Jerry Springer wasn’t supposed to become the host of The Jerry Springer Show. Before the chairs started flying and the fights became a daytime TV staple, the man then known as Gerald Springer was an idealistic rising star in Democratic politics, with ambitions to one day be elected governor of Ohio. From Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects — the team behind Fiasco, Slow Burn, Backfired, and Think Twice: Michael Jackson — comes Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer. Find it wherever you get your podcasts...
Apr 13, 2026•6 min
We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance. It's 1945. The Volkswagen factory has been bombed and members of the staff have been arrested as war criminals. So how did the company turn around in just a few years and begin making Beetle ...
Jan 21, 2026•42 min
We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance. The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time, and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The...
Jan 14, 2026•34 min
The Tea Party takes over the search for the truth about Benghazi, while the FBI pursues a Libyan militia leader suspected of planning the attack. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 06, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 6
As the political world looks toward the 2016 Presidential election, Benghazi becomes a Clinton scandal. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...
Sep 29, 2025•58 min•Season 4Ep. 5
How the attack in Benghazi collided with an American election, and how the seeds of a scandal were planted. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...
Sep 22, 2025•53 min•Season 4Ep. 4
An anti-Islamic video sparks protests in the Middle East, and the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi comes under attack. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/liste...
Sep 15, 2025•52 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Libya is swept up in a wave of revolution, and an American diplomat makes his mark on Benghazi. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 08, 2025•57 min•Season 4Ep. 2
How a prison massacre carried out under Libya’s long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, set the stage for the Benghazi attack. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener...
Sep 08, 2025•48 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Fiasco: Benghazi unpacks the 2012 attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens—and the ensuing political storm, which raised questions about America’s role in the world, established a playbook to weaponize attention in the social media age, and ultimately changed the course of U.S. history. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 25, 2025•4 min
How George H.W. Bush ended Iran-Contra. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 26, 2025•50 min•Season 3Ep. 8
How Hollywood tried to capitalize on Iran-Contra -- and why the story didn’t take. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 19, 2025•39 min•Season 3Ep. 7
How the Iran-Contra hearings made Oliver North an icon, and got Ronald Reagan off the hook. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 12, 2025•45 min•Season 3Ep. 6
How the Reagan administration tried to prevent the Iran scandal from becoming a second Watergate. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 05, 2025•41 min•Season 3Ep. 5
A bonus interview with journalists Martha Honey and Tony Avirgan. Honey and Avirgan tell Leon about their time reporting on the Contra war from the southern front in Costa Rica. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe...
Apr 28, 2025•34 min•Season 3Ep. 4
How Oliver North decided to do a little multitasking -- and ended up on a plane to Tehran. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 21, 2025•47 min•Season 3Ep. 4
How the United States got involved in a not-so-secret secret war in Nicaragua. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 14, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 3
How the Reagan administration landed in a hostage crisis…and extended a hand to one of America’s sworn enemies. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Apr 07, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 2
How a crew of amateur spies from Long Island helped the Reagan administration set the stage for Iran-Contra. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...
Apr 07, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Host Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country’s most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. Fiasco: Iran-Contra tells the story of a secret war, a secret deal, and a foreign policy scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency — until it didn’t. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscri...
Apr 07, 2025•6 min
Host Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country’s most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. Fiasco: Iran-Contra exposes a secret war, a secret deal, and a scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency—until it didn’t. Fiasco: Iran-Contra is available wherever you get your podcasts. Pushkin+ subscribers can hear the entire season, ad-free, now. Find Pushkin+ on ...
Apr 03, 2025•2 min
The late Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens talks about his memories of Bush v. Gore, and why the ruling’s legacy, years after the fact, looks even worse than he thought it would. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 23, 2024•19 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Attorneys David Boies and Ted Olsen, who represented the Gore and Bush sides, respectively, talk about the unique challenges that came with representing their clients before the Supreme Court. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 16, 2024•33 min•Season 2Ep. 11
An interview with Ralph Nader on his role as a “spoiler” in the 2000 election, and historian Mary Frances Berry, who led the 2001 commission looking into the impact that ballot box irregularities involving Black voters may have had on the outcome in Florida. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 09, 2024•24 min•Season 2Ep. 10
A conversation with Craig Waters, spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court, about becoming the face of an embattled, apolitical institution during a partisan battle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 02, 2024•23 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Conversations with Florida’s former Secretary of State Katherine Harris, the Bush supporter who presided over the 2000 recount, and self-described Republican operative and “Bush liege” who embedded in Harris’s office during the recount and helped her bring the election “in for a landing.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 25, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 8
An interview with Brian Noyes, who worked on the Bush 2000 presidential campaign, and what it was like to feel like an election is being stolen. Noyes oversaw an oral history project with recount alums from the Bush campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 18, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In the season finale: How the 2000 presidential election was distilled and decided in a case called Bush v. Gore. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 13, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Democrats and Republicans hope for the best and plan for the worst. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 06, 2024•46 min•Season 2Ep. 5
How public relations battles yielded big legal wins for the Bush team. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 30, 2024•53 min•Season 2Ep. 4
