This week Breaking History dives into a century-old mind game: Russia’s information war against America. More specifically, how it keeps driving us crazy. From Soviet spycraft to this summer’s Russiagate revelations, the story is often familiar: a kernel of truth is then buried in lies.
We look back at the haunted mind of James Jesus Angleton, the CIA’s original paranoia prophet. He spent his life chasing Russian ghosts, and what he saw and what he feared still echo through Washington today.
CREDITS
Executive Producer: Poppy Damon
Associate Producer: Adam Feldman
Sound Designer: Volkan Kiziltug
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1:11:55
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1:11:55
The Birth of Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything
How did air conditioning go from a niche invention for factories to a force that reshaped cities, industries, and even human behavior?
In this episode of Breaking History, we dive deep into the surprising, often overlooked story of AC with author Salvatore Basile—author of Cool: How Air Conditioning Changed Everything.
Hear how Willis Carrier’s revolutionary breakthrough changed the world.
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Producers: Poppy Damon & Adam Feldman
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29:32
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29:32
Restless Nation | The Red-Green Alliance: The Making of Modern Iran (Part 2)
In our last episode, we traced the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty and the forces building toward Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
This week, we turn to the man who brought that monarchy to an end: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
From exile in a quiet French chateau, Khomeini launched a revolution that shattered 2,500 years of Persian monarchy. But he didn’t do it alone.
Liberals and leftists, both inside Iran and across the West, played a crucial role in legitimizing his cause, a dynamic that feels familiar today.
This is the story of the first Red-Green Alliance, a tactical partnership between Islamists and the progressive left, and the cost of that alliance once power changed hands.
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Producers
Poppy Damon & Adam Feldman.
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1:28:05
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1:28:05
BONUS | Eli Lake & Josh Hammer on Russiagate: Do the New Documents Support Treason?
Do the new Russiagate releases justify Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s accusation of “treasonous conspiracy”? In this bonus episode, Eli Lake and commentator Josh Hammer get into the nitty gritty of the newest document releases in one of the most polarizing political controversies of the 21st century: Russiagate.
Listen to Boundless Insights wherever you get your podcasts for smart, honest conversations about the biggest stories shaping Jewish life, Israeli politics, and their global impact.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1:09:47
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1:09:47
Restless Nation | The Making of Modern Iran (Part 1)
Breaking History dives into the paradox at the heart of modern Iran: How a nation born in revolt, from the tobacco protests of the 1890s to the 1979 Revolution, has time and again empowered autocrats in the name of democracy. This week we trace the cycles of reform and repression that still shape Iran today.
Producer: Poppy Damon
A special thanks to our sponsors:
Go to groundnews.com/BreakingHistory to get 40% off the unlimited access Vantage plan and stay fully informed on today’s biggest news stories.
Listen to Boundless Insights wherever you get your podcasts for smart, honest conversations about the biggest stories shaping Jewish life, Israeli politics, and their global impact.
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Sometimes the news moves so fast, you have to look closely to know if you’ve seen it before. And that’s what this show is about. Breaking History breaks down the news, by breaking down history. We cover everything from LBJ and the Roman Republic to Donald Trump and the chaos at Columbia. This twice a month show from The Free Press delivers the best historians, authors, and reporters by mining the archives of human experience to figure out the present. George Santayana wrote, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Tune in to Breaking History to resist the repetition.
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