Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
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Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Breaking Points is a fearless anti-establishment multi-week Youtube and Podcast which holds the powerful to account hosted by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti

Episodes 1,663
Books 448

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Latest Recommendations

Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA cover

Our Man in Mexico

Jefferson Morley

Mentioned 1 year ago

10/8/24: Kamala Says Iran Greatest Threat, US Approved IDF Aid Strikes, Hillary Demands Censorship, CIA Caught In Major Coverup

This book tells the story of Lee Harvey Oswald's trip to Mexico City weeks before the assassination, where he visited the Cuban and Soviet embassies. The authors detail the CIA's knowledge of Oswald's activities and their subsequent denial of having any information about him.

We wrote a book, Our Man in Mexico.

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The Apprentice cover

The Apprentice

Tess Gerritsen

Mentioned 1 year ago

10/7/24: October 7th One Year Later, Biden Bribes Israel To Limit Iran Attack, New Trump The Apprentice Movie

This new movie, which is about the origin story of Donald Trump, was the main focus of the interview segment. The author/reporter explained that the film focused on Trump's formative years up to 1987, particularly his relationship with his mentor, Roy Cohn, and how that molded his personality.

Let's go ahead and take a look. We got a little bit of the trailer of this movie to give people a little taste.

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The Autobiography of Malcolm X (As told to Alex Haley) cover

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (As told to Alex Haley)

Malcolm X

Mentioned 1 year ago

10/3/24: Jill Stein Sounds Off On Dem Lawfare, Lesser Of Two Evils Voting

Jill Stein referenced the book when stating that Frederick Douglass, similar to the book's subject, believed power concedes nothing without a demand.

And I think Frederick Douglass had it right that power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will. Remember, the first spoiler parties were labeled as such before the Civil War and the spoiler parties were those who were fighting for the abolition of slavery.

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Hillbilly Elegy cover

Hillbilly Elegy

J.D. Vance

Mentioned 1 year ago

Tim Walz Vs. JD Vance Debate Best And Worst Moments

J.D. Vance was compared to the persona he presented in his book Hillbilly Elegy, described as more compassionate than his current public image.

Becoming cover

Becoming

Michelle Obama

Mentioned 1 year ago

9/24:24: Nebraska Saves Kamala, Trump Too Old For Rallies, Trump Takes Bernie Policy, How CIA Propped Up Afghan Heroin

The hosts mentioned reading Michelle Obama's memoir and noted some of its details about her feelings towards her husband's political career.

If you read between the lines of Obama's book and Michelle Obama's book, there's some pretty brutal admissions of Obama being like, I'm running for office and Michelle's like begging him, like, please don't do it.

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The Cartel: A novel (Power of the Dog Series) cover

The Cartel

Don Winslow

Mentioned 1 year ago

9/24:24: Nebraska Saves Kamala, Trump Too Old For Rallies, Trump Takes Bernie Policy, How CIA Propped Up Afghan Heroin

The hosts interviewed Seth Harp, author of the upcoming book "The Fort Bragg Cartel," about the US's involvement in the Afghan heroin trade. Harp discussed the surprising drop in poppy cultivation after the US withdrawal and the US government's role in supporting Afghan drug cartels.

Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and The New Face of American War cover

Generation Kill

Evan Wright

Mentioned 1 year ago

9/24/24: US Floods Troops To Middle East, Ryan Unloads On IDF Al Jazeera Raid, Josh Shapiro Signs Ukraine Bombs

It was cited as one of the speaker's favorite books, which was literally written by a journalist on the front lines of the Iraq war. The speaker contrasted the significant press access during that conflict to the severely limited access in the current situation.

one of my favorite books Generation Kill was literally from a guy there. It's like with this level of press access. It's like zero. It's absolutely ridiculous

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Am I a Racist Cop?: Memoirs of a police officer living in Minneapolis, MN during one of the most turbulent times in U.S. history. cover

Am I a Racist Cop?

Cooper Gauldin

Mentioned 1 year ago

9/17/24: Hezbollah Pagers Detonated, JD Blames Media For Ohio Bomb Threats, Kamala Pressed At Black Journo Event, China Secures Pakistan Port, Matt Walsh Confronted On US Racism

It challenges the industrial complex built around race relations and its incoherent definition of racism. The movie's dinner scene depicts a conversation about anti-racism, which Matt Walsh later joined.

The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail-But Some Don't cover

The Signal and the Noise

Nate Silver

Mentioned 1 year ago

9/12/24: Trump Meltdown On Fox, Abortion Tops Search Term, RFK Says Kamala Won Debate, Taylor Swift Voter Surge, GenZ Men Pro-Trump, Kamala Google Collusion

One of the speakers mentioned reading Nate Silver's book and referencing his point about the accuracy of betting markets.

I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris cover

I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself

Glynnis MacNicol

Mentioned 1 year ago

8/30/24 DEBATE: Did RFK Jr BETRAY His Voters w/Trump Endorsement? | CounterPoints Friday

It was described as a memoir about seeking pleasure in middle age, and the author discussed overcoming feelings of shame around her life choices.

At some point, I stopped feeling shame around any part of my existence.

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Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World cover

Doppelganger

Naomi Klein

Mentioned 1 year ago

8/29/24: Kamala First Interview, American Dream Over, Trump Tariff Debate, Trump Facing Six Years In Prison, UN Aid Car Shot By IDF, Bernie To Trump Pipeline

In her book, Naomi Klein details the phenomenon of being constantly confused with another person, leading her to explore the "mirror world" and the journey of those who have switched from the dissident left to the authoritarian right.

I could offer a kind of equation for leftists and liberals crossing over to the neo-fascist and authoritarian right that goes something like narcissism times grandiosity plus social media addiction plus midlife crisis divided by public shaming equals right wing meltdown

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Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections cover

Rigged

Mollie Hemingway

Mentioned 1 year ago

8/28/24: Tulsi Joins Trump Campaign, Swing States Keep RFK On Ballot, Israel Attacks West Bank, Zuckerberg Admits Biden Censorship, France Erupts Over Macron Election Denial, Independent Tied In NB

It was described as a book about what happened after Zuckerberg made campaign contributions to boost election infrastructure. The speaker mentioned having not seen Zuckerberg directly address the book's claims before.

the roughly 400 million dollars that he had put into boosting quote electoral infrastructure

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Most Recommended

The Three-Body Problem (The Three-Body Problem Series, 1) Cover

Cixin Liu

The Three-Body Problem (The Three-Body Problem Series, 1)

It was mentioned as a science fiction book that accurately predicted how the disclosure of alien life might play out, it was a personal favorite of one of the hosts.

"

My personal favorite, if anybody wants to know is, uh, the three body problem that the book out of China, which to me, that one actually kind of nailed. Um, the way that I think some of this might all...

— Episode: 6/8/23: Trump Indictment Imminent, Chris...

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Episode: 6/8/23: Trump Indictment Imminent, Chris Christie...

It was mentioned as a science fiction book that accurately predicted how the disclosure of alien life might play out, it was a personal favorite of one of the hosts.

"

My personal favorite, if anybody wants to know is, uh, the three body problem that the book out of China, which to me, that one actually kind of nailed. Um, the way that I think some of this might all go down, but who knows, we absolutely have no idea.

Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race Cover

Shanna H. Swan

Count Down

How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race

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Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game Cover

Michael Lewis

Moneyball

The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

It was mentioned as one of Michael Lewis's best books, before his recent work was criticised for its lack of critical analysis.

"

As a fan of Moneyball, as a fan of The Big Short, Liar's Poker. I thought these were great, great books.

— Episode: 10/5/23: Republican Speaker Civil War, U...

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Episode: 10/5/23: Republican Speaker Civil War, Ukraine Aid...

It was mentioned as one of Michael Lewis's best books, before his recent work was criticised for its lack of critical analysis.

"

As a fan of Moneyball, as a fan of The Big Short, Liar's Poker. I thought these were great, great books.

Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life Cover

Francesca Gino

Rebel Talent

Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life

It was mentioned as one of Francesca Gino's books, and was published in 2018. It was discussed in the context of her being accused of research fraud.

"

in 2018's Rebel Talent, Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life.

— Episode: 6/26/23: Wagner Leader Exiled After Coup...

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Episode: 6/26/23: Wagner Leader Exiled After Coup, Biden Ad...

It was mentioned as one of Francesca Gino's books, and was published in 2018. It was discussed in the context of her being accused of research fraud.

"

in 2018's Rebel Talent, Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life.

Flash Boys Cover

Michael Lewis

Flash Boys

It was mentioned as one of his better books, that he did write critically about some rich and powerful people.

"

For example, he wrote Flash Boys. It's actually one of my favorite books he's ever written about high frequency of trading.

— Episode: 10/5/23: Republican Speaker Civil War, U...

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Episode: 10/5/23: Republican Speaker Civil War, Ukraine Aid...

It was mentioned as one of his better books, that he did write critically about some rich and powerful people.

"

For example, he wrote Flash Boys. It's actually one of my favorite books he's ever written about high frequency of trading.

The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War Cover

Stephen Kinzer

The Brothers

John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War

The book was described as great and incredible, with a focus on how the Dulles brothers did much harm to the world.

"

The Brothers is a great book. Everybody read The Brothers if you haven't read The Brothers. Like it's incredible.

— Episode: 4/3/24: Biden Spox Defends Israel Aid St...

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Episode: 4/3/24: Biden Spox Defends Israel Aid Strike, Isra...

The book was described as great and incredible, with a focus on how the Dulles brothers did much harm to the world.

"

The Brothers is a great book. Everybody read The Brothers if you haven't read The Brothers. Like it's incredible.

You can add on to that Jakarta method, which I think pairs really well with it. Which brings in Indonesia. But yeah.

The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power Cover

Dana Mattioli

The Everything War

Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power

The book tells the story of Amazon's rise from a garage startup to one of the most powerful companies in the world, and how it has accumulated such power. The author is a Wall Street Journal reporter, and she uses anecdotes and examples to explain Amazon's business practices and their effects on the economy, job creation, competition, and smaller businesses.

"

The title is The Everything War, Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power.

— Episode: 4/27/24: Flint Michigan Doc, Amazon's "E...

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Episode: 4/27/24: Flint Michigan Doc, Amazon's "Everything...

The book tells the story of Amazon's rise from a garage startup to one of the most powerful companies in the world, and how it has accumulated such power. The author is a Wall Street Journal reporter, and she uses anecdotes and examples to explain Amazon's business practices and their effects on the economy, job creation, competition, and smaller businesses.

"

The title is The Everything War, Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power.

So in 2015, Amazon was launching this food brand called Wickedly Prime.

So they set out and hired this executive from Trader Joe's, didn't really tell her what she'd be working on.

And someone reported this to legal. So the people that were involved did get let go.

I would say for consumers, we should be thinking about at what cost.

Left Behind 25th Anniversary Edition: Experience the Book that Launched the Phenomenon (Volume 1 of the Left Behind Series) Apocalyptic Christian Fiction About the End Times Cover

Tim LaHaye

Left Behind 25th Anniversary Edition

Experience the Book that Launched the Phenomenon (Volume 1 of the Left Behind Series) Apocalyptic Christian Fiction About the End Times

It was mentioned that the creator of the popular Christian television show 'The Chosen' is also the son of the author of the 'Left Behind' book series.

"

And is by the son of the guy who did Left Behind and all of that.

— Episode: 5/31/23: Critical Debt Vote Today, Conse...

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Episode: 5/31/23: Critical Debt Vote Today, Conservatives T...

It was mentioned that the creator of the popular Christian television show 'The Chosen' is also the son of the author of the 'Left Behind' book series.

"

And is by the son of the guy who did Left Behind and all of that.

The God Delusion Cover

Richard Dawkins

The God Delusion

It was mentioned in passing that Richard Dawkins has written 'The God Delusion' and other science books.

"

I read every book that the man is literally ever written at least they stopped 10 years ago don't know if he's written anything since.

— Episode: 4/2/24: Israel Strikes Top Iranian Gener...

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Episode: 4/2/24: Israel Strikes Top Iranian General, WCK Ai...

It was mentioned in passing that Richard Dawkins has written 'The God Delusion' and other science books.

"

I read every book that the man is literally ever written at least they stopped 10 years ago don't know if he's written anything since.

Science books two before God yeah they're great phenomenal yeah I mean I think it's controversial he I think he created the word mimetic like the word meme which eventually became meme online that's again controversial in terms of the attribution of the term let's return to this

To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery Cover

Neil deGrasse Tyson

To Infinity and Beyond

A Journey of Cosmic Discovery

It was described as a chronicle of humanity's attempts to ascend from Earth and explore the universe, highlighting both successes and failures, and touching upon pop culture's portrayal of space exploration.

"

I want to remind people that the discoveries we've made in our attempt to ascend from earth involved a lot of fits and starts.

— Episode: 9/18/23: Neil deGrasse Tyson On Explorat...

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Episode: 9/18/23: Neil deGrasse Tyson On Exploration, AI, U...

It was described as a chronicle of humanity's attempts to ascend from Earth and explore the universe, highlighting both successes and failures, and touching upon pop culture's portrayal of space exploration.

"

I want to remind people that the discoveries we've made in our attempt to ascend from earth involved a lot of fits and starts.

Often if you read a book on how we've come to where we are, how we've come to know what we know about the universe, the storytelling and the accounts that you get the hits and not the misses.

So the takeaway would be the human spirit knows no bounds.

The twin engines, the twin chariots of cosmic discovery.

It's not just the press. Every YouTube video where there's an infomercial that begins, the establishment thinks this or you've always eaten this way or exercise that way. But this is the right way.

The Satanic Verses Cover

Salman Rushdie

The Satanic Verses

It was discussed in the context of Salman Rushdie's stabbing, as the book contained controversial passages about Islam and the prophet Muhammad, which resulted in a fatwa against Rushdie's life.

"

Salman Rushdie is kind of a famous figure because all the way back in the 1970s and 80s he wrote a book called The Satanic Verses.

— Episode: 8/15/22: DOJ Trump Investigation, GOP Me...

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Episode: 8/15/22: DOJ Trump Investigation, GOP Messaging, F...

It was discussed in the context of Salman Rushdie's stabbing, as the book contained controversial passages about Islam and the prophet Muhammad, which resulted in a fatwa against Rushdie's life.

"

Salman Rushdie is kind of a famous figure because all the way back in the 1970s and 80s he wrote a book called The Satanic Verses.

Now in The Satanic Verses there were provocative passages written it's like a fictionalized work about Islam, the prophet Muhammad and more.

an actual fatwa was issued against his life by the ayatollah of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini.

Lost Connections Cover

Johann Hari

Lost Connections

Krystal mentioned it as a book that explored SSRIs and the complexities of depression, including the limitations of solely focusing on serotonin levels and advocating for a more holistic approach to treatment.

"

there's also uh yohan harry wrote a great book also investigating ssri's in particular and pointing on a couple of things i mean first of all you know these drugs are meant to treat one aspect of depr...

— Episode: 5/2/22: Ukraine War Escalation, WH Corre...

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Episode: 5/2/22: Ukraine War Escalation, WH Correspondents...

Krystal mentioned it as a book that explored SSRIs and the complexities of depression, including the limitations of solely focusing on serotonin levels and advocating for a more holistic approach to treatment.

"

there's also uh yohan harry wrote a great book also investigating ssri's in particular and pointing on a couple of things i mean first of all you know these drugs are meant to treat one aspect of depression which is decreased levels of serotonin but you know research that i think is widely accepted says there are a lot of factors that go into this it isn't just as simple as your brain has some problem that it you know isn't producing the right chemical balance there is a need for a more holistic approach there's also solid research that he goes through that shows that you know these drugs can be very effective in the short term but for a lot of people in the long term the the impact ultimately wears off

Three Felonies a Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent (Encounter Broadsides) Cover

Harvey A. Silverglate

Three Felonies a Day

How the Feds Target the Innocent (Encounter Broadsides)

It was discussed as a book written by a lawyer that highlights the expansiveness and interconnectedness of the federal code, suggesting that a person can easily commit multiple felonies without even realizing it.

"

the book Three Felonies a Day

— Episode: Counter Points #13: Hunter Biden investi...

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Episode: Counter Points #13: Hunter Biden investigations, P...

It was discussed as a book written by a lawyer that highlights the expansiveness and interconnectedness of the federal code, suggesting that a person can easily commit multiple felonies without even realizing it.

"

the book Three Felonies a Day

the point behind is thatevery person in America...commits Three Felonies a Day

Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America Cover

Ted Cruz

Unwoke

How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America

It was described as a book on defeating cultural Marxism, and the author, Ted Cruz, discussed it during his appearance on the show.

"

It's called Unwoke, How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America.

— Episode: 11/29/23: Israel Hamas Truce Extended, E...

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Episode: 11/29/23: Israel Hamas Truce Extended, Elon Visits...

It was described as a book on defeating cultural Marxism, and the author, Ted Cruz, discussed it during his appearance on the show.

"

It's called Unwoke, How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America.

It's how to defeat Ryan Grim's cultural Marxism.

The book is designed to, number one, it's interesting and fun. It's filled with stories. It's not some abstract academic work. It's an interesting read.

I wanna encourage folks right now today, pull out your phone, go online, go to Amazon, go to Barnes and Noble, go to Books A Million, buy the book.

And in particular, it makes a great Christmas present. Buy one for Ryan. Buy one for your mom, buy one for your best friend, buy one for your crazy left-wing neighbor.

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators Cover

Ronan Farrow

Catch and Kill

Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators

The book, Catch and Kill, was highly recommended for its thriller-like format, and was described as having many interesting documents and inside sources, allowing the author to present the story like a novel. It was specifically mentioned for its discussion of the National Enquirer and its tactics of 'catch and kill'.

"

a lot of people don't like Ronan Farrow for various reasons uh but his book Catch and Kill highly recommend it it's a thriller like he's he's got so many interesting documents and ins...

— Episode: 4/24/24: McConnell Blames Tucker For Ukr...

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The book, Catch and Kill, was highly recommended for its thriller-like format, and was described as having many interesting documents and inside sources, allowing the author to present the story like a novel. It was specifically mentioned for its discussion of the National Enquirer and its tactics of 'catch and kill'.

"

a lot of people don't like Ronan Farrow for various reasons uh but his book Catch and Kill highly recommend it it's a thriller like he's he's got so many interesting documents and inside sources that he's able to tell it like a novel and he and he'd tell Catch and Kill is is the phrase that the national inquirer would use to help somebody like trump um catch a scandal uh and then kill it so like uh you there's is there a love child somewhere sure that's interesting we'll pay you $30,000 for that story and then boom you kill the story and and now that person has signed an nda so they can't leak it anywhere else um and so that's that that's one of the services that the national inquirer was willing to provide for people like trump

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story Cover

Nikole Hannah-Jones

The 1619 Project

A New Origin Story

It was mentioned as a book that was being taught in schools and some parents did not want their children reading it.

"

I'm sorry you're putting The 1619 Project in the schools. I don't want my kid reading that.

— Episode: Counter Points #10: Midterm Culture Wars...

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Episode: Counter Points #10: Midterm Culture Wars, Fed Poli...

It was mentioned as a book that was being taught in schools and some parents did not want their children reading it.

"

I'm sorry you're putting The 1619 Project in the schools. I don't want my kid reading that.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.