Das Criminal

In 2015, Hitchbot — a hitchhiking robot made from pool noodles and a bucket by the eager students of Canada's Ryerson University-slash-Toronto Metropolitan University — was dismembered by unidentified assailants on the streets of Philadelphia. Its decapitated cake-container of a head has never been recovered. In this episode, we're going to try to answer the question: Can you murder a robot? Plus, social experiments, baby seal violence, and everyone's favorite sci-fi topic: sex robots. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3ygv9Fz

In 1932, the Menzel family purchased Marc Chagall's painting, Jacob's Ladder, and hung it in their apartment in Brussels, Belgium. But as the Nazi regime advanced, the Menzels, fearing for their own safety, fled Brussels for the United States, leaving their Chagall painting behind. After the Allied Forces declared victory, the Menzels returned to their Brussels apartment, only to find their Chagall painting missing. The Einsatzstab Rosenberg, a Nazi Party organization responsible for looting cultural property like artwork, had stolen it during the war. But the Menzels were not about to let the fascists take anything else from them. They were determined to find and retrieve the Chagall. Mr. Menzel passed away in 1960, but his widow, Erna, refused to give up on the painting. In 1962, she found it. And the legal case that would follow was controversial and precedent-setting in New York State, the art world, and the field of post-war damages and reparations. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3ygv9Fz

On Sunday September 27th, 2015 Marco Muzzo landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. He was returning on a private jet from a trip to Miami. He got into his SUV and drove off, reaching 85 kilometers per hour (or ~53 mph). At around 4:10 PM, Muzzo's SUV sped past a stop sign in Vaughan (a city in Ontario, north of Toronto and within the GTA), smashing a family minivan. Gary Neville, 65, was killed instantly. Children Daniel (9), Harry (5), and Milaga (Milly, 2) Neville-Lake also died from their injuries. Neriza Neville and Josephina Frias, also in the minivan, were severely injured. The children's father, Edward, would later die by suicide. In this episode, we dissect this case and the controversy surrounding the sentencing and parole of Marco Muzzo, as well as better solutions to the epidemic of driving while intoxicated or under the influence. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3ygv9Fz

Donate to Every Bottom Covered: https://www.everybottomcovered.org/support-us On July 21st, 1999, the girls at the Plankinton juvenile detention boot camp in South Dakota were forced to do a 2.7 mile — or 4.3 kilometer — run. Fourteen-year-old Gina Score was having trouble. Gina had not even finished a week at the boot camp, and she almost immediately fell behind the other girls. Gina was showing signs of heat stroke — the most severe form of heat illness. Gina had several serious indicators: she was barely moving, and gasping for breath. Gina was cooking like an egg in the hot sun. Her organs were shutting down.  She lay like that for more than three hours before staff called an ambulance, but it was too late; at only fourteen years old, Gina Score was declared dead en route to the hospital.  Gina was a victim not only of the cruel staff at Plankinton who literally worked her to death, but of a juvenile criminal “justice” system that doles out ruthless punishments to children under the guise of “alternatives to prison.” The very place that claimed it would help Gina by reforming her into a model citizen murdered her. And while Plankinton itself has been investigated and shut down, most of the ingredients of the deadly recipe that killed Gina Score continue to abuse and traumatize children around the country. Patreon: www.patreon.com/dascriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3xIznW5

On August 10th, 2021, the Dandong City court found Michael Spavor guilty of espionage and sentenced him to 11 years in prison and the payment of a fine and deportation following the sentence. Spavor was arrested alongside another Canadian, Michael Kovrig, on charges of espionage in December of 2018. The “Two Michaels,” as the cases are commonly known, have caused a stir in Canadian politics and strained Canada's relationship with China. Many believe that the arrest of the two Michaels was a direct response by China to Canada's arrest of Meng Wanzhou. Meng, a Chinese citizen, and executive of the massive multinational technology company Huawei, was arrested by Canadian authorities on December 1, 2018. She was stopped by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police while transiting in Vancouver International Airport.  The RCMP announced that they had detained Meng on behalf of an extradition request by the United States. The US District Court for the Eastern District of New York had issued a warrant for Meng's arrest on August 22, 2018, and Canada has an extradition agreement with the United States. The US charged Meng with bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. At heart is the claim that Meng had knowingly cleared money for Huawei when it was meant for Skycomm, a Huawei subsidiary that has been dealing with Iran contrary to US sanctions.  What crimes have been committed here? Is this justice being conducted or a complicated game of international relations? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On June 4th, 2008, Jodi Arias murdered Travis Alexander — her ex, her on-again/off-again boyfriend, her friend-with-benefits, her stalking victim, or her fuck buddy, depending on how you view their relationship. Media pundits like Nancy Grace saw this as a case of a beautiful, narcissistic psychopath slaughtering her ex-boyfriend in cold blood. Arias's defense team painted her as a woman abused. But we want to take another approach — one that recognizes the toxic nature of Jodi and Travis's relationship while affirming that nothing in Travis's behavior justifies his brutal death. In the words of author and activist Sarah Schulman: conflict is not abuse. Hurt feelings — even when caused by someone else's deceit or selfishness — don't give someone a free pass for violence. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In the early hours of December 28, 2015, Lynn Witteveen was woken up in her Haggis Drive, Peterborough home by a commotion in the kitchen. She made her way to the source of the noise just in time to see her partner, Dr. Andrew Chan, plead with his son Thomas as Thomas stabbed him to death. Thomas then turned his attention to Lynn. He stabs her multiple times, but she manages to flee to the bedroom and call 911. The operator hears Lynn plead with her partner's son, “I love you, I love you.” Inaudible screaming follows, and then “Ah. I'm dead.” Lynn tells the dispatcher she has a knife in her head. In the background, Thomas is heard yelling.  Lynn Witteveen survived this horrific attack. Unfortunately, her partner and Thomas's father, Andrew, did not. So, what happened? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On April 3rd, 2018, around 12:45 pm Pacific Time, someone with a grudge against YouTube went to the platform's physical headquarters at 901 Cherry Avenue in San Bruno, California, armed with a semi-automatic pistol. That person shot and wounded three people before turning the weapon around and killing themselves with a shot to the heart. When details emerged about the YouTube attacker, social media lit up. This person didn't conform to so many of the stereotypes we hold about mass shooters. Nasim Najafi Aghdam was vegan, a member of the Baháʼí Faith, and — exceedingly rare for lone mass shooters — a woman. Why did Nasim decide to commit such an act of violence at the YouTube headquarters before ending her own life? Join us for a look into the 2018 YouTube headquarters shooting and the life of the woman behind the attack. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

At his inaugural address in 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace infamously declared, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” An avowed racist, he opposed the Civil Rights Movement and its mission to end legalized racial discrimination in the United States. To label him a “controversial” figure would be an injustice to the people he hated and devoted his political career to oppressing. On Monday, May 15th, 1972, at approximately four in the afternoon, Arthur Herman Bremer fired at George Wallace at point-blank range. Though seriously injured, Wallace survived the attack. But why did Bremer fire on the governor? Was this a political statement? Or, was it something else entirely? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On November 8th, 2010, three intruders entered the Pan family household in Markham, Ontario near Toronto. After stealing the cash in the home, they tied up the family's 24-year-old daughter, Jennifer, and shot her parents. Her mother, Bich, died instantly, but her father, Han, miraculously survived. When York Regional arrived at the scene, they quickly realized that not everything was as it seemed. They turned their attention toward one of the central characters in the event: Jennifer Pan herself. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On May 28th, 2014, a group of five adults and one child attempted to proselytize people in a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan, China. When a woman name Wu Shuoyan refused to give them her contact information, they beat her to death inside the restaurant. Join us for a deep dive into cults and new religious movements in China, Mao's stance on religion, the so-called Eastern Lightning sect and its female Jesus, and a family whose collective delusion eventually drove it to murder. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Between February 13 and February 15, 1945, RAF and USAAF bombers flew over the German city of Dresden, dropping hundreds of tons of incendiary and high explosive bombs over the densely populated city. Incendiary bombs caused a widespread fire that ravaged the city. All in all, the attack resulted in around 25,000 Germans killed and many more injured.  In the weeks and years that followed, the attack on Dresden would occupy a central role in the debates over Allied war crimes and whether such an operation was militarily necessary at that point in World War II. Dresden had served as a haven for refugees coming in from elsewhere in Germany, and so its destruction seemed doubly horrible. Worse, Dresden has become a rallying cry among elements of the far-right, who use it as a symbol of Allied brutality and thus the need for vengeance. Even now, 75 years later, the debate rages on over Dresden. Patreon: www.patreon.com/dascriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

This episode is upcycled from our Patreon page; it was originally published in April for our Connolly Collective. We will be back next week with a brand new episode! It is April 15th, 1989. Your club, Liverpool FC, have reached the semi-finals of the oldest club competition in the world - the FA Cup. They are due to face Nottingham Forest in the neutral venue of Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. Somehow, you manage to snag a couple of tickets. You go in. You are in the Leppings Lane terrace behind one of the goals. You begin to feel dizzy as bodies crush around you. Some people are yelling. Others are being pulled up from the lower tier into the upper tier by fellow fans. A few try to climb the fences that separate the stands from the football pitch but are stopped by police. Eventually, you manage to escape the crush. Ninety-four people have lost their lives that day. Another dies a few days later, and a 96th dies in 1993 after having been kept in a vegetative state since that day. You are alive, fortunately. The day after, you turn over the newspaper to find the press accusing you and your fellow fans of causing the crush. You are called hooligans and thugs. You are accused of pissing on paramedics and fighting with police. It is your fault, you are told. This is what happened on April 15th, 1989. What began as a bright Saturday with football to enjoy ended in tragedy. And it was no mere accident. At every moment of the disaster, local authorities failed to act. Moreover, they then conspired to cover-up their many failures. This cover-up ran from the Yorkshire police up to the very highest pinnacle of power: the British government. Patreon: www.patreon.com/dascriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

If you search for biographies of Marie Antoinette, most of them focus on her fashion sense, her romantic relationships, and even how some of the French tabloids published misleading stories about her, such as the infamous “Let them eat cake” line and the Diamond Necklace Affair. It’s almost as though — nearly 230 years after her execution — we’re meant to believe that Marie Antoinette was a victim of the French Revolution rather than a symbol of its grievances in the first place. So, why has Marie Antoinette’s image been sanitized in recent years? Was she simply a misunderstood aristocrat — born in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or have we, perhaps, been buying into some counter-revolutionary revisionism? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In this episode, we continue our discussion on the death of Frank Olson ― the U.S. Army biochemist who mysteriously fell out a New York City hotel window in 1953. Content warning: This episode includes discussions of drug use and possible suicide. If you feel suicidal and need to talk, Wikipedia has a list of crisis lines around the world. Please check out decolonizepalestine.com to learn more about things like greenwashing! Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In the early hours of November 28th, 1953, U.S. Army biochemist Frank Olson plummeted out the window of room 1018A at the Statler Hotel in New York City. Though his colleagues first reported this as a jump or fall, details about Frank Olson's opposition to the use of bioweapons in the Korean War, his connections to the CIA's Project MKUltra, and a recent unwitting LSD trip would eventually come to light. What happened to Frank Olson? Did he fall out the window in the middle of the night? Did he have some sort of nervous breakdown and leap to his death? Or, is it possible that Frank Olson was pushed? Content warning: This episode includes discussions of drug use and possible suicide. If you feel suicidal and need to talk, Wikipedia has a list of crisis lines around the world. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On Thursday, former reality TV star and right-wing lobbyist Josh Duggar was arrested by U.S. Marshals; Friday, news broke that Duggar is charged with receiving and possessing child sexual abuse images. These aren’t the first allegations of sex crimes against children for Josh Duggar; in 2015, In Touch Weekly reported that between 2002 and 2003 — when he was 14 and 15 years old — Duggar molested five girls — four of whom are his sisters. Cable channel TLC canceled the Duggar family’s reality show, 19 Kids and Counting, after these allegations surfaced. But the series continued in the form of a spin-off, Counting On. What appears on its face to be an upbeat reality show about a large family is also a window into the all-embracing conservatism of some Christian fundamentalists in the United States. Content warning: This episode contains mentions of child sexual abuse. If you are a survivor of sexual violence and need to talk, RAINN has a 24/7 hotline at +1 800 656 4673 and a live chat at RAINN.org. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On February 17th, 2015, three teenage girls from Bethnal Green, London, boarded a flight at Gatwick Airport for Istanbul, Turkey. The schoolgirls — Amira Abase, Shamima Begum, and Kadiza Sultana — weren’t headed for a Mediterranean holiday; they were en route to Syria to join the Islamic State — otherwise known as ISIS or Daesh. The news shocked the British public. Though thousands of men — and at least dozens of women — had already traveled from Europe to Syria and Iraq to join jihadist organizations, the idea that three straight-A students would run away from home to join a terrorist syndicate seemed incomprehensible. So, why did Amira, Shamima, and Kadiza leave their relatively guarded lives in East London to join the Islamic State? What has happened to them in the meantime? And — most important to our discussion of the Syrian Civil War — what is to be done with the ISIS members who remain? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

This week, we’re going to break down who is involved in Syria’s Civil War, which groups are allied with which, and clear up some common misconceptions or repetitive misinformation about the conflict. We’re mostly going to focus on the major players — namely the government forces, opposition forces, autonomous administration (sometimes erroneously called ‘the Kurds’), and the Islamic State. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On June 6th, Syrian-American blogger Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari — known for her web page about being a lesbian in Syria titled, A Gay Girl in Damascus — was reported to have been abducted by men who appeared to be Syrian government forces. International media outlets like The Guardian picked up the story, and well-meaning LGBT activists worldwide began to organize to support her release. But as with so many threads that make up the complex web of the Syrian Civil War, Amina’s arrest and the spotlight it put on her blog began to demand more explanation. Who is Amina? What happened? And why is this story so important to our understanding of the Syrian Civil War? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

When we last discussed Yemen, longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh had fled, and his vice president — Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi — had been put in charge of forming a new constitution. But things started to go quickly awry as Hadi appeared to consolidate power for himself, and a group of anti-government rebels popularly known as the Houthis began to fight back. In this episode, we discuss Yemen's Civil War, Saudi Arabia's war crimes, and how the United States and the United Kingdom are no strangers to sowing trouble in the Middle East. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On January 27th, 2011, Yemen's people followed the example set by Tunisia and Egypt and flooded the streets, demonstrating against the incumbent regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Much like the other countries experiencing revolutions, Yemenis were tired of endemic unemployment, mass immiseration, and no prospects of improvements. After months of protests and, in some cases, armed encounters between revolutionaries and the government, the people finally felled Saleh on November 23, 2011. An election was organized for February 2012, and Vice President Abrabbuh Mansur Hadi took power as interim president. What appeared to be a spring was a false dawn, however, as the post-Saleh era deteriorated rapidly into a brutal civil war. But how did we get to the current crisis in Yemen? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In this episode, we break down the Second Libyan Civil War and review how the havoc wreaked on the country by Western forces has enabled some of the most opportunistic characters to exploit the most desperate people. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On September 11th and September 12th, 2012, members of an Islamic militant group in Libya known as Ansar al-Sharia attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi and a CIA annex approximately one mile away. The attack resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, US Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty. In the US-centric lexicon, ‘Benghazi’ has become synonymous with a series of investigations into then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. And Clinton and the Obama administration are responsible for the chaos in Libya, but not in the manner peddled by conservatives. As in the rise of Islamist militias in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, the attack in Benghazi is an example of the United States reaping what it has sown by supporting reactionary rebels in a foreign country. What really happened in Benghazi? And how is it tied to U.S. imperialism in Libya? Hopefully — by the end of this episode — the answers to those questions become more transparent for us. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On the 14th of January, 2011, Tunisia — Libya’s neighbor to the northwest — toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and vowed to establish a democracy in the small country. Less than a month later — on the 11th of February, 2011, Egypt — Libya’s neighbor to the east — overthrew its authoritarian president, Hosni Mubarak. A few days later, protests began in Benghazi, Libya, attempting to oust Libya’s longtime ruler, Muammar Gaddafi. But despite being sandwiched between Tunisia and Egypt, Libya’s revolt and its consequences bear significant distinctions from the previous uprisings we’ve covered — most notably NATO’s intervention and the country’s descent into two civil wars as a direct result of these events. To this day, Libya remains in crisis; this past week, for instance, 43 men from West Africa drowned off the Libyan coast while trying to depart for Europe. The case of Libya forces us to examine the ‘just war’ theory often purported by Western governments to justify foreign intervention. How did Libya go from one of the most prosperous African nations to a land of chaos in such a short time? How is it similar to and notably different from the uprisings we’ve already discussed — Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain? And how can we take a nuanced approach to international solidarity and critical support without enabling imperialist intervention? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Bahrain is a land of contrasts: Arab and Persian, Sunni and Shi’a, indigenous and migrant, rich and poor. As the Arab Spring swept through the region in 2011, Bahrainis of all stripes saw the opportunity to express their discontent with the status quo in the country. However, unlike the other nations that experienced protests, Bahrain’s Spring was brutally crushed by the regime within a few weeks. Today, dissidents are either exiled, in jail, or dead, and the rule of the House of Khalifa is more iron-gripped than ever. But for a brief few weeks in 2011, Bahrainis dared to dream, and today we will revisit those dreams and the nightmare that followed. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On January 25th, 2016 — exactly five years after the explosion of the Egyptian uprising that ousted longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak — an Italian graduate student named Giulio Regeni went missing in Cairo. Nine days later — on February 3rd, 2016 — his body was discovered on the side of a highway with definite signs of torture. Regeni had been researching Egypt’s independent trade unions. To this day, his murder remains officially unsolved. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In January and February of 2011, Egyptians led an uprising against the country’s authoritarian leader, Hosni Mubarak, shouting — among other slogans — “We are never going back.” Back to oppression, dictatorship, and cruelty at the hands of regimes subservient to Western interests. But now — ten years after the events that took power back from Mubarak — that’s exactly Egypt’s situation. How did the country go from a fledgling democracy — and beacon of hope for other countries in the region — to a dictatorship under military General Abdel Fatah Al Sisi? In this week’s episode, we’re going to discuss the 2013 Egypt coup d'état and counter-revolution. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Aamer and Erin review Pixar's Toy Story (1995) and discuss the hierarchy of toys, gender representation in films and video games, abandonment issues, and their proposal to recast Wallace Shawn as Cleopatra. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

“The people demand the downfall of the regime,” echoed the cry by tens of thousands of Egyptians as they occupied Tahrir Square on January 25, 2011. January 25th was celebrated annually as Police Day in Egypt. Unlike previous years, however, this January 25th saw the rage of a people brutalized by police for years explode onto the streets. Perhaps the most famous of the Arab Spring uprisings, and certainly the one most covered at the time, Egypt saw its own uprising. Egyptians flooded Cairo's streets and marched onto Tahrir Square in the middle of the city, demanding bread, freedom, and social justice. And after roughly two weeks of struggle, they succeeded. Hosni Mubarak stepped down on February 11, 2011, ushering in what many optimists saw as a dawn of a new era in Egypt. Following the fall of Zein el Abedine Ben Ali of Tunisia, the dominoes were falling eastwards. Like a sleeping tiger, Egypt has awoken. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On December 17th, 2010, at approximately 11:30 AM, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi approached the governor’s office in his town, Sidi Bouzid. Standing in the middle of traffic, he shouted, “How do you expect me to make a living?” before dousing himself in gasoline and lighting a match. Bouazizi never recovered from a coma and died in a Tunisian hospital several weeks later. But his self-immolation would literally ignite protests across Tunisia against state corruption and a lack of opportunities for young people. These demonstrations then spread across the region — most famously to Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria — in a series of uprisings now collectively known as the Arab Spring. But while Bouazizi’s suicide may have been the immediate catalyst of the protests in Tunisia, we have to understand why he felt driven to such extreme measures if we are to discern the causes of the Arab Spring. In addition to exploring these reasons and the timeline of the protests themselves, we want to delve into the consequences of the demonstrations and the state of the region ten years later. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On Monday, April 26th, 1999, at approximately 11:30 AM, BBC presenter Jill Dando approached the front door of her house in Fulham, London. As she was about to put her keys into the lock, someone grabbed her from behind. He forced Jill Dando to the ground, so her face was almost touching the front step. According to one of Britain’s leading pathologists, the assailant then used his left hand to fire a single shot into Dando’s left temple. She died instantly. Jill Dando was beloved among the British public. Her murder brought shock and confusion; why would anyone want to kill a newsreader? But 21 years, plenty of theories, and one overturned conviction later, the case of Jill Dando’s murder remains unsolved. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Chances are, most of your closet probably consists of ready-made garments — clothing manufactured en masse to fit most people. And, most of us probably know that the conditions in these factories are less than ideal. International corporations like Nike and Gap have repeatedly been caught exploiting workers  — having them work long hours with little pay in factories with few safety precautions. On April 24th, 2013, a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring about 2,500 more. The incident is considered the deadliest structural failure accident in modern human history. But, it was more than a simple mistake on the part of the building’s architects or construction workers; it resulted from capitalist greed — valuing profits over workers’ safety. In this episode, we discuss the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

If you had internet access in 2012, you likely remember a film and social media campaign dubbed ‘Kony 2012’ — a drive to apprehend Ugandan militia leader and war criminal Joseph Kony. The 30-minute viral video created and posted by an organization called Invisible Children, Inc. urged viewers to spread awareness of Kony, with the mission of apprehending him by the end of that year. In this episode, we have two stories unfolding at the same time: the first is the calamity of the Kony 2012 campaign — its fervid rise, rapid fall, and immortalization as an internet meme. But a second story lurks beneath Invisible Children’s glossy PR campaign — one which includes the commodification of activism, laundering United States imperialism in central Africa, and mining trauma for profit. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On May 13th, 2006, British mountaineer David Sharp set out on a solitary expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Though an experienced hobbyist climber, David never made it back down the mountain and is thought to have died on the 15th of May, 2006, at age 34. Whether he reached the peak is unknown. Ascending and descending Mount Everest is extraordinarily dangerous; people die nearly every year climbing the mountain, bringing the total recorded death count to over 300 people. But David Sharp’s death, in particular, stirred controversy as several climbing expeditions passed him and did not — or were unable to — help him. In this episode, we discuss the industry that has risen around climbing Mount Everest, the ethical responsibility to help those in need, and how — even on the world’s tallest mountain — capitalism encourages us to leave our brothers and sisters behind. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On August 6th and August 9th of 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Combined, these bombs killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people. The two bombs — named Little Boy and Fat Man — were the first and only nuclear weapons used in armed conflict, though the global nuclear arsenal has increased to an alarming size. In this episode, we discuss the atomic bombings of Japan — the precipitating events, the explosions themselves, and the controversy that has surrounded this use of nuclear weapons ever since. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Henry Kissinger. George Schultz. James Mattis. William Perry. David Boies. What do these men have in common — besides being war criminals or attorneys representing war criminals? They all invested millions of dollars in a Silicon Valley start-up called Theranos. Unfortunately for them, the company once worth $9 billion dissolved in 2018 amid fraud investigations. Founder Elizabeth Holmes is set to face trial in 2021 for her role in this fraud. But who is Elizabeth Holmes, and how did a 19-year-old Stanford dropout become the face of Silicon Valley grifts? Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On August 3rd, 2019, a gunman attacked the Walmart Supercenter near the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. Armed with a Romanian WASR-10 rifle, the shooter killed 23 people and injured 23 others. As El Paso has a large population of reported Hispanic or Latino people, and that specific Walmart serves people from both the El Paso area and neighboring Ciudad Juárez in Mexico, the assault has been described by The New York Times as “the deadliest anti-Latino attack in modern American history.” In this episode, we discuss the El Paso shooting and the fascist manifesto allegedly published by the killer. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In the first few weeks of South Korea's coronavirus onset, efforts to test, contact trace, quarantine, and treat kept recorded infections down to just 30 people in the entire country. Then came Korea’s very own Typhoid Mary — Patient 31. The 61-year-old's escapades around the city of Daegu led to a cluster of over 5,000 cases in the area. Even stranger are Patient 31's connections to Shincheonji, Church of Jesus — a new religious movement many consider to be a cult. In this episode, we break down South Korea's COVID-19 response, what makes a cult, and whether Shincheonji is really to blame for the spread of the virus. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

If you’ve been listening to our podcast for a while now, you’ll likely have noticed that we fall pretty firmly on the side of prison abolition, but one big question looms: What about the sexually-motivated criminals? In this episode, we tackle the case of Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger and discuss whether prison successfully rehabilitated this misogynist menace to society, and how we might create a world that is safer for everyone. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In 1960, Israeli secret agents tracked down Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann to a house on Garibaldi Street in Buenos Aires. Without assistance from the Argentine government or police, they planned and executed Eichmann’s capture and clandestinely brought him back to Israel. The following year, Eichmann was tried and eventually convicted of 15 counts of crimes against humanity, war crimes, crimes against the Jewish people, and membership in a criminal organization. He was hanged shortly after midnight on June 1st, 1962, at Ayalon maximum security prison in the town of Ar-Ramleh. Despite overwhelming evidence against him, Eichmann’s trial became one of the most controversial of its time. In this special episode, we cover the story of the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann and review the Netflix dramatization of the events: Operation Finale. We also discuss Hannah Arendt's interpretation of the trial and what Israeli scholar Idith Zertal terms "the Nazification of the Palestinian struggle." Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw Aamer's Radio War Nerd episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41683290

On May 4th, 2017, Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher of SEAL Team 7 allegedly stabbed and killed a teenage prisoner-of-war in Mosul, Iraq. The events that followed prompt questions about war crimes, rules of engagement, and American exceptionalism. We discuss the case and these topics in this episode about the case centering on U.S. soldier / right-wing Instagram influencer Eddie Gallagher. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw Aamer's Radio War Nerd episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41683290

On October 23rd, 1998, Dr. Barnett Slepian was shot and killed by a sniper rifle while in his kitchen in East Amherst, New York. Slepian was targeted for his work at the Buffalo Womenservices clinic, where he provided a spectrum of OB-GYN care, including safe, legal abortions. The killer — an anti-choice extremist named James Charles Kopp — fled the country, but he couldn't hide forever... AAMER'S RADIO WAR NERD EPISODE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/41683290 Aamer is expected to return shortly! But you can fill your appetite there, or on our Patreon where we keep the bonus content: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On September 30th, 1965, people in Indonesia went to bed thinking that the following day would be like any other. However, that assumption was sadly wrong. In the early hours of October 1st — before the sun had even risen — members of the Gerakan 20 September (G30S) initiated a failed putsch for power that triggered a genocide. In a campaign of bloodletting that would shake Indonesia to its core, General Suharto attacked communists, feminists, and all believed to associate with them. Over a period of several months, his forces killed over one million people, displaced one million more, and tortured countless others. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. We are about to embark upon a dark and twisted journey into The Black Circle — the infernal heart of Norway’s heavy metal scene. On this adventure, we will encounter ear-splitting music, edgelords, Satanism, arson, Nazis, and murder. Join us as we discuss the life and times of characters with titles like Euronymous, Dead, Faust, and Count Grishnack, gate-keeping fan cultures, death of the author, and the artistic merit of the hit song, WAP. If you are having thoughts of suicide, please reach out to someone. INTERNATIONAL HOTLINES: http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

You’ve heard all the references and allegations, the accusations and wild claims, the guesses and suspicions. You’ve probably seen Rachel Maddow scream about Russia interfering with US elections on MSNBC at least once over what feels like a century ago. Terms like ‘interference, ‘kompromat,’ and ‘leaks’ have been drilled into our heads. Despite the countless hours pundits have debated Russiagate on CNN, it remains as baffling and utterly incomprehensible as ever. In this episode, we break down what we know and what remains as speculation regarding Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and its connections to Russia. Plus, we look at more examples of election meddling to try and put these events in perspective. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

From 1992 to 1993, 26-year-old white American Fulbright Scholar Amy Biehl lived and worked in Cape Town, South Africa, while studying women’s participation in the anti-apartheid struggle and transition to democracy. On the 25th of August, 1993, Amy decided to give some of her Black friends a ride home. While passing through the township of Gugulethu, the car was attacked by a crowd of Black residents, who shouted “anti-white slurs.” Some of these angry young men zeroed in on Amy Biehl — stabbing and stoning the young scholar and activist to death. But what may seem like a straightforward murder case actually necessitates a deeper look into South Africa's history, from the Apartheid regime to a transition to democracy to a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Put into context, we can begin to understand Amy's life's work and the circumstances that led to her death, and why her family emphasizes forgiveness over revenge. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

On September 21, 1976, at roughly 9:35 AM, a massive explosion pierced the quiet Washington DC air at Sheridan Circle. A bomb placed under their vehicle killed exiled Chilean Ambassador Orlando Letelier and his colleague, Ronni Moffitt. The murder corresponds to a shady campaign of terror called Operation Condor, which ultimately traces back to the United States government and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet himself. In this episode, we discuss the life and death of Orlando Letelier, and the socialist politics that made him a target for assassination on US soil. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Aamer's substack: https://aamer.substack.com Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In the summer of 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased their dream family home at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. Soon after, the Broadduses started receiving strange and threatening letters from a person only known as The Watcher. Someone was fixated on 657 Boulevard and wanted the Broadduses out... Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In 1966, the Jules Rimet Trophy (which was awarded to winners of the FIFA World Cup) was stolen from a display in London, only to be recovered a week later in the most miraculous of ways. Seventeen years later, the trophy was swiped yet again from its case in Rio de Janeiro. Join us as we discuss the corruption of FIFA, Nazi plundering, composite sketches, and a dog named Pickles. Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw

In October of 2000, Pakistani police stumbled across an ancient artifact that would shake the archaeological world: a mummified Persian princess. The cuneiform on her coffin claimed that she was Rhodugune — a daughter of the great king Xerxes. The story brought news coverage from around the world as Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan all fought to declare possession of the princess. But soon, the story would take a shocking turn…   Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/DasCriminal Sources: https://bit.ly/3bhoMVw