The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Wrapping up the stories of the week, Jacob Jarvis is joined by Alex von Tunzelmann to dig into the fallout from Trump’s frenetic first week of 2026. From military intervention in Venezuela to the looming threat to seize control of Greenland, the President kicks off America’s 250th year with a bang. Plus, should Remainers be getting excited about Keir Starmer’s plan to reset the UK’s relationship with the EU? And finally, Alex’s under-the-radar story takes us to Texas, where a proposal to ban the teaching of Plato has become the latest front in the culture war.  www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The human cost of Russia’s war on Ukraine is staggering, yet the war continues and Vladimir Putin’s position has barely shifted. Despite mounting attrition and international pressure, Moscow shows no sign of backing down. Today on The Bunker, Chris Jones is joined by Ian Garner, historian and author of Z Generation: Into the heart of Russia's fascist youth, to examine the scale of the losses and ask what “peace” would actually look like now. • Buy Ian’ book Z Generation: Into the heart of Russia's fascist youth through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Chris Jones. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk destroyed Twitter, tarnished the reputation of Tesla, and his financial backing of far fight politics has tipped the scales towards authoritarianism across the globe. Now he has his sights set on his next target: higher education.  This week on The Bunker, Alex von Tunzelmann is joined by Beth Singler, assistant professor in digital religions at the University of Zurich, to examine Musk’s push to use AI as a replacement for traditional universities. What gets lost when education is stripped of human judgement? www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Turning around Labour’s unpopularity would be a tall enough order for the Prime Minister. But the stakes are higher than ever with a far-right government waiting in the wings, Trump and Putin shredding the international rules-based order, and the economy refusing to recover. Can Starmer turn it around in 2026? Steve Richards, political commentator and presenter of the Rock’n’Roll Politics podcast , explains the Prime Minister’s make-or-break year to Andrew Harrison. • Listen to Rock’n’Roll Politics for more from Steve Richards.  www.patreon.com/bunkercast  Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. www.podmasters.co.uk  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Well, the year has started with chaos and conflict. With Trump meddling with Venezuela and beyond, how will these events play out? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss the weeks and months ahead as 2026 shapes up to be another big year.  www.patreon.com/bunkercast         Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Rafael Behr. Audio production: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Kenny Dickinson. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.    ENDS    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices