Podcast
Greg Palast
Hosted by Greg Palast · EN
Greg Palast is an investigative reporter, whose stories appear on BBC Television, The Guardian, Al Jazeera and Rolling Stone. You can read/watch his reports at GregPalast.com. He is the author of the NY Times bestsellers The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, Armed Madhouse, and the highly acclaimed Vultures’ Picnic. You can stream his new film, Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman — introduced by Martin Sheen and narrated by Rosario Dawson — for a limited time at: VigilanteMovie.com
26episodes
Episodes
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Trump, Sinatra, and My Partner
May 600:03:25Tap to summarizeIt’s kind of embarrassing. Donald J. Trump was my business and character reference for my investigations firm, Union Associates, when, in the 1980s, I applied for government contracts. But Frank Sinatra put an end to it. Get the full story: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/frank-sinatra-donald-trump-and-my For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Nuclear Power: A Crime Wave Parading as an Industry
Apr 2800:26:46Tap to summarizeThis explosive interview between investigative journalist Greg Palast and KPFK Solartopia host Harvey Wasserman dives deep into the shocking hidden realities of nuclear power. Palast has led investigations of multi-billion-dollar frauds in the nuclear power industry, while Wasserman, is an author, activist and expert on all things nuclear. Between them, the pair have insider knowledge on the industry going back decades, with Wasserman serving as a whistleblower in one of Palast’s most incendiary investigations. During this not-to-be-missed conversation, the duo share sharp criticism of slapdash safety practices, inside info on industry cover-ups, and the staggering concealed economic costs behind reactor projects. From chaotic construction and flawed backup systems, to the disturbing facts belying the sanitized fiction released to the public in defense of disasters like Fukushima, the conversation challenges mainstream narratives and raises a bigger question: in a world of rapidly advancing renewable energy, is nuclear power not just risky—but fundamentally uncompetitive? For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Why Trump’s #2 at FEMA, Gregg Phillips, who claims he teleported to a Waffle House, is no joke
Apr 2300:11:50Tap to summarizeGregg Phillips’ group, True the Vote, challenged over 300,000 voters in 2024, crucial to Trump’s victory. How can they do that? True the Vote is using old Jim Crow laws that allow any voter to challenge another voter’s ballot. And now, ahead of the next election, Phillips is training literally 40,000 MAGA vote challengers who’ve exchanged white sheets for spreadsheets. Get the full story: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/mr-colbert-im-not-laughing-anymore For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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How Trump’s FEMA man, who teleports to a Waffle House, will choose our next President
Apr 2200:09:22Tap to summarizeDear Mr. Colbert, your take-down of Trump’s #2 at FEMA, Gregg Phillips, who claims he was teleported to a Waffle House was so hilarious I spit my milk out through my nose. But I’m not laughing anymore. Mr. Colbert, Phillips may choose our next president. Here's how. Get the full story: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/mr-colbert-im-not-laughing-anymore For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Trump: The Pirate of Hormuz
Apr 800:25:15Tap to summarizeThere is nothing new under the sun. Five centuries ago, the Portuguese conquistadors imposed a toll (“cartaz”) for ships trying to get through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet Trump and Hegseth didn’t know what every ship captain has known for centuries: the importance of securing the Strait. And the wee problem with Trump’s plan to collect passage tolls in partnership with Iran is that it violates international laws against piracy. Get the full story: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/trump-the-pirate-of-hormuz/ For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack:https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Hormuz Blues: Bush should show Trump how you seize another nation’s oil
Mar 2200:10:17Tap to summarizeIn one of my most elaborate undercover operations for BBC Newsnight, I got my hands on the secret plans for the invasion. Nope, not Trump's attack on Iran. It was 2004 and the plan was secretly drafted BEFORE George W. Bush invaded Iraq. I’m only bringing up 20-year-old history to tell you that, while Bush’s hidden plan for the oil fields of Iraq evidenced greedy secret scheming to grab Iraq’s oil industry, at least we could say this: EVEN GEORGE BUSH HAD A PLAN. So no, I have not uncovered Trump’s secret plans for the invasion of Iran, or his plan to protect the world’s oil supply, BECAUSE TRUMP HAS NO PLAN. The only thing more evil than a secret plan is to have no plan at all. Get the full story: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/hormuz-blues For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Remembering Rev. Jesse Jackson: Greg Palast Reflects on 50 Years of Friendship
Feb 2000:20:10Tap to summarizeInvestigative Journalist Greg Palast talks to Rick Smith. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate, passed away on February 17, 2026, at age 84, surrounded by family. On The Rick Smith Show, host Rick Smith welcomed longtime friend and investigative journalist Greg Palast for an emotional tribute. Palast, a New York Times bestselling author known for exposing voter suppression, shared intimate stories from their five-decade alliance forged at a United Auto Workers event. Palast recalled their first meeting 50 years ago, both young activists championing labor’s role in progressive change. “He always called me ‘young man,’ even when I was 73,” Palast said, noting Jackson’s insistence on early morning calls despite Parkinson’s, which limited his speech after 2 p.m. Just last week in Chicago, Palast planned to meet Jackson for 2026 voting rights strategies, sensing it was “end game” but committed to the fight. Command Performances and Unyielding Activism Jackson commanded action, summoning Palast from Europe for his film Vigilantes Inc.: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen premiere at the 2024 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Wheelchair bound but defiant, Jackson stayed through the screening and Q&A, pounding his armrest when aides tried to leave. They cowrote an op-ed on vote suppression and even collaborated on the bestselling comic Steal Back Your Vote, available free at GregPalast.com. Palast highlighted Jackson’s labor ties post-Martin Luther King Jr., walking picket lines and allying with unions against corporate thieves like Chicago’s utilities. He praised Jackson’s “rainbow coalition” empathy for the underclass, Black, white, poor, seeing race as a class marker exploited by billionaires. Their work smashed programs like Interstate Crosscheck, with Rainbow/PUSH continuing under leaders like attorney C.K. Hoffler and daughter Santita Jackson. A Legacy for Ordinary Fighters Palast rejected portraying Jackson as “extraordinary.” From humble Greenville, South Carolina roots, Jackson was “an ordinary guy” who volunteered with King in Chicago’s economic justice push and refused to stop. He dismissed critics like Elizabeth Warren who overlooked him, emphasizing his role in history like the Selma bridge marches, stories even young staff need to hear. “Is he replaceable?” Smith asked. Palast urged, “You are the leader.” Jackson’s marching orders? March yourself, don’t wait for icons. His cussedness lives in ongoing fights against vigilante vote challenges targeting voters of color. As Palast kissed Jackson’s forehead at that final screening, feeling goodbye, the message endures. Battles don’t end, carry them on. Watch the Rainbow PUSH edition of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy featuring Reverend Jackson. Get the DVD, download, or stream it for free. Learn more at GregPalast.com.
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Jesse Jackson (1941-2026): My Reverend, My Brother
Feb 1800:08:20Tap to summarizeFor 50 years, the Reverend and I fought side-by-side, and sometimes fought face-to-face. He's the only man, other than my dad, I've ever kissed, a year ago, when I kissed him goodbye. Remembering Reverend Jesse Jackson (1941-2026): Investigative journalist Greg Palast talks to WCPT’s Joan Esposito.
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The real story of the FBI raid on Fulton County, Atlanta
Jan 3000:12:46Tap to summarizeYou are watching the theft of 2026 before your eyes. The FBI raid on Fulton County is NOT, as the media seems to think, about Trump’s attempt to prove he won the 2020 race. The warrant says the FBI wants the envelopes from the 2020 election to hunt for crimes. But that’s just the legal excuse for the storm trooping. This is all about 2026 and 2028. Look at a map. Fulton County is the heart of “Blacklanta.” And Atlanta is the electoral heart of Georgia. And Georgia is the swingiest of swing states. The game is to force a state (i.e. Republican) takeover of Fulton County voting (possible under SB 202). And you can’t separate the invasion of Atlanta voting offices from the Purge’n General Bondi’s demand that Minnesota hand over its voter rolls. Get the full story. Read my latest Substack report, The real story of the FBI raid on Fulton County: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/the-real-story-of-the-fbi-raid-on For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/ Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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Trump wants Venezuelan oil — that we already had!
Jan 1500:12:22Tap to summarizePalast discusses his latest report on Venezuela with Thom Hartmann The Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez and Donald Trump desire the same thing: to send Venezuelan oil to the US. But Donald, we already had Venezuelan oil…until YOU embargoed imports of their crude. Venezuela’s socialist President Hugo Chavez enjoyed taunting George W. Bush. I remember when Chavez spoke at the UN General Assembly right after Bush left the podium. Chavez began, “There is a distinct smell of sulphur here.” Bush went after Chavez. It was a bit less subtle than Chavez’ comment. Bush backed the kidnapping of Chavez in 2002. Unlike Trump, Bush’s scheme face-planted and Chavez was returned by his kidnappers, more popular than ever. But despite the barbs and kidnapping, Bush, with Chavez’ encouragement, kept Venezuelan oil flowing to the US, more than a million barrels a day. Trump is crowing that, “we’re going to be taking oil” from Venezuela. Mr. President, we were taking Venezuela’s oil until you stopped the flow with an embargo. Now, it will be nearly impossible, and cost a prohibitive amount, to crank up Venezuela’s production to get back up to the flow quantities we had before Trump’s embargo. Because, when the extraction of super-heavy oil of Venezuela stopped, it congealed into tar and then into asphalt. Refineries and pipes are choked and destroyed, a destruction Trump engineered through blocking Venezuela from paying for equipment to maintain the lines. Now, Trump is trying to bully US oil companies to invest as much as $100 billion to restore the oil infrastructure that Trump himself destroyed. Trump wants praise for (expensively) rebuilding what he demolished. He’s like an arsonist who wants praise for calling the fire department. * * * * * Excerpt from my latest report, How New Venezuela President Will Save Us from Trump’s Crazy: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/p/how-new-venezuela-president-will For more from Palast, subscribe to his Substack: https://gregpalastinvestigates.substack.com/ Support independent journalism, buy Greg a coffee: https://buy.stripe.com/14kdRh1QhgDi34s4gh
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