Russia, Russia, Russia! So much hot air and so little understanding in the wake of Donald Trump's rise, especially with the hyperbole leveled at the new president.

But what ideology or strategy actually explains the motives and plans of the Russians? One name stands out: Aleksandr Dugin, the man behind Duginism. As nuts as this guy may be, the Ruskies listen and have even given him prominent official positions in foreign policy.

To make sense of this man and Russian policy, we have the prolific YouTuber and analyst Lucian Valsan on the show, all the way from Romania.

Show notes: http://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/what-motivates-the-russians/.

Normally we interview one person or have a panel, but at the New Orleans Investment Conference, many attendees shared their views. They assessed the promise of cryptocurrencies and whether they can unseat the US dollar as the most widely used currency worldwide.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/can-cryptocurrencies-beat-the-dollar/.

Danielle DiMartino Booth says the Federal Reserve is "infected with mission creep." Since leaving in 2015, she has been vocal in her criticism of the overly powerful, parasitic, and bureaucratic central bank, as explained in her book "Fed Up."

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/ex-federal-reserve-insider-speaks-out/.

Adrian Day is a money manager who describes the current economic environment as akin to "Alice in Wonderland." Not only are governments offering and selling bonds of very long terms at absurdly low rates, an enormous amount of capital is tied up in bonds earning negative yields. You don't have to follow the herd down this road to ruin.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/find-yields-in-a-low-interest-world/.

Judy Shelton has been both an economic adviser to Donald Trump and the co-director of the Sound Money Project. A speaker at the New Orleans Investment Conference this month, she sits down with us to consider both the candidates for chairman of the Federal Reserve and the promise of a return to sanity in monetary policy.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/can-trump-make-money-sound-again/.

Dwight Duncan explains that, going back more than a century, the "Constitution means what the Supreme Court says it means." This is in contrast to the desire for a clear document with a balance of powers in the amendments process and removal of wayward judges.

A law professor in Massachusetts, Duncan discusses what can be done to reverse the trend of centralized power, while retaining a respect for the rule of law.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/how-judges-came-to-rule-the-united-states/.

Michael Strong loved learning but hated school. Now he designs schools that are not dry environments of passivity and dependence, but rather places of inspiration, innovation, excellence, and creativity.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/escape-the-education-conveyor-belt/.

Sven Larson came a long way to be a free man, from Sweden to the prairies of Wyoming. He has found, however, that the ideology of egalitarianism that plagues his home terrain of Scandinavia is alive and well and conquering the land of the free.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/the-egalitarian-conquest-of-america/.

Rich Checkan of Asset Strategies International is one of Brien Lundin's go-to men on physical possession of precious metals, be that as bullion or numismatic coins. Checkan foresees a gradual removal of cash from circulation, as a way to tax people more and cut down on the informal economy, while violating privacy.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/how-to-resist-the-war-on-cash/

Ludwig von Mises once described Ayn Rand as the most courageous man in America. Such was her unabashed and proud nature, she enjoyed being described as a man.

More than 30 years on since her death, she remains perhaps the most popular philosopher among the general public, given the proliferation of her works of fiction. However, she has largely failed to garner respect within the community of professional philosophers.

Andrew Bernstein is one of the few objectivists in the field. He explains why her influence is growing and why objectivism is worthy of study and refinement, and why her books merit literary praise.

Show notes: https://goldnewsletter.com/podcast/why-ayn-rand-lives-on/.