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

- YouTube

Following a terrorist attack in Kashmir last spring, India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, exchanged military strikes in an alarming escalation. Former Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Khar joins Ian Bremmer on GZERO World to discuss Pakistan’s perspective in the simmering conflict.

- YouTube

A military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May nearly pushed the two nuclear-armed countries to the brink of war. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down the complicated history of the India-Pakistan conflict, one of the most contentious and bitter rivalries in the world.

A combination picture shows Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Arkhangelsk Region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk region, Russia July 24, 2025.
REUTERS/Leah Millis

In negotiations, the most desperate party rarely gets the best terms. As Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet in Alaska today to discuss ending the Ukraine War, their diverging timelines may shape what deals emerge – if any.