Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Seth Nicholas, producer, record store host and indie vinyl shop operator, joins to unpack foreign money flowing into housing. They trace anonymous all-cash buys, shell-company ownership and tax responses. Stories cover investor visas, pandemic capital shifts and why opaque ownership tangles tenants and officials.

Investigative reporting reignites the Havana Syndrome mystery with claims of a miniaturized directed-energy weapon and secret testing. A high-profile restaurant faces a new abuse scandal and industry silence. AI is touted for triaging UFO reports and improving weather models. New twists surface in the Epstein story with possible cover-up details and suspicious payments.

A lively exploration of how concentrated wealth shapes power across history and today. They trace the rise of Russian oligarchs, privatization schemes, and regulatory capture. The conversation compares American democratic ideals with real elite influence and looks at tech billionaires, campaign finance, and risks from growing inequality.

A deep dive into Brazil's 1977–78 Colares flap, where townspeople reported beams, burns, punctures, and alleged blood-sucking attacks. Military investigators photographed and filmed strange luminous objects and compiled a large secret report. Leaks, medical confirmations, radioactive burn circles, and decades of follow-up keep the case eerie and unresolved.

They dig into millions of leaked documents, flight logs, images, and other digital artifacts tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The conversation covers alleged intelligence links, missing prison footage, and odd redactions that raise fresh questions. Listeners hear about banking connections, online conspiracy cultures, global investigations, and new transparency laws shaping what may still come to light.

Jake Hanrahan, conflict journalist and filmmaker (VICE, HBO, Bellingcat; founder of Popular Front), shares frontline tales and the realities of reporting in war zones. He explores QAnon's rise, its community mechanics, how it hooks people, and why it can radicalize. Conversation also covers journalist imprisonment, media failures, and where to find his reporting.

A whirlwind of strange news: a cartel kingpin killed and buried in a gold coffin. Reports that Tehran’s traffic cameras were allegedly hijacked to map targets. Sudden revocation of transgender IDs in Kansas and its ripple effects. U.S. counterintelligence shakeups just before strikes on Iran and worries about weakened defenses and escalation.

To some, Peter Thiel is a philosopher king. To others, he's real-life supervillain. One thing's for sure: this guy is making enormous waves in everything from tech to surveillance and government. In the chapter of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into one of Thiel's corporate crown jewels -- an enormous, shadowy "data analytics" company called Palantir. Tune in to learn why governments and investors love Palantir... and why numerous critics believe this outfit is ushering the new age of massive, inescapable and un-democratic surveillance.They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lively mailbag covering dynamic gas pricing and old-school pump anecdotes. Listeners share a UFO crash retrieval tale and a creepy AI 'psychosis' report. There is heated talk about a controversial company offering designer-baby services and the ethics of genetic selection. They also riff on a conspiracy-themed tabletop game idea and possible charity play sessions.

Payne Lindsey, documentary storyteller behind High Strange and true-crime hits, joins to unpack UFO lore. He discusses his investigative, open-minded approach. Conversations cover credibility of figures like Bob Lazar, the role of government secrecy and testing, how AI and deepfakes muddy evidence, and why alleged encounters and memories are hard to evaluate.