Reveal
389 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 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
The Tide is High
January 06, 2018 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThe damage inflicted on the United States by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria will likely make the 2017 hurricane season the costliest in our history. But what is the government doing to prepare for the storms yet to come. In this hour, Reveal goes to Texas, Louisiana and Puerto Rico to investigate the government policies that let people build in harm’s way, make it difficult to move them to safety and fail to accurately tally the dead. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our...
A Revealing Year
December 30, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBReveal has had a busy year – our team has chased stories from Oklahoma to Bermuda. We exposed a rehab program that provides labor at a chicken processing plant that’s been called a slave camp and followed the money trail of the Paradise Papers, leaked documents that revealed international tax shelters for some of America’s biggest companies. We reported on the rise of hate crimes and investigated hate groups. In this episode, we look at some of our best reporting from 2017 and how ...
Fire and Justice
December 23, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn 1988, two powerful explosions shook Kansas City, Missouri, killing six firefighters. Nine years later, five people were convicted of arson and sent to prison for life – but were they innocent? Reveal investigates problems in the case and whether federal agents pressured witnesses to lie. We also follow the life of one of the defendants and his bid for freedom. — Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter ...
The Pentagon Papers: Secrets, lies and leaks
December 16, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBSpecial counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. elections seems to yield a new bombshell every week. Amid such high-profile revelations, we revisit a decades-old story that echoes to this day among the powerful in the nation’s capital. This episode of Reveal tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg, a former government strategist responsible for leaking the Pentagon Papers – thousands of classified documents that called into question America’s war in Viet...
Institutions of Higher Earning
December 09, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBAcross the country, universities are being criticized over issues of money: from how they spend their endowments, to how they raise tuition, to how they award financial aid. Many students are feeling the pinch. They’re going into debt to pay for their education, or abandoning their dreams of a college degree altogether. This week on Reveal, we take a look at the bottom line for universities and students. — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIs...
Video: Based on a True Story
December 07, 2017 06:06 - 185 MB VideoThis short film was produced by the Glassbreaker Films team at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Glassbreaker Films is an all-female group of filmmakers working to promote gender parity in investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking. The initiative is funded by The Helen Gurley Brown Foundation. The 2000 film “Erin Brockovich” seemed like a successful David versus Goliath story. A single mom of three took on PG&E for contaminating drinking water in Hinkley, Calif...
Where criminals get their guns
December 02, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBAcross the country, criminals are arming themselves in unexpected ways. In Florida, they’re stealing guns from unlocked cars and gun stores. In other places, they’re getting them from the police themselves, as cash-strapped departments sell their used weapons to buy new ones. On this episode of Reveal, we learn where criminals get their guns and what cars can teach us about gun safety. — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIsReveal, Twitter @re...
Video: Until Something is Done
November 30, 2017 05:59 - 181 MB VideoThis short film was produced by the Glassbreaker Films team at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Glassbreaker Films is an all-female group of filmmakers working to promote gender parity in investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking. In the early hours of 2009, 22-year-old Oscar Grant was fatally shot by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, California. The shooting was captured on cellphone video and made headlines nationwide, l...
Her own devices: Is a contraceptive implant making us sick?
November 25, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn Texas, women with limited access to abortions are traveling across the border to find a drug that will induce miscarriages. In Mississippi, anti-abortion groups are opening crisis pregnancy centers across from abortion clinics to persuade women to keep their babies. And one company offers permanent birth control through the insertion of a simple device – that’s ended up causing health complications for thousands of women. This week, we look into pregnancy and the ways people try...
Pizzagate: A slice of fake news
November 18, 2017 05:05 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MBOn this episode of Reveal, we look at #Pizzagate. This story takes us into the world of right-wing Twitter trolls, pro-Trump political operatives and fake-news profiteers from St. Louis to Macedonia. Reveal unravels how this conspiracy theory spread and tries to answer one big question: How did America become a post-truth country? — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIsReveal, Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Video: Grieving in a Fishbowl
November 16, 2017 17:58 - 189 MB VideoThis short film was produced by the Glassbreaker Films team at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Glassbreaker Films is an all-female group of filmmakers working to promote gender parity in investigative journalism and documentary filmmaking. After a mass shooting, the media descends on the victims. They’re asked time and again what they saw, what they felt and why they think it happened. After the dead are counted and the shooter’s motives are scrutinized, the survivors try t...
Losing ground
November 11, 2017 05:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn 1996, Eddie Wise, the son of a sharecropper, purchased a farm with a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Twenty years later, the USDA foreclosed on the property and evicted him. Reveal investigates his claim that he was discriminated against because of his race. — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIsReveal, Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
The Paradise Papers
November 05, 2017 18:00 - 1 hour - 57 MBRemember the Panama Papers? It was a massive 2015 document leak that exposed a system in which offshore companies enable crime and corruption. The Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that followed, led by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), was a collaboration among more than 100 newsrooms across the world. It led to a flurry of resignations and indictments and took down leaders in Iceland and Pakistan. This week, Reveal journalists teamed up with ICI...
A Divided Road
November 02, 2017 01:00 - 155 MB VideoShortly after President Donald Trump’s election, two friends, Lauren and Martina, decided to provide free legal aid to people living in the country without permission. They left their home in New York and traveled across the country by van to meet people in need of help. Lauren is an immigration lawyer and Martina is an immigrant from Mexico. In just a few months, they traveled to 12 states and estimated they advised nearly 200 immigrants on a shoestring budget.
Inside Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
October 28, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBBeyond the planned border wall and limits on new refugees, the federal government wants tighter restrictions on immigration to this country. On this episode of Reveal, we examine efforts throughout the U.S. to deport migrants faster, detain them longer and prevent them from obtaining visas that might offer a path to legal residency. — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Heroin Diaries
October 26, 2017 04:05 - 15 minutes - 13.7 MBOn this special episode of Reveal, reporter Jack Rodolico in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio brings us an intimate look at the people affected by the opioid epidemic. On May 22, 2015, Daniel Couzins died of a fentanyl overdose at 31. Couzins, an assistant manager at a New Hampshire bank, had started using heroin to quell his severe depression and anxiety – a feeling he likened to “a conference room of people yelling at each other” inside his head. Becoming addicted was ...
Recovering from Rehab
October 19, 2017 04:05 - 173 MB VideoIn 2010, Brad McGahey was sentenced to a year in prison for buying a stolen horse trailer. But when he went before a judge, he was told he was going to carry out his sentence by working instead, through a program called CAAIR, or Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery. McGahey wasn’t addicted to anything at the time of his sentencing. Hundreds of men are sent to CAAIR in lieu of a prison sentence each year. The program promises recovery from addiction for participants, but most...
Access Denied: The Fight for Public Education
October 14, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBEducation Secretary Betsy DeVos wants parents to have the ultimate choice of where their children go to school – public or private – and taxpayers to make it possible. This week, Reveal examines how DeVos might funnel federal education dollars toward private school tuition, yet leave school choice rules up to the states. Plus, we’ll look at how hundreds of thousands of students in Texas were denied the special education they are guaranteed under federal civil rights law. — To expl...
Al Letson Reveals: The fight to end affirmative action in higher education
October 12, 2017 05:20 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBPresident Trump’s Department of Justice is investigating claims that Harvard is discriminating against Asian American students in its admissions program. Harvard has been accused of capping the number of Asian American students to make room for other ethnicities. Al talks to Edward Blum about the case. Blum has made a career out of challenging race-based college admissions. And he and his group, Students for Fair Admissions, filed a lawsuit against Harvard three years ago that make...
All work. No pay. Life at a rehab work camp.
October 07, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBDesperate to reduce crowding in jails and prisons, court systems all over the country are trying diversion – alternatives to putting offenders behind bars. On today’s Reveal, we peek behind the good intentions and uneven results. — To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Before Prison
October 05, 2017 16:57 - 157 MB VideoIn 2013, Robyn Allen received a 20-year sentence for trafficking in illegal drugs. She says she sold methamphetamine to support her family after a back injury left her without work. But the reasons Allen started using the drug run much deeper. In spite of taking measures to reduce its long-standing record as the No. 1 incarcerator of women in the country, Oklahoma keeps locking up women at more than twice the national average. Oklahoma incarcerates 151 out of every 100,000 women, of...
Does the Time Fit the Crime?
September 30, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThe number of women in U.S. prisons and jails has increased more than 700 percent since 1980. And for 25 years, Oklahoma has led the nation in locking up women. This week on Reveal, we look at the causes behind this spike. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Street fight: A new wave of political violence
September 23, 2017 09:12 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBA few weeks ago, Reveal host Al Letson jumped in to protect someone who was being attacked by counter-protesters in Berkeley, California. We found the man behind the attack. He says he’s a member of antifa and is taking the fight to white nationalists. We also interviewed rally organizers who are connected to right-wing extremists. In the aftermath of the violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, militants from the left and the right are taking their bat...
The rise of the new German right
September 16, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn just a few days, Germans will go to the polls to vote for a new government in an election that feels strangely familiar. For decades, Germany’s elections have been subdued and predictable, but this campaign cycle has seen a rise of fake news, hate groups and right-wing politicians with a nationalist agenda. There also are allegations of Russian meddling. This week on Reveal, we team up with Coda Story to look at the rise of right-wing populism in Germany’s election. — Head ove...
Running from cops (rebroadcast)
September 09, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MBIn cities across America, black men are on the run. On April 4, 2015, in South Carolina, Walter Scott was killed while running away from a police officer. Eight days later, Freddie Gray ran from police in Baltimore. He was caught and later died in custody. On this episode of Reveal, we explore the consequences of fleeing from the police through two stories, both set in Baltimore. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal a...
The perfect storm
September 02, 2017 04:05 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBHurricane Harvey brought unprecedented rain and destruction to Houston, and it likely will take years for the city to recover. In the aftermath of the storm, we get an eyewitness account of what residents are experiencing from Reveal’s Neena Satija. Then we revisit her earlier reporting about Houston’s vulnerability to hurricanes and rain. In 2008, Hurricane Ike swept through Texas and resulted in billions of dollars in damage. But it could have been much worse. Just like Harvey, ...
Rise of a movement
August 28, 2017 08:42 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBWhile covering Sunday’s “Rally Against Hate” in Berkeley, California, today, Reveal host Al Letson witnessed a man being attacked by a group of protesters. The man was balled up on the ground, fending off blows from several people. Al jumped in front of the batterers, protecting the man from further injury. On this special episode of Reveal, Al talks about what happened and how the battles between right- and left-wing protesters are playing out.
Follow the money: Citizen sleuths investigate
August 26, 2017 04:05 - 17 minutes - 16 MBHow much is President Donald Trump worth? And is he or anyone in his administration profiting from their positions? Reveal is teaming up with the Center for Public Integrity to investigate those questions. We’ve created a database listing all the assets that members of his administration have disclosed. Now we’re digging through those documents to see whether there are any conflicts of interest – and we’re asking the public to take part in our investigation. Citizen sleuths already...
Hate on the march: white nationalism in the Trump era
August 19, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn the wake of the protests by neo-Nazis and white supremacists that turned deadly in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Donald Trump has come under fire for not immediately and clearly condemning American racists. It’s not the first time. Trump and those close to him have often played down the threat of violence committed by white supremacists across the country. This week, through interviews with key Trump supporters and advisers, we explore if we should have seen Charlottesvil...
The mystery of Mountain Jane Doe
August 12, 2017 04:05 - 52 minutes - 47.7 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. This Reveal story is one of thousands from the crisis of America’s unidentified dead. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on ...
The mystery of Mountain Jane Doe
August 12, 2017 04:05 - 52 minutes - 47.7 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. This Reveal story is one of thousands from the crisis of America’s unidentified dead. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on ...
No country for sanctuary seekers
August 05, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBPresident Donald Trump has promised to withdraw federal money from jurisdictions that do not help immigration agents find and deport people living illegally in this country. This week, we look into places that offer sanctuary to those immigrants – and what the conflict between federal and local policies means for them. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Her own devices: Is a contraceptive implant making us sick?
July 29, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn Texas, women with limited access to abortions are traveling across the border to find a drug that will induce miscarriages. In Mississippi, anti-abortion groups are opening crisis pregnancy centers across from abortion clinics to persuade women to keep their babies. And one company offers permanent birth control through the insertion of a simple device – that’s ended up causing health complications for thousands of women. This week, we look into pregnancy and the ways people try...
Deadly waters
July 22, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThe U.S. Navy spends tens of billions of dollars each year building and repairing ships. But how safe are the shipyards where that work is done? Reveal investigates how lax safety has been allowed to persist at shipyards that thrive on military contracts. This hour also will explore one of the newest warships in the Navy’s fleet and whether it’s living up to expectations. And we’ll tell the story of one man’s unexplained disappearance on the high seas. To explore more reporting, v...
Deadly waters
July 22, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThe U.S. Navy spends tens of billions of dollars each year building and repairing ships. But how safe are the shipyards where that work is done? Reveal investigates how lax safety has been allowed to persist at shipyards that thrive on military contracts. This hour also will explore one of the newest warships in the Navy’s fleet and whether it’s living up to expectations. And we’ll tell the story of one man’s unexplained disappearance on the high seas. To explore more reporting, v...
No where to run
July 15, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn Texas, the foster care system is failing the vulnerable children it’s meant to protect, leaving them without a safe place to live. Many end up on the streets or in jail, which is one of the few places where they can receive treatment services. This week we look into the crisis in foster care, and efforts to fix it. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal, or Instagram @revealnews.
Al Letson Reveals: Roger Stone
July 13, 2017 17:37 - 22 minutes - 21.7 MBPresident Donald Trump has been in office for six months. On this week’s podcast special, Reveal host Al Letson speaks with someone who helped get him there – Roger Stone. Stone is a former campaign adviser to Trump and helped set the tone of the 2016 election. For decades, he’s played hardball politics as a Republican strategist and now is the subject of a documentary. He and Letson discuss political dirty tricks, white supremacy and Russian meddling in the November election. To ...
The smuggler (rebroadcast)
July 08, 2017 04:05 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBIn 2015 French radio reporter Raphael Krafft was covering the refugee crisis. Then one day, one refugee asked for his help. Raphael followed his moral compass… which led him on the journey of a lifetime. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us at fb.com/ThisIsReveal, on Twitter @reveal, or Instagram @revealnews.
Losing ground
July 01, 2017 04:05 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBIn 1996, Eddie Wise, the son of a sharecropper, purchased a farm with a loan from the USDA. Twenty years later, the USDA foreclosed on the property and evicted him. Reveal investigates his claim that he was discriminated against because of his race. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIsReveal, Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
Trial and terror
June 24, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBPresident Donald Trump has used the threat of foreign-born terrorists to justify his travel ban – but since 9/11, nearly every terrorist attack in the United States has come from within. On this episode of Reveal, we investigate which domestic terror episodes get tracked and why. To explore more reporting, visit revealnews.org or find us on fb.com/ThisIsReveal, Twitter @reveal or Instagram @revealnews.
America’s ring of fire
June 17, 2017 04:05 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBLast fall, Reveal reporters predicted that wildfires would spread to new parts of the country, and to more densely populated areas. Now, we revisit that hour with a new story about Kansas, a state that’s battling not only wildfires, but also significant underfunding of its forest firefighter team. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal. And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on Instag...
After the bubble burst
June 10, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBAmerica’s housing bust created both winners and losers – and homeowners have been the biggest losers. Last year, the rate of homeownership in the U.S. hit its lowest point since the 1960s. So who are the winners? This episode of Reveal takes you into the world of people who are still profiting, from rent-to-own investors in Detroit to President Donald Trump’s best friend, a real estate mogul. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/T...
Is Egg Donation Safe?
June 08, 2017 19:37 - 60.5 MB VideoDr. Jennifer Schneider lost her 31-year-old daughter, Jessica Wing, to colon cancer in 2003. To this day, Schneider wonders whether there was a link between her daughter being a three-time egg donor and her diagnosis the tumors that were eventually found on her ovaries and abdomen. But because there are no studies of the long-term risks of egg donation, Schneider may never know if the procedure had something to do with why her daughter was diagnosed with colon cancer at such a you...
Misconceptions
June 03, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBThis week, we’re trying an experiment that will give you a little something extra while you’re listening. To get started text “Hey Al” to 202-873-8325. The world’s first “test tube baby” turns 40 next year. As she’s grown up, so has the medical specialty that produced her: in vitro fertilization. It’s a big business addressing a big demand. On this episode of Reveal, we examine the stakes – and high costs – of IVF.
The kids aren’t all right
May 27, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBFederal law requires colleges and universities to track and disclose sexual assaults on campus. It’s different for kindergarten through 12th grade, where there are no similar requirements for cases involving assaults between students. In elementary, middle and high schools across the U.S., the Associated Press found a shocking level of sexual violence among students. On this episode of Reveal, we delve into the results of AP’s yearlong investigation. Head over to revealnews.org f...
The man inside: Four months as a prison guard
May 22, 2017 13:46 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBThe government’s back in business with private prisons. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has reversed the Obama-era decision to phase out federal use of corporate-run prisons. On this episode, Reveal revisits an hour with Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer who takes you inside a private prison on lockdown. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @reveal. And to see some of what you’re hearing, we’re also on ...
Video: One year at Standing Rock
May 18, 2017 04:05 - 197 MB VideoJasilyn Charger was one of the first people to set up camp at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in April 2016. Along with youth from neighboring tribes, the then-19-year-old helped raise awareness about construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline by staging a 2,000-mile run from North Dakota to Washington. By the time the group returned to Standing Rock, the camp population had swelled into the thousands. One year later, she reflects on the protests and how the movement has changed...
Standing Rock and beyond
May 13, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBThe oil protests at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation drew national attention. On Reveal, we team up with Inside Energy to go behind the scenes and meet the young people who started the fight. This upcoming hour looks at how those protests put at-risk teens on a healthier path and how other Native tribes are grappling with energy projects on their sovereign land. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our reporting. Follow us on Facebook at fb.com/ThisIsReveal and on Twitter @r...
What cops aren’t learning
May 06, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBSome police departments are embracing a set of tactics designed to reduce the use of force – and prevent police shootings. Rather than rushing in aggressively, officers back off, wait out people in crisis and use words instead of weapons. But this training isn’t required in most states. Reveal teams up with APM Reports and finds that most cops spend a lot more time training to shoot their guns than learning how to avoid firing them. Head over to revealnews.org for more of our repo...
Running from cops
April 29, 2017 04:05 - 51 minutes - 46.7 MBIn cities across America, black men are on the run. On April 4, 2015, in South Carolina, Walter Scott was killed while running away from a police officer. Eight days later, Freddie Gray ran from police in Baltimore. He was caught and later died in custody. On this episode of Reveal, we explore the consequences of fleeing from the police through two stories, both set in Baltimore.