Behind the Bastards Podcast By Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts cover art

Behind the Bastards

Behind the Bastards

By: Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
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There’s a reason the History Channel has produced hundreds of documentaries about Hitler but only a few about Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bad guys (and gals) are eternally fascinating. Behind the Bastards dives in past the Cliffs Notes of the worst humans in history and exposes the bizarre realities of their lives. Listeners will learn about the young adult novels that helped Hitler form his monstrous ideology, the founder of Blackwater’s insane quest to build his own Air Force, the bizarre lives of the sons and daughters of dictators and Saddam Hussein’s side career as a trashy romance novelist.2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia Politics & Government Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • It Could Happen Here Weekly 192

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 192
    Jul 26 2025
    All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. - How We Saved Trans Medicaid Healthcare Coverage - Tracking ICE Removal Flights - How LA Resisted ICE - Why Is Trump So Afraid of Epstein? - Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #26 You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: How We Saved Trans Medicaid Healthcare Coverage https://transnewsnetwork.networkforgood.com/ https://thefreeradical.org/dont-panic-the-battle-over-the-trans-medicaid-ban-is-far-from-over-heres-how-to-fight-back/ https://ashevilleblade.com‪‪ Social Media: @thefreeradical.org‬, @davidforbes.bsky.social‬, @madycast.com Tracking ICE Removal Flights https://hardghistory.ghost.io/exclusive-ice-may-have-secretly-done-more-third-country-removals-than-previously-known/https://hardghistory.ghost.io/new-ices-eswatini-flight-went-through-us-base-in-djibouti-americans-stationed-there-are-angry/https://hardghistory.ghost.io/a-call-to-action-for-airline-workers-to-stop-ices-deportation-machine/ https://thedawn.com.ss/2025/07/10/govt-places-8-u-s-deportees-behind-bars-in-juba/ witnessattheborder.orghttps://www.propublica.org/article/inside-ice-air-deportation-flightshttps://www.pogo.org/investigations/meet-the-ice-contractor-running-deportation-flightshttps://capitalandmain.com/a-drunk-mechanic-shackled-immigrants-a-crash-landing-the-dangers-of-ice-flightshttps://alexplank.substack.com/p/photos-shackled-migrant-escortedhttps://globe.adsbexchange.com/ How LA Resisted ICE https://linktr.ee/mel_buer‪ @acatwithnews.bsky.social‬ @melbuer.bsky.social‬ Why Is Trump So Afraid of Epstein? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/23/donald-trump-accuser-stacey-williams-jeffrey-epstein https://apnews.com/article/trump-rape-carroll-trial-fe68259a4b98bb3947d42af9ec83d7db https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/17/donald-trump-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-former-model-amy-dorris https://archive.fo/J6z9J https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna218693 https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/21/18701098/trump-accusers-sexual-assault-rape-e-jean-carroll https://archive.fo/aeLYy https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/70843413/trump-v-murdoch/ Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #26 Fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/immigration-lawyer-for-primrose https://www.wsj.com/politics/trump-jeffrey-epstein-birthday-letter-we-have-certain-things-in-common-f918d796?st=dg3j4m&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-grand-jury-justice-department-4634e5afceb8b1bb43f23558dfbb1d6c https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/14/teen-models-powerful-men-when-donald-trump-hosted-look-of-the-year https://www.wsj.com/politics/justice-department-told-trump-name-in-epstein-files-727a8038 https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-immigration-deport-chilean-man-living-pennsylvania-refuting-123944071 https://www.fastcheck.cl/2025/07/22/foto-atribuida-a-luis-leon-supuesto-migrante-chileno-deportado-a-guatemala-es-falsa/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165454 https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2025-07-22/fort-bliss-detention-center-migrants-18520342.html https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/4250988/ https://www.oversight.gov/sites/default/files/documents/reports/2022-02/DODIG-2022-064.pdf https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2024/budget_justification/pdfs/01_Operation_and_Maintenance/O_M_VOL_1_PART_2/OHDACA_OP-5.pdf https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-22/trump-awards-immigration-detention-center-contract-for-fort-bliss-in-texas?utm_source=website&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=copy https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/07/21/you-feel-like-your-life-is-over/abusive-practices-at-three-florida-immigration https://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/232598p.pdf https://www.thenation.com/article/world/afghan-refugee-fort-bliss/ https://ecf.cacd.uscourts.gov/doc1/031145354889 https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/ending-taxpayer-subsidization-of-biased-media/ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/23/trump-announces-massive-trade-deal-with-japan-with-15percent-tariffs.html https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/23/eu-100bn-no-deal-plan-trump-tariffs-threat-us-imports https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-trade-deals-are-arriving-how-they-might-affect-us-economy-rcna220465 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/puerto-rico-law-ban-hormone-therapy-gender-affirming-surgery-transgender-youth/ https://thehill.com/homenews/lgbtq/5407157-puerto-rico-gender-affirming-care-ban-transgender-americans/ https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-congress-epstein-mike-johnson-b2793874.html https://finance.yahoo.com/news/live/...
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    3 hrs and 18 mins
  • Part Two: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry

    Part Two: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry
    Jul 24 2025

    Robert and Miles discuss the second phase of Laetrile's history, where it becomes a culture war issue for the right wing John Birch Society.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    59 mins
  • Part One: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry

    Part One: Laetrile: The Fake Cancer Cure That Birthed The Right-Wing Medical Grifting Industry
    Jul 22 2025

    Robert sits down with Miles Gray to talk about Laetrile, a fraudulent cancer "cure" embraced by the John Birch society as a way to tie right wing politics to alternative medicine.

    (2 Part Series)

    Sources:

    Sci-Hub | Laetrile: A Lesson in Cancer Quackery. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 31(2), 91–95 | 10.3322/canjclin.31.2.91

    The Controversy Surrounding Chad Green

    Nation: A Battle over Cancer Care - TIME

    Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Sr. / Oasis of Hope Hospital | Big Statues

    first-page-pdf

    Natural Cancer Cures Pioneer Dr. Ernesto Contreras, Founder of Oasis of Hope Cancer Hospital

    Medicine: Debate over Laetrile | TIME

    Ernesto Contreras' TJ laetrile clinic | San Diego Reader

    Laetrile in Historical Perspective | Quackwatch

    Dr Ernst T. Krebs - ENCOGNITIVE.COM.pdf

    OBITUARY -- Ernst T. Krebs Jr.

    The Story of Ernest Krebs, Jr., and Bunk Cancer Cure “Vitamin B17” – Patient Worthy

    Ernst T. Krebs, Jr. (1912-1996)

    The Rise and Fall of Laetrile | Quackwatch

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 15 mins

Featured Article: The Best History Podcasts of All Time


If you’re a history buff looking for a new podcast to check out, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the array of options available. There are literally thousands of podcasts focusing on every corner of history. To help you know where to start, we’ve waded through nearly everything out there and selected just a few of the best of the best in history podcasts. And we've divided them by categories and interests. You’re sure to find your next favorite listen in our list.

Featured Article The Best History Podcasts of All Time
All stars
Most relevant  
Very informative. He goes into lots of details about each topic. It's so good although it's also hard to listen to at times when you realize how horrible people can be. Robert does a very good job.

Love this podcast

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Love this podcast, but the co-host reiterating all of these horrific behaviors of poisoned people harming themselves and laughing so hard you can barely understand him is disgusting. These citizens were poisoned with lsd as an experiment. Jumping out a window and breaking your legs..... Then sprinting isn't funny, and laughing at instances over and over about it is pretty abhorrent.

Co-host is an absolute waste

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flawless intro. masterful. further research into Oprah's ghoulish troupe. I also suggest the Dr Oz and Dr Phil episodes.

Always delivers horribly wonderful tales...

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love these guys, always funny & informative. all the bad reviews need a super soaker full of piss

Amazing!

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History is fascinating thing, and often it's the worst aspects of it that makes it so. Robert Evans is both captivating and delighting in contrast with his subject matter. His enthusiasm is often joined by the various guests he has on his show. I think the thing that is most appreciable about it is how even though it is difficult, he often finds a sliver lining or a grave lesson that we can take from each point in person or group he discusses, and that alone and often gives me the inspiration I need to make it through my days, and hope to emulate in my also gaping knowledge of some of the worst aspects of humans and their histories.

Behind the Bastards is the Harbinger we all need

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Want to know how we got here? Find out how evil has evolved and rehashed itself to be the thinly veiled cryptofascists in power today!

Added bonus, current human turds.

A deep reveal about the worst people

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An incredibly informative podcast that is nonetheless relentlessly disheartening because the monsters are real people who mostly never got shot in the face by the heroes of the story because God doesn't care about justice.

Best Monster of the Week podcast out there.

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I adore Robert Evans for one reason, and a logical step. Reason being: His incredibly deep research that leaves no stone unturned*. The logical step is if I have questions after being bombarded with brilliantly acquired, and dressed, information, it's either specific enough to Google-sink on it, or broad enough that Robert offers his sources with mini reviews.

Learning is God and Doctor Sheriff Reverend Barbert Evans is a Prophet.

*or he tells you the jist and offers resources

The Reason I Adore Robert Evans

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Friends introduced me to this podcast because of my related line of work. I appreciate the sheer amount of research that goes into each subject and the variety of guests brought on to discuss them (although it would be cool to hear more from folks in the field rather than comedians w/ their own podcasts). I also like that each episode has its own list of sources so fans are given a headstart with their personal reading/research.

It sucks that such evil exists in the world, enough so to the point a show like this could run the rest of Evans's life if he so chose. But it's good that people like him are doing the work to expose current & historical public figures... it's a bonus that the information is presented in an entertaining manner without sacrificing journalistic integrity. Evans is also respectful and routinely reminds listeners of the gravity/horrors of each subject. This show isn't exploitative like so many others in this genre (true crime/history/current affairs) and although he often provides statistics or details, Evans reminds listeners that victims are real people. The narratives never feel like trauma porn and some episodes even end with a call-to-action for listeners to get involved, do further research, spread information, etc. Overall, a solid casual listen that I believe is worth a subscribe.

In-depth Profiles of Evil People without

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A genuinely funny and well-put-together podcast that goes into detail about some of the worst human beings in history. Robert Evans is an excellent host with impressive bonafides when it comes to being able to talk about the horrors humans can inflict on each other, and some of his guests (like the illimitable Prop G) are also excellent human beings in their own right.

Also, Robert's coverage of the 2020 summer protests got me involved doing community work of my own. The perfect anodyne to the sense of powerlessness and dread the world can inflict on you is loving your fellow human beings, and that's the best lesson I got from this show.

And if it need be said, it would not happen without Sophie Lichterman, who deserves a ton of credit for masterfully herding cats.

Prepare to be depressed!

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