This past week saw the release of a trogue of documents related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy,

a subject that's long been fertile ground for conspiracy theories.

Other favorite topics include beliefs that the moon landing, the 9-11 attacks, and the January 6th assault on the Capitol were all staged.

Podcaster Zach Mack wanted to see if conspiracy theorists could be shaken

from their firm but unsubstantiated beliefs. So he turned to someone he's debated about

conspiracies for years, his father. Mack tells what happened in a three-part podcast from NPR

called Alternate Realities. This clip begins with Mac talking with members of his family about his father.

This is a story about my dad, but it's really a story about what he believes.

And how his beliefs are impacting our family.

We've been married 40 years.

It's very hard to walk away from.

I want him to fundamentally change who he is and be a

different person. How can I halfway believe what I believe?

Zach Mack joins us now along with David Robert Grimes. He's a science writer. He wrote a book called

Good Thinking, Why Flawed Logic puts us all at risk and how critical thinking could save the world.

Zach, I want to play another clip of your father sharing his beliefs.

They're going to shut us down because of this EMP, all the supply lines are going to be disrupted.

So there will be a one world government with a one world currency.

I think the Biden has probably three or four, maybe more body doubles.

Obama will be found guilty of treason.

Zach, has he always believed things like this for as long as you can remember?

Kind of. Not, not exactly. It's been a long time coming. He grew up in a household that was very distrusting of vaccines and really sort of skeptical of major institutions like education and the health, you know, health organizations. And then in the last

...