Less than 40 miles or so north of Dallas-Fort Worth, the town of Denton, Texas is famous for all sorts of stuff: its universities, music, and arts scene have garnered it the nickname "Little Austin". Yet as Ben, Matt and Noel discover, the town of Denton is also home to one of the strangest artifacts of the Cold War -- a 1960s-era bunker built to withstand nuclear disaster, and continue the US government after the collapse of civilization. Tune in to learn how this happened, what became of the bunker today... and why so many locals are convinced it's only one part of a secret subterranean world.

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Almost a thousand years after the reign of the original Order of Assassins, you might think assassination tactics would be universally illegal -- however, that's not the case. Assassination is a valuable tool for both corporations and nations alike. It's also a big business, a web of conspiracies with an at-times global reach, evolving in step with the world's latest technological innovations. Listen in to learn more about assassination in the modern day in the second part of this two-part series.

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What's the difference between an assassination and a garden-variety murder? Where does the term 'assassin' actually come from, and how did an obscure sect founded almost one thousand years ago fundamentally change the course of history as we know it? Tune in for the answers to these questions and more in the first part of this special two-part series.

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Could the United States really have a multi-generational, 'above-top-secret' operation to retrieve and reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology? In the second chapter of this special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deeper in the allegations surrounding "The Legacy Program".

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Look around -- how many objects in your immediate vicinity contain plastic? This malleable, durable material has become ubiquitous -- you can find in the depths of the oceans, at the summits of the highest mountains. And, if you're like most people, plastic will be here long after you're gone. Historically, manufacturers have claimed plastic pollution can be solved by recycling... but what if there's something they don't want you to know?

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Late last year, a documentary called The Age of Disclosure captivated the world with its claims that high-level members of America's military, intelligence, business and political circles have -- for decades -- known extraterrestrials visit planet Earth. Multiple sources also insist the United States has a top-secret initiative called "The Legacy Program," which has not only acquired crashed alien craft, but also reverse-engineered some extraterrestrial technology. If any of this is true, it's the biggest cover-up in human history. In this special two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel separate the fact from fiction.

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Flordelis dos Santos de Souza is a politician and cultural icon in Brazil. For a time, she and her husband Anderson do Carmo were an evangelical power couple - along with their more than 50 adopted and biological children. In June of 2019, Anderson was murdered. The family said it was a robbery gone wrong. The investigators disagree.

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ICE hunts children.The guys warn the Deep State is aiming to halt midterm elections in the United States, weird shrooms make people see tiny figures, the guys explore events in Iran. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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If you live in the US, you've probably had to work out a weird thing called "credit" -- your credit score, dictated by private organizations, determines a huge part of your life. And, as Ben, Matt and Noel learn in tonight's episode... there may well be a genuine (and dangerous) conspiracy at play.

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Chai and Zachsquatch provide crucial feedback on the recent episode about intuition and time travel. Murt shares the story of Iowa's "Manhole Michelangelo," and EJW breaks down Canada's new citizenship laws. Plus the 'Board of Peace' and a special rutabaga song. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they explore these stories -- and much more -- in this week's listener mail segment.

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If you travel out to Missouri, you'll love the views of Coldwater Creek — at least, that is, at first. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel uncover a multi-generational radioactive cover up dating back decades… with consequences that continue in the modern day.

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How much power does the mind wield over physical matter? Could certain human beings, through the force of focused thought alone, walk on fire, lay on nails, and survive being buried alive for days at a time? Listen in to learn more about the fact, fiction and controversy surrounding the famous feats of the mystics.

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A scandal rocks Europe as an international group of nuns is exposed as a secret Russian spy ring. You can pay a million dollars for a hotel on the moon. Farts might save you from Alzheimer’s, and cows may be the newest confirmed non-human tool users. The Bank of England is worried about aliens. All this and more in this week’s strange news segment.

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Have you heard of the California Timber Wars? In tonight's interview, returning guest Toby Ball, the creator of Rip Current, joins the guys to explore the 1990 pipe bomb attack on radical environmental activist Judi Bari. It's a deep, strange tale involving powerful corporations, grassroots activists, allegations of terrorism, COINTELPRO and more. Tune in to learn more about Rip Current… and why this bombing remains officially unsolved in the modern day.

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In this week's listener mail segment: SC updates the crew on recent news related to Havana Syndrome. Don Quixote needs someone to talk about these tankers and Trojan Horses. Grady asks about corruption and conspiracy in the world of 'standardized testing,' inspiring an episode in the future.

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Amid the rarefied air of tech billionaires, Peter Thiel carves a larger-than-life figure in the modern world. To some, he's a philosopher king. To others, a supervillain. One thing's for sure: pretty much everyone is baffled by his continual rhetoric about the 'antichrist' -- so, what exactly does he mean? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the deep, Biblical waters surrounding a man who, according to critics, seeks to upend democracy as we know it.

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Love it or hate it, there's no denying that reality TV -- also known as unscripted television -- is a titan of the entertainment industry. In fact, if you have cable and turn on your TV right now, you'll probably find a reality show of some sort playing on multiple channels. Most people know this sort of programming isn't as 'real' as it may purport to be... but what made this stuff so successful? Perhaps most importantly: Why do some of its critics allege this content is worse than tacky? Why do some people think it's dangerous?

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The FBI crosses an historic Rubicon by raiding the home of a journalist. Ben, Matt and Noel miss Erich von Däniken. In China, an app renames itself. All this and more in our weekly strange news segment.

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We've all experienced it: a moment of sudden, unexplained certitude: go left, not right, says a voice in your head; stay home from work today, or pause a second longer at this traffic light. For most of us, these small, inexplicable moments come and go. But why do they exist? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore why some radical physicists believe what we call 'intuition' may just be a message from the future.

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It's our first listener mail segment of 2026! The Grease Weasel gives an inside look at faith healing. Bonita C. provides more context on the terrifying hidden history of Africville. Alpha Flight and Betty share strange Christmas stories. Inspired by Noah, the guys vow to do a full episode on oligarchs. William writes a beautiful letter all the way from Malaysia. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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Have you ever heard the story of "shrunken heads"? In the West, a ton of people sadly associate this with their own self-centric pop-culture experiences. However -- as Ben, Matt and Noel discover in tonight's episode -- the ancient practice of creating tsantsas is far more fascinating than any nostalgia reference. Tune in to learn the true conspiracy behind the popularity of "shrunken heads".

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It's 2026. Fellow Conspiracy Realists, stuff is getting weird. This inspires Ben, Matt and Noel to return to a Classic episode about the last time a civilization fell: Sometime between between c. 1250 - c. 1150 BCE, civilization as we knew it simply... collapsed. Once-thriving empires fell one after another. Trade routes disintegrated. Literacy plummeted. Mysterious raiders from the sea pillaged city after city. In less than a century, the known world became a distant dream. So what exactly happened? Perhaps more disturbingly, what can the Bronze Age collapse tell us about the modern day?

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Oh, come on! We take a couple weeks off for the holidays, and the world goes nuts? Ben, Matt and Noel welcome you back to the first strange news segment of 2026. Tune in as the guys explore the unfolding chaos in Venezuela and abroad, the debate about the McRib, Uncle Sam's new interest in Russia's shadow fleet -- and so much more.

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Well, folks, the results are in: 2025 was a rough year for American science. Massive funding cuts to research and development aren't just slowing the pace of innovation -- they're also sending thousands of the nation's best and brightest out of the country... and straight into the arms of nations that would love to have them. What does this mean for the future? What does this mean for the families affected? Perhaps most importantly: Why is Uncle Sam hamstringing science in the first place? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the new era of Brain Drain.

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In the world of spirits and apparitions, the poltergeist is a unique type of ghost -- one known for its alleged ability to move physical objects (often in violent, unpredictable ways), to target and torment specific human beings and, perhaps strangest of all, to suddenly, one day, disappear. While not everyone uses the name 'poltergeist,' legends of these and similar creatures occur in numerous civilizations throughout history. Some stories are proven hoaxes. But others, the true believers argue, are more difficult to explain.

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As Ben, Matt and Noel return from a holiday break, they recall a shocking discovery from their earlier investigation into the Atlas Network. What exactly is the 'National Endowment for Democracy'? Why does this... quasi-private, government-funded, global entity have so many people so concerned?

Also, why are so many people calling it 'a new CIA'? We're back, baby! Tune in.

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The world of professional sports is a multi-billion dollar industry -- and even the most ardent fans may not know what actually happens away from the bright lights and cheering crowds. Join Ben and special guest, journalist Tim Livingston, the creator of Whistleblower, as they dive into the strange, twisting tale of one of the NBA's biggest conspiracies -- a gambling scandal that rocked the industry and, disturbingly, may have reprecussions that continue throughout the sport in the modern day.

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Earlier this year, two children went missing in Milwaukee. Despite the pleas of their parents and loved ones, the local police did not treat these children as "critically missing," meaning they issued no Amber Alert. Desperate for answers, family members took matters into their own hands, tracing one of the missing children's phones to a duplex in town. Amid ongoing, unrelated protests, more and more citizens of Milwaukee began to believe the authorities were actively preventing a full investigation of the house in question. So what actually happened?

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Officially formed in 1999, Nunavut is the newest and most northerly territory of Canada. This sparsely-populated region is home unique wildlife, ancient culture and, it seems, a mystery. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they unravel the strange story of a bizarre, unexplained sound emerging from the seafloor -- it's allegedly terrified migratory animals, baffled local hunters, and inspired the Canadian government to launch an official investigation (which led to more questions than answers).

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Could human dreams really, in some way, predict the future? At first, it sounds like the stuff of science fiction... but the real-life answer may not be as clear-cut as the plot of a sci-fi blockbuster. Instead, it turns out that probability, bias and, perhaps, the bleeding edge of physics may all play a role in the strange phenomenon known as precognitive dreams. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they search for a scientific take on precognition in the second part of this two-part series.

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Dreams are one of the most mysterious aspects of human existence, and we still don't fully understand the strange phenomenon known as dreaming. For thousands of years, human beings have taken action in the waking world based on information they encounter in a dream -- and, every so often, people have felt their dreams aren't just reminding them of the past or re-contextualizing the present. Instead, in virtually every culture and in every era of recorded history, people have claimed their dreams also, sometimes, tell them about the future. Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they delve into the science of dreams, and the conspiracies our own brains may hatch against us.

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Since before the dawn of recorded history, humans have been haunted by rumors of monsters beneath the waves -- and, as time wore on, it seemed at least some of those legends were based in truth. Today's question: could any sea serpents, leviathans or other cryptids remain alive in the modern day? Tune in to learn more.

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In the ancient days, when medicine and spirituality were inseparable, people often used rituals and invocations to elicit help from divine sources. This practice continues today, through a number of techniques collectively known as faith healing. But what is it, exactly? How does it work? Could mere physical touch from the right person heal otherwise incurable medical conditions? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they dive into fact and fiction of faith healing.

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For millennia, people in civilizations across the planet have claimed to perceive intangible energy emanating from people, animals, plants -- and even inanimate objects. And, in recent centuries, scientists and mystics alike have sought to explain this phenomenon. As you might imagine, not everyone agrees on what an aura could be -- or whether it exists -- in the modern day.

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Everyone loves looking sharp - and saving money in the process. But what if there's a hidden cost to all this fast fashion and these trendy cosmetics? In the second part of this series, the guys return to the underbelly of the worldwide fashion and cosmetic industries, exploring how the global production process affects wildlife and spreads pollution -- and what these companies don't want you to know about the ultimate price of that next piece of clothing.

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If you're like the vast majority of people, you wear clothes. Clothing is one of the oldest pieces of human technology, and these days it's also a multi-billion dollar industry. People across the planet use clothing and fashion as a means of expression, a way to make a living, and a way to communicate. But, like any other industry of the size, the fashion industry also has a dark side (several, in fact).

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If you've been watching the news, you've probably heard journalists and pundits throwing around the word "antifa," often in relation to protests. The phrase, a portmanteau of "anti-fascist," has been used to describe multiple groups and individuals. It's become the subject of several conspiracy theories as well - but what exactly is "antifa"? Tune in to learn more.

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More than 500 feet long and carrying missiles the size of small planes, the giant, nuclear-powered Kursk submarine was an apex predator of the high seas. At least, that is, until it was destroyed in one of the most catastrophic peacetime submarine accidents in history. The entire crew was lost and, decades later, some still believe this 'accident' was no accident at all.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ben, Matt and Noel have a special, spoiler-filled episode just for you, fellow Conspiracy Realists! You see, something strange happened over recent years: Santa, Rudolph and all the usual characters of Christmas have been joined by a new entity... a little Elf, hanging around your house from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, and reporting your behavior to Santa Claus every single night. At first blush, this is wholesome and delightful. But... why are so many parents, experts and journalists concerned about the Elf on the Shelf? Is the Elf normalizing an Orwellian surveillance state?

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For most of modern history, the world has run on oil. In the US and abroad, the price of gasoline is often the subject of intense concern, and prices at the pump vary widely. The difference of a few dollars per gallon can incite widespread unrest. But there's a question rarely asked: How much should gas actually cost?

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Remember when chatting about the weather used to be nothing more than small talk? Those days are long gone. As the climate becomes increasingly chaotic, powerful interests have returned to the controversial -- at times, conspiratorial -- concept of weather modification. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into the bizarre, outlandish and occasionally dangerous plans to leverage science in a last-ditch Hail Mary to save civilization. Problem is, these same solutions may also end up destroying the planet. So... should humanity hold its breath and roll the dice?

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In the wake of the death of Rob Reiner and his spouse Michele, Ben, Matt and Noel share some of their memories working with Rob and return to their classic interview with him, from 2023: Sixty years ago this week, US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. In tonight's conversation, Ben, Matt and Noel join the legendary director, actor, writer, and activist Rob Reiner to explore the assassination -- in his newest project, Rob finally answers the question: Who killed JFK?

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In this week's strange news segment, Ben, Noel and Dylan explore how a human gut biome may predict linear future. Conversations about social media ephemera. Ben cops to his "missing: boomerang" posters, shouts out The Daily Zeitgeist, and asks Noel to explain "6-7." Dylan shares a weird story about returning to the United States as the U.S. asks to read your phone at the border. All this and more in this week's strange news segment -- tune in!

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Tonight's episode: Ben, Matt, Noel and Dylan ask: How many planets exist? According to current astronomical research, a lot of speculation and tons of conspiracy theories, there may be more to the solar system.

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If you're not from Nova Scotia, you may have never heard of Africville -- it was a small community in Halifax. The larger government of Halifax seemed content to pretend Africville simply didn't exist. After the infamous Halifax Explosion of the early 1900s, the government changed their tactic, and aggressively conspired to erase Africville from history.

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Located in the eastern Pacific ocean, thousands of miles from other civilizations, Rapa Nui is home to an enduring mystery: hundreds of giant, stone sculptures called maoi. For centuries, outsiders had no idea how these were built, when, why or -- most importantly -- what happened to make the construction stop. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into hidden history and the latest research... and just may, finally, find the answers.

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How can a star disappear? As Ben, Matt and Noel learn in this evening's Classic episode, there's more than a bit of weirdness involved: a few years back, an enterprising group of astronomers and astrophysicists found themselves transformed into full-on space detectives when a cursory observation of a luminous blue variable star located in the Kinman Dwarf galaxy revealed the star had simply... vanished. This is, according to what our species understands, impossible. Something this big should leave some sort of trace. So what happened? Join Ben, Matt and Noel as they explore the ongoing cosmic conundrum, exploring the story of this galactic noir mystery -- and, ultimately, attempting to learn what led to its untimely disappearance.

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It's almost the end of the year -- Disclosure looms, raccoons and humans alike pull heists, folks are housing Faberge eggs, fungi evolves in Chernobyl and pretty much everyone is trying to survive. Ben, Matt and Dylan want to tell you a joke at the beginning of this week's strange news segment. Stay tuned for the upcoming episodes inspired by this segment.

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Warning: This episode contains graphic, accurate descriptions of unclean actions, and may not be appropriate for all listeners.

In 1981 and 1982, an horrific series of murders and mutilation gripped Chicago. Ultimately, investigators found four men guilty of the crimes: Edward Spreitzer, brothers Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis, and the alleged ringleader, Robin Gecht. However, as Ben, Matt and Dylan discover in tonight's episode, three of the criminals seemed unable to explain what, exactly, led to their depraved acts. Gecht, they argued, had supernatural powers of compulsion.

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Hidalgo, Jimothy and Pure prompt Ben, Matt and Dylan to dive even deeper into the bizarre world of hidden structures underground -- including bunkers and top-secret missile siloes, just waiting for that launch command. Pastor Banks reaches out with a deep conversation about the nature of the soul, and Calamity Chris confirms the ancient folklore of dragon's teeth. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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