In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical students to dissect. Two men, William Burke and William Hare, spotted a grim business opportunity. They began sourcing bodies - by any means possible...

We're bringing you an episode of Cautionary Tales - recorded live at the Podcast Show in London. Host Tim Harford's hair-raising story explores a question: what makes some markets acceptable, and others repugnant?

If you enjoy it, find Cautionary Tales wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Amy Gaines McQuade sits down with GOP donor and former Santos supporter Cathy Soref. Then Amy and Jake Halpern discuss some of the most serious charges that George Santos faced, and pled guilty to in federal court. 

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George Santos pleaded guilty in federal court this week. Amy Gaines McQuade was in the courtroom. Amy and Jake discuss the proceeding and where things go from here.

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George Santos takes office. His communications director, Naysa Woomer, walks us through her five months with Congressman Santos as she tries to manage the chaos and sort  fact from fiction. Author Mark Chiusano unpacks some of the most complicated allegations surrounding Santos’ personal narrative.

For more on Mark’s reporting on George Santos, check out his book: The Fabulist - The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing and Very American Legend of George Santos. 

For more on how 9/11 has impacted first responders, and those who lived around Ground Zero, listen to Amy Gaines McQuade’s Frontline Dispatch episode: “The Weight of Dust.”

Note: George Santos is now expected to plead guilty, as first reported by Talking Points Memo.

This is a developing story. We will update listeners as more information becomes available.

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George Santos runs for Congress and wins. Then the stories he told on the campaign trail start to fall apart. Semafor’s Kadia Goba wants to figure out where his money is coming from. Saurav Ghosh, of the Campaign Legal Center, finds the Santos filings suspicious. As Santos’ criminal trial approaches, Producer Amy Gaines McQuade walks Jake Halpern through the moment when the cracks began to show.  

Note: George Santos is now expected to plead guilty, as first reported by Talking Points Memo.

This is a developing story. We will update listeners as more information becomes available.

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George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, told a lot of stories about his life and his credentials. Many of which, it turns out, were not true. And now–in just a few weeks–Santos is scheduled to face a criminal trial. 

Deep Cover Producer Amy Gaines McQuade, who grew up in Santos’ congressional district, speaks with insiders and experts to try to answer the question: Who is George Santos… really? 

Welcome to Deep Cover: George Santos. Coming August 19th

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We'll have new episodes of Deep Cover soon, but until then, enjoy this preview from The Burden: Empire on Blood.

The podcast reached #1 on the charts when it was released six years ago. Empire on Blood is set In the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? 

Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent years trying to untangle this dark intrigue. Then one day, his phone rang. It was the protege. Empire on Blood is one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. But someone’s gotta pay. If you want to hear more, find the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Jake Halpern speaks with Jerri Williams, former FBI agent and host of the podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review about the case at the center of our series, The Nameless Man. Then, Beth Wilson Devlin, a founding partner at Edge Litigation Consulting, joins the show to analyze the verdict and discuss what prosecutors and defense attorneys look for when choosing a jury. 

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Jake Halpern speaks with James Forman Jr., story consultant on Deep Cover’s fourth season, The Nameless Man. James Forman Jr. is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and the author of Locking Up Our Own. We recommend listening to this episode after you’ve heard the whole series. 

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Our season finale. What the jury decided and how the verdict sits with the federal agents, jurors, and Wood family today. 

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Witnesses testify. A vigorous defense is mounted. What will the jury decide?

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