Matt Hanson

The gang of macho strongmen in power across the globe—from Putin to Orban to Xi to Modi—keeps getting bigger. Getting rid of them is the tricky part.

In “Ancestor Trouble,” Maud Newton probes her family’s past, which includes racists, fundamentalists, and a man who married 12 women. She talks to The Daily Beast about her search.

The celebrated film critic talks to The Daily Beast about his book that explores why we love disaster movies and apocalyptic scenarios, even when they invade the Oval Office.

Author Joel E. Dimsdale unravels the elusive concepts of mind-control behind brainwashing.

The noted journalist talks about his latest book, which describes the U.S. as a nation walled into four impermeable silos.

Author Mary Roach talks to The Daily Beast about all the mind-bending stuff she learned while writing her book “Fuzz,” about animals out of control.

Tyler Mahan Coe talks about the second season of his acclaimed podcast Cocaine and Rhinestones, which does a deep dive on Jones and the Nashville Sound.

The host of the “Hidden Brain” podcast argues that logic and reason make poor weapons when you try to talk someone out of a delusional belief.

In “Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism,” historian Ben Railton argues that patriotism can be a challenge to the status quo.

The latest season of You Must Remember This, the hit podcast about behind-the-scenes Hollywood, looks at the women who practically invented the gossip column.