It Could Happen Here Weekly 233

Part One: The Worst Team Owner in FIFA History: Uday Hussein

Jul 7, 202656 minSummary

In this episode of Behind the Bastards, the host and guest Molly Conger explore the early life and rise of Uday Hussein, specifically focusing on his infamous tenure as the head of the Iraqi Football Association. The conversation begins by contextualizing the extreme corruption within FIFA and the bizarre, terrifying reality of a national team owner who reportedly maintained torture facilities for players who underperformed. Moving beyond the common, often sensationalized narratives that paint Uday as an inherently evil child born to murder, the hosts attempt to separate fact from political propaganda. By examining accounts from his former teachers, the discussion highlights that Uday was not born a monster but was instead systematically brutalized by his father, Saddam Hussein. Through early exposure to violence and the horrors of his father's regime, Uday was conditioned into the sadistic figure he later became. The episode provides a nuanced look at the development of a historical villain, emphasizing how the environment and upbringing imposed by a dictator can fundamentally damage a person, turning a seemingly normal child into an agent of profound cruelty.

It Could Happen Here Weekly 239

Jul 3, 20262h 56mSummary

In this episode of Behind the Bastards, host James is joined by researcher and journalist Elia Yube to examine the recent surge of far-right bigotry and anti-immigrant violence across the United Kingdom, with a specific focus on the unrest in Belfast. The discussion moves beyond surface-level headlines to explore the complex, historically rooted factors that fuel sectarianism and xenophobia. Yube, drawing on an academic background in memory studies and experience with the political landscape of Lebanon, provides a critical analysis of how sectarian identities are manufactured and entrenched by ruling elites to maintain power. The hosts contrast the dynamics of the far-right in Northern Ireland with those in England, noting that while online radicalization is transnational, the sectarian element in Northern Ireland creates a unique and volatile environment. They also criticize mainstream media for disproportionately platforming extremist fringe parties, effectively anchoring political discourse on the far-right's terms. Despite the prevalence of this hate, the episode emphasizes that these agitators represent a small minority. The discussion concludes by highlighting the massive, community-led anti-fascist mobilizations across the UK, which serve as a powerful rejection of exclusionary and racist ideologies.

Part Two: Elizabeth Dilling: The Original Candace Owens

Jul 2, 20261h 7mSummary

In this second installment of the series on Elizabeth Dilling, the hosts explore her role as a pioneering figure in the modern right-wing grift. Often compared to contemporary pundits, Dilling built a career by monetizing fear and creating a permission structure for reactionary violence. Her most infamous work, The Red Network, functioned less as a factual investigation and more as a massive, spurious list used by police and vigilantes to harass and intimidate anyone perceived as leftist. The hosts note how little these tactics have changed, drawing parallels between Dilling’s playbook and modern media strategies that exploit grassroots anxiety for profit and political influence. The episode further examines Dilling’s ideological roots, highlighting her alignment with outright Nazi sympathizers and her deep admiration for the radio demagogue Father Charles Coughlin. By analyzing her transition from an obscure activist to a sought-after speaker, the hosts reveal how she skillfully navigated the era’s gender norms to exert influence while simultaneously normalizing extremist rhetoric. Ultimately, the discussion frames Dilling as a cautionary example of how the desire for power and the obsession with perceived enemies can lead to the successful mainstreaming of dangerous, hateful ideologies.

Part One: Elizabeth Dilling: The Original Candace Owens

Jun 30, 202652 minSummary

In this episode of Behind the Bastards, the hosts examine the life and legacy of Elizabeth Dilling, an influential but often overlooked figure in the early 20th-century American far-right movement. Known as the "original Candace Owens" or a precursor to other modern conservative firebrands, Dilling played a crucial role in shaping the ideology of American fascism, despite the historical tendency of the patriarchy to overshadow her contributions in favor of her male contemporaries. The discussion explores Dilling’s upbringing in a wealthy Chicago family, tracing how her privileged background and early exposure to global travel helped solidify her staunch, elitist, and reactionary worldview. The hosts provide a historical deep dive into her family’s roots and the socio-political climate of the late 1800s, framing her eventual radicalization within the context of the American labor movement and the post-World War I era. Through a mix of sharp humor and deep historical research, the podcast illustrates how Dilling’s personal experiences, including a formative relationship with a fascist army officer, transformed her into a dedicated isolationist and ideologue who viewed herself as a champion of traditional values—even while she pursued an unconventional, public-facing career path.

It Could Happen Here Weekly 238

Jun 27, 20263h 38mSummary

In this episode of It Could Happen Here, hosts Garrison Davis and guest Bailey Newposter dive into the bizarre and alarming details surrounding the thwarted terror plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. The hosts analyze how a group calling themselves the Vanguard of the Old Republic attempted to plan a sophisticated, drone-and-sniper-led mass casualty event. Despite the theatrical nature of the conspirators’ online communication—which involved hierarchical tiers of operators, military-style mission planning, and video-game-inspired tactics—the discussion highlights the very real dangers of online radicalization. The episode unpacks how these individuals, mostly identified through encrypted apps and TikTok, shared a disjointed, anti-establishment ideology rather than a traditional partisan stance. The hosts emphasize that the plot was not discovered through FBI brilliance, but rather through the intervention of a conspirator’s concerned family member. The conversation explores the intersection of military fetishism, online echo chambers, and the disconnect between the group's "Larping" behavior and their lethal intent. Ultimately, the episode serves as a sobering look at how general grievances against government corruption can be funneled into extremist violence by disaffected individuals seeking a sense of purpose.

Part Two: Ian Smith: The Prime Minister of Rhodesia

Jun 25, 20261h 28mSummary

This episode of Behind the Bastards continues the examination of Ian Smith, the Prime Minister of Rhodesia, and the racist political framework he championed. The hosts analyze how Rhodesia functioned as a white supremacist state designed to maintain minority control under the guise of meritocracy. A central focus is the short-lived Central African Federation, a strategic attempt by white Rhodesian leaders to convince Britain of their viability as an independent state while obscuring their exclusionary policies. The discussion draws parallels between the colonial status of Rhodesia and other territories, highlighting the broader global shift against colonialism during the mid-20th century. As the dream of the Federation collapsed, Smith emerged as a hardline leader, ultimately spearheading the Rhodesian Front to explicitly protect white minority rule against the rising tide of African independence movements. The hosts detail how Smith and his supporters relied on a combination of propaganda, legal disenfranchisement, and a sense of "paternalistic" superiority to justify their brutal governance. The episode captures the absurdity of a small, golf-club-obsessed minority convinced of their own righteousness as they faced increasing international isolation and domestic opposition.

Part One: Ian Smith: The Prime Minister of Rhodesia

Jun 23, 20261h 5mSummary

In this episode of Behind the Bastards, the hosts examine the origins of Rhodesia and the upbringing of its long-term Prime Minister, Ian Smith. The discussion begins by exploring the late 19th-century "Scramble for Africa," a period defined by intense European geopolitical paranoia and the belief that limited land resources necessitated aggressive colonial expansion to maintain global dominance. The hosts detail how the British South Africa Company, led by Cecil Rhodes, utilized mercenaries and deceptive treaties to expropriate land from indigenous populations, ultimately establishing a colony built on systemic white supremacy. A key insight of the episode is the "bunker mentality" that developed among white settlers; despite being outnumbered by the black majority, they viewed themselves as the vanguard of a "civilizing" British mission. This environment shaped Ian Smith, whose early life was defined by the privileges of the colonial class and a deep, indoctrinated loyalty to the British Empire. The episode provides a historical foundation for understanding how this settler-colonial project operated, setting the stage for future discussions on the violent resistance and eventual downfall of the Rhodesian state.

It Could Happen Here Weekly 237

Jun 20, 20263h 39mSummary

In this compilation episode of Behind the Bastards, hosts Carlos Perios Polanco and James Stout examine the complex and often brutal immigration landscape of the Dominican Republic. The discussion begins with the tragic death of Ezra Francis Hollitt, a trans person who died in an immigration detention center after being caught in the country’s restrictive and xenophobic enforcement system. This serves as a lens through which the hosts explore how Dominican immigration policies are inextricably linked to historical and ongoing United States influence. The episode provides a detailed historical analysis of the Dominican-Haitian border, tracing its evolution from an amorphous, shared space to a highly militarized frontier fostered by early 20th-century American occupations. The hosts detail how dictatorships, specifically that of Rafael Trujillo, cemented anti-Haitian sentiment into state policy, leading to systemic violence and the creation of a massive, exclusionary border apparatus. The conversation covers the catastrophic 2013 court ruling that retroactively stripped thousands of Dominicans of Haitian descent of their citizenship, rendering them stateless. Ultimately, the hosts provide a sobering look at how modern quotas and state-sanctioned discrimination continue to marginalize vulnerable populations in the region.

Part Two: The Fake Bomb Detector Grift That Killed Hundreds

Jun 18, 202657 minSummary

In this episode, the hosts explore the disturbing history of the Quadro Tracker, a fraudulent bomb and drug detection device that became a widespread grift in the 1990s. Initially marketed as a gag gift for finding golf balls, the product was rebranded by opportunistic businessmen as a high-tech solution for law enforcement and school administrators. By exploiting the ideomotor effect—a psychological phenomenon where users unconsciously move objects based on their expectations—the scammers convinced authority figures that a hollow plastic box with an antenna could detect narcotics or explosives. The discussion highlights the alarming ease with which the creators exploited the era's fears surrounding the war on drugs. Despite being exposed by experts and skeptics, the device was sold to numerous school districts and police departments, with some officials remaining fiercely loyal to the product even after federal authorities proved it was a complete hoax. The episode draws insightful parallels between this 1990s scam and the current cultural obsession with unproven AI technologies, illustrating how the same marketing tactics used to sell "molecular wavelength" detectors are still being utilized to mislead the public today.

Part One: The Fake Bomb Detector Grift That Killed Hundreds

Jun 16, 202651 minSummary

In this episode of Behind the Bastards, the host is joined by guest Ed Zitron, a technology journalist and author, to explore the dangerous intersection of human gullibility, pseudoscience, and the defense industry. The discussion centers on the "idiomotor effect"—a psychological phenomenon where unconscious muscle movements create the illusion of external agency—to explain how humanity has been consistently duped by ineffective tools throughout history. The hosts trace this history from ancient dowsing practices and Victorian-era spiritualist parlor games, like table-turning, to modern-day technological scams. By highlighting the work of 19th-century scientist Michel Eugène Chevreul, who used early double-blind testing to debunk the magic pendulum, the episode illustrates how easily even intelligent individuals can be misled when they want to believe in a solution. This historical context serves as a chilling precursor to the show's deeper investigation: the global sale of fraudulent bomb detectors to military and security forces, a grift that resulted in a staggering loss of life. By linking historical "woo" to contemporary industry scams, the episode provides a compelling look at how the desire for easy answers often blinds people to blatant, lethal fraud.