Behind the Bastards

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.

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  1. 5d ago

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 256

    All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file: Israeli Elections and the Palestinians 2026 Elections (The Union Ones) ¡El Chupacabras! Kim Kelly's Morbid Labor Tales  Executive Disorder: Lula’s Victory, AI Election Ads, Voter Fraud, Revolt in Albania 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!   Sources/Links: Israeli Elections and the Palestinians Israel's Elections: What's at Stake?, International Crisis Group (Max Rodenbeck, Mairav Zonszein, Amjad Iraqi), 15 October 2026 A Jewish Currents Guide to the Israeli Elections, Josh Nathan-Kazis, Jewish Currents, 20 October 2026 Occupied Thoughts interview with Sami Abu Shehadeh https://fmep.org/resource/barred-from-knesset-elections-sami-abu-shehadeh-on-the-state-of-israeli-democracy/ Prospect magazine op-ed on the settlers and the state - https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/middle-east/75279/settler-rioters-are-israeli-state-policythrough-deniable-means 2026 Elections (The Union Ones) https://linktr.ee/PamelaSH ¡El Chupacabras! Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction and Folklore by BenjaminRadford Governing Spirits: Religion, Miracles, and Spectacle in Cuba and Puerto Rico,1898-1956 by Reinaldo L. Román En Qué Quedó Ep. 6 “El Chupacabras”https://open.spotify.com/episode/2r9ISXwgY7zTpWj2EJWcF1 Radio Ambulante “El vampiro entre nosotros”https://open.spotify.com/episode/0hvdSD4aXHwoOWoMYAdN9x Sucking Vulnerability: Neoliberalism, the Chupacabras, and the Post-Cold War Years byWilliam A Calvo-Quirós https://web.archive.org/web/20230814111741/http://www.barriology.com/uploads/2/3/2/7/23276452/calvo-quiros_sucking_vulnerability_rev.pdf El Chupacabra: Icon of Resistance to US Imperialism Species (1995) dir. Roger Donaldson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MGZnLsPSRc La Operación (1982) dir. Ana María García https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoJoWMbRxvM&t=36s La Operación -Background https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6XEuu_auR8&t=8s https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/locales/notas/se-registran-dos-ataques-del-chupacabras/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/30/vieques-puerto-rico-us-navy-base-training https://www.navfac.navy.mil/Portals/68/Documents/Business-Lines/Environmental/Environmental-Restoration/NAVFAC-Atlantic/Vieques/Vieques_Fact_Sheet_03_Depleted_Uranium_in_LIA_Eng.pdf https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/elyunque/recreation/discover-history/us-military-and-el-yunque-national-forest https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24816374-the-history-of-the-us-department-of-defense-programs-for-the-testing-evaluation-and-storage-of-tactical-herbicides-agent-orange-in-pr/?q=puerto+rico&mode=document#document/p5 https://www.elvocero.com/actualidad/otros/las-grandes-sequ-as-que-marcaron-a-puerto-rico-durante-el-siglo-xx/article_e6a37bce-5269-4040-836d-799a04358fc2.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/12/26/mystery-creature-ravages-puerto-rican-livestock/b7704250-dae0-4fa3-a886-561db637b463/ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-03-mn-9730-story.html “Monsters and Messiahs by Mike Davis”  “Beast of Borikén" by Julio Anta, Daniel IriZarri, Patricio Delpeche, and Lucas Gattoni Kim Kelly's Morbid Labor Tales  https://proteanmag.com/2021/10/31/picket-lines-in-the-graveyard-a-history-of-cemetery-workers-strikes/ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67168074 https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/dc33-strike-philadelphia-medical-examiners-injunction-20250703.html https://6abc.com/post/retrieval-dead-bodies-is-being-delayed-due-blue-collar-union-dc33-strike-philadelphia-officials-say/16936166/ https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/sacrilegious-bodies-piling-up-at-cook-county-morgue/ https://6abc.com/archive/8511845/ https://abc7.com/archive/8719820/ https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/02/archives/workers-strike-funeral-homes-100-establishments-hit-in-the.html https://www.nytimes.com/1964/10/04/archives/state-fails-to-end-embalmers-strike.html https://thevictorianbookofthedead.wordpress.com/2024/08/28/the-coffin-makers-strike-1872/ https://newspapers.bc.edu/?a=d&d=pilot18720622-01.2.22&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN----------------------- Executive Disorder: Lula’s Victory, AI Election Ads, Voter Fraud, Revolt in Albania https://x.com/aricnesbitt/status/2066923547964928106?a=kc7nT6MWbZZrCG5F3ho&s=20 https://x.com/reaganreese_/status/2064370476449669139?a=o_23wNhd8KJXG1_3jd8&s=20 https://x.com/KenPaxtonTX/status/2097325814689743049?a=-BXTLNGkR3wjP9lkgeE&s=20 https://x.com/AndrewSolender/status/2083629219980960030?a=U6bD8EFjG4McMm-xQCM&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2096705749774631131?a=9MzOBMvGxcqDqhpGhgA&s=20 https://x.com/BlueprintFNDN/status/2078957886403670411?a=2Q_B5IADKyInPq5JQKE&s=20 https://x.com/PollTracker2024/status/2076099238363005194?a=GAD-fsC8RATzjNcbr5s&s=20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrw_hLs4O_0 https://x.com/JacobRubashkin/status/2113454492872045007?a=jb16JdrbsG8yhaW1ljI&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2094800565452611646?a=wRx4Pm2YJdKDtLMz7Eo&s=20 https://x.com/NassauExec/status/2091865610233786666?a=q7ts8IGOQNOt_zkiCGE&s=20 https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2051314128468197851?lang=en https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0093650226142143 https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-101526/ https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/artificial-intelligence-ai-in-elections-and-campaigns  https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/when-ai-campaign-ads-fake-reality  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/us/politics/midterm-elections-ai-generated-ads.html https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/deciding-fake-images-candidates-are-using-ai-political-ads-get-vote-rcna605243  https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-10.hjc-dems-staff-report-epstein-and-trump.pdf https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8ly097zw1xwo https://www.daylightsandiego.org/ice-detainee-dies-at-otay-mesa-detention-center-in-san-diego/ https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/10/27/iraqi-court-sentences-seven-french-isis-members-to-prison/ https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2113552255576092815 https://sana.sy/en/syria/2353795/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2026/10/27/flavio-bolsonaro-flees-brazil-us/92462116007/ https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3moy4zcl3b52a https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2114740388514697527  https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/netherlands-citizen-arrested-illegally-voting-2024-election  https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2113703040444145701 https://apnews.com/article/california-voter-data-justice-department-lawsuit-0305190ba958051bb86741ac00da36a7  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-state-california-over-voter-list  https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1466286/  https://x.com/USAttyEssayli/status/2113794933236871180 https://www.democracydocket.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/2026-10-26-Order-.pdf  https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-charges-28-foreign-nationals-california-election-crimes  https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/10/trump-noncitizen-voting-court/ https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327a=2VozR5e62ZW8NoNmfl8&s=20 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2087950683831931327 https://x.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/2115228635326242842 https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/October/election-charges https://citizens.al/en/2026/09/07/100-days-of-the-flamingo-revolution-the-new-culture-of-civic-protest/  https://www.balkanweb.com/en/On-the-14th-day-of-student-protests--citizens-and-young-people-gather-en-masse-in-front-of-the-Ministry-of-Education./#gsc.tab=0  https://www.tiranatimes.com/albanian-government-tightens-protest-laws-as-crisis-deepens/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 256
  2. Oct 24

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 255

    All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file: Anti-Palestinian Racism How Trump Will Try To Make Voting Restrictions Even Worse The Save Europe Act and the Bad Faith Nazis Who Created It P1 The Save Europe Act and the Bad Faith Nazis Who Created It P2 Executive Disorder: Alberta Separatism, Ukraine's Starlink Predicament, Global Protests Continue 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! Sources/Links: Anti-Palestinian Racism https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61db30d12e169a5c45950345/t/627dcf83fa17ad41ff217964/1652412292220/Anti-Palestinian+Racism-+Naming%2C+Framing+and+Manifestations.pdf https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/resources/human-rights/2024-november/recognizing-islamophobia-anti-palestinian-racism-and-antisemitsm/ https://pomeps.org/anti-palestinian-racism-analyzing-the-unnamed-and-suppressed-reality https://ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu/resources/dismantling-anti-palestinian-racism https://afi.mesana.org/ How Trump Will Try To Make Voting Restrictions Even Worse https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7296/text https://www.whitehouse.gov/saveamerica/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections/ https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/03/ensuring-citizenship-verification-and-integrity-in-federal-elections/ https://michigandems.com/michigan-leaders-slam-mike-rogers-for-trying-to-intimidate-and-disenfranchise-detroit-voters/ https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.291053/gov.uscourts.dcd.291053.192.0.pdf https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-17238.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a124_hgci.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a305_4g15.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/26a308_pok0.pdf https://www.uscis.gov/save/current-user-agencies/guidance/voter-registration-and-voter-list-maintenance-fact-sheet https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/supreme-court-revives-dhs-use-of-flawed-immigration-database-for-voter-purges/ https://www.sos.state.tx.us/about/newsreleases/2026/091526.shtml https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/09/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-use-modified-voter-verification-database/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/us/politics/nevada-voters-homeland-security-trump.html https://www.propublica.org/article/save-voter-citizenship-tool-mistake https://apnews.com/article/midterm-elections-immigration-officers-ice-voting-e43c1758ccd446eb441957b36f9e281f    The Save Europe Act and the Bad Faith Nazis Who Created It P1 + P2 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0788 https://www.save-europe-act.com/#section-form https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1658 https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/07/23/far-right-activists-to-sue-european-commission-over-remigration-rejection https://www.europesays.com/3147332/ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0788 https://www.dw.com/en/austrian-far-right-extremist-denied-us-travel-permit-after-christchurch-link/a-48107733 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/211/2019-05-30?locale=en https://archive.is/V3Qye https://orf.at/stories/3122404/ https://archive.ph/LClfA https://archive.ph/NL4NF https://register.eci.ec.europa.eu/core/api/register/document/5652679877066501   Executive Disorder: Alberta Separatism, Ukraine's Starlink Predicament, Global Protests Continue https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/politics/katie-zacharia-press-secretary  https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/16/katie-zacharia-out-as-press-secretary-after-five-days-01123470 https://scholten.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-scholten-statement-threatening-letter-she-received-grand-rapids https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/hillary-scholten-threatening-letter-grand-rapids-office/  https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/21/politics/heat-ray-weapon-dhs-pentagon  https://x.com/PatrickWeaverPA/status/2112880738425065674?s=20 https://youtu.be/yy_QibrY_QQ?si=f7yzrPIN1SGbAqIe&t=380 https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-regimes-sittwe-counteroffensive-hits-the-rocks-on-nga-pyi-island.html https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/53d80bf144804de8a5e5138dd62cf873/view https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/20/texas-transgender-pamphlets-tent-student-union/ https://x.com/SarahisCensored/status/2112343101708611879?s=20 https://x.com/SarahisCensored/status/2112340434551013382?s=20 https://a856-cityrecord.nyc.gov/RequestDetail/20260929027  https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-moves-to-spend-nearly-9m-of-gender-affirming-care-fund-for-minors https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/102126zr_5i36.pdf https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/10/justices-leave-in-place-lower-court-order-preventing-trump-administration-from-implementing-new-/ https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/bugs/2026/10/php2shell-why-websites-are-going-offline-for-emergency-security-updates https://boereport.com/2025/03/24/albertas-massive-oil-and-gas-reserves-keep-growing-heres-why/ https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-20/canada-awaits-alberta-referendum-results-after-carney-urges-voters-to-reject-separation https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c809jg1gj9yo https://macleans.ca/politics/americans-are-meddling-in-the-alberta-referendum/ https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-separatists-united-states-referendum-globe-and-mail https://truthout.org/articles/police-violence-increases-as-800k-protesters-take-to-the-streets-in-france/ https://freedompress.org.uk/2026/10/19/clashes-in-france-as-uprising-swells-to-millions/ https://www.dw.com/en/clashes-erupt-at-argentine-student-protests-against-president-mileis-austerity-policies/a-79676861 https://freedompress.org.uk/2026/10/12/gen-z-on-the-barricades/ https://freedompress.org.uk/2026/10/09/la-revolte-panic-in-the-french-state/ https://apnews.com/article/albania-protests-edi-rama-jared-kushner-9f0ce30c446aa9f273068b98d9f40b14 https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/seventh-day-of-violent-clashes-between-albanian-protesters-and-police/ar-AA2fCujr https://euobserver.com/243622/the-forgotten-protests-empty-shelves-and-blocked-roads-in-southern-italy-ignored-by-the-media-reveal-neglect-by-meloni-and-eu/ https://www.arabnews.com/world/indonesias-wildfire-crisis-sparks-nationwide-anti-government-protests-3007510 https://apnews.com/article/albania-kushner-trump-development-protest-tourism-sazan-8d7d0e216c28d23fe1b2e51cbb05b926 https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/our-land-our-albania-supreme-court-burns-as-anger-over-jared-kushner-linked-resort-fuels-revolt/ar-AA2fzHq6 https://x.com/cspan/status/2111608955847802991?s=20 https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2112268669312983214?s=20 https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/2110985354740125885?s=20 https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2112265283318784192?s=20 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2110445577184133456?s=20  https://x.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/2110432031968542721?s=20  https://www.ukmto.org/-/media/ukmto/products/20261016-ukmto_vra_overview_u.pdf https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/24/nx-s1-5376473/hhs-restores-funding-for-womens-health-initiative https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-leads-lawsuit-protect-title-x-family-planning-services https://www.npr.org/2026/09/24/nx-s1-5931971/trump-nih-science-funding-disruptions-charts https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/123167 https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/cost-trump-administrations-attacks-research-funding https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026/04/19/science-research-funding-cuts-trump/ https://irp.nih.gov/catalyst/32/3/president-biden-requests-12b-for-research-on-womens-health https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/executive-order-14120-advancing-womens-health-research-and-innovation https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/memorandum-the-white-house-initiative-womens-health-research https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-biden-and-first-lady-deliver-remarks-at-white-house-womens-health-research-conference https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/trump-flotus-womens-health-executive-order-new-nih-division.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/us/politics/melania-trump-women-health.html https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/10/advancing-womens-health-to-improve-outcomes-in-all-phases-of-life/   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    It Could Happen Here Weekly 255

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About

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.

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