Hamas Delays Hostage Releases and Hezbollah-Iran Funding Guest: Sarit Zehavi Sarit Zehavi reports that Hamas is deliberately slowing hostage releases and breaking the ceasefire to regain control and avoid being dismantled, as promised by the agreement. She states that Hezbollah is primarily funded by Iran, while Hamas is largely funded by Qatar. Israel's new security strategy involves maintaining strategic buffer zones, including nine military positions in Syria and control of five hills in

The Constitution, the Militia, and Federal Overreach Guest: Rob Natelson Rob Natelson clarifies that the militia, or National Guard, is fundamentally a state force under gubernatorial command, though Congress can authorize the President to call it forth to execute federal laws, suppress insurrections, or repel invasions. Recent court cases concerning President Trump's use of the Guard to protect federal buildings hinged on whether its use was truly "necessary" under constitutional law. Natelson

Hazel Barkworth is creative consultant, who graduated from Oxford with an English Degree, and when she decided she'd try and write fiction... she went back to school. She enrolled in the Curtis Brown Creative Novel Writing Course, and published her debut, 'Heatstroke', to rave reviews in The Guardian and the Evening Standard.Hazel's newest novel is 'The Drownings'. It tells the story of Serena, who grew up dreaming of being an olympic swimmer. When a brutal training injury wrecks those chances, she

The Constitution, the Militia, and Federal Overreach Guest: Rob Natelson Rob Natelson clarifies that the militia, or National Guard, is fundamentally a state force under gubernatorial command, though Congress can authorize the President to call it forth to execute federal laws, suppress insurrections, or repel invasions. Recent court cases concerning President Trump's use of the Guard to protect federal buildings hinged on whether its use was truly "necessary" under constitutional law. Natelson

For many years Linden Macintyre hosted the iconic investigative program The Fifth Estate. During his time there he wrote The Bishop’s Man, which went on to win the Giller prize. Through his books and journalism, he has captivated Canadian audiences for decades. His most recent book is An Accidental Villain: A Soldier’s Tale of War, Deceit and Exile. He joins the show to talk about the books that have shaped and influenced him into the storyteller he is today.Books discussed on this week's show

This Halloween Dominic is joined by the inimitable Prof. Andrew Smith who guides us through Dickens' The Black Veil and his latest book Dickens and the Gothic (for Cambridge University Press) Perhaps calling to mind Susan Hill’s The Woman In Black … The Black Veil begins with a young man sitting by the fire one winter’s night, with cosy thoughts of Christmas. Out of the corner of his eye the veiled figure of a lady dressed in mourning appears, standing motionless, with eyes f...

Trump's Nuclear Testing Remarks and the China-Russia Partnership Guest: Anatol Lieven Anatol Lieven discusses President Trump's remark about testing nuclear weapons "on an equal basis" with Russia and China, suggesting it likely refers to missile testing rather than actual nuclear detonations. Lieven analyzes the "no limits" China-Russia partnership, noting its inherent contradictions: China refuses to recognize Russia's annexations of Ukrainian territory and fears Russia's complete defeat, though

Trump's Nuclear Testing Remarks and the China-Russia Partnership Guest: Anatol Lieven Anatol Lieven discusses President Trump's remark about testing nuclear weapons "on an equal basis" with Russia and China, suggesting it likely refers to missile testing rather than actual nuclear detonations. Lieven analyzes the "no limits" China-Russia partnership, noting its inherent contradictions: China refuses to recognize Russia's annexations of Ukrainian territory and fears Russia's complete defeat, though

PREVIEW: Impact of Israeli 'Decap' Strikes on Iran's Secret Nuclear Weapons ProgramGuest: David Albright David Albright assesses the impact of Israeli "decap" strikes against scientists and engineers in Iran's secret nuclear weapons program. While capable personnel can be replaced, the program's intensely secretive nature means vital technical details died with the individuals, creating a significant bottleneck in program continuity. These details, often uncommitted to paper and held solely in

PREVIEW: China's View on North Korea's Unsuccessful Military Involvement in Ukraine Guest: Anatol Lieven Anatol Lieven discusses China's perspective on North Korea and Russia regarding the Ukraine war. North Korea's participation in Ukraine is obvious and well documented, though China neither encouraged nor prevented the involvement. The direct engagement of approximately 10,000 North Korean soldiers fighting in Kursk appears to have been unsuccessful, suffering very heavy casualties before being

PREVIEW: Argentina's Economic Reforms and Hesitation of Foreign Investors Guest: Mary Anastasia Grady Mary Anastasia Grady discusses Argentina, noting that despite successes including deregulation, tax cuts, and reduction of government size, foreign investment is not materializing. Investors remain on the sidelines due to concerns that the peso is overvalued and capital controls exist, creating uncertainty about when they can retrieve their money. This suggests President Javier Milei is holding

PREVIEW: Hamas's Financial Support and Advantage in Controlling Gaza Guest: Sarit Zehavi Sarit Zehavi assesses the security situation in Israel, focusing on Hamas and Gaza. Zehavi confirms there has been no interruption in the flow of money from Doha, Qatar, sustaining Hamas operations. Hamas maintains control through force and by nominating municipal administrators, giving it a significant political advantage. For Hamas, the timeframe for recovery is irrelevant—whether it takes five years or five

Mostly book gossip and beta reader updates in this episode.Are we hurtling towards a quest of completion on our goals for this year? Will we achieve anything and what does success mean? Does it matter at all? What does anything matter? Are all lives devoid of anything original and is that terrifying or freeing? Should Steph stop spiraling and get back to her day job? Bluesky @plotlesspodcast.bsky.socialInstagram @Plotless_PodcastEmail: podcastplotless@gmail.comVikki -

Kevin talks Roald Dahl with friend of the pod, abstract visual artist J.W. van Kaathoven.Get the After Dark episode and more at patreon.com/artofdarkpod or substack.com/@artofdarkpod. instagram.com/hipnozem Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dominic announces a new series of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire!🔥 and share some personal stories of haunting ... Support the show If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard Thank you so much! Host: Dominic Gerrard Series Artwork: Léna Gibert Original Music: Dominic Gerrard Thank you for listening!

In a New Yorker article co-published with ProPublica, reporter Andy Kroll describes Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, as a "shadow president" with oversized influence. “I don't think you can take in the full sweep of what this administration has done in less than a year and not come away with thinking that chaos is a goal, and certainly an outcome that serves Vought and his team’s larger agenda of putting cracks in the federal government, shaking the stability of this

PREVIEW: Constitutional Debate on the Militia: Limiting Federal Power in Virginia Ratification Guest: Rob Natelson Constitutional scholar Rob Natelson discusses the militia debate during the Virginia ratification convention involving James Madison and Edmund Randolph. The core issue was limiting federal government power over the state militia and National Guard while securing gubernatorial authority. Natelson explains that the Founders assured voters that federal government power was restricted

PREVIEW: Tariffs and Consumer Costs: Energy Offsets Masking Future Price Increases Guest: Chris Riegel Chris Riegel discusses tariffs and consumer costs, explaining that reduced energy costs for gasoline and diesel are currently offsetting some expenses for retailers and consumers. However, Riegel anticipates that the "tariff premium" is imminent, with movement toward higher tariffs predicted in 2026 following the Christmas season. This incoming "tariff bite" is reportedly a significant concern

Brea and Mallory recommend horror novels with human monsters for Halloween! Plus they interview Glasser favorite Alma Katsu about her new book FIEND. Email us at readingglassespodcast at gmail dot com!Reading Glasses MerchRecommendations StoreThe Reading Glasses Book!Sponsors -GreenChefwww.greenchef.com/50GLASSESCODE: 50GLASSESIngramSparkwww.ingramspark.com/learnmoreLinks -Reading Glasses Facebook GroupReading Glasses Goodreads GroupWish ListNewsletterLibro.fmTo join our Discord channel, email us

Check out my mini course, Craft Characters That Jump Off the Page: https://6figurestoryteller.com/awesome-characters