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Craig Unger follows the Epstein money trail from Bear Stearns to offshore banking, tracing how Jeffrey Epsteinmoved funds through complex financial networks to obscure the origins and destinations of his wealth.1946 VAN JOHNSON STORK CLUB
Craig Unger reports the Department of Justice has access to Epstein bank records at Morgan, potentially revealing financial connections and transactions that could expose additional figures linked to the disgraced financier's operations.1949 MYRNA DELL AND JOE DIMAGGIO
THE DESERT ONE TRAGEDY AND THE GEOPOLITICAL STAKES OF THE 1980 ELECTION Colleague Craig Unger. Author Craig Unger discusses the failed "Desert One" rescue mission on April 24, 1980, where mechanical failures and a collision resulted in eight American deaths, ending any immediate hope of rescuing 52 hostages held in Iran. Unger explains that while the Shah of Iran had been a US puppet installed by a 1953 CIA coup, the 1979 revolution replaced him with a hostile Islamic Republic, turning a strategic ally into an enemy. The hostage crisis became the central issue of the 1980 campaign; a successful rescue would likely have secured Carter's reelection, while failure favored Ronald Reagan. Additionally, the segment highlights the strained relationship between Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, noting that despite the Camp David Accords, Israel feared an Iraqi victory over Iran would create a dangerous regional superpower. NUMBER 1
BILL CASEY'S SECRET INTELLIGENCE NETWORK AND THE CAMPAIGN TO DEFEAT CARTERColleague Craig Unger. Focusing on the Republican response to the hostage crisis, this segment examines the role of William "Bill" Casey, who took over Ronald Reagan's campaign in early 1980. Unger describes Casey as a brilliant former OSS spy who operated a "secret intelligence network" involving South African arms dealers and Israeli agents to monitor the Carter administration's progress. Casey realized that an "October Surprise"—a last-minute release of hostages by Carter—could cost Reagan the election. To prevent this, Casey allegedly sought to delay their release. Unger notes that while Reagan likely knew the broad strokes of these operations, he may have been insulated from the specific, treasonous details, partly due to Casey's habit of mumbling and the "deniability" inherent in his tradecraft. NUMBER 2
THE ORIGINS OF THE INVESTIGATION AND THE ALLEGATIONS OF ARI BEN-MENASHE Colleague Craig Unger. Unger details how the "October Surprise" investigation began, sparked by a 1991 op-ed from former National Security Council member Gary Sick. Unger, then working with Esquire and later Newsweek, collaborated with investigative reporter Bob Parry to uncover the truth. A key but controversial source was Ari Ben-Menashe, a rogue Israeli intelligence operative who claimed that Bill Casey met with Iranians in Madrid in July 1980 to negotiate a delay in the hostages' release in exchange for arms. Ben-Menashe further alleged that George H.W. Bush traveled to Paris in October 1980 to finalize the deal. Although these sources were often dismissed as disreputable, Unger argues that investigating illegal arms dealing necessitates speaking to operatives within that shadow world, despite the risk to a journalist's career. NUMBER 3
MEDIA SUPPRESSION, POLITICAL WHITEWASHING, AND THE DISCOVERY OF BURIED EVIDENCEColleague Craig Unger. This segment recounts the suppression of the October Surprise story by major media and government institutions. After initially hiring Unger to investigate, Newsweek abruptly pivoted, publishing articles denying the events took place, which Unger calls a "disgrace." A subsequent House investigation led by Lee Hamiltonwas characterized as a "whitewash" that accepted weak alibis for Bill Casey. Investigative legend Seymour Hershwarned Unger that he would be "crushed" for pursuing the story, and indeed, Unger faced lawsuits and professional isolation. However, the investigation was revived when reporter Bob Parry discovered 23 gigabytes of documents hidden in an abandoned ladies' room in the House office building. These documents, found under a tampon dispenser, contained evidence that contradicted the official exonerations of the Reagan campaign. NUMBER 4
THE SECRET NETWORK: THE SAFARI CLUB, JOHN SHAHEEN, AND DOUBLE AGENTS Colleague Craig Unger. Unger explains the infrastructure used to execute the alleged conspiracy, specifically the "Safari Club," a group of off-the-books intelligence operatives formed after the CIA was restricted by the Church Committee in the 1970s. This network allowed covert operations to bypass congressional oversight. A crucial figure identified is John Shaheen, Bill Casey's close friend and former OSS colleague, who acted as a "cutout" to insulate Casey from direct involvement. Unger reveals that the Hashim brothers, Iranian arms dealers who offered to help Carter, were actually double agents working for Casey. FBI wiretaps eventually confirmed that the Hashims communicated with Shaheen before conducting arms deals, providing a direct link between the Reagan campaign's orbit and the delay of the hostage release. NUMBER 5
CONFIRMING THE MADRID MEETING AND EXAMINING GEORGE H.W. BUSH'S ALLEGED ROLEColleague Craig Unger. This section focuses on verifying the specific meetings where the alleged treason occurred. Unger asserts certainty that Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Mehdi Karrubi in Madrid in July 1980 to outline the deal: arms for Iran in exchange for delaying the hostage release until after the election. Unger notes that Israeli military intelligence (AMAN) confirmed the channel of arms sales. The segment also addresses the controversial allegation that George H.W. Bush flew to Paris in October 1980 to seal the deal. While alibis involving Secret Service details and a visit to Justice Potter Stewart were punctured by Bob Parry's reporting, Unger remains "agnostic" but leans toward the meeting having happened. The Iranians reportedly required a high-level figure like Bush to guarantee the agreement before they would release the "frozen assets" of undelivered weaponry needed for their war with Iraq. NUMBER 6
INSIDE IRAN: CONFRONTING REVOLUTIONARY FIGURES AND UNCOVERING THE DOUBLE COUPColleague Craig Unger. Unger describes his 2014 trip to Tehran to find Iranian corroboration for the October Surprise. He visited the former US Embassy, now a "Den of Spies" museum documenting the 1953 CIA coup against Mossadegh, which remains a source of deep grievance. Unger secured a rare interview with Mohsen Rafighdoost, a founder of the Revolutionary Guards and Khomeini's driver. During the interview, Rafighdoost slipped, saying "If we met with the Republicans..."—a moment Unger captured on video. Unger also interviewed Abolhassan Banisadr, the ousted first president of the Islamic Republic, in Versailles. Banisadr provided documents confirming the plot, describing it as a "double coup": it removed Carter in the US and allowed hardliners to consolidate power in Iran by undermining moderates like himself. NUMBER 7
THE HOSTAGE RELEASE TIMING AND A LEGACY OF ELECTORAL INTERFERENCE Colleague Craig Unger. The final segment addresses the suspicious timing of the hostage release on January 20, 1981. Unger notes that while Carter stayed up all night negotiating, the hostages were not released until minutes after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. This precise timing suggests a pre-arranged deal, as Reagan had no presidential authority to negotiate prior to that moment. Unger points out that recent biographers and international sources have increasingly accepted the October Surprise as fact. He concludes by contextualizing this event within a broader history of Republican interference in foreign policy to win elections, drawing parallels to Nixon's sabotage of Vietnam peace talks in 1968 and allegations regarding the Trump campaign and Russia. The files suggest that political treason has been used repeatedly to "steal the White House." NUMBER 8
“The story Unger weaves with those earlier accounts and his original reporting is fresh, illuminating and more alarming than the intelligence channel described in the Steele dossier.”—The Washington PostHouse of Trump, House of Putin offers the first comprehensive investigation into the decades-long relationship among Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Russian Mafia that ultimately helped win Trump the White House. It is a chilling story that begins in the 1970s, when Trump made his first splash in the booming, money-drenched world of New York real estate, and ends with Trump's first inauguration as president of the United States. That moment was the culmination of Vladimir Putin's long mission to undermine Western democracy, a mission that he and his hand-selected group of oligarchs and Mafia kingpins had ensnared Trump in, starting more than twenty years ago with the massive bailout of a string of sensational Trump hotel and casino failures in Atlantic City. This book confirms the most incredible American paranoias about Russian malevolence. To most, it will be a hair-raising revelation that the Cold War did not end in 1991—that it merely evolved, with Trump's apartments offering the perfect vehicle for billions of dollars to leave the collapsing Soviet Union. In House of Trump, House of Putin, Craig Unger methodically traces the deep-rooted alliance between the highest echelons of American political operatives and the biggest players in the frightening underworld of the Russian Mafia. He traces Donald Trump's sordid ascent from foundering real estate tycoon to leader of the free world. He traces Russia's phoenix like rise from the ashes of the post–Cold War Soviet Union as well as its ceaseless covert efforts to retaliate against the West and reclaim its status as a global superpower. Without Trump, Russia would have lacked a key component in its attempts to return to imperial greatness. Without Russia, Trump would not be president. This essential book is crucial to understanding the real powers at play in the shadows of today's world. The appearance of key figures in this book—Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, and Felix Sater to name a few—ring with haunting significance in the wake of Robert Mueller's report and as others continue to close in on the truth.https://amzn.to/4qjR9JHBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
IMPORTING THE MAFIA STATE: THE 2014 MOSCOW DINNER AND THE ROOTS OF TRUMP'S RUSSIAN ENTANGLEMENTS Colleague Craig Unger. Investigative journalist Craig Unger analyzes a pivotal February 2014 dinner in Moscow attended by Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and prominent Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich and Viktor Vekselberg. Occurring just weeks before Russia's invasion of Crimea, Unger suggests this gathering exemplifies how Donald Trump has sought to replicate Vladimir Putin's "mafia state," where a "godfather" figure controls billionaire "capos." Unger argues that the Kremlin's leverage over Trump is primarily financial rather than sexual; Russian entities frequently rescued Trump from bankruptcy and laundered billions through his real estate ventures, such as the Trump SoHo. Consequently, figures like Kushner and Steve Witkoff—who attended the dinner and now act as envoys—are viewed by Moscow not as independent negotiators, but as known operators within a compromised infrastructure exported from Russia to the United States. 1945 POTSDAM: ATLEE, STALIN, TRUMSN
HOSTAGE CRISIS AND THE DESERT ONE TRAGEDY Colleague Craig Unger. Author Craig Unger discusses the 1980 "Desert One" rescue failure, a tragedy that crippled President Carter's re-election chances. He explains the geopolitical context, including the Shah's overthrow, the student-led embassy takeover, and the strained relationship between Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin amidst regional instability. NUMBER 1
BILL CASEY TAKES COMMAND OF THE REAGAN CAMPAIGN Colleague Craig Unger. Unger details how Ronald Reagan hired former OSS spy Bill Casey as campaign manager. Casey utilized a secret intelligence network involving Israeli agents to monitor the hostage situation, fearing a pre-election release would help Carter. Casey aimed to prevent this "October Surprise" while keeping Reagan largely insulated from specific operational details. NUMBER 2
INVESTIGATING THE MADRID AND PARIS ALLEGATIONS Colleague Craig Unger. Unger describes investigating allegations from rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben-Menashe, who claimed Bill Casey met Iranianrepresentatives in Madrid to negotiate delaying the hostage release. Ben-Menashe also alleged George H.W. Bushattended a final meeting in Paris to seal the arms-for-hostages deal just weeks before the 1980 election. NUMBER 3
MEDIA COVER-UPS AND THE LADIES' ROOM DISCOVERY Colleague Craig Unger. Unger recounts how Newsweek and a Congressional investigation suppressed the story, dismissing the "October Surprise" as a myth. Despite warnings from Seymour Hersh, Unger and reporter Bob Parry persisted, eventually discovering a massive cache of discarded evidence hidden inside a House office building restroom, reigniting the investigation into the alleged treason. NUMBER 4
THE SECRET NETWORK: SAFARI CLUB AND ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE Colleague Craig Unger. The discussion examines the "Safari Club," an off-the-books network used by Casey to bypass oversight. Unger explains how Casey utilized John Shaheen as a cutout to communicate with Iranian arms dealers and confirms through Israelimilitary intelligence officials that Israel facilitated secret arms shipments to Iran to support the scheme. NUMBER 5
CONFIRMING MADRID AND THE PARIS MEETING MYSTERY Colleague Craig Unger. Unger asserts the Madrid meeting between Casey and Iranian cleric Karrubi definitely occurred to sketch the deal. While less certain about George H.W. Bush's presence at the subsequent Paris meeting, Unger argues Bush's alibis were debunked, suggesting he likely attended to provide the high-level guarantee Iran demanded for the agreement. NUMBER 6
INSIDE IRAN: CONFESSIONS FROM THE REVOLUTIONARIES Colleague Craig Unger. Traveling to Tehran, Unger visits the former US embassy and interviews Mohsen Rafighdoost, a Revolutionary Guard founder. Ungercaptured video where Rafighdoost seemingly admits to meeting Republicans. Former Iranian President Banisadr also confirmed the plot, describing the collision as a "double coup" targeting both Jimmy Carter and his own presidency. NUMBER 7
THE INAUGURATION RELEASE AND A PATTERN OF TREASON Colleague Craig Unger. Unger highlights the suspicious timing of the hostage release minutes after Reagan's inauguration, arguing a secret deal was undeniable. He connects this to a pattern of Republican interference in foreign policy for electoral gain, linking the "October Surprise" to Nixon's Vietnam sabotage and recent allegations involving Trump and Russia. NUMBER 8
CRAIG UNGER AND APT 63A-B IN TRUMP TOWER WITH A PLUMBING LEAK.
This is a story about the dirty secrets of the most powerful people in the world—including Donald Trump.Based on exclusive interviews with intelligence officers in the CIA, FBI, and the KGB, thousands of pages of FBI investigations, police investigations, and news articles in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. American Kompromat shows that from Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, kompromat was used in operations far more sinister than the public could ever imagine. The book addresses what may be the single most important unanswered question of the entire Trump era: Is Donald Trump a Russian asset? The answer, American Kompromat says, is yes, supporting that conclusion with the first richly detailed narrative on how the KGB allegedly first “spotted” Trump as a potential asset, how it cultivated him, arranged his first trip to Moscow, and pumped him full of KGB talking points. Among its many revelations, American Kompromat reports for the first time that: • According to former KGB major Yuri Shvets, Trump first did business over forty years ago with a Manhattan electronics store co-owned by a Soviet émigré, triggering protocols through which the Soviet spy agency began efforts to cultivate Trump as an asset, launching a decades-long “relationship” of mutual benefit to Russia and Trump, from real estate to real power. • Trump's 1987 invitation to Moscow was billed as a scouting trip for a hotel, but according to Shvets, was actually initiated by a high-level KGB official. These sorts of trips were usually arranged for "deep development." • Before Trump's first Moscow trip, he met with Natalia Dubinin, who worked at the United Nations library in a vital position usually reserved as a cover for KGB operatives. • In 1987, according to Shvets, the KGB circulated an internal cable hailing the successful execution of an active measure by a newly cultivated American asset who took out full-page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe promoting policies promoted by the KGB. The ads had been taken out by Donald Trump, who, Shvets said, would become a “special unofficial contact” for the KGB.In addition to exploring Trump's ties to the KGB, American Kompromat also reveals: • How Jeffrey Epstein and Trump jostled for influence and financial supremacy for years. Epstein became a millionaire in part with the help of Ghislaine Maxwell's father—media tycoon Robert Maxwell, who allegedly served as a spy and likely gave Epstein a sum between $10 and $20 million before his death in 1991. • How the Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking operation provided a source and marketplace for sexual kompromat. • How the Epstein-Maxwell ring helped enable young women with possible ties to Russian intelligence to gain access to the highest levels of Silicon Valley and the worlds of artificial intelligence, supercomputers, and the internet. This, at a time when Vladimir Putin has asserted, “Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere [artificial intelligence] will become the ruler of the world.” • How John Mark Dougan, a former deputy sheriff in Mar-a-Lago's Palm Beach County, says he acquired 478 videos confiscated from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, fled to Moscow, became only the fourth American to win asylum in Russia, and immediately gained access to Putin's inner circle, showing the ongoing power that comes from kompromat and how its value is highest before it is “used.”https://amzn.to/4i4T3dKBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
Craig Unger investigates the "October Surprise" following the 1979 seizure of 52 American hostages in Tehran. Iran's revolution overthrew the Shah, installed by the US in 1953, creating an anti-American Islamic Republic. The failed Desert One rescue mission on April 24, 1980, killed eight Americans and shocked the Carter administration, effectively ending his re-election prospects. Carter's weak position was exacerbated by his contentious relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin following the Camp David Accords. Candidate Ronald Reagan and his soon-to-be campaign head, Bill Casey, observed the developing crisis. Guest: Craig Unger. 1850 TEHRAN
Craig Unger discusses Den of Spies, investigating the "October Surprise"—hostages released minutes after Reagan's inauguration. The timing suggests the Reagan campaign made a secret deal with Iran. No facts have been challenged since publication. He views this as a Republican pattern of using adversarial nations to intervene in elections. Guest: Craig Unger. 1866 Retry
Craig Unger examines Ronald Reagan's hiring of Bill Casey, an OSS veteran and dazzlingly brilliant spy, to manage his campaign. Casey quickly established a secret intelligence network, meeting with Israeli intelligence and arms dealers globally. Although Casey was notoriously difficult to understand—mumbling, spitting, and requiring Reagan to just "nod and smile"—he recognized that the release of the American hostages before November would likely secure President Carter's re-election. Casey began putting his network into action, aiming to prevent the hostages' early release. It remains unclear how much Reagan knew about Casey's covert activities. Guest: Craig Unger.
Craig Unger explores rumors of an "October Surprise"—a Republican deal to delay the hostages' release—which gained credence when former NSC official Gary Sick published an op-ed. Unger spoke to rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben Mashi, who alleged Bill Casey met with Iranians in Madrid in July 1980. Ben Mashi claimed Casey violated the Logan Act and an arms embargo by offering weapons in exchange for a delay in the hostage release until after the election. Ben Mashi also alleged Vice Presidential nominee George H.W. Bush attended a subsequent meeting in Paris in October 1980 to finalize the agreement. Unger's published findings in Esquire led him to join Newsweek to continue the investigation. Guest: Craig Unger.
Craig Unger describes his high-profile investigation at Newsweek, which surprisingly resulted in three articles denying the October Surprise occurred, a result Unger called a great disgrace in the history of American journalism. The subsequent Congressional investigation, led by Lee Hamilton, was dismissed by Unger as a complete whitewash that accepted weak alibis for Bill Casey. Unger was warned by investigative legend Seymour Hersh that he would be crushed if he continued his pursuit. Unger's colleague, Bob Perry, later found a massive archive of 23 gigabytes of documents containing secrets relevant to the investigation, abandoned in cardboard boxes in a former ladies' room under a tampon dispenser in a House office building. Guest: Craig Unger.
Craig Unger reveals that Bill Casey operated through the Safari Club, an off-the-books intelligence group. Casey utilized Iranian arms dealers, the Hashim brothers, who were secretly double agents working for him since the mid-1970s. Casey's best friend, John Shaheen, acted as the crucial cutout, meeting with arms dealers to shield Casey from media scrutiny. Further investigation confirmed that key source Ari Ben Mashi worked directly for Israeli military intelligence, Aman. This solidified the existence of a secret arms channel flowing from Israel to Iran, a fact Israel wanted hidden because it showed they participated in sabotaging an American presidential election. Guest: Craig Unger.
Craig Unger confirms the Madrid meeting in July 1980, where Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Mehdi Karoubi, establishing the parameters of the October Surprise by asking Karoubi to delay the hostage release until after the presidential election. The alleged Paris meeting in October involving George H.W. Bush is harder to prove, though investigative work punctured Bush's alibis. Iran was motivated by desperation for American military spare parts, especially after Iraq invaded in September 1980. Unger believes the overall preponderance of evidence suggests the Paris meeting occurred, intended to secure the deal with the highest possible authority. Guest: Craig Unger.
Craig Unger describes his 2014 visit to Iran's "Den of Spies" embassy museum, where he interviewed Moshen Rafi Duce, Iran's arms procurement head, who seemingly made an accidental admission about meeting "the Republicans." Former Iranian president Abolhassan Banisadr confirmed the October Surprise was a double coup d'état, destabilizing both the US and moderate Iranian elements. The timing of the hostage release confirms a prior deal: they were freed only three minutes after Ronald Reagan took the oath of office on January 20, 1981. This event, Unger concludes, fits a pattern of Republican reliance on adversarial nations to intervene in US elections. Guest: Craig Unger. Retry
American Kompromat unravels the Russian-influenced operations that amassed the dirty little secrets of the richest and most powerful men on earth. American Kompromat is based on extended and exclusive interviews with high-level sources in the KGB, CIA, and FBI, as well as lawyers at white-shoe Washington firms, associates of Jeffrey Epstein, and thousands of pages of FBI reports, police investigations, and news articles in English, Russian, and Ukrainian. A narrative offering jaw-dropping context, and set in Upper East Side mansions and private Caribbean islands, gigantic yachts, and private jets, American Kompromat shows that, from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein, Russian operations transformed the darkest secrets of the most powerful people in the world into potent weapons that served its interests. Among its many revelations, American Kompromat addresses what may be the single most important unanswered question of the entire Trump era ― and one that Unger argues is even more important now that Trump is out of office: Was Donald Trump a Russian asset? Just how compromised was he? And how could such an audacious feat have been accomplished? To answer these questions and more, Craig Unger reports, is to understand kompromat ― operations that amassed compromising information on the richest and most powerful men on earth, and that leveraged power by appealing to what is, for some, the most prized possession of all: their vanity. This is a story that transcends the end of the Trump administration, illuminating a major underreported aspect of Trump's corruption that has profoundly damaged American democracy.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-opperman-report--1198501/support.
Gaslit Nation is excited to announce a new show, for our subscribers, featuring Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman, a researcher on investigative journalist Craig Unger's bestselling books House of Trump, House of Putin and American Kompromat. “The oligarchs see the people like the sh*t they grow their money in.” That's what Andrea heard while living in Ukraine in 2006, and it perfectly captures the crisis the world faces today. Chaos weapon Donald Trump is a reality TV star of terror whose job is to destroy laws, regulations, and protections to enrich the shadowy elite profiting from global misery. They hide behind Trump. It's time to make them famous. Follow the Money will feature Andrea and Olga every week, exposing who's getting rich off Trump, Putin, and other merchants of chaos, and what can be done about it. Gen Z is rising up. In this special episode, community organizer and school board official Bushra Amiwala, now running for Congress in Illinois's 9th District, shares her story, her generation's view of a world in turmoil, and how they plan to build a more progressive and inclusive future, with our help. For our Patreon subscribers who keep Gaslit Nation's independent journalism alive, we'll see you today at the Gaslit Nation Salon at 4 p.m. ET. The Zoom link is available on Patreon. Thank you for your support–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you. Want to hear Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Programming change: Our book club discussion has moved to next Monday November 3rd at 4pm at our Patreon salon. For the month of October, we're reading Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky and Total resistance by Hans von Dach. Show Notes: DOD accepts anonymous $130M donation to partially cover troop pay White House and military officials will not say who the donor is or whether the gift has been properly vetted. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/dod-accepts-anonymous-130-million-donation-to-partially-cover-troop-pay-00622219 Watch ad and Reagan address at centre of Trump ending Canada trade talks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCKmMEFiLrI Bushra for Congress: https://www.bushraforcongress.com/
Trump Organization, Real Estate, and Global Money Laundering Craig Unger Journalist Craig Unger discusses the Trump Organization's use of real estate franchising (Colonel Sanders model) to facilitate global money laundering by figures like [Name unclear - Naguara?] (Panama) and [Name unclear - Zia Madov?] (Azerbaijan). BAKU
Trump Organization, Real Estate, and Global Money Laundering Craig Unger Journalist Craig Unger discusses the Trump Organization's use of real estate franchising (Colonel Sanders model) to facilitate global money laundering by mysterous figures. 1910 Panama.
HEADLINE: Uncovering the October Surprise: From Rogue Sources to Documents in an Abandoned RestroomAUTHOR: Craig Unger SUMMARY: Investigative reporter Craig Unger pursued the October Surprise story, initially utilizing controversial sources like rogue Israeli operative Ari Ben-Menashe. Although establishment reports largely dismissed the claims, colleague Bob Parry discovered a massive archive of abandoned documents in a Congressional office building restroom, containing secrets supporting the October Surprise narrative.
HEADLINE: Bill Casey's Secret Intelligence Network and the Safari Club's Off-the-Books Operations AUTHOR:Craig Unger SUMMARY: Craig Unger characterizes Bill Casey as a "dazzlingly brilliant" spy and Reagan campaign manager who built a secret intelligence network, meeting with Israeli agents and South African arms dealers. Casey utilized associates like John Shaheen and relied on the Safari Club, an off-the-books intelligence group formed after CIA crackdowns, to run covert operations outside of government oversight.
HEADLINE: Desert One Tragedy and the Geopolitics that Set the Stage for the October Surprise AUTHOR: Craig Unger SUMMARY: Craig Unger details the tragic failure of the April 1980 Desert One rescue attempt for 52 American hostages held by Iranian militants, resulting in eight American deaths. This failure, occurring during an election year, virtually guaranteed Jimmy Carter's inability to recover and made the hostage crisis the central issue of the 1980 presidential campaign against Ronald Reagan.
HEADLINE: The October Surprise: Bill Casey, Rogue Spies, and the Secret Deal to Delay Hostage Release AUTHOR:Craig Unger SUMMARY: Author Craig Unger discusses his book, Den of Spies, detailing the alleged 1980 October Surprise where Bill Casey, leading the Reagan campaign, made an illegal deal with Iran to delay releasing 52 American hostages until after the election, thereby ensuring Jimmy Carter's defeat. Casey's network used arms dealers like Ari Ben-Menashe and involved Israeli intelligence.
FILE 7 PREVIEW: HEADLINE: Vast Archives and New Confirming Information Support October Surprise ClaimsAUTHOR: Craig Unger SUMMARY: Craig Unger received new confirming information from Portugal and noted that massive archives, including Bob Parry's 23 gigabytes of data, remain largely unexamined by investigators.
FILE 8 PREVIEW: HEADLINE: October Surprise Fits Pattern of Republican Assaults on Democracy AUTHOR:Craig Unger SUMMARY: Craig Unger views the October Surprise as part of a consistent Republican pattern of relying on adversarial foreign countries, spanning from 1968's Nixon maneuvers to Donald Trump. Retry
HEADLINE: Inside the Den of Spies: Iran Visit and Confessions of an Arms Procurement ChiefAUTHOR: Craig Unger SUMMARY: While investigating in Iran, Craig Unger visited the former US Embassy, known as the Den of Spies, now a spy museum. He secured a brief meeting with Mohsen Rafighdoost, former head of arms procurement for Ayatollah Khomeini, who accidentally referenced meeting with Republicans—a statement Unger captured on video, lending credence to the secret deal. Retry JB
HEADLINE: Confirmed Meetings: Casey in Madrid and the Question of Bush in Paris AUTHOR: Craig UngerSUMMARY: Craig Unger reports strong evidence that Bill Casey met with Iranian cleric Karoubi in Madrid in late July 1980 to set the parameters of the October Surprise deal, specifically demanding the delay of hostage release. While George H.W. Bush's alleged 1980 Paris meeting to "seal the deal" remains unproved, his alibis have been punctured.
PREVIEW: HEADLINE: October Surprise Author Reports New Confirming Information from Portugal GUEST NAME: Craig Unger SUMMARY: Author Craig Unger continues to receive information confirming his reporting on the 1980 October Surprise, where Bill Casey, leading the Reagan campaign, allegedly arranged for the Iranian regime to delay the release of the American hostages before the election of President Carter. BOLDFACE NAMES: John Batchelor, Craig Unger, Bill Casey, Ronald Reagan, Carter 1944 STORK CLUB
PREVIEW: HEADLINE: Bill Casey: Mysterious Campaign Manager and Super Spy at the Center of the October Surprise GUEST NAME: Craig Unger SUMMARY: Author Craig Unger introduces Bill Casey, the mysterious, non-transparent Reagan campaign manager and former OSS spy, who built a secret intelligence network and is central to the disputed story of the 1980 October Surprise deal over the hostages. BOLDFACE NAMES: John Batchelor, Craig Unger, Bill Casey, Ronald Reagan 1945 WILD BILL DONOVAN OF THE OSS IN CHINA.
MAHA Madness: Bob Kennedy's Cruel New Gospel of "Fitness" - Survival of the Fittest...These questions need to be answered. Where were the children and why were we kept in the dark? Thom is joined by Craig Unger, journalist & author of six books including House of Bush, House of Saud; House of Trump, House of Putin; and American Kompromat. What do you know about the Epstein/Trump connection that involves young women or girls? Modi joins hands with Xi and Putin in message to Trump.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor Show Schedule 8-28-25 Good evening. The show begins in the rich harvest in Lancaster County, PA. First Hour 9:00-9:15 Lancaster County: Sweet corn and boomtown house building. Jim McTague, former Washington Editor, Barron's. @McTagueJ. Author of the "Martin and Twyla Boundary Series." #FriendsOfHistoryDebatingSociety 9:15-9:30 AI: Integrating with AI in the workplace. Brandon Weichert 9:30-9:45 #SmallBusinessAmerica: Steelmakers welcome AI data center contracts. @GeneMarks @Guardian @PhillyInquirer 9:45-10:00 #SmallBusinessAmerica: Early days of AI uses. @GeneMarks @Guardian @PhillyInquirer Second Hour 10:00-10:15 NPT: Answering with the Nonproliferation Enforcement Initiative. Henry Sokolski, NPEC 10:15-10:30 NPT: Answering with the Nonproliferation Enforcement Initiative. Henry Sokolski, NPEC continued 10:30-10:45 SpaceX: Test No. 10 success. Bob Zimmerman BehindTheBlack.com 10:45-11:00 Webb: Analysis interstellar comet 3I/Atlas. Bob Zimmerman BehindTheBlack.com Third Hour 11:00-11:15 Photography 1/4: Flashes of Brilliance. Anika Burgess 11:15-11:30 Photography 2/4: Flashes of Brilliance. Anika Burgess 11:30-11:45 Photography 3/4: Flashes of Brilliance. Anika Burgess 11:45-12:00 Photography 4/4: Flashes of Brilliance. Anika Burgess Fourth Hour 12:00-12:15 Italy: Recipes for high tariff cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. Lorenzo Fiori, Milan 12:15-12:30 Puerto Rico: Ten years of failed oversight. Mary Anastasia O'Grady, WSJ 12:30-12:45 Russia: Laundering through Trump Toronto. Craig Unger, author "American Kompromat" and "House of Putin, House of Trump" 12:45-1:00 AM Climate: Belief system. Tim Kane, University of Austin
Russia: Laundering through Trump Toronto. Craig Unger, author "American Kompromat" and "House of Putin, House of Trump" 1959 CUBA
CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor Show Schedule 8-21-25 The show begins in Anchorage Alaska, watching the two principals seek a resolution for Ukraine, NATO, Trump administration and Russia. 1910 USS MASSACHUCETTS First Hour 9:00-9:15 Russia: Long road to resolution. Anatol Lieven, Quincy 9:15-9:30 Russia: Long road to resolution. Anatol Lieven, Quincy continued 9:30-9:45 Nvidia: And the smuggling PRC. #ScalaReport: Chris Riegel CEO, Scala.com @Stratacache 9:45-10:00 Hotel Mars: PRC Long March 9 booster for the Earth-Moon System. Rick Fisher, David Livingston Second Hour 10:00-10:15 #NewWorldReport: Bolivia votes surprise. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @RevAnEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 10:15-10:30 #NewWorldReport: Brazil lawfare and defiance. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @RevAnEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 10:30-10:45 #NewWorldReport: USN flotilla off Venezuela. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @RevAnEllis #NewWorldReportEllis 10:45-11:00 #NewWorldReport: Good news Paraguay. Latin American Research Professor Evan Ellis, U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute. @RevAnEllis #NewWorldReportEllis Third Hour 11:00-11:15 Vietnam War 1/8: Military History. Geoffrey Wawro 11:15-11:30 Vietnam War 2/8: Military History. Geoffrey Wawro 11:30-11:45 Vietnam War 3/8: Military History. Geoffrey Wawro 11:45-12:00 Vietnam War 4/8: Military History. Geoffrey Wawro Fourth Hour 12:00-12:15 Russia: Not trustworthy. Cliff May, FDD 12:15-12:30 Russia: Not trustworthy. Cliff May, FDD continued 12:30-12:45 Russia & Kazakhstan: Alleged laundering at Trump SoHo. Craig Unger, author 12:45-1:00 AM Venezuela and Mexico: Military response on the table. Mary Anastasia O'Grady
Russia & Kazakhstan: Alleged laundering at Trump SoHo. Craig Unger, author
SHOW SCHEDULE 8-6-25 The show begins in the Cold War: the "Dead Hand" scenario... 1900 MOSCOW CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR FIRST HOUR 9-915 #UKRAINE: Medvedev threatens dead hand. Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (Retired) @MCCAUSLJ @CBSNEWS @DICKINSONCOL 915-930 #UKRAINE: PRC bolsters struggling Putin. Colonel Jeff McCausland, USA (Retired) @MCCAUSLJ @CBSNEWS @DICKINSONCOL 930-945 Russian oil and Delhi. Michael Bernstam, Hoover 945-1000 Big Pharma America. Jonathan Miltimore, Civitas SECOND HOUR 10-1015 EU and PRC. Theresa Fallon, Gordon Chang 1015-1030 ROK and DPRK. Gordon Chang 1030-1045 PRC and Russia. Blaine Holt 1045-1100 Globalization failed. Alan Tonelson THIRD HOUR 1100-1115 India tariffs 50%. Sadanand Dhume 1115-1130 India and AI. Sadanand Dhume 1130-1145 SpaceX TOSS. Bob Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com 1145-1200 Curiosity 2012. Bob Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com FOURTH HOUR 12-1215 Plums ripe, copper crashed. Simon Constable 1215-1230 Migrant hotels and Labour. Joseph Sternberg 1230-1245 Russia and Trump, 2007. Craig Unger 1245-100 AM Russia and Trump, 2007. Craig Unger continued