By Greg Olear
The podcast currently has 171 episodes available.
Gareth Gore is a financial journalist and editor with close to two decades of experience, who has reported from over twenty-five countries and covered some of the biggest financial stories. His writing has been published by Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, and International Financing Review. He is the host of The Syndicate, which tells the behind-the-scenes stories of the biggest financial deals in history. His new book, five years in the making, is “OPUS: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church.”
In this conversation with Greg Olear, Gore delves into the controversial practices of Opus Dei, its financial manipulations, and the historical context of its formation. Gore highlights the cult-like control mechanisms employed by the organization, the allegations of human trafficking, and the dynamics of gender within Opus Dei. He also examines the appeal of the organization to its members and the significant political influence of key figures like dark money maestro Leonard Leo and the late Rev. C. John McCloskey III. The discussion raises critical questions about the implications of Opus Dei's actions for the Catholic Church, the United States, and society at large. Plus: the MAGA playbook!
Follow Gareth Gore
https://x.com/gareth_gore
Buy his book:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Opus/Gareth-Gore/9781668016145
The Teneo Network:
https://vimeo.com/806310279?share=copy
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
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David Daley is the author of the national best-seller “Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count” and “Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy.” His journalism on democracy and voting rights appears regularly in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Slate, The New Republic and many other publications. He is the former editor in chief of Salon, and has taught journalism and political science as a fellow at Wesleyan University, Boston College and the University of Georgia. He is a senior fellow at FairVote, and is often heard on CNN, MSNBC and NPR. His latest book is "Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections.”
Greg Olear talks to Dave Daley about gerrymandering,
Dave Daley
https://x.com/davedaley
Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections
Subscribe to The Five 8:
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Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
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Anthony Comstock (1844-1915) would be nothing more than a footnote from an ugly, retrograde, and bygone period of American history, except that Dobbs made the laws that bear his name suddenly relevant again. But who was Comstock? What made him such a woman-hating weirdo? Why did he hold sway for so long, and how was Comstockery defeated? Amy Sohn, the author of “The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship & Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age,” talks to Greg Olear about all things Comstock: who he was; how he rose to power; what laws he enacted; how he’s similar to Leonard Leo, Donald Trump, and other current weirdos; and the remarkable women who were his adversaries.
Amy Sohn is the New York Times-bestselling author of 13 books, including the novels “Prospect Park West,” “Motherland,” and “The Actress”; the parodic parable “CBD!”; and “Brooklyn Bailey, the Missing Dog,” her first book for children. She has also written two screenplays, “Spin the Bottle” and “Pagans,” as well as “Avenue Amy,” one of the first original programs to air on Oxygen, in which she also starred. In 1996, a year after graduating from Brown University, she launched an autobiographical dating diary, “Female Trouble,” in the downtown weekly New York Press. She subsequently wrote a column at the New York Post and was a contributing editor at New York magazine. As a freelance journalist, she has written for the New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Slate, Details, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Men’s Journal, Playboy, and many others. Her latest book, “The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship & Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age,” was published July 6, 2021 with Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Follow Amy:
https://x.com/amysohn
Buy “The man Who Hated Women”:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250174819/themanwhohatedwomen
Check out her other books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Sohn/author/B004NA8V0E
More about Amy:
https://www.amysohn.com/bio/
Prevail is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at http://betterhelp.com/greg
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
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http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
Greg Olear talks to Stephanie Baker about her superb new book, “Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia,” on the West’s financial warfare against Putin after the invasion of Ukraine. They discuss the oligarchs and their complex relationships with Putin, the challenges of implementing economic sanctions on an economy as big as Russia’s, Boris Johnson’s role in the push for sanctions, the unintended consequences and byproducts of the economic warfare, the role of Telegram, and the potential consequences of Moscow’s nuclear weapons. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the future of Putin's regime and potential actions that could be taken to support Ukraine.
Stephanie Baker is an award-winning investigative reporter at Bloomberg News. She began her reporting career in Moscow during the 1990s. She received her master’s at the London School of Economics and her work has been recognized by the Gerald Loeb Awards, the Overseas Press Club, the UK Society of Editors, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, and the UK’s Foreign Press Association.
Follow Stephanie:
https://x.com/StephaniBaker
Buy the book:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Punishing-Putin/Stephanie-Baker/9781668050583
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
In this far-ranging discussion, Greg Olear talks to the actress, director, podcast host, and activist Rosanna Arquette about: Kamala Harris, the DNC, and the new hope around U.S. politics; what to expect at the presidential debate; the deal with RFK Jr.; the time she met Trump; the time she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Alexis Project and the fundraiser happening in LA this week; Me Too and opportunities for women in Hollywood; her acting career, from “Desperately Seeking Susan” to “Pulp Fiction” to “The L-Word” to “Succubus”; her directing style; and much, much more. Plus: nothing left to lose!
Rosanna on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rosannaarquette/
Rosanna’s website:
https://www.rosannaarquette.com/about
The Alexis Project:
https://www.alexisproject.org/
The fundraiser:
https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/vip-community-mental-health-center-inc/the-alexis-project-copy-1
Radical Musings:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radical-musings-with-rosanna-arquette/id1550695064
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
Robbie Harris is a strategic communications and behavior change subject matter expert with over 25 years’ experience working with local influencers, activists, civil society organizations, journalists, and senior stakeholders in Iraq, Syria, Africa, and Central America. She has designed and implemented successful programs for US DoD, DoS and USAID, and UK FCDO and MoD. She’s the co-founder of a small international business; has worked for USAID-OTI; speaks Arabic, Spanish, and English, and has a M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University.
In the interview with Greg Olear, Harris discusses her background and how she got into her line of work, which involves strategic communications and behavior change. She shares her experiences working in Iraq and countering ISIS propaganda. The conversation also touches on the legacy of colonialism in the Middle East and its impact on the region today, the situation in Kurdistan, the proxy war in Syria, the refugee camp in Northern Syria, the growing stateless population, and the experience of living in Somalia and Niger. Finally, she shares her advice on messaging to US voters and warns about the potential consequences of a collapse of democracy and of civil war.
Prevail is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
Greg talks with the historian Manisha Sinha and discusses her book “The Rise and Fall of the Second American Republic: Reconstruction, 1860-1920.” The book explores the period between the Civil War and World War I, highlighting the importance of Reconstruction in shaping the country. Sinha explains her motivation for writing the book and the significance of the Second American Republic. She also draws parallels between Andrew Johnson and Donald Trump, emphasizing the consequences of showing mercy to Confederates. Sinha delves into the horrors of the first Ku Klux Klan and the violent opposition to Reconstruction. The conversation explores the end of Reconstruction, the Compromise of 1877, the nadir of American democracy, the conquest of the West, and the legacy of Reconstruction. It also delves into the question of how a society can atone for its national sins. Plus: coup right, with Coup-Vite!
Manisha Sinha is the James L. and Shirley A. Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut and a leading authority on the history of slavery and abolition and the Civil War and Reconstruction. She was born in India and received her Ph.D from Columbia University where her dissertation was nominated for the Bancroft Prize. She is the author of “The Counterrevolution of Slavery: Politics and Ideology in Antebellum South Carolina,” which was named one of the ten best books on slavery in Politico and featured in The New York Times’ 1619 Project. Her multiple award winning second book “The Slave’s Cause: A History of Abolition” was long listed for the National Book Award for Non Fiction. It was named Editor’s Choice in the New York Times Book Review, book of the week by Times Higher Education to coincide with its UK publication, and one of three great History books of 2016 in Bloomberg News.
Follow Manisha:
https://twitter.com/ProfMSinha
Buy her book:
https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Second-American-Republic/dp/1631498444/ref=zg_bsnr_g_16244141_sccl_1/140-4528258-4376211?psc=1
Prevail is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg
Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:
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Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
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For 26 years, Rone Tempest was the national and foreign correspondent for the LA Times, based in Paris, New Delhi, Beijing, and Hong Kong, as well as the craziest capital city, Sacramento. After his retirement, he worked for Pro Publica and was the co-founder of the Wyoming nonprofit public policy news site, Wyofile. He’s taught journalism at Berkeley, his alma mater, and has won numerous awards. He’s also the author of two books, including “The Last Western: The Unjustified Killing of Michael Rosa by Ed Cantrell.” Now in Salt Lake City, he lived for many years in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains outside of Lander, Wyoming.
In this discussion with Greg Olear, Tempest discusses his experiences as a foreign correspondent in China, Afghanistan, and Paris; Liz Cheney’s demise and the enigma of Wyoming politics; and his Wyofile profile of Kevin Roberts, head of the Heritage Foundation, thought leader behind Project 2025, and Tempest’s erstwhile Wyoming neighbor. Plus: Amazing Mace!
Follow Rone:
https://twitter.com/RoneTempest
His website:
https://www.ronetempest.com/bio
The Roberts profile at Wyofile:
https://wyofile.com/wyomings-catholic-cowboy-could-remake-government-if-trump-wins/
Buy his book:
https://www.amazon.com/Last-Western-Unjustified-Killing-Cantrell/dp/B08NWWY984
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
Francine Prose is the author of over 30 books. Her 12 novels include My New American Life, A Changed Man and Blue Angel, a finalist for the National Book Award. Her nonfiction works include the indispensable Reading Like a Writer; Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles; and The Lives of the Muses: Nine Women and the Artists They Inspired, a New York Times Notable Book for 2002. She’s a contributing editor at Harper's, and her essays, reviews, and criticism have appeared in New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and The Guardian, among other publications. She’s a past president of PEN America, a distinguished writer in residence at Bard College, and a recipient of the 2008 Edith Wharton Achievement Award for Literature. Her latest book—and first memoir—is called 1974: A Personal History.
In this conversation, Greg Olear talks to Francine Prose about her new memoir, 1974. They discuss the challenges of writing about oneself, the impetus for the book, Tony Russo and the Pentagon Papers, whistleblowers, “Vertigo,” the role of literature in society, the bias against women writers, the state of fiction writing, the impact of AI, the dangers of self-censorship, the current political climate, and more.
Plus: a new Zoom!
Buy her book:
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/1974-francine-prose?variant=41105435459618
Her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/FrancineProseAuthor/
Her Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/prose.francine/
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
In this, the penultimate episode of Season 7 of the PREVAIL podcast, Greg Olear discusses (for a solid 20 minutes, which is probably too long, if we’re being honest) the events of the week: Donald’s earsay, Joe’s departure, Kamala’s ascension.
Then, he welcomes Jessica Cale, the host of the DIRTY SEXY HISTORY podcast, to talk about her background as a novelist and historian, the castles of Wales, piracy, syphilis, medieval penitentials, the Oneida colony, the Comstock Act vis a vis Project 2025, the history of abortion, and more. Plus: the safety is off.
Jessica Cale is the host of Dirty Sexy History, a podcast that looks beyond the sanitized and the idealized to the dirty reality of human history. She’s the author of ten works of historical fiction, including the Southwark Saga, and numerous nonfiction pieces. She earned degrees in Ancient History, Medieval Studies, and Creative and Media Writing at Swansea University while climbing castles and photographing mines for BBC History magazine. She appears in Netflix’s The Lost Pirate Kingdom.
Follow Jessica:
https://x.com/DrtySexyHistory
Listen to DIRTY SEXY HISTORY:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dirty-sexy-history/id1568066159
About her podcast:
https://dirtysexyhistory.com/welcome/
Buy her books:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00PVDV9EW/
Subscribe to The Five 8:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA
Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17
ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:
https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T
Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short
The podcast currently has 171 episodes available.