A Paranoid's History of the United States

BONUS: Journalist Nick Schou on the legacy of Gary Webb

In August 1996, the San Jose Mercury News published Gary Webb’s infamous “Dark Alliance” investigation. The three-part series revealed how a drug ring connected to CIA-backed Nicaraguan rebels was flooding Los Angeles with crack cocaine in the 1980s. Webb traced the money trail from LA street dealers all the way back to covert U.S. foreign policy operations. Instead of being praised for this groundbreaking exposé, Webb faced a brutal media backlash. Major newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post turned their resources against him, essentially ending his mainstream journalism career. Years later, government investigations would prove Webb was largely right, but by then the damage was done. In December 2004, Gary Webb was found dead in his apartment — a tragic end to a man who paid the ultimate price for challenging powerful institutions. His story raises fundamental questions about press freedom and what happens when journalists dare to expose uncomfortable truths. Today we're joined by Nick Schou, the investigative journalist who wrote Kill the Messenger, the definitive biography of Gary Webb. The book was made into a 2014 a film starring Jeremy Renner. In our conversation, Nick and I will explore how Webb’s story illuminates the dangerous intersection of intelligence agencies, drug policy, and media manipulation. We'll also discuss how Webb's legitimate reporting became entangled with the likes of the Lyndon LaRouche organization and Michael Ruppert, and what this tells us about the blurred lines between credible investigative journalism and conspiracy theorizing in our current media landscape. Subscribe to Failed State Update newsletter: http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

UNLOCKED: Project Mind Control

In this subscribers-only episode of Paranoid History, I interview historian John Lisle about his new book Project Mind Control: Sidney Gottlieb, the CIA, and the Tragedy of MKULTRA. Lisle discusses his discovery of never-before-seen depositions from the 1980s, revealing new insights into the CIA's infamous mind control experiments. The conversation explores the real history of MKULTRA, separating fact from fiction, and examining how genuine government misconduct has spawned unfounded conspiracy theories. John Lisle is a historian and author of Project Mind Control and The Dirty Tricks Department. His work focuses on uncovering the hidden history of American intelligence operations through meticulous archival research. Lisle teaches at the University of Texas. His website is: https://johnlislehistorian.com/ [https://johnlislehistorian.com/] Sign up here: https://lennyflatley.substack.com/

The Transvestigation of Candace Owens

In this episode, I talk to my friend and colleague Sam DeVaney about Candace Owens's strange obsession with MKULTRA, trans people, and the First Lady of France. We dive into Candace's wild claims that Brigitte Macron was actually born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, and how this theory connects to her broader worldview about elite pedophile rings, Satanic worship, and Manchurian candidates. It's a fascinating look at how conspiracy theories work in practice, complete with all the logical fallacies and evidence-free conclusions that make these stories so compelling to true believers. What makes this particularly interesting is watching Candace do her conspiracy theorist logic out loud, turning every piece of missing information into proof of a cover-up. Sam and I explore how transvestigation works as a rhetorical tool, why Candace might have latched onto this particular French conspiracy, and how her evolution from a college progressive to a full-blown conspiracy influencer reflects the weird incentive structures of our siloed media ecosystem. Be sure to subscribe to the Paranoid History newsletter here: http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

On A Move! Part 2

This episode concludes our investigation into MOVE by examining the tragic murder of John Gilbride and the organization's systematic abuse of power. Gilbride was a former Reagan youth who became deeply involved with MOVE leader Alberta Africa after witnessing the 1985 bombing as a teenager. He eventually left the organization and fought for custody of their son, but faced an extensive harassment campaign from MOVE. On September 27, 2002—just one day before his scheduled court-ordered visitation—Gilbride was shot to death in what authorities dismissively classified as a "robbery gone wrong" despite clear motive and no evidence of theft. The episode also reveals MOVE's financial empire, showing how Alberta Africa controlled approximately $5 million in bombing settlement funds meant for victims while exploiting members who worked grueling hours. The investigation exposes the brutal realities of life inside MOVE, including systematic child abuse, psychological torture through "meetings" designed to break members' personalities, and a rigid hierarchy that reduced most members to servants. The story culminates with the courageous 2021 escape of survivors like June "Pixie" Africa—forced into marriage and childbearing at age 12—and former supporter Kevin Price. Their coordinated public exposure through blogs and media coverage finally revealed the truth about MOVE's decades-long deception. Through interviews with these brave survivors and producer Beth McNamara's investigation, the episode demonstrates how MOVE successfully exploited legitimate grievances about police brutality to mask their true nature, offering crucial lessons about the dangers of prioritizing ideological solidarity over human welfare. For more information, check out Kevin Price's Leaving MOVE 2021 blog: https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/ [https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/] Be sure to listen to the Murder at Ryan’s Run podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-at-ryans-run-exposing-the-cult-of-john-africa/id1561552064 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/murder-at-ryans-run-exposing-the-cult-of-john-africa/id1561552064]

On A MOVE! Part 1

This is a long one! Part 1 of 2. Featuring Kevin Price. In January 1999, 16,000 fans packed a New Jersey arena for a benefit concert organized by Rage Against the Machine to support Mumia Abu-Jamal, the famous death row inmate and former Black Panther. The crowd believed they were funding justice for a political prisoner, raising over $400,000 for his cause. What they didn't know was that their money was going to MOVE—what former members now describe as a destructive cult that had successfully infiltrated and manipulated leftist movements for decades. MOVE began in 1970s Philadelphia as an anarcho-primitivist organization founded by Vincent Leaphart (who became "John Africa") and white college professor Don Glassey. Behind their revolutionary rhetoric lay a bizarre anti-civilization ideology that opposed everything from literacy to cooking food, viewing consciousness itself as humanity's original sin. The group's confrontations with Frank Rizzo's brutal police force culminated in the 1978 standoff that sent nine members to prison and the catastrophic 1985 bombing that killed eleven people, including five children. These tragedies provided MOVE with the perfect victim narrative, allowing them to rebrand as martyrs of government oppression while concealing their true nature as a cult that controlled members through psychological abuse and isolated children from education and medical care. Kevin Price's Leaving MOVE 2021 blog: https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/ [https://leavingmove2021.blogspot.com/] Subscribe to the Paranoid History newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com/ [https://lennyflatley.substack.com/]