We explore the unseen fallout of U.S. government cuts abroad. Hollie recounts her recent trip to Taiwan, where she met “Joy,” a local fixer and single mother left unpaid after Voice of America was abruptly shuttered. What began as a reporting trip turned into a window into the lives of those abandoned by American bureaucracy. Hollie and her co-host discuss the deeper consequences of disorganized exits, from failed aid transitions to the systemic neglect of women in developing countries. From Taiwan to Sudan, it’s a powerful reminder that even quiet decisions in Washington can ripple violently through everyday lives around the globe.

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We dig into the global consequences of U.S. arms exports. Hollie and Dennis explore a hard-hitting question: When American-made weapons kill civilians abroad, who is responsible?

Drawing from Hollie’s recent investigative article, the conversation unpacks the vast scale of U.S. arms sales, the legal and ethical frameworks meant to regulate them, and the gaping holes in enforcement and accountability. From Saudi Arabia to Ukraine, from Yemen to Gaza, this episode challenges listeners to confront the gray zones of international weapons deals, the failures of oversight, and the quiet complicity of power.

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In this deeply personal dispatch, Hollie reflects on the unlikely path from a ballet studio in rural Australia to frontlines across the globe. Drawing from her recent article, Hollie opens up about how the discipline, grace, and storytelling of dance shaped her into the journalist she is today. Through stories of her working-class upbringing, early exposure to global narratives through choreography, and a fateful ankle injury that redirected her future, she shares how ballet wasn’t just an artform—but a survival mechanism.

This episode explores how our formative passions can become our compass, guiding us to unexpected and purposeful lives.

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