Deep Background with Noah Feldman

In 2020, the Financial Times exposed a 2 billion euro fraud at Wirecard, a high-flying German fintech. Many thought that was the end of the story. But for reporter Sam Jones, it was just the beginning. This season on Hot Money: Agent of Chaos, from Pushkin Industries and the Financial Times, Jones investigates Wirecard’s chief operating officer who vanished just as Wirecard collapsed. And turned out to also be a Russian spy. Here’s episode 1. Listen to Hot Money: Agent of Chaos wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

Malcolm Gladwell visits Kennesaw State University to learn about Jiwoo, an AI Assistant that helps future teachers practice responsive teaching by simulating classroom interactions with students. Discover AI’s impact on teaching methods to prepare teachers for the classroom. This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions. Visit us at https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/smart-talksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2025

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/fiascopoliticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2025

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/fiascopoliticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 May 2025

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: bit.ly/fiascopoliticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 May 2025

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/fiascopoliticsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2025

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. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

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. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 28 April 2025

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 this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

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 to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2025

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 this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

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 this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

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. Fiasco: Iran-Contra tells the story of a secret war, a secret deal, and a foreign policy scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency — until it didn’t. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

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. Fiasco: Iran-Contra tells the story of a secret war, a secret deal, and a foreign policy scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency — until it didn’t. For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 April 2025

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.  Fiasco: Iran-Contra exposes a secret war, a secret deal, and a scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency—until it didn’t. Fiasco: Iran-Contra begins on April 7, available wherever you get your podcasts. Pushkin+ subscribers can hear the entire episode, ad-free, starting April 7. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

For the International Day of Happiness, we're sharing a special episode from The Happiness Lab. It's a chance to talk about happiness and what we can all do to be happier. March 20th also sees the release of the World Happiness Report. A big finding of 2025's report is that more of us are dining alone—and that's bad news.  The report's editor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve shares the stark figures showing that shared meals are in decline, while Dr. Anne Fischel of The Family Dinner Project gives tips on how to dine better with friends, families and colleagues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

In 1974, a federal judge ruled that Boston’s public schools were unconstitutionally segregated. The solution? A controversial experiment in desegregation known as “busing,” which would take children from majority-white schools and bus them to predominantly Black schools, and vice versa. What followed was a year of upheaval, violence, and fierce protests, as Boston became a battleground for the heated national debate over school integration and racism in the North. In this dramatic audiobook, journalist Leon Neyfakh (co-creator of the podcasts Slow Burn and Fiasco) unpacks the history of busing in Boston and brings to life the human stories behind the headlines. Listen on Pushkin.fm, Audible, Spotify or wherever you get audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2025

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 thought it would.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2024

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2024

The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy. But all too often, the darker, colder days of winter, and even the stress of preparing for the holidays themselves, can lead people to feel something else: rushed, stressed, lonely, or even hopeless. How can you make sure this year is bright? Dr Laurie joins Dave DeSteno on his show How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality to unpack the psychological secrets of celebrations from Christmas, to Hanukkah, to Yule, and more. They’ll also discuss how we can put that wisdom into practice, whatever our beliefs, to make this season a happier and healthier one for all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2024

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 ballot box irregularities involving Black voters may have had on the outcome in Florida.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2024

A conversation with Craig Waters, spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court, about becoming the face of an embattled, apolitical institution during a partisan battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2024

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 during the recount and helped her bring the election “in for a landing.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2024

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 history project with recount alums from the Bush campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2024

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 website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 November 2024

Democrats and Republicans hope for the best and plan for the worst. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 November 2024

How public relations battles yielded big legal wins for the Bush team. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 30 October 2024

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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 October 2024

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 spectacularly. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 October 2024

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, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 October 2024

Harvard epidemiologist and recurring guest Marc Lipsitch discusses what we can learn from omicron surge. Lipsitch also addresses some common omicron myths and discusses the possibility of a “master vaccine.”  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2022

Zachary Karabell, financial executive and historian, discusses his recent book Inside Money: Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power, outlining the formation of American capitalism told through the history of one often-overlooked bank. He explains how the evolution of trust in financial systems has shaped American capitalism today and informs where it could go in the future. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2022

Jamal Greene, co-chair of the Facebook Oversight Board, an independent governing body reviewing Facebook’s content moderation decisions and issuing binding rulings, explains the inner workings of the Board. Greene is the Dwight Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, where he focuses on constitutional law and American federal courts.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2022

Erik Voorhees, founder of crypto management platform ShapeShift, makes a case for decentralized autonomous organizations, known as DAOs. Earlier this year, ShapeShift became a DAO, “moving from a centralized, closed-source application with bank accounts, governed and owned by shareholders, to a decentralized, open-source application without bank accounts, governed and owned by holders of the FOX Token.” Voorhees explains how DAOs works could reshape business, economics, and politics. .  Read Erik Voorhees’ Medium post about moving to a DAO structure here: https://erikvoorhees.medium.com/shapeshift-is-decentralizing-639bb4c82fc8 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2021

Hannah Kain, CEO of supply chain management company Alom, shares her analysis of how we got into the supply chain crisis and the larger story it reveals about trade wars, labor shortages, and the need for better automation systems.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 December 2021

Political strategist and media commentator James Carville shares his frank concerns about the Democratic party’s strategy and leadership. Carville discusses the risks of party disunity in this crucial time, the false equivalency of the far left and right, and why the Democratic party needs better salespeople.  Harvard political scientist Theda Skocpol’s 2021 report on political organizing in Georgia and North Carolina can be read here. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2021

Description: Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, discusses the complicated role of revenue in publishing, especially in the world of business media. He also gives a surprisingly frank look at how Entrepreneur Magazine leans into non traditional practices to balance reader’ interest with the magazine’s revenue model. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2021

Katie Worth, investigative reporter and author of the new book Miseducation: How Climate Change Is Taught in America, reviewed science textbooks from all fifty states and travelled the country interviewing teachers and students to compile a narrative about how climate change is being taught in American public schools. She joins Noah to discuss the partisan divide in climate change education, the lobbying forces shaping curriculum around the country, and challenge of balancing students’ right to learn the facts with teachers’ values and opinions. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2021

Presenting: An Excerpt from Miracle And Wonder: Conversations With Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam. Download the audiobook today at miracleaudiook.com and receive an exclusive listener's guide pdf featuring additional commentary from Bruce, the producers and editors of Miracle and Wonder. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 November 2021

Jill Louise Busby, a former “woke influencer” with the handle @JillisBlack, opens up about examining her own complicity and calling bullshit on herself. She also discusses performative social media practices, having conversations across cultural lines, and the bounds of cancel culture. Bubsy’s book, Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity, is out now. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 November 2021

The Broken Constitution is a miniseries by Unknown History from Quick and Dirty Tips and Pushkin Industries. In this final bonus episode, Noah Feldman explains the contradictions and calculations Lincoln made as he drafted The Emancipation Proclamation and the long-term implications of Lincoln’s decision to break and remake the US Constitution.    Noah’s Feldman’s book, The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America, is out now. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 9 November 2021

Esports, the industry of competitive, entertainment-style video game play, is rapidly growing and redefining the gaming industry. Its popularity also raises questions about the future of sports entertainment more broadly. Nicole LaPointe Jameson, CEO of the esports company Evil Geniuses, explains the industry and its potential. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2021

The Broken Constitution is a miniseries by Unknown History from Quick and Dirty Tips and Pushkin Industries. In this second of three bonus episodes, Noah Feldman explains the decisions Lincoln made when he took office that effectively broke the US Constitution in hopes of preserving the nation.  Noah’s forthcoming book, The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America, is out November 2. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 November 2021

Michele Roberts, executive director of the NBA Players Association, discusses how power is negotiated between NBA players and the league. She also comments on the rise of player activism and gives an inside perspective on recent NBA negotiations including the conditions of “the bubble” and the decision not to mandate COVID vaccinations. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 October 2021

The Broken Constitution is a miniseries by Unknown History from Quick and Dirty Tips and Pushkin Industries. Over three bonus episodes, Noah Feldman talks about how Abraham Lincoln needed to break the Constitution in order to remake it. In this first episode, Noah explains why the US Constitution was built on a compromise that Lincoln devoted himself to preserving. Noah’s book, The Broken Constitution: Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America, is out November 2 wherever books are sold. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 October 2021

Author Michael Pollan discusses the psychedelic powers of plants and the history of how humans have harnessed, ignored, and controlled these powers. He also discusses his prolific career and his most recent book, This is Your Mind on Plants. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 October 2021

Dr. David Rabin, neuroscientist, PhD psychiatrist and Medical Director of the Apollo Clinic, explains the ongoing research in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, including the mechanisms and risks associated with psychedelic-assisted mental health treatments. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 October 2021

Writer Mark Oppenheimer spent the last few years documenting the recovery of Pittsburg's Squirrel Hill neighborhood, a historic Jewish neighborhood and site of the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting. Oppenheimer discusses the history of Squirrel Hill, the lasting impacts of the attack, and what it means for American Jewish life today.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 September 2021

The process of approving booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccines in the US has been particularly fraught. Last week, two well-respected medical journals published contradictory conclusions regarding the use of vaccine boosters. Dr. Genevieve Kanter joins Deep Background to make sense of the existing research and weigh in on the booster approval process. Dr. Kanter is an economist and Research Assistant Professor in the University of Pennsylvania Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. Her research focuses on the regulation of biomedical technologies, industry influence in medicine, and statistical methods used for causal inference.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 September 2021

As we start a new school year, Tamar Gendler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Yale, explains her vision for distributing power at Yale and the questionable future of America’s university system. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 16 September 2021