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Max Brooks on Star Wars, Real Wars and Ewok Insurgency Jun 04, 2018

Show notes

Author Max Brooks is well known for his bestselling zombie books like World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide, and he applies the same creative thinking to military strategy as a fellow at the Modern War Institute and The Art of Future Warfare Project. He reveals how he gets military leaders to think outside the box about complex problems, some of the threats for which he fears the US is least prepared, and why American ingenuity and self-reliance will be crucial to surviving modern disasters like an attack on the power grid. He discusses how his mother the late Anne Bancroft helped him cope with dyslexia, how Alan Alda taught him to write, and why his dad Mel Brooks is still a bundle of energy (and laughs) at age 91. Max weighs in on everything from President Trump's North Korea policy to the Russian cyber-attacks, plus he shares what the military can learn from the Star Wars movies, how to survive a zombie apocalypse, and why an Ewok insurgency is not so cute.

Order Strategy Strikes Back: How Star Wars Explains Modern Military Conflict (co-edited by Max Brooks) on Amazon. Learn more about Max at www.maxbrooks.com and follow him on twitter at @maxbrooksauthor. Today’s podcast was sponsored by US Markerboard, Michelin Premiere Tires, Simple Contacts, Grasshopper, and Legal Shield.

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CNN's Jake Tapper on Political Fiction, the Swamp, and Secret Societies May 31, 2018

Show notes

CNN'S Jake Tapper discusses his foray into writing fiction with his new political thriller The Hellfire Club, his interest in the politics of the 1950s, and the real-life Washington powerbrokers who make up the supporting cast of his story. He shares how his years of observing how eager young Congressmen slowly sell their souls inspired the central character of The Hellfire Club, and he illuminates some disturbing parallels between Donald Trump and Joseph McCarthy, the infamous red-baiting Senator who plays a key role in his novel. He reveals the real secret society on which his story is based, and warns of the danger when the line between truth and conspiracy theories becomes blurred. Plus Jake Tapper talks about his brief time in film school, Trump’s weirdly aggressive handshake, and why the U.S. Senate once investigated comic books.

Order Jake Tapper's his book The Hellfire Club on Amazon or Audible. Watch him weeknights on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper and Sunday mornings on CNN’s State of the Union. Follow Jake on twitter at @jaketapper. Today’s podcast was sponsored by Outside the Box podcast, Legal Shield, and Adiamor Jewelry.

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Sebastian Junger Talks War, Tribalism and Honoring Our Vets May 28, 2018

Show notes

Journalist/documentary filmmaker Sebastian Junger (Restrepo, The Perfect Storm) talks about the new PBS Memorial Day special Going to War and his experience as an embedded reporter covering the War in Afghanistan. He recalls his first close call with an I.E.D. in the Korengal Valley, the fear and exhilaration of first arriving in the combat zone, and how war taps into something primal in all of us. He discusses his own struggle with PTSD, how sharing war stories helps our soldiers reintegrate to civilian life, and why so many men and women in uniform feel uncomfortable when someone says “thank you for your service.”

Going to War airs Memorial Day, May 28, at 9PM ET/PT on PBS. Visit https://www.pbs.org/show/going-to-war/ to learn more. Keep up with Sebastian Junger at www.sebastianjunger.com and follow him on twitter at @sebastianjunger. Today’s podcast was sponsored by The Brave podcast, Dollar Shave Club, PolicyGenius, and Lightstream.

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Al Roker on the Johnstown Flood, America's Gilded Age Disaster May 25, 2018

Show notes

The Today Show's Al Roker talks about his book Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster. He discusses the elite country club that compromised the structural integrity of the South Fork Dam causing the flood, he reveals some of the famous industrialists who belonged to that club, and how they escaped justice for the Johnstown flood in a notorious trial that ultimately led to important changes in US liability laws. Plus Al Roker relates the lessons of the 1889 flood to global climate change and America’s modern day infrastructure needs, and on a lighter note, the self-described BBQ aficionado offers a few summer bbq tips for the grillmaster in your family.

Order Al Roker's book Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster on Amazon or Audible. See Al weekday mornings on NBC's The Today Show, visit him at www.alroker.com, and follow him on twitter at @alroker. Today's episode was sponsored by Citizen Watches, Outside the Box podcast, Grasshopper, and Adiamor Jewelry.

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Ethan Hawke's Spiritual Approach to Acting, Life, and Social Change May 21, 2018

Show notes

Ethan Hawke joins me on the podcast for wide ranging conversation covering art, politics, spirirtuality, the environment, and more. He describes working with Robin Williams on Dead Poets Society, why he finds the most creative fullfillment in music not acting, and what he calls the "spiritual marriage" between an actor and director. He opens up about how his admiration for the work of Thomas Murton, and his thoughts on the social responsibility of religious leaders, and his own spiritual journey influenced his performance as a parish pastor in his latest film First Reformed. Plus Ethan talks about what he calls the velocity of depression, why he’s not afraid to take long breaks from the silver screen, his work with the YMCA to help kids overcome divisiveness, and his upcoming project about our favorite “mad scientist” Nicola Tesla.

See Ethan Hawke in Paul Schrader's brilliant film First Reformed now playing in theaters. Today's episode was sponsored by Adiamor Jewelry.

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Ehud Barak on Fighting for Israel & Searching for Peace May 17, 2018

Show notes

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak discusses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, his role in the 2000 Camp David Summit, and his tortured dealings with Yasser Arafat. He recalls his early years growing up on a kibbutz, how his intelligence and navigating skills lead the physically unimposing young man to become commander of Israel's special forces unit Sayeret Matkal, and the time he lead a daring mission to rescue hostages on a hijacked Sabena Flight in 1972. He talks about current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who served under his command and later became his political rival, he discusses his own transition from military officer to politician, and reveals what he says was the biggest mistake of his political career. Plus, Ehud Barak shares how his thinking has evolved on the Iran nuclear agreement.

Order Ehud Barak's book new memoir My Country, My Life: Fighting for Israel, Searching for Peace on Amazon or Audible. Today's podcast is sponsored by Citizen Watches and Grasshopper.

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Former CIA Director Michael Hayden on Trump's Attack on the Intelligence Community May 14, 2018

Show notes

General Michael Hayden, former Director of the CIA, talks about his concerns over President Trump's attack on the Intelligence Community and objective facts. He refutes the President’s paranoid narrative of a so called "deep state" operating in the shadows, explains the lasting impact of a damaged relationship between the Intelligence Community and the Commander-in-Chief, and reveals what friends inside the IC are saying about that relationship including how they have to tailor the Daily Intelligence Brief to a President with zero attention span and constantly wonder “do you think he got that?” General Hayden talks about the lasting impact of the IC’s decision to focus their efforts on cyber instead of information dominance and reveals how one analyst saw the early warning signs 2 years before the Russian attack of the 2016 election. He weighs in on the President’s nominee for CIA director Gina Haspel, the decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, and why he believes Kim Jung Un is unlikely to give up his nukes. Plus General Hayden discusses the advice he gives to those considering a job in the Administration, how the President’s Twitter addiction aids our enemies, and the Russian’s FSB’s nickname for men like Donald Trump..."the useful idiot."

Order Michael Hayden's book The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security in an Age of Lies on Amazon or Audible. and follow him on twitter at @GenMHayden. Today's podcast is sponsored by Citizen Watches, US Marker Board, and Grasshopper.

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CNN's Sally Kohn on Hate, Humanity, and Twitter Trolls May 10, 2018

Show notes

CNN political analyst Sally Kohn talks about her investigation into the epidemic of hate all around us and how we can stop it. She discusses what scientists and researchers have learned about the evolutionary and cultural roots of hate, and how incivility can be a gateway to much worse. She shares some surprising lessons and dramatic stories from her travels to Rwanda, the Middle East, and across the United States engaging with former terrorists, white supremacists, and even her own Twitter trolls. Plus Sally Kohn opens up about confronting some of her own less than perfect moments such as when she bullied a classmate in school or times when the ugliness of the politics has gotten the best of her.

Order her book The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity on Amazon or Audible. Subscribe to her podcast The State of Resistance on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information, visit www.sallykohn.com and follow her on twitter at @sallykohn. Today's podcast is sponsored by Everquote, US Marker Board, and Zyppah.

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Jon Meacham on the Soul of America and Donald Trump May 07, 2018

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment of crisis in American politics by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame hatred and reveals how his latest book The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels was born in the dark days following the infamous Charlottesville rally. He talks about similarities between the current age and the 1920’s, how America during Great Depression could have easily followed the path of Germany into totalitarianism, and what Donald Trump could learn from the fate of red-baiting Senator Joseph McCarthy. He discusses moments when Presidents have served as moral leaders for the nation including the day George H.W. Bush handed in his NRA card and an oft forgotten speech by Dwight Eisenhower that is all too relevant today. Plus George H.W. Bush's biographer shares some candid memories of the late former First Lady Barbara Bush.

Order Jon Meacham's book The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels on Amazon or Audible. Keep up with him at www.jonmeacham.com and follow him on Twitter at @jmeacham. Today's episode was sponsored by Citizen Watches, Grasshopper, Quip, and U.S. Markerboard.

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The Dark Heart of White Nationalism w/ Journalist Vegas Tenold May 03, 2018

Show notes

For six years, journalist Vegas Tenold embedded himself among the members of three of America's most ideologically extreme white nationalist groups including the KKK, neonazis, and the Traditionalist Workers Party. He reveals how this self-described Norwegian socialist managed to gain access to some of the worst hate groups in America, and why he says the most dangerous groups aren’t the KKK or neonazis, but a new class of well organized activists seeking to take their hateful ideology mainstream. He recalls covering the notorious Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville and explains why law enforcement was partly to blame for the violence. He talks about some of the dog whistles that politicians use to signal fidelity with white nationalists, his experience watching the 2016 election returns with the head of the Traditionalist Workers Party, and why he says these groups are ultimately doomed to fail. Plus the dangers of being a bald white Norwegian at a skinhead rally.

Order Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America on Amazon or Audible and follow Vegas Tenold on twitter at @vegastenold. Today's episode was sponsored by Everquote, Grasshopper, and Zyppah.

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