American Scandal

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Challenger Disaster | Launch Day | 3 Dec 31, 2024

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In the tense hours leading up to the Challenger launch, engineers and managers at NASA and its contractor Morton Thiokol heatedly argue over whether to move forward, despite freezing temperatures that threaten to compromise the rocket boosters’ O-Rings.

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Challenger Disaster | Acceptable Risk | 2 Dec 24, 2024

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As NASA struggles to keep its ambitious launch schedule on track, engineers at contractor Morton Thiokol raise concerns about a key component of the space shuttle’s rocket boosters: O-Rings, which are designed to prevent fuel leaks. Amid this tension, the Teacher in Space program captivates the nation after Christa McAuliffe is selected, raising public interest in the launch.

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Challenger Disaster | Bigger, Faster, Cheaper | 1 Dec 17, 2024

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In January 1986, the Challenger Space Shuttle was poised to make history, carrying seven astronauts, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher and civilian selected for space travel. The launch was part of a decade-long effort by NASA to make flights cheaper and more frequent with the use of a reusable space shuttle. But years of budget cuts and risky design choices set the stage for disaster.

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Lou Pearlman: Pop Music Con Man | Behind the Hit Charade | 4 Dec 10, 2024

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Journalist Tyler Gray was working in Orlando when he first heard about Lou Pearlman and his growing business empire. But it wasn’t until authorities apprehended Pearlman in Bali in 2007 that Gray began to investigate the story behind the man who created the boy bands NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. Today, Tyler Gray joins Lindsay to talk about his book, The Hit Charade: Lou Pearlman, Boy Bands, and the Biggest Ponzi Scheme in U.S. History.

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Lou Pearlman: The Con Man of Pop | Bye, Bye, Bye | 3 Dec 03, 2024

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Following his split with the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, Lou Pearlman finds it increasingly difficult to keep up appearances around his rapidly crumbling empire. Soon, investors begin demanding their money back, and an accountant turned whistleblower threatens to expose Pearlman’s lies.

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Lou Pearlman: The Con Man of Pop | Tearin’ Up My Heart | 2 Nov 26, 2024

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Lou Pearlman is eager to replicate his success with the Backstreet Boys and secretly forms a second boy band, NSYNC. But as he continues to fund his extravagant lifestyle and recruit new investors for his other business ventures, both bands question why their fame is outpacing their income.

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Lou Pearlman: The Con Man of Pop | I Want It That Way | 1 Nov 19, 2024

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Lou Pearlman rises from humble beginnings in Queens, New York to launch a successful blimp and charter plane company called Trans Continental. In the ‘90s, he cements his reputation as a risk-taking entrepreneur when he creates a pop music “boy band,” the Backstreet Boys. But Pearlman’s “fake it till you make it” approach is built on a foundation of deception, setting the stage for his ultimate downfall.

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Houston Astros: Caught Stealing | Uncovering the Scheme | 5 Nov 12, 2024

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Rumors were already swirling about the Astros and sign-stealing when people on the inside tipped off reporter Evan Drellich with damning details of the scheme. What he and his colleague Ken Rosenthal published in The Athletic in 2019 rocked the baseball world and forced many people to question the Astros’ 2017 World Series title. Today, Drellich joins Lindsay to talk about the scandal and his book, Winning Fixes Everything: How Baseball’s Brightest Minds Created Sports’ Biggest Mess.

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Houston Astros: Caught Stealing | Bottom of the Ninth | 4 Nov 05, 2024

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Following their 2017 World Series win, the Astros cannot escape rumors that they cheated. They aren’t the only team accused of illegally stealing signs, but they become the focal point after their victory and continued success in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Finally, two reporters find a former Astros player willing to go on the record about the team’s sign-stealing scheme.

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Houston Astros: Caught Stealing | Dark Arts | 3 Oct 29, 2024

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By 2017, the Houston Astros are one of the most dominant teams in Major League Baseball. But the team also takes sign stealing to new heights when they discover a unique – and illegal – way to signal those signs to batters in real time. But as the team mounts a World Series run, some opposing coaches and players begin to grow suspicious of their hitters’ uncanny ability to anticipate pitches.

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