Reveal
387 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 7.6K ratingsReveal’s investigations will inspire, infuriate and inform you. Host Al Letson and an award-winning team of reporters deliver gripping stories about caregivers, advocates for the unhoused, immigrant families, warehouse workers and formerly incarcerated people, fighting to hold the powerful accountable. The New Yorker described Reveal as “a knockout … a pleasure to listen to, even as we seethe.” A winner of multiple Peabody, duPont, Emmy and Murrow awards, Reveal is produced by the nation’s first investigative journalism nonprofit, The Center for Investigative Reporting, and PRX. From unearthing exploitative working conditions to exposing the nation’s racial disparities, there’s always more to the story. Learn more at revealnews.org/learn.
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Episodes
Scuttling Science
September 14, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBAdvisory panels slashed, environmental regulations rolled back – how the Trump administration uses questionable science to justify its policies. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Right to Boycott (rebroadcast)
September 07, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MB“It is wrong to boycott Israel” is a bipartisan message. But is banning the boycott a violation of First Amendment rights? Also, the story of a man who is trying to boycott Israel while living under Israeli occupation. And the story of Captain Boycott, who gave his name to a new kind of protest. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Farm Wars (Rebroadcast)
August 31, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBThe herbicide dicamba is causing a civil war in farm country. Plus, honeybee rustling in California’s almond groves. Lastly, sulfur and its link to asthma in children. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Year of Return
August 24, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBFour hundred years ago, English pirates brought enslaved Africans to America’s shores. We reflect on how the legacy of slavery has reverberated through the generations to the present. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Cost of School Choice
August 17, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBDominique Martin was thrilled to get a state-funded voucher to send her daughter to private school. We go to Louisiana to investigate the cost of school choice. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Bundyville Revealed
August 10, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MB**A bombing in rural Nevada you’ve probably never heard of. A plot to blow up a government building. Reveal teams up with the podcast series, Bundyville, produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting and Longreads, to see what happened to rancher Cliven Bundy’s supporters since his original armed standoff with the government. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Harpooned by Facebook
August 03, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 47.2 MBAs smart devices become a bigger and bigger part of our lives, we look at how Facebook and other companies gather information about their users and turn it into profits. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Lasting Impact (rebroadcast)
July 27, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn Oregon, the concussion protocols that were supposed to keep high school athletes safe end up falling short for a star quarterback. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
In Harm’s Way
July 20, 2019 07:00 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBThe federal government is quietly expanding its use of “tender age” shelters for migrant kids. We’ll tell you what we know. Then, we revisit a story from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, looking at how Jesuit priests got away with sexually abusing children. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Silencing Science (Rebroadcast)
July 13, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 47 MBPresident Donald Trump says he doubts humans have much of a role in climate change. His administration has downplayed the science of climate change and sought to silence scientists working for the federal government.* * Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Pardon Me
July 06, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBPresidential pardons grab the headlines each time Donald Trump grants clemency to a controversial person. We tell the untold story of a pardons system that is completely broken, leaving a backlog of 13,000 applications, and a pardon attorney’s office that’s being ignored by the White House. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Military's Deadliest Helicopter (Rebroadcast)
June 29, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBHow did one helicopter become the deadliest aircraft in the US military? To find out, Reveal partners with Investigative Studios, the production arm of the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Cops on a Crime Spree (Rebroadcast)
June 22, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThey belonged to an elite police task force charged with getting guns off Baltimore’s streets. Instead, the plainclothes cops roamed the city, robbing people on the street, breaking into homes to steal money and drugs, and planting evidence on their victims. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Hate is all around you
June 15, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBIn the second part of Reveal’s series about hate, we look at how racism and white supremacy are institutionalized in America. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Hate in the homeland
June 08, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBThis episode surveys the state of the hate movement in America, focusing on how hate groups are spreading their message and winning converts. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
To the ends of the Earth
June 01, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBWe travel the globe, from bottom to top, to confront the growing threats from climate change.**** Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The City – Revealed (Rebroadcast)
May 25, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBA giant, mysterious illegal dump in Chicago was part of a federal investigation that brought down a dozen corrupt politicians, but it left neighborhood residents angry and feeling used. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
When Tasers Fail
May 11, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBA Taser is supposed to help police resolve a situation without using their guns. But in police departments across America, Tasers aren’t always living up to their promise, sometimes with lethal results. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Monumental Lies (Rebroadcast)
May 04, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBMyths of the Civil War and slavery are being kept alive at Confederate monuments, where visitors hear stories of “benevolent slave owners” and enslaved people “contented with their lot.” Plus, an artist finds herself in the middle of the creation of New Mexico’s most controversial historical monument. * *Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
America’s Drug War, Revealed
April 27, 2019 07:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBHow a baggie of crack cocaine packed with fear, distortion and misconceptions, and one presidential address in the 1980s, helped shape the war on drugs. * *Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Farm Wars
April 20, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBThe herbicide dicamba is causing a civil war in farm country. Plus, honeybee rustling in California’s almond groves. Lastly, sulfur and its link to asthma in children. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Flood Thy Neighbor (Rebroadcast)
April 13, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBSome people who live along the Mississippi River are willing to do anything to keep their homes and farms safe from flooding – even if it means inundating their own neighbors. This week, we team up with ProPublica to investigate how rising waters have set off a race to build the highest levee. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Trans National Migration
April 06, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBWe meet an immigration judge who rejected nearly every asylum case that came before her, then follow a transgender woman as she tries to claim asylum. Finally, we go to Turkey, where young Afghan women are trying to leave their past behind. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Captain Boycott
April 04, 2019 07:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBBefore there were boycotts, there was Captain Boycott. Meet the man who gave name to a new kind of protest. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Right to Boycott
March 30, 2019 07:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MB“It is wrong to boycott Israel” is a bipartisan message. But is banning the boycott a violation of First Amendment rights? Also, the story of a man who is trying to boycott Israel while living under Israeli occupation. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Behind Trump's Energy Dominance (Rebroadcast)
March 23, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBReveal received a secret recording of oil industry executives rejoicing over the “unprecedented access” they have to David Bernhardt, the No. 2 official at the Interior Department. President Donald Trump has nominated Bernhardt to the top slot at the department, following the resignation of Ryan Zinke, and Bernhardt’s confirmation hearings are this week. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Pizzagate: A Slice of Fake News (Rebroadcast)
March 16, 2019 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBA journey into the world of right-wing Twitter trolls, pro-Trump political operatives and fake-news profiteers from St. Louis to Macedonia, to answer one big question: How did America become a post-truth country? Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Bitter Custody
March 09, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBA controversial theory about child abuse is swaying family court judges to award custody to parents accused of harming kids. We trace the origins of “parental alienation.” ** *Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.*
A Desperate Bargain
March 02, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46 MBParents are forced to give up custody to get their children medical and psychological treatments. Also, a Trump administration practice forces parents to risk deportation in order to claim their kids from government shelters. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The red line: Racial disparities in lending (Rebroadcast)
February 23, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBIt’s been 10 years since the great housing bust and lending is back for some Americans, but not for others. In dozens of cities across the country, lenders are more likely to deny loans to applicants of color than white ones. On this episode of Reveal, we dig into the new redlining. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Five Years on Nauru
February 16, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBChildren refusing to eat, talk, or even drink water. A surreal mental illness sweeps across families stuck in an Australian immigrant detention camp on a tiny island nation in the South Pacific. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Lasting Impact
February 09, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBIn Oregon, the concussion protocols that were supposed to keep high school athletes safe end up falling short for a star quarterback. ** *Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.*
When They Took My Son (rebroadcast)
February 02, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBWe examine the stories of two families separated in 2018 at the U.S.-Mexico border and how what happened to them matches up with what the government said was supposed to happen. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Mystery of Mountain Jane Doe (rebroadcast)
January 26, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBInvestigators dig up an unidentified murder victim, 45 years after she was buried, in an attempt to give her back her name. The exhumation leads to a series of unexpected revelations about who she was and why she may have been killed. Her case speaks to the complexity – and importance – of opening up cold cases. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Military's Deadliest Helicopter
January 19, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBHow did one helicopter become the deadliest aircraft in the US military? To find out, Reveal partners with Investigative Studios, the production arm of the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, lies and leaks (rebroadcast)
January 12, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBIn 1971, a 22-year-old journalist named Robert Rosenthal got a call from his boss at The New York Times. He told him to go to room 1111 of the Hilton Hotel, bring enough clothes for at least a month and not tell anyone. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Silencing Science
January 05, 2019 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBPresident Donald Trump says he doubts humans have much of a role in climate change. His administration has downplayed the science of climate change and sought to silence scientists working for the federal government. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Sins of the Fathers
December 15, 2018 08:00 - 51 minutes - 70.3 MBIn Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, the Catholic church had a problem with Jesuit priests sexually abusing children. The church’s first solution was to send the priests to remote Native villages, but there they continued to abuse. So the church tried something else: hiding them in plain sight. *Listeners should know that this episode includes descriptions of abuse and predatory behavior, and is not a story for all listeners. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Re...
Al Letson Reveals: Jerome Corsi
December 03, 2018 11:00 - 8 minutes - 7.45 MBDon’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Trial and terror (rebroadcast)
December 01, 2018 08:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBThe recent killing of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue refocused the nation’s attention on right-wing extremist terrorists. Meanwhile, the Trump administration points to radical Islam as the bigger threat to security. On this episode of Reveal, we investigate which terror threats get tracked and which are ignored. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Burning Hotter and Faster
November 24, 2018 08:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBHalf of California’s 10 worst wildfires have struck in the last two years. We look at the recent Camp Fire, which is the deadliest and most destructive in state history. And we revisit an investigation from earlier this year looking at how extreme wildfires are breaking our emergency response systems. Produced in partnership with KQED. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Case Cleared (Part 2)
November 17, 2018 08:00 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBHe seemed to confess to the crime, twice to his ex-girlfriend, once to police. But prosecutors never charged him. The reasons why show how rape myths continue to influence how justice is meted out in America. Reported in partnership with Newsy and ProPublica.
Case Cleared (Part 1)
November 10, 2018 08:00 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBWhen police closed the rape case against Bryan Kind, they made it look like it had been solved. But he never was arrested – or even charged. We team up with Newsy and ProPublica to investigate how police across the country make it seem like they’re solving more rape cases than they actually are. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Working Through the Pain at Tesla
November 03, 2018 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBAfter being called out for hiding worker injuries at its factory, Tesla decides to double down. Plus, a report card on diversity in Silicon Valley. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Coming Soon: Working Through the Pain at Tesla
November 01, 2018 07:00 - 2 minutes - 2.61 MBAfter being called out for hiding worker injuries at its factory, Tesla doubles down. Hear a sneak preview of our latest investigation.
The Storm After the Storm
October 27, 2018 07:00 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBDoctors in Puerto Rico are outraged at the government’s unexpected decision to declare the Zika crisis over in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Plus, communities in Houston and North Carolina struggle to put their homes and lives back together. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Coming Soon: The Storm After the Storm
October 25, 2018 20:59 - 2 minutes - 2.53 MB2017 was the worst hurricane season on record. A year later, we look at how Hurricane Harvey has made it almost impossible for people to find affordable housing in Houston. Listen to a sneak preview of this Saturday’s episode.
Who Gets to Vote?
October 20, 2018 07:00 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBApproaching 2018’s midterms, the country has its eyes locked on Georgia’s governor’s race. It’s a close contest between Stacey Abrams, a former state congresswoman who could become the first-ever black female governor in America and Brian Kemp, a tough-talking Trump loyalist with a penchant for the Second Amendment. The race has become a battleground for many of America’s most pressing concerns about democracy – from voter suppression to election security. Don’t miss out on the nex...
Coming Soon: Who Gets to Vote?
October 18, 2018 07:00 - 2 minutes - 2.51 MBGet a sneak preview of Saturday’s show where we investigate voter suppression ahead of the midterm elections. Don’t miss out on the next big story. Get the Weekly Reveal newsletter today.
Hunting the Ghost Fleet (rebroadcast)
October 13, 2018 07:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBWe hike through the jungles of El Salvador to find an elusive fleet of shark-fishing boats implicated in overfishing and possible human trafficking. Then we join a UN mission to intercept a crewmember from one of those boats who might be a victim of human trafficking. Finally, we investigate a U.S.-based seafood company that purports to be a model of sustainability. From reporters Sarah Blaskey, Ben Feibleman, Robin McDowell, Margie Mason and Martha Mendoza, producer Michael Montgo...