American Scandal

In 2001, Robert Hanssen?s spy career comes to a crashing halt after he?s arrested in the middle of a handoff to the Russians. It?s a massive win for the FBI, but not without its own fallout. FBI director Louis Freeh still needs to explain to the American public how Hanssen was able to go undetected for so long. Meanwhile, to avoid a death sentence, Hanssen agrees to cooperate with authorities and reveal the details of his decades-long spying career. 

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When ex-Bunny girl Jayne Gaskin spots the desert island of her dreams for sale online, she decides to risk it all. Trading in their English village home, Jayne and her family relocate to their own private paradise, just off the coast of Nicaragua. And a reality TV crew follows them to film a new show, No Going Back. But soon they all discover that paradise has its secrets. The locals claim the island belongs to them, and it?s been sold illegally. Jayne?s not leaving without a fight. A fight that will soon turn deadly.

Hosted by Alice Levine.

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By the 1990s, Robert Hanssen has been spying on and off for more than a decade. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he decides to break off contact with his Russian handlers. But his urge to spy is too great, and soon he revives his alter ego ?Ramon? ? unaware that a former KGB agent has just given the FBI a huge break in their effort to finally track him down.  

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Realizing there?s a spy in their midst, the FBI and CIA reluctantly agree to join forces, and launch a joint investigation to ferret out the mole. But they unwittingly put Robert Hanssen in charge of a crucial aspect of the case, enabling him to throw them off the scent as he continues selling secrets to the KGB. 

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Business Wars is a podcast about the biggest corporate rivalries. In the newest season, host David Brown tracks the power struggles and philosophical differences within OpenAI that culminated in Sam Altman?s shocking firing, the chaos that followed, and what it means not just for OpenAI, but for the future of artificial intelligence safety overall.

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For more deep dive and daily business content listen on Wondery? the destination for business podcasts. With shows like How I Built This, Business Wars, The Best One Yet, Business Movers and many more, Wondery Means Business.

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In 1976, at the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen joins the FBI to work in their counterintelligence division. Hanssen is valued for his technical skills, and put in charge of databases containing some of the country?s most valuable secrets. But he?s socially awkward, and constantly passed up for promotions and field work, leaving him resentful of his employers. Soon, he decides to turn to another source of income: selling information to his country?s greatest enemy, the Soviet Union. Over the course of several decades, he?ll become one of the most damaging spies in US history. 

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Pam Davis and Bill Kottmann worked as hospital executives in the Chicago area during Governor Rod Blagojevich?s time in office. The pair unwittingly ran into the corruption surrounding ?Blago? when they tried to get a permit to build a new hospital. Instead of capitulating to extortion, Pam and Bill went to the FBI. Today, these whistleblowers join Lindsay to share what it was like to wear wires and gather evidence that helped lead to the arrests of Blagojevich and his co-conspirators.

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In 2008, with his administration mired in scandal, Governor Rod Blagojevich decides to press the only advantage he has left ? his authority to name President-Elect Barack Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate. But as he and his advisers discuss how to leverage the seat to his advantage, they don't know that the FBI is listening in. And soon, based on what they hear, they'll have Governor Blagojevich in handcuffs.

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Tipped off to some shady dealings on several Illinois state boards, the FBI launches an investigation into Governor Rod Blagojevich's administration. At first, they set their sights on a well-connected businessman named Stuart Levine, who seems to using his board seats to run kickback schemes. But soon, their investigation leads them all the way to Blagojevich's campaign headquarters.

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In 1999, U.S. Congressman Rod Blagojevich leans on his Serbian ancestry to insert himself into the war in Yugoslavia and get his name in the papers. And his gambit pays off, allowing him to set his sights on a new position: governor of Illinois. But the ruthless campaign fundraising tactics of Blagojevich's close adviser, Tony Rezko, will come back to haunt him.

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Two decades before he was arrested in 2008 on corruption charges while still serving as Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich got his start in the dog-eat-dog world of Chicago politics under the tutelage of his mentor and father-in-law, Richard Mell. But after winning a seat in the Illinois house, Blagojevich chafes at his nickname, "Representative Son-in-Law." He's determined to prove he's his own man - and he'll stop at nothing as he seeks higher office.

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Journalist Justin Fenton covered the Gun Trace Task Force scandal for the Baltimore Sun. He sat through the trials and heard testimony from accused cops and their victims. He reported on the ripple effects of the scandal, in the police department and in the community. And then David Simon, creator of The Wire, called and asked Fenton to write a book. Today, Lindsay speaks with Justin Fenton, author of We Own This City, which was made into an HBO limited series by the same name.

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The FBI's investigation into the Gun Trace Task Force, codenamed Broken Boundaries, finally leads to arrests. But for federal prosecutors to prove their case against these rogue cops, they need to find witnesses willing to testify against them.

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In the summer of 2016, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins gets his most prestigious assignment yet: heading up the Gun Trace Task Force, one of Baltimore?s best plainclothes units. It's the perfect cover for his increasingly illegal activities. But what Jenkins doesn't know is that the task force is already under investigation by federal authorities.

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Following a series of questionable arrests, plainclothes detective Wayne Jenkins finds himself relegated to the desk duty. But when Baltimore is roiled by protests following the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police, Jenkins seizes an opportunity to get back in the action - and bring more crooked cops into his orbit.

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In 2017, seven members of an elite Baltimore police unit called the Gun Trace Task Force were arrested and charged with robbery, extortion, fraud, and selling drugs seized during police operations. While some were quick to dismiss the arrests as a case of a few bad apples, a subsequent investigation revealed a culture of corruption within the Baltimore Police Department that had allowed rogue cops to flourish.

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The FBI gets closer to the Unabomber. But a leak to the media threatens the case. And soon, agents are forced to take action. 

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A fight erupts between Ted Kaczynski and his brother, David. And when tragedy strikes, the Kaczynski family begins to break apart.

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Ted Kaczynski falls in love. But soon, he's shocked by some news - and retreats into the wilderness in Montana. It's there that he pushes forward with a deadly bombing campaign.

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Ted Kaczynski faces a painful rejection in high school. Then he endures an abusive psychology experiment at Harvard. Kaczynski may be an academic prodigy, but he feels lonely and out of place. His solution? He's going to get revenge on modern society.

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From his meteoric rise to his epic fall from grace, Aaron Hernandez has become a cautionary tale for the NFL. Today, journalist Kevin Armstrong joins Lindsay to share his experience reporting Hernandez?s story as it unfolded, its impacts on the football world, and what has (and hasn?t) changed since. Armstrong has covered the NFL for more than a decade and executive produced the Netflix original docuseries Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.

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After a highly publicized trial, Aaron Hernandez is found guilty for the murder of Odin Lloyd, and sentenced to life in prison. While behind bars, Hernandez makes a startling confession to his mother. But before Hernandez can appeal his conviction, a tragic turn of events leaves his family with more questions than answers.

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When a man named Odin Lloyd is shot to death in suburban Massachusetts, police are startled to discover that all clues point to star NFL player Aaron Hernandez as the shooter. But to arrest such a high-profile suspect, investigators know that their case has to be air-tight.

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After winning a national college championship with the University of Florida Gators, Aaron Hernandez realizes a lifelong dream when he's drafted into the NFL by his hometown team, the New England Patriots. Hernandez seems to have it all. But off the field, his life is taking a dark turn.

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The sports world was shocked in 2013 when Aaron Hernandez, star tight end for the New England Patriots, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. But dating back to his days as a heavily recruited college athlete, there had been signs of ominous changes in his behavior: paranoia, failed drug tests, and run-ins with the law. And after Hernandez's death, some wondered if those changes could be attributed to a neurological condition called CTE.

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Air pollution had long been a problem in Muscatine, Iowa.

For decades, a corn-processing plant had been operating in the south end of town. And according to locals, the facility?s emissions were so strong, some people gagged just by breathing in the air.

But a group of residents wouldn?t accept the status quo. And with the help of public-interest attorneys, they launched a legal battle that would redefine Muscatine.

In this interview, Scott Entin, one of the residents? attorneys, tells the story of this long and difficult fight. And he explains how the group?s legal strategy could help address other environmental crises, including climate change.

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Soil scientist Hugh Bennett tours the Southern Plains, studying the origins of the Dust Bowl. President Roosevelt launches an ambitious program to combat the crisis.

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With the economy in free fall, farmers plow up the grasslands at a frenzied pace. When drought strikes the Southern Plains, residents confront a deadly ecological crisis.

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American farmers flock to the Southern Plains, lured by the promise of riches. Soon, a strange storm appears on the horizon.

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Rachel Bernstein is a cult expert, a marriage and family therapist, and the host of the podcast IndoctriNation. In this interview, Bernstein explains why some people are more susceptible to joining cults?and how the groups maintain a grip on their followers.

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An American congressman heads to Jonestown, to investigate claims of abuse. Jim Jones asks his followers to make their final stand.

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Jim Jones faces investigations from the press and the San Francisco city government. With pressure mounting, Jones makes a rash decision.

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A group of congregants defect from the Peoples Temple. Jim Jones begins to clamp down on dissent.

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After Jim Jones has a vision of the apocalypse, the Peoples Temple prepares to leave Indiana.

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In Indiana, a young preacher forms his own church. The goal: to spread a radical political message.

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According to Harvard law professor Alexandra Natapoff, the use of informants has the potential to undermine core values in our criminal-justice system. Natapoff, the author of "Snitching," argues that by using informants, law enforcement transforms guilt into a negotiable commodity?one that can produce tragedies.

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Abscam grows into a sprawling probe of political corruption. The FBI faces accusations of entrapment. 

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The FBI launches an operation to catch white-collar criminals. To pull off the sting, agents partner with a lifelong conman?who offers an unusual plan.

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According to recent polls, an overwhelming number of Americans now distrust our government. In one survey, some two-thirds of respondents said they believed most elected officials are corrupt. 

But is their cynicism justified?

In this interview, Lindsay chats with Richard Briffault, an expert in government ethics. Briffault discusses the murky definition of corruption, and the history of campaign finance. And he offers a blueprint to reform what many believe is a broken system.

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Watergate balloons into a crisis for the Nixon administration. Agnew faces growing pressure to step down.

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Agnew works to undermine the prosecutors? investigation. President Nixon puts his attorney general in a difficult position.

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Prosecutors begin investigating political corruption in Baltimore County. The probe leads to a shocking discovery.

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Spiro Agnew is trapped in a dead-end job. But Agnew has large ambitions, and with the urging of his mentor, the future vice president decides to take a risk.

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Why does it suddenly seem like fentanyl is everywhere? Julie Wernau, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal, explains the history of the powerful opioid?from its origins in medicine, to its production by cartels in Mexico.

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Mike Moore, the attorney who fought Big Tobacco, takes on Purdue and the Sacklers. State officials grapple with a potential settlement. 

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Federal prosecutors begin investigating Purdue Pharma. The company turns to a team of government insiders, in an effort to combat charges.

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With addiction skyrocketing in southwestern Virginia, a small-town doctor launches a bold campaign. Purdue Pharma takes its case to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Richard Sackler charts a new course for his family?s company, Purdue Pharma. At the center of the plan: a painkiller that could be the next blockbuster drug. 

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Just how problematic is America's system of juvenile justice? In this interview, Bill Ecenbarger, author of "Kids for Cash," explains why juvenile detention can do more harm than good?and how legal reforms in Pennsylvania could chart a course for the rest of the country.

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Federal investigators scrutinize Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan. The two judges face their own day in court.

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