This week on Brazen Presents, we share an exclusive listen to episode one of Corinna and the King, a new eight-part series from Project Brazen and PRX. You can find the full series by searching for Corinna and The King, wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s February 2004, and 39-year-old businesswoman Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein attends an aristocratic hunting party in the Spanish countryside. The host? Juan Carlos I, the king of Spain. An expert in guns, Corinna catches the king’s attention, and he later invites her for lunch at the Madrid hunting lodge Corinna would come to call their casita. The king makes his intentions clear — he might be married, but he wants to be more than friends. Soon after, hundreds of hand-written letters and bouquets of flowers arrive at Corinna’s door. But as her romance with Juan Carlos intensifies, she discovers a darker side to the palace, hidden from the public.

Thanks for listening. You can find Corinna and The King and the Spanish-language version, Corinna y El Rey, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe and for more information visit: www.corinnaandtheking.com

For ad-free listening, exclusive bonus content and early access to Project Brazen podcasts, subscribe to our channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/brazen

This week on Brazen Presents, we share the trailer for Corinna and the King, a new eight-part series from Project Brazen and PRX. You can listen to the full series by searching for Corinna and the King, wherever you get your podcasts.

When Corinna, a worldly and well-connected businesswoman, fell in love with Juan Carlos I, the King of Spain, he seemed too big to fail. Their secret romance stretched across continents, but its unraveling would open a window into a dangerous world of greed, corruption, and crime. Vast pools of hidden wealth; international espionage and conspiracy; scandal, elephant hunting, and unstoppable lust… all tracing back to one of the most secretive royalties in the world.

The podcast will be available in both English and Spanish. In English, Corinna and The King is narrated by “Vida” and “Riverdale” star Mishel Prada. The Spanish-language version, Corinna y El Rey, is narrated by “Orange is the New Black” actress Laura Gómez.

To find out more, visit www.corinnaandtheking.com

How did an Ivy League activist become a global fugitive? In this bonus audio episode, Bradley Hope, co-founder of Project Brazen, recounts his first encounter with Adrian Hong, who led an underground organization to undermine the Kim Jong-un regime by helping top North Korean diplomats defect. After a fake kidnapping of a top North Korean diplomat in Madrid went awry, a wanted poster for Adrian was circulated by the U.S. Marshals, sending him into hiding.

This episode of BRAZEN PRESENTS features an exclusive interview with Christopher Ahn, the only person to be arrested after the failed kidnapping stunt in Madrid. Christopher describes meeting Adrian over ten years ago and how he got involved with his underground group. In 2017, Christopher played a key role in ferrying Kim Han-sol, the nephew of Kim Jong-un, to safety after his dad Kim Jong-nam was assassinated in Malaysia. Christopher’s life has been upturned in the aftermath of the Madrid incident, and he is currently fighting extradition to Spain.

The Rebel and the Kingdom is out 1 November 2022. To learn more about the unbelievable story of Adrian, Christopher and Free Joseon, and to pre-order the book, visit www.rebelandthekingdom.com. Audiobook and e-book versions are also available.

Make sure to subscribe to Brazen Presents for more – and, as always, you can follow our latest reporting in our newsletter, Whale Hunting.

For ad-free listening, exclusive bonus content and early access to Project Brazen podcasts, subscribe to our channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/brazen

www.projectbrazen.com

The reporting team behind “RESISTANCE: Stories from Ukraine” shares updates on the changing face of war in Ukraine and what they see for the future of the conflict.

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Nicholas Brennan, Executive Producer of “RESISTANCE: Stories from Ukraine”, sits down for an interview with Laurel Chor and Arman Dzidzovic, the host and producers of the series. Laurel and Arman talk about how the situation in Ukraine has changed since RESISTANCE first aired, and share an update on some of the stories featured in the podcast. They also reflect on the ongoing resistance of the population, and what they see for the future of the conflict.

Thanks for listening. You can find “RESISTANCE: Stories from Ukraine” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.

Make sure to subscribe to Brazen Presents for more – and, as always, you can follow our latest reporting in our newsletter, Whale Hunting.

www.projectbrazen.com

Original reporting you’ve come to expect from Project Brazen—extraordinary stories from around the world, told without fear or favor

Project Brazen is a global journalism studio based in London and Singapore investigating some of the biggest scandals and stories of our time. Stay subscribed.

For ad-free listening, exclusive bonus content and early access to Project Brazen podcasts, subscribe to our channel on the Apple Podcasts app. You can try the subscription free for 7 days by going to apple.co/brazen

Learn more: https://projectbrazen.com/

Lucy Woods, Managing Producer of Kabul Falling – Project Brazen’s series following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan – interviews an Afghan family torn apart by the chaos.

Hakim Shakib was separated from his wife Paimana, and his young daughters Neyo and Seto, in July 2021. In this bonus interview, the family charts the anxiety of their separation as Kabul fell to the Taliban – trapping Hakim, an employee at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior Affairs – in the city. The Shakibs describe the tireless work that went into reuniting them, the challenges of resettlement, and their fears and hopes for Afghanistan’s future.

Thanks for listening. You can find Kabul Falling on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to Brazen Presents for more – and, as always, you can follow our latest reporting in our newsletter, Whale Hunting.

Siddhartha Mahanta sits down with composer Arson Fahim to chat about his soundtrack for Kabul Falling, the latest podcast from Project Brazen.

In this exclusive audio interview, recorded live at the PRX Podcast Garage in Boston, Arson talks about what drew him to the project, and what makes his connection to it—as an Afghan-born composer and musician—so personal and important.

He shares his own experiences of leaving Afghanistan just two weeks before the Taliban takeover last year, and how Afghan musicians around the world can use their craft as a form of resistance, ensuring that the nation’s music continues to flourish in difficult circumstances.

Thanks for listening. You can find Kabul Falling on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe to Brazen Presents for more – and, as always, you can follow Project Brazen’s latest reporting in our newsletter, Whale Hunting.

In this episode, we catch up with Afghan refugees to hear about life after evacuation. How is the fall of Kabul still impacting them? Who do they feel is responsible for the Taliban takeover? What could have been done differently? You’ll hear how many Afghans feel abandoned as the world’s attention moves to Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis in Europe. Famine grips Afghanistan and the Taliban’s harsh reign faces little international scrutiny. But Afghans continue to fight: for their freedom, for the truth to be heard and for accountability from those who let them fall.

We want to hear from you. Please get in touch via our website, kabulfalling.com, where you can send a voice message, or tweet using hashtag #kabulfalling.

For a transcript of this episode and additional material, visit: https://www.kabulfalling.com

Correction: In this episode, we stated that an earthquake hit the provinces of Paktia and Khost in Afghanistan in June. This is an error. The earthquake occurred in the provinces of Paktika and Khost.

A young Taliban member, radicalized by the US invasion of Afghanistan, shares why he left social work and NGO employment to join the militant group. Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer in transitional justice at the American University of Afghanistan and the grandson of a feared warlord, reflects on the possibility of reconciliation with the Taliban.

We want to hear from you. Please get in touch via our website, kabulfalling.com, where you can send a voice message, or tweet using hashtag #kabulfalling.

For a transcript of this episode and additional material, visit: https://www.kabulfalling.com

With the US Army and allied forces gone, Taliban fighters are consolidating control over Afghanistan. The regime’s leaders make assurances that there will be no retribution for their enemies, but the reality on the ground is different. With the help of journalist Danna Harman, Muhammad Javed Khan, who had worked for the Afghan government, reaches the Tajik border but must then turn around and make a last-minute journey back to Kunduz to retrieve a batch of passports. In order to escape, he must come face to face with the Taliban, members of whom had arrested and tortured him just weeks earlier.

We want to hear from you. Please get in touch via our website, kabulfalling.com, where you can send a voice message, or tweet using hashtag #kabulfalling.

For a transcript of this episode and additional material, visit: https://www.kabulfalling.com