98: PREVIEW John Hardie discusses how poor weather, including fog, rain, snow, and cold, fundamentally impacts military operations around Papovsk and the Donbass. Poor weather is often a boon to Russians, as they time assaults during rain and fog to impede Uk

98: PREVIEW Ahmad Sharawi explores current Russian interests in Syria, noting that Russia previously assisted Assad in brutalizing the Syrian people. Recent discussions included defense agreements, military ties, and the status of two Russian bases in Western

98: PREVIEW Anne Stevenson-Yang focuses on the decline of China's economic miracle, which was fueled by borrowing and falsehoods and is potentially headed toward japanification or worse. The idea that China was continuously rising and overtaking the United St

98: PREVIEW Janatyn Sayeh highlights the severe, unacceptable air quality and pollution crisis in Tehran, where she grew up. The pollution is described as poison, with carbon dioxide levels reported to be ten times higher than the World Health Organization's

97: PREVIEW Kelly Curry discusses the chain of poison where China is the driver and controller of dangerous drug production out of Myanmar. China supplies precursors but demands the resulting methamphetamines be diverted away from China, flooding markets acro

97: PREVIEW Professor Barry Strauss discusses the Bar Kokhba Revolt, which occurred in the 130s to 140s, long after the Temple fell in 70 AD. The main thing motivating the revolt was the Roman declaration that the Temple would never be rebuilt and that Jerusa

96: Londinium 91 AD: The Aging Emperor's Urgency. Gaius and Germanicus discuss the physical and mental state of emperor Trump, noting his senior age and frantic, restless pace as potentially signs of an aging brain or alternatively adrenaline and confidence.

96: Londinium 91 AD: Corruption and the Imperial Slip. Gaius and Germanicus shift attention to Washington, observing that wealth has grown more powerful than government in the U.S., similar to Rome's path into empire. Evidence includes Washington insiders lik

96: Londinium 91 AD: The Debate Over Venezuela. Gaius and Germanicus of the Friends Mystery Debating Society discuss at a cold wine bar by the choppy Thames the potential decision by emperor Trump to invade Venezuela, noting the presence of a sizable, powerfu

95: Legacy, Loyalty, and the Nationalist Leader. Joseph Turigian concludes with Xi Zhongxun's death in 2002 after suffering cancer, noting his epitaph speaks of a life of struggle and happiness. Xi Jinping wrote to his father, listing qualities he wished to e

95: Princlings, Grassroots, and the Politics of Restoration. Joseph Turigian discusses how Xi Jinping gained entry to Qinghua University based on political reliability rather than merit in 1975, although his father remained un-rehabilitated. While princlings

95: Xi Jinping's Exile and Family Betrayal. Joseph Turigian describes how political torment extended to Xi Zhongxun's family, forcing Xi Jinping's mother to denounce her teenage son when he fled incarceration, a difficult moral judgment made to protect the re

95: The Purge by a Novel and Mao's Fear of Revisionism. Joseph Turigian explains that Xi Zhongxun's 1962 downfall stemmed from supporting the publication of a fictionalized biography of his deceased mentor, Liu Zhidan. Mao Zedong saw the novel as a counter-re

95: Xi Zhongxun's Radical Youth and Peasant Roots. Joseph Turigian introduces Xi Zhongxun's biography, emphasizing the Confucian view that a father explains the son. Xi Zhongxun was born into a poor peasant family in Shaanxi province in 1913, an area marked b

95: Loyalty, Loss, and the Shadow of Mao. Joseph Turigian focuses on Mao's famous phrase about Xi Zhongxun, emphasizing his unwavering loyalty despite repeated suffering at the party's hands. Following the 1949 victory, Xi moved to Beijing, where his son Xi J

95: Mao, Purges, and Ideological Jargon. Joseph Turigian explores Mao Zedong's description of Xi Zhongxun: "The Party Interests Come First." The segment recounts Xi Zhongxun's detention in 1935, nearly facing execution before Mao's Long Marchers arrived. The

95: Revolutionary Loyalty and Early Family Tensions. Joseph Turigian discusses the life of Xi Zhongxun, a devoted but persecuted revolutionary communist, emphasizing his deep loyalty to the party, reminiscent of Arthur Koestler's Darkness at Noon. The segment

95: Starship and Super Heavy: The Fully Reusable Mars Vehicle. Eric Berger details the development of Starship and Super Heavy at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Starship is the culmination of SpaceX's efforts: a fully reusable, super heavy rocket much larger

95: Crew Dragon and Commercial Human Spaceflight. Eric Berger discusses NASA's Commercial Crew Program, initiated after the Space Shuttle retired. Boeing's entry legitimized the program, securing crucial congressional funding for competitors like SpaceX. Spac

95: Starlink: Funding the Mars Vision through LEO Constellations. Eric Berger discusses Starlink, a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites designed to fund Musk's Mars vision. While the idea wasn't new, deploying thousands of satellites for global intern