Best Curtain On Corruption Podcasts (2025)

1
277. America Drills Through Hell’s Gorge (Part 5) 44:21

1h ago44:21

44:21

How did the US orchestrate the Panamanian Revolution to be able to build the Panama Canal? Why did French engineer Bunau-Varilla and the US sign a treaty about Panama without a single Panamanian in the room? How did Americans impose Jim Crow laws in The Canal Zone? William and Anita are joined by Matthew Parker, author of Hell’s Gorge: The Battle T…

1
790. Why Are People Protesting Against Corruption in Ukraine? 52:15

12h ago52:15

52:15

Olena Halushka is a is a board member of the Ukrainian NGO “Anti-corruption Action Centre”, and co-founder of the International Centre for Ukrainian Victory. She has also worked as a chief of international advocacy at the post-Maidan coalition of 80 CSOs “Reanimation Package of Reforms”. Olena is a contributor to the Atlantic Council, Kyiv Independ…

1
BREAKING NEWS - Russia Forces to Cancel Navy Day for First Time Ever 8:42

3h ago8:42

8:42

Edition No204 | 28-07-2025 - Russia cancelled Navy Day parades for the first time – which is a deep embarrassment to the Kremlin, as it’s the first time this significant military holiday has been canned. This follows closely on the heels of the airport shutdowns, after drone swarms forced their closure. What does this says about Putin’s naval myth …

1
Aeroflot Hacked! Why Are Russian Flights in Chaos? 21:09

4h ago21:09

21:09

Edition No205 | 29-07-2025 - It’s dawn on Monday, July 28, 2025, and at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport a wearily familiar scene is unfolding—departure boards frozen, passengers stranded, irate people being denied refunds. Yet this time it was not drones that had caused the grounding of planes, the inconvenience and discomfort to passengers. It was o…

1
789. Russian Academies Using Kids to Train AI Drones to Kill Kids (with Yuri Rashkin) 50:27

1h ago50:27

50:27

Live stream with Yuri Rashkin. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrain…

1
How the Ruble Crash Changed Russian Tourism! 11:14

1h ago11:14

11:14

Edition No206 | 30-07-2025 - This is Silicon Bites first travel review episode. Well not really, it’s about the dwindling number of places available to Russians for mass tourism, as they are excluded from many countries, and the declining value of the rouble makes more destinations financially unattainable. The question Russians are now asking them…

1
She Taught Her Own HS Chem Class, Now She's Headed To Her Dream College 29:51

5h ago29:51

29:51

As her senior year got underway, two of the many people who reached out to Carolina Carchi were teachers she’d had in elementary school. “You were amazing when I had you, and you are still showing them how to turn a terrible experience into an amazing opportunity to learn and grow,” one wrote. Another wrote: “I. AM. SO. PROUD. OF YOU!!!!… You are A…

1
276. The Biggest Corruption Scandal in French History (Part 4) 34:01

2d ago34:01

34:01

How was George Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower involved in a huge corruption scandal associated with the Panama Canal? How many workers died during the French attempt to build the canal? And who was Bunau-Varilla and how did this smooth-talking moustache-wielding French engineer manage to sweet talk the US government to back his plan? Anita and William …

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787. Is Russia’s Economy Falling Apart Right Now? 51:05

4d ago51:05

51:05

Welcome to our monthly conversation with Konstantin, who is one of the most respected voices on YouTube about what is happening Inside Russia. Konstantin Samoilov is a well-known YouTuber whose channel ‘Inside Russia’ comments insightfully on Russia’s decent into authoritarianism over the last few years. But now, like many others, he’s outside Russ…

1
BREAKING NEWS: Did Sabotage Just Happen in Russia? 10:18

4d ago10:18

10:18

Edition No203 | 26-07-2025 - We are turning the spotlight inward—into Russia and Belarus—exploring courageous dissent rarely seen in mainstream coverage. Today, we unpack protests inside Russia (or the lack of them), sabotage of military assets, partisan rail warfare in Belarus, and the shifting lines between Russian anti‑Kremlin actors and Ukraine…

1
246: Respect My Authoritah 1:02:28

4d ago1:02:28

1:02:28

Jill Wine-Banks hosts #SistersInLaw to explain the state of the cases against Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, emphasizing their past convictions and how the current perceptions of their crimes are affecting our politics. Then, the #Sisters explore the relationship between U.S. Attorneys and the DOJ, focusing on the tension between the execut…

1
BREAKING NEWS: Moscow Prepares to Unleash Terror on Streets of Kyiv 8:31

3d ago8:31

8:31

Edition No201 | 25-07-2025 - Today: how Moscow is training teenagers to act as human bombs in Kyiv—and why Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) is sounding the alarm. From cafés to recruitment centres, from assassinations to remote detonations—these are not just plots but signals: Russia is escalating terror, and targeting the civilian population, beca…

1
Episode 232: Book talk: The history of queer life in Bosnia and Herzegovina 51:27

5d ago51:27

51:27

Episode 232: Book talk: The history of queer life in Bosnia and Herzegovina In this episode, Adam and Nina cover several key developments from the region, including the latest from Ukraine, breaking news from Moldova, far-right marches across Poland, and the EU’s adoption of its 18th package of sanctions against Russia. Later in the episode, Alexan…

1
The Great Fire of London 11:41

6d ago11:41

11:41

William and Anita are joined by historian and co-host of Goalhanger’s Journey Through Time, David Olusoga, to discuss their new series on The Great Fire of London. What caused the capital to go up in flames on 2nd September, 1666? How did a fire that started in a bakery grow to engulf so much of the city? Who was Samuel Pepys, the great diarist who…

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BREAKING NEWS: The Gulags Return to Russia 14:20

6d ago14:20

14:20

Edition No200 | 24-07-2025 - Stalin’s Camps to Putin’s Russia — The hint of a new Gulag Archipelago takes shape. Remember the Gulag? That grim and terrifying institution of forced labour, mass arrests and industrial scale torment that Stalin used to apparently modernize Russia. It wasn’t just camps—it was terror, ideology turned into watch towers a…

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783. What Really Happened in Ukraine This Week? 40:26

7d ago40:26

40:26

Alya Shandra is Editor-in-chief at Euro Maidan Press. She has a background in environmental science and NGOs. During the Euromaidan revolution Alya Shandra launched an indy-media outlet called Euromaidan Press, and that project was fuelled by her interest in how to help Ukraine permanently move beyond being a post-communist post-colony country and …

1
Chicago's Rich History of Political Nepotism 20:00

7d ago20:00

20:00

Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HEREWho we areBlock Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicatedto delivering reliable, relevant and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago'sdiverse neighborhoods. We believe all neighborhoods deserve to becovered in a meaningful way.We amplify positive stories, cover development and lo…

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275. The Battle To Build The Panama Canal (Part 3) 43:43

7d ago43:43

43:43

What madcap schemes did French engineers use to drum up support to build the Panama Canal in the 1880s? How did the Gold Rush affect the flow of travellers through Panama looking for a shortcut? Who was the eccentric Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps and why did he fly a hot air balloon over Paris to support the building of the Panama Canal? William a…

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BREAKING NEWS - Is This The End For Russian Banks? 7:56

8d ago7:56

7:56

Edition No199 | 23-07-2025 - The gates of the financial level crossing are coming down, but the Russian banking system is still stuck on the tracks, like the idiot driver that ignores the signals and bells and thinks they can cross in time. The express train of sanctions and consequences is careening down the tracks. Get ready for the troubled Russ…

1
Will Ukraine Outsmart Russia's Army? And is Adaptation of the Russian Army a Risk? 12:19

8d ago12:19

12:19

Edition No198 | 23-07-2025 - In this episode, we take a hard, unsparing look at the Russian military’s transformation, or lack of it—and the West’s slow, uncertain response, at times pessimistic and laden with panic, at others complacent and bloated by hubris and overconfidence. Drawing on the analysis of John Foreman CBE and Edward Lucas of The Ti…

1
782. Scandal in Ukraine as Anti-Corruption Agencies and Activists Targeted 1:03:37

8d ago1:03:37

1:03:37

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce - Scandal in Ukraine and the US - we break down what's happening.----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extr…

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780. Putin's Under More Pressure - Will he Crack? 42:29

9d ago42:29

42:29

Tom Keatinge is the founding Director of the Centre for Finance & Security (CFS) at RUSI. According to The Economist, Tom Keatinge is one of a small group of '‘White collar vigilantes and poachers-turned-gamekeepers’. Tom’s research focuses on matters at the intersection of finance and security, including the use of finance as a tool of intelligenc…

1
Why Is Russia Planning to Cut Off the Internet? 12:19

9d ago12:19

12:19

Edition No197 | 22-07-2025 - Putin is tightening the digital noose in Russia, as the crackdown on the internet intensifies. We explore What It Signals in this episode. The Kremlin isn’t just at war with Ukraine — it’s at war with its own population, and the internet itself. Connectivity blackouts are plaguing regions of Russia, and now spyware is b…

1
The Flashy Fugitives: Ex-Loretto Hospital Leader And Contractor Are Living Large In Dubai 22:17

9d ago22:17

22:17

Entrepreneurs and doctors Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail had matching cars, a matching taste for luxury watches and matching condos in Chicago’s Trump Tower. The two even had similar backstories: They’d immigrated to the United States as children — Ahmed from Pakistan and Suhail from Jordan — and had gotten their medical degrees from overseas school…

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274. Pirates of Panama: Francis Drake Strikes Spain's Empire (Part 2) 52:06

9d ago52:06

52:06

Who was Captain Morgan, and why is a spiced rum named after him? How did a Welsh buccaneer lead an attack on the heart of Spain’s empire in Panama? How did Elizabeth I fund Francis Drake’s first slaving voyage? William and Anita are joined once again by historian and archaeologist Mark Horton to discuss pirate raids in Panama in the 1600s. Empire C…

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765. Is Ukraine Losing Support From the West? 36:07

10d ago36:07

36:07

Today’s episode is dedicated to the recent NATO Summit to discuss potential outcomes for Ukraine as well as the ongoing Russian invasion. What discussions took place behind closed doors, what is the Western perspective on Ukrainian victory, and why was the role of Ukraine downgraded compared to last year’s summit. Is there now a risk of countries l…

1
781. Z-Patriots are in Meltdown over Waning Russian Influence (with Yuri Rashkin) 52:01

10d ago52:01

52:01

Live stream with Yuri Rashkin. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrain…

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Is Satire Threatened with Extinction in the America of 2025? 19:37

10d ago19:37

19:37

Edition No196 | 21-07-2025 - This episode is about satire as a threat to authoritarianism, and why it’s one of the first things to get shut down by any dictator, or aspiring autocrat. But let’s be specific before anyone calls this out. Of course, minorities and vulnerable communities are the first things that autocrats come after – in Germany it wa…

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Moscow Airports in Chaos After Drone Strikes 8:25

11d ago8:25

8:25

Edition No195 | 20-07-2025 - The night skies turn hostile, but this time it’s not only over Ukraine, but the capital of the aggressor, Moscow. This episode investigates the impact of three nights of drone raids on Moscow – both the material and psychological effects. There is a phrase is Russian, sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. Now the city of Le…

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778. 50 Days for Ukraine to Strike Back Hard Against Russia 55:59

11d ago55:59

55:59

Joe Lindsley is a traveler and a writer, and American who was reporting for Chicago's WGN Radio from Ukraine each and every weekday of Russia's full-scale war. He once was protégé to Fox News founder Roger Ailes, but Lindsley escaped that frenzied world where power mattered more than truth. He came to Lviv for a Ukrainian Catholic University journa…

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BREAKING NEWS: Return of the Russia Hoax! Why Did Trump Bring it Back? 22:18

12d ago22:18

22:18

Edition No194 | 19-07-2025 - The divisive and controversial “Russia Hoax” has made a reappearance on the political scene, and this time it’s the ringmaster of politics, Donald Trump that has reanimated it. And there is nothing accidental about the timing as the Epstein scandal deepens and broadens. Grab your tin-foil hats—because we’re diving into …

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Episode 231: Live from Sofia: Bulgaria’s perpetual election cycle leaves citizens exposed to radical politics and Russian propaganda 54:35

11d ago54:35

54:35

In this special edition of Talk Eastern Europe, Alexandra reports in-person from Sofia for a deep dive into disinformation and digital interference in Bulgaria during the last several years of perpetual election campaigning. She speaks with experts Angel Petrov, Gloria Trifonova, and Petko Petkov on Bulgaria’s political landscape, local and Russian…

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245: Heroes & Villains 1:01:16

12d ago1:01:16

1:01:16

Kimberly Atkins Stohr hosts #SistersInLaw to expose the malfeasance at the DOJ by highlighting questionable firings and sentencing, including the killer of Breonna Taylor and Maurene Comey. Then, the #Sisters call out the SCOTUS for initiating the death of the Department of Education with their recent ruling, break down Justice Sotomayor’s dissent,…

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779. Epstein - the Alleged Russia Connection - Live Stream with Jonathan MS Pearce and Andrew Perpetua. 1:52:38

13d ago1:52:38

1:52:38

Livestream with Jonathan MS Pearce and Andrew Perpetua. Focusing on the alleged connections between Jeffrey Epstein and Russian Intelligence, the state of the Russian war economy, Putin's rapidly degrading war machine, and the problems in Russia's military industrial complex. ----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary …

1
Z-Patriot Rebellion - Are Cracks Appearing in Putin's Regime? 12:54

13d ago12:54

12:54

Edition No193 | 18-07-2025 - After episodes that focused on the utterances of Igor Girkin (Strelkov), here is another repugnant character, but one nonetheless that is speaking out about the ineptitude and pointlessness of Putin’s war against Ukraine. Is this the start of a Z-Patriot rebellion, something that Putin is likely far more fearful of, tha…

1
777. Russia Using Telegram as a Weapon of War in Occupied Territories 52:20

13d ago52:20

52:20

A comprehensive investigation by DFRLab and OpenMinds exposes a vast, coordinated Russian bot network exploiting Telegram to disseminate pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian propaganda across occupied Ukrainian territories. ----------Yuliia Dukach leads Disinformation Investigations at OpenMinds, focusing on Cognitive Threats Intelligence and Response, e…

1
Why Putin is Unlikely to Stop Attacking Ukraine and Europe 12:42

13d ago12:42

12:42

Edition No192 | 17-07-2025 - What has been the reaction to Trump’s ultimatum of military backing and sanctions increases after 50 days? We break down Western and Ukrainian responses, but crucially also the reaction from Russian leaders and propagandists. Without giving too much away, the Russian reaction can be summarized as “so what”. It seems the…

1
Guns, Butter Or Socks? Russia’s Tough War Economy Choices 9:25

14d ago9:25

9:25

Edition No191 | 17-07-2025 - Putin’s Economic Terminal Spiral — More Guns, No Butter, and Not Much of anything Else. This is what happens when you launch a war, alienate the civilized world, and try to run a dark-ages style empire on barrels of crude and a bunch of Telegram propagandists.Let’s dig into the quiet implosion of the Russian economy – r…

1
O'Hare's Bees Give A Second Chance To Formerly Incarcerated Chicagoans 21:18

14d ago21:18

21:18

Boeing 737s and Airbus A350s aren’t the only things taking flight at O’Hare Airport. A quiet patch of green space at O’Hare has been home to a collection of beehives for almost 15 years. In 2011, O’Hare became the first airport in the United States to have an apiary. Since then, the hives have produced thousands of pounds of honey. Host- Jon Hansen…

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273. Panama’s Brutish Conquistador Who Found The Pacific and Lost His Head (Part 1) 47:48

14d ago47:48

47:48

Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean? Who was Balboa and why did he set his bloodhounds on Native people in Panama? Why do we remember Cortes over the brutish conquistador Balboa? Anita and William are joined by Mark Horton to discuss the conquistadors in Panama. Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access…

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Can Russia Really Win This War? Zaluzhnyi Says No. 12:23

14d ago12:23

12:23

Edition No190 | 16-07-2025 - Brains Over Brute Force – Zaluzhnyi's Vision of Future WarfareGeneral Valerii Zaluzhnyi, now ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom, has written a foreword to the 2024 book by Ukrainska Pravda journalist Roman Romanyuk “What Will Be Used to Fight in World War III”. In it, he outlines his vision for the future of wa…

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769. Disastrous Consequences of the Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam 49:55

14d ago49:55

49:55

I’m speaking today with Yevhen Lyr, author of the novels, The God of the Steps (Євген Лір «Степовий бог») and The Flood. On June 6, 2023, the Kakhovka Dam in Russian-occupied Ukraine was destroyed, unleashing catastrophic flooding in Kherson and surrounding regions. It is widely believed to have been a deliberate act of ecocide by Russian forces. T…

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Why Everyone is Disappointed With Trump’s Nothing-burger Announcement 18:47

16d ago18:47

18:47

Edition No189 | 15-07-2025 - Today’s episode, Trump’s 50‑day ultimatum to Putin, is this a serious threat, or another way of kicking the can down the street? We look at Russia’s looming summer offensive, and what it all means for Ukraine. Trump gave Putin “another 50 days… or else,” hinting at 100% secondary tariffs on Russia or its trading partner…

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The Chicago Way -- Powerful Alderman Resigning, And His Son Wants The Gig 17:08

16d ago17:08

17:08

Host - Jon Hansen Reporter - Melody Mercado One of Chicago’s most influential aldermen, Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) is stepping down by the end of the month to lead the Chicago Housing Authority — or retire from politics entirely. His son wants the job. Read More Here Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE Who we are Block Club Ch…

1
272. Solving The Mystery of America's Lost Colony 47:40

14d ago47:40

47:40

Have archaeologists finally solved the 400 year mystery of the lost American colonists? Who orchestrated historical hoaxes in the 1930s and did they get away with it? How has the history of the Roanoke Colony been reappropriated by the right-wing? Anita and William are joined by archaeologist Mark Horton to exclusively discuss his exciting new disc…

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776. Livestream - Was This a TACO Monday for Trump? 2:00:51

16d ago2:00:51

2:00:51

Live stream with DW Phillips, Honor Phillips and Jonathan MS Pearce. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment.…

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775. Livestream with Yuri Rashkin - Is Vladimir Screwed by Trump's Announcement? 51:18

16d ago51:18

51:18

Live stream with Yuri Rashkin. ----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrain…

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What’s Really Happening to Russia’s Population? 13:44

17d ago13:44

13:44

Edition No188 | 14-07-2025 - Russia’s demographic reckoning is going to be brutal—this is a story too urgent to ignore. We’ll explore how Putin’s catastrophic war, fully enabled by the Russian people, authoritarian secrecy, and a collapsing birth rate are intersecting to redefine the Russian state—and cast a grim shadow over its future. The Russian…

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771. Secrets of How Russia's Invasion of Ukraine Can be Defeated 47:19

18d ago47:19

47:19

Lesia Ogryzko is a visiting fellow with the Wider Europe programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations. She leads a Ukrainian think-tank on security and defence, Sahaidachnyi Security Center, and is board member of Ukraine’s biggest expert coalition on the country’s reconstruction, RISE Ukraine. Previously, Ogryzko served as international …

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Is Putin About to Face His Most Dangerous Challenge Yet? 19:44

18d ago19:44

19:44

Edition No187 | 13-07-2025 - In this Silicon Bites, we’ll look at the latest comments of Russian patriots calling out their own army – not for its crimes but for its ineffectiveness, and inability to mount breakthrough offensives. There are rumours of North Korean troops being drafted to support, Putin’s “last throw of the dice” in a major summer o…

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