Hump Day Recommendations, May 22, 2024

Watch: “A Gentleman in Moscow.” This new show based on a 2016 novel of the same name follows the story of a Russian aristocrat imprisoned in the attic of a luxurious Moscow hotel in post-revolutionary Russia. Ewan McGregor is fantastic in the lead role of the witty but thoughtful Count Alexander Rostov. Definitely recommend! – John

Go out: Comedy Bang! Bang!is back on tour, with stops across the US and Canada this summer. If you’ve never experienced the absolute unhinged hilarity of this legendary and long-running (15 years!) improv comedy podcast from Scott Aukerman, the live shows are a great way to dive in. I’ll be at the show in DC! - Matt

Read:“First Person Singular,” by Haruki Murakami. If you're a fan of Murakami or just love a good collection of short stories, you should read this. It’s a delightful mix of nostalgia, introspection, and Murakami's signature surrealism wrapped up in eight mundanely mystical stories. – Riley

Listen: The Long Island Jew who turned out to be ... Irish? Matt Katz grew up in a Jewish family, estranged from the (also Jewish) man he thought was his biological father. But when a genetic test reveals Matt is actually Irish – and that this is news even to his mother – it sets Katz off on an amazing investigative journey into family history and medical (mal)practice. Katz, one of the top radio reporters at WNYC in New York, put it all together as a podcast called An Inconceivable Truth. Does he ever find his real dad? Check it out. – Alex

More from GZERO Media

Fire authorities search for the missing and recover the deceased at the site of an accident near Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2024.
Fire authorities search for the missing and recover the deceased at the site of an accident near Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, South Korea, on Dec. 29, 2024.
Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Reuters

The country's deadliest aviation disaster since 1997 comes at a politically volatile time.

President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., on Nov. 19, 2024.
Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS

Is Elon Musk a 21st-century Svengali? Two weeks after being accused of acting like the president – instead of a presidential advisor – when he attempted to sway Congress to torpedo a spending bill, the tech magnate is wielding political influence once again – and enraging some supporters of President-elect Donald Trump.

- YouTube

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has died at the age of 100. A one-term president whose administration was marred by inflation, a gas crisis, and the Iranian hostage standoff, Carter went on to have one of the most illustrious post-presidencies in American history. Here's a remembrance from Ian Bremmer on President Carter’s foreign policy legacy.

A day before the controversial inauguration of Georgian Dream loyalist Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country's new president, Georgian citizens demonstrate with pro-EU placards and Georgian, American, and European Union flags as they protest the government's decision to suspend European membership talks in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Dec. 28, 2024.
Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto via Reuters

On Sunday, Georgia inaugurated President Mikheil Kavelashvili amid growing demonstrations and accusations of election fraud perpetrated by Moscow. Kavelashvili, a former soccer player, was selected by a 300-member electoral college controlled by the ruling Georgian Dream party, which now dominates every major government institution.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during the Doha Forum 2024 on Dec. 7, 2024.
DOHA Qatar Copyright: xNOUSHADx via Reuters

Russia no longer considers itself bound by its unilateral moratorium on the deployment of intermediate and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles, clearing the way for Moscow to deploy the weapons across Europe and Asia.

Economic Outlook 2025 reveals the trends and shifts that will shape the global economy in the coming year, according to the Mastercard Economics Institute. The report explores a few key economic themes, leveraging Mastercard’s aggregated and anonymized data to provide a unique perspective. This includes cyclical changes – such as shifts in consumption as central banks lower rates or prices change – and structural changes like the impact of migration on capital flows or workplace flexibility driving greater female workforce engagement.

Every January, Eurasia Group, GZERO’s parent company, produces a report with its forecast for the top 10 geopolitical risks for the world in the year ahead. Its authors are EG PresidentIan Bremmerand EG ChairmanCliff Kupchan. The 2025 report will drop on Jan. 6.

But first, let’s look back at the 2024 Top Risks report – you can read the full report hereto see where Bremmer and Kupchan hit or missed the mark.

- YouTube

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: Is stapling green cards to STEM PhDs the answer to closing America’s talent gaps? What becomes of "America First"? In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer discusses Vivek Ramaswamy's provocative proposal and the stir it’s causing among Trump supporters over immigration policy.