Who was America's most successful spy? What happens to a spy that's captured? How can you tell if your child is lying? We interrogate a former member of the CIA to get some info about American intelligence. 

GUEST: Brittany Butler, former targeting officer within CIA’s Directorate of Operations, Counterterrorism Center. Author of The Syndicate Spy: A Juliet Arroway Novel. 

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Even after the book Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors was linked to a triple murder in 1993, the true identity of the author has remained hidden. Rex Feral’s actual name can’t be found in court documents, it’s been redacted from case files, and it’s never come out in public. Until now.

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Marsha P. Johnson is THE icon of the LGBTQ+ movement and a mother of the fight for trans rights. Today, you can buy T-shirts emblazoned with her face or walk through a park named in her honor. Now, hear from Marsha in her own words on a new limited series, Afterlives: Marsha P. Johnson. 

Host Raquel Willis brings Marsha’s story to life through rare archival interviews and intimate conversations with queer elders, friends, and historians. Legend says she threw the first brick at the Stonewall riots, setting off the modern movement for queer rights. Immortalized by Andy Warhol and known as “The Saint of Christopher Street,” Marsha was also unhoused, surviving through sex work, navigating violence, and resisting with joy.

More than 30 years after her still-unsolved death in the Hudson River, Marsha’s voice resounds louder than ever. As trans rights face renewed threats, Afterlives celebrates Marsha’s story and reflects on her enduring power as a trans ancestor.

Listen to Afterlives wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes are out now!

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Chapter 1: A deadly lunar landing sim nearly grounds Apollo 11 before it begins. Rivalries ignite between Neil and Buzz—and history almost ends before it starts.

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ABOUT BUZZ: Starring John Lithgow, this gripping audio thriller peels back the myth of Apollo 11 to reveal the raw, untold story of Buzz Aldrin—space pioneer, troubled hero, and relentless survivor. As Cold War tensions flare and the race to the Moon reaches its climax, Aldrin confronts rivalries, near-disaster, and personal demons that threaten to unravel both the mission and himself. Told with urgent intensity and psychological depth, BUZZ is a powerful reimagining of a legendary moment in history—where courage, collapse, and the true cost of heroism collide.

BUZZ is a production of Thoroughbred Studios, Goldhawk Productions & iHeartPodcasts. Available on most major podcast platforms. 

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Although American schoolchildren still recite The Pledge every morning in nearly every classroom, we still aren't sure who actually wrote it. And all these years later, the long-accepted story is showing some cracks.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jonathan Washington
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editor is Aaron Edwards
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Dave Roos
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

We'll be back with a new episode next Wednesday! 

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During one of the most delicate periods for international relations, the United States sent Bob Hope to China with the ultimate wingman. Together, the two icons would play an unexpected role in bridging a massive cultural divide.

On Very Special Episodes, we tell one amazing story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Subscribe to VSE wherever you get your podcasts.

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Very Special Thanks to our translator, Yixio Ren! 

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dylan Heuer
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier
Story Editor is Aaron Edwards
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Research and Fact-Checking by Dylan Heuer, Aaron Edwards, and Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

You can email the show at [email protected]. 

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What Happened to Talina Zar unravels the chilling mystery of a woman who vanished during the COVID-19 lockdown, the internet sleuths who wouldn’t let it go, and the dark subcultures and betrayals they unearthed.

Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. 

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When two of the most influential figures in film become the personal hostages of Kim Jong Il, they have two objectives: to elevate North Korean cinema on the world stage, and to plot their daring escape. 

SOURCES + FURTHER READING/LISTENING/VIEWING

A Kim Jong-Il Production, by Paul Fisher
The Observant, by Ravi Mangla
Michelle Cho, assistant professor, University of Toronto
"Are You There Godzilla? It's Me, Kim Jong Il" [Ridiculous Crime podcast]
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, U.S. State Department
Big Brother: North Korea's Forgotten Prince [An iHeart Original Podcast]
"Kim Jong Il, the Director he Kidnapped, and the Awful Godzilla Film They Made Together" [Mental Floss Magazine]
The Korean War [PBS]

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Adrien Behn and edited by Carmen Borca-Carrillo at Wonder Media Network
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

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On August 26, 1965, LBJ issued a surprise executive order eliminating marriage as grounds for deferment from the Vietnam draft. The unexpected announcement set off a panic across the country. But if you could somehow get married before midnight, you might be in the clear. The problem was, nearly every state required blood tests or a waiting period — every state, that is, except Nevada. 

Ride shotgun with Dana on the mad dash to Vegas. And join the gang on welcoming a new member to the Very Special family!

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Very Special thanks to the talented filmmaker Ashton Avila, who shared her invaluable research and contacts from making her short film "I Got You Babe." Go check it out!

Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

See you next week!

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Hi, Big Brother Fans! We want to share a new season of SNAFU with Ed Helms.   

About the show: This is the story of Prohibition you haven't heard. Sure, Prohibition was a gigantic SNAFU to begin with. But it turns out Prohibition was actually darker than any of us could have imagined. Flappers and jazz? Not the full picture.

Season 3 of SNAFU follows an unlikely pair of sleuths trying to uncover what was behind a mass wave of deadly poisonings that killed thousands of people during Prohibition. Why were so many people dying when they imbibed? And what do gun-slinging Prohibition agents, Washington politicians, and a raging culture war have to do with it? Find out on SNAFU Season 3: Formula 6. 

Listen here and subscribe to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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