The Bunker – Your daily news Deep Dive

Abdul El-Sayed romped to victory in Michigan and is set to become America’s first Muslim senator. He’s become a key target of Trump’s attacks, but thus far they haven’t worked. Is he the Democrat who can take down MAGA?

Jason Zengerle, staff writer for The New Yorker, has recently interviewed the incoming congressman and joins Zing Tsjeng to discuss who he is, what he stands for and what he might mean for America.

• Read Jason Zengerle’s latest New Yorker piece on Abdul El-Sayed

• And you can buy Jason’s latest book Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unravelling of the Conservative Mind from our affiliate bookshop

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Vladimir Putin is trying to erase Ukraine’s past and impose a Kremlin-approved history. Can anything stop him? Veteran war correspondent Illia Ponomarenkoexplores the long struggle over Ukrainian identity, from the Slavic tribes and the Vikings to Soviet rule and Russia’s full-scale invasion. Illia and Seth Thévoz discuss how Ukrainians are determined to hold on to their history and – how they’re fighting to stop Putin’s ruthless Russification campaign.

• Buy Illia’s book The Land of Tears and Hope: The Ukrainian Story from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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If men really do think about the Roman Empire once a day, there’s a good reason. From Niccolò Machiavelli to Thomas Jefferson, generations of revolutionary thinkers have looked to ancient Rome for lessons in how to do politics – with mixed results. So how do the Roman Republic and Empire still provide a blueprint for democratic governments today? Are there any leaders today who seem to be trying to become the next Caesar? Jamie Gianoutsos, professor of History at Mount St. Mary's University in Maryland, joins Alex von Tunzelmann to discuss Rome’s enduring political influence.

• Buy Jamie’s In Rome's Long Shadow: How the Classical Tradition Shaped the Modern World from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Trump is scrambling after his midterm wipeout and it’s unclear if he even knows what he really thinks anymore. Plus, COP31, a G7 meeting and a potential row over crisps. Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to outline the week ahead.

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Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more.

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the past seven days…Donald Trump is scrambling to shift the blame for the Republicans’ calamitous set of midterm results – and failing miserably. What happens now that Trump has lost his grip on Congress? And has the blue wave dealt a mortal blow to MAGA?

Plus: King Charles and Andy Burnham visit Antigua and Barbuda for a Commonwealth summit. And Burnham is reportedly preparing to unveil a package of EU deals worth billions to the UK economy. Zoë Grünewaldand Rafael Behr recap the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Listen to more midterms analysis on Oh God, What Now?

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald and Rafael Behr. Produced by: James Liddell and Jacob Jarvis. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Hot Take Time Machine is back with Paper Cuts alumni Miranda Sawyer, Jonn Elledge and Jacob Jarvis sniffing out the strangest, worst – and occasionally best – opinions of the past month.

On this episode: The Telegraph has been taken over by new owners and none of its staff seem safe. Plus, we’re all been told to be doomsday preppers, tragedy for Liz Jones and the weird new Halloween trends.

• Spotted a column we should talk about next time? Send it to info@bunkercast.co.uk

• Buy Jonn’s book 31 Inventions that Built our World: The Making of Modern Life from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis with Miranda Sawyer and Jonn Elledge. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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It’s the biggest theft in human history. Shadowy North Korean hackers drained $6.3bn in digital assets from the world’s biggest crypto exchange, Binance, and it took only 20 minutes. How did they get in so easily? If crypto exchanges are so porous, why do Trump and Farage want to turn the US and UK into havens for digital money? And if crypto is the international currency of terror, porn and crime, why should we care if its owners get ripped off? Crypto sceptic, journalist and podcaster Molly White tells Andrew Harrison what the Binance Hack reveals about our modern cryptocracy.

• Read Molly’s essential newsletter Web3 Is Going Just Great

• Don’t risk your money on crypto! Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep us in rude health – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Liddell. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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“Perv glasses”? “Nonce goggles”? The backlash against Meta’s smart glasses is so severe that early adopters are frightened to wear them outdoors. Even visually impaired people who could really use a digital assistant are worried they’ll look like voyeuristic creeps. But are camera-equipped glasses really making sexual harassment on the streets worse? And is the bigger problem the one behind all big tech: data abuse and the destruction of privacy? James Ball of Oh God, What Now? and The New World talks Andrew Harrison through the society of the spectacle.

• Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Liddell. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Trump’s GOP faces a stern test in the US midterms this week. Could his grip on power be about to weaken? And is the cult of Trump slowly faltering? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss this and the other news to look out for in the week ahead.

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Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more.

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the past seven days… John Healey’s Budget has divided opinion as you might expect, but much criticism has suggested it was not bold enough. Why didn’t he go further than what he has? Plus: Netanyahu’s coalition has lost its far-right majority as Israel’s elections deadlock drags on. And it’s crunch time for the Republicans as they fight to cling on to both chambers of Congress. Jonn Elledge and Jacob Jarvis recap the biggest, strangest and most underreported stories of the week.

• Want the full Budget breakdown? Head over to Oh God, What Now?

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is daily life like inside Putin’s Russia? Censorship is rife, elections are rigged, the media serves the regime, protests are banned, and young men are dragged to the front lines in Ukraine – but how do ordinary Russians cope with everyday life? Is civil society dead or just “sleeping”? And can Russians ever really be free?

Veteran journalist Åsne Seierstad – bestselling author of The Bookseller Of Kabul – has seen Russia before and under Putin. She talks to Seth Thévoz about her new book Never Say War: Life Inside Russia and the day-to-day reality of Putin’s Russia.

• Buy Åsne Seierstad’s book Never Say War: Life Inside Russia from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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After near-miss second places in the Presidential run-off elections of 2017 and 2022, could France’s extreme right National Rally be about to take power? And what happens if they do? Over five decades the party has detoxified its image if not its vociferous racist nationalism, moving from a fringe far-right concern to a power in French politics. Now the centre is imploding and polls indicate that voters in 2027 will face a Hobson’s Choice of the National Rally’s Marine Le Pen or the extreme left Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

How could it happen? And what would the National Rally’s France look like? Georgina Wright, senior fellow specialising in France at the German Marshall Fund, gives Rafael Behr a picture of Le Pen’s France.

• Want more? Listen to Raf explain why far-right populism is sweeping Europe

• Back The Bunker on Patreon to help keep the podcast going – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The wanton destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023 provoked a wave of anger against two men accused and eventually convicted of the crime. There was a search for answers: was it a thrill-seeking stunt, a bid for notoriety or maybe just driven by a grudge against the National Trust? But as award-winning writer Andrew Hankinson found in his new book Felled: The Killing at the Sycamore Gap, the reality was stranger, sadder… and perhaps more about the disconnected, meaningless world of modern men. He tells Andrew Harrison how Sycamore Gap spiralled off into Captain Tom-Land.

• Buy Andrew’s book Felled: The Killing at the Sycamore Gap from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories of the week to come… A crunch week in the global battle against far-right populists gets off to a surprisingly encouraging start as Lula beats far-right nepo baby Flávio Bolsonaro to Brazil’s presidency, and Serbia’s corrupt authoritarian Aleksandar Vučić is ousted by student-led protestors. Will the Israeli elections and US mid-terms provide similar cheer? Plus: Budget week in Britain, Blue Planet III starts on the BBC… and have YOU done your emergency food stockpile? Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison look at the week ahead.

• Back The Bunker on Patreon to keep the podcast in rude health – and get early, ad-free episodes, merch and more.

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Lidell. Audio production by Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back on the past seven days… Andy Burnham has finally given the Jackdaw gas field the green light – four years and six energy secretaries after it was first approved. Is the left right to call him a “climate vandal”? Or should he have sided with the right and gone further?

Plus: Trump’s Ukraine envoy Steve Witkoff calls Putin a “humanitarian” despite Russia’s alleged war crimes, France’s protests spiral out of control and the King and Queen join emotional commemorations at Aberfan. Zoë Grünewaldand Seth Thévozrecap the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Listen to our Deep Dive about Trump’s midterm meddling.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The stakes in the US midterm elections could not be higher – and Donald Trump has had six years to learn from his failure to overturn the 2020 presidential vote. Democrats are likely to take control of Congress but Trump has intensified his rhetoric, warning this week that the US will “burn” like France if the House and Senate flip on November 3.

Can Trump do anything to stop the expected “blue wave”? Will the US collapse into chaos and accusations of voter fraud if the Republicans lose? Could Trump deploy the military? Will some Americans be prevented from voting at all? Atlantic Staff Writer David Graham joins Zing Tsjeng to explore all these terrifying scenarios – and what’s at stake.

• Read David’s prescient midterm prediction piece from last October

• Buy David’s book The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Listen to American Friction for the latest commentary on US politics

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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We’re obsessed with health and wellness, from fixating on last night’s sleep score to swallowing a cocktail of supplements to stave off every ailment. But is there any real evidence behind the health hacks we’re sold? Are we being very professionally ripped off by Big Wellness – now four times larger than Big Pharma?

British doctor and BBC broadcastert Dr Xand van Tullekenspent three years investigating the industry. He joinsEmma Kennedy to separate the real science from the snake oil.

• Buy Dr Xand van Tulleken’s book Make Me Well: A Quest to Understand the Confusing World of Wellness from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Was Rishi Sunak not actually as bad as we remember? No, we haven’t hit our heads… Yes, he led the Conservatives to their worst ever defeat and pandered to the far right with the hopeless Rwanda detention scheme. But he also inherited the wreckage of Liz Truss’s 49 days in power.

Was Sunak really doomed from the start? Could a better politician have steadied the ship? And might he be the last ever Tory prime minister? Sir Anthony Seldon, the leading political biographer, joins Seth Thévoz in an attempt to make the case for Sunak.

• Buy Anthony’s book Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative Prime Minister? from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories of the next seven days… France wakes to scenes of urban destruction straight out of wartime. Are the “cost of living protests” even protests any more, and can lame duck president Emmanuel Macron prevent them from running out of control? Also: Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine deepens, but he’s also supposed to be in court for his case against the BBC. Will he turn up? Plus: A decision on the Jackdaw gas field, Brazil on the verge of electing another Bolsonaro, and the iPhone Duo arrives. Rafael Behrlooks at the week ahead withAndrew Harrison.

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Lidell. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the past seven days… Donald Trump pumps billions of dollars into Putin’s war chest by easing sanctions on Russian diesel. Is the world’s most hateful bromance back on, or is it a desperate attempt to sway America before the midterms? Plus: Reform sacks more councillors for making sickening remarks on camera. And Nigel Farage steps in as Robert Jenrick vows to use “lethal force” against small boats crossing the Channel. Zoë Grünewald and Jacob Jarvis recap the biggest, weirdest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Few people jailed in Russia on charges of spying for the CIA live to tell the tale.Evan Gershkovich is one of them. Just over two years after his release in a Cold War-style prisoner swap, the Wall Street Journal reporter tells his story for the first time: how moving to Russia “on a whim” led to him being snatched by the FSB and jailed in the first espionage conviction of a US journalist in Russia since the end of the Cold War.

Evan tells Dorian Lynskey about the violence and interrogation during his 500 days behind bars, how he was freed, the lasting effects of his incarceration, and why despute his ordeal, he hopes to return to Russia one day.

• Buy Evan’s book This Cursed Beautiful Land from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Margaret Hodge has never been one to bite her tongue. The veteran Labour politician served as a minister under Blair then Brown, saw off the BNP in Barking, and told Jeremy Corbyn exactly what she thought of him. It’s why she’s a self-styled “Battleaxe” – and why it’s the title of her new memoir.

She tells Zoë Grünewald what she’s learned about fighting the far-right and anti-semites; where Burnham is getting it right and wrong; and why the need to get dirty money out of politics is more urgent than ever.

• Buy Margaret’s book Battleaxe: A Memoir from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The hidden story of a nation sleepwalking into evil. After Adolf Hitler took power in 1933 the German Jewish journalist Charlotte Beradt found herself tormented by dreams of persecution and torture. Realising she could not be the only German who was processing Nazism through their dream life, she began secretly recording the dreams of her friends and neighbours, both Jewish and non-Jewish.

Beradt escaped Germany and in the ’60s published The Third Reich Of Dreams, a collection “diaries of the night” now out in a new edition. Now film-maker Amanda Rubin is working on a dramatisation of this extraordinary story. She talks to Andrew Harrison about what Beradt discovered, the chilling psychological undercurrents of a traumatised nation, and how under a totalitarian regime even the dreamer is not free.

• Buy The Third Reich Of Dreams through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Lidell. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories that will shape the next seven days… Andy Burnham confirms what everyone suspected, that Russia interfered in the UK to push the Leave vote over the line. How will the revelations affect the reopened Brexit debate? Plus, Will Trump’s sordid diesel deal with Putin stave off a kicking in the mid-terms? The Houthis cause chaos in Saudi Arabia, and more. Ros TaylorandAndrew Harrison look at the week ahead.

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Written and presented by Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Lidell. Audio production by Simon WIlliams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the past seven days… After two botched attempts by the State of Tennessee to execute her by lethal injection, convicted murderer Christa Pike is now reportedly awake and able to walk. Will this horrorshow of cruel incompetence shift opinions on the Death Penalty?

Plus: the Kremlin insists Russia hasn’t unleashed the plague on the world, riots engulf France over its crumbling schools, and party conference season is finally over – hurrah! Andrew Harrisonand Seth Thévoz recap the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Hear Andrew and Steve Richards’ fast take on the Holborn & St Pancras by-election on Oh God, What Now

• And on Monday, American Friction’s Jacob Jarvis and Chris Jones speak to Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Seth Thévoz. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Simon Williams Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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We’re in an information crisis and in the battle with tech giants, fake news merchants and spreaders of hostile disinformation, legitimate journalism is coming off worst. How do we fight it? And does the BBC’s impartiality mean anything when journalism is drowning in disinformation? Stephen Sackur is the longtime host of the BBC’s HARDtalk strand and he says we can fight “information armageddon” – but only if journalists return to their roots and take on the tech oligarchs. With fellow BBC veteran Gavin Esler he talks about the most extraordinary stories of their careers, pulls back the curtain on the realities of investigative journalism, and explains what it takes to keep journalism alive and kicking.

• Buy Stephen’s book Hard Truth: Investigations That Shook The World – And Why They Matter Now from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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A.I. is already a five-alarm fire for job losses – but the consequences for democracy could be even worse, according to Matthew Botvinick, who leads Anthropic’s research on AI and the rule of law. If economic worthlessness makes us politically powerless, what happens to democracy when fewer people have a stake in the economy? And are the tech bros’ apocalyptic warnings really about public safety – or just a cunning way to sell AI?

• Buy Matthew’s book AI and Political Freedom: The Risk to Democracy and How to Respond from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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What unites radicalised techbros, religious fanatics and ethnonationalists? According to Naomi Klein of No Logo/Shock Doctrine fame and co-author Astra Taylor, it’s an apocalyptic worldview that’s bad news for the rest of us. The award-winning writers call this bizarre march of the far-right “End Times Fascism” – but is there anything we can do to counter their attempts at a man-made Armageddon? Naomi and Astra tell Dorian Lynskeyyes, there is – and it might actually lead to better times.

• Buy Naomi and Astra’s book End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leebrurn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The Conservative Party conference is here and Kemi Badenoch seems to think she can save the Tories single-handedly. Can she? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the news to look out for in the week ahead.

www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more.

Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looking back at the past week... Burnham has set out his vision and was praised for delivering Labour’s “best conference speech since Tony Blair”. What did he actually announce – and can his ideas stick? Plus: Donald Trump gathers the tech billionaires at the White House and brings former “first buddy” Elon Musk back into the fold. And what’s the latest on the RAF Fairford incident? Alex von Tunzelmannand Jacob Jarvislook at the biggest, weirdest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Listen to American Friction here: https://linktr.ee/americanfriction

• Listen to Oh God, What Now? here: https://linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnowpod

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Paper Cuts survivors Miranda Sawyer,Jonn Elledge and Jacob Jarvis are back to pick apart the strangest takes from the op-edverse over the past month. This week: Andy Burnham has been accused of channelling his inner Oprah, and his Labour conference speech compared to a “Beatles granny song”. Sofa Socialism is on the rise, apparently, and iced coffee sparks an inter-generational rift.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis, with Jonn Elledge and Miranda Sawyer. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The far-right is reshaping politics across Europe. So what is driving its rise? What do these movements have in common? How did we get here – and what might happen next? Steven Erlanger, The New York Times’ chief diplomatic correspondent for Europe, joins Rafael Behr to discuss whether Europe’s political firewall can hold.

• Read Steven’s recent analysis in The New York Times

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Once, Britain and Germany were the closest of friends. But over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, relations spectacularly unravelled – culminating in two world wars fought on opposite sides. So how did two countries with so much in common become bitter enemies? How did they find their way back to a more cordial relationship? And with Britain outside the EU, what does the future hold for the two European powers? Professor of History at Birkbeck University Jan Rüger joins Alex von Tunzelmann to untangle their turbulent history – and where things might be heading.

• Pre-order Jan’s book Great Powers: A History of Britain and Germany from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories of the next seven days… Five men are arrested on suspicion of planning a terror attack on RAF Fairford. It has all the hallmarks of state-sponsored action – who would escalate their conflict with the UK so seriously? Plus: Labour seizes its second chance with promises on social care, first-time buyers and devolution in Liverpool. Manchester City at the centre of the biggest scandal in football history. And don’t forget your Glastonbury tickets. Ros TaylorandAndrew Harrison break down the stories that will dominate the week ahead.

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the big stories from the past seven days…Andy Burnham has vowed to crack down on Russia’s “poisonous” slopaganda campaign. Can he really stop the Kremlin meddling in Britain’s affairs? Plus: Trump meets Xi (again) this time in Washington, D.C., a super El Niño is underway and could kill 450,000 by February and far-right yob Daniel Thomas has been arrested after he was filmed slashing a dinghy in the Channel. Rafael Behr and Andrew Harrison recap the biggest, weirdest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Group Editor: Andrew Harrison with Rafael Behr. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Is Britain really the crime-ridden hellhole the right says it is? Well… no, not really. Crime has actually fallen over the past decade for most offences – ranging from phone snatching to murder. So why do people think it’s getting worse? Why are Reform voters particularly likely to buy some myths around crime? And what’s the knock-on effect for wider society?

Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, joins Zing Tsjeng to explain why public crime perceptions are wildly out of step with the facts.

• Read Bobby’s research in full

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Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Some people fear spiders so much they can barely stand to read the word. For others, these secretive eight-legged hunters are a source of fascination and mythic wonder. Why do some cultures loathe spiders and others love and revere them, even crediting them with creating the world? Harvard language professor and folklore and mythology expert Maria Tatar dives into the Spider-Verse with her book Arachnomania: Spiders and the Cultural Work They Do for Us.

She tells confirmed arachnophile Andrew Harrison how Arachne, the original main spider-character, got a raw deal; what spider stars like Charlotte, Shelob and the one who discomfited Miss Muffet mean; and why Peter Parker is oddly detached from the great web of spider-stories. “Are spiders our significant others,” she asks, “our second selves or sworn enemies?”

• Buy Arachnomania through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Producer: Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Alexis Conran, the broadcaster and consumer champion, gets asked one question more than any other: “Is my phone listening to me?” We’ve all had a conversation about a new duvet set or a kettle, only to be served an advert for exactly that moments later. Big Tech insists it isn’t listening in most of the time… So is this all a coincidence? Or is something more nefarious at play? Alexis joinsEmma Kennedy to explain what’s really going on. 

 • Read Alexis’ full article on his blog, Scam Proof Your Life

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Andy Burnham is meeting Trump this week – how will he handle the increasingly erratic US president? Plus, more issues for the UN, Labour conference and more news to look out for, with author and historian Alex von Tunzelmann and Jacob Jarvis. 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Farage is bracing for legal war over a potential challenge to Reform’s mega money donations. But is his brand terminally damaged already? Plus, A.I. is being debated again, a village has chosen to leave the UK, and a lot of people are mad at Ed Sheeran. Jonn Elledge joins Jacob Jarvis to pull together the biggest news stories from the last week. 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Jonn Elledge. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Vladimir Kuzichkin may have changed the course of the Cold War – and it was all down to a very personal problem. The KGB agent was stationed in Tehran in 1981, less than two years after the Iranian Revolution, when he made the decision to defect to the British. Known to MI6 as “Redwood”, Kuzichkin demanded that the secret service smuggle him out of Iran in exchange for his secrets. But what intel did he provide MI6 and the CIA that was so explosive? And why was he so desperate to escape? Pre-eminent chronicler of espionage Ben Macintyrejoins Alex von Tunzelmann to reveal how the Soviet spy may have saved the world. 

 • Buy Ben’s book Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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The future has arrived, and it’s starting to look suspiciously like something Elon Musk and his fellow tech billionaires dreamt about as nine-year-olds. Silicon Valley’s rulers promise a world run by artificial superintelligence where scientists and engineers replace politicians – or humans disappear from government altogether. So, are they really the superheroes of the modern age they claim to be? Will AI deliver the technological marvel they promise or is their vision of techno-utopia about as real as, er, Iron Man? Harvard historian and author Jill Leporejoins Emma Kennedy to discuss where we’re headed.  

• Buy Jill’s book The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is constantly tipped as a potential Democratic contender for 2028. She is beloved by the left and loathed by Republicans with equal vigour for her progressive ideals. So, does she even want the White House – and if she does, could she defeat Gavin Newsom and other Democratic front-runners at the primaries? Is AOC really the antidote to Trump? And is America finally ready to accept a woman as president? The Guardian’s Washington Bureau Chief David Smith joins Jacob Jarvis to unpick what might happen. 

 • Read David’s full article in The Guardian

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Reform and Farage have raked in mega donations the likes of which British politics has never seen before. What does this money mean for democracy? Gavin Esler joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the fallout and other news to look out for this week. 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  

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Looking back at the big stories of the past seven days…Nigel Farage faces yet another headache after the Met launched a criminal investigation into whether Reform broke party donation rules. Will he weather the storm? Plus: Ed Miliband denounces “settler terrorists” in Occupied Palestinian Territory. Trump pledges $5,000 to every adult American at his bizarre midterm convention. And an Anthropic staffer offers a cheery warning that AI will destroy humanity before the decade’s done. Zoë Grünewald and Rafael Behr recap the biggest, strangest and under-reported stories of the week. 

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker  

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Listen to Terror Century, our three-part mini-series marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11 linktr.ee/bunker_pod

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Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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A three-part mini-series from The Bunker… The horror of the 9/11 terror attacks 25 years ago this week led America into massive retaliation and ultimately national humiliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. In years to come, these failures and the lies used to sell them would breed a paranoid, isolationist, racist strain that ultimately took over American politics. Did 9/11 ultimately create Trump and Trumpism? 

National security journalist Spencer Ackerman has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay and he’s the author of Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump. He talks to Andrew Harrison about the long road from Ground Zero to Mar-a-Lago. 

• Worn out by the War on Terror? Buy Spencer Ackerman’s Iron Man books – there’s two! – through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Tom taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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A three-part mini-series from The Bunker… In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks 25 years ago, an enraged America stumbled into the quagmires of Afghanistan and Iraq. At home the Bush Administration created a new security culture which began to erode freedoms in America and around the world. Are we still living with the compromises Americans made during that feverish decade? 

On this episode David Cole, author of Less Safe, Less Free: Why America Is Losing the War on Terror, explains how the USA PATRIOT Act and other measures ran out of control… what 9/11-era surveillance means in the age of Big Tech… and whether the freedoms Americans temporarily suspended ever fully came back. 

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Simon Williams and Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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A new three-part mini-series from The Bunker… When terrorists murdered 2,977 people in the 9/11 attacks 25 years ago this week, al-Qaeda set America on a dark path which ultimately led to torture, brutal repression and finally national humiliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the War on Terror produced something else too: an anti-politics culture of fear and mistrust of leaders which proved fertile ground for the vicious populism of Donald Trump. Are we still living in the world that 9/11 created? 

In our first episode, terror and insurgency expert Bruce Hoffman of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, Washington explains the fevered atmosphere that created the War on Terror… why the US system failed to prevent the attacks in the first place… and how 9/11 still shapes our world. 

• Buy God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America by Bruce Hoffman

through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Simon Williams and Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Nigel Farage is doing everything he can to deny having been in the wrong in those disastrous sting videos. Can his excuses work? Plus, Trump is going wild with AI slop, Kushner has visited Putin and the far-right are blocking ports in Kent… Alex von Tunzelmann joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss what to look out for this week.

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Quick-fire reaction with News Statesman’s associate political editor Rachel Cunliffe and Jacob Jarvis. Given the Farage fallout, we had to record something quickly, so we did an emergencycast! This was originally for Oh God, What Now?, but we thought you’d want to hear it too… The Reform conference is well underway and Nigel Farage is facing another huge crisis after two (now-ex) senior officials were filmed in an undercover investigation seemingly plotting how to bypass electoral law to bag a £500,000 foreign donation… Reform claims it’s all one big hoax, predictably… So can the party weather the storm? Is Farage absolutely done for? And what could happen next?

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis with Rachel Cunliffe. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the big stories of the past seven days…Burnham and Badenoch finally went head-to-head at PMQs. Who came out on top? Reform kicks off its conference, complete with £3,000 tickets for a champagne breakfast with Farage. Polanski eyes Starmer’s old seat in Holborn and St Pancras. And feminist icon Gloria Steinem dies aged 92. Seth ThévozandAndrew Harrison round up the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Is that mini-mart laundering money? Why have five barbershops opened on the same street? And how can suspiciously empty phone repair shops afford to run? For years, rumours have swirled about Britain’s high streets. Now Andy Burnham has decided he knows who the villain is. He’s declared war on “dodgy” vape shops, branding them a scourge of the high street that only his government can defeat. 

So… Why are our town centres filling up with vape shops, candy stores and phone-repair shops in the first place? Who’s profiting from them? And can anything spark a high street renaissance? Jim Waterson, founder and editor of the London Centric, joins Zoë Grünewald to unveil the murky world behind Britain’s high streets. 

 • Read how London Centric’s investigation led to a Harry Potter gift shop raid.

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Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Amoral attack dog for Senator Joe McCarthy during America’s Red Scare of the ’50s. Corrupt mob lawyer, cruel swindler and powerbroker. Racist. Closeted but extremely sexually active gay man who in public spouted homophobic slurs and backed anti-gay legislation. Infamous New York lawyer Roy Cohn was all these things. He was also the man who taught Donald Trump everything he knows. 

Kai Bird, co-author of riveting new biography American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump explains how Cohen’s vicious, win-at-all-costs methods created a monster – and what both men say about the darkness in American culture. 

• Buy American Scoundrelby Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting up the stories for the week ahead… The carefree summer of announcing fun policies is over for Andy Burnham as Parliament returns with tricky questions on defence funding, prisoner release and the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields. Plus: Reshuffle time as Badenoch rearranges the deckchairs on the Torytanic. It’s Reform conference week. And was the Bayeux Tapestry the first-ever comic book? Ros TaylorandAndrew Harrison take you through the stories of the week ahead.

Get tomorrow’s Bunker today when you back us on Patreon – www.patreon.com/bunkercast

Written and presented by Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back at the big stories of the past seven days…Dolly Parton’s death leaves the world brokenhearted but reflecting on a true rarity: someone rich, famous and powerful who never stopped being a good human being. Plus: Meta caves in an $18bn settlement of claims that Facebook and Instagram harmed children. Andy Burnham visits Zelensky in Kyiv – and jams to The Smiths. And in Alaska… Dan Sullivan supports Dan Sullivan as he defeats Dan Sullivan in the Senate race. Zoë Grünewald and Andrew Harrison round up the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

• Listen as Gavin Esler explores the breakneck evolution of military technology in This Is Not A Drill’s brand new four-part mini-series

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Hot Take Time Machine is back with Paper Cuts alumni Miranda Sawyer, Jonn Elledge and Jacob Jarvis sniffing out the strangest, worst – and occasionally best – opinions of the past month. 

On this episode: Dolly Parton’s death shocks the world, Harry and Meghan’s media storm rages on, the treatment of Jason Arday comes under scrutiny and the Mail’s Liz Jones has another mega moan. 

• Spotted a column we should talk about next time? Send it to info@bunkercast.co.uk  

• Buy Jonn’s book 31 Inventions that Built our World: The Making of Modern Life from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis with Miranda Sawyer and Jonn Elledge. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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We’re living through another technological revolution, but it’s easy to take for granted how much of the world around us was once a radical new invention. Author, columnist and Oh God, What Now? regularJonn Elledgejoins Alex von Tunzelmann to reveal the 31 inventions that made modern life possible. They answer questions such as: Before windows, did people just live in stinking darkness? Are trees really the “most useful technology” a city can invest in? And are buses slowly morphing into… crabs?  

• Buy Jonn’s book 31 Inventions that Built our World: The Making of Modern Life from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

Get tickets for Origin Story Live! at Islington’s Union Chapel on Tuesday, September 1  

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Do great leaders actually matter? Or are they just being carried along by bigger forces – from timing to sheer dumb luck? It’s the question that underpins almost every argument about politics, business and sport. And it’s one thatJared Diamond, the UCLA professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has spent years trying to answer. He joins Emma Kennedy to reveal when leaders can – and cannot – bring about effective change. 

• Buy Jared’s book Profits, Prophets, Coaches and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Matter? from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Get tickets for Origin Story Live! at Islington’s Union Chapel on Tuesday, September 1 

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Burnham’s summer is coming to an end, how has his start in office gone? And what problems does he have to look forward to? Plus, there are new hacking concerns for the UK and Trump is back on another tariff tirade… Gavin Esler and Ros Taylor discuss this as they look at the key stories to look out for in the coming days.  

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Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back on the big stories of the past seven days…  Donald Trump is once again cosying up to his dictator bestie Kim Jong Un – what’s he got up his sleeve? Plus: Burnham fleshes out plans to tackle homelessness and Zelenskyy’s former defence minister calls for Ukraine election… Rafael Behrand Jacob Jarvisdiscuss the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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How did we get the modern Middle East? Who shaped it and does the term even make sense in our current era? Seth Thévoz speaks to Simon Sebag Montefiore author of The Cauldron: the Making of the Modern Middle East about how the region has been changed over time and what key players led us to what we know today.  

• Buy Simon’s’s book The Cauldron: the Making of the Modern Middle Eastfrom our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Produced by: Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis and James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey.  Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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We live in a surveillance world, but what is it doing to us? To give one small example, hackers figured out Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s movements by tracking his bodyguard’s exercise data. From CCTV cameras on high streets to smart doorbells at home, surveillance has become an inescapable part of modern life – something we both demand and fear. How did we get this way? And what have we given up in exchange? Professor of social anthropology at the University of Oxford Ruben Andersson tells Zing Tsjenghow Big Security rose to power – and whether it’s failing to keep us out of harm’s way. 

 • Buy Ruben’s book Age of Security: The Rise of a Global Obsession from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor and Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Silicon Valley’s overlords have completely lost their minds. Gil Durán, Kamala Harris’ former communications director and now a journalist, says Elon Musk,Peter Thiel and the rest of the tech oligarchs have a severe case of “billonaire psychosis” – where unchecked wealth and influence detach them from reality. Now democracy itself is getting in the way of their own bizarre, apocalyptic visions. Are we stuck with their vision of the future? Is pushing back against them futile? Will a vote for the Democrats make this all go away? And is money really the root of all evil? Gil joins Emma Kennedy to discuss his new book The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and The War on Democracy, and how we got here. 

 • Buy Gil’s book The Nerd Reich from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories of the week ahead… The shocking death of Jason Arday reignites questions about the press’s relentless pursuit of the story, Cambridge University and Simon & Schuster’s failure to properly look into the academic’s life story, and the general public’s prurient curiosity. Was it a legitimate story investigation, a persecution or even more complex? Plus: as the heatwave breaks, what have we learned? Trump treats the Navy as a floating septic tank. And the Premier League is back, thank God. 

Ros TaylorandAndrew Harrison look at the stories that will shape the next seven days.  

Support us on Patreon - www.patreon.com/bunkercast  

Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Looking back on the big stories of the past week… Will all of Nigel Farage’s problems come back to haunt him now his Clacton distraction is over? Andy Burnham tries to solve the unsolveable problem of early prisoner release. Is Reform’s own prisons “fix” as unhinged as it sounds? And what the hell was going on with Donald Trump’s secret plane switch via catering truck?  

Plus… Britons are dazzled by the solar eclipse, A-level results day breaks more records and Harry Potter fans save Dobby the House Elf’s “grave”. Andrew Harrison and Rafael Behr discuss the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

• Picture: Trump leaves Air Force One at RAF Mildenhall on July 8 after the NATO Summit in Turkey, after an extraordinary palaver involving a catering trolley and a suspected Iranian assassin. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) 

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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First an OpenAI artificial intelligence model hacked a tech start-up called Hugging Face. Then one of Anthropic’s creations escaped its testing environment and carried out cyberattacks on its own. Now Facebook owner Meta has reported a similar breach by its own AI. What is going on?! 

Members of Congress and even AI workers are calling for an urgent slowdown, with Senator Bernie Sanders warning of “potentially cataclysmic results” if we can’t get a handle on the technology. Could escaped AI hack self-driving vehicles, erode the financial system, wreck utilities and worse? Are we genuinely on the cusp of an AI apocalypse or is this all just mass hysteria? Author and New Yorker contributor Stephen WittjoinsZing Tsjeng to separate what’s real from the science fiction.  

• Buy Stephen’s latest book The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia and the World's Most Coveted Microchipfrom our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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America’s hunt for al-Qaeda defined the 2000s in an epochal War on Terror that consumed $8 trillion. But the story didn’t end when Osama bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahiri were killed. The reconstituted terrorist organisation branched out into affiliate organisations, especially in Africa, and it now acts more like a criminal cartel. Has al-Qaeda evolved to become more resilient? And when terrorist groups go quiet, are they plotting under the radar or simply too weak to act? Graeme Wood,staff writer at The Atlantic and political science lecturer at Yale University, joins Alex von Tunzelmann to examine the threat it poses today.  

• Read Graeme’s article in The Atlantic

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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How do languages die? Who’s behind the death of languages from Ghana’s Dagbani to regional Italian dialects? And does it matter if they decay? Almost half of our 7,000 languages are expected to go extinct by the next century and “linguicide”, the death of a language, is to blame. It can be intentional, such as the Turkish government’s repression of Kurds or less intentional, due to simple neglect. So can anything be done to save languages from dying? Journalist, author and broadcasterSophia Smith Galerjoins Emma Kennedyto discuss the impending linguistic extinction.  

• Buy Sophia’s book How To Kill a Language: Power, Resistance and the Race to Save Our Words from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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It’s Farage vs. Binface at this week’s Clacton by-election, what has this campaign taught us? Plus, Burnham is on tour and Trump finds himself in a new conundrum. Gavin Elser joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the news to look out for this week.  

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance atrefundclub.co.uk/bunker 

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service.refundclub.co.uk/bunker 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Gavin Esler. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back on the big stories of the past week… Kemi Badenoch faces fury after defending a former neo-Nazi’s decision to stand as a Tory councillor. What was she thinking? Burnham amends his early prisoner release plan. Is he really a “soft-touch” on crime? Plus: Farage and Lowe’s enemies-to-lovers character arc deepens, Cambridge professor Jason Arday steps down over plagiarism concerns and a SpaceX rocket crashes into the moon… Andrew Harrison and Jonn Elledge discuss the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

• Read Rachel Cunliffe on the Joshua Bonehill-Paine affair.  

• Read Jason Okundaye’s excellent piece on the Jason Arday takedown.   

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker 

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker    

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Sick of watching Shiv Roy or Tanya McQuoid strut around luxury properties? You’re not alone. For years, depictions of extreme wealth have dominated the airwaves with shows like Succession and The White Lotus having a huge cultural impact. But lately watching rich people has started to feel a bit… mundane. Enter Beef, The Bear, DTF St Louis and Margo’s Got Money Troubles and, with it, TV’s sudden interest in seeing ordinary people just getting by. But why? And why has it taken so long? The New Yorker’s television critic Inkoo Kangjoins Dorian Lynskey to unpack the age of Broke TV. 

 • Read Inkoo’s New Yorker article here.

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Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Europe is secretly at war – and it has been for a long time. Across the continent, 34 disputed territories remain with places where the conflicts of empire still linger and rival nations continue to claim the same land. Some of these borderlands have become strategic prizes for leaders likePutinand Erdoğan, revealing how wars can drag on in perpetuity and how states can exist without recognition. But how much do these unresolved conflicts shape European politics today? Veteran foreign correspondent Hannah Lucinda Smith joins Jonn Elledge to reveal why these forgotten frontiers may be far more important than most of us realise.   

• Buy Hannah’s book Hinterlands: Journeys Through Europe’s Unfinished Frontiersfrom our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

• Buy Jonn’s bookA History of the World in 47 Borders and pre-order his upcoming 35 Inventions that Built Our World

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Written and presented by Jonn Elledge. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music: Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Donald Trump is making more money than any sitting US president in history – and his eldest son isn’t about to let Dad have all the fun… Through his investment firm 1789 Capital, Donald Trump Jr is cashing in by backing companies that often stand to benefit from government policy.  

So how is he turning political access into profit? What does it reveal about the financial ties between the White House and the president's inner circle? And is it blatant corruption or is he exploiting a system with few guardrails? The New York Times’ finance reporter Maureen Farrell joins Jacob Jarvis to unpack what’s going on.  

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Andy Burnham is pushing his new devolution agenda and suggested it could mean we need a written constitution. How might that work? Plus, there’s a new mayor in Manchester, what did the by-election show us? Alex von Tunzelmann talks Jacob Jarvis through the news to look out for in the next few days.  

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance atrefundclub.co.uk/bunker 

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service.refundclub.co.uk/bunker 

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.    

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Looking back on the big stories of the past week…The Burnham bounce is driving the right completely bonkers. How long can his momentum last – and can anyone knock the PM off his pedestal? Plus: Donald Trumpheld talks with Zelensky and Netanyahu after delivering an unhinged eulogy for the late Senator Lindsey Graham. What did we learn from these meetings? Rafael Behrjoins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Putin thought his war on Ukraine would restore Russia to greatness in just ten days. Instead, after four and a half years of futile slaughter and almost half a million Russian soldiers killed, the unthinkable seems to be coming true. Could Russia lose in Ukraine? Could Putin go down with it? And could defeat break up the Russian Federation – the “last empire” – itself? Russian native and professor in the Department of International Relations at the Central European University in Vienna Alexander Etkind joins Alex von Tunzelmannto discuss what happens next. 

 • Buy Professor Etkind’s book Russia Against Modernity from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Find out if you’re owed on car finance at refundclub.co.uk/bunker

• Refund Club is a trading style of Sandsford Law Limited, authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA no. 8008114). Checking is free. A fee is payable only if your claim is successful. Eligibility: car finance taken out in the UK between 2007 and 2021. The average claim is around £829 per agreement; this is an average and not a guarantee of the amount you will receive. You can also claim yourself for free by contacting your lender or the Financial Ombudsman Service. refundclub.co.uk/bunker

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic. Is this how it all ends? If you weren’t worried enough about nuclear war, the next doomsday weapon is a sinister invisible threat – and it’s a living thing. After her astonishing book Nuclear War: A Scenario reignited the global conversation about the reality of nuclear weapons, Annie Jacobson’s new book Biological War: A Scenario charts how a fast-moving pathogen could bring humanity swiftly to its knees.  

She spoke to US government officials, military advisers, virologists and trawled through a mountain of declassified material to build the scenario. Annie now joins Emma Kennedy to discuss the enormity of the threat.   

• Buy Annie’s book Biological War: A Scenariofrom our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

• Annie speaks about her previous book Nuclear War: A Scenario on this vintage episode of The Bunker.  

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music: Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Steve Gallant knows what’s wrong with Britain's prisons. He spent over 16 years in jail for murder and then – on his very first day release – he helped stop the 2019 London Bridge terror attack, an act of bravery which won him the Queen’s Gallantry Medal and a Royal Prerogative of Mercy. 

Now a writer, speaker and prison safety consultant, he talks to Zoë Grünewaldabout Britain’s prison crisis; the violence, self-harm, drug use and organised crime inside prison; the collapse of education and rehabilitation; and the jails which could run out of space by November. How quickly must the Burnham government act? 

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Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting up the stories of the next seven days… France and Spain suffer apocalyptic fires and mass evacuations. Will this be the tipping point for European climate policy? Andy Burnham starts to tackle the big stuff in his second week as PM, starting with an issue that has defeated successive governments: social care. Plus the aftermath of the Berlin Pride terror attack, the Greater Manchester mayoral election, the Cockroach Protests in India… and who decided the Spider-Man movie was the standard bearer of anti-woke? Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison look at the stories that will shape the week ahead.  

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Looking back on the big stories of the past seven days…Did Andy Burnham’s first week as PM go as planned? A raging Elon Musk says he’s going to make his own Odyssey with A.I. and it’ll be better than Christopher Nolan’s and he’s not mad, OK?? (Plus bonus Musk interview from The Economist). Donald Trumpbrings back his election interference claims, this time pointing fingers at China. And an OpenAI model breaks out containment to hack another A.I. on its own – has artificial intelligence already started going rogue? 

Seth Thévoz joins Jacob Jarvisto discuss the biggest, strangest and most under-reported stories of the week.  

• Elon Musk interview with Economist editor in chief Zanny Minton Beddoes courtesy of The Economist. See the whole interview here.  

• Hear The Bunker on Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey here.

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Written and presented by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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“You can’t have a black Helen of Troy!” “You can’t have trans actors as Greek warriors!” Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster adaptation of The Odyssey answered the far-right hecklers and Elon Musk fanboys with a colossal opening weekend and critical acclaim. But is it truly a masterpiece? Does it capture the essence of Homer’s epic poem or simplify and Hollywoodise it? And what does the movie leave out? Dedicated classicist Rachel Cunliffe of the New Statesman and Oh God, What Now? talks over the original hero’s journey with simple swineherd Andrew Harrison. 

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Marine Le Pen is expected to make her fourth run at the French presidency sporting a unique accessory: an ankle tag. The scandal-plagued National Rally leader has gained ground with each attempt and the far-right may never have been so close to power. So how did we get here? From the Dreyfus affair and the collapse of the French military in WW2 to the rise of the Le Pen dynasty,Enda O’Doherty– author ofThe Dark Side of France: Thirteen Chapters in the History of the French Far Right – joins Alex von Tunzelmann to trace the country’s complicated political past.  

• Buy Enda’s book The Dark Side of France: Thirteen Chapters in the History of the French Far Right from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Nigel Farage launched a “people versus establishment” by-election in Clacton – but which side is he REALLY on? The Reform leader claims to speak for ordinary people but the privately-educated former banker has pocketed over £2 million in outside earnings since becoming an MP, accepted a £5m gift from a crypto mega-donor and has taken more cash from “Posh” George Cottrell – a convicted fraudster. If that’s not the establishment, what is? Political scientist and lecturer at the University of Oxford Dr Vladimir Bortun joins Zoë Grünewald to decipher which side Farage is on.  

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Written and presented by Zoë Grünewald. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Burnham is finally going to become Prime Minister – but can he really move faster than his predecessor? And will simply communicating better make all that much difference? Gavin Esler joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss this and the other key stories to look out for this week.

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Gavin Esler. Audio production: SimonWilliams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music byKenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Looking back on the big stories of the past seven days… An astonishing World Cup rollercoaster ends in crushing disappointment for England against Argentina – but it all seems unimportant next to the repercussions from the horrific killing of Ann Widdecombe. Are Reform’s claims that rival parties and the media are “inciting” violence making a tense situation worse? Plus, Keir Starmer opens his farewell tour with his last-ever PMQs – how will he be remembered? And former DJ, nightclub owner and publicist for Pulp Anneliese Midgley is tipped for a top job under Andy Burnham. Zoë Grünewald joins Andrew Harrison to discuss the biggest, strangest and under-reported stories of the week.  

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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It’s been branded “the scariest company on the planet” and it is busy weaving itself into the fabric of Britain’s NHS, defence establishment and beyond. Peter Thiel’s Palantir has a terrible reputation – but do its products even work as billed? As MPs call for Palantir’s £330m NHS contract to be scrapped and fears grow over Big Brother-style data sharing, we talk to Democracy for Sale founder Peter Geogheganwhoseinvestigation into Palantir reveals a company that’s a lot better at schmoozing than delivery – and how Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm helped land the NHS deal.

How did a controversial US tech firm – whose AI powers military strikes in Gaza and Iran and ICE’s immigration raids, and whose founder Peter Thiel thinks the NHS makes people sick – wheedle its way into Westminster? And what can we do about it? 

• Read about Peter and Lucas Amin’s investigation on Democracy for Sale 

• Read the full 7,000 word investigation on the London Review of Books

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Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music: Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Nigel Farage is under fire over his £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire – but does British politics have a wider money problem? MPs earn a salary of just shy of £100,000 but for many that's just a sliver of the total pay packet. Side hustles, political gifts and personal donations can add millions more a year. So how does it all work – and where’s the line? Dr. Sam Powerof the University of Bristol, one of the country’s leading experts on party political funding and corruption, joins Seth Thévoz to decipher who really pays your MP. 

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Written and presented by SethThévoz. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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“Please rate this book.” “What was your experience at Tesco like?” “Did this carrot meet your expectations?”… Star ratings are everywhere and they’re ruining the world. You can’t order a curry, watch a film or buy a kettle without having to check what others said about it – and being pestered to give your review. 

We’ve turned the entire planet into a customer satisfaction survey, but how did it happen? With a limitless choice on offer, are star ratings more help or hindrance? Can we trust them – and how can you spot a scam write-up? Benji Wilson, author of Rate This Book: How Star Ratings Took Over the World, tells Emma Kennedy what the pressure to review and rate everything is doing to our minds.  

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Written and presented by Emma Kennedy. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Setting up the stories of the next seven days…Police say there is no reason to suspect that the murder of Anne Widdecombe was politically motivated, but it’s not stopping Nigel Farage and Reform from trying to weaponise the killing. Plus, what’s on Andy Burnham’s plate as he prepares to move into No.10? The hard right lose their sense of humour over Count Binface. The US and Iran are at it again. And England are two games away from actually, possibly, really, genuinely winning the World Cup. The Guardian’s Rafael BehrandAndrew Harrison look at the stories that will shape the week ahead.  

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Nigel Farage’s by-election stunt has blown up in his face – but could he really lose to Count Binface? Donald Trump has gone back to bombing and declared the Iran ceasefire “over”. Will this Groundhog Day ever end? And Prince Harry lost his landmark privacy case against the Daily Mail’s publisher – will more cases follow or is this it? Alex von Tunzelmann joins Jacob Jarvisto discuss the biggest, strangest and under-reported stories of the week.  

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Columnists need critics too… Hot Take Time Machine is back with Paper Cuts alumni Miranda Sawyer, Jonn Elledge and Jacob Jarvis picking apart the most bizarre takes in the op-edaverse.  

On this episode: Andy Burnham’s wardrobe causes a stir, Kwasi Kwarteng – yes, the man who nearly exploded the economy – warns against “Red Ed” Miliband becoming chancellor, one Telegraph columnist has a solution for the Dartmoor ponies (eating them) and a Times writer takes a kinky cruise.  

• Spotted a column we should talk about next time? Send it to info@bunkercast.co.uk 

• Listen to Miranda’s sit-down with 5Live legend Elis James in the latest episode of Talk ‘90s to me.

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Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis withMiranda Sawyer and Jonn Elledge. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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Is Britain really as free of corruption as we think? This year the UK posted its lowest-ever score in a global corruption index. High-level scandals like Peter Mandelson’s Epstein ties and Peter Murrell embezzling from the SNP – and less conspicuous instances of fraud and backhanders – are eating into our self-image as rule-followers. And the man who might be Prime Minister keeps changing his explanation for a £5m gift from a crypto baron. 

Are these isolated political crises, or does the rot in our system run deeper? Professor of anti-corruption practice at the University of Sussex Robert Barrington joins Zing Tsjeng to unpick how corruption manifests in Britain. 

 • Buy Robert's book Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity – And How We Can Get It Back from our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Tech shapes our world, and Stanford University is Silicon Valley’s training ground. But what really goes on in the place that gave us Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Peter Thiel – the richest university in human history? As a student reporter, Stanford undergraduate Theo Baker’s work forced Stanford’s president to resign. Now his new book How To Rule The World exposes the intense and amoral culture of a place where talent fights for access to untold funds; oligarchs mine the world’s sharpest young minds for talent; and ethical concerns dissolve in the light of money.

Seth Thévoz talks to Theo Baker about Stanford’s ruthless mindset, why most venture capitalists are actually very bad at their jobs, and what happens when you give teenagers money to burn and no responsibilities. 

• Buy How To Rule The World: An Education in Power at Stanford University through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

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Written and presented by Seth Thévoz. Produced by James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting up the stories of the next seven days… As England fans shake off their Mexico hangover, another cash scandal hits Farage, who denies “doing any wrongdoing” (?). How will Naughty Nigel handle new revelations about undeclared funding from convicted criminal “Posh George” Cottrell, while still dealing with the headache of his £5m gift from a crypto baron?

Plus: NATO’s conference in Ankara; crunch time for Marine le Pen; Trump names yet another thing after himself; and England face Norway on Saturday. Gavin EslerandAndrew Harrison cast the runes of the week ahead. (How come we never thought of “Orangemandias” before?)

• Hear Gavin Esler on ⁠This Is Not A Drill⁠ every week. Miniseries New Weapons for New Wars starts Thur 16 July. 

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Written and presented by Producer: Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories that matter from the past seven days… Andy Burnhamsets out his store before almost certainly taking the keys to Downing Street. But is Starmer leaving him a poison pill? Plus, more emerges on Farage and Trump’s mammoth paydays. And goodbye human delivery, hello delivery robots, apparently already causing “pavement overload” on Britain's streets. Alex von Tunzelmannjoins Andrew Harrison to dissect the week's biggest and weirdest stories – and the headlines you might have missed. 

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Fables Of The Reconstruction: A Bunker mini-series for the 250th anniversary of the USA… When Trump is gone, should America take a long hard look at its system to prevent authoritarian government from coming back? We talk to experts about the pros and cons of a new Reconstruction.  

Today: Can you make the pillars of American democracy President-proof without looking again at the Constitution itself? If not, is the US on a one-way path to vesting all power in one person? And how are the supposed firewalls against Presidential tyranny faring under assault from Trump? Professor of government at Bowdoin College and LSE visiting professor Andrew Rudalevige talks Andrew Harrison through the big ask of looking again at America’s most sacred document. 

• Don’t miss the other episodes of this three-part miniseries. 

• Want more on the politics of the USA? Don’t miss our brilliant podcast American Friction – out twice weekly.

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Fables Of The Reconstruction: A Bunker mini-series for the 250th anniversary of the USA… Trump won’t be around forever. When he goes, does America need a root and branch rethink? We look at the pros and cons of new Reconstruction. 

Today: Rip it up and start again? The US system was supposed to be a bulletproof arrangement of checks and balances. Trump has shown how easy it can be for an authoritarian to blast through all of it. So what can America do about it? Political analyst and professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University Dan Cassino talks to Andrew Harrison about the need for Congress to do its job of limiting the President’s powers; where and how the Supreme Court needs fixing; and what happens when the arms of government fall under the power of one man. 

• Want more on the politics of the USA? Don’t miss our brilliant podcast American Friction – out twice weekly. 

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Fables Of The Reconstruction: A Bunker mini-series for the 250th anniversary of the USA… After Trump’s reign and his war on the pillars of American democracy are over, will America need a reboot, like after the Civil War? A new Reconstruction? 

Today: Nothing reduces the America system to gridlock and vindictiveness like the polarised two-party system. And when Trump remade the Republicans into a self-radicalising personality cult, he made it worse. Is there any breaking out of the Democrat vs Republican vendetta? Casey Burgat, former congressional staffer turned politics professor at George Washington University, give Andrew Harrison a brisk education on what’s not working in US party politics… and what, surprisingly, is.  

• Don’t miss the other episodes of this three-part miniseries.

• Want more on the politics of the USA? Don’t miss our brilliant podcast American Friction – out twice weekly.

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.

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Setting out the stories of the next seven days… Andy Burnham is PM in waiting and the battle among Labour MPs for his attention is on. What’s going to bubble up from what the Guardian calls a “massive bunfight for influence”? Plus, Shabana Mahmood finds a way to make immigration even more contentious, Trump finds a way to make America’s 250th birthday horribly divisive… and Taylor Swift is getting married in New York. Ros TaylorandAndrew Harrison read the runes for the week ahead.  

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Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison.THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. 

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