

Prevail with Greg Olear
Greg Olear
On PREVAIL, a weekly interview podcast, the author and columnist Greg Olear discusses politics, world news, history, national security, foreign affairs, organized crime, dirty money, global corruption, and the fight for democracy with authors, journalists, academics, diplomats, researchers, and other expert guests. Every Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 3, 2023 • 1h 3min
The Jokerfication of Tucker Carlson (with Kat Abughazaleh)
Kat Abughazaleh’s job at Media Matters For America, as she puts it in her Twitter bio, is to watch Tucker Carlson so we don’t have to. Greg Olear talks to her about MMFA’s mission, how she found herself watching many hours of primetime Fox News, what makes good content for the network, how Fox News coverage has changed since J6, all things Tucker Carlson, and Mike Huckabee’s Christofascist children’s books. Plus: a new song about a bad guy.Follow Kat on Twitter:https://twitter.com/abughazalehkatOn TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@katmabuOn YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@katmabuSupport Media Matters:https://action.mediamatters.org/secure/donateSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Feb 24, 2023 • 1h 16min
Madoff Talk (with Jim Campbell)
Bernie Madoff ran the largest Ponzi scheme in history – and he ran it for decades before finally getting caught. Greg Olear talks to Jim Campbell, author of “Madoff Talks,” about how he got access to Bernie and his family, his contribution to the Netflix docu-series “Madoff: Monster of Wall Street,” the complexity of the Madoff scheme, the failure of the regulatory agencies to identify and stop the fraud, and the similarities and differences between Bernie Madoff and Sam Bankman-Fried. Plus: a new get-out-of-jail-free card.Follow Jim Campbell:https://twitter.com/JimOCampbellVisit his website:https://madofftalksbook.com/Buy MADOFF TALKS:https://www.amazon.com/Madoff-Talks-Uncovering-Biggest-History/dp/126045617XSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Feb 17, 2023 • 1h 8min
SEASON PREMIERE: The Shifting Calculus of Covid-19 (with Katherine Eban)
Can the U.S. survive another pandemic? In the Season 5 Premiere, Greg Olear talks to Vanity Fair contributing editor Katherine Eban about the perils of the generic drug boom, her 2020 reporting on Jared Kushner and the botched pandemic response, and her current reporting on our preparedness to a potential new coronavirus outbreak.Follow Katherine Eban:https://twitter.com/KatherineEbanRead her reporting:https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/katherine-ebanBuy her book:https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Lies-Inside-Story-Generic/dp/0062338781Sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Feb 10, 2023 • 1h 3min
Reprise: Strongmen: History Under Attack (with Ruth Ben-Ghiat)
Fascism is on the rise in the United States. Greg Olear talks to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, professor of history, expert on authoritarianism, and author of “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” about Mussolini & Hitler, Putin & Trump, and the dictator’s “tools of rule.” Plus: a song about the new covid cure.Follow Ruth Ben-Ghiat:https://twitter.com/ruthbenghiatSubscribe to LUCID:https://lucid.substack.com/Buy STRONGMEN:https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324001546Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Feb 3, 2023 • 1h 26min
Reprise - Four Villains: “Shame Cometh” and Other Stories
In this reprise of a special episode, Greg Olear asks his talented friends Alison Weller, Robert Burke Warren, Diana Spechler, and Tom Gualtieri to read four of his narrative pieces on Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Vladimir Putin.Plus: a better SCOTUS steakhouse.Subscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 27, 2023 • 1h 39min
Reprise: The Democracy Game (with Brynn Tannehill)
Greg Olear talks to Brynn Tannehill, author of the new book AMERICAN FASCISM, about how the United States got to the precipice of fascism, how minoritarian rule might look, and what, if anything, we can do to turn the ship around. Plus: a new ballad on a house in Chevy Chase.Follow Brynn Tannehill:https://twitter.com/brynntannehillBrynn’s website:http://www.brynntannehill.comBuy AMERICAN FASCISM:https://www.amazon.com/American-Fascism-How-Subverting-Democracy/dp/1955348030/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Watch The Five 8, Fridays at 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhASubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 20, 2023 • 1h 43min
SEASON FINALE: Charley Horses in DeSantistan (with Gal Suburban)
In the Season Finale of S4 of PREVAIL, Greg Olear talks to ace OSINT researcher Gal Suburban about the J6 Committee, the sudden preponderance of classified documents, the slowness of the DOJ, McCarthy as Speaker, Jack Smith, George Santos’ Florida connections, Organic Fresh Coin, the importance of defense spending, Brazil, Mike Flynn, Ginni Thomas, roosters, and puppies. Plus: a new anthem for Florida.Follow Gal Suburban:https://twitter.com/gal_suburbanSubscribe to Gal’s Substack:https://galsuburban.substack.com/Sponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 13, 2023 • 1h 7min
Savers of the Lost Art (with Ron Pollard)
When Ron Pollard, an architectural photographer from Colorado, legally acquired a hoard of Russian avant-garde paintings, he couldn’t believe they were real. But they were; all the experts he asked agreed. Anyone connected to the Russian government, however – oligarchs, Russophile dealers, and so on – insisted they were forgeries. Are all of his 160 paintings fakes? Or is he sitting on a collection appraised at over $50 million? He talks to Greg Olear about his story, a lost school of painting, and the ultimate purpose of art. Plus: a song for the owner of the Speaker.Follow Ron on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/ifoundmalevich_film/Art of the Zero website, to view the collection:http://artofthezero.com/Virtual museum of orphan Russian avant garde art:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBmmgls6wUQThe film “I Found Malevich:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9q22pQ5hdcSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/greg
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jan 6, 2023 • 1h 10min
There’s No Concert (with Moscow Never Sleeps)
The pseudonymous PREVAIL contributor Moscow Never Sleeps returns to the podcast. He talks to Greg Olear about Ron DeSantis in 2024, how NFTs are a perfect money laundering vehicle, SBF and the vanishing of all that money, Ginni Thomas, audits, and “The White Lotus.” Plus: Who?Follow Moscow Never Sleeps:https://twitter.com/MOWNeverSleepsSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dec 16, 2022 • 1h 7min
The Money’s Gotta Be Someplace (with Debra LaPrevotte)
For 20 years, Debra LaPrevotte worked for the FBI, specializing in international kleptocracy investigations. After retiring from the Bureau, she took a job with The Sentry, the organization funded by George Clooney, where she continues her work investigating kleptocratic crimes, particularly in Africa. She is the co-host and subject of a new podcast, “A Nation for Thieves,” put out by Lion’s Gate. She talks to Greg Olear about her FBI experiences, which countries are the most corrupt, how real estate and art are used to launder money, the problem with Delaware, and the time she seized a Maybach only to find it was out of gas. Plus: a Twitter anthem.Follow Andrew:https://twitter.com/andrewsweissBuy his book:https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250760753/accidentalczarSponsored by BetterHelp. Get 10% off your first month at betterhelp.com/gregSubscribe to the PREVAIL newsletter:https://gregolear.substack.com/about
Make America Great Gatsby Again!https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-great-gatsby-four-sticks-press-centennial-edition/e701221776c88f86?ean=9798985931976&next=tSubscribe to The Five 8:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0BRnRwe7yDZXIaF-QZfvhACheck out ROUGH BEAST, Greg’s new book:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D47CMX17ROUGH BEAST is now available as an audiobook:https://www.audible.com/pd/Rough-Beast-Audiobook/B0D8K41S3T Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


