Listen Now: The Wizard of the Kremlin

Male comedian-led podcasts need a savior, and W. Kamau Bell is the man for the job. Instead of hosting a podcast that turns young boys into assholes, fans the flames of fascism, plays footsie with war criminals, and lies more often than it tells the truth, Kamau is going to do something different with his new podcast Who’s With Me?  In this episode, Kamau sits down with Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, a lifelong organizer and public servant representing California’s 12th District, which includes Oakland, Berkeley, and several neighboring cities.  The conversation dives into what it means to represent a district that spans deep poverty and intense wealth, from West Oakland to Piedmont, and why she believes every kid in West Oakland deserves the same schools, childcare, and opportunities that affluent cities provide.  Listen to Who's With Me wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this provocative investigation into OnlyFans— the adult platform where subscribers around the world spent more than $7 billion in 2024— journalist Leon Neyfakh teams up with comedian and OnlyFans creator Gracie Canaan for a one-of-a-kind exploration into the current state of human connection. Captivating and tender, OnlyFantasy is about the cost of loneliness, the seductive power of desire, and how the rules of human intimacy are being rewritten online. Is what’s happening on OnlyFans real? Or is it only a fantasy? Find OnlyFantasy wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all episodes ad-free on Audible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerry Springer wasn’t supposed to become the host of The Jerry Springer Show. Before the chairs started flying and the fights became a daytime TV staple, the man then known as Gerald Springer was an idealistic rising star in Democratic politics, with ambitions to one day be elected governor of Ohio. From Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects — the team behind Fiasco, Slow Burn, Backfired, and Think Twice: Michael Jackson — comes Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe to Audible to binge the whole series now, ad-free. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did a quasi-fictional novel about Vladimir Putin’s spin doctor become an international bestselling sensation and now, a political thriller starring Jude Law and Paul Dano? Filled with real political insight and intrigue, The Wizard of the Kremlin is a riveting look at the nature of power and the inner workings of Putin’s regime at a time when the Russian leader’s decisions are reverberating across the world. Here's a preview of The Wizard of the Kremlin (01:00). If you like what you hear, get the audiobook now on Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, pushkin.fm/audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance.It's 1945. The Volkswagen factory has been bombed and members of the staff have been arrested as war criminals. So how did the company turn around in just a few years and begin making Beetle cars that became a global sensation? Big political and economic moves helped - but a British Army officer, Walt Disney and a New York ad agency also played pivotal roles in turning a car that Hitler had championed into the favourite ride of surfers, school teachers and hippies.    This is part 2 of a two-part series. Check out part 1 from last week. Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance.The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time, and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The Volkswagen—the People's Car—was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers—and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile. Germany's private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision - even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Find part 2 here next Wednesday. Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a preview of another podcast, American Prestige. American Prestige (americanprestigepod.com) is a podcast that offers listeners a critical perspective on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Most media organizations share the assumption that global peace and prosperity depend on the United States dominating the world. American Prestige rejects that assumption and explores what U.S. foreign policy might look if we in the United States adopted a different, less imperial, approach to global politics.Past guests include public intellectual Adam Tooze, actor Morgan Spector, Pulitzer Prize winner Ada Ferrer, and historian Rashid Khalidi. They also just released a new miniseries for subscribers, Chinese Prestige (chineseprestigepod.com), covering a history of the People's Republic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the science, it really is better to give than receive. Donating a dollar; sharing a kind word or lending someone a hand changes lives, but can also hugely boost your happiness. So we're teaming up with other podcasts from Hidden Brain to Revisionist History to ask you to give to a charity helping some of the poorest people around. We're calling it #PodsFightPoverty.      Go to givedirectly.org/happinesslab right now and give whatever you can. And the first $500,000 we donate will be matched thanks to our friends at Giving Multiplier! Even a small donation will make you feel good and have a much larger impact on the world than you thought possible. To help inspire you, this special episode examines the science of giving and shares stories of heartwarming and impactful acts of kindness.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm sharing another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules, hosted by fellow Pushkin podcast host Michael Lewis. The Big Short is now 15 years old and to mark the occasion, Lewis narrated a new audiobook version of The Big Short and is looking back on how the 2008 financial crisis still affects the world today. Michael Lewis speaks with two people who represent two very different responses to the financial crisis of 2008: US Senator Elizabeth Warren, an expert in bankruptcy law who became an advisor to the Obama White House before running for higher office in Massachusetts. And Michael interviews former Trump White House advisor and right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon, who talks about how the financial crisis radicalized him. Find The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules (00:45) wherever you get your Podcasts. Find The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine (00:10) on Apple Books or wherever you get your audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here's a preview of a podcast we think you'll enjoy. It's from the new season of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast, The Alabama Murders. Florence, Alabama. 1988. A preacher has an affair. A woman is murdered. One death cascades into more, stretching across decades and leaving no one untouched — victims, bystanders, perpetrators, and those just trying to help. Eventually, the consequences lead to the center of a hot national debate on who should be allowed to live, who should die, and how the state should kill them. On The Alabama Murders, Malcolm asks: why, in our efforts to alleviate suffering, do we so often make it worse? Find Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders wherever you get podcasts. To get early access to ad-free episodes and extra content, subscribe to Pushkin+ on the Revisionist History show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.