Greg Olear talks to Stephanie Baker about her superb new book, “Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia,” on the West’s financial warfare against Putin after the invasion of Ukraine. They discuss the oligarchs and their complex relationships with Putin, the challenges of implementing economic sanctions on an economy as big as Russia’s, Boris Johnson’s role in the push for sanctions, the unintended consequences and byproducts of the economic warfare, the role of Telegram, and the potential consequences of Moscow’s nuclear weapons. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the future of Putin's regime and potential actions that could be taken to support Ukraine.

Stephanie Baker is an award-winning investigative reporter at Bloomberg News. She began her reporting career in Moscow during the 1990s. She received her master’s at the London School of Economics and her work has been recognized by the Gerald Loeb Awards, the Overseas Press Club, the UK Society of Editors, the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing, and the UK’s Foreign Press Association.

Follow Stephanie:
https://x.com/StephaniBaker

Buy the book:
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Punishing-Putin/Stephanie-Baker/9781668050583

Subscribe to The Five 8:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA

Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17

ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T

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In this far-ranging discussion, Greg Olear talks to the actress, director, podcast host, and activist Rosanna Arquette about: Kamala Harris, the DNC, and the new hope around U.S. politics; what to expect at the presidential debate; the deal with RFK Jr.; the time she met Trump; the time she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; the Alexis Project and the fundraiser happening in LA this week; Me Too and opportunities for women in Hollywood; her acting career, from “Desperately Seeking Susan” to “Pulp Fiction” to “The L-Word” to “Succubus”; her directing style; and much, much more. Plus: nothing left to lose!

Rosanna on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/rosannaarquette/

Rosanna’s website:

https://www.rosannaarquette.com/about

The Alexis Project:

https://www.alexisproject.org/

The fundraiser:

https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/vip-community-mental-health-center-inc/the-alexis-project-copy-1

Radical Musings:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radical-musings-with-rosanna-arquette/id1550695064

Subscribe to The Five 8:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA

Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17

ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T

Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short

Robbie Harris is a strategic communications and behavior change subject matter expert with over 25 years’ experience working with local influencers, activists, civil society organizations, journalists, and senior stakeholders in Iraq, Syria, Africa, and Central America. She has designed and implemented successful programs for US DoD, DoS and USAID, and UK FCDO and MoD. She’s the co-founder of a small international business; has worked for USAID-OTI; speaks Arabic, Spanish, and English, and has a M.A. in Arab Studies from Georgetown University.

In the interview with Greg Olear, Harris discusses her background and how she got into her line of work, which involves strategic communications and behavior change. She shares her experiences working in Iraq and countering ISIS propaganda. The conversation also touches on the legacy of colonialism in the Middle East and its impact on the region today, the situation in Kurdistan, the proxy war in Syria, the refugee camp in Northern Syria, the growing stateless population, and the experience of living in Somalia and Niger. Finally, she shares her advice on messaging to US voters and warns about the potential consequences of a collapse of democracy and of civil war.

Prevail is sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg

Subscribe to The Five 8:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhA

Check out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17

ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:

https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T

Would you like to tell us more about you?
http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=short