Benghazi: Episode 6 – Radicals
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,…
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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, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.
Most Recent Episode
Benghazi: Episode 6 – Radicals
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,…
Benghazi: Episode 5 – Greatest Hits
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:…
Benghazi: Episode 4 – Feckless
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…
Benghazi: Episode 3 – Barefoot
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…
Benghazi: Episode 2 – We Will Stay Here
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…
Benghazi: Episode 1 – The Dictator
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…
Iran Contra: Episode 8 – Pardon Me
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
Iran Contra: Episode 7 – Olliewood
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
Iran Contra: Episode 6 – Fault Lines
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:…
Iran Contra: Episode 5 – All Out
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
Iran Contra: Bonus – Intermission
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.…
Iran Contra: Episode 4 – Diverted
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…
Iran Contra: Episode 3 – Contra Dance
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…
Iran Contra: Episode 2 – Trade Secrets
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…
Iran Contra: Episode 1 – Get Me Kevin Kattke
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…
Iran Contra: Introduction
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…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – Legacy.
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…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – Lawfare
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.
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – What If…
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…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – Information Wars
A conversation with Craig Waters, spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court, about becoming the face of an embattled, apolitical institution during a partisan battle.
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – Inside the Florida Secretary of State’s Office During the 2000 Recount
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…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus – A Mile In Their Shoes
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…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 6 – No Precedent
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…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 5 – Contingencies
Democrats and Republicans hope for the best and plan for the worst. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.
Bush v. Gore: Episode 4 – Spin-Off
How public relations battles yielded big legal wins for the Bush team. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.
Bush v. Gore: Episode 3 – Ballot With Butterfly Wings
What happened in Palm Beach County when a bitterly-contested national election came to town–and who paid the price? For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.
Bush v. Gore: Episode 2 – Real Numbers
On election night 2000 an ad hoc network of statisticians, news producers, TV anchors, and political operatives tried to figure out what the hell was going on in Florida–and failed…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 1 – Homestead
How the largely forgotten race between Al Gore and George W. Bush roiled Florida long before anyone had ever heard of a hanging chad. For a full list of sources,…
Trailer: Bush v. Gore
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 in the aftermath…
The Host
Leon Neyfakh
Leon Neyfakh is the host of Fiasco, the co-host of Think Twice: Michael Jackson and Backfired: Attention Deficit, and the co-creator, along with executive producer Andrew Parsons, of Slow Burn.…
