Fiasco

Pushkin Industries

<p>Host Leon Neyfakh transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country's most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. </p> <p> </p>

  • 42 minutes 16 seconds
    From Business History: De-Nazifying the Love Bug: The VW Beetle Story Part II

    We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance.

    It's 1945. The Volkswagen factory has been bombed and members of the staff have been arrested as war criminals. So how did the company turn around in just a few years and begin making Beetle cars that became a global sensation? Big political and economic moves helped - but a British Army officer, Walt Disney and a New York ad agency also played pivotal roles in turning a car that Hitler had championed into the favourite ride of surfers, school teachers and hippies.   

    This is part 2 of a two-part series. Check out part 1 from last week.

    Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    21 January 2026, 5:30 am
  • 33 minutes 48 seconds
    From Business History: Hitler's Gift to the Hippies: The VW Beetle Story Part I

    We're sharing an episode from another Pushkin podcast, Business History. Hosts Jacob Goldstein and Robert Smith examine the surprising stories of businesses big and small, bringing to life the greatest innovations, the boldest entrepreneurs and the craziest mavericks in the archives of commerce and finance.

    The VW Beetle was the biggest selling car of all time, and it found particular favor with people like hippies and surfers. But this icon of the 60s counterculture had its roots in Nazism. The Volkswagen—the People's Car—was an obsession of Adolf Hitler. He wanted to transform Germany into a land of drivers—and needed an affordable, but reliable automobile. Germany's private auto manufacturers knew the project was doomed to failure. So Hitler assembled a team of designers and factory managers to enact his vision - even if that meant enslaving workers and committing murder.

    This is part 1 of a two-part series. Find part 2 here next Wednesday.

    Find more episodes of Business History on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get podcasts.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    14 January 2026, 2:59 pm
  • 1 hour 8 minutes
    Benghazi: Episode 6 - Radicals

    The Tea Party takes over the search for the truth about Benghazi, while the FBI pursues a Libyan militia leader suspected of planning the attack.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

     

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    6 October 2025, 4:01 am
  • 58 minutes 7 seconds
    Benghazi: Episode 5 - Greatest Hits

    As the political world looks toward the 2016 Presidential election, Benghazi becomes a Clinton scandal.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 September 2025, 4:01 am
  • 53 minutes 16 seconds
    Benghazi: Episode 4 - Feckless

    How the attack in Benghazi collided with an American election, and how the seeds of a scandal were planted.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 September 2025, 4:01 am
  • 52 minutes 26 seconds
    Benghazi: Episode 3 - Barefoot

    An anti-Islamic video sparks protests in the Middle East, and the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi comes under attack.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 September 2025, 4:01 am
  • 57 minutes 19 seconds
    Benghazi: Episode 2 - We Will Stay Here

    Libya is swept up in a wave of revolution, and an American diplomat makes his mark on Benghazi.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    8 September 2025, 3:45 am
  • 48 minutes 9 seconds
    Benghazi: Episode 1 - The Dictator

    How a prison massacre carried out under Libya’s long-time dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, set the stage for the Benghazi attack.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the entire season of Fiasco: Benghazi, ad-free, right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Fiasco show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    8 September 2025, 3:30 am
  • 3 minutes 41 seconds
    Introducing Fiasco: Benghazi

    Fiasco: Benghazi unpacks the 2012 attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens—and the ensuing political storm, which raised questions about America’s role in the world, established a playbook to weaponize attention in the social media age, and ultimately changed the course of U.S. history.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this season visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 August 2025, 4:01 am
  • 50 minutes 8 seconds
    Iran Contra: Episode 8 - Pardon Me

    How George H.W. Bush ended Iran-Contra.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    26 May 2025, 4:01 am
  • 38 minutes 54 seconds
    Iran Contra: Episode 7 - Olliewood

    How Hollywood tried to capitalize on Iran-Contra -- and why the story didn’t take.

    For a list of books, documentaries and resources we used to research this episode visit: bit.ly/fiascopolitics

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    19 May 2025, 4:01 am
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