The Bunker – News without the nonsense

From Obama’s effortless cool aura to Zelenskyy’s stoic defiance, charm and charisma have shown themselves to be game-changers in politics. Often dismissed as superficial, these qualities can shift public opinion, steer policy, and even swing elections. Today on The Bunker, Zing Tsjeng speaks with Julia Sonnevend, author of Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics, to explore the power of charm global politics.   Buy Charm: How Magnetic Personalities Shape Global Politics through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Zing Tsjeng. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio producer: Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s only one story this week: the US Presidential Election, with Harris and Trump neck-and-neck and democracy itself at stake. Special guest Nikki McCann Ramírez of our partner pod American Friction sets out what will decide the final confrontation in the key swing states – how Trump is already preparing the ground for another big lie about a stolen election – and why the fight for America’s future is a battle of the sexes.  • Follow American Friction for the best analysis of the US Presidential Election up to and beyond the vote. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  www.patreon.com/bunkercastPresented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by Liam Tait. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Productionwww.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rachel Reeves’ first budget has caused quite the stir. But what aspects were really surprising – and important? What was risky? And what issues didn’t it address? Ros Taylor discusses all this and more with Giles Wilkes, senior fellow at the Institute for Government. • “It was very much an old Labour budget.”• “It was the first honest attempt at saying, ‘If you want this, it’s got to be paid for,’ since Gordon Brown.”• “They missed any opportunity to make the tax system less bonkers.”We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Audio production by Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production  www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As science answers more and more questions, you’d imagine our obsession with the paranormal would diminish. Yet we’re still obsessed with the apparently “unexplained”. Andrew Harrison speaks to Chris French, author of The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal, to discuss why we want to believe – or trick ourselves into believing – in the supernatural, even if it terrifies us. Buy The Science of Weird Shit: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Liam Tait. Audio production by Simon Williams. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production  www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With a new president due to be elected in America, what impact would each candidate have on the war in Ukraine? Rafael Behr speaks to Simon Shuster, reporter for Time and author of The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky, about what the outcome in the US might mean – and to discuss the state of the conflict more broadly, as well as how Ukraine’s leader is continuing to handle the war.   We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Rafael Behr. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week’s BRICS Summit was Vladimir Putin latest ploy to strengthen an anti-western alliance. But despite the united front, behind the scenes, cracks are forming in Russia's alliances. Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Dr. Ian Garner to explore what this mega-summit means for Russia, Ukraine and the rest of the world. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.    Support us on Patreon. Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.  Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a week of big decisions: Labour’s first budget, the Tories choose their leader, and the last desperate week of campaigning in the Presidential Election. Can Rachel Reeves reset the new government’s course? What will shift the dial in Harris vs Trump? And how about that Runcorn MP allegedly thumping someone in the street? Ros Taylor sets out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.https://www.patreon.com/bunkercastWritten and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music: Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The future is here—or is it? Last week, Tesla’s “We, Robot” event introduced us to Optimus, Elon Musk’s AI-powered humanoid helpers. These futuristic machines grabbed the spotlight but also raised urgent questions about the true cost of our fascination with automation. Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Dr. Julie Carpenter, author of the upcoming book The Naked Android, to discuss whether humans and robots can coexist.• We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.  www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.Instagram | Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The race between Trump and Harris is so tight that nobody wants to call it. But from afar, it can be hard to understand how the polls are possibly so tight. What’s made them so close, can anything change them, and are any of them helpful in understanding the election race? Jacob Jarvis asks Andrew Rudalevige, professor of government at Bowdoin College, why it’s all so close. We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit.www.patreon.com/bunkercast   Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A bonus excerpt from the new series of our science and psychology podcast, Why? In Episode One: Most of us think we’re too smart, stable and strong-willed to join a cult – but clearly somebody’s joining them. So why do people willingly give up their free will and independence to join secretive communities with charismatic leaders – and how do they get out? Emma Kennedy talks to world-leading cult deprogrammer Rick Alan Ross and NXIVM cult survivor Sarah Edmondson to discover the strange allure of the cult mindset.Go here to hear the complete episode.Why? with Emma Kennedy is the podcast for curious minds, from the makers of The Bunker. Every Thursday, Emma delves into the science and psychology of why we are the way we are. She talks leading experts and some of science’s brightest minds to answer the big questions you never knew how to ask. Follow on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode.WHY? is presented by Emma Kennedy. Produced by Eliza Davis Beard. Audio production and theme music by Jade Bailey. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Artwork by James Parrett. Additional music is from Artlist.io. WHY? is a Podmasters Production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices