Best Ukrainian Language Podcasts (2025)

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No, Trump Isn't Cracking Down on Crime. Plus, How Ukrainians Tell Their Story of the War. 54:39

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11h ago54:39

54:39

President Trump is preparing to send the National Guard to cities across the country. On this week’s On the Media, what the press is missing about the president’s so-called “crackdown” on crime. Plus, in the aftermath of a Russian attack, a Ukrainian town asks journalists to record the atrocities. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Jamison Fo…

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‘I ended up here because of what I wrote’. In their own words, Meduza’s anonymous staff members introduce themselves to readers

8h ago

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Regular readers have likely noticed that many of our stories simply say “Meduza” in the byline. For safety reasons — since any cooperation with our newsroom is against the law in Russia — only a few of our journalists have continued to publish openly under their names. Nevertheless, we want our readers to learn more about everyone who works here. T…

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Kremlin spokesman says Russia’s state-backed messenger Max needs competition from Telegram and WhatsApp

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Telegram and WhatsApp should stay active in Russia to provide real competition for the homegrown Max messenger, which the Russian authorities are promoting as a “national” alternative. “Without competition, Max won’t be able to develop,” he told state outlet TASS during remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum. Max…

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Russia’s top lawmaker wants a ‘special military operation’ veteran teaching in every school across the country

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Russia’s top lawmaker, Vyacheslav Volodin, has urged the nation’s schools to welcome veterans of the war in Ukraine as instructors, arguing that they should be teaching “the subjects that suit them best.” Volodin’s comments came during a meeting at Kuban State University in southern Russia. Every school should have at least one such teacher, he sai…

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‘Prying each other’s fingers off the remote’. Tussle breaks out between Russian and North Korean leaders’ bodyguards over room temperature during Putin’s China trip

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Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin in a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing Bodyguards for Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got into a scuffle over the air conditioning remote during a meeting between the two leaders in China earlier this week, according to Kommersant journalist Andrey Kolesnikov. Th…

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‘Half of my life was spent there’. The human stories behind Vandazor’s forgotten factory

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Anushavan Abovyan looks at the Vanadzor Chemical Plant, where he used to work A former industrial powerhouse, the city of Vanadzor in Armenia’s northern Lori region has seen most of its factories shutter in the decades since independence. The local Chemical Plant, which was once the second-largest in the country, now stands derelict after suffering…

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‘The best place to meet is the hero city Moscow’. Putin refuses to meet Zelensky in a third country. Here’s how hopes for a summit rose, then fizzled.

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On August 6, just days before yet another of Donald Trump’s deadlines for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine was set to expire, the U.S. president told European leaders that he planned to meet with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky together in the near future. Over the next month, Trump met with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders separate…

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Kazakhstan arrests Russian woman with ties to Navalny team under international warrant from Moscow

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A Russian woman who may have previously worked with the late opposition politician Alexey Navalny’s campaign was arrested at the airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, last week, Novaya Gazeta Europe reports. According to the Kazakhstani outlet Orda.kz, the Russian authorities had issued an international arrest warrant against the woman for alleged “proper…

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U.S. to end some security assistance programs for E.U. countries on Russia’s border — Financial Times

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The U.S. is ending some security assistance programs for eastern European countries, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing informed sources. The programs in question, which fall under an authority known as section 333, provide training and supplies for U.S.-allied armies around the world. Key recipients in Europe include Estonia, Latvia, a…

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Russian authorities create AI tool to censor books for ‘drug propaganda’

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The Russian authorities have developed a program that uses AI to censor books for “drug propaganda,” Digital Development Ministry official Vladimir Grigoryev announced Thursday at the Moscow International Book Fair, according to the outlet Agentstvo. Grigoryev explained that the program will only flag content containing instructions on “how to make…

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Support independent journalism like this! . Meduza has won more Redkollegia awards than any other Russian-language media outlet. Here’s a selection of our winning reporting.

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Support independent journalism like this! Meduza has won more Redkollegia awards than any other Russian-language media outlet. Here’s a selection of our winning reporting. The Redkollegia is a prestigious, independent Russian media award that supports free, professional journalism. Established in 2016 by businessman and philanthropist Boris Zimin, …

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Zelensky rejects Putin’s Moscow invitation: ‘If you want no meeting, invite me there’

14h ago

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected an invitation from Vladimir Putin to meet in Moscow, calling the location choice a sign that Russia doesn’t actually want negotiations to happen. Speaking at a press conference in Paris after a summit of Europe’s “coalition of the willing,” Zelensky said U.S. partners had conveyed Putin’s Moscow invit…

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Russia touts prosthetics breakthrough — fueled by its own war casualties

16h ago

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Russia’s deputy defense minister, Anna Tsivileva, declared on Thursday that the country has reached a “flagship level” in prosthetics since the invasion of Ukraine. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum on September 4, Tsivileva noted that veterans of Russia’s Ukraine invasion pushed authorities to ramp up development and introduce technologies pr…

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‘Touching stories’. Russians use AI tool to generate ‘farewell videos’ featuring soldiers killed in the war with Ukraine

18h ago

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An online service that uses AI to generate “farewell videos” of soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine has been gaining popularity among Russian users, the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti reported on Wednesday. A social media page called “Final Meeting” hosts dozens of these videos. According to the channel, each one depicts a soldier embracing…

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‘I’ve never seen such an extensive film of pollution’. New oil spill dumps over 10 tons of petroleum in the Black Sea, killing birds and coating Russian beaches

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Late last year, two Russian oil tankers collided in the Kerch Strait, leaking thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil into the Black Sea. The incident was disastrous for local wildlife and continues to wreak havoc on southern Russia’s tourism industry. Now, less than a year later, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium has announced that a ruptured hose cause…

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‘We’re all in shock’. U.S. police launch murder investigation after Russian man found ‘lying in a pool of blood’ in tent at Burning Man

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The tent at Burning Man where Vadim Kruglov was killed A Russian man was found dead at the Burning Man arts festival in the Nevada desert over the weekend. He was reportedly found “lying in a pool of blood,” and U.S. authorities are investigating his death as a homicide. Here’s what we know so far about the incident. A 37-year-old Russian man named…

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Russian lawmaker says new mandatory messenger app will not use AI to report users to authorities

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Anton Nemkin, a member of the Russian State Duma’s Information Policy Committee, said the idea that the country’s new national messenger app, Max, will use AI technology to surveil and report citizens is false. “The rumor that Max will supposedly ‘write denunciations’ with the help of AI is pure science fiction. There are no technical capabilities …

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Ruth Perini, "Varaha Upanishad: The Path to Supreme Knowledge" (2025) 30:29

1d ago30:29

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This conversation examines the newly published translation of the Varāha Upaniṣad, a lesser-known but deeply transformative scripture from the Kṛṣṇa‑Yajurveda, composed between the 13th and 16th centuries CE and spanning 249 verses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! http…

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Sberbank CEO says Russian economy has hit ‘technical stagnation’ and warns of recession risk

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The Russian economy entered a period of “technical stagnation” in Q2 of 2025, Sberbank CEO German Gref said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Wednesday. “The second quarter can essentially be considered technical stagnation. July and August show fairly clear signs that we’re approaching zero growth,” Gref said, according to Russian ne…

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Russia’s Belgorod region bans posting information about Ukrainian attacks from unofficial sources

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Russia’s emergency response headquarters in the Belgorod region has banned posting any information online about Russian military activity or the aftermath of Ukrainian attacks if it comes from unofficial sources, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Thursday. “Only information published by official representatives of the authorities, the counterterr…

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‘It’s mostly whining’. How pro-war writers and A.I.-enhanced censors conquered Russia’s literature industry

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In May 2025, police raided the private homes and offices of current and former employees of Eksmo-AST, Russia’s largest publishing group. About a dozen people (the exact number remains unclear) were arrested in connection with so-called “LGBTQ extremism.” Prosecutors later brought formal charges against Dmitry Protopopov, Artyom Vakhlyaev, and Pave…

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The Viral Outrage Over Peanut the Squirrel 30:04

3d ago30:04

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A beloved squirrel named Peanut was seized in a raid by New York environmental officers last year. A maelstrom of online outrage ensued, upending New York wildlife enforcement in the process. In conversation with NYC Now's Janae Pierre, our colleague, reporter Jon Campbell, unravels the saga -- revealing a story about mistaken identities and the po…

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Eyewitnesses to a war crime . Ukraine’s 20,000 stolen children are on the Trump administration’s radar. But will it help get them back?

1d ago

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Protesters demand the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia during a solidarity march in London. June 1, 2025. More than two weeks have passed since U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Vladimir Putin in Alaska, and by all appearances, this controversial show of diplomacy yielded no tangible results. Despite the positive follow-up meetin…

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‘A gut punch in the middle of campaign season’. As the Kremlin pushes its own messenger and blocks rivals, even officials are loath to use the new app

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The Russian authorities are mounting an unprecedented campaign to make Max, a messaging app developed by the state-controlled social media company VK, the country’s primary communications platform. They’ve disabled voice calls on Russia’s most popular messengers, Telegram and WhatsApp, and passed legislation requiring all new phones to come with Ma…

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‘Let Zelensky come to Moscow’. Putin uses Beijing press conference to talk a little about his China visit — and a lot about Ukraine

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Vladimir Putin wrapped up his four-day visit to China on Wednesday. During the trip, the Russian president attended a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, held talks with a range of foreign leaders, and attended Beijing’s largest-ever military parade, where he appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.…

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Hot mic catches Putin and Xi discussing immortality and organ transplants at Beijing parade

2d ago

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A hot mic at Beijing’s military parade on Wednesday caught Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing ways to extend human life using modern technology, Bloomberg reports. The exchange took place as Xi, Putin, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made their way to the viewing stand before the start of the parade, wh…

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Lithuanian president’s plane delays landing in Vilnius after drone sighting

2d ago

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A plane carrying Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda had to delay its landing at Vilnius Airport after reports of a drone sighting on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Tomas Berzinskas told state broadcaster LRT. “As the plane approached Vilnius Airport, we received information that a drone had been spotted and it wasn’t safe to land yet. The pil…

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Stranded Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsina has died, Kyrgyzstan’s Mountaineering Federation says

2d ago

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Russian mountain climber Natalia Nagovitsina, who got stranded on Kyrgyzstan’s Pobeda Peak on August 12 after suffering an injury during her descent, has died, according to Eduard Kubatov, president of Kyrgyzstan’s Mountaineering and Climbing Federation. Kubatov said drones twice surveyed the area where Nagovitsina was located on September 2, but n…

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Russian soldier accused of war crimes in Ukraine appointed government minister in Russia’s Dagestan

2d ago

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A veteran of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has been appointed the acting minister for National Policy and Religious Affairs of Dagestan, according to the press service of the republic’s governor, Sergey Melikov. Temirlan Abutalimov has been a participant in Russia’s “Time of Heroes” program, an initiative designed to prepare war veterans for p…

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Murder suspect in former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker’s killing says he acted out of revenge

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The man accused of killing former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Andriy Parubiy admitted in court on Tuesday that he committed the murder as an act of revenge against Ukraine’s authorities. During a hearing in Lviv, the suspect, identified as Mykhailo Stselnikov, confessed, saying he hoped to be exchanged for prisoners of war so he could travel to…

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Ursula’s paper trail. Reports of GPS jamming and analog navigation during a landing in Bulgaria raise questions about what actually happened aboard the E.U. chief’s plane

3d ago

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A business jet carrying Ursula von der Leyen at an air base in Romania, September 1, 2025 On August 31, a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen lost its GPS signal outside the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv and the pilot was forced to use paper charts to land, according to reports published on September 1 by The Financial Tim…

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A gas breakthrough, if it’s not all hot air. Russian authorities announce memorandum on Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline that could reshape Chinese and global markets

3d ago

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During Vladimir Putin’s visit to China, Russia’s delegation reportedly signed 22 documents — a whirlwind of memoranda, protocols, contracts, and agreements that include a potentially “breakthrough” deal on the supply of natural gas. President Putin arrived on August 31 for a four-day official visit, joining a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summi…

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‘It wasn’t my decision’. Former Navalny aide Ivan Zhdanov on breaking with the Anti-Corruption Foundation and the Russian opposition’s future

3d ago

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The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the investigative organization founded by the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, has a new director. The departure of Ivan Zhdanov, who had led the group since 2018, was announced on September 1. His successor, Vladislav Romantsov, first joined the FBK in 2013 as a volunteer and has served as its IT…

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Is America Becoming an Autocracy? 50:28

8d ago50:28

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President Donald Trump’s countless executive orders and mounting deportations are testing America’s democratic institutions. On this week’s On the Media, what we can learn from Hungary’s recent backslide into autocracy. Plus, why resistance movements throughout history have succeeded with 3.5 percent of the population, or less, behind them. [01:00]…

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A Ukrainian Translation of the Devi Mahatmya 1:03:54

8d ago1:03:54

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In this episode, Dr. Raj Balkaran speaks with art historian and curator Alisa Lozhkina about her groundbreaking Ukrainian translation of the Devī Māhātmya—the first ever in the language. They explore the inspiration behind this bold project, the text’s unique reception in the Ukrainian cultural and spiritual landscape, and broader reflections on th…

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The Journalist Who Saw WW2 Coming 9:59

10d ago9:59

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For these last couple of weeks of August we’ve been airing a miniseries from our friends at Radio Diaries.The third and final part is about a woman named Dorothy Thompson. In 1939, Time Magazine called her a woman who “thinks, talks and sleeps world problems and scares strange men half to death.” They weren’t wrong. Thompson was a foreign correspon…

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With nearly 4,000 shows, all the world’s a stage at Edinburgh Fringe

11d ago

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Every August, the Scottish capital turns into a stage. For three and a half weeks, Edinburgh hosts The Fringe, the world’s largest performing arts festival. This year’s tally: nearly 4,000 shows, artists from more than 70 countries and genres spanning from improvised magic to Nora Ephron-inspired romcoms and even punk ballet. Comedian Adam Greene l…

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The Power of Shortwave Radio. And, What Gets Lost with Voice of America? 50:36

14d ago50:36

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This month, the director of Voice of America is being forced out in the latest of many moves to dismantle the state broadcasting service. On this week’s On the Media, a history of the Voice of America, and how it’s been politicized. Plus, hear why propagandists in Russia, China, and Iran are celebrating cuts to U.S.-funded foreign reporting. [01:00…

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Vinay Lal, "Gandhi, Truth, and Nonviolence: The Politics of Engagement in Post-Truth Times" (Oxford UP, 2025) 1:08:31

16d ago1:08:31

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The anthology presents a diverse array of essays delving into Gandhi's political activities, ethical beliefs, and philosophical stance. Distinguished Gandhian scholars contribute to this collection, setting it apart from similar compilations by focusing not just on Gandhi's impact or the debate over his relevance, but on maintaining his bold ethica…

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The Forgotten Shock Jock Who Paved the Way for Rush Limbaugh 9:39

17d ago9:39

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This week, we're airing part two of a documentary series, courtesy of Radio Diaries, about three radio personalities who had huge audiences in their time, but today, are largely forgotten. These days, we’re used to media that thrives on conflict, that amplifies the most outrageous voices in the room. It’s something we often trace back to shock jock…

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Ukrainian jazz pianist pays homage to the fallen

17d ago

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One of the first things that jumps out about Fima Chupakhin is that he loves to laugh. He has the kind of contagious, welcoming and easygoing attitude that rubs off on other people. His generally positive disposition flows into his passion for music. That passion, he says, started at an early age. “There was a tiny toy piano in our apartment. I jus…

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Learning Ancient Languages: A Conversation with Antonia Ruppel 1:37:18

18d ago1:37:18

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Sanskritist and seasoned teacher Dr. Antonia Ruppel shares her views on the merits and pitfalls of academic enterprise, the brave new world of self-employed scholarship and the teaching of ancient languages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supporti…

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Silicon Valley's Rightwing Roots. Plus, the CEO of Bluesky Reimagines Social Media 50:28

22d ago50:28

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When Donald Trump returned to office, tech companies donated millions of dollars to his inaugural committee. On this week’s On the Media, the rightwing roots of Silicon Valley. Plus, the CEO of the burgeoning social media platform, Bluesky, on how to billionaire-proof the internet. [01:00] Micah Loewinger speaks with Becca Lewis, a postdoctoral res…

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Vinay Lal, "India and Its Intellectual Traditions: of Love, Advaita, Power, and Other Things" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:08:47

23d ago1:08:47

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The book, the third volume to emerge from the enterprise known as 'The Backwaters Collective on Metaphysics and Politics', attempts to further the collective's ambition to put into question the certitudes of conventional social science discourse, decolonize the dominant knowledge frameworks, and understand how the intellectual and cultural resource…

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The Famous Black Preacher Who Feuded With MLK 15:41

24d ago15:41

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For these final weeks of summer we wanted to transport you away from the doom and gloom of the daily news with a trio of stories produced by our friends at the public radio documentary-maker, Radio Diaries. The series is called “Making Waves” and it profiles three people who pushed the boundaries of radio: one to warn, one to rile, one to preach. T…

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Kirin Narayan, "Cave of My Ancestors: Vishwakarma and the Artisans of Ellora" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:17:25

25d ago1:17:25

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On the podcast today I am joined by Kirin Narayan, emerita professor at the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Kirin is joining me to talk about her new book, Cave of my Ancestors: Vishwakarma and the Artisans of Ellora published by Chicago University Press in 2024, and in 2025 as an Indian edition by HarperColli…

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Trump's Fact Eradication Program. Plus, How Jubilee is Transforming Political Debate 50:20

28d ago50:20

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President Trump fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak jobs report. On this week’s On the Media, how the Trump administration is threatening government data. Plus, a viral YouTube channel raises questions about the meaning of political debate. [01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone situates President Trump’s recent firing …

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Navijivan Rastogi, "Kalikrama and Abhinavagupta: The Epistemological Ethics of a Tantric Tradition" (Nalanda, 2022) 27:58

1M ago27:58

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The Krama School of the Trika Saivism of Kashmir, more familiar as Kalikrama in the contemporary parlance, has turned out to be the most crucial among the monistic Saiva traditions of medieval Kashmir after the Pratyabhijna school, a scenario people could hardly envisage six decades back when it first came to the notice of modern scholarship. The d…

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Eric Adams' Latest Scandal 20:13

30d ago20:13

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Here in New York we’re not due to select our next mayor till November but somehow it feels like we’re already embroiled in pre-election chaos. Eric Adams is now running as an independent, and to do so he was required to present the signatures of 7,500 New Yorkers who support him. He actually handed in around 50,000 signatures so he more than made t…

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Images of Mass Starvation Shift Gaza Coverage. Plus, the Forgotten History of the First Sitcom. 50:30

1M ago50:30

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As reports of starving children in Gaza mount, France, Britain, and Canada are preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood. On this week’s On the Media, Palestinian journalists documenting food scarcity in Gaza are themselves going without food. Plus, how Israeli tv stations are deflecting blame for the blockade on aid. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinge…