Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - The Terrifying Tale of Aum Shinrikyo, Chapter Two: “Save The World By Ending It”

As the Aum Shinrikyo movements gains national, then global, attention, the founder Shoko Asahara begins to move his followers in a darker direction. Convinced that the world can only truly be saved through mass casualty events, Asahara first predicts massive disasters -- and then orders his followers to create these events themselves. In chapter two of this strange two-part series, Ben and Matt learn how Aum committed multiple acts of terror, murder, extortion and fraud leading up to their infamous sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway... and what happened to the cult in the aftermath.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Native America Calling - Friday, July 4, 2025 – Confusion reigns with American Samoa citizenship status

An illegal voting case in Alaska highlights lingering confusion over the rights extended to the citizens of American Samoa, a U.S. territory. Eleven Samoans from Whittier, Alaska are charged with felonies for alleged voter fraud by participating in their local election. All have U.S. passports, were born on U.S. soil, and can even participate in the presidential primary process. The territory has been under heavy colonial pressure for centuries and has been under U.S. oversight for more than 125 years. But Congress never granted its citizens the right to vote in national elections.

In another case, tribes in North Dakota were dealt a serious blow in their ongoing fight against redistricting that reduces their collective power in state elections.

This is an encore presentation so we won’t be taking calls

GUESTS

Charles Ala’ilima (Samoan), attorney

Tafilisaunoa Toleafoa (Samoan), executive director of the Pacific Community of Alaska

Neil Weare, co-director of Right to Democracy

Nicole Donaghy (Hunkpapa Lakota), executive director of North Dakota Native Vote

Native America Calling - Thursday, July 3, 2025 – On film: a personal portrait and a summer blockbuster

A documentary filmmaker’s chance encounter with the Blackfoot man who became a social media sensation in connection with the phrase “skoden” (“let’s go then”), turns into a moving profile of Pernell Bad Arm. We’ll hear from Damien Eagle Bear (Blackfoot) about the person behind the meme who was initially mocked, but became a rallying cry for Indigenous people.

Lucy Tulugarjuk plays the character Tapeesa in the new film, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Photo: Tony Olmos/Paramount Pictures and Skydance).

And we’ll also talk with Inuit actress Lucy Tulugarjuk who shares the screen with Tom Cruise in the summer blockbuster “Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning”. It’s the latest in a series of notable films for the Inuit actress who is also the executive director of the Nunavut Independent Television Network in Canada and an accomplished throat singer.

GUESTS

Damien Eagle Bear (Blackfoot), filmmaker and director of “#skoden

Lucy Tulugarjuk (Inuit), actress, throat singer, and executive director of the Nunavut Independent Television network

 

Break 1 Music: Honor Song (song) Blackfoot Confederacy (artist) Hear the Beat (album)

Break 2 Music: Kunax yak’ei gayshagook (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) Siy​á​adlan (album)

Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: Who killed the Jennings 8?

Located in Jefferson Davis Parish, the town of Jennings, Louisiana wasn't a particularly well-known place -- in fact, many people in the US would probably have lived their entire lives without ever hearing of the town until a few years ago. You see, Jennings had a secret, a dark criminal underbelly that seethed just below the surface. Over the course of several years, multiple women were murdered under mysterious circumstances, inspiring journalists and federal investigators alike to dive into the increasingly strange connections between each homicide. And today the question remains: What happened to the Jennings 8?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It Could Happen Here - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #23

The gang discuss the DOJ‘s attempts to denaturalize American citizens, how the Big Beautiful Bill funds genocide, and Islamophobic attacks on Zohran Mamdani from Republicans and Democrats. Plus, updates on tariffs, the Diddy trial, and Elon Musk’s subsidies.

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/27/us/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes 

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/mother-and-young-kids-inside-during-explosive-huntington-park-raid-suspect-not-home/  

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bob-vylan-visa-revoked-state-department-1235375566/

https://bsky.app/profile/mclem.org/post/3lstr4lfyns2w

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-denaturalization-convicted-distributor-child-sexual-abuse 

https://bsky.app/profile/immdef.bsky.social

https://laopinion.com/2025/06/30/hija-de-inmigrante-secuestrada-por-encapuchados-no-encuentra-a-su-madre-enferma/

https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv0306-71

https://x.com/RepOgles/status/1938301392416084150

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/01/kirsten-gillibrand-zohran-mamdani-00436031

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU8dU-K1qZ4 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article309792865.html

https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/berks/tesla-sedan-hit-by-train-after-self-driving-error-in-berks-county-stops-train-traffic/article_aa1cbbf4-7918-4379-b557-da80f9596103.html 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/heres-whats-in-the-big-bill-that-just-passed-the-senate

https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/how-might-federal-medicaid-cuts-in-the-senate-passed-reconciliation-bill-affect-rural-areas/

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/02/trump-trade-vietnam-deal.html

https://newrepublic.com/post/197412/donald-trump-big-beautiful-budget-bill-devastating-poll

https://www.cbpp.org/research/medicaid-and-chip/senate-reconciliation-amendment-would-cut-hundreds-of-billions-more-from

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-in-trump-big-beautiful-bill-senate-version/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - The Terrifying Tale of Aum Shinrikyo, Chapter One: The Rise of a Cult Leader

Modern-day Japan is often lauded as one of the safest countries on the planet -- but that doesn't make this nation immune to the danger of cults. In the first chapter of this special two-part series, Ben and Matt explore the bizarre, conspiratorial rise of the organization known as Aum Shinrikyo.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Native America Calling - Wednesday, July 2, 2025 – The new limits on challenging federal actions

The U.S. Supreme Court didn’t rule on the constitutionality of birthright citizenship, a legal challenge closely watched by Native Americans. But their related decision in that case significantly changes the current practice in how all Americans can keep the federal government, corporations, and others from continuing actions with questionable constitutionality. We’ll review what’s at stake in the fight over birthright citizenship and how the High Court’s ruling preventing further nationwide injunctions will alter how lawyers tackle Native issues from now on.

We’ll also learn about a legal settlement in Montana that aims to ensure schools adequately teach Native American history.

GUESTS

Matthew Fletcher (Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians), law professor at the University of Michigan Law School and author of the “Turtle Talk” blog

Danny Chrisney (Maya Q’eqchi’ descent), managing attorney of Wilner and O’Reilly Phoenix office

Lenny Powell (Hopland Band of Pomo Indians), Native American Rights Fund staff attorney

Mark Carter (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Native American Rights Fund attorney

 

Break 1 Music: Take Your Troubles to the River (song) Vincent Craig (artist) Self-titled Release (album)

Break 2 Music: Kunax yak’ei gayshagook (song) Khu.éex’ (artist) Siy​á​adlan (album)

Ologies with Alie Ward - Lampyridology (FIREFLIES) aka Sparklebuttology Updated Encore with Sara Lewis

Let’s light up your life and butt. World-renowned firefly expert Dr. Sara Lewis of Tufts University gives us some updates to her 2021 episode, sharing her love of a bug that many think is merely mythological. Learn how these tiny animals illuminate the night, the dos and don’ts of firefly observation, how to take good firefly photos, femme fatales, pink glowworms, secret languages, artificial lights, what’s up with their population numbers, why Western states can chill out with their lightning bug envy, and how you can ensure the world stays aglow with these beloved bugs. Also: nuptial gifts, both human and lampyridological.

Visit Dr. Sara Lewis’s website and follow her on Threads

Buy her book, Silent Sparks: The Wondrous World of Fireflies!

A donation went to Fireflyers International

More episode sources and links

Smologies (short, classroom-safe) episodes

Other episodes you may enjoy: Entomology (INSECTS), Acaropathology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Forest Entomology (CREEPY CRAWLIES), Odonatology (DRAGONFLIES), Native Melittology (INDIGENOUS BEES), Lepidopterology (BUTTERFLIES), Cicadology (CICADAS), Dipterology (FLIES), Behavioral Ecology (REPRODUCTIVE TRADEOFFS)

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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media, Steven Ray Morris, Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth

Transcripts by Aveline Malek 

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

This Machine Kills - Patreon Preview – 412. Sweat Your Genetic Assets

We dive into Nucleus Genomics, a startup backed by the Founders Fund, that wants to help you evaluate, rank, and name your embryos in a pre-IVF dashboard designed for “genetic optimization.” We talk about the junk science and wild ideologies that drive these desires to treat your genes and children like assets to be managed – with the ultimate goal of creating and enforcing a society ordered by genetic hierarchies. We then wrap up by tying these biotech visions to their AI counterparts in the “Gentle Singularity.” ••• This 25-Year-Old Biotech Founder Says His Startup Can ‘Optimize’ Embryos for Intelligence https://www.inc.com/ben-sherry/kian-sadeghi-says-nucleus-genomics-can-optimize-embryos-for-intelligence/91198815 ••• Controversial genetics testing startup Nucleus Genomics raises $14M Series A https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/controversial-genetics-testing-startup-nucleus-genomics-raises-14m-series-a/ ••• Genetics testing startup Nucleus Genomics criticized for its embryo product: ‘Makes me so nauseous’ https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/06/genetics-testing-startup-nucleus-genomics-criticized-for-its-embryo-product-makes-me-so-nauseous/ ••• OpenAI wins $200m contract with US military for ‘warfighting’ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/17/openai-military-contract-warfighting ••• This is the gentle singularity? https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/this-is-the-gentle-singularity ••• China shuts down AI tools during nationwide college exams https://www.theverge.com/news/682737/china-shuts-down-ai-chatbots-exam-season Standing Plugs: ••• Order Jathan’s new book: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite ••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble ••• Subscribe to TMK on patreon for premium episodes: https://www.patreon.com/thismachinekills Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)