Prevail with Greg Olear

You’re familiar with his books: Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, James & the Giant Peach, The BFG, Matilda. But how much do you know about the author? Greg Olear speaks with Aaron Tracy about his excellent new narrative podcast, The Secret World of Roald Dahl. They explore Dahl’s fascinating life, his impact on children's literature, and the complexities of his character, including his anti-Semitism. The discussion also delves into the evolution of storytelling through podcasts, the crisis of masculinity, and the ongoing debate of separating art from the artist. Aaron Tracy is the founder of Parallax, the award-winning audio company. His debut audio drama, The Coldest Case, a thriller starring Aaron Paul, is the most successful Audible Original of all time. He teaches creative writing at Yale University. The Secret World of Roald Dahl, on iHeart Media, is his first narrative nonfiction podcast. Listen to the podcast: https://www.listentoparallax.com/shows/secretworldofpodcast Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter: https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rich people are not like us–they have more money. And mega-rich people? They not only have more money, but they hide it “offshore,” to avoid detection by the tax man, law enforcement, creditors, divorce lawyers, and, sometimes, their fellow citizens whose collective coffers they’ve plundered.In this conversation, Greg Olear speaks with the economic sociology professor Brooke Harrington, author of Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, about the murky world of offshore finance, its implications for global inequality, the challenges of studying the ultra-rich, the culture of competitive depravity among the wealthy, and the dangers of their influence on both democracy and capitalism. They also discuss the looming AI bubble, the true purpose of AI, Jeffrey Epstein, and why studying the humanities is so vital.Brooke Harrington is Professor of Economic Sociology at Dartmouth College. Since 2007, she has examined inequality from the top end of the socio-economic spectrum—a research program inaugurated by her training for two years to become a certified offshore wealth manager. Her previous book—Capital without Borders —won the “Outstanding Book” award from the Inequality, Poverty and Mobility section of the American Sociological Association. She advises the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, EU Parliament, and the tax agencies of countries across Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. Her latest book, Offshore: Stealth Wealth and the New Colonialism, was named a “Best Book” of 2024 by the Financial Times.Follow Brooke:https://bsky.app/profile/ebharrington.bsky.socialVisit her website:https://brookeharrington.com/Buy the book:https://brookeharrington.com/books/offshore-book/Please subscribe to PREVAIL on Substack. There’s six full years’ worth of work in the archives on Trump, Russia, Jeffrey Epstein, Leonard Leo, and much more. Every piece at PREVAIL is free to read and always will be. No paywalls, ever. Your generous support keeps it that way. Subscriptions are just $6.99 a month, $65 a year. Visit gregolear.substack.com to learn more. Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What happens when you discover that the reason your father never speaks about his parents or his childhood growing up in Hawaii is because his mother, father, and older sister were Nazi spies? And not just any Nazi spies–the spies sent by Berlin to help the Japanese surveil Pearl Harbor.Chris­tine Kuehn was living a qui­et sub­ur­ban life when a mys­te­ri­ous let­ter in 1994 pierced that bub­ble, send­ing her on a thir­ty-year quest to dis­cov­er the truth behind a hor­ren­dous fam­i­ly secret kept hid­den for half a cen­tu­ry. The result is the new book, FAMILY OF SPIES. Fol­low­ing a career in jour­nal­ism, pub­lic rela­tions, and non­prof­its, Chris­tine now lives in Mary­land with her hus­band, Mark Schiponi, who helped her research the book for 30 years.In this conversation, Greg Olear talks to the couple about how the book came to be, the long and unusual research process, and the emotional impact of learning the truth.Buy the book:https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250344465/familyofspies/Support the podcast:gregolear.substack.com Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this conversation with Greg Olear, Paul Starr discusses his book “American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now,” exploring the complex themes of American identity, the contradictions inherent in the nation’s history, and the evolution of political dynamics over the decades. He delves into the impact of 1950s nostalgia, the rise of identity politics, the decline of labor movements, and the role of the Supreme Court in shaping contemporary democracy. The discussion highlights the challenges facing the United States as it grapples with its past and seeks a path forward amidst political turmoil.Paul Starr is professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University and founding coeditor of the American Prospect magazine. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction and Bancroft Prize in American History for The Social Transformation of American Medicine. Over a half-century he has written essays and op-eds for newspapers and magazines as well as books on America’s institutions, history, and politics. His new book is called “American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now.”Buy the book:https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300282436/american-contradiction/Paul Starr at The American Prospect:https://prospect.org/author/paul-starr/ Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Robert W. Fieseler is a National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association “Journalist of the Year” and the acclaimed author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation—winner of the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America and the Louisiana Literary Award from the Louisiana Library Association, shortlisted for the Saroyan International Prize for Writing from Stanford Libraries. Queer literary icon Andrew Holleran reviewed Tinderbox as "far more than just a history of gay rights" and Michael Cunningham praised it as "essential reading at any time." A Tulane Mellon Fellow, Fieseler graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and is a board member of the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. His latest book is called American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives.Buy the book:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/665384/american-scare-by-robert-w-fieseler/Follow Bobby:https://www.instagram.com/wordbobby/https://bsky.app/profile/wordbobby.bsky.socialSubscribe to Greg's Substack:https://gregolear.substack.com/archive Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the publication of her hit debut novel THE MERCY OF THIN AIR, Ronlyn Domingue talks to Greg Olear about the story’s timeless themes of love and loss, the significance of New Orleans as a backdrop, her unusual creative process, the Trump Administration and SCOTUS’s retrograde position on reproductive rights, the importance of the novel in modern society, nature as an antidote to doomscrolling, the impact of technology on human connection, and more. Plus: a song from the war zone in DC.Ronlyn Domingue’s critically acclaimed debut novel THE MERCY OF THIN AIR was published in ten languages. It was a fiction finalist for the 2005 Borders Original Voices Award and 2006 SIBA Book Award, a long list nominee for the 2005 James Tiptree, Jr. Award (now known as the Otherwise Award), and a 2010 Costco Pennie’s Pick. Her “Keeper of Tales” Trilogy, which can be read in any order, includes The Mapmaker’s War, The Chronicle of Secret Riven, and The Plague Diaries. Her essays and short stories have appeared in New England Review, Clackamas Literary Review, and Lion’s Roar (formerly Shambhala Sun) as well as on mindful.org, The Nervous Breakdown, and Salon.com. She holds a MFA degree in creative writing from Louisiana State University, has taught composition and fiction writing at the college level, and served as a fiction editor and co-editor in chief of New Delta Review. Born and raised in the Deep South, she lives in the woods somewhere in Louisiana.Follow Ronlyn:https://bsky.app/profile/ronlyndomingue.bsky.socialBuy THE MERCY OF THIN AIR:https://www.ronlyndomingue.com/motaRead CRONE ENERGY, her Substack:https://ronlyndomingue.substack.com/Read her essay on GATSBY in the Four Sticks Press edition:https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greg Olear talks to Candace Rondeaux about her book “Putin’s Sledgehammer,” which delves into the Wagner Group mercenary group and the complexities of Russia’s political landscape. Rondeaux shares her background in journalism and her journey into understanding Russian geopolitics, particularly through the lens of the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The discussion covers the origins of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin’s rise and fall, the influence of figures like Alexander Dugin, and the implications of the Internet Research Agency's actions during the 2016 election. Rondeaux also reflects on US policy failures regarding Russia and the future of democracy in Ukraine, the US, and beyond.Candace Rondeaux directs Future Frontlines, a public intelligence service for next generation security and democratic resilience, and the Planetary Politics initiative at the New America Foundation. A writer and public-policy analyst, Rondeaux is a professor of practice and fellow at the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies and the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University. Before joining New America, Rondeaux served as a senior program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace where she launched the RESOLVE Network, a global research consortium on conflict and violent extremism and as a strategic advisor to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Rondeaux has documented and analyzed political violence in South Asia, and around the world for the Washington Post and the International Crisis Group. Before going abroad for the Post in 2009, Rondeaux covered criminal justice in Maryland and Virginia, where she covered capital punishment and was part of the Pulitzer Prize winning team of Post reporters who covered the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre. Buy the book:https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703063/?lens=publicaffairsFollow Candace:https://x.com/CandaceRondeauxhttps://bsky.app/profile/CandaceRondeaux.bsky.socialMake America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greg Olear talks to John B. King, Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education and current SUNY chancellor, about what the Department of Education actually does; what proposed cuts to the D.O.E. mean for students, teachers, parents, and communities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning; the stakes of the Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks on higher education; and his powerful and moving new memoir, “Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Save Our Lives.” John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social stud-les teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the president and CEO of the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization. King is currently the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation's largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King's parents were career New York City public school educators. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, an education researcher and former teacher, and his two daughters. Buy the book:https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/john-b-king-jr/teacher-by-teacher/9781538757772/?lens=grand-central-publishing Follow John:https://x.com/JohnBKing Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=t Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Greg Olear talks to Nicolo Majnoni about his new podcast, 'Shadow Kingdom, God's Banker,' which delves into the mysterious death of banker Roberto Calvi and the intricate financial systems of the Vatican. Majnoni shares his personal connection to the Vatican, the complexities of its banking operations, the historical context of its wealth, and the shadowy organization P2, as well as the future challenges facing the papacy amidst financial chaos. They discuss the connections between organized crime and the Vatican, culminating in the mysterious disappearance of Calvi's briefcase, which held secrets that could have changed the course of history.ABOUT SHADOW KINGDOMRoberto Calvi, a man guarding a dangerous secret about the Vatican Bank’s criminal activities, sends a threatening letter to the Pope. A week later on June 17th, 1982 he’s found dead hanging from a bridge in London. British police call it suicide, but questions and conspiracies swirl. Forty years on, lawyer Nicolo Majnoni gets a tip there might be more to the story and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. Was Roberto Calvi, aka God’s Banker, killed? And if so, by whom?Listen to the podcast:https://www.campsidemedia.com/stories/godsbankerVisit Nicolo’s website:https://www.nicolomajnoni.com/aboutSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Who owns the land? Who DECIDES who owns the land? Who has the power to redistribute land ownership? If land ownership IS redistributed, who gets to take possession and who doesn’t? And what adverse impact can the reshuffling of land ownership have on our society and our planet?Greg Olear talks to Michael Albertus, a professor at the University of Chicago and the author of Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn't, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies, about these and other questions pertaining to the relationship between land and power.Follow Mike:https://bsky.app/profile/mikealbertus.bsky.socialCheck out his website:https://www.michaelalbertus.com/Buy the book:https://www.amazon.com/Land-Power-Doesnt-Determines-Societies/dp/1541604814/Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To, ahem, sever himself from the news, Greg Olear brings on his wife, Stephanie St. John, a huge fan of “Severance,” to discuss the second season. Cold Harbor, fetid moppet, devour feculence, Helly/Helena, the Glasgow Block, ORTBO, the four tempers, and more goats than anyone asked for: they cover it all, with verve and wiles. Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Overwhelm: Trump, Musk, stupidity, banality, artlessness, lack of decency, betrayal by our leadership, rage, fear, grief from what we’ve lost. We are living through a period of national, if not global, trauma. Actor and trauma coach Claudia Black returns to PREVAIL to talk about the causes of trauma, how to heal from it, emotional aid, and what we can do to regulate ourselves.Claudia’s website is here:https://claudiablackconsulting.com/what-i-do Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Katherine Stewart is the author of The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, the award-winning book upon which the documentary feature, God & Country, produced by Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, is based. She has covered the intersection of faith and politics for over 15 years; her work appears in the New York Times, The Washington Post, the New Republic, the Guardian, and Religion News Service, and she has been featured on broadcast media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, and NPR. Her 2012 book, The Good News Club, covered the religious right’s effort to infiltrate and undermine public education. Her spectacular new book, MONEY, LIES, AND GOD: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, came out this week.Greg Olear talks to Stewart about the rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, the impetus for writing the book, her research process, the rhetoric of the movement and the lies used to boost its popularity, reactionary nihilism, the various factions within the movement, and what we can do to take democracy back.Find her at @kathsstewart and katherinestewart.me. Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christopher Steele began his twenty-two-year career as an intelligence professional and Russia expert within the British government in 1987, soon after graduating from Cambridge University. He was posted to Moscow, where he served through the fall of the Soviet Union, and Paris, before returning to London to become one of the government’s senior intelligence experts and advisers on Russia. In 2009, he founded the private intelligence company Orbis Business Intelligence. His series of intelligence reports, collectively known as the Steele Dossier, helped expose Donald Trump’s ties to the Kremlin.Greg Olear talks to Steele about the Dossier, the kompromat tape, Dmitri Simes, Prague, Rosneft, Ukraine, the FBI, political cowardice, lawfare, Putin, Trump, Xi, Keir Starmer, the political situation in Canada and Western Europe, Elon Musk, and Steele’s excellent new book, “Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy.”Buy the book:https://www.harpercollins.com/products/unredacted-christopher-steele?variant=43103633899554Follow Christopher Steele:https://x.com/Chris_D_SteeleFollow Orbis:https://x.com/orbisBIofficialFollow Greg on BlueSky:https://bsky.app/profile/gregolear.bsky.social Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For more than 30 years, Alexandra Hall Hall worked as a diplomat in the British Foreign Office, with postings in Washington, Bangkok, Delhi, Bogota, and Tbilisi, where she was the British ambassador to Georgia. She is now the co-host of the Disorder podcast. This is an interview from Friday’s episode of THE FIVE 8. Having just returned from Tbilisi, she talks about the situation there. Plus: Holly Jolly.Follow Alex Hall-Hall:https://bsky.app/profile/alexhh.bsky.social Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Many times in the last two years, we have warned about the grim consequences of allowing a wannabe dictator–who attempted to overthrow the government on his way out the door four years ago–back into the White House. What we warned about has happened. We are 45 days away from Donald Trump’s second inauguration. And based on who the Mussolini of Queens has picked for his cabinet and staff positions, it looks like he was dead serious about being a dictator on Day One.This week, I will replay clips of some of my past guests talking about American fascism. We must now listen not as a warning, but as a way to be prepared. This episode features clips from interviews with the defense analyst Brynn Tannehill, author of AMERICAN FASCISM; historian Manisha Sinha, author of THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SECOND AMERICAN REPUBLIC; True North Research executive director Lisa Graves; and strategic communications expert Robbie Harris. Plus: chapter 5 of ROUGH BEAST, and a new patriotic anthem for our times.Follow Greg on BlueSky:https://bsky.app/profile/gregolear.bsky.social Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Make America Great Gatsby Again! https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=t Subscribe to The Five 8: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17 ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jimmy Kennedy was the executive producer of the first season of The Noel Casler Podcast, the afternoon drive producer for The Kent Sterling Show on CBS Sports 1430 AM in Indianapolis, and a gameday staff member with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. He is currently the host and producer of his own show, JBK On Air, where he interviews a variety of guests including athletes, political commentators, media personalities, & more. Jimmy, who has cerebral palsy, is a longtime public speaker with the non-profit organization Timmy Global Health, where he advocates on behalf of people with disabilities.In this conversation, Greg Olear and Jimmy Kennedy discuss the aftermath of the recent election, reflecting on the surprising outcomes and the implications for democracy. Kennedy shares his personal journey in broadcasting, highlighting the importance of storytelling and the impact of his experiences on his podcasting endeavors. They discuss the implications of Trump's policies on Social Security, the intersection of politics and sports, and the challenges of maintaining relationships in a politically divided society. They delve into the rights of people with disabilities under the Trump administration, the importance of finding hope amidst political turmoil, and the potential future of American politics with figures like JD Vance. Plus: coming attractions.Subscribe to Jimmy’s podcast:https://linktr.ee/jbkonairSupport Timmy Global Health:https://www.timmyglobalhealth.org/ Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.