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Part Two: The Evilest Football Player of All Time
Duration: 00:53:26
August 21, 2025
- The podcast introduces "Hoax," a new show co-hosted by Dana Schwarz and Lizzie Logan, which explores historical hoaxes and the reasons people believe them.
- The episode dives into the history of French colonialism in Algeria, emphasizing its brutal nature, the constant resistance from the Algerian people, and how it shaped racist French policies that denied Algerians basic rights and treated them as inferior.
- The subject of the episode is Alexander Villaplane, an Algerian football star who was born into a poor "Algerian" family, but he later moved to France, achieved success in football, and controversially became a Nazi collaborator during the occupation.
Part Two: Frank Fay, The Fascist Who invented Stand Up Comedy
Duration: 01:17:30
August 14, 2025
- The podcast discusses controversial jokes made by Katt Williams, specifically referencing a comedy bit performed at Auschwitz.
- The speaker expresses concern about their cousin, who they believe is being unjustly accused of something, stating "he didn't do nothing."
- The speaker recalls a visit to Auschwitz where they felt surprisingly "small" due to the experience.
Part Two: Pete Hegseth's Fascist Book 'American Crusade'
Duration: 01:25:14
August 7, 2025
- The hosts discuss Sophie's "terminally ill" squirrel, named Elizabeth, highlighting the podcast's tendency toward dark humor and tangents.
- The hosts analyze Pete Hegseth's background, highlighting his wealthy upbringing, early embrace of conservative politics, and history of alleged financial and sexual misconduct.
- The podcast analyzes Hegseth's book American Crusade, emphasizing its divisive rhetoric, historical inaccuracies regarding the Crusades, and call to arms against the "left" whom he considers enemies of America.
Part One: Pete Hegseth's Fascist Book 'American Crusade'
Duration: 01:06:07
August 5, 2025
- The hosts discuss Sophie's dilemma regarding a potentially dying squirrel on her property, which sparks a conversation about euthanasia and personal anecdotes of dealing with injured animals.
- The hosts delve into the background of Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of Defense, and his controversial book American Crusade, highlighting his extreme conservative views, past scandals involving misuse of funds and allegations of sexual misconduct.
- A significant portion of the conversation is dedicated to dissecting Hegseth's distorted and inaccurate interpretation of historical events, such as the Crusades, to support his far-right ideology and call for a modern-day "American Crusade."
Part Two: Dr. Death: The Texas Death Row Psychiatrist Who Killed So Many People
Duration: 00:54:40
July 31, 2025
- The podcast introduces "Dr. Death," James Griggson, a Texas psychiatrist who made a lucrative career by testifying in capital cases that defendants would inevitably commit future violence.
- The Texas legal system has a unique "special issue number two," requiring juries to predict future dangerousness when considering the death penalty, leading to expert witnesses like Dr. Griggson.
- Despite the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) evidence that psychiatric predictions of long-term dangerousness are highly unreliable, the Supreme Court ruled that such testimony is admissible, citing the adversarial trial process and jury's ability to weigh opinions.
Part One: Dr. Death: The Texas Death Row Psychiatrist Who Killed So Many People
Duration: 01:07:24
July 29, 2025
- The podcast episode introduces "Dr. Death," James Griggsson, a Texas psychiatrist who made a lucrative career out of testifying that defendants in capital cases would pose a future danger if not executed.
- Texas's unique death penalty system, specifically "special issue number two," required juries to predict a defendant's future dangerousness, creating a demand for psychiatric experts like Griggsson, prompting ethical concerns as such predictions were presented as medical certainties.
- Despite the APA's and even a pro-death penalty Justice's criticisms regarding the unreliability and ethical issues around psychological predictions in death penalty cases, the Supreme Court upheld the practice, creating a system that disproportionately affected poor and marginalized defendants.
Part Two: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry
Duration: 00:58:43
July 24, 2025
- The podcast discusses the origins of the political movement supporting unproven medical treatments and the right to experiment on oneself, highlighting how it can enable the sale of fake cures.
- It explores the story of Ernst T. Krebs Sr., an MD who promoted "leptinol," a syrup made from fernleaf biscuit root, as a miracle cure for influenza, tuberculosis, and asthma during the 1918 pandemic.
- The episode details how Krebs Sr., after facing scrutiny for his ineffective syrup, pivoted to developing "latril" as a fake cancer cure, marking the beginning of his transition into cancer quackery.
Part One: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry
Duration: 01:15:00
July 22, 2025
- The episode explores the origins of the right-wing anti-medicine movement through the story of Latril, an early fake cancer cure.
- Ernst Krebs Sr., an actual MD, promoted a bogus cough syrup called leptinol as a cure-all for influenza, asthma, and tuberculosis, capitalizing on the 1918 pandemic.
- Krebs Jr., influenced by unorthodox theories, developed Latril from apricot kernels and exploited a loophole by marketing it as an "investigational prescription drug."
Part Two: Antonio Salazar: The Smartest Fascist Dictator
Duration: 01:14:48
July 17, 2025
- Salazar's economic policies prioritized financial stability through austerity, benefiting the wealthy while burdening the poor, but avoiding drastic economic downturns.
- Although often labeled a fascist, Salazar differed from leaders like Hitler by maintaining direct control over government policy, while avoiding mass rallies or a cult of personality.
- Salazar's pragmatic approach to foreign policy, including maintaining ties with Great Britain, helped him keep Spain neutral during World War II and ultimately contributed to his regime's survival.
Part One: Antonio Salazar: The Smartest Fascist Dictator
Duration: 01:12:31
July 15, 2025
- The podcast episode introduces Antonio Salazar, Portugal's long-running dictator, and sets up a discussion about whether he should be considered a fascist leader.
- Salazar's early life is explored, highlighting his unusually educated parents, his time in seminary, and his transition to a career as an economics professor.
- The political chaos in Portugal during Salazar's rise is examined, with the failing republic and the military coup setting the stage for his ascent to power through economic control rather than popular support.