Stuff They Don't Want You To Know

Are there really entire towns created as 'decoys'? Why are parents being billed for foster care? What exactly is the national debt, and how is it different from an individual's debt? All this and more in this week's Listener Mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

It's no secret that the War on Drugs is controversial -- and millions of people have found themselves on the wrong side of often draconian drug laws. In today's episode, Ben and Matt are joined with Ethan Nadelmann, the founder of the Drug Policy Alliance and creator of Psychoactive, to learn more about the past, present, and -- most importantly -- future of drug policy in the US. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

When US forces finally tracked down terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden -- living in Pakistan, likely with support of the ISI -- he was killed and, according to the official story, buried at sea. So why doesn't everyone believe this is true? When did Osama Bin Laden actually die? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

A disgruntled Tesla owner blows up his car rather than paying thousands of dollars for a new battery. In an equally explosive development, technology allows a paralyzed man to post a tweet... simply by thinking about it. All this and more in this week's Strange News. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

Nostradamus. Edgar Cayce. Baba Vanga. Have any of history's alleged psychics successfully predicted the future? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as look at humanity's efforts to predict the future, from ancient oracles to the bleeding edge of science. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

What exactly is China doing on the African continent? How can we best interpret near-death experiences? Why did one listener happen to come across a ghostly episode of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know on the radio? All this and more in this week's listener mail. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

Big Pharma gets a bad name in the press, and the actions of multinational pharmaceutical companies are often the subject of various conspiracies – but are any of the allegations true? Learn more about theories behind political corruption, tainted medicine and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

When oil is traded in US cash, the currency is called a petrodollar. It's a fundamental part of international trade -- but it's also a continual source of conspiratorial allegations. Join Matt and Ben as they explore the fact and fiction surrounding the petrodollar. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

In the wake of disaster, Amazon employees petition to keep their phones with them as they work. Biologists conclude mass poisoning is the best way to combat an island's invasive population of mice. Scientists are, apparently not for the first time, making some pretty serious breakthroughs in the art of getting pigs to breathe through their rectums -- and these scientists are wondering if, one day, humans could breathe the same way. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.

Newport law enforcement seemed anxious to cover up the true story of Eduardo Tirella's death, but Tirella's family -- as well as residents of Newport -- refused to forget the story. In the second part of this two-part episode, journalist Peter Lance explains what happened in the aftermath of his new investigation into the death, as well as his earlier investigations into other cold cases across the course of his career. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comThey 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.