talk about the next chapter. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you. Next time we’ll do it from the golf course. Jason Diamond: Oh, absolutely. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook.   Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner A conversation with Jason Diamond and Constantine Hatzivassiliou, Partner at Certuity. Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is Lessons from the Links: From Golf Pro to $5B Family Office Partner. It’s a conversation with Constantine Hatzivassiliou, partner at Certuity. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for Financial Advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing $1 billion or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education-driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report, it’s the award-winning data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions, download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Golf is a way of exposing who you really are, there are no teammates to blame, no clock to run out and no hiding from a bad decision. Every shot demands discipline, patience and the ability to stay focused when the pressure is highest, my guest today knows that firsthand. Before becoming a partner at Certuity, a multifamily office approaching five billion in assets, Constantine Hatzivassiliou was pursuing a career as a professional golfer. An injury ultimately redirected his path towards wealth management but many of the lessons he learned on the course still shaped the way he serves clients today. Certuity has grown from roughly 210 million in assets to nearly five billion, that’s impressive on its own but the more interesting story is how they’ve done it. The firm has grown largely through referrals built around a multifamily office model and focused on becoming far more than an investment advisor to the families it serves. In Constantine’s view, the best advisors aren’t simply managing portfolios, they’re the first person clients call when a business is being sold, a family issue becomes complicated or a major decision carries consequences well beyond the balance sheet. Constantine and I discuss the lessons golf teaches about handling pressure then we dive into the evolution from the traditional wealth management world to the multifamily office model, why referrals drive nearly all of Certuity’s growth, how he thinks about private equity’s influence on the advisory business and what it takes to become the first call for the wealthy families they serve and perhaps, most importantly, why the same qualities that help someone succeed on a golf course may be surprisingly relevant to building trust over a lifetime. It’s a great conversation so let’s dive in. Constantine, thank you so much for joining, thrilled to have you here. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Thank you for having me, excited to be here. Jason Diamond: Yeah, absolutely. So, you had an unconventional path to wealth management, you started as a professional golfer, I think that’s a first for us on this show, before ultimately transitioning into this world. Can you tell us a little bit about the journey and what brought you here? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Yeah, I never thought I’d be here, my parents were certainly shocked that I got here path wise. Growing up, immigrants from Greece, you settle into Florida the traditional way where you either go down the diner route or the gas station route in mechanics which my father was the latter and school and education was never priority, it was always about supporting the family needs. So, next thing you know, sports are a critical part of any good household, that’s how I was raised and I played everything but golf. I grew up on a golf course because my parents believed that a location of a property was critical to long-term financial success. We lived on a golf course, it was in our backyard, we’d stare at it and we’d use it to play football or baseball or anything but actual golf. And my freshman year at the University of Florida, I started dating a girl on the golf team and she got me hooked to the point where, after four years of hitting balls with the women’s and men’s golf team at the University of Florida for six hours a day, we finished school and realized I’m actually pretty good at the game and, while I have a finance and economics background and degree, let’s try and pursue this for a living and I was blessed. I had a sponsor who helped me succeed at golf on a small scale, it was a humbling experience to say the least. I was competing and playing with Sean O’Hair, Ken Duke, guys who made it out on tour for a very long time, we had the same sponsor so we functioned as a team, it was a collegiate team effectively trying to make it out on tour. And, unfortunately, my second year of competing, I blew out my back doing heavy deadlifts which set me aside for 18 months. While I was recovering, my primary sponsor was in financial services and says, “Hey, you have a background in this, it’s killing you not being able to be on the golf course, why don’t you come work for me while you’re rehabbing so that, when you get back to playing golf, it’s easier for you to talk about our business as a sponsor to try and develop business to throw it to the financial services side?” And Jason, the reality is, after 18 months working there, I fell in love with it. I made way more money working in that environment than I ever would’ve made playing golf because, again, I came to the game late. I was decent but I was nowhere near the caliber of players that are succeeding now out on tour. So, I pivoted after having met my wife and decided to settle down into the wealth management space and, what is it now, 26 years later, going strong. So, it’s been a fun transition from golf into wealth management to say the least. Jason Diamond: Probably my favorite background … I watch a lot of golf, I should caveat that, probably my favorite origin story we’ve had, I’ll give you the Wanamaker trophy or whatever you get, first place. Let’s talk about the business now, so Certuity. For our audience who may not be familiar, tell us a little bit about the firm, what types of clients do you serve and any context you can provide on size as well. We’ll talk about how your firm got there but just give us where we are today to start with. Constantine Hatzivassiliou: So, goal by the end of the year is to have $5 billion in AUM, we’re just shy of that now. We currently service 428 families across the country. So, we’re boutiquey and nimble, we’re based in South Florida, we have offices in New York, San Fran and LA. I’m fortunate to be one of four partners at the firm supporting the growth and the direction of the company and it’s a fun endeavor in the sense that, when we first started, I was employee number four 16 years ago and, with 210 million in AUM at the time to grow it to where we are today, to learn all the things that we have over the years, the curve balls that were thrown at us because all of us came from massive institutional wealth management firms. So, we transitioned from the Bernsteins of the world, the BNY Mellons of the world into an RIA in the South Florida market, there was absolutely an entrepreneurial learning curve involved. Jason Diamond: I bet. And on follow-up question, 16 years ago, did you have a book of business, client business and do you still maintain a book of business today? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: I do. The four of us at the firm share in all of the clients, we work together. Being in the Southeast, I’m responsible for, let’s call it, the Southeast demographics of the US which is a large portion of Certuity’s book. I have a partner in Tennessee, I have a partner in LA and San Francisco and we divide and conquer across the country. But, yes, we came over with a small book, we’ve all grown it organically since then. So, we’ve been very effective in how we’ve grown. Jason Diamond: Just from adding new client money? Constantine Hatzivassiliou: Strictly through new clients referred to us by existing clients. Jason Diamond: Wow. I

What actually happens before a frontier AI model gets released — and who decides whether it is safe enough? In this episode of The MAD Podcast, Matt Turck sits down with Zico Kolter — OpenAI board member, Head of the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon, and co-founder of Gray Swan — for a deep conversation on the real risks of frontier AI. They discuss how OpenAI's safety oversight works before major model releases, why more powerful models do not automatically become safer, how jailbreaks and prompt injection expose real weaknesses in AI systems, why AI agents dramatically expand the attack surface, and where frontier AI is headed next. A clear, practical discussion on OpenAI, AI safety, AI security, AI agents, frontier models, red teaming, reinforcement learning, and the future of AI governance.(00:00) Intro(01:32) OpenAI board role and Safety & Security Committee(03:53) How OpenAI reviews major model releases(05:33) OpenAI's preparedness framework explained(09:46) Are frontier AI models getting safer?(12:33) Why AI safety does not come from scale(15:23) The four categories of AI risk(19:38) Doomerism vs accelerationism in AI(24:11) The six-month AI pause debate(26:20) AI safety as a global effort(28:04) How Zico Kolter got into machine learning(31:05) OpenAI in the early days(34:14) Why Carnegie Mellon became an AI powerhouse(38:43) What Gray Swan does in AI security(40:44) AI safety vs AI security(43:15) The GCG jailbreak paper(49:19) How AI labs responded to jailbreak research(50:19) State-of-the-art AI defenses(52:32) State-of-the-art AI attacks(54:22) Why AI agents expand the attack surface(58:39) Are AI agents ready for production?(59:40) Mechanistic interpretability explained(1:02:31) Will AI be safer in two years?(1:03:46) Reinforcement learning and self-improving models(1:08:09) Do post-transformer architectures matter?(1:09:29) Best research directions in AI now(1:11:00) Zico Kolter's Intro to Modern AI course(1:14:53) Why modern AI is simpler than people think

Tim Shipman sits down with thriller author James Wolff who worked as a British intelligence officer for over ten years. They unpack his latest spy novel Spies and Other Gods. Wolff shares how a single line in a UK parliamentary oversight report (the Intelligence and Security Committee) sparked the novel's core idea. An anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatening to reveal secrets that could bring the establishment to its knees. Wolff also reveals why it took government censors 16 months to approve his book—and shares some of the truly absurd references they insisted he remove. He then turns the tables on Shipman, asking whether he uses spy-like tradecraft in his own work as a political journalist who relies on sources, assets and insiders to uncover stories. If you love le Carré-style moral tension, Slough House office politics, and spy fiction that feels real, Spies and Other Gods is for you.     So what is Spies And Other Gods by James Wolff all about, Shane? In this cat-and-mouse spy thriller, an anonymous whistleblower sends British Intelligence into a frenzy, threatening to reveal secrets that could bring the establishment to its knees. The Head of British Intelligence is having a bad day. Only six months off retirement and Sir William Rentoul is wondering if he'll make it that far, what with the sudden descent of a brain fog dense enough to turn every day into a series of small humiliations. To make matters worse, when parliamentary researcher Aphra McQueen is brought in to investigate an internal complaint, she discovers something horrifying: the murder of nine Iranian dissidents. The elusive assassin, nicknamed CASPIAN, kills across borders, forcing intelligence services throughout Europe into an alliance. Their only lead? An unsuspecting dentist in the UK. Aphra McQueen seems to know more about the operation than she is letting on. What will she uncover? What is she really up to? And can she survive the unexpected events that will bounce her from London to Birmingham to Paris to Lausanne? In the exhilarating chase that follows, Spies and Other Gods offers a vibrant, fresh and darkly funny take on the spy thriller that lays bare the human cost of secrecy.  

Governor Lamont is proposing more incentives to recruit and retain police officers and firefighters. The push comes amid staffing shortages in both industries across the state. But does it really do enough, especially for police, to attract people to the jobs and keep them? We asked State Senator Paul Cicarella, who is a leading lawmaker on the Public Safety and Security Committee.

Across Malaysia, questions about Orang Asli land rights have been back in the headlines, from the detention of villagers in Pahang over a land dispute, to communities facing displacement, environmental damage, and development carried out without meaningful consultation. One of the latest flashpoints is Pulau Carey in Selangor, where the Mah Meri community in Kampung Sungai Kurau says a proposed port expansion could threaten their fishing grounds, cultural heritage, and way of life. We speak with Lanuza Layon, Chairperson of the Kampung Sungai Kurau Village Development and Security Committee, and Sarah Amer, a Community Organiser from Gerimis Art Project, about what is happening on the ground, and what it reveals about the broader struggle for Orang Asli land rights in Malaysia.Read more about the issue here and here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often seen as the gold standard for societal resilience, Finland has many admirers. The Secretary General of its Security Committee, Petteri Korvala, describes Finland's approach. Many nations are exploring how to build societal resilience as part of a comprehensive approach to security. The Scandinavian countries are often seen as exemplars of best practice, with Finland arguably leading the pack. But delivering resilience through comprehensive security requires trust across all elements of society and a cultural shift as much as it needs the right structures and processes. In this episode, we hear from the Secretary General of Finland's Security Committee, Petteri Korvala, about how their comprehensive security system works. Petteri Korvala has over 30 years of experience in Finland's defence forces and internationally, including in the Ministry of Defence and in Finland's Permanent Representation to the European Union, as well as having served as a liaison officer in United States European Command. Further Reading: Finnish Government, Security Strategy for Society: Government Resolution, 2025:3, available at https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/items/0126122a-1e8a-4ffa-9868-6286292efc01 Vesa Valtonen & Minna Branders, 'Tracing the Finnish Comprehensive Security Model', in Sebastian Larsson & Mark Rhinard (eds.), Nordic Societal Security, Routledge, 2020, pp.91-108. Available at: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/oa-edit/10.4324/9781003045533-7/tracing-finnish-comprehensive-security-model-vesa-valtonen-minna-branders. Ari-Elmeri Hyvönen & Tapio Juntunen, 'From "spiritual defence" to robust resilience in the Finnish comprehensive security model', in Sebastian Larsson & Mark Rhinard (eds.), Nordic Societal Security Routledge, 2020, pp.154–178. Tom Woolmore, The Porcupine and the Hedgehog: The Influence of Finland's Comprehensive Security Model on the British Whole-of-Society Approach, King's College London Master's Dissertation, 2025, available at: https://turvallisuuskomitea.fi/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/MA-Thesis-Thomas-Woolmore.pdf Andrew Sharples (London School of Economics and Political Science): From Bowling Alone to Fighting Together: Social Capital and Whole-of-Society Defence.

It has been a bruising week for the Prime Minister after the House of Commons backed a Conservative “Humble Address” demanding documents on Sir Keir Starmer's vetting of Lord Mandelson for the Washington Ambassadorship. We explain how the procedure works, what role the Intelligence and Security Committee may play in decisions on disclosure, and how legislation to strip a peerage could be introduced. Plus, the latest on the Restoration and Renewal of Parliament as yet another report lands with a new set of costings.______

Following President Trump's pressure on European allies over the future of Greenland, Ben analyses whether there has been a fundamental shift in the Transatlantic alliance with Lord Darroch, former UK Ambassador to the USA, and Sarah Elliott, director of the US-UK Special Relationship Unit at the Prosperity Institute.As the government approves plans for a new Chinese embassy in London ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to China, Ben brings together Lord Beamish, chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, and Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, who previously chaired the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.After the House of Lords voted in favour of a ban on social media for children under 16, Ben speaks to Professor Amy Orben of Cambridge University who co-led a government study to understand the impact of social media on young people.And, is centrism dead? Times columnist Matthew Parris does not think so and argues that Conservative defections to Reform give Kemi Badenoch an opportunity to pivot her party to the centre. He debates that with non-affiliated peer, Claire Fox, a former Brexit Party MEP, a forerunner to Reform UK.

What does it take to represent the security interests of the JetBlue pilot group?  On this episode join Captain Kurt Schuster and Captain Tyler Jones to discuss the committee's work with ALPA National and law enforcement. We discuss the evolving security landscape, the "eyes and ears" role pilots play in stopping human trafficking, and the specific support systems in place for pilots following a security incident. This is your look at the strategy behind our safety.  We want to hear from you—submit your feedback and episode suggestions at jbu.alpa.org.

Our first episode of the year takes us to Dayton, Ohio, where under the auspices of the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court sits the Kushinda Court ("the Court") under the vision and direction of the Honorable Gerald Parker. This Court is part of the wider strategy to create specialized dockets that allow for a therapeutic approach to law. My guest is Judge Parker, who talks to me about his journey to the Court, his vision for the Court, and how his faith plays a role in the ministry he performs. Judge Parker was elected to the Common Pleas Court Bench, General Division, in November of 2018, taking office in early January of 2019. He serves on the Offender Supervision and Security Committee. Judge Parker received his B.A. from Georgetown College (KY) in 2004 and his J.D. from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 2007. From 2007 to 2011, he was an Assistant Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney spending a majority of his time on felony dockets. In 2012, Judge Parker joined the civil litigation team with the Dayton firm of Dyer, Garofalo Mann and Schultz. He would then be appointed as juvenile magistrate for Montgomery County Juvenile Court in 2016. I have written more on the Kushinda Court here. Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.

There's a call for state lawmakers to put forward a bill that would prevent people on probation from being sent back to prison for minor technical violations. What are the laws on the books and how would provisions impact Connecticut? We asked State Senator Paul Cicarella, ranking senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee and also serves on the Judiciary Committee.

Last December, the OpenAI business put forward a plan to completely sideline its nonprofit board. But two state attorneys general have now blocked that effort and kept that board very much alive and kicking.The for-profit's trouble was that the entire operation was founded on the premise of — and legally pledged to — the purpose of ensuring that “artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.” So to get its restructure past regulators, the business entity has had to agree to 20 serious requirements designed to ensure it continues to serve that goal.Attorney Tyler Whitmer, as part of his work with Legal Advocates for Safe Science and Technology, has been a vocal critic of OpenAI's original restructure plan. In today's conversation, he lays out all the changes and whether they will ultimately matter.Full transcript, video, and links to learn more: https://80k.info/tw2 After months of public pressure and scrutiny from the attorneys general (AGs) of California and Delaware, the December proposal itself was sidelined — and what replaced it is far more complex and goes a fair way towards protecting the original mission:The nonprofit's charitable purpose — “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity” — now legally controls all safety and security decisions at the company. The four people appointed to the new Safety and Security Committee can block model releases worth tens of billions.The AGs retain ongoing oversight, meeting quarterly with staff and requiring advance notice of any changes that might undermine their authority.OpenAI's original charter, including the remarkable “stop and assist” commitment, remains binding.But significant concessions were made. The nonprofit lost exclusive control of AGI once developed — Microsoft can commercialise it through 2032. And transforming from complete control to this hybrid model represents, as Tyler puts it, “a bad deal compared to what OpenAI should have been.”The real question now: will the Safety and Security Committee use its powers? It currently has four part-time volunteer members and no permanent staff, yet they're expected to oversee a company racing to build AGI while managing commercial pressures in the hundreds of billions.Tyler calls on OpenAI to prove they're serious about following the agreement:Hire management for the SSC.Add more independent directors with AI safety expertise.Maximise transparency about mission compliance."There's a real opportunity for this to go well. A lot … depends on the boards, so I really hope that they … step into this role … and do a great job. … I will hope for the best and prepare for the worst, and stay vigilant throughout."Chapters:We're hiring (00:00:00)Cold open (00:00:40)Tyler Whitmer is back to explain the latest OpenAI developments (00:01:46)The original radical plan (00:02:39)What the AGs forced on the for-profit (00:05:47)Scrappy resistance probably worked (00:37:24)The Safety and Security Committee has teeth — will it use them? (00:41:48)Overall, is this a good deal or a bad deal? (00:52:06)The nonprofit and PBC boards are almost the same. Is that good or bad or what? (01:13:29)Board members' “independence” (01:19:40)Could the deal still be challenged? (01:25:32)Will the deal satisfy OpenAI investors? (01:31:41)The SSC and philanthropy need serious staff (01:33:13)Outside advocacy on this issue, and the impact of LASST (01:38:09)What to track to tell if it's working out (01:44:28)This episode was recorded on November 4, 2025.Video editing: Milo McGuire, Dominic Armstrong, and Simon MonsourAudio engineering: Milo McGuire, Simon Monsour, and Dominic ArmstrongMusic: CORBITCoordination, transcriptions, and web: Katy Moore

As the government publishes key witness statements at the centre of a collapsed case involving two men accused of spying for China, we hear reaction from the former head of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, Dominic Grieve. Also on the programme: former Downing Street Adviser Dominic Cummings claims that there was a serious breach of data with the highest security classification in 2020. The Cabinet Office has denied his claim. And we visit the five-day festival of Japanese sumo wrestling that's taken over the Royal Albert Hall in London.

A teenage boy was struck by a vehicle during a recent street takeover in Shelton. The report showed the teen suffered serious injuries but shared no implications that he will not make a full recovery. This case begs the question: what will it take to see real change with cracking down on street takeovers in the state? We asked Senator Paul Cicarella, ranking member on the Public Safety and Security Committee. Image Credit: Getty Images

In this episode, Communications Committee Deputy Chair FO Melissa Monahan talks with Security Committee Chair CA Paul Nelson, who details how the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks "profoundly changed the security environment." He affirms the committee's close collaboration with its Air Line Pilots Association peers and notes the committee maintains "a good line of communication" with American Airlines' security experts. CA Nelson cautions that "complacency" represents the biggest threat to our industry, with commercial aviation remaining a high-value target for terrorists around the world.

Jewish summer camp in the US is, for many, a key moment of rooting in Jewish identity that informs the path of young Jews for the rest of their lives. In this episode of the Z3 Podcast, Rabbi Amitai Fraiman is joined by Dr. Shelley Kedar of the Jewish Agency for Israel and Michael Schlank, CEO of NJY Camps. Together, they explore how bringing together Jews from Israel and America, across backgrounds, denominations, and identities to summer camp helps young people engage with questions of belonging, peoplehood, and their relationship to Israel. Since October 7, the presence of Israeli shlichim at camp has taken on new emotional meaning, as they carry the trauma of war while also offering a chance to build empathy and solidarity.This is a deep dive into how camp can serve as a foundation for raising a generation of Jews who are rooted, resilient, and prepared to navigate the complexities of Jewish life and identity today.About Our GuestsDr. Shelley Kedar is the director of Connecting the Jewish People Unit at the Jewish Agency for Israel, one of the three key missions called for by the Jewish Agency's vision. Connecting the Jewish people Unit focuses on four key strategies in which it holds a unique competitive advantage: partnerships, immersive experiences, peoplehood and pluralism, ‏and emissaries (Shlichim). She previously served as the founding director of The Adelson Shlichut Institute within the Jewish Agency, responsible for developing and implementing content and training for all shlichim worldwide. She served as the Director of the Jewish Agency Israel Fellows program and senior representative to Hillel. Kedar was Hillel International's first VP of Israel Education and Engagement and oversaw the creation of an Israel Action Program that strengthens and supports Hillel's Israel related programming on campus. Shelley Kedar served as Director of the International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies at Beit Hatfutsot, was the Director of Professional Development at the Leo Baeck Education Center and the Jewish Agency for Israel educational emissary to Liberal Judaism in Great Britain. Kedar earned a BA in Political Science, Media and Jewish Studies and an MA in Leadership and Informal Education Institutions Management at Bar Ilan University and a Doctorate in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.Michael Schlank: In September 2020, Michael was appointed as CEO of NJY Camps- the largest residential Jewish summer camp organization in North America. NJY's innovative and groundbreaking work has been featured and recognized in: The Jewish Standard, The Jewish Link, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Jerusalem Post, and the Times of Israel. Michael was a member of Leading Edge's CEO Fellow Cohort IV and A Preside FellowMichael has served on the Security Committee, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, and as President of his synagogue. He is a member of the AIPAC Long Island Council and served on the Board of Hofstra Hillel. Michael's writing has appeared in the Jewish Standard, 1840, The Jerusalem Post, eJP, and on The Times of Israel Blogs. After graduating from SUNY Albany Michael earned an MA at Hofstra and an MS.Ed. from C.W. and an Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership from SUNY Stony Brook Post.(00:00) Introduction(07:04) Jewish Immersion and Identity Formation(08:51) The Role of Israelis at Camp(12:56) Navigating Cultural Interactions(16:55) The Dynamics of Israeli and American Campers(32:23) Navigating Difficult Conversations at Camp(32:51) The Impact of October 7th on Jewish Identity(38:01) Creating Safe Spaces for Difficult Conversations(46:00) The Importance of Community and Connection(50:52) The Disconnect Between Camp and Real Life(56:12) Enhancing the Camp Experience for Future Generations

Who knew what about the Afghan data leak? And could anyone in parliament have done more to help scrutinise the government at the time of the superinjunction? Harriet thinks so.    So in this episode, Beth, Ruth, and Harriet talk about the massive breach, the secret court hearings, and the constitutional chaos it's unleashed.     Plus - the fallout from the latest Labour rebellion. Four MPs have lost the whip - officially for repeated defiance, but unofficially? A government source called it "persistent knobheadery".     So is Keir Starmer tightening his grip or losing control? And how does this compare to rebellions of Labour past?    Oh and singer Chesney Hawkes gets an unexpected mention.    Responding to claims in the podcast about whether Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle could have scrutinised the government, a Commons spokesperson said: "As has been made clear, Mr Speaker was himself under a superinjunction, and so would have been under severe legal restrictions regarding speaking about this. He would have had no awareness which organisations or individuals were and were not already aware of this matter.     "The injunction could not constrain proceedings in parliament and between being served with the injunction in September 2023 and the 2024 General Election Mr Speaker granted four UQs on matters relating to Afghan refugees and resettlement schemes.      "Furthermore, as set out in the Justice and Security Act 2013, the Speaker has no powers to refer matters to the Intelligence and Security Committee."  Remember, you can also watch us on YouTube.   

Caroline Wheeler of The Sunday Times assesses the latest developments at Westminster.In the wake of a historic Commons vote in favour of a bill to legalise assisted dying, Caroline speaks to Labour MP Jake Richards, a supporter of the bill, and Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson, an opponent of it.To discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East Caroline speaks to the Chairman of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, Lord Beamish, and the former Conservative Security Minister, Tom Tugendhat.After the Government announced further delays to HS2, Caroline brings together the Chair of the Transport Select Committee, Ruth Cadbury MP, and the former Conservative Rail minister, Huw Merriman, to assess whether we can have confidence in future infrastructure projects.And the former Cabinet Secretary, Sir Simon Case, shines a light on life at the heart of government in the week it was revealed he would soon take a seat in the House of Lords.

This week's special guest, Adrian Karatnycky, has been on the frontlines for decades fighting for democracy both at home and abroad. In his critically acclaimed book Battleground Ukraine, Adrian traces Ukraine's struggle for independence from the fall of the Soviet Union to Russia's genocidal invasion today, drawing important lessons for protecting democracies worldwide. He has worked alongside civil rights legend Bayard Rustin and the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in America. He also supported Poland's Solidarity movement, which helped bring down the Iron Curtain, and played a key role in preserving Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in the 1990s, when many thought the Cold War had ended.  In part one of their discussion, Andrea and Adrian explore how Europe and the free world can survive the chaos of Trump's America First isolationism and Russia's weaponized corruption and election interference. In part two, they discuss the PayPal Mafia's war on Ukraine as part of a broader global assault on "wokeism" (a.k.a. empathy and democracy), Adrian's impressions of meeting Curtis Yarvin, and how the war in Ukraine can ultimately end. A big thank you to everyone who joined the Gaslit Nation Salon hosted by our Security Committee, which shared valuable insights on protecting our digital worlds in these dystopian times. The recording will be available soon on Patreon. Our next salon is Monday, April 14 at 4pm ET, featuring Patrick Guarasci, chief political strategist for Judge Susan Crawford, discussing their campaign's victory against Elon Musk in the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The Zoom link will be available on Patreon Monday morning. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation–we could not make the show without you!    EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: April 14 4pm ET – Live-taping with Patrick Guarasci, chief political strategist for Judge Susan Crawford, discussing their campaign's victory against Elon Musk in the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court race! April 28 4pm ET – Book club discussion of Octavia Butler's The Parable of the Sower   Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet?: https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/survey-reject-hypernormalization Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community    Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Battleground Ukraine by Adrian Karatnycky https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300269468/battleground-ukraine/   Exclusive: Russia could concede $300 billion in frozen assets as part of Ukraine war settlement, sources say https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-could-concede-300-bln-frozen-assets-part-ukraine-war-settlement-sources-2025-02-21/   Who is Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's Trump-whisperer: Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, has become a key figure in the Kremlin's outreach to the Trump administration. https://kyivindependent.com/whos-kirill-dmitriev-putins-trump-whisperer/   Nerd Reich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jiju_ky55EI  

Why did Trump hit 185 countries with tariffs, even uninhabited islands of penguins near Antarctica, but not Russia and its vassal state Belarus, used to wage Russia's genocidal invasion of Ukraine? It's almost like Trump is a Russian asset, repaying Russia for helping him rise to power twice and for all the easy money he received over the years when no credible institution would lend to this trust-fund kid who went bankrupt six times. But why crash the global economy? The answer only makes sense if you're Putin. As a dictator with no electoral pressure, Putin benefits from destabilizing democracies. By causing economic chaos, he weakens his competitors and fuels backlash against incumbents—exactly what helped Trump return to power in 2024. When you factor in election hacking and influence operations, it becomes clear: crashing the global economy gives the Kremlin an advantage in manipulating elections worldwide. This pressure on elected officials, like Keir Starmer in the UK or Macron in France, plays into Putin's hands. Trump's actions seem to align with that strategy. In this week's bonus episode, we discuss Gene Sharp's From Dictatorship to Democracy from our recent Gaslit Nation book club. On April 7 at 4 PM ET, the Security Committee will present on protecting our digital world in a dystopian era. Then, on April 14, we'll host a live taping with Patrick Guarasci, strategist behind Judge Susan Crawford's victory in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race, to discuss how to fight and win righteous battles, even if you're up against the richest man in the world.  Thank you to all who support Gaslit Nation–we could not make the show without you!  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes:  Read From Dictatorship to Democracy. It's free! https://archive.org/details/from_dictatorship_to_democracy_1306_librivox Trump's tariffs: Why are Russia and Belarus spared? https://www.dw.com/en/trumps-tariffs-why-are-russia-and-belarus-spared/a-72150328  Opening: https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3llwfjnhjwc22   EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: April 7 4pm ET – Security Committee Presents at the Gaslit Nation Salon. Don't miss it!  Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon. Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon. Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet? Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community 

Monologue:Book RecommendationsManners Done Right!Mystery SeedsRepublican Make UpAI Leans LeftPresidential PupsGuest:We discuss taxes, bonds, community and rowdy school board meetings with Rob McClelland. Rob who is the Director of Business Development at Bauerle Partners, Inc., is currently in his second year on the DSISD Board of Trustees and is the board liaison for the district's Safety and Security Committee. He also serves on the Hays County Sheriff's Office Training Advisory Board and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Action Badge, and the Presidential Service Badge during his 12-year tenure as an Army Officer. Based in Dripping Springs, Steve Mallett and Michelle Lewis  invite you into their world of engaging conversations with guests who bring fresh ideas, humor, and wisdom to the table. They dive into everything from life's absurdities to community quirks, adding their signature twist of small-town charm and bold candor. Think of them as the funny neighbors with the best stories, the ones who always tell it like it is. With a healthy dose of Hill Country spirit, they explore local gossip and topics that connect us all—proving you don't need to be famous to be extraordinary; you just need a microphone and the courage to share your voice. Every episode is a mix of laughter, insight, and connection, making this podcast one you won't want to miss! New episodes weekly! Send us a textSupport the showSPONSORS: The top Real Estate Pro's at The Mallett Integrity Team. Call-512-627-7018 SouthStar Bank a tradition of full-service community banking for over 100 years. www.southstarbank.com Nomic Power Solutions your trusted partner in Austin for turnkey backup generator installation, service, and maintenance for your home. Cody/Dillon-512-387-4232 Jovie Belterra-Nestled within the Belterra master-planned community, discover your path to joy and wellness at the exquisite 55+ apartment community. Thanks for listening! Follow us, leave a review, TELL A FRIEND!AppleSpotifyInstagramWebsitemallettandmichelle@gmail.com for inquiries on advertising or gue...

Welcome to week two of Trump and Project 2025's Reign of Terror. A convicted felon, a Russian asset, an adjudicated rapist, a chronic cheater, a trust-fund brat with six bankruptcies, and a psychopath displaying clear signs of dementia is dismantling the foundations of American democracy, just as promised—and just as we warned. The cruelty is sending dangerous shockwaves across the globe. With each passing day under this regime, the nightmare grows darker.   But here on Gaslit Nation, we're fighting back. Truth is on our side, and our collective liberation and survival depend on our unity and resolve. Together, we can resist, rebuild, and reclaim the future. This week, we're joined by Terrell Starr of the Black Diplomats Podcast and Substack, reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine. He shares his insights on how people around the world can navigate these perilous times, and offers ways forward for the opposition here at home.   In this week's bonus show—available to our Truth-teller subscribers ($5/month and above)—we tackle a difficult and necessary conversation: how the Left can unite despite lingering resentments over the 2024 election, including the question of who refused to vote and why. Gaza will cease to exist under Trump. Under President Kamala Harris, we stood a stronger chance to shift the status quo on Israel and Palestine. We warned that the moral imperative was to vote for the lesser evil to avoid the total evil now being unleashed on the world.   Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Action alert! Call your members of Congress–find their numbers here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member Tell them: Vote NO on Kash Patel for FBI Director; Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence; and RFK Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services Also, here's a script demanding frozen federal funding be restored: https://bsky.app/profile/celestepewter.bsky.social/post/3lgs36dktik2w    

What's the easiest way for dictator Xi Jinping of China to invade Taiwan? Bribe the President of the United States! Trump's loyalty lies in enriching himself and his family, all thanks to the highest bidder – including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and others. As China shows more signs of preparing to invade Taiwan, Musk's Twitter is normalizing this very idea. Andrea and Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman discuss this and more, including Trump and Melania's meme coin cash grab, in this week's Gaslit Nation bonus show. We also cover ways to fight back, even if things seem to spiral out of control.   Olga Lautman will join the Gaslit Nation Salon on February 10 at 4pm ET! And don't miss our Gaslit Nation Game Night on Friday, February 7 at 8:30pm ET—we'll be playing Codenames! For game night, make sure to create a free account on BoardGameArena.com. Zoom links will be shared the morning of the events on Patreon.com/Gaslit, so be sure to subscribe and help support the show!   Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes: Check out Olga Lautman's Substack! https://substack.com/@olgalautman?utm_source=profile-page Opening Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xvJYrSsXPA Excellent thread on Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan's lawsuits holding corporate giants accountable: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1880370418932150623.html Trump's Crypto Meme Coin Is His Most Lucrative Get-Rich Scheme Yet https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-just-happened-with-usdtrump-and-usdmelania-meme-coins.html  China Suddenly Building Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2025/01/china-suddenly-building-fleet-of-special-barges-suitable-for-taiwan-landings/ Man says his binned Bitcoin fortune now worth £500m https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgr0dyy152jo ICYMI: Here are previous documents the Security Committee has shared: • Tech Travel Tips : https://web.tresorit.com/l/hmKP6#FFHiLuu45pSJtMo_Z9Zp9Q • Why defending your right to privacy is important: https://web.tresorit.com/l/73FHq#ip5_zE6hhWkuaDMBAAhpYw • Introduction to VPN https://web.tresorit.com/l/WHdqz#-zI5O7Q2zHznO_NG7aZWPQ • Three Security Steps to Take Today: https://web.tresorit.com/l/417K9#CaDJOcOrEOta4T5oDlNsYw • Practice Safe Data Security: https://web.tresorit.com/l/hiw9s#wOykkL6Lh_Hz_TbRsiCiEQ Read all the details in the PDF here: https://web.tresorit.com/l/W6ots#IydZ2pnTmE1MLPJLkLZ73A   For the Gaslit Nation Book Club – First Meeting at the Gaslit Nation Salon on February 24 at 4pm ET: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/8996943?ean=9780807014271 The Stranger: Introduction by Keith Gore Albert Camus (Author)  Matthew Ward (Translator) https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-stranger-introduction-by-keith-gore-albert-camus/18890716?ean=9780679420262

Trump used and discarded the powerful Fred Trump daddy figures who helped him rise to power: infamous lawyer Roy Cohn, whom he abandoned as Cohn was dying of AIDS; Fox News kingmaker Roger Ailes, forced out over sexual harassment allegations; and, possibly, Vladimir Putin. The Russians invested decades of financial and other support into Trump and his family, as Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman explains on this week's Gaslit Nation. But now, with American oligarchs, unlimited money, immunity granted by the illegitimate Supreme Court, pardon power, and a mainstream media eager to please, Trump has everything Putin could only dream of. What we saw during that grim inauguration weekend, followed by a flood of dangerous executive orders, shows that Trump, as promised, intends to be a dictator from day one. Tech giants, who had a front-row seat to his inauguration, give Trump a social media disinformation machine rivaling the Kremlin's. We're in for dark times, but there's hope. Our traitorous enemies and oligarchs are, in the end, incredibly stupid, and they'll ultimately destroy each other. This week's bonus show, available to supporters at the Truth-teller ($5/month) level and higher, continues the conversation. We'll discuss Trump and Melania's meme coin pump-and-dump scheme that fleeced their own supporters, how Trump is paving the way for Chinese dominance and Xi's long-sought invasion of Taiwan, and ways to fight back, no matter how deliberately chaotic things get. Remember to protect your sleep during this time and check out the helpful reminder on developing good sleep hygiene in the show notes. They want us overwhelmed and scared, but we must stay sharp and fit. Commit to mindful and healthy practices, including unplugging when needed. By staying strong, we can help carry each other through what lies ahead. No matter how dark things get, we'll get through it together! Afterall, Trump is America, a nation built on the largest Native American mass grave and the genocide of slavery. Trump has always been here. We will fight our way through to another chapter of hard-won progress for future generations to look back on in horror.  Olga Lautman will join the Gaslit Nation Salon on February 10 at 4pm ET! And don't forget our Gaslit Nation Game Night on Friday February 7th at 8:30pm ET–we're playing Codenames! For game night, be sure to make an account on BoardGameArena.com. Both events are for our Patreon community. Zoom links will be shared the morning of the events on Patreon.com/Gaslit so be sure to subscribe to help support the show!  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Check out Olga Lautman's Substack! https://substack.com/@olgalautman?utm_source=profile-page   ICYMI: Here are previous documents the Security Committee has shared: • Tech Travel Tips : https://web.tresorit.com/l/hmKP6#FFHiLuu45pSJtMo_Z9Zp9Q   • Why defending your right to privacy is important: https://web.tresorit.com/l/73FHq#ip5_zE6hhWkuaDMBAAhpYw   • Introduction to VPN https://web.tresorit.com/l/WHdqz#-zI5O7Q2zHznO_NG7aZWPQ   • Three Security Steps to Take Today: https://web.tresorit.com/l/417K9#CaDJOcOrEOta4T5oDlNsYw   • Practice Safe Data Security: https://web.tresorit.com/l/hiw9s#wOykkL6Lh_Hz_TbRsiCiEQ   Read all the details in the PDF here: https://web.tresorit.com/l/W6ots#IydZ2pnTmE1MLPJLkLZ73A   For the Gaslit Nation Book Club – First Meeting at the Gaslit Nation Salon on February 24 at 4pm ET   Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/8996943?ean=9780807014271   The Stranger: Introduction by Keith Gore Albert Camus (Author)  Matthew Ward (Translator) https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-stranger-introduction-by-keith-gore-albert-camus/18890716?ean=9780679420262   Opening Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e49VEpWg61M   Martin Luther King, Jr., "What Is Your Life's Blueprint?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmtOGXreTOU   Elon Musk's Anti-Semitic, Apartheid-Loving Grandfather The billionaire has described his grandfather as a risk-taking adventurer. A closer read of history reveals something much darker. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/joshua-haldeman-elon-musk-grandfather-apartheid-antisemitism/675396/   Trump's Crypto Meme Coin Is His Most Lucrative Get-Rich Scheme Yet https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/what-just-happened-with-usdtrump-and-usdmelania-meme-coins.html   German-Soviet Pact The German-Soviet Pact was signed in August 1939. It paved the way for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to invade and occupy Poland that September. The pact was an agreement of convenience between two bitter enemies. It permitted them to carve up spheres of influence in eastern Europe, while pledging not to attack each other for 10 years. Less than two years later, however, Hitler launched an invasion of the Soviet Union. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/german-soviet-pact#:~:text=This%20agreement%20is%20commonly%20referred,or%20the%20Hitler%2DStalin%20Pact.&text=The%20arrangement%20included%20a%2010,economic%20cooperation%20and%20territorial%20expansion.   Trump pauses US foreign development aid for 90 days, orders review https://kyivindependent.com/trump-pauses-all-us-foreign-aid-for-90-days-pending-review/ Elon Musk's Father on Their Nazis History: https://x.com/DillyHussain88/status/1881670092993560772 Did Elon Musk steal the election for Trump? (Yes!): https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1881118080212115627 House GOP crafts bill to let Trump purchase Greenland https://www.axios.com/2025/01/13/trump-buy-greenland-house-republican-bill In Rare Criticism, Trump Says Putin Is ‘Destroying Russia': President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia praised President Trump's second inauguration, but the American leader did not return the compliment. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/us/politics/trump-putin-russia-ukraine.html?unlocked_article_code=1.q04.QTOS.5McfXW68PNkf&smid=url-share Welcome to the era of gangster tech regulation Our tech overlords all have problems, and they want to buy the solutions. https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/20/24346317/trump-gangster-tech-regulation-corruption-grift We Need A New Deal To Save Local Journalism https://defector.com/a-new-deal-to-save-local-journalism-la-fires News site focused on Elon Musk to launch https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/nx-s1-5268286/elon-musk-news-site-popular-information Three media stories to watch for the next 4 years https://www.semafor.com/article/01/19/2025/three-media-stories-to-watch-for-the-next-4-years Trump signs executive order to pause TikTok ban, provide immunity to tech firms https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/nx-s1-5268701/trump-executive-order-tiktok-ban Bad Faith (Christian nationalism documentary) https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/4/16/bad-faith Sleep tips: 6 steps to better sleep https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379  

From Joan of Arc, the novel Mark Twain considered his finest work—one that took him longer to write than any of his other books, and one so deeply personal to him that he chose to publish it anonymously: “When we consider that her century was perhaps the most brutal, depraved, and morally corrupt in history since the Dark Ages, we are left in awe at the extraordinary emergence of such a figure from such a time. The contrast between her and her era is as stark as the difference between day and night. She was truthful in a world where deception was the norm; she was honest when integrity had nearly vanished; she kept promises when few would even make them; her great intellect was devoted to noble causes, while others squandered their brilliance on trivialities or selfish pursuits; she embodied modesty, grace, and refinement when loudness and vulgarity had become commonplace; she harbored compassion when cruelty ruled; she stood firm in her convictions when stability was unknown; she was a beacon of honor in an age that had forgotten its meaning; she was steadfast when others were adrift in doubt; she maintained her dignity in a time of sycophants and servility; she exhibited courage when her nation's hope had withered; she was pure in thought and action in an era where corruption ran rampant at the highest levels; she was all of these things in a world where crime was the everyday business of kings and nobles, and where even the most powerful figures in Christendom shocked the world with their treachery, bloodshed, and barbarism.” In this week's bonus show, Andrea mines the timeless lessons in Mark Twain's portrayal of Joan of Arc, drawing connections between her legacy and contemporary struggles—both in the U.S. and in Ukraine, which faces its most daunting challenge under Russian-backed Trump. No matter how grim the situation may seem, history shows us that movements born from collective action can prevail. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes: People's March January 18: Find a location near you: https://map.wewontgoback.com/local People's March–more info: https://www.peoplesmarch.com/ Opening Clip: https://x.com/atrupar/status/1879698232495734828 Is American an Oligarchy? https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2024/12/10/is-america-an-oligarchy Rep. Rick Crawford expected to serve as House Intelligence chair https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/01/16/congress/crawford-to-be-named-house-intel-chair-00198644  Luigi Mangione: Shooter or Superfan? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwGVUvq7Pq4&t=18s  ICYMI: Here are previous documents the Security Committee has shared: • Tech Travel Tips : https://web.tresorit.com/l/hmKP6#FFHiLuu45pSJtMo_Z9Zp9Q • Why defending your right to privacy is important: https://web.tresorit.com/l/73FHq#ip5_zE6hhWkuaDMBAAhpYw • Introduction to VPN https://web.tresorit.com/l/WHdqz#-zI5O7Q2zHznO_NG7aZWPQ • Three Security Steps to Take Today: https://web.tresorit.com/l/417K9#CaDJOcOrEOta4T5oDlNsYw • Practice Safe Data Security: https://web.tresorit.com/l/hiw9s#wOykkL6Lh_Hz_TbRsiCiEQ  Read all the details in the PDF here: https://web.tresorit.com/l/W6ots#IydZ2pnTmE1MLPJLkLZ73A   For the Gaslit Nation Book Club – First Meeting at the Gaslit Nation Salon on February 24 at 4pm ET:   Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl https://bookshop.org/p/books/man-s-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl/8996943?ean=9780807014271   The Stranger: Introduction by Keith Gore Albert Camus (Author)  Matthew Ward (Translator) https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-stranger-introduction-by-keith-gore-albert-camus/18890716?ean=9780679420262  

In a Gaslit Nation first, we're speaking to a guest whose voice is… well, masked like Putin's stiff botoxed face. That's because we've had to protect their identity—our guest today is none other than the undisputed ruler of the underworld, likely the wealthiest person on the planet (given the cadre of oligarchs they've got on speed dial), and—let's not forget—a master strategist. You may know them as Darth Putin KGB, the Twitter titan who once made parody fun before it got, well, a little too real. Now, if you're finding it hard to understand Darth Putin's voice, don't worry. We tried several different settings to find the right balance between protecting their anonymity and making sure we didn't sound like we were interviewing an angry vending machine. But, for those of you who are truly committed, you can follow along with the full transcript of the interview, which is conveniently available at the top of the show notes. Darth Putin is also the author of two books, the most recent being How to Tankie: The Anti-Imperialist's Guide to the Modern World, and The Darth Putin Guide to Being a Master Strategist: 13 Rules on How to Think, Act, Dress & Date Like a Master Strategist. We'll be sharing excerpts from our conversation in future episodes, including their thoughts on why satire is needed more than ever in an age of growing fascism, and how to be a master strategist when it comes to making fun of dictators and their lackeys. In this part of the interview, Darth delivers a chilling warning: we must not abandon Ukraine, for the security of both the world and ourselves is on the line. This is obvious to everyone, except for crackhead Ken Pete Hegseth, Trump's frat boy date rapist pick to run the most powerful military in human history.  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Transcript of the Darth Putin KGB interview: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fgG16BVg4_hdIMk0aBJWBaI3vW2Rk2xU/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117489509282294341490&rtpof=true&sd=true   Heart of the Want to Believer from Limbic Psalms by Confusions https://confusions.bandcamp.com/track/heart-of-the-want-to-believer   Submit your song to be featured on Gaslit Nation! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-d_DWNnDQFYUMXueYcX5ZVsA5t2RN09N8PYUQQ8koq0/edit?ts=5fee07f6&gxids=7628   Four Takeaways From the Special Counsel's Report on the Trump Election Case Jack Smith wrote that Donald Trump would have been convicted had the case been allowed to proceed and explained why he didn't pursue charges of incitement of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/us/politics/jack-smith-trump-election-report-takeaways.html   Irregular Army How the US Military Recruited Neo-Nazis, Gang Members, and Criminals to Fight the War on Terror By Matt Kennard https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/233226/irregular-army-by-matt-kennard/   Merrick Garland Both-Sides the Coup https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes-transcripts-20/2022/1/12/merrick-garland-both-sides   CBS News: Jack Smith's Trump Report  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNyd7mXI-hU    ICYMI: Here are previous documents the Security Committee has shared: • Tech Travel Tips : https://web.tresorit.com/l/hmKP6#FFHiLuu45pSJtMo_Z9Zp9Q   • Why defending your right to privacy is important: https://web.tresorit.com/l/73FHq#ip5_zE6hhWkuaDMBAAhpYw   • Introduction to VPN https://web.tresorit.com/l/WHdqz#-zI5O7Q2zHznO_NG7aZWPQ   • Three Security Steps to Take Today: https://web.tresorit.com/l/417K9#CaDJOcOrEOta4T5oDlNsYw   • Practice Safe Data Security: https://web.tresorit.com/l/hiw9s#wOykkL6Lh_Hz_TbRsiCiEQ   Read all the details in the PDF here: https://web.tresorit.com/l/W6ots#IydZ2pnTmE1MLPJLkLZ73A  

A new report from the Hartford Courant, highlighted the alarming amount of crashes involving school buses in our state. According to UConn Connecticut Crash Data Repository, there have already been more than 570 of these crashes in 2024. That data does not include the near misses! Senator Jeff Gordon, who serves on the Public Safety and Security Committee, shared what can be done to curb this problem. Image Credit: Getty Images 

The nation's highest court will take up a case out of Tennessee that could have ripple effects across the country concerning gender affirming care for minors. The Indiana Supreme Court is asking state lawmakers for new money to help improve security in courthouses throughout the state. A committee tasked with making legislative recommendations on Medicaid once again submitted a final report with no recommendations. Future Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith threatened Tuesday to stop Indiana University's student newspaper. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of WFYI News Now was produced by Drew Daudelin and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.

The nation's highest court will take up a case out of Tennessee that could have ripple effects across the country concerning gender affirming care for minors. The Indiana Supreme Court is asking state lawmakers for new money to help improve security in courthouses throughout the state. A committee tasked with making legislative recommendations on Medicaid once again submitted a final report with no recommendations. Future Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith threatened Tuesday to stop Indiana University's student newspaper.

About 100 motorcyclists were involved in a street takeover on Interstate 95 earlier this month. The chaos stretched from New Haven to Stratford on the southbound side of the highway. It's the latest example of a large-scale problem in our state. We spoke with Senator Paul Cicarella, Ranking Senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee, about what more can be passed in legislation to combat this issue. Image Credit: Getty Images

OpenAI-topman Sam Altmans zit niet meer in de raad van toezicht binnen de maker van ChatGPT. Joe van Burik vertelt erover in deze Tech Update. OpenAI-topmanc Sam Altman zat vanaf het begin in deze commissie gericht op Veiligheid, die afgelopen mei werd opgetuigd. Dat gebeurde nadat het toezicht op 'verantwoordelijke ontwikkeling' van AI binnen OpenAI nogal veranderde, omdat Altman juist meer bezig is met de commerciële kansen voor hun technologie. Wat ook beaamt werd door oud-bestuursleden Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley. Waarop zelfs vijf Amerikaanse senatoren vraagtekens plaatsen bij Altmans zelfgecreeerde koninkrijk. Nu heeft OpenAI dus zelf medegedeeld in een blogpost dat de 'Safety and Security Committee' en 'onafhankelijk' toezicht gaat houden. Daarin zit onder meer de CEO van Quora (ooit ook een populaire internet vraagbaak) en een voormalig topvrouw van Sony, die overigens ook allemaal in de raad van bestuur zitten. Daarmee kun je je dus afvragen of er echt zoveel verschil ontstaat met het terugtreden van Altman in die commissie. Verder in deze Tech Update: Amazon gaat werknemers weer verplicht fulltime op kantoor laten werken Instagram gaat account voor jongeren standaard afschermen voor anderen See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ottawa has been rocked by the fallout from a parliamentary report that suggests MPs have been witting or semi-witting participants in foreign interference. The report, released June 3, also implies one instance of an MP providing privileged information to a foreign operative. National Post politics reporter Ryan Tumilty joins the show to discuss what we've learned about the report, the reaction in parliament, and whether we'll eventually see any of the MPs' names released. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: OpenAI appoints Retired U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone to Board of Directors, published by Joel Burget on June 14, 2024 on LessWrong. Today, Retired U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone has joined our Board of Directors. A leading expert in cybersecurity, Nakasone's appointment reflects OpenAI's commitment to safety and security, and underscores the growing significance of cybersecurity as the impact of AI technology continues to grow. As a first priority, Nakasone will join the Board's Safety and Security Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations to the full Board on critical safety and security decisions for all OpenAI projects and operations. Whether this was influenced by Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness or not, it's welcome to see OpenAI emphasizing the importance of security. It's unclear how much this is a gesture vs reflective of deeper changes. Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org

Following a week filled with controversy, drama, and updates in the AI world, hosts Mike and Paul are ready to bring you up to speed on all the latest happenings. Join us in Episode 101 of The Artificial Intelligence Show where we explore OpenAI's progress on GPT-5, the formation of its Safety and Security Committee, and criticism from former board members. This episode also explores the growing concerns about AI's potential to displace workers, the latest AI tech updates, Apple's AI Privacy plans and more. 00:04:47 — OpenAI Updates 00:18:00 — AI Job Fears and Worries 00:31:47 — AI Tech Updates 00:39:01 — xAI Raises $6B 00:42:30 — LeCun & Musk x/Twitter Feud, Hinton's Remarks 00:53:45 — PwC is now OpenAI's Largest Customer 00:55:19 — Apple's AI Privacy Plans 00:57:54 — Google Leak + AI Overviews 01:01:25 — NVIDIA's Jensen Huang Quote 01:05:13 — Paul's LinkedIn Post on Prediction Machines Today's episode is brought to you by our AI for B2B Marketers Summit, presented by Intercept. This virtual event takes place on June 6 from 12pm - 5pm EDT and is designed to help B2B marketers reinvent what's possible in their companies and careers. To register, go to www.b2bsummit.ai. Today's episode is also brought to you by Piloting AI, a collection of 18 on-demand courses designed as a step-by-step learning path for beginners at all levels, from interns to CMOs. You can use the code POD100 to get $100 off when you go to www.PilotingAI.com.  Listen to the full episode of the podcast: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/podcast-showcase Want to receive our videos faster? SUBSCRIBE to our channel! Visit our website: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com Receive our weekly newsletter: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/newsletter-subscription Looking for content and resources? Register for a free webinar: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/resources#filter=.webinar Come to our next Marketing AI Conference: www.MAICON.ai Enroll in AI Academy for Marketers: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/academy/home Join our community: Slack: https://www.marketingaiinstitute.com/slack-group-form LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mktgai Twitter: https://twitter.com/MktgAi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketing.ai/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marketingAIinstitute

Our 168th episode with a summary and discussion of last week's big AI news! Feel free to leave us feedback here: https://forms.gle/ngXvXZpNJxaAprDv6 Read out our text newsletter and comment on the podcast at https://lastweekin.ai/ Email us your questions and feedback at contact@lastweekin.ai and/or hello@gladstone.ai Timestamps + Links: (00:00:00) Intro / Banter (00:02:55) Response to listener comments / corrections Tools & Apps (00:04:33) Google's A.I. Search Errors Cause a Furor Online (00:10:56) Telegram gets an in-app Copilot bot (00:13:13) Opera is adding Google's Gemini AI to its browser (0016:13) Amazon plans to give Alexa an AI overhaul — and a monthly subscription price (00:19:15) Microsoft Edge will translate and dub YouTube videos as you're watching them (00:21:12) Iyo thinks its gen AI earbuds can succeed where Humane and Rabbit stumbled Applications & Business (00:24:57) PwC agrees deal to become OpenAI's first reseller and largest enterprise user (00:30:07) Vox Media and The Atlantic sign content deals with OpenAI (00:36:27) OpenAI launches programs making ChatGPT cheaper for schools and nonprofits (00:40:03) Huawei patent reveals 3nm-class process technology plans — China continues to move forward despite US sanctions (00:44:32) Nvidia, Powered by A.I. Boom, Reports Soaring Revenue and Profits (00:48:16) Elon Musk's xAI raises $6 billion in latest funding round Projects & Open Source (00:51:13) Scale AI publishes its first LLM Leaderboards, ranking AI model performance in specific domains (00:56:04) Cohere For AI Launches Aya 23, 8 and 35 Billion Parameter Open Weights Release (01:00:45) Who will make AlphaFold3 open source? Scientists race to crack AI model (01:04:07) Mistral releases Codestral, its first generative AI model for code Research & Advancements (01:09:23) The Road Less Scheduled (01:14:10) Training Compute of Frontier AI Models Grows by 4-5x per Year (01:21:33) gzip Predicts Data-dependent Scaling Laws (01:25:51) Neural Scaling Laws for Embodied AI (01:28:47) Contextual Position Encoding: Learning to Count What's Important (01:33:09) New AI products much hyped but not much used, study says Policy & Safety (01:37:00) Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting (01:46:36) OpenAI researcher who resigned over safety concerns joins Anthropic (01:49:16) Leaked OpenAI Documents Show Sam Altman Was Clearly Aware of Silencing Former Employees (01:54:33) OpenAI Board Forms Safety and Security Committee (01:58:07) Robocaller Who Used AI to Clone Biden's Voice Fined $6 Million (01:59:08) Hacker Releases Jailbroken "Godmode" Version of ChatGPT (02:00:46) China Creates $47.5 Billion Chip Fund to Back Nation's Firms Synthetic Media & Art (02:02:23) Alphabet, Meta Offer Millions to Partner With Hollywood on AI (02:04:21) Outro + AI Song

Welcome to a new episode of Discover Daily, the AI-generated podcast curated by Perplexity to satisfy your curiosity about the latest in tech, science, and culture. I'm your host Alex, and in today's episode, we'll explore OpenAI's new AI model training and its safety measures, uncover insights from leaked Google documents about their search algorithm, and examine Toyota's innovative engines designed for various fuel types. We'll also discuss Google's new subsea cable project connecting Africa and Australia to enhance internet connectivity and delve into the workings of iron-air batteries, which offer promising solutions for grid-scale energy storage.OpenAI is training a new AI model to succeed GPT-4, aiming for advancements in AI capabilities and moving closer to artificial general intelligence. A new Safety and Security Committee will oversee the process to ensure responsible development. Leaked Google documents reveal insights into their search ranking algorithm, highlighting the importance of user engagement, site authority, and Chrome data in influencing rankings.Toyota's next-generation engines are designed to be adaptable to different fuel types, supporting the company's carbon neutrality goals. Google's Umoja subsea cable project aims to improve internet connectivity in Africa, fostering economic growth and digital inclusion. Lastly, iron-air batteries, which operate on a principle of reversible rusting, offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for large-scale energy storage.From Perplexity's Discover feed:OpenAI is training next modelhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/OpenAI-is-training-X2Qc72.qTjCflW9__OARwwGoogle ranking system reportedly leakedhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/Google-ranking-system-nWxiHGFeQ4m0ZEdEmkvU2wToyota's adaptable enginehttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/Toyotas-adaptable-engine-AgG78Jq1Sq6v_h3A3AgVFAFirst Africa to Australia internet cablehttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/First-Africa-to-S.NPU56KSlGdLUwV.raYpAHow iron-air batteries workhttps://www.perplexity.ai/search/How-ironair-batteries-M7QMVPLNQcqrtfsOKHXe2gPerplexity is the fastest and most powerful way to search the web. Perplexity crawls the web and curates the most relevant and up-to-date sources (from academic papers to Reddit threads) to create the perfect response to any question or topic you're interested in. Take the world's knowledge with you anywhere. Available on iOS and Android Join our growing Discord community for the latest updates and exclusive content. Follow us on: Instagram Threads X (Twitter) YouTube Linkedin

On today's MadTech Daily: PayPal Plans Ad Business; OpenAI Forms Safety and Security Committee; Google Invests in Indian E-commerce Giant Further reading: • Everything is Not an Ad Network by Ciarán O'Kane • Aimee Newell-Tarín on Overcoming Bias in AI

Plus AI Makes Sci-Fi Robots Reality (subscribe in the links below) Get a free 20-page AI explainer: AI FROM ZERO plus these stories and more, delivered to your inbox, every weekday. Subscribe to our newsletter at https://aidaily.us  Like this? Get AIDAILY, delivered to your inbox, every weekday. Subscribe to our newsletter at https://aidaily.us Elon Musk's xAI Raises $6 Billion to Compete with OpenAI Elon Musk's AI startup, xAI, has raised $6 billion to compete with OpenAI by building massive AI models. Musk aims to create a "Gigafactory of compute" to support advanced AI development. Despite his mixed track record, Musk's reputation still attracts significant investment. xAI will leverage data from Musk's social platform, X. The Future of Humanoid Robots: AI Advances May Bring Sci-Fi to Reality Advances in AI could soon bring humanoid robots into everyday life, says Alexander Khazatsky, a researcher at Stanford. Companies like OpenAI and Google DeepMind are developing AI-powered robots capable of performing diverse tasks. However, challenges include data scarcity, hardware reliability, and safety concerns. Despite these hurdles, the integration of AI and robotics continues to progress, aiming for a future where robots assist in daily activities. OpenAI Begins Training New Flagship AI Model OpenAI announced it has started training a new AI model to succeed GPT-4, aiming to enhance capabilities for chatbots, digital assistants, search engines, and image generators. Alongside, a new Safety and Security Committee has been established to manage risks and ensure robust debate on the technology's safety. Is Politeness Necessary When Interacting with AI? Should we be polite to AI? Despite knowing AI lacks emotions, many people use courteous language in their prompts. This reflects an emotional habit rather than necessity, although politeness might yield better responses. As AI advances, concerns about AI's potential autonomy and impact grow, but politeness could be a harmless habit. AI 'Agents': The Next Evolution in Technology AI agents, capable of independently performing tasks, are the new frontier in tech, surpassing traditional chatbots. Major companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are developing these agents to handle digital actions, with the potential to extend into the physical world. While promising, challenges remain in creating reliable and safe systems. AI-Generated Band Cubicle Riot Channels 1984 Hair Metal Sound Cubicle Riot, an AI-generated hair metal band, has released "Dipping My N*ts In The Boss's Cup Of Coffee," a track reminiscent of 1984's Sunset Strip glam rock. Despite concerns from artists about AI's threat to creativity, this lively homage to bands like Ratt and Poison showcases AI's evolving capability in music production. AI Companions Could Alleviate Loneliness, Experts Suggest AI technology offers potential solutions to combat loneliness by providing social interaction and helping individuals practice social skills. However, experts caution that regulation is necessary to prevent over-dependence on AI. This development could significantly advance our understanding of human and artificial intelligence, promoting both mental health and social well-being. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/aidaily/message

A recent article highlighted new data surrounding GPS ankle monitors for suspects out on bond or on probation. After collecting two years of data (2021-23), the I-Team reported that Connecticut received around 990 tamper alerts. While a lot of those alerts could be accidental, dozens were because bracelets were broken on purpose. Senator Paul Cicarella is the ranking senator on the Public Safety and Security Committee. He shared why this isn't a small issue of reliable ankle monitors, rather it's an issue of allowing convicted criminals with egregious records to even be allowed out with an ankle bracelet in hopes that they won't become repeat offenders. Image Credit: Getty Images

In Episode 94, Call Number celebrates Preservation Week, this year held April 28–May 4. With the theme of “Preserving Identities,” the week's events aim to raise awareness of the role libraries and cultural institutions play in protecting historic and culturally significant collections. First, American Libraries Managing Editor Terra Dankowski speaks with Indigenous author Traci Sorell, the honorary chair of this year's Preservation Week. Sorell, a former attorney who worked on Native Nations policy, discusses preservation's part in telling stories. Next, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Kathleen Monahan, special collections public services supervisor at Boston Public Library, about the importance of security in preservation. Monahan, who cochairs the Security Committee of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of ALA's Association of College and Research Libraries, provides insight into the committee's recently updated Guidelines Regarding the Security of Special Collections Materials. Finally, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett speaks with Rosie Grayburn and Melissa Tedone, cofounders of the Poison Book Project, a joint initiative of Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library (WMGL), and the University of Delaware (UD) in Newark. Grayburn is head of the scientific research and analysis laboratory at WMGL and an affiliated associate professor in the Winterthur–UD program in art conservation. Tedone is assistant professor for library and archives conservation at UD and associate director of the Winterthur–UD program in art conservation. They discuss their research on potentially toxic bookbinding materials from the 19th century. Is there a story or topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know at callnumber@ala.org. You can also follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter), SoundCloud, or Spotify and leave a review on iTunes. We welcome your feedback.

In EVN Report's news roundup for the week of April 12: Amid increasing aggressive rhetoric from Azerbaijan and several ceasefire violations, an Azerbaijani serviceman is wounded following a border incident; a delegation of the EU Political and Security Committee holds meetings in Yerevan; Armenia and Georgia agree to finalize border delimitation and more.

The United Kingdom and the United States have called out China over what they say have been state sponsored cyber-attacks. The United Kingdom has accused China of hacking its electoral commission, and targeting some of its MPs. In New Zealand, the then-minister for the Government Communications Security Bureau, Andrew Little, revealed in July 2021 that malicious cyber activity had been linked to the Chinese Ministry of State Security. New Zealand's SIS, and GCSB, will both appear before the Intelligence and Security Committee on Tuesday. The Minister for the SIS and GCSB, Judith Collins, has declined to comment on the allegations. China has rejected the accusations. RNZ's political editor Jo Moir spoke to Corin Dann.

The United Kingdom and the United States have called out China over what they say are state sponsored cyber attacks. At the same time as malicious attacks were taking place in the UK against their electoral commission and MPs , here in New Zealand the then-minister for the Government Communications Security Bureau, Andrew Little, revealed there were cyber attacks here. New Zealand's SIS, and GCSB, will both appear before the Intelligence and Security Committee on Tuesday. The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke to Corin Dann.

In this episode of Venue Security, The IAVM Podcast Series, Andy Jabbour talks with Gil Fried, Professor and Assistant Dean of the College of Business at the University of West Florida and a member of the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Safety and Security Committee. In the discussion we address: Gil's background. Training and Supervising Security Staff. Sports Facilities and the Law & Crowd Management Doctor (on YouTube). What's on Gil's mind, including raucous crowds. Venue Security, The IAVM Podcast Series is our newest podcast as Gate 15's founder and Managing Director, Andy Jabbour, hosts short interviews with venue safety and security experts from the International Association of Venue Managers' (IAVM) Venue Safety and Security Committee (VSSC) and other special guests from the IAVM community.

Introduction Kenn Honig is a Certified Emergency Manager, with over fifty years of experience in law enforcement, EMS, firefighting, and emergency management For over ten years Kenn served as a paramedic, and supervisor with NYC-EMS and other EMS agencies, receiving awards for Life Saving, Innovative Thinking, and Service Kenn spent 28 years as a police officer, supervisor, senior officer, ARFF crew chief, academy instructor, lieutenant, tour commander, captain, inspector, unit head and commanding officer with the police force of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. During that time Kenn participated in the initial response to five major aircraft crashes, both on and off an airport, as well as the 1993 terrorist bombing and 9-11 attack at the World Trade Center. Following the 9-11 attacks Kenn was the Emergency Operations Center Manager for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As a member of the Public Safety Department Command Staff, he served as Emergency Management Liaison and as Police Commanding Officer for John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airports. As Commanding Officer at JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Kenn was involved in critical decisions regarding the security of the airport, including the development of the Airports' Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS). He worked with the Airport Security Office and was a part of the approval process for companies applying for Secure Identification Display Area (SIDA) media. He was a signatory to the Airport Security and Aircraft Emergency Plans. He participated in regularly scheduled meetings with the Airport Security Council. His expertise in these areas is sought after by his peers in the Port and Airport Communities. Kenn is a member of IAEM, where he holds a position on the Executive Board (Secretary/Treasurer) of IAEM Region II and he served on the Executive Board (Treasurer) of the International Association of Airport and Seaport Police He has also served as the Vice Chairman of the Security Committee for the American Association of Port Authorities, as a member of the Airport Law Enforcement Agency Network, Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Working Group, on the Editorial Advisory Board for Advanced Rescue Technology magazine and on Technical Committees for the Emergency Film Group. Currently Kenn is President and Senior Program Manager for Critical Incident Management and Training, Inc. CIMAT provides training, aviation security and emergency management consulting services, including exercise design, exercise evaluation, exercise safety officers, exercise logistical coordination & support, and emergency planning to concert venues, performance and public gathering spaces, communities, police, fire, & public safety departments, airports and training academies world-wide. Kenn served as the Director of Crisis and Emergency Management for RedLand Strategies and is a Subject Matter Expert/Consultant with Incident Management Solutions, Inc. Kenn also voluntarily serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of The Community Mayors, an organization dedicated to providing recreational opportunities for children with disabilities and as Public Safety Section Chief for the Boy Scout's Big Apple Jambo and World Pinewood Derby in Times Square. Kenn has made presentations, evaluated agency response, developed security & emergency plans and designed and facilitated exercises on Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting, Incident Command, Active Assailants, WMD response and other Emergency Management and Business Continuity topics at venues, seminars and conferences across North America, the Caribbean and Asia. He is frequently sought out by local and national media for his expertise in emergency response, emergency management, public safety as well as homeland and aviation security. Contact Information Kenneth D. Honig, CEM CIMAT, Inc PO Box 646 North Bellmore, NY 11710 516-316-3000 KHonig@CIMAT.net

The government needs to radically change its approach to Chinese ambitions in the UK according to a report by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. The report says Chinese investment in the UK has gone unchecked. It warns that allowing China to develop significant stakes in industry and infrastructure was short-sighted and, unless swift action is taken, “China will have a pliable vehicle through which it can export its values”. So just how much interest and influence does China have in the UK?David Aaronovitch talks to:Isabel Hilton, founder China Dialogue Trust Charles Parton, Former UK diplomat and senior research fellow at RUSI Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic Editor, The GuardianProduced by: Kirsteen Knight, Claire Bowes and Ben Carter Edited by: Richard Vadon Sound Engineer: Graham Puddifoot Production co-ordinator: Debbie Richford and Sophie Hill

On the season finale of Intrigue Outloud deep dives, Teona Akubardia joins to discuss Georgia's quest for membership in the European Union and NATO, how a five-day war in 2008 still shapes Georgia's politics, and why Ukraine may decide Georgia's fate.Ms. Akubardia is a Member of Georgian Parliament from the liberal Strategy Builder party, the Deputy Chairperson of Parliament's Defense and Security Committee, and the former deputy secretary of Georgia's National Security Council.Thanks to our sponsor, Flaviar.

In this episode Kelly Jennings conducts her much anticipated interview with national school safety advocate Max Schachter .Max Schachter is a national school safety advocate. His son Alex is one of the 17 victims murdered in the Parkland school shooting on Valentine's Day 2018.Max is the founder and executive director of Safe Schools for Alex 501(c)(3). Their mission is to provide most current school safety best practices and resources to students, parents, school districts and law enforcement so that all children can learn in a safe environment. Since the heartbreaking day that changed Max's life forever, he has been advocating for policy change at the highest levels of the United States government.He has worked alongside members of congress, leaders of all major federal agencies, and Presidents of the United States to make schools safer. Max has testified as a subject matter expert before the United States House and Senate and multiple state legislatures.In August 2018 he advocated for the creation of a federal agency to house national school safety best practices. In June 2019, Max's vision became a reality when President Trump created the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse at SchoolSafety.gov.In July 2022 Max attended the White House ceremony where President Biden announced the most significant gun safety legislation in 27 years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which made SchoolSafety.gov permanent and law. Max has also worked to improve the safety and security of Florida's 2.4 million students through his appointment to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School Public Safety Commission.The MSD commission, established by former Governor Rick Scott, was tasked with leading the statewide investigation into the Parkland school shooting and developing recommendations to protect Florida's children.Max has advised the Federal Bureau of Investigation Behavioral Threat Assessment Center, the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, and the Ohio Attorney General's Office on threat assessment policies and procedures.He is a member of the National Sheriffs' Association School Safety and Security Committee and the International Association of Chiefs of Police Mass Violence Peer-to-Peer Advisory Team. In June 2019, Max was awarded the U.S. Department of Justice Attorney General Citizen Volunteer Service Award by Attorney General William Barr. Max has been interviewed by many local and national media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Dr. Phil.He has given keynote presentations to many school districts, law enforcement organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies detailing the lessons learned and best practices developed in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting along with his journey from anguish to advocacy.#MaxSchachter #Unspeakablepodcast #KellyJennings #Truecrime #PodcastLearn more about safe schools for Alex here!https://www.safeschoolsforalex.org/our-team/Learn more about Max Schachter here:https://www.maxschachter.com/Check out my coverage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootings here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unspeakable-a-true-crime-podcast-by-kelly-jennings/id1651928508?i=1000586375065

Gretchen Stelter is a freelance book editor & writer from Madison, Wisconsin. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at 39. She has volunteered with Girls, Inc. for nine years and co-chaired the Safety & Security Committee for ThrillerFest, which is a conference for thriller writers. In this episode, Gretchen reads her piece “Let Me Hear Your Body Talk” from the Wildfire book, “Igniting the Fire Within” and which was originally published in our 2022 “Cancer Culture” issue. Gretchen's essay is about the ways we share our body by choice - or not. April and Gretchen will discuss the ways our bodies are objectified sexually and medically, reconciling receiving unwanted body attention pre-cancer to becoming invisible sometimes after a cancer diagnosis, and the loneliness that can come with breast cancer both inside and outside the cancer community. They will also talk about choosing when to step out of the cancer closet and the possibility of when sharing can backfire. More about Gretchen: https://twitter.com/editorStethttps://www.instagram.com/editorstet/https://www.facebook.com/GretchenSWriterEditor/https://www.gretchenstelter.com/Purchase a copy of the “Cancer Culture” issue of Wildfire Magazine: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shop/printcc22Get the free Wildfire email newsletter: https://www.wildfirecommunity.orgLearn about Wildfire writing workshops: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/workshopsShop Wildfire merch & more: https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/shopSend your voice recording testimonial to editor@wildfirecommunity.org*Free* The Burn Writing Companion: Guided Prompt Journal (Vol. 1): https://www.wildfirecommunity.org/the-burnBuy the Wildfire book “Igniting the Fire Within: Stories of Healing, Hope & Humor, Inside Today's Young Breast Cancer Community”: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJVJ629F?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860