Greg Olear talks to Candace Rondeaux about her book “Putin’s Sledgehammer,” which delves into the Wagner Group mercenary group and the complexities of Russia’s political landscape. Rondeaux shares her background in journalism and her journey into understanding Russian geopolitics, particularly through the lens of the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The discussion covers the origins of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin’s rise and fall, the influence of figures like Alexander Dugin, and the implications of the Internet Research Agency's actions during the 2016 election. Rondeaux also reflects on US policy failures regarding Russia and the future of democracy in Ukraine, the US, and beyond.

Candace Rondeaux directs Future Frontlines, a public intelligence service for next generation security and democratic resilience, and the Planetary Politics initiative at the New America Foundation. A writer and public-policy analyst, Rondeaux is a professor of practice and fellow at the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies and the Center on the Future of War at Arizona State University. Before joining New America, Rondeaux served as a senior program officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace where she launched the RESOLVE Network, a global research consortium on conflict and violent extremism and as a strategic advisor to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. Rondeaux has documented and analyzed political violence in South Asia, and around the world for the Washington Post and the International Crisis Group. Before going abroad for the Post in 2009, Rondeaux covered criminal justice in Maryland and Virginia, where she covered capital punishment and was part of the Pulitzer Prize winning team of Post reporters who covered the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.

Buy the book:

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/candace-rondeaux/putins-sledgehammer/9781541703063/?lens=publicaffairs

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Make America Great Gatsby Again!

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Greg Olear talks to John B. King, Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education and current SUNY chancellor, about what the Department of Education actually does; what proposed cuts to the D.O.E. mean for students, teachers, parents, and communities; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning; the stakes of the Trump Administration’s ongoing attacks on higher education; and his powerful and moving new memoir, “Teacher by Teacher: The People Who Save Our Lives.”

John B. King Jr. served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education. Over the course of his extensive and influential career in public education, he has been a high school social stud-les teacher, a middle school principal, the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a college professor, and the president and CEO of the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization. King is currently the chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation's largest comprehensive system of public higher education. Both of King's parents were career New York City public school educators. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, an education researcher and former teacher, and his two daughters.

Buy the book:

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/john-b-king-jr/teacher-by-teacher/9781538757772/?lens=grand-central-publishing

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Make America Great Gatsby Again!

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Greg Olear talks to Nicolo Majnoni about his new podcast, 'Shadow Kingdom, God's Banker,' which delves into the mysterious death of banker Roberto Calvi and the intricate financial systems of the Vatican. Majnoni shares his personal connection to the Vatican, the complexities of its banking operations, the historical context of its wealth, and the shadowy organization P2, as well as the future challenges facing the papacy amidst financial chaos. They discuss the connections between organized crime and the Vatican, culminating in the mysterious disappearance of Calvi's briefcase, which held secrets that could have changed the course of history.

ABOUT SHADOW KINGDOM

Roberto Calvi, a man guarding a dangerous secret about the Vatican Bank’s criminal activities, sends a threatening letter to the Pope. A week later on June 17th, 1982 he’s found dead hanging from a bridge in London. British police call it suicide, but questions and conspiracies swirl. Forty years on, lawyer Nicolo Majnoni gets a tip there might be more to the story and embarks on a quest to uncover the truth. Was Roberto Calvi, aka God’s Banker, killed? And if so, by whom?

Listen to the podcast:

https://www.campsidemedia.com/stories/godsbanker

Visit Nicolo’s website:

https://www.nicolomajnoni.com/about

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ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:

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