In 2012, Boeing engineers and test pilots are under pressure to deliver a redesigned 737 quickly, to compete with a similar plane from their rival, Airbus. The 737 MAX has bigger, more fuel efficient engines, but it’s also prone to stalling. A complete redesign is out of the question, so engineers settle on installing a piece of software instead, called MCAS, which can automatically push down the plane’s nose and prevent a stall. But to avoid costly additional training, Boeing opts not to tell p...
Aug 27, 2024•39 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast For decades, Boeing had a reputation as one of the most trusted companies in the U.S. But after a merger with plane manufacturer McDonnell Douglas in the 1990s, new leader Harry Stonecipher abandoned Boeing’s engineering-first roots in order to boost its stock price, leaving many longtime employees concerned about the future, and the safety of the company’s planes. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. St...
Aug 20, 2024•42 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashes just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board. At first, the cause of the crash is a mystery, especially since the plane was a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg suggests the crash was due to pilot error. But soon, it comes out that a mysterious piece of software called MCAS may be to blame. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons fir...
Aug 13, 2024•38 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast The Teapot Dome scandal was only one instance of corruption during the presidency of Warren G. Harding. Against the backdrop of gangsters and Prohibition, shady dealings permeated the top levels of government – all the way up to the Attorney General of the United States. Nathan Masters, host of the PBS series, Lost LA , couldn’t believe what he found in the archives. Today, Nathan joins Lindsay to talk about his book Crooked: the Roaring ‘20s Tale of a Corrupt Attorney General, A Crusading Senat...
Aug 06, 2024•38 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast As Thomas Walsh concludes his investigation in 1924, federal prosecutors take over the case, seeking to bring criminal charges against Albert Fall, Edward Doheny and Harry Sinclar, and invalidate the Teapot Dome oil leases. Over the next six years, a series of lawsuits and indictments force them in and out of court, leaving no one unscathed. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your free trial in t...
Jul 30, 2024•42 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast After months of chasing his tail, Teapot Dome investigator Thomas Walsh finally gets a lead when Denver Post reporter D.F. Stackelbeck reveals evidence that Albert Fall accepted bribes. Fall and his benefactors, Edward Doheny and Harry Sinclair, remain defiant, but their continued attempts to mislead the investigation backfire. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your free trial in the Wondery App...
Jul 23, 2024•38 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Democratic congressional leaders and independent oil men are furious when they learn that Interior Secretary Albert Fall leased federal oil reserves with no open bidding or public debate.. Montana Senator Thomas Walsh reluctantly agrees to head an investigation, even as Fall brazenly sets out to collect his kickbacks and retire to his ranch in New Mexico. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your f...
Jul 16, 2024•43 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Warren G. Harding is elected president in 1920, thanks in part to a backroom deal between Republican Party power brokers and influential oil men. To make good on that deal, Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, quietly leases the federally owned Teapot Dome oil field in Wyoming and two others in California to oil magnates Harry Sinclair and Edward Doheny. But to hand out the leases, Fall wants something in return. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seaso...
Jul 09, 2024•39 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast When investigative reporter Charles E. Shepard began covering televangelist Jim Bakker and his ministry, Praise the Lord, he knew it could be the biggest story his paper was following. Throughout the 1980s, he documented Bakker’s extraordinary wealth, financial crimes, and sexual assault of a former PTL secretary named Jessica Hahn. Shepard’s efforts helped win his paper a Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service. Today, he joins Lindsay to talk about his book, Forgiven: The Rise and Fall o...
Jul 02, 2024•41 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast In 1987, the empire that Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker spent their lives building is falling apart. When Jessica Hahn comes forward and alleges Bakker sexually assaulted her, he’s forced to resign as PTL’s leader. Then, Bakker goes through one of the most publicized trials of the decade, exposing his lifestyle and business decisions to the intense scrutiny of evangelical leaders, the press and the federal government. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new...
Jun 25, 2024•40 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast After the FCC concludes its investigation of the Bakkers for misusing donor funds, reporters in Charlotte start to uncover a series of complaints from former PTL staff members. Bakker and his underlings try to silence the whistleblowers, but they become increasingly worried when Charlotte Observer reporter Charles Shepard uncovers a damning allegation against Bakker. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. ...
Jun 18, 2024•39 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast After marrying and dropping out of bible college in the early 1960s, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker launch a traveling evangelical show with puppets, which catches the attention of televangelist Pat Robertson. Robertson offers them their first TV show on his new Christian Broadcasting Network. By the 1970s, the Bakkers strike out on their own, launching their own ministry and television network, Praise the Lord. But as the Bakkers use their followers’ donations to fund their lavish lifestyle, it rais...
Jun 11, 2024•38 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Drawing on more than 100 hours of interviews and boxes of unreleased documents, journalist Keith O’Brien unraveled the mystery behind the Love Canal disaster in his book, Paradise Falls: The True Story of an Environmental Catastrophe . Today, O’Brien takes Lindsay through what he discovered about an unlikely group of women who stood up against injustice to save their families. O’Brien’s reporting reveals new details about the Love Canal site and Hooker Chemical, and explores how the tragedy...
Jun 04, 2024•43 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Protests in the Love Canal neighborhood reach a boiling point in 1980. After a study from the Environmental Protection Agency finds more people have been affected by high levels of chemical exposure, a riot breaks out in front of the Love Canal Homeowners Association. And as Lois Gibbs is forced to choose between standing up for her neighborhood or potentially facing criminal liability, grieving parent Luella Kenny confronts Armand Hammer, the CEO of Hooker Chemical’s parent company. Need ...
May 28, 2024•39 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast By 1979, officials in Washington, DC are taking notice of the situation in Love Canal. A young congressman from Tennessee, Al Gore, invites Lois Gibbs to testify at the capitol in support of radical updates to the nation’s laws on chemical waste. But local officials, like recently-appointed state health commissioner David Axelrod, continue to stand in the way. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start y...
May 21, 2024•39 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Despite her initial reluctance, Lois Gibbs starts to find purpose in rallying Love Canal residents in their protests against government inaction. But concerns over who will get evacuated, and who will be forced to stay, threaten to divide residents. Meanwhile, the shocking death of a child in the neighborhood ignites new fears that the chemicals are even more dangerous than previously thought. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen...
May 14, 2024•40 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast In the spring of 1978, reporter Mike Brown begins publishing a series of articles in the Niagara Gazette about potentially harmful chemicals leaking into the soil and water in Love Canal, a neighborhood built around what had been a dumping ground for the Hooker Chemical company. The news is a jolt to local residents, like mother Lois Gibbs, who fear for their families’ health. When government officials fail to act, Gibbs helps form a group of unlikely activists set on cleaning up their neighborh...
May 07, 2024•41 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Eric O’Neill was a 27-year-old FBI surveillance operative when he first heard the name Robert Hanssen. It was the assignment of a lifetime: go undercover to bring down a mole that had been feeding secrets to the Russian government for more than two decades. O’Neill takes Lindsay behind the scenes of the operation that changed his life and led to the capture of one of the most notorious spies in American history. His book of the account is called Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America'...
Apr 30, 2024•44 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast In 2001, Robert Hanssen’s spy career comes to a crashing halt after he’s arrested in the middle of a handoff to the Russians. It’s a massive win for the FBI, but not without its own fallout. FBI director Louis Freeh still needs to explain to the American public how Hanssen was able to go undetected for so long. Meanwhile, to avoid a death sentence, Hanssen agrees to cooperate with authorities and reveal the details of his decades-long spying career. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery...
Apr 23, 2024•38 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast When ex-Bunny girl Jayne Gaskin spots the desert island of her dreams for sale online, she decides to risk it all. Trading in their English village home, Jayne and her family relocate to their own private paradise, just off the coast of Nicaragua. And a reality TV crew follows them to film a new show, No Going Back . But soon they all discover that paradise has its secrets. The locals claim the island belongs to them, and it’s been sold illegally. Jayne’s not leaving without a fight. ...
Apr 21, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast By the 1990s, Robert Hanssen has been spying on and off for more than a decade. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he decides to break off contact with his Russian handlers. But his urge to spy is too great, and soon he revives his alter ego “Ramon” — unaware that a former KGB agent has just given the FBI a huge break in their effort to finally track him down. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. ...
Apr 16, 2024•36 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Realizing there’s a spy in their midst, the FBI and CIA reluctantly agree to join forces, and launch a joint investigation to ferret out the mole. But they unwittingly put Robert Hanssen in charge of a crucial aspect of the case, enabling him to throw them off the scent as he continues selling secrets to the KGB. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your free trial in the Wondery App, Apple Podcast...
Apr 09, 2024•39 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Business Wars is a podcast about the biggest corporate rivalries. In the newest season, host David Brown tracks the power struggles and philosophical differences within OpenAI that culminated in Sam Altman’s shocking firing, the chaos that followed, and what it means not just for OpenAI, but for the future of artificial intelligence safety overall. Follow Business Wars on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Business Wars early and a...
Apr 08, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 1976, at the height of the Cold War, Robert Hanssen joins the FBI to work in their counterintelligence division. Hanssen is valued for his technical skills, and put in charge of databases containing some of the country’s most valuable secrets. But he’s socially awkward, and constantly passed up for promotions and field work, leaving him resentful of his employers. Soon, he decides to turn to another source of income: selling information to his country’s greatest enemy, the Soviet Union. Over ...
Apr 02, 2024•41 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Pam Davis and Bill Kottmann worked as hospital executives in the Chicago area during Governor Rod Blagojevich’s time in office. The pair unwittingly ran into the corruption surrounding “Blago” when they tried to get a permit to build a new hospital. Instead of capitulating to extortion, Pam and Bill went to the FBI. Today, these whistleblowers join Lindsay to share what it was like to wear wires and gather evidence that helped lead to the arrests of Blagojevich and his co-conspirators. Need more...
Mar 26, 2024•35 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast In 2008, with his administration mired in scandal, Governor Rod Blagojevich decides to press the only advantage he has left — his authority to name President-Elect Barack Obama's successor in the U.S. Senate. But as he and his advisers discuss how to leverage the seat to his advantage, they don't know that the FBI is listening in. And soon, based on what they hear, they'll have Governor Blagojevich in handcuffs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at htt...
Mar 19, 2024•36 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Tipped off to some shady dealings on several Illinois state boards, the FBI launches an investigation into Governor Rod Blagojevich's administration. At first, they set their sights on a well-connected businessman named Stuart Levine, who seems to using his board seats to run kickback schemes. But soon, their investigation leads them all the way to Blagojevich's campaign headquarters. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen complete...
Mar 12, 2024•39 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast In 1999, U.S. Congressman Rod Blagojevich leans on his Serbian ancestry to insert himself into the war in Yugoslavia and get his name in the papers. And his gambit pays off, allowing him to set his sights on a new position: governor of Illinois. But the ruthless campaign fundraising tactics of Blagojevich's close adviser, Tony Rezko, will come back to haunt him. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+, enjoy exclusive seasons, binge new seasons first, and listen completely ad-free. Start your ...
Mar 05, 2024•39 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own. Search and follow The Spy Who wherever you listen to podcasts, or binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery+ on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery a...
Mar 04, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Two decades before he was arrested in 2008 on corruption charges while still serving as Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich got his start in the dog-eat-dog world of Chicago politics under the tutelage of his mentor and father-in-law, Richard Mell. But after winning a seat in the Illinois house, Blagojevich chafes at his nickname, "Representative Son-in-Law." He's determined to prove he's his own man - and he'll stop at nothing as he seeks higher office. Need more American Scandal? With Wondery+,...
Feb 27, 2024•39 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast 
