August - 2019

EP 403: Senator Jeff Merkley Defends Migrant Families

In 2018 Senator Jeff Merkley posted a viral video that triggered worldwide outrage at the forced separation of migrant children from their parents. Now over a year later, he claims that there are still families who haven’t been reunited and that family separations are the result of a deliberate effort by the Trump Administration to deter immigrants by inflicting maximum pain. Senator Merkley makes the case that Trump’s zero tolerance policy toward illegal immigration is vio

EP 402: Explorer Josh Gates on Adventures, Legends, and Treasures

Adventurer and explorer Josh Gates has spent his career crossing the globe to investigate the world’s most intriguing mysteries as host of Expedition Unknown on Discovery Network. In the age of Google Maps, he says there are still unexplored parts of the world full of wonders to be uncovered. The self-described “opened-minded skeptic” talks his obsession with Yeti and why these "mystery primates" appear again and again in cultures all around the world. He reveals how Exped

Rerun: Former Secretary of State George Shultz

This is a rebroadcast of an interview with former Secretary of State George Shultz that originally aired January 19, 2018. Secretary Shultz recalls his close friendship with President Ronald Reagan, the moment he realized that Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was someone the U.S. could do business with, and Reagan's "Pershing missile moment" as a masterclass in peace through strength. He suggests that President Trump may soon need to have a "Pershing moment" of his own, r

EP 401: Philip Mudd on the CIA after 9/11

Former deputy director of the CIA Counterterrorist Center Philip Mudd talks about the radical transformation that the intelligence community underwent in the first 90 days after 9/11, why CIA was never intended to be in the business of housing and interrogating prisoners, and how the CIA reached the decision to outsource the job to America’s allies at so-called black sites in what came to be known as "the Program." He discusses some of the 13 enhanced interrogation methods t

EP 400: Down the Rabbit Hole w/ the Amazing Johnathan

The Amazing Johnathan Documentary begins as a profile on a uniquely deranged magician, who built a career out of shock and deception in the 1980s, but it quickly becomes the bizarre story about the unravelling of his documentarian Ben Berman. Johnathan Szeles and Ben Berman join me at the world famous Magic Castle to talk about the crazy experience of making this film. Johnathan discusses the heart condition that lead to his retirement in 2014, what his doctors say 5 years a

EP 399: George Takei Brings WWII Injustice to the Screen

Long before Star Trek, a very young George Takei was one of 145,000 Japanese Americans held in internment camps during World War II, and now he returns to this formative experience in his life as a historical consultant and star in the second season of AMC's horror anthology series The Terror: Infamy. He talks about the painful experience of having his whole family uprooted by their own government, the eerie sense of déjà vu that he got when he first arrived on the set of T

EP 398: Wyatt Russell on Embracing Everyday Magic

Actor Wyatt Russell is the star of the most original show on television AMC's Lodge 49. We discuss the allure of ancient fraternal orders, the importance of embracing everyday "magic," and getting curious about the places and the people we all too often drive past. He talks about how the show speaks to the isolation of modern social media culture and our longing for fellowship. Wyatt reminisces about previous career as a professional hockey player and the injury that sidel

Governor Terry McAuliffe on the Lessons of Charlottesville

Terry McAuliffe was Governor of Virginia at the time of the infamous Unite the Right rally that left 3 dead and many injured in Charlottesville, VA. He offers a behind-the-scenes account of this infamous chapter in our history and shows how we can prevent other Charlottesvilles in the future. He shares his biggest worries in the weeks leading up to the infamous Unite the Right rally, why local authorities didn’t take his concerns nearly seriously enough, and why he believes

EP 396: Goggins, Gaffigan, and Snakes!

Walton Goggins and Jim Gaffigan talk about getting over their fear of snakes to portray Pentecostal snake handlers in their new film Them That Follow. They discuss the beliefs behind the religion, why members of this Pentecostal sect live in fear of the law, and how the filmmakers took particular care not to reinforce negative stereotypes about the people of rural Appalachia. We talk about what attracts Walton to religious roles from The Apostle to Them That Follow, and how

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