Operation Midnight Climax

When the fates of the enslaved captives of the Amistad are put into the hands of the Supreme Court, John Quincy Adams feels it's his duty to represent them. Adams’ son and wife would have preferred he stayed away from the case altogether. 

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

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Hi, Operation Midnight Climax Fans! Sanctum Unmasked is the story of how party promotor Damon Lawner founded SNCTM - a members only roving night club that would come to be called ‘the most exclusive celebrity sex club in the world.’

About Sanctum Unmasked: In 2013 a nearly penniless party promotor named Damon Lawner founded SNCTM, a members only roving night club that would come to be called ‘the most exclusive celebrity sex club in the world,’ hosting a who’s who of global rich and famous, and creating an environment for taboo-busting exploration into sexuality for its members. This podcast tells the story of how Lawner built this remarkable cultural institution, and of Lawner’s personal journey of exploration that mirrored the experience he provided for club guests. Wild stories from the nights at the club are given depth and nuance as the deeper themes are explored –BDSM and pain for pleasure, subservience and consent, monogamy, where things went right and where they went wrong. Ultimately it’s a story about breaking down societal barriers and taboos around sexuality, the most private and delicate of our human foibles, and arriving at a deeper, possibly healthier understanding of ourselves.

Listen here and subscribe to Sanctum Unmasked on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Warning: This episode contains a brief description of violence. 

Andrew Jackson ascends to the presidency after defeating John Quincy Adams in an 1828 rematch. But Jackson is tested by another rival: his own vice president.  Meanwhile, Adams arrives in Congress and finds himself in the middle of the slavery debate.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A contentious 1824 presidential election and accusations of a “corrupt bargain” by rival Andrew Jackson raise the stakes for John Quincy Adams as he prepares to take the office his father held just two decades earlier.

Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the conspiracy to overthrow the United States government rushes from idea to action, Major General Smedley Butler draws a line in the sand. From what he can tell, the country’s most powerful people have both the money and the political will to betray their own nation. And he knows the plotters' mercenary army could outnumber U.S. forces. Smedley orders a pizza and then blows the whistle, triggering a Congressional investigation.

Yet, it seems, Smedley forgot one important thing: the shadowy forces plotting the coup may have already bought Congress.

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Alex and Ben have done their best to be fair and objective in their exploration of the coup, but one Marine objects. In this week’s episode, Smedley Butler (played by Joe Kinosian) takes the mic to tell the story from his perspective. Looking back on his career as a hard-nosed death-dealer for Big Business, Smedley wonders: What led him to this point? Where will he go next?

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The MySpace era was incredibly influential, and incredibly messy. And it remains largely underexplored. Young people talk about MySpace like a cool scene they wish they could have experienced. Like CBGB, or Studio 54.

But before we get into the experiences that users had — from bored teens to up-and-coming musicians to soldiers stationed abroad — let’s start at the very beginning. Because MySpace does not have a typical Silicon Valley origin story.  

Special thanks to our guests Julie Angwin (author of Stealing MySpace) and Taylor Lorenz (author of the forthcoming Extremely Online). You can share your MySpace story with Joanne McNeil on Twitter @jomc.

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You may say time machines don’t exist… but this week iHeart sends Ben and Alex back to the 1930’s for a gut-busting, guided tour of the dark, smoky rooms where a clandestine crew of ultra-wealthy schemers concocted the Business Plot. Our hosts consult with a cavalcade of sketchy historical figures, leading Ben and Alex to begin connecting the dots of the grand conspiracy.

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While history books and Hollywood like their stories in simple black and white, real life is much more complicated. So, what made Major General Butler the ideal candidate to lead a coup? In this week’s episode – against Smedley’s wishes – Ben and Alex dive into the Major General’s dark backstory to explore why the bankers believed he was the man they were looking for.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.