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Podcasts That Unmask the Shadows of 2024

Let’s be honest: most podcasts are fluff, background noise for the doomscroll. But every so often, you stumble across a few that feel vital, like they’re speaking directly to the part of you that knows something’s deeply off. These are the ones that respect the work of Peter Dale Scott, understand that the CIA has been playing dirty for decades, and quietly agree that Oliver Stone might have nailed it with JFK. From deep-state machinations and true crime to the gangsters, spies, and outright monsters shaping our unnerving present, these podcasts don’t just expose the cracks—they show you how deep they go.

Best of 2024 (books)

In V13: Chronicle of a Trial, Emmanuel Carrère immerses readers in the unprecedented legal aftermath of the 2015 Paris terror attacks, illuminating the harrowing testimonies of survivors, the moral quandaries of justice, and the uneasy search for meaning amid almost unfathomable violence.

The Doge and the Fall of the American State

Picture a once-mighty empire, stripped to its underwear. Once hailed for its democratic values and global reach, the United States now staggers beneath the weight of its own contradictions—its institutions hollowed out, its alliances squandered, its climate left to burn. In the aftermath of a second Trump presidency, what was once dismissed as political theatre has morphed into a crisis so profound that even the most reluctant observers must confront the truth: the old order cannot endure.

“Progressing by Grassroot Networks”

In an interview with Posle Media, researcher and long-time activist Catherine Samary delves into the critical challenges facing the French left amidst a global rightward shift. She critiques the Macron-Barnier government’s austerity policies, rising xenophobia, and the growing influence of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, while advocating for grassroots mobilisation and international solidarity. Samary also addresses the complex dynamics of a left responses to the war in Ukraine, exploring the tensions between anti-imperialism and support for Ukraine’s resistance, and highlights the urgent need for a renewed internationalist strategy to counter neoliberalism, militarism, and environmental devastation. This wide-ranging discussion situates the French left’s struggles within broader global crises, offering a sobering yet hopeful call to action.

The Agitators of Ethnic Panic

Richard Seymour’s “Dreaming of Downfall” provides a crucial analysis of the recent wave of racial violence across Britain, exposing the deep-rooted anxieties and deliberate provocations that have led to this disturbing moment in the nation’s history.

Chronicles of the Abyss: The Alien Saga and America’s Shadows

In the void, the darkness, the depths of space, and the heart of America, shadows dance. The Alien saga, the nation’s journey, intertwined, parallel, mirroring, reflecting. The struggle, the fight, the survival, the change. The whispers, the warnings, the messages, the screams, the horrors, the nightmares, the dreams. Alien and America, the descent, the rebirth, the redemption, the fire. Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, the visionaries, the leaders, the architects. In the abyss, the chasm, the truth, the lies, the chronicles unfold.

Fractured Requiem & Eclipsed Empire

In a city of contrasts, “Fractured Requiem” and “Eclipsed Empire” present two sides of a narrative. The first explores the fragmented chaos of a postmodern cityscape, where a disjointed yet powerful insurgency defies definition and challenges the very foundations of an unjust society. The second delves into the world of the privileged elite, revealing their shifting perspectives and growing unease as they confront the reality of a city transformed by the powerful momentum of change. Together, these stories weave a compelling tale of revolution and its impact on both the oppressed and the oppressors.