
Deep Background with Noah Feldman
Behind every news headline, there’s another, deeper story. It’s a story about power. In Deep Background, Harvard Law School professor and Bloomberg View columnist Noah Feldman will bring together a cross-section of expert guests to explore the historical, scientific, legal, and cultural context that help us understand what’s really going on behind the biggest stories in the news.iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Latest episodes

Apr 7, 2025 • 6min
Iran Contra: A New Introduction from Leon Neyfakh
Host Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country’s most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. Fiasco: Iran-Contra tells the story of a secret war, a secret deal, and a foreign policy scandal that threatened to destroy Ronald Reagan’s presidency — until it didn’t.For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Iran Contra, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plusSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 16, 2024 • 33min
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - Lawfare
Attorneys David Boies and Ted Olsen, who represented the Gore and Bush sides, respectively, talk about the unique challenges that came with representing their clients before the Supreme Court.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 9, 2024 • 24min
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - What If…
An interview with Ralph Nader on his role as a “spoiler” in the 2000 election, and historian Mary Frances Berry, who led the 2001 commission looking into the impact that ballot box irregularities involving Black voters may have had on the outcome in Florida.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 2, 2024 • 23min
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - Information Wars
A conversation with Craig Waters, spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court, about becoming the face of an embattled, apolitical institution during a partisan battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 25, 2024 • 39min
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - Inside the Florida Secretary of State’s Office During the 2000 Recount
Conversations with Florida’s former Secretary of State Katherine Harris, the Bush supporter who presided over the 2000 recount, and self-described Republican operative and “Bush liege” who embedded in Harris’s office during the recount and helped her bring the election “in for a landing.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 18, 2024 • 27min
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - A Mile In Their Shoes
An interview with Brian Noyes, who worked on the Bush 2000 presidential campaign, and what it was like to feel like an election is being stolen. Noyes oversaw an oral history project with recount alums from the Bush campaign. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 13, 2024 • 53min
Bush v. Gore: Episode 6 – No Precedent
In the season finale: How the 2000 presidential election was distilled and decided in a case called Bush v. Gore. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nov 6, 2024 • 46min
Bush v. Gore: Episode 5 – Contingencies
Democrats and Republicans hope for the best and plan for the worst. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 30, 2024 • 53min
Bush v. Gore: Episode 4 – Spin-Off
How public relations battles yielded big legal wins for the Bush team. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 23, 2024 • 56min
Bush v. Gore: Episode 3 – Ballot With Butterfly Wings
What happened in Palm Beach County when a bitterly-contested national election came to town–and who paid the price? For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.