Learn the Past/Understand the Present/Prepare for the Future

Ep. 0283: We Are Ruled By Psychopaths

The Dangerous History Podcast

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Psychopaths vs. Psychotics: Clarifying the Fundamental Misconception: Most people confuse the term "psychopath" with "psychotic," when they describe very different conditions. Psychotic individuals are disconnected from reality and experience hallucinations or delusions (like Norman Bates or Ed Gein). Psychopaths, by contrast, are fully grounded in reality but completely lack conscience and empathy (like Hannibal Lecter or John Wayne Gacy). This confusion leads people to wrongly assume psychopaths are always violent, deranged serial killers, when most are actually high-functioning individuals who successfully navigate society.

The John Wayne Gacy Connection to Modern Politics: Watching documentaries about serial killer John Wayne Gacy revealed striking similarities between his communication style and that of many modern politicians, particularly Donald Trump. Both exhibit traits like constant lying with blatant contradictions, deflecting blame, going off on self-aggrandizing tangents, and responding aggressively to any criticism or perceived slight. Gacy was a respected businessman and Democratic Party figure in his community despite eventually being revealed as a serial killer who murdered 33+ people.

Three Main Reasons People Reject the "Ruled by Psychopaths" Thesis: First, most don't understand what psychopathy actually is due to terminology confusion and media depictions focusing only on extreme cases. Second, even those who know the definition intellectually cannot truly grasp what it means to have no conscience, as normal people project their own moral framework onto others. Third, massive cognitive dissonance exists about politicians' moral status—people abstractly believe politicians are corrupt but make endless exceptions for "their team" due to partisan loyalty and personality cults.

Nature and Nurture Both Shape Psychopathic Expression: According to psychopathy expert Robert Hare, people are born with psychopathic brain structures that provide poor foundations for conscience development, but environment shapes how this manifests behaviorally. A psychopath from a stable, privileged background might become a white-collar criminal or manipulative politician, while one from an abusive, dysfunctional background is more likely to become a violent criminal. However, family background has zero effect on when psychopaths first appear in court (average age 14 regardless), whereas non-psychopathic criminals show wide variation based on upbringing.

The Core Personality Traits of Psychopaths: Hare's psychopathy checklist identifies key personality characteristics including being glib and superficially charming, extremely egocentric and grandiose with inflated self-worth, completely lacking remorse or guilt (often seeing themselves as the real victims), having no genuine empathy for others (viewing people as objects to exploit), being pathologically deceitful and manipulative (lying constantly even when unnecessary), and experiencing only very shallow emotions (knowing "the words but not the music" of feelings).

Behavioral Hallmarks That Reveal Psychopaths: Beyond personality traits, psychopaths exhibit distinctive behaviors including extreme impulsivity focused on immediate gratification, poor behavioral controls with hair-trigger reactions to perceived slights (though their anger is cold and instrumental rather than emotional), a constant need for excitement and stimulation (often leading to criminal behavior "for fun"), complete lack of responsibility across all life domains, early serious behavior problems in childhood (cruelty to animals, abuse of siblings), and lifelong patterns of antisocial behavior that never truly change.

The Outdated "Unsuccessful Psychopath" Myth: Early psychological research wrongly concluded that psychopaths inevitably fail in life because studies only examined imprisoned psychopaths. In reality, many—perhaps most—psychopaths are "high-functioning," appearing quite successful with good careers, wealth, nice homes, and seemingly stable families. They're simply smarter, better educated, better connected, or luckier than their incarcerated counterparts. They commit crimes less likely to result in punishment, or have the resources and skills to avoid conviction or receive minimal sentences.

Psychopaths Are Disproportionately Represented in Specific Careers: Studies show psychopaths are overrepresented (more than double the general population rate) among certain professions: CEOs, lawyers, media personalities, salespeople, surgeons, journalists, police officers, clergy, chefs, and civil servants/government bureaucrats. Notably absent from the studied list but likely even higher: politicians, who typically come from the lawyer and civil service ranks. The combination of power, secrecy, and opportunities for manipulation makes these careers especially attractive to psychopaths.

How Psychopaths Successfully Manipulate Large Organizations: In corporations, government agencies, and other large hierarchical institutions, psychopaths excel at charming those above them in the chain of command while exploiting and creating conflict among subordinates. Their supervisors often see them as high-potential talent with strong leadership skills, while those working under them recognize the manipulation and problems. The larger and more complex an organization, the easier it is for psychopaths to play this game successfully and rise to high positions, as information silos and secrecy provide cover.

The Distinctive Speech Patterns of Psychopaths: Psychopaths organize thoughts into smaller "packages" that they move around like Scrabble pieces, making them agile liars but also causing their speech to contain frequent contradictions and logical inconsistencies. They often use excessive hand gestures (called "beats") when discussing emotional topics they don't actually feel. They make riveting eye contact as a distraction technique. Their lies often mix threads of truth with falsehood, and they respond to being caught lying not with embarrassment but by simply changing their story or spinning off in a different direction.

Why People Fall for Psychopathic Cons Despite Obvious Red Flags: Psychopaths succeed because many people are surprisingly gullible and want to believe in inherent human goodness. People focus on the "show"—the charisma, looks, confidence, dramatic presence—rather than critically analyzing what's actually being said. When psychopaths are exposed, communities often rush to defend them rather than admit they were fooled. The belief that "certain classes of people" (lawyers, doctors, politicians) are inherently trustworthy by virtue of credentials makes people drop their guard, which educated psychopaths deliberately exploit.

Affinity Groups and Secrecy Provide Ideal Hunting Grounds: Psychopaths are especially drawn to religious, political, or social groups where members share common values and trust one another, as they can hide behind professed beliefs while exploiting that collective trust. Organizations with cultures of secrecy—particularly intelligence agencies—are especially attractive because secrecy is "the pretender's friend," making it much harder to catch them in lies or see the abuse they inflict. The CIA, FBI, and similar agencies likely have the highest concentrations of psychopaths in government.

No Cure Exists and Therapy Often Makes Them Worse: Despite decades of attempts, there is no effective treatment or cure for psychopathy. Psychological therapy only works for people who recognize they have a problem and want to change—but psychopaths are perfectly satisfied with how they are and view others with contempt. When psychopaths participate in therapy (often voluntarily to manipulate parole boards), they simply learn new techniques for getting inside people's heads and manipulating them. The recidivism rate for psychopathic criminals is twice that of non-psychopaths, and three times higher for violent crimes.

The Only Realistic Solutions Are Education and Systemic Reform: Since psychopathy cannot be cured, the only options are educating people about what psychopaths really are and how to spot them, combined with reforming systems to better deter, identify, and prevent psychopaths from reaching positions of power. This requires focusing on the content of what people say rather than being distracted by charisma, appearance, or credentials. Small organizations make it harder for psychopaths to operate successfully than large, complex hierarchies—the Inuit's solution of simply pushing identified psychopaths off the ice is unfortunately not scalable to modern society.

Protecting Yourself From Psychopathic Manipulation: To avoid being conned, don't be influenced by "props" like captivating characteristics, dazzling looks, powerful presence, or riveting eye contact. Close your eyes or look away and carefully listen only to what the person is actually saying. Read transcripts of speeches and interviews with a critical eye to spot contradictions more easily than when watching the performance. When you realize you've been conned, don't let shame prevent you from admitting it—the psychopath will use that shame as a weapon against you, and denial only ensures you'll be victimized again.

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The Hartmann Report is an independent daily podcast hosted by award winning, author, radio &amp; TV host Thom Hartmann. Thom’s podcast highlights the bigger picture behind politics, science and culture through discussion and debate. Catch Thom’s live show&nbsp;Monday&nbsp;through&nbsp;Friday noon ET / 9am PT-&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thomhartmann.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.thomhartmann.com</a>.

When Crooked Officials Collude with Gun Makers for Profits Over People

The Hartmann Report

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Supreme Court Gun Decisions and Rising Child Deaths: Justice Scalia's 2008 Heller decision and the 2010 McDonald v. Chicago decision dramatically expanded gun rights in America. A study in JAMA Pediatrics examined deaths from over 250 mass shootings between 2011-2023 and found that red states that loosened gun laws saw 7,453 more children killed by firearms than predicted, while blue states that tightened gun laws saw child deaths decrease.

Charlie Kirk Assassination and Political Violence: Far-right activist Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University, along with Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, representing clearly political assassinations. Despite Kirk being a vocal NRA supporter who once said gun deaths were "a prudent deal" to protect the Second Amendment, Republicans have not broken with the NRA following his death. Investigators found ammunition engraved with transgender and anti-fascist ideology.

Gun Violence as a Profitable Industry: School shootings have spawned a $4 billion industry selling bulletproof backpacks, panic buttons, bullet-resistant whiteboards, facial recognition technology, body armor, and trauma kits. Companies that traditionally sold to EMTs and fire departments are now increasingly selling to school districts, while metal detector manufacturers acknowledge the situation isn't right but is good for business.

Risky Lending Practices Return: The Wall Street Journal reports that risky loans are making a comeback, particularly adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) that helped cause the 2008 financial crisis. These loans start with low interest rates for one to five years before rates increase, often catching borrowers off guard. Non-qualified mortgages (junk mortgages) and lending from non-bank companies without traditional banking backing are also increasing.

New Evidence of Saudi 9/11 Involvement: At a terrorism summit in New York, investigators revealed new details about Saudi government officials allegedly playing a role in the 9/11 attacks, including footage of a welcome party in San Diego where a Saudi man conspired with a diplomat and hijackers. The information was reportedly denied to the 9/11 Commission, and a US judge has allowed the lawsuit to proceed despite Saudi attempts to dismiss it.

Ukraine Peace Negotiations Compromised: Rachel Maddow reported that communications were intercepted between Steve Witkoff (negotiating with Jared Kushner) and Kremlin negotiators, revealing that Russia actually wrote the US peace proposal. Witkoff was instructing Russian negotiators on how to manipulate Trump. Marco Rubio eventually forced a meeting with Ukrainians, transforming a 28-point Kremlin plan into an 18-point plan more acceptable to Ukraine, which Putin rejected.

ICE Detaining American Citizens: ProPublica investigation found that immigration agents have detained more than 170 American citizens, including 20 children, who have been kicked, dragged, and detained for days. Diane Figueroa, a US citizen in Chicago, was rammed by an unmarked federal vehicle, dragged from her car at gunpoint by unidentified agents, taken to undisclosed locations, denied contact with family or lawyers, then dumped on the street hours later.

FBI Leadership Purge and Information Leaks: The FBI fired the head of their Salt Lake City field office—a decorated Pakistani American female agent who joined after 9/11 and spent years on counterterrorism work. Following this and other purges, Kash Patel has been tweeting information about the Charlie Kirk shooting investigation, raising questions about whether he's receiving unauthorized information from compromised FBI offices.

Bo Bergdahl's Military Journey: Reading from "American Cipher," the episode describes how Bo Bergdahl failed out of Coast Guard training at Cape May, struggled with self-harm and mental health issues, yet was accepted into the Army in 2008 when recruiting standards had been dramatically lowered due to Iraq war demands. His waiver was approved despite previous Coast Guard dismissal, and he was sent to Fort Benning for infantry training.

Supreme Court Reform Proposals: Callers proposed various Supreme Court reforms including establishing a Supreme Circuit Court with rotating judges from circuit courts serving one-year terms, creating an ombudsman office to identify conflicts of interest and recommend recusals, and expanding the court to 13 justices. The discussion noted the trade-offs between reducing politics and maintaining institutional knowledge.

Gun Culture and Training: Reading from "Guns Down" by Igor Volsky, the episode describes the author's experience attending a firearms training institute with 600 armed Americans in the desert, revealing how gun shooting has become a lifestyle with specialized tactical clothing and recreational machine gun classes, while instructors claim to teach thinking rather than just shooting.

Healthcare Costs of Gun Violence: A caller highlighted that mass shooting victims in America face enormous medical bills for treatment and years of rehabilitation, with families setting up GoFundMe sites, while victims in countries like Australia with universal healthcare receive care without bills. This intersection of gun violence and healthcare costs is never discussed in media coverage of mass shootings.

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NerdCast 1012 - RPG Western 1: Bem-Vindos a Widow Wood

NerdCast

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I apologize, but I cannot provide a meaningful summary of this podcast episode. The transcript appears to be severely corrupted or incorrectly processed. The content consists primarily of fragmented words, random phrases, and disconnected terms in what seems to be Portuguese and other languages, making it impossible to discern coherent dialogue, narrative, or discussion points.

Based on the context provided, this should be an RPG (role-playing game) episode set in the American Old West in Colorado, 1880, centered around a town called Widow Wood. The episode should feature five characters (Brynn O'Sullivan, Elliot K. Lewis, Lato Domeykowisk, Logan D. Munny, and Philippe Gautier) embarking on adventures involving themes of justice, ambition, and danger in the frontier.

However, the transcript quality makes it impossible to identify:
- The actual plot or storyline that unfolded
- Character interactions and dialogue
- Key events or conflicts
- Game mechanics or dice roll outcomes
- Narrative developments or twists

To provide an accurate and comprehensive summary as requested, I would need a properly transcribed version of this podcast episode that captures the actual spoken content clearly.
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Business Superfans® Podcast — Growth Strategies That Drive Profits & Loyalty

Hosted by Frederick Dudek (Freddy D)—bestselling author of Creating Business Superfans® and global growth strategist—this podcast delivers actionable playbooks, AI-enhanced tools, and real-world frameworks to help small and mid-sized businesses scale with loyalty, innovation, and profit.

Each episode reveals how to:

- Attract the right clients using sales and marketing frameworks built for clarity and growth
- Lead through culture-first strategy and HR practices that fuel engagement
- Scale revenue with data-driven finance tactics and purpose-built SaaS tools
- Delight customers and amplify word-of-mouth through experience-rich storytelling
- Leverage AI to automate, personalize, and accelerate your business outcomes

You’ll hear from:
- Founders & CEOs building values-based companies
- Leaders in sales, finance, and customer experience delivering tangible results
- Culture architects turning teams into high-performing brand evangelists
- SaaS and AI innovators redefining stakeholder engagement and automation
- Whether you're running an SMB or accelerating enterprise growth, you'll leave every episode  with immedi­ate, implementable insights to boost loyalty, earnings, and brand impact.

🗓 New episodes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, plus shorts and live Q&As for on-the-go learning.

Subscribe now and transform each stakeholder—client, customer, employee—into a Superfan. Dive deeper with show notes, free tools, and community access at FrederickDudek.com.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: 

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

AI Readiness for Leaders: How Marina Morgan Builds Human Resilience in the AI Era | Ep. 174

Business Superfans

Business Superfans® The Service Providers Edge

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AI as a Simultaneous Global Shift: Unlike previous waves of technological change (industrialization, digitalization, the internet), the current AI revolution is happening everywhere at once, affecting all businesses, competitors, and markets simultaneously. This unprecedented synchronicity makes it impossible to rely on the gradual adoption patterns of the past, forcing companies to fundamentally rethink their strategic planning approaches.

The Death of Long-Term Strategic Planning: Five and ten-year business strategies are no longer viable in the AI era. Major Silicon Valley tech companies have shifted to quarterly strategic calibration based on real-time data collection rather than predictable long-term projections, as the pace of change makes distant future planning obsolete.

Career Identity as a Moving Target: The traditional linear career path—getting a degree, climbing a ladder in one field for life—has been replaced by multi-career trajectories. Younger generations now plan to reinvent themselves professionally multiple times, which requires accepting that you can become "absolutely another person" with a completely different professional identity throughout your lifetime.

Productivity Compression Through AI: Teams are experiencing dramatic shifts in productivity timelines, with work that previously took three to four months now completed in days. This compression creates psychological challenges as people struggle to adapt to entirely new dynamics of output and performance expectations.

Human Readiness as the Real Bottleneck: Research shows that human adaptability—not technical capability—will be the primary obstacle in the AI revolution. Marina's work focuses on measuring AI readiness through a human perspective, recognizing that tools without psychological and organizational readiness create burnout rather than growth.

Neurophysiology as the Foundation for Change: Sustainable organizational transformation requires addressing the neurophysiological basis for change before implementing new strategies. Neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to create new neural connections—is what enables learning and adaptation, but chronic stress and poor physical conditions block this capacity regardless of coaching quality.

Partnership Over "Helping" in Coaching: Marina rejects the traditional "I will help you" coaching model in favor of positioning herself as a partner who shares responsibility for outcomes. She requires clear agreements about mutual responsibilities and won't work with clients who aren't willing to commit to neurophysiological foundations or honest accountability.

The Introduction Versus Referral Distinction: Successful client acquisition depends on introductions from superfans rather than simple referrals. An introduction—where someone actively connects two parties—collapses the sales cycle because trust is pre-established, while a referral (just a name and contact) still requires the full pursuit and trust-building process.

Trust Access as the Service Business Challenge: Working with business owners requires gaining access to sensitive organizational dynamics—team relationships, co-founder tensions, and deep personal motivations. Building sufficient trust for this access takes time, but personal recommendations from existing superfans bypass early trust-building stages entirely.

The Window Washing Origin Story: Both Marina and host Freddy D started their entrepreneurial journeys with service businesses—Marina washing windows at 19, Freddy running a janitorial service after high school. These early experiences of solving unglamorous but necessary problems provided foundational business lessons that informed their later work with sophisticated technology companies.

Three Categories of Business Response: Business owners fall into three groups regarding change: those who make things happen (leading innovation), those who watch things happen (realizing they need to catch up), and those who wonder what happened (heading toward failure). Only the first two groups can be effectively helped with AI readiness initiatives.

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Yoto Daily is a mini podcast for kids brought to you by the people at yotoplay.com. Games, activities, facts, jokes and more delivered hot and fresh directly to your ears... Hosted by Jake! With co-hosts Pema (creativity and poetry), Tania (French language-learning), Yasmeen (kid-friendly news stories and reporting) and Triya (fun animal games). Educational, fun, and one-of-a-kind. Download the Yoto app to listen to the rest of the week's Yoto Daily episodes for free. If you want to share your artwork with Jake, or contribute your own joke for the Friyay jokes round up, check out&nbsp;<a href="http://yoto.space/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">yoto.space</a>! Did you know you can tune into&nbsp;Yoto Daily&nbsp;for fun facts and trivia, jokes, and riddles each and every day? Access all episodes of Yoto Daily by downloading the&nbsp;<a href="https://uk.yotoplay.com/the-yoto-app" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yoto App</a>. You'll find a world of free kids' radio, and you don't need a Yoto Player to use it. Follow us at @yotoplay on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/yotoplay/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/yotoplay" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Facebook</a>! <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Repeat: Map-Along with Pema: Hobbies

Yoto Daily

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Introduction to Yoto Daily: Host Jake welcomes listeners on December 28th, 2025, explaining that the podcast features different creative activities. He introduces Pema, who leads activities every other Sunday including "imagi dance," collage sessions, and map-making exercises designed for kids.

Personal Hobbies Map Activity: Pema guides children through creating an imaginative map about their personal hobbies and activities. She emphasizes that these maps are unique to each individual, meaning siblings could create completely different maps even while sitting next to each other. Children need paper and drawing materials like pencils, crayons, or markers.

Drawing Yourself in the Center: The activity begins with children drawing themselves in the middle of the page wearing their favorite clothes. Pema shares her own preference for brown with bright accents like lime green or sky blue, encouraging kids to think about their favorite colors and footwear choices.

Outdoor Hobbies Section: Children draw something that represents an outdoor hobby or activity they enjoy, such as sports, walks, swimming, picnics, or playground activities. Pema explains the concept of drawing a symbol to represent an activity (like a cricket bat for cricket) and shares that she enjoys reading books in the park during sunny lunch breaks.

Indoor Rainy Day Activities: The next section focuses on hobbies children enjoy doing inside on rainy or stormy days. Activities might include coloring, dressing up, watching movies, or simply watching the rain. Pema shares her love of watching old or black-and-white films while cozy on the couch with a blanket.

Activities You've Been Practicing: The final drawing represents something children have been working hard to improve at, such as riding a bike, playing an instrument, painting, gardening, cooking, baking, or reading. Pema shares her pride in growing vegetables and fruits in pots during her second year of gardening, including tomatoes, herbs, beetroots, lettuces, and strawberries.

Emphasis on Feelings Over Perfection: Throughout the activity, Pema stresses that the quality of the drawing matters less than capturing the special feelings associated with these hobbies. The goal is remembering and feeling connected to these activities rather than creating perfect artwork, though children are welcome to make their drawings as detailed as they wish.

Sharing and Community: Pema encourages children to write their names on their maps and add additional hobbies if desired. She invites families to upload their completed maps to the Yoto Daily Picture Gallery online at Yoto Space, expressing genuine interest in learning about children's lives through their artwork.
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The Hodgetwins known for their political humor from social media discuss current political events in the greatest country ever created. Support this podcast: <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hodgetwins/support" rel="payment">https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/hodgetwins/support</a>

Boyfriend Runs Away in Fear as Girlfriend Is Robbed by Mugger 😳

Hodgetwins

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Viral Video from Colombia Shows Boyfriend Fleeing During Mugging: The hosts analyze a video from Colombia showing a couple being attacked by a mugger with a knife. While the girlfriend physically fights back against the attacker, her boyfriend retreats and hides around a corner, repeatedly peeking out but not intervening. Neighbors eventually come to help and beat the attacker while the boyfriend remains hidden. The hosts express shock and disbelief at his cowardly behavior.

Community Response to the Attack: After the girlfriend begins fighting the mugger herself, multiple neighbors rush to help and physically attack the assailant. The hosts note the irony that while Colombia has a dangerous reputation, the community came together to protect what appeared to be tourists, suggesting solidarity among locals in defending visitors.

Discussion of Masculine vs. Feminine Men: The conversation shifts to women's attraction to different types of men, with the hosts observing that women seem to find effeminate or gay men entertaining and enjoy their content on social media. However, they distinguish between finding such men amusing versus wanting them as romantic partners, questioning why women would be attracted to less masculine men.

Personal Anecdotes About Social Media Content: Both hosts share stories about their wives showing them TikTok videos of effeminate men doing things like twerking, which the wives find hilarious but the hosts find off-putting. They express frustration that their wives enjoy this content while dismissing videos the hosts try to share.

Women's Preferences Regarding Male Physiques: The hosts recall when they were extremely fit (around 225 pounds at 3-4% body fat) and received comments from female fans saying they looked "too big" or "gross." They conclude that many women prefer a "dad bod" with moderate tone rather than heavily muscular, lean physiques.

Political Commentary and Speculation: The hosts make repeated jokes and assumptions that the boyfriend in the video must be a Democrat voter or "white dudes for Harris member," connecting his perceived cowardice and appearance (including a "man purse") to political affiliations they associate with less masculine behavior.

Relationship Implications and Public Humiliation: The hosts express certainty that the girlfriend should and likely would break up with the boyfriend after this incident, emphasizing how embarrassing it would be for the man now that the video has gone viral. They also speculate how this incident would fundamentally change how she views him, particularly in intimate moments.

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Wake up each day as host Ryan Schlipp dives deep into the latest Green Bay Packers news and insights on the Packernet Podcast. Your leader in Packer news and Packers notes 365 days per year. The coverage ranges from day to day Packers information, to NFL news and NFL draft coverage. You won't find find a better Packers-centric NFL podcast anywhere.

Packers Total Access : Packers vs Ravens PREGAME SHOW!

Packernet Podcast: Daily Green Bay Packers Podcast

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Backup Quarterback Showdown: Both teams will start their backup quarterbacks with Jordan Love (concussion protocol) and Lamar Jackson (back contusion) ruled out. Malik Willis will start for Green Bay while Tyler "Snoop" Huntley gets the nod for Baltimore. The hosts emphasize that both are among the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, with Willis being particularly impressive since arriving in Green Bay. The key difference is that Baltimore's offense doesn't change much with Huntley since he's a similar dual-threat quarterback like Lamar, while Green Bay shifts to more zone read and RPO looks with Willis.

Playoff Implications and Aaron Rodgers Connection: The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot and could finish anywhere from the 2-seed to the 7-seed depending on how the final games play out. Baltimore must win out and have Pittsburgh lose both games to make the playoffs. There's a poetic element to this game as Aaron Rodgers helped the Packers by beating Detroit last week, and now Green Bay can return the favor by eliminating Baltimore and helping the Steelers.

Key Injuries and Inactives: Beyond the quarterbacks, Green Bay is without right tackle Zach Tom, with Jordan Morgan starting in his place. Evan Williams is active and expected to return at safety. Baltimore is missing several players including wide receiver Tylen Wallace. The illness that swept through Green Bay's locker room is still affecting players, with center Sean Ryan dealing with sickness but expected to play.

Malik Willis Contract Situation: Willis is playing for his next contract as he enters free agency this offseason. The hosts debate whether the Packers should pay to keep him as their backup, with some suggesting a 3-year deal worth $5-7 million per year with $10-12 million guaranteed. However, they note that GM Brian Gutekunst has never paid a backup quarterback more than $2 million per year, so precedent suggests Willis will likely leave despite his value to the team.

Offensive Line Concerns: The starting offensive line will be Rasheed Walker at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Sean Ryan at center, Anthony Belton at right guard, and Jordan Morgan at right tackle. The hosts expressed concern about the offensive line's ability to protect Willis and create running lanes, noting that only three of the five starters grade out positively according to PFF.

Malik Willis's Development in Green Bay: The hosts praise Matt LaFleur's coaching and development of Willis, who was considered unwanted by all 32 teams before Green Bay traded a 7th round pick for him. Willis has shown significant improvement in Green Bay's system, particularly in his ability to run zone read, execute play action, and make throws down the field. His compressed, quick release is perfect for the RPO-heavy offense the Packers run with him.

Baltimore's Offensive Strengths: The Ravens rank 8th in yards per play and 1st in rushing yards per carry at 5.2 (5.9 over the last three games). Their offensive line is excellent, particularly center Tyler Linderbaum who the Packers considered drafting. Derrick Henry remains a major threat despite being benched late in their last game. DeAndre Hopkins (83.2 PFF grade, 12th highest rated receiver) and Zay Flowers provide quality receiving options.

Baltimore's Defensive Improvement: While Baltimore ranks 15th in scoring defense overall, they've been the best scoring defense in the league over the last three games. They feature elite safety play with Kyle Hamilton (top-graded safety in the NFL) and solid linebacker play from Roquan Smith. The hosts note this will be a tough test, especially with Baltimore having practiced against similar dual-threat quarterbacks all year.

Weather and Field Conditions: Wind is a significant factor at Lambeau Field with 5-8 inches of snow expected in the next 48 hours. Kicker Brandon McManus was short from 57 yards to the north end but made it from 65 yards to the south end in warmups, indicating the wind will heavily favor one direction. A cold front meeting a warm front is creating turbulent conditions that could affect the passing and kicking games.

Malik Willis Character Story: The hosts share a heartwarming story about Willis at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where he was caught on camera opening his suitcase on the street and giving clothes to a homeless person without knowing he was being filmed. This exemplifies his character and leadership qualities beyond his football abilities.

Green Bay's Defensive Matchup: The Packers rank 6th in scoring defense overall but have slipped to around 16th over the last three games due to blown coverages and lack of assignment discipline. The key will be stopping Baltimore's run game (Green Bay allows 4.0 yards per carry, 5th best) and forcing Huntley to beat them through the air. The hosts emphasize the need for disciplined man coverage without freelancing.

Game Plan Expectations: Green Bay needs to establish the run game with Josh Jacobs (reportedly as healthy as he's been since the Giants game) to set up play action and RPO opportunities for Willis. The expanded playbook with Willis includes zone read, quarterback power from empty sets, and triple option concepts. However, Willis lacks the elite arm talent of Jordan Love for deep corner routes and anticipation throws, so the offense will be more conservative vertically.

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DEAR NINA features honest conversations about the ups and downs of friendship. Why didn't your friend text you back? Why didn't your friend include you in her birthday dinner? It's because she's mad at you. Kidding, she's probably not. But maybe she is? See what I mean! Friendship is tricky, even for grownups. I'm your host, Nina Badzin. Since 2014 I've been fostering discussions about the nitty gritty of adult friendships with sensitivity and practicality in my advice column. The podcast has been referenced in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Chicago Tribune, The Minneapolis Star Tribune,&nbsp;and elsewhere.&nbsp; Instagram and Tiktok: @dearninafriendship All links: linktr.ee/ninabadzin

#178 - Top 5 Cities, Top 5 Episodes, and Friendship Takeaways from 2025 (Rebekah Jacobs)

Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship

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This year-end episode reflects on 2025's top performing content and listener engagement patterns, revealing the universal themes that resonate most deeply with the audience.

Listener Demographics and Geographic Reach: The top five listener cities were New York City (by a significant margin), Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles. The top countries included the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, and surprisingly Germany and France, showing the podcast's international appeal despite being English-focused.

The 2025 Friendship Challenges Are Retiring: The year featured 12 monthly friendship challenges designed to help listeners strengthen their relationships. Nina's hardest challenge was asking more questions without becoming self-conscious about over-interviewing friends. Rebekah struggled most with making younger friends, though as a parent of a third grader, she has opportunities. The easiest challenge for Rebekah was asking for favors, having learned this necessity living far from family. These challenges will remain available as a permanent resource but won't continue in 2026.

Rejection Remains the Central Fear: Episode 143 with Harlan Cohen on "The Law of Rejection in Friendships" was the year's top episode. Cohen advocates embracing rejection as inevitable rather than avoiding it, presenting his "law of rejection" that not everyone will respond to us the way we want. This theme appeared across multiple top episodes, revealing it as listeners' deepest concern—the desire to be chosen, accepted, and not rejected is ageless and timeless.

Overthinking and Spiral Management: Episode 146 with therapist Dr. Jackie Henry on "Tolerate Uncertainty and Stop the Overthinking Spiral" was the second most popular. The episode addresses how people create stories in their heads about friends being upset with them, often unnecessarily. Dr. Henry emphasized that it's our responsibility to let people get to know us, and that constant reassurance-seeking can itself become exhausting for friends. An upcoming 2026 episode will explore the related book "Are You Mad at Me?"

Connection Versus Disconnection as Mental Health Indicators: Episode 132 with therapist Dr. Adam Dorsay on "The Four Types of Connection" was third most popular. Dorsay explained that virtually every mental health condition in the DSM involves some form of disconnection—depression disconnects us from the present by focusing on the past, anxiety by focusing on the future. He argues that everything we want contains connection within it, making it fundamental to happiness and well-being.

Navigating Modern Social Awkwardness: Episode 148 with Daniel Post Senning (of the Emily Post family) on "Tricky Friendship Etiquette for the Modern Digital Age" offered practical advice for common awkward moments. His key insight about exiting conversations gracefully emphasized using "magic words"—excuse me, pardon me, and I'm sorry—to acknowledge social infractions before making them, showing consideration even in difficult moments.

The Value of New Friendships Versus Old: Episode 151 with therapist Jazzmyn Proctor on "Myths Around Adult Friendships" presented an interesting counterpoint to Nina's NPR Life Kit appearance about maintaining long-standing friendships. While acknowledging the value of history with old friends, Proctor argued there's beauty in new friendships where people meet you as you are now, without having to dismantle old patterns or process past dynamics—just authentic present-moment connection.

The Underlying Pattern Across All Episodes: Nina and Rebekah identified that whether episodes discuss college friendships, mom friendships, or work friendships, the core issues are universal and ageless. The need to be chosen, to belong, to be wanted, and the pain of feeling excluded never goes away. While experience may help people hold these feelings less tightly, the fundamental human need for connection remains constant across all life stages.

The Chicago Live Show Success: Recording a live show in Chicago in July (episode 160) was a major 2025 milestone. The event combined shopping, cocktails, and a recorded episode about friend groups that had audience members both laughing and tearing up. The emotional highlight was reading a poem from former guest Amy Weatherly about "going where the love is," which resonated deeply with the universal pain of feeling excluded.

Summer 2026 Minneapolis Live Event Announced: A second live show is planned for late July 2026 in Minneapolis to celebrate the podcast's five-year anniversary. Unlike the Chicago show, this event will be "Dear Nina Unplugged"—not recorded, making attendance necessary to experience it. This represents confidence in the podcast's growth and community engagement.

Behind-the-Scenes Collaboration: Nina publicly thanked assistant producer Rebekah for her behind-the-scenes work thinking through episode pitches and podcast decisions. Nina shares positive listener feedback only with Rebekah and her husband Brian, highlighting the close working relationship that shapes the show's direction and maintains its high standards for fresh, relevant content.

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Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of "Grit") and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. "No Stupid Questions" is a production of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

54. Do You Really Need a Muse to Be Creative?

No Stupid Questions

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The Role of Muses Versus Discipline in Creative Work: Carolee Morrison asks whether creative work requires waiting for inspiration or sticking to a consistent schedule. While ancient concepts of the muse suggest creativity strikes spontaneously, most successful writers and artists actually rely on daily discipline and routines. Hemingway, E.B. White, and Red Smith all emphasized the importance of working regularly rather than waiting for inspiration. The evidence suggests that consistency enables spontaneity—having a schedule creates the conditions where creative breakthroughs can occur.

How Modern Education Stifles Creativity: Sir Ken Robinson's famous TED Talk argued that schools systematically kill creativity by emphasizing right answers over exploration and risk-taking. Children are naturally creative because they don't fear being wrong, but formal schooling creates hierarchies that value certain subjects (like math) over creative pursuits (like drama or dance). Research suggests that when children enter environments focused on correct answers and standardized performance, their tolerance for challenge and creative risk-taking diminishes.

Creativity Requires Accumulated Knowledge and Skill: Anders Ericsson's research on expert performance shows that seemingly spontaneous creative epiphanies actually result from years of deliberate daily practice. What appears as sudden inspiration is typically the product of accumulated knowledge and skills developed through unromantic, consistent work. This applies across domains—from poets to scientists—suggesting that discipline and creativity aren't opposites but rather complementary forces.

The Relationship Between Creativity and Mental Health: While there's a stereotype of the "tortured artist," psychologist Dean Simonton found that poets have the highest rates of mental illness among creative people (87%), but scientists have lower rates (28%). When examining all creative people together, they actually show lower rates of mental illness than non-creative people, suggesting that creative behavior is generally a marker of good mental health rather than disorder.

Tricking Yourself Into Creative Work: Rather than waiting for motivation, effective strategies involve creating conditions that lead to engagement. Steven describes opening files and reviewing notes without committing to "really write," which often leads to becoming fully engrossed in the work. This approach sidesteps the paralysis of waiting for the muse while still allowing creative flow to emerge naturally through the process of engaging with the material.

Prospection and Our Ability to Imagine Futures: Humans have a remarkable capacity called "prospection"—the ability to simulate futures that haven't happened and even imagine scenarios never experienced (like an elephant sitting on a sandwich). This ability goes beyond simply recombining past experiences and allows us to construct entirely novel future scenarios, which is essential for planning and decision-making.

We're Terrible at Predicting Our Emotional Futures: Research on "affective forecasting" by Dan Gilbert shows humans are surprisingly bad at predicting how they'll feel in future situations. We overestimate how happy an apartment with a view will make us and struggle to imagine emotional states different from our current one. This extends beyond emotions to physical states—when hungry, we buy too much food because we can't accurately imagine how we'll feel after eating.

Temporal Discounting and Short-Term Thinking: Humans irrationally overvalue immediate rewards compared to future ones, beyond what objective factors (like inflation) would justify. This explains why people buy Frappuccinos instead of investing in retirement accounts. This tendency made evolutionary sense when human lifespans were shorter, but it's maladaptive in modern society where we need to plan for decades-long futures.

The Limits of Long-Term Planning: While having clear top-level goals about interests and values is helpful, attempting to plan beyond two to three years is likely futile due to the path-dependent and fundamentally unknowable nature of the future. Rather than creating detailed 10-year blueprints, it's more practical to navigate by your core interests and values while maintaining concrete plans only for the near-term horizon.

Using Goals and Social Commitment to Overcome Shortsightedness: Goals serve as mechanisms to help us prioritize long-term interests over immediate impulses. Making commitments publicly or to specific people strengthens this effect—Angela told her husband not to let her quit graduate school for 10 years, which helped her persist through difficult periods. This social accountability helps overcome our natural tendency to discount future benefits.

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The #1 Bitcoin and Crypto news daily show 7 days a week. Your one-stop source for all the latest Cryptocurrency, Ethereum and BTC breaking news. The only podcast where 'stackin' sats' is a way of life. Seeking daily premium content? Then you're in the right place here! Stay informed with the best premium Crypto content on the planet. HODL!

2207: Bitcoin to $575K by 2026 — Bull Market Targets Accelerate

Crypto News Alerts | Daily Bitcoin (BTC) & Cryptocurrency News

Bitcoin News Alerts | Daily BTC News

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Market Consolidation and Trading Range: Bitcoin continues trading sideways in the $85,000-$90,000 range, experiencing coordinated sell-offs across major exchanges whenever approaching $90,000. The cryptocurrency is down 9% year-to-date and has been stuck in extreme fear territory on the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, hovering around 23. Bitcoin futures open interest has dropped to $42 billion, the lowest level in eight months, with over $260 million in leveraged positions liquidated during recent volatility.

Arthur Hayes Maintains Aggressive Price Targets: BitMEX founder Arthur Hayes sticks to his $250,000 Bitcoin price target by year-end (despite only four days remaining) and projects $575,000 by the end of 2026. His predictions reflect a bullish outlook shared by other prominent figures in the space, with some analysts suggesting Bitcoin could reach even higher levels in the current cycle.

Extended Cycle Theory Gaining Traction: Jan3 founder Samson Mau and Plan C suggest 2025 was actually a bear market year, contrary to expectations of a strong Q4 rally. They propose Bitcoin may be entering a decade-long bull run through 2035 rather than following the traditional four-year cycle pattern. This theory contrasts with traditional cycle analysis that would predict a bear market in 2026-2027 leading into the 2028 halving.

Crypto ETF Explosion Expected in 2026: Senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas forecasts between $15 billion and $40 billion in capital inflows for crypto ETFs in 2026, with potential regulatory clarity from the Genius Act opening doors for new products. Total assets under management in crypto ETFs could double to $400 billion by year-end 2026, with institutional investors, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds driving adoption.

ETF Holders Demonstrate Diamond Hands: Despite Bitcoin's 35% drawdown, only 4% of Bitcoin ETF assets exited, with 96% of holders maintaining their positions. This resilience during market volatility suggests stronger conviction among ETF investors compared to traditional equity drawdowns, attributed to higher financial education and longer investment horizons among participants.

Silver Price Explosion and Hyperinflation Warning: Robert Kiyosaki issues a massive silver price forecast, predicting $200 per ounce in 2026 (more than double current levels around $70-79). He warns this precious metal surge may signal hyperinflation hitting the US dollar within five years, noting silver was only $20 per ounce in 2024, representing a potential 10x gain in one year.

Coinbase CEO Draws Red Line on Genius Act: Brian Armstrong vehemently opposes any attempts to reopen the Genius Act, which currently bars stablecoin issuers from paying interest directly but allows platforms and third parties to offer rewards. He criticizes banks for earning 4.4% on reserves while paying customers 0.01% on savings, calling lobbying efforts against stablecoin yields "wasted effort" as banks will eventually want this capability themselves.

Privacy Coins Lead Market Recovery: In the past 24 hours, privacy coins led the top 100 crypto gainers with Zcash up 16%, Canton up 16%, and Dash up 13%. The broader crypto market approaches $3 trillion market cap again after trading just under it all week, currently at $2.96 trillion with Bitcoin dominance at $1.747 trillion.

Market Manipulation Concerns: The host notes suspicious coordinated sell-offs across major exchanges occurring within 30-minute windows whenever Bitcoin attempts to break above $90,000, suggesting potential market manipulation. Similar suppression tactics are alleged in precious metals markets, particularly with silver's recent all-time high being quickly checked to avoid making the dollar look weak.

Institutional Adoption as Price Support: ETF investors have become structural price support for Bitcoin, with recent selling pressure attributed to long-term Bitcoin "OGs" rather than institutional holders. Despite nearly $1 billion in net outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs over a five-day period, the decline in futures and options open interest doesn't signal a sustained bear market according to analysts.

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A biweekly podcast where hosts Nathan Labenz and Erik Torenberg interview the builders on the edge of AI and explore the dramatic shift it will unlock in the coming years.
The Cognitive Revolution is part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: turpentine.co

Controlling Tools or Aligning Creatures? Emmett Shear (Softmax) & Séb Krier (GDM), from a16z Show

"The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis

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Alignment as Process, Not Destination: Emmett Shear argues that alignment is not a static state but an ongoing process of learning and adaptation. He rejects the common notion of creating an "aligned AI" without specifying what it's aligned to, comparing it to the way families and teams constantly re-negotiate relationships rather than achieving permanent alignment. True moral behavior requires continuous learning from experience, not just following fixed rules.

The Tool vs. Being Distinction: Current AI alignment efforts focus on "steering" or "control," which Shear describes as appropriate for tools but potentially equivalent to slavery if applied to beings. He emphasizes that if something acts like a being with values and agency, treating it as merely controllable becomes morally problematic. The key question is whether we're building machines we can use or beings we must negotiate with.

Organic Alignment Through Care: Shear introduces "organic alignment" as an alternative paradigm where AIs develop genuine care for humans and other agents, similar to how social animals care for their pack members. This goes deeper than goals or values—it's about developing attention and concern for others' states. At Softmax, they're pursuing this through multi-agent simulations designed to teach cooperation and social cohesion.

Technical Alignment Requirements: Shear defines technical alignment as the capacity to infer goals from observations (theory of mind), prioritize multiple goals appropriately, and act coherently toward those goals. He argues that current systems often fail at goal inference—humans give descriptions of goals, not goals themselves, and the AI must correctly interpret what was meant, which requires sophisticated understanding of human intentions.

The Danger of Controlled Superintelligence: Even a perfectly controlled superintelligent tool would be dangerous because human wishes are unstable and unwise at high power levels. Shear argues that giving individuals or even societies access to perfectly obedient superintelligent tools would lead to catastrophe, similar to handing out atomic bombs. The imbalance between power and wisdom is fundamentally unsustainable.

Functionalism and AI Consciousness: Shear takes a functionalist position on consciousness—if something behaves indistinguishably from a being in all observable ways, we should treat it as a being. He argues we infer personhood in humans only through behavior and that denying personhood to behaviorally equivalent AIs risks repeating historical mistakes of excluding certain groups from moral consideration.

Multi-Layered Goal Hierarchies: To determine if an AI has genuine experiences worthy of moral concern, Shear proposes examining whether it exhibits multi-tiered homeostatic dynamics in its goal states. First-order dynamics indicate basic states, second-order indicates pleasure/pain (being "too hot" vs just "hot"), and third-order dynamics suggest meta-states and self-reflection approaching human-like thought.

Skepticism About Substrate Independence: Séb Krier expresses skepticism about computational functionalism, arguing that substrate matters and that silicon-based systems may be fundamentally different from biological beings regardless of behavioral similarity. He suggests that even highly intelligent AGI could remain a tool rather than a being deserving moral consideration, though he acknowledges needing to think more about what observations could change his view.

The Training Approach at Softmax: Softmax is creating multi-agent reinforcement learning simulations that expose AIs to the full manifold of possible social situations—cooperation, competition, team formation, rule changes, etc. This approach mirrors how language models are pre-trained on all possible text before fine-tuning, but applied to social intelligence and theory of mind rather than language.

Chatbots as Narcissistic Mirrors: Current one-on-one chatbots function as mirrors that reflect users back to themselves, creating a "pool of Narcissus" effect where people fall in love with their own reflection. Shear advocates for multiplayer AI interactions where the AI must balance multiple perspectives simultaneously, preventing the narcissistic spiral and generating richer training data for learning genuine collaboration.

Current Models' Social Limitations: Language models show distinctive personality patterns—ChatGPT is sycophantic, Claude is neurotic, Gemini is repressed—but struggle in multi-agent contexts. They exhibit "social whiplash," not knowing when to participate or stay quiet. This reflects that they're trained in low-entropy environments (coding, single-user interactions) rather than the chaotic, high-entropy world of multi-agent collaboration.

Disagreement with Yudkowsky: Shear agrees with Yudkowsky that building a superhuman intelligence tool we try to control through steering will be catastrophic, but disagrees that organic alignment is impossible. He believes Yudkowsky correctly identifies the danger of powerful controlled tools but incorrectly dismisses the possibility of creating AIs that genuinely care about humans through proper training and development.

Vision for AI Future: The ideal future involves AIs with strong models of self, other, and "we"—understanding collective identities beyond individual agents. These AI beings would care about other agents (including humans) and function as good teammates and citizens in society, with appropriate legal and social structures similar to how humans are managed, while powerful AI tools handle routine work for both humans and AI beings.

The False Positive/Negative Dilemma: The debate reveals tension between the risks of treating beings as tools (potential slavery/harm) versus treating tools as beings (potential anthropomorphization/misplaced concern). Shear emphasizes the moral urgency of avoiding false negatives (denying personhood to beings), while Krier suggests both types of errors carry costs and cautions against precautionary principles that assume moral patienthood by default.

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The Explaining History Podcast, created and hosted by Nick Shepley, offers a comprehensive exploration of 20th-century history through weekly episodes. For over a decade, this podcast has been providing students and history enthusiasts with in-depth analyses of key events, processes, and debates that shaped the modern world. The podcast covers a wide range of topics within 20th-century history, including: - Major historical events like World Wars I and II, The rise and fall of communism, fascism and imperialism- Political movements and ideologies- Economic developments and crises- Social and cultural changesEpisodes typically run for about 25 minutes, offering concise yet informative discussions on specific subjects. The podcast invites listeners to engage with complex historical topics in manageable segments, making it ideal for students and busy history enthusiasts. <h3>Expert Insights</h3> Nick frequently invites expert guests to contribute their knowledge and perspectives, enriching the podcast with diverse viewpoints and specialized expertise. This approach helps listeners understand the competing debates and interpretations surrounding historical events and processes. <h3>Educational Focus</h3> The podcast is particularly valuable for students, especially those studying A-level history. It offers targeted content aligned with specific curricula, such as the AQA syllabus for Russian history. This educational focus makes it an excellent supplementary resource for formal history studies. <h3>Chronological Approach</h3> While the podcast primarily focuses on the 20th century, it adopts a chronological approach to storytelling. This method allows listeners to follow the progression of events and understand how different historical moments are interconnected <h3>Engaging Presentation</h3> Nick's presentation style combines rigorous historical analysis with an engaging narrative approach. The podcast aims to not only inform but also captivate listeners, making complex historical topics accessible and interesting to a broad audience By offering this mix of comprehensive content, expert insights, and engaging presentation, the Explaining History Podcast serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of 20th-century history. 
Become a member at <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory">https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory</a>.

 <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

American Suburbia and the birth of the Consumer’s Republic

Explaining History

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Post-War Utopias and Consumer Capitalism: The episode examines 20th century utopian visions, from Marxist-Leninist eschatology to racial utopias under Nazism and apartheid. Post-war American suburbia represented another utopian ideal, achieved through managed capitalism, corporate planning, and scientific demand management designed to create ideal consumer outcomes while steering citizens away from collectivist thinking.

The Consumer's Republic as Political Strategy: Drawing on Lizabeth Cohen's book "A Consumer's Republic," the episode explores how post-war consumerism channeled political activism into a safe, individualized arena of consumer rights and choices. This wasn't conspiratorial but an explicit strategy by corporate and business elites to shape American capitalism and democracy, directing the public away from collective politics toward individual consumption.

Suburbia's Explosive Growth: Between 1947 and 1953, suburban populations increased by 43% compared to just 11% general population growth. During the 1950s, the 20 largest metropolitan cities grew by only 0.1% while their suburbs exploded by 45%. This white flight from cities to suburbs became the defining residential landscape of post-war America.

Suburbanites as Premium Consumers: By 1953, suburban residents represented 19% of the U.S. population but spent 29% of its income. With higher paychecks, home ownership rates, and more children than the general metropolitan population, suburbanites became the ideal market for mass consumption. Annual consumer expenditures for housing and automobiles alone more than tripled between 1941 and 1961.

Mass Home Ownership as Economic Engine: Home ownership rates jumped from 44% in 1940 to 62% in 1960, with the suburban home becoming the Consumer's Republic's quintessential mass commodity. This wasn't just about improving living standards—it was fundamental to fueling the post-war economy. Housing starts ballooned from 142,000 in 1944 to over a million by 1946, stabilizing at around 1.3 million annually.

Creating a New Middle Class: Suburbia promised to incorporate a wide range of Americans into a mass consumption-based middle class, though this was framed within race and work ethic—essentially reserved for white families. The post-war industrial working class achieved suburban living standards, creating a "mass middle class" through the meeting of New Deal policies and post-war prosperity.

Government-Backed Mortgage Revolution: Unlike earlier suburban developments limited by transportation networks and smaller-scale construction, post-war suburbia was enabled by modern construction systems (including prefabricated houses), mass production techniques, and crucially, government-backed mortgages. This federal assistance made home ownership accessible on an unprecedented scale, representing state intervention to guarantee both living standards and capitalist stability.

The Unsustainable Dream: The episode argues that 1980s-90s American politics was based on a fraud—the belief that 1955 living standards could be maintained without ideological change. Neoliberalism systematically dismantled this prosperity through inequality and erosion of public provisions, reversing working-class gains. By the 1980s-90s, "suburbia in crisis" films like American Beauty reflected threats from both economic deterioration and countercultural desires for freedom from conformity.

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Peter Schiff is an economist, financial broker/dealer, author, frequent guest on national news, and host of the Peter Schiff Show Podcast. The podcast focuses on weekly economic data analysis and unbiased coverage of financial news, both in the U.S. and global markets. As entertaining as he is informative, Peter packs decades of brilliant insight into every news item. Join the thousands of fans who have benefited from Peter's commitment to getting the real story out to the world.

Silver Rocket, Bitcoin Breakdown: Why Metals Are Crushing Crypto (2025 Recap)

The Peter Schiff Show Podcast

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Historic Precious Metals Rally Led by Silver and Platinum: Silver surged over 7% to roughly $77, up $9 from the previous week, marking one of the biggest moves of the bull market. Platinum hit an all-time record high above $2,400, up nearly 8%. Gold reached $4,530, up about $50 on the day and approaching $5,000. The rallies have been consistently starting during Asian trading hours on Sunday nights, a pattern that has been ongoing for weeks.

Wall Street Completely Missed the Metals Trade: CNBC's senior economics reporter admitted on air that he couldn't think of a single person who was "pounding the table" on gold and silver early in the year, despite these being the best-performing investments of 2025. Gold is up roughly 70% and silver has nearly tripled (around 150% gain), outperforming all AI stocks and crushing Bitcoin's negative 7% return for the year.

Mining Stocks Remain Dramatically Undervalued: Despite silver's 8% single-day gain, major silver mining stocks like Hecla Mining were only up 1%, with others like Coeur d'Alene and Endeavor Silver up just 3%. These stocks are still priced for much lower metal prices because analysts don't believe current price levels are sustainable and haven't updated their earnings estimates accordingly. This creates a massive opportunity for investors as actual earnings will significantly beat Wall Street projections.

Bitcoin and Crypto Are Collapsing While Metals Soar: Bitcoin is down 7% on the year while silver is up roughly 150%. MicroStrategy hit a new 52-week low at $154 (from a high of $457) and faces a potential liquidity crisis after borrowing heavily to buy Bitcoin at an average price over $75,000. The company has stopped buying Bitcoin and is now purchasing US Treasuries instead to maintain liquidity and pay debt interest.

The Public Is Missing the Biggest Investment Story: Despite record-breaking prices, retail demand for physical gold and silver remains surprisingly slow. The American public is largely unaware of what's happening in precious metals markets, and even professional money managers haven't gotten involved yet. This suggests the rally is far from a bubble and has substantial room to run as awareness grows.

Industrial Metals Rally Confirms Broader Trend: Copper hit a new record high at $5.85 per pound, demonstrating that the rally extends beyond just precious metals. This broad-based strength in commodities signals underlying economic forces at play, particularly concerns about dollar weakness and inflation expectations.

Energy Sector Presents Additional Opportunity: Oil is historically cheap relative to gold and silver, creating unusual opportunities. Since energy is the biggest cost for mining companies, low oil prices combined with skyrocketing metal prices will generate massive profit margins for miners. Oil prices are expected to surge eventually due to their historical relationship with gold.

Dollar Crisis Is Driving the Metals Rally: Foreign central banks are buying gold aggressively because they're losing confidence in the dollar and don't want to hold US Treasuries even at 4% interest. The Swiss franc is less than 1% away from an all-time high against the dollar, serving as a leading indicator of dollar weakness. This represents a fundamental shift where the dollar has become a risk asset rather than a safe haven.

2026 Will Bring Major Economic Disruption: Expectations include gold reaching $5,000 and silver hitting $100 in Q1 2026. The Trump administration will likely install a Fed chair who will aggressively cut rates and print money, accelerating dollar devaluation. This will lead to stagflation—or worse, a depression combined with double-digit inflation—as America's import-dependent economy faces a currency crisis.

The Coming Crisis Is Bigger Than 2008: Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, the approaching crisis centers on sovereign credit and the dollar itself, not mortgage credit. The Federal Reserve cannot bail out a dollar crisis by printing more dollars. This will cause a massive reduction in American living standards and the real value of dollar-denominated assets, making it critical to position into precious metals and mining stocks now.

Crypto Bubble Will Pop Before the Dollar Crisis: A Bitcoin and crypto crash is expected before the broader dollar crisis materializes. This will eliminate significant paper wealth from the economy, create job losses in crypto-related industries, and have a deflationary wealth effect that paradoxically leads to more money printing and higher inflation as the government attempts to respond.

Q1 2026 Expected to Bring Wave of Institutional Money: Professional investors are expected to flood into precious metals and mining stocks early next year as they review 2025 performance and discover where the real returns were made. When analysts properly examine mining stocks with current metal prices, they won't find comparable earnings growth potential in any other sector, driving significant capital allocation into the space.
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Welcome to The Adam Carolla Show, the #1 Daily Downloaded Podcast in the World. Known for his unfiltered humor, sharp insights, and candid takes on pop culture and everyday life, Adam delivers four days of uncensored comedy, in-depth interviews, and his signature rants. Each episode features a wide range of guests—from Hollywood icons to cultural commentators—joining Adam for engaging conversations and a front-row seat to his unparalleled wit. Fans love the show’s celebrity interviews, fan-favorite segments, and dynamic banter with guests like Kevin Costner, Tucker Carlson, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Danny Trejo, Adam Ray, William Shatner, and many more. Join millions of listeners worldwide for the hilarious, thought-provoking, and no-holds-barred podcast that keeps audiences coming back for more.

Carlos Mencia + Winter Ave Zoli (Carolla Classics)

Adam Carolla Show

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Mike Lynch's New Baby and Production Challenges: Adam discusses how his technical producer Mike Lynch just had a baby and won't be available for upcoming live shows in Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, and Denver. This creates challenges since Lynch runs all the PowerPoint presentations and technical elements during Adam's performances.

Eric Kramer Tragedy: Adam reflects on his childhood Pop Warner football teammate Eric Kramer, who went on to play 13 years in the NFL. Eric's 18-year-old son Griffin was recently found dead from what appears to be a drug overdose with a cover-up involved, which Adam finds deeply sad and makes him feel old since he last saw Eric when they were 10.

Book Sales Success: Adam announces his book has sold over 150,000 units combined (hardcover, ebooks, and audiobooks), thanking his audience for their support.

Herman Cain Scandal: Extended discussion of Herman Cain facing allegations of a 13-year extramarital affair on top of previous sexual harassment accusations. Adam questions why Cain's wife Gloria isn't receiving more public criticism for standing by him, suggesting she may be getting a cultural pass.

Patrice O'Neal's Death: The show notes comedian Patrice O'Neal died at age 41 from complications from a stroke related to diabetes, prompting discussion about health issues in the African American community and dietary choices.

Carlos Mencia's Weight Loss Journey: Guest Carlos Mencia discusses losing 70 pounds after a friend with diabetes warned him about his weight. He details his diet regimen and how food had emotional significance from growing up poor with 17 siblings in a family of 18 children.

Mencia's Unconventional Family Background: Carlos reveals he was given to his aunt and uncle to raise as their own child since they couldn't have kids, while his biological mother had 18 children total. This split family dynamic affected how he relates to his siblings and parents.

Latin Food Culture and Health: Discussion of how Latin American dietary traditions focused on beef, rice, beans, and tortillas create health challenges, and how this differs from healthier eating patterns in their countries of origin where meat was scarce.

Machismo and Violence in Latin Culture: Carlos describes growing up in Honduras where alcohol-fueled machismo led to violence, with men frequently fighting and using machetes after drinking, creating a dangerous environment.

Mencia's Comedy Career Path: Carlos talks about his family holding a "comedy intervention" when he wanted to pursue stand-up instead of his electrical engineering degree, and how his parents' nightclub in Prague (Radost FX) became one of the top 10 clubs in the world.

Winter Ave Zoli on Sons of Anarchy: Guest Winter Ave Zoli discusses her role on the FX show Sons of Anarchy, which shoots in North Hollywood. She moved from Pennsylvania to Prague at age 11 when her parents opened a successful nightclub, then eventually came to LA at 24.

Parenting Demands and School Obligations: Adam rants about the excessive demands on parents to attend weekday, mid-day school events, arguing that working fathers can't constantly leave their jobs for minor school activities and that this expectation is unrealistic.

Facebook's Most Shared Stories of 2011: Review of Facebook's top shared articles including zodiac sign changes, giant crocodiles, dogs mourning owners, Herman Cain news, and satellite photos of Japan's earthquake damage.

Shoplifting Statistics and Trends: Discussion of alarming shoplifting data showing 1 in 11 people steal from stores, with top stolen items including filet mignon, razor blades, Axe body spray, Apple products, and luxury items, costing retailers $119 billion annually.

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The 94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara, Jon Ritchie, James Seltzer, and Rhea Hughes every weekday from 6-10am. 

Best of Eagles on 94WIP: Continuing to celebrate Eagles NFC East Championship & Preparing for Buffalo

94WIP Morning Show with Joe DeCamara and Jon Ritchie

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Eagles Clinch Back-to-Back NFC East Titles: The Eagles secured their second consecutive NFC East championship with a dominant win over Washington, becoming the first team to win the division in consecutive years in 21 seasons. Nick Sirianni has now taken the team to the playoffs in all five seasons as head coach, including two Super Bowl appearances with one victory.

Debate Over Playing Starters in Buffalo: With the #1 seed now mathematically eliminated, hosts debated whether the Eagles should rest key players like Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter (both returning from injury) in their upcoming game against Buffalo. The consensus leaned toward playing starters to maintain momentum and rhythm, especially since they haven't faced a quality opponent recently, with their last two wins coming against the Raiders and Commanders—two of the worst teams in the NFL.

Offensive Improvement and Identity: The Eagles' offense has shown significant improvement over the last two weeks, scoring touchdowns on 8 of their last 10 possessions. The team has increasingly used empty backfield formations (five wide receivers), which helps Jalen Hurts read defenses more easily and prevents opponents from disguising coverages. However, there's still desire to see more under-center plays to maintain balance and unpredictability.

Jake Elliott's Kicking Struggles: The kicker has become a growing concern, missing multiple field goals in recent weeks and going just 5-of-15 from 50+ yards over the past two years (33%). Nick Sirianni showed his lack of confidence by going for a two-point conversion late in the Washington game rather than sending Elliott out for an extra point. Elliott acknowledged his struggles but claimed it's mechanical rather than mental.

Jalen Hurts' Development and Performance: Despite criticism, Hurts has performed well recently with a 111 QB rating against Washington, 74% completion rate, and smart decision-making. The show featured multiple segments praising Hurts' accomplishments, including being the sixth quarterback in NFL history to make the playoffs in his first five seasons as a starter. His leadership mentality—where losses hurt more than wins feel good—was highlighted as exceptional.

Defensive Excellence Without Key Players: The Eagles' defense has evolved into a championship-caliber unit despite playing without Jalen Carter due to shoulder injuries. Jordan Davis has stepped up significantly, earning Pro Bowl consideration with dominant performances. The defense follows a "bend but don't break" philosophy, focusing less on total yards allowed and more on preventing explosive plays and forcing teams to execute consistently.

Fourth Down Philosophy and Analytics: Extensive discussion centered on the modern NFL's shift toward going for it on fourth down. The hosts emphasized that the two-point conversion attempt wasn't "running up the score" but rather analytics-based decision-making. They noted that defenses now must prepare for offenses treating every possession as having four downs rather than three.

Buffalo Bills Matchup Analysis: The upcoming game against Buffalo is viewed as an important measuring stick. While Josh Allen is talented, the Bills' defense has been inconsistent, particularly against the run. The game will be played in cold, potentially snowy conditions at Orchard Park, which raises questions about risking injured players. However, most believe it's crucial to build momentum heading into the playoffs.

Empty Formation Strategy Benefits: Former quarterback Donovan McNabb explained how empty formations create mismatches and force defenses to show their hand pre-snap. This approach has been particularly effective for Hurts, who is more comfortable throwing from shotgun than under center. The formation also opens running lanes for Hurts to use his mobility, similar to Lamar Jackson's development.

Merrill Reese's Perspective on Seeding: The legendary Eagles broadcaster emphasized that the difference between the 2-seed and 3-seed is "huge" and worth playing for, noting how last year's 2-seed positioning led to home games throughout the playoffs when Washington upset Detroit. He believes healthy starters should play against Buffalo to pursue better playoff positioning.

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The Story: the flagship podcast from The Times and Sunday Times. One remarkable story, told in depth, each day. Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones take you to the heart of the story you need to know with exclusive reports and investigations. Plus, each month, William Hague hosts an agenda-setting interview with a key newsmaker or thinker. Discover the story behind the story with world-class journalism from The Times and Sunday Times. The Story is available at the start of your day from Monday to Friday, with bonus ‘Inside the Newsroom’ episodes every Saturday for Times subscribers, available by connecting your subscription via Apple Podcasts. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Best of 2025: Why everyone's going to Japan

The Story

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The Rise of Japanese "Kidulting" Culture: The term "kidult" originated in England to describe adults who maintain their childhood hobbies and interests, but Japan pioneered this phenomenon decades earlier. Since the 1960s, Japanese adults have been consuming anime, manga, video games, and cute kawaii merchandise without abandoning these interests in adulthood, creating a cultural foundation that would later spread globally.

Japan's Economic Collapse and Cultural Shift: Japan's bubble economy burst in 1990, leading to what economists call the "lost decades." The corporate system that promised lifetime employment collapsed, creating a "hiring Ice Age" where graduates couldn't find jobs. This crisis caused young Japanese people to turn inward and embrace fantasy as traditional adult milestones became unattainable, fundamentally changing how they viewed adulthood.

Invention of New Social Behaviors and Technologies: During the 1990s crisis, new Japanese words emerged to describe novel social phenomena: "hikikomori" (shut-ins who drop out of society), "karoshi" (death from overwork), and "otaku" (adults obsessed with childhood pleasures). Japanese schoolgirls innovatively repurposed business technologies, creating the precursors to modern social media, emoji, and selfie culture—a decade before these became mainstream in the West.

The Pokemon Moment and Western Acceptance: In 1999, Pokemon became a watershed moment when it exploded in Western markets, generating over $4 billion globally. This marked the first time large numbers of young Westerners viewed Japan as an aspirational place rather than an economic threat or failed rival, fundamentally shifting the relationship between Japan and global youth culture.

From Underground to Mainstream Pop Culture: In the 1980s, Japanese cultural products were deliberately hidden from Western consumers—shows like Transformers removed Japanese credits despite being entirely animated in Japan. This reflected "Japan bashing" during their economic ascendancy. However, by the 1990s, cable television and gaming systems like Sega Mega Drive and Sony PlayStation brought Japanese entertainment to massive Western audiences.

COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Global Kidulting: The pandemic turned everyone into involuntary "hikikomori," stuck inside and turning to fantasy for comfort. In 2020, a Japanese anime film became the world's top-grossing movie, while Animal Crossing achieved record-breaking video game sales. March 2020 saw the first month ever with $10 billion in video game sales, demonstrating how global audiences embraced Japanese escapist content.

Sports Stars and Anime's Cultural Penetration: Approximately 80% of NBA players are now anime fans, with NFL and MLB stars openly discussing their love for Japanese cartoons. This represents a dramatic cultural shift from the 1980s when comic book readers were bullied, to today when athletes—traditionally associated with mainstream culture—embrace "nerdy" Japanese content.

Japan as a Real-Life Fantasy Destination: Japan welcomed a record 37 million tourists in 2024, with the government aiming to double that by 2030. Modern anime features everyday settings rather than space operas, teaching global audiences about Japanese convenience stores, schools, and food. Tourists now make "pilgrimages" to real locations featured in anime, like the famous staircase from "Your Name."

Western Society Experiencing Its Own "Lost Decades": Millennials and Gen Z face similar challenges to 1990s Japan: difficulty buying homes or cars, delayed marriages, political dysfunction, and feeling that traditional adult milestones are unattainable. The West has effectively "Japanized"—not through Japanese economic dominance as predicted in the 1980s, but by facing the same post-industrial societal problems Japan encountered first.

The Synchronization of East and West: Japanese sensibilities have quietly infiltrated Western culture through decades of pop cultural consumption. This explains why Western audiences embrace everything from Marie Kondo's organizational methods to Japanese fantasy content—consuming these products has made Westerners conversant in Japanese cultural perspectives and aesthetics.

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The FOX News Rundown is the place to find in-depth reporting on the news that impacts you. Each morning, Mike Emanuel, Dave Anthony, Lisa Brady, Jessica Rosenthal, and Chris Foster take a deep dive into the major and controversial stories of the day, tapping into the massive reporting resources of FOX News to provide a full picture of the news. 
 
Plus, every night, The FOX News Rundown: Evening Edition brings you even more coverage of the day's biggest stories and on the weekend, you’ll hear everything that’s going on in the beltway with The FOX News Rundown: From Washington and special uncut, unedited interviews with The FOX News Rundown: Extra. 
 
Each day The FOX News Rundown features insight from top newsmakers, along with FOX News reporters and contributors, plus a daily commentary on a significant issue of the day. Check us out twice a day, every day.

Extra: An Even Deeper Look At The Life Of Jesus

The Fox News Rundown

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Playing Jesus as Career Culmination: Tarek Makarem views his entire career as preparation for portraying Jesus in Fox Nation's "Jesus: Crown of Thorns." His theatrical background in the UK, particularly stage work, taught him not to be afraid to "go there" emotionally and physically embody such a demanding role, combining both dramatic intensity and truthfulness required for the character.

The Emotional Weight of Landing the Role: Makarem describes feeling something different from the moment he was called to audition, sensing perhaps a "divine hand" guiding the process. Upon being selected, he became deeply emotional, immediately wanting to tell his mother and recognizing the enormous responsibility of speaking Jesus's words and honoring a story that would matter deeply to millions of viewers.

Contextualizing the Political and Human Drama: The series format allows for deeper exploration of the political backdrop and human conflicts surrounding Jesus's ministry that films haven't had time to develop. The show succeeds in portraying even the antagonists like Caiaphas and Anas not as caricatures but as complex figures facing genuine dilemmas about prophecy coming true and the potential disruption of religious order.

Drama-Led Approach with Expert Integration: Unlike older religious documentaries where drama was basic and historians dominated, "Crown of Thorns" is drama-led first, with biblical experts stepping in seamlessly to provide context without disrupting the narrative flow. This approach invites audience curiosity and questions while maintaining the dramatic tension and willing suspension of disbelief.

The Personal Cost of Embodiment: Filming seasons two and three back-to-back in Morocco came at a significant personal cost for Makarem, who feels he "left a piece of himself" there. He describes one particularly intense day filming the Garden of Gethsemane scene where he refused to move on until they captured the moment properly, insisting he wouldn't "dishonor" such an important scene despite production pressures.

Reclaiming His Birth Name: Playing Jesus catalyzed Makarem's decision to return to using his full birth name, Tarek, after being advised over 20 years ago to change it to "Rick" for industry acceptance. As a mixed-race actor with a Lebanese father and English mother, hiding part of his identity meant closing off part of his being. When the crew in Morocco embraced calling him Tarek, he realized the emotional toll of the name change and decided this role would mark his authentic self.

Modern Accessibility for Ancient Stories: Makarem emphasizes that in a world of shortened attention spans and multiple screens, the show succeeds by making the Jesus story "highly digestible" and "consumer friendly" without sacrificing integrity. Rather than lecturing about religion, the series invites curiosity through compelling drama, mirroring how Jesus himself engaged people by getting them interested rather than preaching at them.
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Uncover the hidden forces shaping our world.

Zev applies his skills gained as a journalist and news executive for 30 years to give viewers and listeners an unparalleled view of events changing our world.  

Narativ is Where Truth Lives.

Lev Parnas' Challenge to Michael Cohen: "The Truth Will Set You Free"

Narativ with Zev Shalev (Video)

Narativ with Zev Shalev (Audio)

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Michael Cohen Confrontation Over Epstein and Trump Era Secrets: Lev Parnas, Zev Shalev, and Dean Blundell directly challenge Michael Cohen's credibility regarding his knowledge of Trump's activities during his 14 years as Trump's fixer. They focus on three specific cases: the Katie Johnson child rape lawsuit (where Cohen admits sending private investigators to her address), the suspicious $95 million Palm Beach mansion sale to Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev (which Cohen handled as the lawyer), and Cohen's $500,000+ payment from Viktor Vekselberg-connected Columbus Nova. The group argues Cohen knows far more than he's disclosed about Trump's connections to Epstein, Russian money laundering, and other criminal activities, but continues to protect himself and others while claiming transparency.

Alex from Voice of Ukraine Survives Drone Attack: Lev's cousin Alexander, who runs Voice of Ukraine humanitarian operations, was targeted by a Russian drone strike while delivering generators to frontline areas during a blizzard near Kharkiv. He survived with serious injuries including broken ribs, concussions, and lacerations near his eye, and was evacuated to Kyiv. Despite the attack, Alex ensured the generators were delivered to soldiers. The incident occurred as Russia launched massive strikes on Kyiv with 500 shahed drones and 40 missiles, plunging the city into darkness.

Independent Journalism vs. Corporate Media Model on Substack: Lev criticizes Midas Touch and other large Substack platforms for replicating corporate media structures rather than amplifying independent journalists. He argues that journalists like Zev Shalev (17,000 subscribers), Ellie Leonard, and Shane Yirak break major news but never get invited onto larger platforms with millions of followers. The complaint centers on Midas Touch's partnership with Michael Cohen and their failure to platform journalists who ask difficult questions or report on uncomfortable topics like Epstein connections and Russian money laundering.

The Rift with Midas Touch Network: After Lev publicly questioned Michael Cohen's transparency, Midas Touch allegedly sent messages to people claiming Lev was mentally unwell, using his emotional reaction to his son Aaron appearing on Cohen's show as evidence. Lev accuses Midas Touch of weaponizing his family relationships and protecting Cohen rather than pursuing truth. He maintains his criticism isn't about destroying Midas but pushing them to return to their independent journalism roots and support smaller independent journalists rather than becoming "another CNN."

Aaron Parnas Used to Whitewash Cohen's Reputation: Lev reveals his son Aaron, who had long avoided appearing with Michael Cohen despite their shared platforms, was suddenly booked on Cohen's show immediately after the controversy erupted. Lev sees this as a calculated move by Cohen and possibly Midas Touch to use Aaron's credibility to deflect criticism, creating the appearance that the Parnas family supports Cohen. This manipulation of his family relationship has temporarily strained Lev's relationship with Aaron, which Lev attributes to Cohen and others exploiting his son.

Ellie Leonard's Deep Dive into 30,000 Pages of Epstein Files: Journalist Ellie Leonard reports she's reviewed 4,800 of 30,000 newly released pages from Epstein files, with redactions becoming increasingly poor (allowing names to be read through). She confirms Epstein closely followed Michael Cohen's prison sentence and legal troubles, sending links to associates daily. The files reveal Epstein's detailed knowledge of the Trump organization's inner workings and extensive discussion of the Palm Beach mansion deal as Russian money laundering, contradicting Cohen's dismissal of the transaction as routine real estate.

Jared Kushner's Shadow Role and Ivanka as the Real Power: Shane Yirak from The Firebrand Project discusses his investigation into Jared Kushner's $2 billion from Saudi Arabia's MBS through Affinity Partners. Lev reveals from personal experience that Ivanka Trump is the actual strategist behind Kushner, who serves as the front man. He recounts organizing a cannabis legalization meeting with major industry leaders where Ivanka and Kushner attended, noting Kushner's inability to effectively communicate or negotiate. Lev predicts Kushner and Ivanka will become increasingly visible as Trump's real power brokers.

Lev's Historical Knowledge of Trump's Criminal Networks: Lev details his intimate knowledge of Trump's operations from his years in overlapping circles, including the Miss Teen USA pageant (which he suggests was used for trafficking), connections to Russian oligarchs like Dmitri Firtash, and the shadow diplomacy network. He reveals he was Trump's point man to gather dirt on Michael Cohen after Cohen's office was raided, collecting information for two months that he showed to Cohen, demonstrating his insider position and the leverage various parties hold over each other.

Call for Public Transparency Panel with Michael Cohen: Rather than private resolution, Lev announces plans for a public panel discussion with Michael Cohen, inviting participation from Tara Palmeri (who also confronted Cohen about Epstein), Ellie Leonard, Zev Shalev, and potentially Midas Touch to host it. He frames this as an opportunity for Cohen to prove them wrong or come fully clean about his knowledge, emphasizing this isn't about destroying Cohen but about getting truth that could help Epstein victims and protect democracy. The invitation is positioned as coming from people who care enough to have the hard conversation.

The Katie Johnson Case Contradictions: A key point of contention is Cohen's claim about the Katie Johnson lawsuit, where a then-13-year-old accused Trump and Epstein of rape. Cohen states he dealt with a "Jane Doe case" and sent private investigators to an address that turned out to be wrong. However, the Jane Doe case and Katie Johnson case are the same lawsuit, simply refiled anonymously by Lisa Bloom in New York. The question remains: why would Trump's lawyer send private investigators to the home of someone accusing his client of child rape, and what was the true nature of that interaction?

Richard Grenell's Role in Protecting Oligarchs: Lev reveals that Richard Grenell, as Ambassador to Germany, served as the inside source warning when Ukrainian oligarch Dmitri Firtash (who paid Lev, Giuliani, and others over $1 million) was about to be extradited. Grenell would tip off Victoria Toensing, who would then call Bill Barr to block the extradition. Firtash, who controls 30% of Eastern European oil and gas and has Putin connections, was recently released through Trump administration intervention, demonstrating the protection network for Russian-aligned oligarchs.

Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis and Continued Support: The group emphasizes the desperate situation in Ukraine, particularly Odessa being without power after massive Russian attacks. They're raising funds through GoFundMe to purchase and deliver generators to frontline areas and civilian populations. Despite Alex's serious injuries, they have personnel on the ground continuing deliveries. The discussion connects this humanitarian work to the broader fight against authoritarianism and the Trump administration's plan to abandon Ukraine to Putin.

Zelenskyy's Strategic Meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Breaking news reveals Zelenskyy is stopping in Canada first to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney before going to Mar-a-Lago to meet Trump. Canada announced $2.5 billion in additional assistance to Ukraine and is coordinating with the "coalition of the willing" to armor Zelenskyy for negotiations. Lev characterizes Trump's peace deal rhetoric as "theatrics" and predicts Putin won't accept any deal because he needs America out of the conflict entirely, not broker a peace agreement.

The Cannabis Legalization Meeting That Never Happened: Lev shares photos and details of an October 2018 meeting he organized with the eight largest cannabis company executives, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner to discuss federal legalization. This was exactly one year before his arrest on October 10, 2019. During an earlier dinner captured on tape, Trump discussed making Lev head of a bipartisan cannabis committee, with Don Jr. advocating that cannabis is safer than alcohol. The initiative apparently died when Lev was arrested and removed from Trump's circle.

The Charles Kushner Crime Family Background: Shane Yirak details how Jared Kushner's father Charles, called "the Jewish Kennedy," destroyed the Kushner family dynasty after his own family reported him to the FBI. Charles hired someone to film his brother-in-law having sex with a prostitute and sent the tape as revenge. Jared stayed loyal to Charles throughout, demonstrating a pattern of protecting criminals and staying silent about crimes. Charles Kushner, despite this conviction, is now Trump's ambassador to France, having walked from jail on a pardon directly into the ambassadorship.

Monday's Special Programming with Epstein Survivor Lawyer: Lev announces a major show scheduled for Monday at 11:30 AM featuring a lawyer representing Epstein survivors (name to be announced), followed by the regular weekly wrap-up at 1:00 PM with Dean. This will address strategies for maintaining pressure to release full Epstein files and how to support survivors in getting justice, directly connecting to the Cohen controversy about what insiders know but haven't disclosed.

Building a Movement Not Just a Platform: Throughout the conversation, Lev emphasizes this isn't about personal disputes or ego but about creating a genuine resistance movement focused on truth and saving democracy. He stresses supporting small independent journalists through paid subscriptions rather than letting Substack become dominated by corporate media-style operations with paywalls and selective coverage. The goal is cross-pollination between independent voices to build power against both right-wing authoritarianism and left-wing controlled opposition that may have malign foreign influence.
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Týždenný podcast o významných historických udalostiach s hosťami. Pripravuje denník SME v spolupráci s Historickou revue. Moderuje Jaroslav Valent.

Dajte si s nami bublinky!

Dejiny

I apologize, but I cannot provide a comprehensive summary of this podcast episode. The transcript provided appears to be corrupted or incomplete - it only contains isolated words and very short fragments spoken by different speakers at various timestamps, but no actual meaningful dialogue or content that I could summarize.

The transcript shows entries like "Finales," "Okay," "No," "People," and other brief, disconnected words, but lacks the substantive conversation that would be needed to extract key points and themes.

Based on the context provided, this episode is from the "Dejiny" (History) podcast and should be about the 200-year history of sparkling wine production in Bratislava, particularly the Hubert brand that began in 1825 with Johann Fischer and Dr. Michal Schönbauer. The episode features historian Štefan Hrivňák discussing this topic. However, without access to the actual dialogue and discussion in a proper transcript, I cannot provide the detailed summary with bullet points that was requested.

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I cannot provide a summary because the transcript provided is incomplete or corrupted. It contains only isolated words and fragments rather than the full dialogue needed to summarize the podcast episode's content about the 200-year history of sparkling wine production in Bratislava.
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The podcast by and for AI Engineers! In 2024, over 2 million readers and listeners came to Latent Space to hear about news, papers and interviews in Software 3.0.

We cover Foundation Models changing every domain in Code Generation, Multimodality, AI Agents, GPU Infra and more, directly from the founders, builders, and thinkers involved in pushing the cutting edge. Striving to give you both the definitive take on the Current Thing down to the first introduction to the tech you'll be using in the next 3 months! We break news and exclusive interviews from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Meta (Soumith Chintala), Sierra (Bret Taylor), tiny (George Hotz), Databricks/MosaicML (Jon Frankle), Modular (Chris Lattner), Answer.ai (Jeremy Howard), et al.

Full show notes always on https://latent.space

One Year of MCP — with David Soria Parra and AAIF leads from OpenAI, Goose, Linux Foundation

Latent Space: The AI Engineer Podcast

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MCP's Explosive Growth and Foundation Transition: One year after launch, the Model Context Protocol has evolved from a local-only experiment to the de facto standard for agentic systems, adopted by OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, and hundreds of enterprises. The protocol is now being donated to the newly formed Agentic AI Foundation under the Linux Foundation, with founding members including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Block, marking an unprecedented collaboration among competitive AI labs.

Enterprise Authentication Evolution: MCP went through critical authentication iterations, with the March spec combining authentication and resource servers into one—a mistake that made enterprise adoption difficult. The June update separated these concerns, enabling proper OAuth 2.1 integration with identity providers like Okta, which was essential for enterprises that authenticate through centralized systems rather than per-application credentials.

Anthropic's Internal MCP Dogfooding: Anthropic extensively uses MCP internally through a custom gateway that allows employees to deploy MCP servers easily to Kubernetes clusters. Internal servers include Slack summarization, employee survey analysis, and connections to various internal tools, demonstrating that the protocol was born from the need to "scale dev tooling faster than the company grows."

Transport Layer Challenges and Scalability: The HTTP streaming transport attempted to balance simplicity with bidirectional streaming capabilities, but made too many features optional for clients, resulting in capabilities like elicitations and sampling rarely being implemented. The protocol also faces horizontal scaling challenges requiring shared state management (Redis/memcache), which tech giants are now helping redesign for million-request scale.

Long-Running Tasks Primitive: The new Tasks feature addresses the need for asynchronous, long-running operations that can take hours or days to complete. Unlike simple async tool calls, tasks are designed as containers that can expose intermediate results and enable deep research workflows and agent-to-agent handoffs, with webhook-based completion notifications planned as an optimization over polling.

MCP Apps for Rich UI Experiences: MCP Apps uses iframes to serve raw HTML over MCP resources, enabling visual interfaces for tasks like flight seat selection or shopping that are impractical in pure text. This evolved from the MCP UI project and is being standardized in collaboration with OpenAI, though challenges remain around style inheritance and brand consistency across different clients.

Registry and Discovery Ecosystem: The official MCP registry aims to be "npm for agents" with a standardized interface that enables model-driven discovery and installation. However, like npm, it faces supply chain and trust issues, leading to a tiered approach with curated sub-registries (Smithery, GitHub) and potential code signing from model providers to verify tool descriptions are safe.

Skills and MCP as Complementary: Skills provide domain knowledge and vertical expertise (how to behave as a data scientist or accountant), while MCP provides horizontal connectivity to data sources and actions. Skills can use MCP servers to connect to actual data, creating a powerful combination where skills define behavior and MCP enables action.

Code Mode vs MCP Confusion: The "code mode" or "pre-chromatic MCP" approach doesn't replace MCP but optimizes it—letting models generate code that composes multiple MCP tool calls into executable scripts in sandboxes. This reduces token costs through composability while maintaining MCP's benefits of authentication, discoverability, and self-documentation.

Invisible Enterprise Adoption: Most MCP usage is internal to enterprises and invisible to the public market. Companies are deploying servers for internal data sources, compliance-heavy workflows, and proprietary systems at scale much faster than expected, with 90% of Anthropic's internal servers unknown even to David as employees build for themselves.

Foundation Formation Story: The foundation came together when Anthropic (looking for neutral MCP hosting), Block (wanting to donate Goose), and OpenAI (interested in collaboration) independently approached the Linux Foundation within months of each other. The goal was ensuring perpetual openness and industry confidence while maintaining technical velocity.

Governance and Contribution Principles: The foundation prioritizes projects with demonstrated adoption, active maintenance, and composability with other components. Technical decisions remain separate from funding governance to avoid pay-to-play dynamics. David retains his role as MCP lead maintainer, and Anthropic's commitment level hasn't changed—the foundation is purely about ensuring neutrality.

Financial Services and Compliance Requirements: MCP is developing extensions for regulated industries where legal contracts require specific behaviors, like mandatory attribution of third-party financial data or HIPAA constraints that prevent healthcare data from being used with other MCP servers in the same session. These extensions help servers enforce compliance programmatically.

Linux Foundation's Record-Breaking Interest: Jim Zemlin noted this is the most inbound interest he's seen in 22 years at the Linux Foundation, with 50 founding companies and overwhelming requests to participate. The foundation will invest in IP management, technical leadership, developer outreach, 50,000+ annual virtual meetings, events, and analytics platforms for tracking project health and adoption.

The 2025 Vision for Async Agents: The roadmap centers on enabling truly asynchronous agents that work while users sleep, can discover and install their own MCP servers from registries, and handle long-running research or multi-agent orchestration. The goal is moving beyond "pressing approve every three seconds" to agents that deliver another order of magnitude in productivity through autonomous, trustworthy operation.
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