Podcast
Fiasco
Hosted by Pushkin Industries · EN
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.
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.
Iran-Contra exposes a secret war, a secret deal, and a scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency—until it didn’t.
Bush v. Gore recounts what happened during the contested 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush, and the extraordinary legal battle that unfolded in Florida.
Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.
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35episodes
Episodes
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Congresswoman Lateefah Simon on Doing the Work | Introducing Who's With Me? with W. Kamau Bell
4d ago01:06:38Summary readyMale comedian-led podcasts need a savior, and W. Kamau Bell is the man for the job. Instead of hosting a podcast that turns young boys into assholes, fans the flames of fascism, plays footsie with war criminals, and lies more often than it tells the truth, Kamau is going to do something different with his new podcast Who’s With Me? In this episode, Kamau sits down with Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, a lifelong organizer and public servant representing California’s 12th District, which includes Oakland, Berkeley, and several neighboring cities. The conversation dives into what it means to represent a district that spans deep poverty and intense wealth, from West Oakland to Piedmont, and why she believes every kid in West Oakland deserves the same schools, childcare, and opportunities that affluent cities provide. Listen to Who's With Me wherever you get your podcasts, or watch on YouTube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing: OnlyFantasy, Co-Hosted by Leon Neyfakh
2w ago00:11:42Summary readyIn this provocative investigation into OnlyFans— the adult platform where subscribers around the world spent more than $7 billion in 2024— journalist Leon Neyfakh teams up with comedian and OnlyFans creator Gracie Canaan for a one-of-a-kind exploration into the current state of human connection. Captivating and tender, OnlyFantasy is about the cost of loneliness, the seductive power of desire, and how the rules of human intimacy are being rewritten online. Is what’s happening on OnlyFans real? Or is it only a fantasy? Find OnlyFantasy wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all episodes ad-free on Audible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing... Final Thoughts: Jerry Springer
Apr 1300:05:37Summary readyJerry 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, or subscribe to Audible to binge the whole series now, ad-free. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Listen Now: The Wizard of the Kremlin
Feb 400:20:29Summary readyHow did a quasi-fictional novel about Vladimir Putin’s spin doctor become an international bestselling sensation and now, a political thriller starring Jude Law and Paul Dano? Filled with real political insight and intrigue, The Wizard of the Kremlin is a riveting look at the nature of power and the inner workings of Putin’s regime at a time when the Russian leader’s decisions are reverberating across the world. Here's a preview of The Wizard of the Kremlin (01:00). If you like what you hear, get the audiobook now on Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, pushkin.fm/audiobooks, or wherever audiobooks are sold.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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From Business History: De-Nazifying the Love Bug: The VW Beetle Story Part II
Jan 2100:42:16Summary readyWe'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 cars that became a global sensation? Big political and economic moves helped - but a British Army officer, Walt Disney and a New York ad agency also played pivotal roles in turning a car that Hitler had championed into the favourite ride of surfers, school teachers and hippies. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Check out part 1 from last week. Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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From Business History: Hitler's Gift to the Hippies: The VW Beetle Story Part I
Jan 1400:33:48Summary readyWe'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 Volkswagen—the People's Car—was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers—and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile. Germany's private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision - even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Find part 2 here next Wednesday. Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing: American Prestige
Dec 400:00:48Summary readyHere's a preview of another podcast, American Prestige. American Prestige (americanprestigepod.com) is a podcast that offers listeners a critical perspective on U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. Most media organizations share the assumption that global peace and prosperity depend on the United States dominating the world. American Prestige rejects that assumption and explores what U.S. foreign policy might look if we in the United States adopted a different, less imperial, approach to global politics.Past guests include public intellectual Adam Tooze, actor Morgan Spector, Pulitzer Prize winner Ada Ferrer, and historian Rashid Khalidi. They also just released a new miniseries for subscribers, Chinese Prestige (chineseprestigepod.com), covering a history of the People's Republic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules: How the Financial Crisis Broke Politics
Nov 2500:42:10Summary readyI'm sharing another podcast we think you’ll enjoy, The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules, hosted by fellow Pushkin podcast host Michael Lewis. The Big Short is now 15 years old and to mark the occasion, Lewis narrated a new audiobook version of The Big Short and is looking back on how the 2008 financial crisis still affects the world today. Michael Lewis speaks with two people who represent two very different responses to the financial crisis of 2008: US Senator Elizabeth Warren, an expert in bankruptcy law who became an advisor to the Obama White House before running for higher office in Massachusetts. And Michael interviews former Trump White House advisor and right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon, who talks about how the financial crisis radicalized him. Find The Big Short Companion from Against the Rules (00:45) wherever you get your Podcasts. Find The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine (00:10) on Apple Books or wherever you get your audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms - history’s greatest screw-ups
Oct 1600:38:44Summary readyHi FIASCO fans! We’re excited to share a special episode from one of our favorite history podcasts: SNAFU with Ed Helms. The show tackles history’s greatest screw-ups, and on the newest season, Ed has roped in some of a cavalcade of smart, hilarious guests to help unpack what these blunders, fiascos and faceplants say about who we are (spoiler: we’re basically just toddlers with nukes). Think of it as part history lesson, part hangout pod, and part group therapy for humanity. On this episode, we’ve got Shackleton’s Expedition and Nick Kroll — who is not so great in a crisis, especially a family fishing trip. So naturally, Ed wanted to bring Nick back to the sea for the harrowing story of Ernie Shackleton's failed expedition to Antarctica, complete with dogloos, stowaway cats, and a chance to celebrate the explorers who push humanity forward. You can also go back and listen to SNAFU’s previous three season, which tackle more in-depth stories like :S1: Able Archer 83, the NATO war game that almost started an actual nuclear war, and S2: MEDBURG, the 1971 burglary of an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania. There’s something for every kind of listener. You can subscribe and listen to SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Benghazi: Episode 6 - Radicals
Oct 601:08:43Summary readyThe 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.
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