Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, Ben, Matt and Noel explore ongoing claims that the Russian government may possess secret "superweapons" capable of changing the course of war. How much of this is sound and fury, signifying nothing? How much of this may lead to new, world-threatening tools of horror? Ben here: it turns out what we mean by "super".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.

In this weekly listener mail segment, Jmodaez hips Ben, Matt and Noel to Peter Thiel's funding of 'cowcollars'. Over on Spotify, Sasha prompts a conversation about why intelligence agencies love former Latter-day Saint missionaries. Sean shares a new experience with sleep paralysis. Anon reveals more allegations of connections surrounding the disappearance of General McCasland. Tune in to learn how this weekly segment informs actual episodes in the future!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.

As the United States debate over immigration continues to rage, Uncle Sam is constructing hundreds of controversial detainment centers. The official reasoning is that these facilities will hold people until they are cleared or deported... but is that the entire story? In this episode, Ben, Matt and Noel asks what happens to the centers in the future -- and who else, besides immigrants, might end up detained.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.

The Russian government may soon pass an unusual law giving any former Russian president legal immunity -- not only from any crimes committed while in office, but for any acts before or after their presidency, as well. This lifetime immunity proposal has international spectators scratching their heads in confusion... and diving into conspiracy. Tune in to learn more in this week's oddly prescient Classic episode.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.

In this week's strange news segment: Ben, Matt and Noel explore the oddly credible conspiracy that recent hours-long lines at US airports may be part of a larger conspiracy. Updates on the still-missing Major General William McCasland. Hilarious phone pranks as protest. Also, who the heck just made 580 million dollars in oil futures? Tune in for all this and more.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.

Does hypnosis work? Can you really hack your brain into becoming a better person? On the flip side: Can you possibly push people to do what you want, without their knowledge? In tonight's interview, Ben, Matt and Noel welcome the legendary journalist and author Zoë Lescaze, co-creator of Kaleidoscope's hit new podcast Mind Games, to learn more about the strange, controversial evolution of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP.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.

In this week's listener mail segment: Hootsifer hips Ben, Matt and Noel to the fascinating -- and disturbing -- process of using human brain cells on microchips to play the videogame Doom. Noah prompts the guys to plan a trip to the underground tunnels of Missoula, Montana. Sacratomato shares the strange story of Moltbook. Tune in to learn more.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.

While the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has been tense in recent decades, things massively escalated earlier this year. The U.S. unilaterally invaded Venezuela, abducting sitting President Nicolás Maduro, along with his spouse, to face drug and terrorism charges. Yet the American public is increasingly skeptical about the official reasoning here. Could this really be about drugs? Oil? Something else? Join Ben and Matt to learn more.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.

What makes a genre of music successful? Ideally, the art connects on a personal level with the audience, speaking truth to power, tapping into a universal experience.... but what if that isn't always the case? In 2012, an email from someone claiming to be a former music industry executive alleged that gangster rap was not an organic success. Instead, they claimed, the success of this genre was the result of a secret, high-level meeting in 1991, between members of the music industry's elite and representatives of the private prison industry. Making this music successful, they argued, would ensure the prison system became even more profitable for investors. It's a profoundly disturbing idea -- but could it be true? Tune in to learn more.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.

In this week's Strange News segment, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the following: As the Iran conflict ramps up, a mysterious numbers station begins transmitting ominous codes in Farsi -- raising speculation about a possible conspiracy afoot. Legendary MC Afroman wins a bizarre court case in the wake of a raid on his Ohio home.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.

Have you ever been starving? Ben, Noel and Dylan hope the answer is "no" -- however, as the guy's learn in tonight's episode, the world is currently on the precipice of a massive hunger crisis. As conflicts ratchet up, government programs close down and the climate becomes increasingly chaotic, the next great famine may have already begun. And, sooner than the media wants to admit, that famine may be on its way to you.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.

World famous pop icon Britney Spears has sold millions of records, performed countless times, and regardless of whether you care for her music, you've certainly heard her hits. She also has an enormous, fiercely loyal fanbase that's convinced something is amiss, behind the scenes. You see, for years, Spears has been the subject of a legal conservatorship -- this arrangement, which the singer has described as voluntary multiple times, means Spears must have approval from several people for any financial decisions she wishes to make. In short, she does not control the financial side of her music empire. Some fans allege the singer sends coded messages to them via Instagram, asking for help. Others argue this conspiracy theory, as well-intentioned as it may be, will only make things worse for one of the world's most famous living musicians.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.

By almost any measure, the United States military is by far the most powerful on the planet. The immense size of the military, combined with advanced technology and near-unimaginable funding, guarantees a fighting force like no other. However,the size of the organization has also led to some disturbing cases of conspiracy, crime and corruption -- cases that are often buried by the powers that be. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the grand conspiracy of military cover-up. Please note this episode may not be appropriate for all audiences.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.

Ben, Matt and Noel present a Classic episode: In cities across Canada, the US and other parts of the world, the cost of living continues to rise -- and housing becomes increasingly unaffordable. Rental rates outpace inflation. Owning a home becomes virtually impossible for millions. Economists have debated the usual causes of this crisis for years... but it appears there's a variable many people haven't considered, something a little stranger than domestic supply and demand. Investors from across the planet are pouring money into real estate, not for a home, but as a safe haven for storing cash.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.

In this week's Strange News segment: Jeffrey Epstein invested thousands of dollars into telepathy experiments. Former Epstein guards were apparently talking about an Epstein cover-up on the day the disgraced financier officially die. A stunning multi-year investigation verifies that there may indeed be a secret energy weapon at the heart of the Havana Syndrome conspiracy. Award-winning restaurant Noma is back in the news for a new scandal. Tune in for all this and more.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.

"Oligarch" - when we hear this word in the West, it's almost always associated with Russian business types who made loads of money during the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode, oligarchs have always been around, in almost every single civilization... and the U.S. is no exception. In fact, despite being a democracy on paper, the U.S. itself is a lot more like an oligarchy than our rulers would have us believe.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.

On September 1, 1969, numerous people in a rural area of Massachusetts reported seeing strange lights in the sky -- and that was just the beginning. As time went on, more people came forward claiming they had been spirited away by unknown forces, had lost time, or found themselves some distance from their original location. What exactly happened? Tune in as the guys explore the ins and outs of this strange -- and strangely consistent -- story.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.

In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel return to the unfortunately ongoing saga of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and sexual predator. In the wake of Epstein's still-controversial death in prison, millions of documents about his activities -- collectively known as the Epstein Files -- remain redacted or hidden from the public. Recent releases have, if anything, raised more questions than answers. So what exactly is going on? Tune in to learn more.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.

In this interview segment, the guys sit down with seasoned conflict journalist Jake Hanrahan to hear his first-hand accounts of covering stories all too often ignored or misrepresented in the west -- as well learning more about his work exploring QAnon in his podcast, Q Clearance.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.

In this week's Strange News segment, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into assassinations, the erosion of rights, China's reaction to the war against Iran, and more. Recents reveal Israeli spies hacked the entirety of Tehran's traffic cameras for years in the lead-up to the assassination of the Ayatollah. Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes had been murdered, and buried in a gold coffin. Kansas revoked transgender people’s IDs overnight – researchers anticipate cascading health and social consequences. The U.S. fired the FBI's counterintelligence just days before Uncle Sam struck Iran. Tune in to learn about all this and more.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.

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.