The Duran Quick Take: Episode 304.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss European Central Bank President Mario Draghi decision to cut deposit rates and start open-ended bond purchases. Draghi is making a final run at reflating the euro-area economy, before Christine Lagarde takes over as ECB chief.

Draghi and Lagarde are moving to further integrate the EU along the lines of French President Emmanuel Macron's vision of an all-powerful, centralized Brussels ruling over weakened, periphery member states.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 303.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss US president Trump's oval office comments on the firing of John Bolton. Trump announced on Tuesday that he had fired Bolton, saying he had "strongly disagreed" with many of Bolton's hawkish positions.

During a short Q & A in the White House Trump hinted at a change of course in US foreign policy, citing how Bolton had been a "disaster" on North Korea policy, "out of line" on Venezuela, and had not gotten along with important administration officials.

Bloomberg is likewise reporting that Bolton was fired after disagreeing with Trump on Iran, and a disagreement over the possible easing of US sanctions on Iran.

Two Court decisions in the UK on Brexit.

One Court decision - that of the Scottish Court of Session - is hogging all the attention because it ruled Johnson's prorogation of Parliament unconstitutional.

The second decision - by the High Court in London - is attracting far less attention even though it is the more powerful Court. It said that Johnson's prorogation of Parliament is not only constitutional, but is not subject to legal challenge.

John Bolton said he resigned. Trump tweeted that he fired the now former national security adviser.

Who cares. The dangerous neocon warmonger is no longer a part of the Trump White House.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 302.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the debunked CNN report that the CIA had "successfully extracted from Russia one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government."  The New York Times reported that the "longtime source landed an influential position that came with access to the highest level of the Kremlin."

Russian media outlets reported that the "Russian spy" could be someone named Oleg Smolenkov, who supposedly worked for the government. Elena Krylova, Spokesperson for the head of the Russian Presidential Administrative Directorate, told TASS that Mr. Smolenkov "never worked for the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation."

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 301.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the massive 25 year energy investment deal between Iran and China that marks a seismic shift in the global hydrocarbons sector.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 300.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the state of the Russian economy under Vladimir Putin, five years after the first sanctions were imposed on Russia for the accession of Crimea to the Russian Federation.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 299.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the latest news in the Epstein scandal where a lawyer for the alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein told a judge that hundreds of names of people associated with "now deceased finance mogul" should be made public in documents that are currently sealed in a defamation lawsuit involving Epstein close associate and alleged handler Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 298.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris try to decode what UK PM Boris Johnson is planning to do with Brexit following a House of Common's coup against his no-deal strategy.

The UK, and the entire world, hangs on Boris' next move.

The Duran Quick Take: Episode 297.

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's withdrawal of the extradition bill that sparked three months of protests.

Lam and the Chinese mainland are hoping for an end to crisis, but protesters appear to be digging in with more demands.