American Scandal

In 1999, U.S. Congressman Rod Blagojevich leans on his Serbian ancestry to insert himself into the war in Yugoslavia and get his name in the papers. And his gambit pays off, allowing him to set his sights on a new position: governor of Illinois. But the ruthless campaign fundraising tactics of Blagojevich's close adviser, Tony Rezko, will come back to haunt him.

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These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own.

Search and follow The Spy Who wherever you listen to podcasts, or binge entire seasons early and ad-free on Wondery+ on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app.

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Two decades before he was arrested in 2008 on corruption charges while still serving as Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich got his start in the dog-eat-dog world of Chicago politics under the tutelage of his mentor and father-in-law, Richard Mell. But after winning a seat in the Illinois house, Blagojevich chafes at his nickname, "Representative Son-in-Law." He's determined to prove he's his own man - and he'll stop at nothing as he seeks higher office.

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Journalist Justin Fenton covered the Gun Trace Task Force scandal for the Baltimore Sun. He sat through the trials and heard testimony from accused cops and their victims. He reported on the ripple effects of the scandal, in the police department and in the community. And then David Simon, creator of The Wire, called and asked Fenton to write a book. Today, Lindsay speaks with Justin Fenton, author of We Own This City, which was made into an HBO limited series by the same name.

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The FBI's investigation into the Gun Trace Task Force, codenamed Broken Boundaries, finally leads to arrests. But for federal prosecutors to prove their case against these rogue cops, they need to find witnesses willing to testify against them.

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In the summer of 2016, Sergeant Wayne Jenkins gets his most prestigious assignment yet: heading up the Gun Trace Task Force, one of Baltimore’s best plainclothes units. It's the perfect cover for his increasingly illegal activities. But what Jenkins doesn't know is that the task force is already under investigation by federal authorities.

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Following a series of questionable arrests, plainclothes detective Wayne Jenkins finds himself relegated to the desk duty. But when Baltimore is roiled by protests following the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police, Jenkins seizes an opportunity to get back in the action - and bring more crooked cops into his orbit.

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In 2017, seven members of an elite Baltimore police unit called the Gun Trace Task Force were arrested and charged with robbery, extortion, fraud, and selling drugs seized during police operations. While some were quick to dismiss the arrests as a case of a few bad apples, a subsequent investigation revealed a culture of corruption within the Baltimore Police Department that had allowed rogue cops to flourish.

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The FBI gets closer to the Unabomber. But a leak to the media threatens the case. And soon, agents are forced to take action. 

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A fight erupts between Ted Kaczynski and his brother, David. And when tragedy strikes, the Kaczynski family begins to break apart.

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Ted Kaczynski falls in love. But soon, he's shocked by some news - and retreats into the wilderness in Montana. It's there that he pushes forward with a deadly bombing campaign.

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Ted Kaczynski faces a painful rejection in high school. Then he endures an abusive psychology experiment at Harvard. Kaczynski may be an academic prodigy, but he feels lonely and out of place. His solution? He's going to get revenge on modern society.

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From his meteoric rise to his epic fall from grace, Aaron Hernandez has become a cautionary tale for the NFL. Today, journalist Kevin Armstrong joins Lindsay to share his experience reporting Hernandez’s story as it unfolded, its impacts on the football world, and what has (and hasn’t) changed since. Armstrong has covered the NFL for more than a decade and executive produced the Netflix original docuseries Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez.

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After a highly publicized trial, Aaron Hernandez is found guilty for the murder of Odin Lloyd, and sentenced to life in prison. While behind bars, Hernandez makes a startling confession to his mother. But before Hernandez can appeal his conviction, a tragic turn of events leaves his family with more questions than answers.

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When a man named Odin Lloyd is shot to death in suburban Massachusetts, police are startled to discover that all clues point to star NFL player Aaron Hernandez as the shooter. But to arrest such a high-profile suspect, investigators know that their case has to be air-tight.

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After winning a national college championship with the University of Florida Gators, Aaron Hernandez realizes a lifelong dream when he's drafted into the NFL by his hometown team, the New England Patriots. Hernandez seems to have it all. But off the field, his life is taking a dark turn.

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The sports world was shocked in 2013 when Aaron Hernandez, star tight end for the New England Patriots, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. But dating back to his days as a heavily recruited college athlete, there had been signs of ominous changes in his behavior: paranoia, failed drug tests, and run-ins with the law. And after Hernandez's death, some wondered if those changes could be attributed to a neurological condition called CTE.

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Air pollution had long been a problem in Muscatine, Iowa.

For decades, a corn-processing plant had been operating in the south end of town. And according to locals, the facility’s emissions were so strong, some people gagged just by breathing in the air.

But a group of residents wouldn’t accept the status quo. And with the help of public-interest attorneys, they launched a legal battle that would redefine Muscatine.

In this interview, Scott Entin, one of the residents’ attorneys, tells the story of this long and difficult fight. And he explains how the group’s legal strategy could help address other environmental crises, including climate change.

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Soil scientist Hugh Bennett tours the Southern Plains, studying the origins of the Dust Bowl. President Roosevelt launches an ambitious program to combat the crisis.

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With the economy in free fall, farmers plow up the grasslands at a frenzied pace. When drought strikes the Southern Plains, residents confront a deadly ecological crisis.

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