Mission Implausible

Crypto: The Trump Family Business (with Zach Everson)

03 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Forget hotel rooms and presidential merch, this time around, the Trumps are making untraceable billions with ventures like World Liberty Financial and...

Serving in the Middle East, then Writing About It (with Ilana Berry)

26 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Award-winning author Ilana Berry explores the gap between how espionage is portrayed and how it actually works. Drawing on her experience in the CIA, ...

Modern Conspiracy Culture: How Real Scandals Fueled False Narratives (with Kathryn Olmsted)

19 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Real government secrecy, intelligence failures, and historic scandals created the conditions for today’s conspiracy culture. Pearl Harbor, The R...

The Terrible Thing People Say When They Think No One Is Listening (with Ben Palmer)

12 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Ben Palmer (Palmer Trolls) does sort-of-pranks that have evolved from satire to social experiment. Using aliases, fake websites and a “...

What the Steele Dossier Got Right—and Why It Still Matters (with Christopher Steele)

05 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

 In 2016, former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele produced a series of intelligence memos that were leaked and widely called &ldqu...

Havana Syndrome Is Real - and They Tried to Bury It (with Michael Weiss) - Part Two

29 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We continue to look at Havana Syndrome and Russian intelligence operations. Investigative journalist Michael Weiss expands on evidence suggesting that...

Havana Syndrome Is Real - and They Tried to Bury It (with Michael Weiss) - Part One

22 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Havana Syndrome wasn’t a mystery. It was a coverup. And it wasn’t just Havana. Investigative journalist Michael Weiss (The Insider) return...

The CIA Analyst Who Knows Why Intelligence Fails (with David McCloskey)

15 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Former CIA analyst and bestselling spy novelist David McCloskey (“The Rest Is Classified” podcast) explains how Israel manipulated Trump t...

The Singularity War and How to Hack Minds (w/ Anthony Vinci)

08 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The former CIA Technologist and author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution explores how artificial intelligence, big data, and information warfare a...

The Art of the Pardon: How The Dept. of Justice Became a Favor Bank (with Liz Oyer)

01 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Former U.S. Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer was fired by Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche after she refused to recommend giving a domestic abuser back his gun. Tha...

The Midterm Power Grab (w/ Will Sommer)

22 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Will Sommer (of The Bulwark) returns to unpack threats to federalize elections to renewed efforts to “prove” 2020 was stolen. We also diag...

What Ghislaine Maxwell Knows and Why She’s Being Protected (with Tara Palmeri & Adam Davidson)

15 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Tara breaks down what Ghislaine Maxwell’s current treatment, legal positioning, and pardon speculation actually signal. They describe the differ...

The Hawaiian Cult that raised Tulsi Gabbard (with Chistine Gralow)

08 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Our current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was born into The Science of Identity Foundation, a secretive, authoritarian religious gro...

Alex Jones and the Conspiracy Economy (with Jordan Holmes)

01 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The co-host of the Knowledge Fight podcast knows too much about Alex Jones. How are conspiracy ecosystems built, monetized, and sustained? From cult p...

Eating Bugs, Shooting Bobby Kennedy, The Deadly Double: Conspiracy Theory Grey Areas (with Adam Tod Brown)

25 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The host of CONSPIRACY! THE SHOW has insights on  why people believe wild things and how grifters and media personalities turn paranoia into prof...

The Overlooked Radicalization Crisis: How Women Become Extremists (with Leah Sottile)

18 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Investigative journalist Leah Sottile, author of Blazing Eye Sees All, draws on years of direct reporting on anti-government movements, Christian nati...

From Hollywood to Human Rights: The Real Cost of Conspiracy Thinking (with Stephanie March)

11 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Drawing on her leadership roles with Planned Parenthood Global and humanitarian organizations in Africa, actor & activist Stephanie March (ADA Ale...

Wellness to Weaponization: How Women Are Drawn into Conspiracy Extremism (with Noelle Cook)

04 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

From wellness culture and yoga influencers to QAnon forums and January 6, the pathways into conspiracy extremism aren’t always obvious — e...

What Fresh Hell: 2025 in Conspiracy Theories and Disinformation

28 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our team gives their analysis of a disturbingly familiar year in power and politics, normalization and surprises. Much of it was predictable, some was...

When Did We Decide the Government is Hiding Aliens? (with Garrett Graff)

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We didn't always assume the government was hiding aliens. The Manhattan Project was a crash course in how to run a secret program. Some secrets were r...

How We're Targets for Influence Operations (with Tamsin Shaw)

14 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

An expert on psychological manipulation and politics, including Nazi propaganda and Stassi, NYU professor Tamsin Shaw studies conspiracy theories and ...

NEW EPISODE! - Human Organ Grafting and Wellness Grifting (with Scott Carney)

07 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Organ transplants, ice baths, Russian propaganda, RFK Jr.'s science denialism... Scott Carney has investigated in depth about where lies the truth and...

NEW EPISODE! - Leaving Maga (with Rich Logis & Erica Roach)

30 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Leaving MAGA is a community for those who have left the movement, or have doubts and remorse about staying in MAGA but are afraid to leave. Rich Logis...

NEW EPISODE! - MKUltra: The CIA’s Mind Control Quest (with Stephen Kinzer)

23 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NEW EPISODE! -- Epstein International (with Tara Palmeri & Adam Davidson)

16 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

" There are things we feel like we know that we we can't even say. It is even worse. worse. It is even more people." Journalist Tara Palmeri and our...

NEW EPISODE! - Secrets of The National Security Agency (with Vince Houghton)

09 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Curator of the NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum knows if the government is watching you. He knows how to tell who’s doing hidden nucl...

NEW EPISODE! - Bigfoot and Littlefoot (with Laura Krantz)

02 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Investigator Laura Krantz (the Wild Things podcast) knows about everything Bigfoot, including Bigfoot erotica, the CIA's supposed relationship with th...

NEW EPISODE! - The Return of Trae Crowder (with Trae Crowder)

26 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Trae Crowder (aka The Liberal Redneck) is here to prove that not everyone from The South is MAGA, and tried to understand why so many are, de...

NEW EPISODE! — The Department of Justice (with Ken Dilanian)

19 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MSNBC & NBC justice and inteligence correspondence Ken Dilanian predicts how the Dept. of Justice will continue to be used under Trump, and report...

NEW SEASON! — A.I. with A.D. (Adam Davidson)

12 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Adam is back and is now a bona fide expert on Artificial Intelligence. When it comes to conspiracy theories, it’s both our nemesis and our ally....

Opus Dei: A Real Conspiracy (with Gareth Gore) - Part Two (ENCORE)

05 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We continue with Gareth Gore, author of: Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church. Opus De...

Opus Dei: A Real Conspiracy (with Gareth Gore) - Part One (ENCORE)

28 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Opus Dei is a secretive, ultra-conservative Catholic sect. Gareth Gore uncovered how it pushed its radical agenda within the Church and around the glo...

The Army of God (with Stephanie McCrummen) (ENCORE)

21 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The New Apostolic Reformation is a growing anti-democratic religious movement that believes that God speaks through modern-day apostles and prophets. ...

Did CIA Kill JFK? (with Gus Russo) (ENCORE)

14 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gus Russo’s research into the Kennedy Assassination is second only to The Warren Commission. He’s been to primary sources. He’s seen...

Can We Trust the Experts? (with Tom Nichols) (ENCORE)

07 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Tom Nichols (The Atlantic) explains how discrediting expertise is used as a weapon in order to control (mis)information. (ENCORE from Seaso...

Everyone Controls the Weather But Nobody Does Anything About It (ENCORE)

31 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry and John -- and Adam! -- think about the current hurricanes and the dangerous conspiracy theories that weaponize them. As always, they view the ...

Trae Crowder, The Liberal Redneck (ENCORE)

24 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Trae Crowder is from a tiny town in Tennessee, so he has a unique point of view on conservative, liberals, MAGA and especially J.D. Vance&hel...

Russian Interference in the 2016 Election (with Susan Miller)

10 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former CIA Head of Counterintelligence (and co-worker with John & Jerry) Susan Miller has recently been targeted by Tulsi Gabbard for her work on ...

Astroturf, Trolls and Misinformation (with Darren Linvill) - Part Two

27 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russia, China, MAGA — how social media is weaponized to promote misinformation and conspiracy theories, leading to nefarious calls-to-action.

Astroturf, Trolls and Misinformation (with Darren Linvill)- Part One

20 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The expert on how social media spreads disinformation — both unintentionally and by design — explains the power of “communities&rdqu...

Texas Democratic Senate Candidate Terry Virts - Part One

13 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former astronaut and fighter pilot and current Senatorial candidate from Texas Terry Virts makes a very prescient prediction of the effects of Trump&r...

America Is Attacking America (with Terry Virts) - Part One

06 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

He was a fighter pilot, then an astronaut, and now a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Texas. Terry Virts saw Russia attack Ukraine while sit...

From Spy to Spy Novelist (with David McCloskey)

29 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More of our conversation with CIA analyst turned best-selling spy novelist David McCloskey. He and his old CIA associates, John & Jerry, look at C...

Analysts vs. Operations in The Middle East (with David McCloskey)

22 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

CIA analyst turned best-selling spy novelist David McCloskey visits with old friends John & Jerry where they look at the CIA and their experiences...

Extremist Groups (with more Will Sommer)

15 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We continue our conversation with Will Sommer (The Bullwark, the Flase Flag newsletter) in which he details his experience covering extremist groups a...

The Conspiracy Business: What Do We Do Now? (with Will Sommer)

08 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For four years, fringe right wing voices have accused the Democrats of all sorts of secret crimes, moaning that the truth is being supressed. Now on t...

The South African Perspective - Part Two (with Robyn Curnow)

01 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Former CNN Africa correspondent Robyn Curnow tries to explain America to the rest of the world.

The South African Perspective - Part One (with Robyn Curnow)

25 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former CNN Africa correspondent Robyn Curnow tries to explain America to the rest of the world.

How Everyone Else Sees America (with Gabriel Gatehouse)

18 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gabriel Gatehouse is a journalist and broadcaster and author of “The Coming Storm” that looks at Q Anon and the January 6th conspiracies. ...

Weapons of Mass Destruction (with Valerie Plame)

11 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame was outed by The Bush Administration when her husband exposed the lie behind the claim of Weapons of Mass ...

Get Ready for Martial Law (with Joe Walsh)

04 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former Tea Party Republican Congressman, and now hardcore Anti-Trumper, Joe Walsh has dire warnings for all of us. America's failure has been a failur...

Alpha Male Brent Terhune

27 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hoosier comedian Brent Terhune finds the inspiration behind his viral MAGA character.

"Bad Astronomer" Phil Plait

20 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In classic Mission Implausible style, astronomer Phil Plait comes on to debunk a litany of space conspiracy theories and other pseudo-science scams.

Michael Ian Black Has the Answers

13 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Ian Black -- humorist, political blogger, comedian, team captain of CNN's "Have I Got News for You," and generational poker talent -- brings a...

JFK Assassination Convert Phil Robinson

30 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week’s dump of the remains of the JFK Assassination files were a complete dud (except for the sloppy non-redaction of social security numbe...

The First Two Months (with Mike Rothschild)

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first two months of Trump's term have been a tour de force of chaos, bizarre hires and indecipherable decisions. Conspiracy theories operate on bo...

Encore Presentation: The Deepest State (with Mark Zaid)

02 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

D.C. lawyer Mark Zaid is in the news this week, having been specifically targeted by Trump for representing a whistleblower involved with Trump's firs...

The Cult of Trump (with Steven Hassan)

16 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Steven Hassan was once sucked into The Moonies. He broke free and has devoted the subsequent 50 years to becoming and expert on mind control and cults...

How Easy Is It for Our Government to Pull off More Conspiracies? (with Tim Weiner)

09 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Previously, we talked with Tim Weiner about an actual U.S. government conspiracy, The Iran Contra Affair, and a conspiracy theory, the Iranian hostage...

The JFK Assassination: A New Clue, Never Before Revealed (with David Reuben)

26 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our first live (sort of) episode, a former investigator for the Chicago District Attorney shares a connected story about Jack Ruby that has never b...

Codes & Ciphers & Puzzles (with A.J. Jacobs)

19 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A.J. Jacobs (host of The Puzzler podcast and author of The Puzzler book) swaps tales of secret messages in the world of spycraft. But A.J. is an ...

The Iran-Contra Affair: An Actual, Real Government Conspiracy (with Tim Weiner)

12 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We often talk about government conspiracy THEORIES, but under Ronald Reagan, there was a bona-fide CONSPIRACY involving illegally selling arms to Iran...

More Religion and Conspiracy Theories (with Drew McCoy)

05 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Exvangelical" Drew McCoy (aka The Genetically Modified Skeptic) continue to explore how religion and conspiracies overlap. Are non-believers playing ...

Religion and Conspiracy Theories (with Drew McCoy) - Part 1

29 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Drew McCoy, aka Genetically Modified Skeptic, is a fundamentalist Evangelical Christian turned agnostic/atheist. With John, Jerry and Adam, they explo...

ENCORE: The Simpsons: Does the CIA Tell Them How to Predict the Future? The Answer May Surprise You!

25 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

ENCORE PRESENTATION -- Two Simpsons legends explore the theory that The Simpsons either predicts the future or causes the future, perhaps in cahoots w...

Syria / Havana Syndrome

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam, John & Jerry look at what's happening right now in Syria in terms of journalism and intelligence. They also update us on the newest developm...

Our National Intelligence

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry and John, with Adam, doommonger about the future of our national security if Tulsi Gabbard becomes the Director of National Intelligence and Kas...

Can We Trust the Government? (with Adam Conover)

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian and all-around expert Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything,  Factually!) made a series about the government with Barack Obama called “T G W...

Shenanigans at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue (with Zach Everson)

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Forbes journalist Zach Everson spent much of Trump's previous presidency embedded in Trump Hotel in DC. John and Jerry learn more about The Emoluments...

How the Election Affects the CIA

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam and John and Jerry do what everyone else in America is doing... try to game out what the election will mean. In this case, for the intelligence a...

How Do Counterintelligence Professionals Assess Trump’s Relationship with Russia? - Part Two (with Peter Strzok)

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How are the Russians getting Trump to do what they want? There are many theories, but we've reached our own conclusion.

The Lincoln Project (with Rick Wilson)

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Lincoln Project is an American political action committee (PAC) founded in December 2019 by moderate conservatives and former Republican Party mem...

How Do Counterintelligence Professionals Assess Trump’s Relationship with Russia? - Part One (with Philip Auerswald and Peter Strzok)

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

37 years ago, Trump returned from a trip to Moscow obsessed that America wasn’t getting paid enough for protecting its allies, that our leaders were...

Embedded with The Proud Boys on January 6th (with Nick Quested)

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Documentary filmmaker Nick Quested called up the leader of The Proud Boys and got an invite to tag along to The Insurrection with his cameras. Quested...

America the Hellhole? Russian Disinformation Today (with Michael Weiss)

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Certain American are repeating Russian propaganda and might not even realize where it came from. Russia is pushing the narrative that America is a dis...

Russian Disinformation Part Two: They're Still At It! (with Michael Weiss)

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Would you take $100,000 per week to parrot Russian propaganda on your podcast? Well, some guys did, and are now indicted.

Russian Disinformation (with Michael Weiss)

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did the Russians get so good at the disinformation game, how do they do it, and who's doing it for them?

The Private Life of a Spy (with Jen Banbury)

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam’s wife has a lot of personal CIA questions for John & Jerry.

Does the CIA Control the Media? (with Philip Mudd)

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If not the CIA, then maybe the FBI? How about both? Philip Mudd worked for both agencies and then resigned and he has the answers. Including whether R...

Honeytraps

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jerry and John reflect on how intelligence services employ honey traps — snaring assets using sex.

How the Brain Is Built for Conspiracies (with David Eagleman)

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are our brains wired to believe in conspiracy theories? Brain expert David Eagleman (“Inner Cosmos”) tells John & Jerry how, and how to break ...

The Trump Loyalty Test (with Tim Miller)

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former Republican National Committee spokesman Tim Miller tells John & Jerry what it's like trying to meet the requirements of membership of today...

Patrick Ewing and the Frozen Envelope (with Chris Ballard)

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 1985 NBA Draft was one of the most controversial in NBA history. How did The New York Knicks land first pick and get Patrick Ewing? Was it rigged?...

The Simpsons (with Bill Oakley & David Silverman)

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two Simpsons legends explore the theory that The Simpsons either predicts the future or causes the future, perhaps in cahoots with the CIA. Then they ...

The Elites (with Evan Osnos)

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who are these “elites” that are running everything? And don’t we all aspire to be elite anyway?

CIA Q&A

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Davidson usurps the podcast with questions he always wanted to ask about the CIA, starting with Surveillance Detection Runs.

Getting Out (with Brent Lee and Sander van der Linden)

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brent Lee went deep down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories then climbed himself out. Too much of it didn’t add up, especially the idea of crisi...

Sandy Hook Crisis Actors (with Representative Eric Swalwell)

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The school shootings in America have been real. We discuss how the concept of them being faked with crisis actors is completely impossible, but why so...

Minisode - Satanists and Stalinists

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marjorie Taylor Greene thinks the Catholic Church is too nice, and also run by Satanists. A Florida deputy sheriff writes disinformation for Russia. S...

Hunter Biden’s Laptop Part 3: Return of the Laptop (with Doug Wise)

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The laptop is back, thanks to the recent Hunter Biden court case. John and Jerry, two of The Dirty 51 (signers of a letter written by former intellige...

Minisode - This Week in Crazy - 6/24/24

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Crazy claims of the week: Hunter Biden's prosecution was a red herring; Cheap Fakes; and Emmanuel Macron's wife is a man. Plus The Epoch Times and new...

The Jade Helm Invasion (with Dan Lamothe)

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Routine military training exercises, in the eyes of paranoid extremists, were a pretense for Obama to have the U.S. take over Texas. Which... uh... do...

Minisode - The Orkney Conspiracy

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some people believe Alaska and Hawaii belong to Russia. Mainly Russians believe that.

The Biden Crime Family Hoax (with Lev Parnas) - Part Two

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part Two of our interview with the Russian-Israeli-American “businessman” who, when partnered with Rudy Giuiliani, tried and failed to come up wit...

The Biden Crime Family Hoax (with Lev Parnas) - Part One

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A Russian-Israeli-American “businessman,” partnered with Rudy Giuiliani, tried and failed to come up with dirt on the Bidens for Trump. It was all...

Minisode - Surveillance

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are gold-painted street performers in Pakistan actually spying on its citizens? John & Jerry look at this trend in the context of Pakistan's histo...

Minisode - The Bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One time when the CIA got it very wrong (with John Sipher, Jerry O'Shea and Adam Davidson)

Justin Trudeau is Fidel Castro’s Illegitimate Son (with Jon Lovett)

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Were Margaret Trudeau's “borders” open to Cuba? (with Jon Lovett)

The Deepest State (with Mark Zaid)

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re ALL The Deep State. Whistleblowers, whistleblowees, and the people who defend them. (with Mark Zaid)

Minisode - A Coup in Germany

05 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, an attempted coup in Germany was stopped. A "prince" believed that a bureaucrat loophole could restore his lineage to power and reboot Germ...