What is diplomatic immunity? Part III: Shadow Diplomacy

Most US residents are vaguely familiar with the nuclear disaster known as Three Mile Island -- but that's only one of several similar stories. Join the guys as they explore the strange events of July 1959, when the Santa Susana Field Laboratory partially melted down -- and the government conspired to cover it up. 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 Maj 202055min

Mere days after the horrific events of 9/11, someone began sending letters laced with anthrax spores to senators and the offices of major media outfits -- by the time the attacks ended, seventeen people were seriously injured, and five victims had died. Today the FBI maintains the case has been solved: scientist Bruce Edwards Ivins, acting alone, was responsible. Ivins died of an overdose in an apparent suicide before any possible trial, and today, numerous people familiar with the case believe the official story doesn't add up. Tune in 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 Maj 20201h 2min

A few years back, Julian Assange was a household name in the West. The founder and face of Wikileaks, one of the world's most well-known destinations for leaks of classified information, Assange was hailed as a hero by some and a villain by others. And, whether you think he's a soldier in the war for transparency or some sort of super-villain, there's no denying that many people in power wanted him neutralized by any means possible. In our last episode, we left Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he'd been living, and fighting extradition charges, for several years. Then he seemed to disappear from the headlines. So what happened? 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.

22 Maj 202052min

Wells Fargo is one of the most popular retail banks in the United States, and its gigantic customer base uses it for everything from savings accounts to loans and more. However, a few years bank the bank came under fire for perpetuating a conspiracy all its own -- more and more customers found they had multiple accounts and lines of credit opened without their consent, and further investigation found that was just the beginning of the problem. Tune in to learn more about this real-life banking conspiracy, how it was discovered and the consequences (or lack thereof). 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.

20 Maj 202057min

HIV and AIDS, the syndrome the infection causes, have become the subject of numerous conspiracy theories. Over the decades people have proposed the infection was purposely designed to kill certain segments of the public, or that it was a lab experiment gone wrong, or that it didn't exist at all. For a time these theories enjoyed massive popularity in the US and abroad... but there was another conspiracy at play, one that most people weren't aware of: tune in to learn more about Russia's Operation Infektion. 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.

15 Maj 202050min

Clearview AI -- according to its champions, the software from this facial recognition company makes the world a safer place by allowing for more efficient recognition of criminals, terrorists and so on. Yet a growing number of critics, including scientists, journalists, politicians and the public have serious concerns about who is using the technology, and why. Add to that: a lot of Clearview's earlier statements don't seem to match later revelations. So, what does this mean for the future? Tune in to find out. 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.

13 Maj 202057min

As governments work to fight COVID-19 and industries struggle to survive, more and more people are concerned society will never actually return to normal. World leaders have been disappearing (and reappearing). Millions are unemployed. Governments and tech companies are rolling out vast surveillance schemes that would make a supervillain blush. And, around the world, people are wondering -- did we start fighting this too late? Are we opening too soon? Tune in to learn more in part four of this continuing series on the coronavirus pandemic. 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.

8 Maj 20201h 5min

For centuries the U.S. government conspired to persecute, attack and marginalize the native population. When open warfare became too expensive, some factions of the government proposed a different approach -- what if, they wondered, we erase native culture? This inspired a massive industry of forced assimilation. Thousands of children were forced into boarding schools where they were taught to act more 'European' while being abused, exploited and placed into forced labor. Tune in to learn more about the conspiracy of forced assimilation, and how its long-reaching consequences affect the country in the modern day. 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.

6 Maj 202055min