Whale Hunting

Imagine a world where there are two maps. The regular one that everyone sees — one divided by land borders and nation states. The other, a hidden globe, made up of jurisdictions defined not by geography, but by laws that can shift, bend, or even disappear altogether. That's the vision journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian sets out in her new book, The Hidden Globe. In this week's episode of the Whale Hunting podcast, Bradley sits down with Atossa to explore a rarefied world where citizenship can be bought, and the rules of jurisdiction are being rewritten on Earth and beyond. From hidden tax havens to futuristic space colonies, they discuss how the ultrawealthy and well-connected are tearing up the rulebook on how we think about nations, sovereignty, and what it means to belong. You can find Atossa's book, The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World online and in all good bookshops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

When journalist Gareth Gore began investigating the collapse of Spain’s Banco Popular in 2017, he expected a predictable tale of bad investments and toxic loans. Instead, it led him to discover a vast web of hidden financial networks spread around the world, all linking back to one organization: Opus Dei. This week on Whale Hunting, Gareth joins Bradley to discuss how this secretive Catholic sect quietly wields global influence in everything from finance to policymaking and education – and how it exploits and manipulates its members to further its power. It’s all in Gareth’s new book, Opus: dark money, a secretive cult, and its mission to remake our world, out now in US bookshops.For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

For the last five years, Popular Front has been shaking up the way many of us view reporting from conflict zones. It gives its followers an up-close-and-personal view, going inside globally reported stories like Hong Kong’s 2019 umbrella protests and narco-militias in Mexico, as well as lesser-known battlegrounds like the illicit 3D printing of firearms in Europe. Jake Hanrahan, its founder, came into journalism with no formal training during VICE’s heyday, and quickly became a correspondent covering conflict in Kurdistan, Ukraine, and elsewhere. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley Hope chats to Jake about his unconventional path into journalism, and what led him to set up a grassroots war reporting organization. They also discuss the delicate balancing act of gaining access to stories while remaining authentic, the challenges of making independent media on a shoestring, and why Jake doesn’t care about scoops.Mentioned in this week’s episode: Popular Front, a grassroots media organisation that focuses solely on war and conflict: https://www.popularfront.co/ Jake’s newest documentary project, Away Days, which tells “hidden stories from the fringes of society”: https://www.awaydays.tv/ For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. You can also follow us on Instagram @whalehunting.fm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

When the Taliban were first toppled in 2001, there was hope among some Afghans that it could mark the start of a new Afghanistan. President Bush promised the US would help construct a new, functional government – and some diaspora returned, eager to help rebuild the country. Among them was Saad Mohseni. Saad, an Afghan-Australian banker, would go on to start a radio station with his siblings in Kabul. It would soon grow into Afghanistan’s largest media company, spreading out across Asia and the Middle East. This week on Whale Hunting, Saad talks to Bradley about what it was like to witness the rise and fall of the fledgling Afghan state through the lens of the country’s biggest media network. They also discuss the first signs of trouble in Afghanistan’s reconstruction, why Saad continues to operate Moby group under Taliban rule today, and what he sees for the future of the country.Saad’s book, Radio Free Afghanistan, is available in bookshops from 24 September in the US and 26 September in the UK – or pre-order online.For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

On Monday, Malaysia’s High Court heard how a staggering $2.4 million made its way from the coffers of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, into the bank accounts of Kim Kardashian and Pharell Williams – all via fugitive businessman Jho Low. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley Hope and Tom Wright get together to discuss the latest developments in the ever-evolving 1MDB saga. They explain how celebrities and music stars were pulled into Jho Low’s orbit by big money, and discuss a long-overdue legal breakthrough in Switzerland, where two key players have been sentenced for their roles in the scandal.Mentioned in this week’s episode: Billion Dollar Whale, the story of 1MDB by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope:  https://amzn.to/44bJf9I The sentencing of Tarek Obaid and Patrick Mahoney, PetroSaudi executives: https://www.ft.com/content/6c70d17b-4546-462d-9d86-99e1c50bf9cd  The Star’s coverage of Kim Kardashian and Pharrell Williams’ connections to 1MDB https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/09/1mdb-trial-staggering-usd24mil-went-into-kim-kardashian-and-pharell-williamss-bank-accounts Check My Steezo - From "22 Jump Street" Soundtrack (the Jho Low verse starts at 1.59 for those interested): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcnMvZC6pb0 For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

You’ve probably heard of blood diamonds, but what about blood antiquities?Today, most trappings of wealth – like cash, diamonds or gold – are subject to stringent regulation. But not fine art and antiquities. Somehow, the art market has escaped the toughest rules, becoming a favored global hub for dirty money. This week on Whale Hunting, Tom Wright is joined by Tess Davis, executive director at the Antiquities Coalition, where she leads work to tackle the illicit trafficking of antiquities and ancient art. It’s a trade used to launder money by Russian oligarchs and sanctioned terrorist groups alike. Together, Tom and Tess take a deep dive into the dark side of the art world, discussing the bad actors using art as their playground, the complicity of major institutions, and what can be done to reform the art business.For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

Thanks for listening to season two of Whale Hunting! The podcast will be back very soon with brand new episodes on everything from cultural racketeering to grassroots war reporting, murky offshore jurisdictions, and much more.In the meantime, we wanted to share an episode from one of our favourite shows. It's called Lever Time and it's the flagship podcast from our friends at The Lever, a reader-supported investigative outlet covering corruption, accountability and power in the U.S. In this episode, The Lever's Arjun Singh is joined by New York Times reporter Peter Goodman and The Groundwork Collaborative's Lindsay Owens, to look at how corporations exploited the pandemic to price gouge everybody else. Enjoy!For more from The Lever, head to levernews.com or search for Lever Time in your favorite podcast app. And remember, you can subscribe to the Whale Hunting newsletter by visiting whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

A furious letter from a smartly-named law firm is almost par for the course for journalists on the crime and corruption beat. From oligarchs and dictators to badly behaved billionaires, many have enlisted the help of libel lawyers to frighten off reporters and squash unfavorable stories. What’s more rare, however, is for these furious letters to materialize in an actual lawsuit. That was the unfortunate situation faced by Ed Siddons, a reporter at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, after reporting on a multibillion-dollar Kazakh investment vehicle. For two years, Ed and the Bureau were forced to defend a defamation lawsuit launched by the company. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley chats to Ed about why London has become the libel capital of the world, how bad actors are exploiting UK law to suppress public interest journalism, and the ferocious firms that help them pursue these claims.For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and you can subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

Li Fangwei, a shadowy global arms dealer with a $5 million bounty, joins experts Philipp Grüll and Frederik Obermaier, along with journalists Bastian Obermayer and Christoph Giesen, to discuss his elusive operations. The conversation dives into the murky world of arms trading, revealing connections to dual-use technology and the complexities of international regulations. They explore how legal maneuvers enable illicit dealings and the technology behind modern missile systems, spotlighting the grave implications for global security.

In the US, all American citizens have the constitutional right to lobby their representatives in Washington DC. It’s a right that has come in handy over the years as foreign powers, dictators and kleptocrats look for proxies to help them wash their reputations and push their agendas on US soil. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley dives into foreign lobbying with Casey Michel, an investigative journalist and author of the new book, Foreign Agents: how American lobbyists and lawmakers threaten democracy around the world. Together, they discuss the history of this murky practice in the US, how it shapes American politics in hidden ways, and what recent cases like the conviction of Senator Bob Menendez reveal about the industry. Casey is also the director of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation. You can read the program’s latest report, Infiltrating America: How the UAE Launched an Unprecedented Political Interference Campaign in the US at hrf.org. Casey’s book, Foreign Agents, is available for pre-order now on Amazon in online bookstores. For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and you can subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/