Robert Blake

Episode Notes 1. The 1973 DOJ Lawsuit Against Trump for Housing Discrimination United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc. (Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse) https://clearinghouse.net/case/15342 NPR - Decades-Old Housing Discrimination Case Plagues Donald Trump https://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495955920/donald-trump-plagued-by-decades-old-housing-discrimination-case Politico - FBI releases files on 1970s race discrimination probe into Trump Management https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067 Washington Post - Trump and the Central Park Five: the racial injustice that won’t die https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/20/trump-and-the-central-park-five-the-racial-injustice-that-wont-die 2. Trump Tower’s Mob-Connected Concrete Supply Politico - Just What Were Donald Trump’s Ties to the Mob https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910 Esquire - Fear City and the Real-Life Mafia Connections to Trump Tower https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a33350476/fear-city-new-york-mafia-donald-trump-tower-mob-ties-explained New York Times - Trump and the Mob https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/opinion/campaign-stops/donald-trump-and-the-mob.html The Guardian - Trump’s connections to the mob go back decades https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/28/donald-trump-mafia-links-construction-new-york 3. Commodore Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Tax Abatement Scheme ProPublica - Trump Pushed for a Sweetheart Tax Deal on His First Hotel https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-pushed-for-a-sweetheart-tax-deal-on-his-first-hotel-its-cost-new-york-city-410-068-399-and-counting NPR - As Trump Built His Real Estate Empire, Tax Breaks Played A Pivotal Role https://www.npr.org/2017/05/18/528998663/as-trump-built-his-real-estate-empire-tax-breaks-played-a-pivotal-role New York Times Archive - Trump Sees Big Payoff in Hotel Deal https://www.nytimes.com/1980/08/14/archives/trump-sees-big-payoff-in-hotel-deal-trump-sees-big-payoff-in.html Wikipedia - Hyatt Grand Central New York (formerly Commodore Hotel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Grand_Central_New_York 4. Trump’s Use of the Alias “John Barron” Washington Post - The Amazing Story of Donald Trump's Old Spokesman, John Barron https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/21/the-amazing-story-of-donald-trumps-old-spokesman-john-barron-who-was-actually-donald-trump-himself New York Times - Trump Posed as Publicist to Brag About Himself https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/14/us/politics/donald-trump-tape.html CNN - Yes, Donald Trump Posed as His Own Spokesperson. Here's the Tape. https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/13/politics/donald-trump-john-barron-spokesman/index.html Wikipedia - Pseudonyms Used by Donald Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonyms_used_by_Donald_Trump 5. Early Financial Misrepresentation and Media Manipulation Vanity Fair - The Secret History of Trump’s First Fortune https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/10/donald-trump-family-history The Atlantic - Donald Trump, Real Estate Huckster https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/the-ugly-american/476370 Fortune - Donald Trump’s Business Failures Were Very Real https://fortune.com/2016/06/23/donald-trump-business-failures 6. General Histories and Investigative Journalism on Trump in the 1970s The New Yorker - Trump’s Mobbed-Up, McCarthyite Mentor https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-mobbed-up-mccarthyite-mentor Mother Jones - 40 Years of Donald Trump’s Lies https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/guide-donald-trump-falsehoods/ Vox - Donald Trump’s Long History of Racism https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racism-history PBS Frontline - The Choice 2016 (documentary and transcript) https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-choice-2016 1973 DOJ Lawsuit Against Trump for Housing Discrimination Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse – United States v. Fred C. Trump, Donald Trump, and Trump Management, Inc. https://clearinghouse.net/case/15342 NPR – Decades-Old Housing Discrimination Case Plagues Donald Trump https://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495955920/donald-trump-plagued-by-decades-old-housing-discrimination-case Politico – FBI Releases Files on Trump Apartments' Race Discrimination Probe in '70s https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/02/trump-fbi-files-discrimination-case-235067 2. Ties to Organized Crime and Use of S&A Concrete Politico – Just What Were Donald Trump's Ties to the Mob? https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910 Esquire – True Story of Donald Trump's Mob Ties in Fear City https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a33350476/fear-city-new-york-mafia-donald-trump-tower-mob-ties-explained The Washington Post – Trump Swam in Mob-Infested Waters in Early Years as an NYC Developer https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-swam-in-mob-infested-waters-in-early-years-as-an-nyc-developer/2015/10/16/3c75b918-60a3-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html 3. Commodore Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Tax Abatement Scheme ProPublica – Trump Pushed for a Sweetheart Tax Deal on His First Hotel https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-pushed-for-a-sweetheart-tax-deal-on-his-first-hotel-its-cost-new-york-city-410-068-399-and-counting NPR – As Trump Built His Real Estate Empire, Tax Breaks Played A Pivotal Role https://www.npr.org/2017/05/18/528998663/as-trump-built-his-real-estate-empire-tax-breaks-played-a-pivotal-role Wikipedia – Hyatt Grand Central New York https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyatt_Grand_Central_New_York 4. Trump's Use of the Alias "John Barron" The Washington Post – The Amazing Story of Donald Trump's Old Spokesman, John Barron https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/21/the-amazing-story-of-donald-trumps-old-spokesman-john-barron-who-was-actually-donald-trump-himself/ Wikipedia – Pseudonyms Used by Donald Trump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudonyms_used_by_Donald_Trump YouTube – Trump's Alter Ego | Choice Moments | FRONTLINE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsYKRUE_D5g 5. Early Financial Misrepresentation and Media Manipulation Vanity Fair – The Secret History of Trump’s First Fortune https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/10/donald-trump-family-history The Atlantic – Donald Trump, Real Estate Huckster https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/the-ugly-american/476370 Fortune – Donald Trump’s Business Failures Were Very Real https://fortune.com/2016/06/23/donald-trump-business-failures 6. General Histories and Investigative Journalism on Trump in the 1970s The New Yorker – Trump's Mobbed-Up, McCarthyite Mentor https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/trumps-mobbed-up-mccarthyite-mentor Mother Jones – 40 Years of Donald Trump's Lies https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/guide-donald-trump-falsehoods/ Vox – Donald Trump's Long History of Racism https://www.vox.com/2016/7/25/12270880/donald-trump-racism-history PBS Frontline – The Choice 2016 (Documentary and Transcript) https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/the-choice-2016

13 Nov 27min

Transcript Some of the most disturbing details came from her final days. In the Bahamas, she had been photographed with a local politician, the immigration minister, fueling rumors of influence and favoritism. Her mansion there contained an open refrigerator filled with diet products, injectable vitamins, and bottles of methadone. The drugs followed her everywhere, from Los Angeles to Nassau to Florida. Each bottle seemed to carry someone else’s name. Even her funeral was a contest. In the Bahamas, where she was buried beside her son, old enemies stood side by side with lovers and lawyers. Cameras filmed every moment. Her daughter’s paternity was finally confirmed: Larry Birkhead was the father. He would raise the child far from the cameras that had devoured her mother. The story of Anna Nicole Smith has all the elements of a true crime story: money, sex, death, and power. But the crime was not only the overdose or the prescriptions. It was the system that fed on her. She was used by everyone who touched her life—the tabloids, the lawyers, the corporations, the men who called themselves protectors. Even the courts could not save her. She fought for a fortune she never got to spend, for love she could not keep, and for peace that never came. The FBI investigation remains a strange footnote. The paternity trial turned her death into spectacle. The drug charges revealed a pipeline of controlled substances fed to her by people who said they cared. And through it all, she became an American myth. A poor girl who became rich, a sex symbol who became an addict, a mother who buried her child, and a woman who died surrounded by people who stood to gain from her demise. She wanted to be Marilyn Monroe, and she got her wish in the worst possible way. Like Monroe, she became a blonde ghost of the American dream—beautiful, tragic, profitable. In the years since her death, documentaries, trials, and lawsuits have kept her story alive. They have not brought clarity, only repetition. Every retelling shows how modern fame can turn a human being into a commodity. Anna Nicole Smith’s death was ruled an accident. But accidents do not happen in isolation. They are built step by step, by decisions, by pressure, by greed, and by neglect. Hers was a slow-motion crime committed in plain sight. Her beauty was her weapon and her curse, and in the end, the same eyes that once adored her only watched her fade. She remains frozen in photographs, smiling with a tilt of the head, all promise and sadness. Her story is not just a tragedy; it is a warning. The cameras are still rolling. The appetite for destruction is still there. The crime that killed Anna Nicole Smith was never solved, because it was never meant to be. It was the crime of fame itself.

11 Nov 8min

13 Okt 22min

Episode Notes https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/billy-jensen-murder-squad-misconduct-allegation-investigation-1384950/ https://jamesrenner.com/the-whisper-network/#:~:text=A%20woman%20who%20worked%20on,at%20a%20company%20Halloween%20party. Book: "Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders" https://www.amazon.com/Chase-Darkness-Me-True-Crime/dp/1492685852 Jensen, Billy. Chase Darkness with Me: How One True Crime Writer Started Solving Murders. Sourcebooks, 2019. Podcast: "The Murder Squad" https://themurdersquad.com/ Jensen, Billy, and Holes, Paul. "The Murder Squad." The Murder Squad. Podcast: "The First Degree" https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/the-first-degree Jensen, Billy, Linkletter, Alexis, and Vanek, Jac. "The First Degree." Stitcher. Podcast: "Chasing Cosby" https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/chasing-cosby Jensen, Billy, and Weisensee Egan, Nicki. "Chasing Cosby." Stitcher. Podcast: "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unraveled-long-island-serial-killer/id1554853981 Jensen, Billy, and Linkletter, Alexis. "Unraveled: Long Island Serial Killer." Apple Podcasts.

6 Okt 6min

Episode Notes Major Official Reports & Autopsies Los Angeles County Coroner’s Autopsy Report, June 26, 2009 – determined the cause of death as “acute propofol intoxication” with contributing sedatives, ruled a homicide. PDF via CNN: https://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/09/mj_autopsy.pdf DocumentCloud+3mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com+3YouTube+3Britannica+5Hilaris Publisher+5DocumentCloud+5i2.cdn.turner.com Michael Jackson Autopsy – DocumentCloud, text/html version: confirms cause of death as “acute propofol intoxication” along with sedatives. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/251735-autopsy-0001-optimized/ DocumentCloud The Michael Jackson Autopsy: Insights Provided by a Forensic Anesthesiologist – academic PDF report providing forensic and timeline analysis. https://www.hilarispublisher.com/open-access/the-michael-jackson-autopsy-insights-provided-by-a-forensic-anesthesiologist-2157-7145.1000138.pdf DocumentCloud+5Hilaris Publisher+5YouTube+5 📰 Press Coverage & Timeline “Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest”, Los Angeles Times, June 25, 2009. “Jackson death a homicide, criminal charge possible”, Reuters, Aug 28, 2009. “Jackson’s death ruled a homicide; lethal levels of propofol found”, Pitchfork, Aug 25, 2009. https://pitchfork.com/news/36313-michael-jacksons-death-ruled-a-homicide EBSCO+6Wikipedia+6People+6Pitchfork “What Was Michael Jackson’s Cause of Death? Inside the King of Pop’s Final Moments, 16 Years Later”, People.com, Jun 25, 2025. https://people.com/michael-jackson-death-legacy-what-to-know-8606534 Pitchfork+4People+4sites.temple.edu+4 🕵️ Investigative & Contextual Sources Wikipedia: “Death of Michael Jackson” – extensive breakdown of events, official statements, trial, public response. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Michael_Jackson Wikipedia Britannica: “How did Michael Jackson die?” – concise confirmed cause of death ruled homicide by propofol overdose. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Jackson Wikipedia+6Britannica+6Pitchfork+6 HISTORY.com Article "King of Pop Michael Jackson dies at age 50", Nov 13, 2009 (updated Jan 31, 2025). https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/june-25/king-of-pop-michael-jackson-dies-at-age-50 HISTORY ⚖️ Legal Proceedings & Trials People v. Murray trial coverage: Murray convicted involuntarily of manslaughter—see Reuters and NY Times, CNN archives (coverage referenced by Wikipedia entry). 🧪 Toxicology & Expert Analysis EBSCO Research Starter: “Michael Jackson’s Death” – summary of drug interactions, propofol overdose dynamics. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/pharmacy-and-pharmacology/michael-jacksons-death Britannica+5EBSCO+5Wikipedia+5 Mrs. Blackmon’s Science Blackboard – Toxicology summary: overview of acute propofol + benzodiazepine cause. http://mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com/toxicology.html mrsblackmonsscienceblackboard.weebly.com+1Hilaris Publisher+1 📷 LAPD Evidence Archive Reddit compilation: “The 155 photos LAPD investigators took on June 26, 2009” – links to images of evidence at the scene. https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/131gz8c/the_155_photos_lapd_investigators_took_on_june/ reddit.com+1People+1 🏛️ FBI Records FBI Vault: Michael Jackson Investigative Files – includes assistance documents, FBI input re threats; not directly about death but contextual. https://vault.fbi.gov/Michael%20Jackson fbi.govvault.fbi.gov 📚 Secondary & Tertiary Analyses TEMPLE University Libraries: “Michael Jackson, 1958–2009: Primary Resources…” overview. https://sites.temple.edu/librarynews/2009/07/07/michael_jackson/ sites.temple.edu

8 Juli 26min

Episode Notes “Timeline of the Girl Scout murders.” Tulsa World, last updated June 12, 2022. https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/timeline-of-the-girl-scout-murders/article_9e3f12e6-e9c2-11ec-a997-6fa8e110ba43.html Sherman, Delanie. “45 Years Later, The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders Remain Unsolved.” Oklahoma Watch, June 13, 2022. https://oklahomawatch.org/2022/06/13/45-years-later-the-oklahoma-girl-scout-murders-remain-unsolved/ “Camp Scott Murders: Oklahoma Girl Scout Killings of 1977.” Unresolved Podcast, Episode 204, May 9, 2021. https://unresolved.me/the-oklahoma-girl-scout-murders “DNA Points to Longtime Suspect in 1977 Girl Scout Camp Killings, Sheriff Says.” The New York Times, May 6, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/06/us/girl-scout-murders-oklahoma.html “Gene Leroy Hart and the Girl Scout Murders.” Oklahoma Historical Society (archival overview). https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=HA046 “Camp Scott Murders.” The Oklahoman Archives, original report from June 14, 1977. https://oklahoman.com/article/2051237/3-girl-scouts-found-dead-at-camp-scott “Family, Sheriff Say DNA Ties Gene Leroy Hart to Girl Scout Murders.” KJRH Tulsa Channel 2 News, May 6, 2022. https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/family-sheriff-say-dna-ties-gene-leroy-hart-to-girl-scout-murders “Girl Scout Murders: 45 Years of Grief and Mystery.” Tulsa World, print archive with interview footage. https://tulsaworld.com/girl-scout-murders-45-years-of-grief-and-mystery/article_7bff982e-e8d6-11ec-8052-1b68cb208820.html “Documentary: The Camp Scott Murders.” HLN’s Real Life Nightmare, Season 3, Episode 6, aired January 2022. https://www.cnn.com/shows/real-life-nightmare Case File: State of Oklahoma vs. Gene Leroy Hart (Mayes County Court Records Archive). https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=mayes&number=CF-1978-14&cmid=125302 “Book: Someone Cry for the Children” by Michael and Dick Wilkerson, 1981. Publisher: Doubleday. ISBN: 0385172176 [Note: no official website, but available via archive and booksellers] “Where Are They Now? The Families of the Camp Scott Victims.” News on 6 Tulsa, Feature Report. https://www.newson6.com/story/629e6c3b5293170727c6d295/where-are-they-now:-the-families-of-the-camp-scott-victims “Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders.” Wikipedia (includes references and citations to original reporting and secondary sources). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_Girl_Scout_murders “Cold Case Files: The Girl Scout Murders.” A&E Network, Original Airdate: July 2004. https://www.aetv.com/shows/cold-case-files/season-5/episode-3

9 Juni 35min

Episode Notes 📚 Books Mulvihill, Andy, and Jake Rossen. Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park. Penguin Random House, 2020. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608764/action-park-by-andy-mulvihill-with-jake-rossen/ 🎬 Documentaries & Films Class Action Park (2020). Directed by Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott. HBO Max. https://www.classactionpark.com/ Action Point (2018). Directed by Tim Kirkby. Paramount Pictures. Loosely inspired by Action Park and starring Johnny Knoxville. https://www.paramount.com/movies/action-point 📰 Articles & Essays The Rise and Fall of Action Park—New Jersey's Most Dangerous Water Park. History.com, August 27, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-action-park-new-jerseys-most-dangerous-water-park Remembering Action Park, New Jersey’s Deranged Theme Park. Esquire, July 2, 2020. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a33013933/action-park-book-new-jersey-gene-mulvihill-andy-mulvihill/ The Thrills and Horrors of HBO’s “Class Action Park.” The New Yorker, August 27, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/the-thrills-and-horrors-of-hbos-class-action-park A Theme Park So Dangerous Even Donald Trump Thought It Was Nuts. Vanity Fair, August 27, 2020. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/08/class-action-park-directors-trump 🌐 Online Resources Archived Official Site – Action Park (via Wayback Machine): http://www.actionpark.com (site no longer active, but preserved via Internet Archive) Class Action Park Official Website: https://www.classactionpark.com/ 🎥 Video Features Defunctland – The History of Action Park. YouTube, September 24, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flkW-ceNvck 🗞️ Additional Reading Action Park – Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_Park Class Action Park – Wikipedia (Documentary): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_Action_Park

27 Maj 29min