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 a…

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 signif…

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 Berke…

Gabrielle Falloppia is credited with inventing the condom. He didn’t, but he did discover the fallopian tubes, all while battling academic rivals, accusations of heresy, a syphilis epidemic, and the pirates who kidnapped his boyfriend. He has been accused of vivisecting the criminals given to him by the Medicis—that is, dissecting them while they w…

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…

Ancient history has traditionally been dominated by the lives of great men, while ancient women are confined to the margins or omitted altogether. In The Missing Thread, award-winning classicist Dr Daisy Dunn pulls these women out of the shadows and puts them center stage, where they belong. This week, we talk about the lives of ancient women: love…

Tom McGrath was the editor-in-chief of Philadelphia magazine, as well as chief content officer of Metro Corp., the parent company of Philadelphia and Boston between 2010 and 2020. Under his leadership, the magazines won more than fifty awards for editorial excellence. In 2022, he was named Writer of the Year at the National City and Regional Magazi…

Greg Olear opens with his thoughts on Project 2025, Trump’s odd fascination with Hannibal Lecter and his bromance with Jeffrey Epstein, and the Democratic palace coup, led by Danny Ocean. Then, Greg welcomes the Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko for a discussion about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin, Zelensky, and his new book, “I Will …

Burned, hanged, and symbolically “executed,” tea was a controversial commodity in 1770s America. This week we talk to Dr James Fichter about tea consumption, bans, the protests like the Boston Tea Party in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. Dr Fichter’s new book is Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution, 1773-1776.…

In this, the first episode of PREVAIL in three weeks, Greg Olear opens with his thoughts on the debate, the immunity ruling, the Kamala option, and the politically suicidal push to replace Biden at the top of the ticket. Then, Greg welcomes “Bad” Brad Berkwitt, a veteran who served for more than 20 years in the U.S. Navy, including 16 and a half in…

Under the 1913 Mental Deficiency Act, Britain imprisoned 50,000 people as “moral imbeciles.” Many of them were young women—working class, poor or unwed mothers, often victims of sexual assault—and most were confined to so-called Mental Deficiency Colonies for the rest of their lives. It was all down to eugenics; as the middle-class birth rate decli…

Billy Ray is a screenwriter and director. His writing credits include Color of Night, Captain Phillips, Richard Jewell, and The Hunger Games. He wrote and directed Shattered Glass, Breach, The Last Tycoon, and The Comey Rule. Since 2016, he’s been the messaging consigliere for the Democratic Party, helping scores of politicians and candidates with …

Just this week, all but two Senate Republicans voted against the Right to Contraception Act. At the same time, the GOP is calling for a nationwide ban on abortion. But what happens when abortion is banned? It happened in Italy in 1588…but it didn’t work. It was overturned only three years later in 1591. This week, Jess talks to Dr John Christopoulo…

This week, Greg Olear shares 34 thoughts on 34 felony counts. Then, there is a reprise of the May 31 episode of “The Five 8,” in which Greg and LB try, and fail, to remember all of Donald’s crimes. Plus: blowing! Subscribe to The Five 8: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA Subscribe to The Five 8: https://www.youtube.com/channe…

Jason Pack is the Founder of Libya-Analysis LLC, and the co-host of Disorder, a geopolitics podcast co-produced with Goalhanger Podcasts. He is a Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defence College Foundation in Rome. In partnership with NDCF, Jason leads a project entitled NATO and the Global Enduring Disorder, which produces a rang…

Nostalgia can be both good and bad—at its best, it manifests in historical reenactment, vintage fashion, and mid-century modern furniture. At its worst, it can drive regressive political policies, fascism, and book bans. But nostalgia itself isn’t a bad thing—it’s a bittersweet, rose-tinted longing for the past, but how did people in the past exper…

In this special “Rough Beast” book launch episode, the PREVAIL podcast is turned upside-down: Greg Olear is the guest, and the host is his wife, Stephanie St. John Olear. They talk about the new book, confirmation bias, and Biden’s chances of winning in November. Plus: Scar-Jo! Subscribe to The Five 8: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZX…

Alessandra is an Italian journalist and political commentator who goes by the pen name Alias Vaughn. She’s been helping me understand the global political landscape—including what’s happening right here in the US—for going on eight years now. In this conversation, Greg Olear interviews Alessandra about her background and her interest in US politics…

During Josephine McCarty’s trial for murder, she was portrayed as an ordinary woman—a mother of six, she was only looking out for her children when she shot her lover in the face in front of dozens of witnesses. Over the course of her trial, she told the story of her life—she had been a lobbyist, an abortion provider, one of the first female doctor…

Jenny Cohn is an attorney, election integrity advocate, and political writer whose articles have appeared in the New York Review of Books, Who What Why, The Independent, Salon, and the Bucks County Beacon. She now covers the Christian right at her Substack, the Christian Right Observer Weekly, or CROW. Cohn talks to Greg Olear about her work on ele…

Before launching START ME UP, the political interview podcast, Kimberley Johnson—that’s Kimberley with an “e-y”—wrote several books, including “The Virgin Diaries”; maintained a popular blog; and, for ten years, had a recurring role—as a cop!—on a soap opera. She’s an activist and a champion of women’s rights. Her podcast premiered in 2016. In this…

This week we welcome back to the show Susan Wands, author of the Arcana Oracle Series. We’re looking at the extraordinary lives of Florence Farr and Ellen Terry, two incredible women who broke all the rules of Victorian society. Divorce! Affairs! Illegitimate children! And best of all—careers! Ellen was an incredibly successful actress, and Florenc…

Ethan Bearman is a multifaceted talent spanning law, technology, politics, and media. He has his own law firm, he has 25 years of business experience and 10 years of media experience. He had his own radio show, and he’s been on networks like CNN, DW, France24, HLN, i24 News, NewsNation, Fox Business, and Fox News, where he’s sparred with the likes …

Gal Suburban is an open source researcher who has spent the last six years deep-diving on fifth generation warfare, psyops, corrupt creatures of the Florida swamp, and traitors to our democracy. In this conversation, Greg Olear and Gal Suburban discuss various topics including Gal's focus on understanding anti-democratic influencers, the concept of…

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,…

In this discussion with Greg Olear, the historian Manisha Sinha 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 boo…

Lisa Graves is the founder and Executive Director of True North Research, a national investigative watchdog group that exposes the shadowy machinations of dark money funders like Leonard Leo, Barre Seid, Harlan Crow, Charles Koch, Dick Uihlein, and Rob Arkley, and their front groups. She served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of …

Class is dismissed. Thank you for all your interest in the show. If you want to contact me then email at schooliespod@gmail.com Support the Show.על ידי Joe

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 Berke…

Following on from Episode 3.19 on sex toys with Hallie Lieberman, this week we talk to clinical psychologist Dr Eric Sprankle about the history and science of masturbation. We talk about the not-so-sexy origins of graham crackers and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, bizarre conspiracy theories about porn, semen retention myths, and the Founding Father who th…

This is from my school's podcast club, for whom I am the erstwhile producer. One of the students interviewed me about my journey with H.D, my plan for fundraising, and my London Marathon training. If you want to donate: justgiving.com/rileyrun Support the Show.על ידי Joe

For more than 30 years, Alexandra Hall Hall worked as a diplomat in the British Foreign Office, with postings in Bangkok, Delhi, Bogota,Tbilisi, and Washington. She resigned in December 2019 because she felt unable to represent the Government’s position on Brexit with integrity. She is the co-host, with Jason Pack, of Disorder podcast. In this disc…

Greg Olear welcomes Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor at SLATE and the author of the bestseller “Lady Justice: Women, The Law, and the Battle to Save Democracy.” They discuss the current state of the Supreme Court and the impact of recent decisions; the dynamics of the court, the influence of confirmation hearings, and the changing ideologies of the j…

Literary nerds rejoice! This week, we have another history/literature episode, looking at sex work in Victorian poetry with Emily Calleja. We’re talking about how sex workers were portrayed, what that can tell us about women’s real-life frustrations, and how it impacted the suffrage movement.

In this conversation with Greg Olear, Michael Graetz discusses his book “The Power to Destroy: How the Anti-Tax Movement Hijacked America”' He explores the history and influence of the anti-tax movement, the role of race and xenophobia in shaping it, and the ideological and moral arguments behind it. Graetz also delves into the consequences of irre…

Tom Carter worked in Washington for years, in journalism and then in PR. For three years, he handled media relations at USCIRF, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, where his boss was one Leonard Leo, a key figure in the conservative legal movement and the capture of SCOTUS. The conversation explores the background, influence, an…

Sex toys have existed for 28,000 years, so why is there still such a stigma around them? This week we’re talking about the history of sex toys from the ancient world to the present, the evolution and cultural significance of the vibrator in the 19th and 20th centuries, Masters and Johnson’s revolutionary research, the ups and downs of the adult ent…

You’ve heard it all before—corsets are dangerous, uncomfortable, a tool of the patriarchy meant to oppress women! But are they? Were they ever? This week on DSH, we talk to biological anthropologist about corsets—how they really affect the body, why women wore them, and the surprising reason men wanted to do away with them at the turn of the 20th c…

Greg Olear welcomes his friend, the novelist, essayist and travel writer Diana Spechler. They discuss the novel as an art form, writing as a profession and vocation, the allure of travel, how the U.S. is perceived abroad, the future of the country, separating art from the artist, the Stendhal effect, and more. Plus: his name is Leo. Prevail is spon…

In seventeenth-century England, seeing a doctor was a big deal. Before the NHS, people paid doctors, quacks, and even astrological medical practitioners out of pocket for cures that could be dangerous and downright unpleasant. Some people turned to household recipe books to treat themselves at home, but for many serious ailments, this just wasn’t p…

Aja Raden, author of “Stoned” and “The Truth About the Lies,” returns to PREVAIL. She updates Greg Olear about the changes coming to the diamond industry (which she foretold in the documentary “Nothing Lasts Forever”), and discusses her concerns for 2024, Elon Musk’s destruction of Twitter, contingency plans in case of Nazi takeover, lies people be…

For women in Renaissance Italy, beauty was everything: it could be a vocation, a way to get ahead, entertainment, or even a weapon. Women of all classes used cosmetics, and many were employed as beauticians, apothecaries, and beauty writers. This week, Jess talks to Professor Jill Burke about Renaissance beauty standards, cosmetics, hair dye, plast…

We know that Donald Trump is a fascist, but what would MAGA fascism look like in a second Trump term? Brynn Tannehill, senior defense analyst and author of “American Fascism” and “My Child Told Me They're Trans...What Do I Do?,” lays out the horrors to expect if Trump is sworn in in 2025. Plus: the Trump Days of Christmas. Follow Brynn: https://twi…

Greg Olear is joined by the journalist and editor Rachel Slade, author of the new book “Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (and How It Got That Way).” They discuss the history of textile manufacturing in the United States, how the towns NAFTA devastated were hidden, the perils of free trade, the Gen X min…

Here it is: the ghost story for Christmas 2023! A classic tale of terror from the master. This particular story was read by me and beautifully enhanced by the very talented Bethan Briggs Miller, from the Eerie Essex and Spectre of the Sea podcast. She was also a wonderful guest, and you can listen to her episode here. I recommend putting on your he…

Greg Olear is joined by the writer, author, professor, filmmaker, and “America, America” columnist Steven Beschloss. They discuss the failure of the media to adequately cover Trump, then and now; the stakes of the next election; Lee Harvey Oswald, childhood trauma, and the making of an assassin; the importance of investing in education and why the …

Between 1848 and 1879, the Oneida Community tried to build heaven in Upstate New York through the principles of communism, free love, and contraception. Under the guidance of charismatic preacher John Humphrey Noyes, the community practiced “complex marriage,” meaning everyone was allowed to sleep with everyone else. But there was a dark side to th…

Greg Olear is joined by Will Bunch, the national opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. They discuss how the higher education system broke our politics, why the media fails to accurately report on the rise of American fascism, Trump’s ominous re-election plans, the far right’s dream of a Red Caesar, and whether the Eagles are a team of de…

We all remember the keywords of the scandal known as Iran-Contra: Oliver North, Fawn Hall, potted plant, Nicaragua, Sandinista, “I don’t recall.” The Reagan Administration was covering SOMETHING up, but what were they up to, exactly? Jack Bryan, creator of the riveting new podcast “Lawyers, Guns, and Money,” talks to Greg Olear about Iran-Contra, t…

What can folklore teach us about history? More than you’d think! This week, Jess talks to Icy Sedgwick about fairies, ghosts, gods, psychopomps, tricksters, banshees, and more. Who was the real Lady Godiva? How did colonialism influence the folklore of the Americas? And why are people so obsessed with Robin Hood? We cover all this and more this wee…