Who Were The Knights Templar?

A listener writes in with a bizarre story of experiments with blood substitutes in the US and Brazil. The DuPont family is rumored to own a mysterious structure near a place called Devil's Road. Colorado courts controversy with new facial recognition requirements. All this and more in this week's listener mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 Aug 202157min

In the folklore of Spain, Latin America, the Philippines and more, a duende is a supernatural creature known for its mischievous (and at times sinister) behavior. For outsiders this may seem to be little more than a regional variation on other legends of things like gnomes, sprites and so on -- but there's one big difference: in multiple parts of Latin America, people are convinced they've encountered an actual duende in the flesh. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Aug 202159min

Why did the US practice prohibition? Do current prohibition policies really protect the public, or are they meant to do something else entirely? Learn more in this classic episode. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3 Aug 202141min

A breakthrough in the case of the Atlanta Child Murders may lead to further revelations. The US Government clarifies that recent billionaires in space are not officially astronauts. A study in the UK may indicate long-term cognitive consequences for those who've contracted COVID. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Aug 202154min

Is money a form of free speech? This question has plagued US politics for decades, prompting frenzied debates about the role of big business and private wealth in the process -- or industry -- of writing laws. In the second part of this two-part series, the guys dive into recent lobbying scandals, controversial court rulings, and the often disturbing reality of just how many laws end up being written by businesses and lobbyists, instead of elected officials. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 Jul 202156min

Why did the US government have a secret group of scientists known as the Jasons? Why would someone hide Blackhawk helicopters in an abandoned Walmart? What exactly are Melungeons? All this and more in this week's listener mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

29 Jul 202153min

In the US, voters elect officials to represent their concerns in local communities as well as in Washington. These officials, in theory, work to advance the causes of their constituents, whether they're representing individuals, groups of individuals, or businesses and special interests. But there's another, unelected group fighting to represent a given special interest: lobbyists. In part one of this two part episode, the gang explores the history of lobbying, how it became controversial -- and why so many people are convinced the industry is riddled with corruption. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

28 Jul 202147min

It's often said money can't buy happiness -- but what exactly can it do? Could it change the way you think? ...could it make you a bad person? Listen in to this classic episode to learn more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 Jul 202129min