Big Brother: North Korea’s Forgotten Prince

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event. The greatest botany rivalry in history! It's Vavilov vs. Lysenko for the fate of the Soviet Union. In the 1920s and '30s, Nikolai Vavilov was a big deal. He was studying seed genetics and learning how to prevent famines. Everyone wanted to work with him. Including a young kid named Trofim Lysenko. Lysenko studied with Vavilov. They were friends. But years later, Lysenko turned on his mentor, and turned against science. This became a problem, because Lysenko was good buddies with Stalin. The feud would bring the Soviet Union to its knees. And it would force Vavilov to make a fateful choice: one between the truth … or his life. * Very Special Episodes is a new podcast with a simple premise: we tell one incredible story each week. Follow us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English Written by Lucas Reilly Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Jonathan Washington Mixing and Mastering by Baheed Frazier Story Editor is Josh Fisher Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Lucas Reilly Voice Actors: Tom Antonellis, Zaron Burnett, Josh Fisher, and Chris Childs Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Hear Also... Noble Blood: Catherine the Great and Her Husband the Mediocre Noble Blood: The Ice Queen Ridiculous Crime: Dope Floats: The Uncrashable Gary Betzner And here's Peter Pringle's excellent book on Vavilov mentioned in the episode. Thanks for listening! If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platforms. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Very Special Episodes, we tell one incredible story each week. Stranger-than-fiction tales about normal people in extraordinary situations. Stories that make you say, “this should be a movie.” Follow Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Big Brother fans! iHeartPodcasts is pleased to introduce the second installment of the "What Happened to" series, which covers the tragic story of Libby Caswell. You can expect host Melissa Jeltsen's same in-depth, thorough reporting and exceptional storytelling in each episode of "What Happened to Libby Caswell," starting on November 2nd. Here's a peek into the season, so check it out and start listening to Libby's story today! Show Description: In 2017, Libby Caswell was found dead in a motel room in Independence, Missouri. Police quickly ruled her death a suicide. But her mother Cindy thinks she was murdered — and she believes she has proof the crime scene was staged. Award-winning investigative reporter Melissa Jeltsen dives deep into Libby’s final days, finding new evidence that unravels the official story and threatens to implicate more than just those in the motel room that day. In her search for answers, Jeltsen exposes the web of failures that left Libby vulnerable and explores how her story fits into one of America’s most deadly epidemics. Listen to What Happened to Libby Caswell on the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since she was a little girl, Marcy DePina felt drawn to a man called Daddy Grace, a charismatic immigrant from Cabo Verde, West Africa, who – during the violent Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras – traveled around the United States preaching, healing, and building his megachurch. But who was Daddy Grace? For all his accomplishments, he seems to raise more questions than answers. Like why isn’t he more known and celebrated in the Cape Verdean community? And when Marcy brings him up to her family, why do some people refuse to talk about him? And most importantly: Marcy wants to know, are she and Daddy Grace actually related? Listen to Sweet Daddy Grace now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! For more on Sweet Daddy Grace, check out SweetDaddyGrace.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Big Brother fans! Learn more about Bishop Charles Manuel “Sweet Daddy” Grace who was once the richest Black man in America! Six decades after his death, his descendants grapple with his life and legacy. Listen now on Sweet Daddy Grace. About Remus: Sweet Daddy Grace: A personal deep dive into the life of Bishop Charles Manuel ‘Sweet Daddy’ Grace, an ambitious and gifted African immigrant and one of the 20th century’s most fascinating and overlooked figures. With hundreds of churches across the country and a congregation said to be upwards of three million, he was thought to be one of the richest Black men in America—but was he an anointed genius or a blasphemous opportunist? Marcy DePina lifts the veil on Sweet Daddy’s triumphs, scandals, and fascinating eccentricities—all the while trying to understand her own unique bond with him. Listen to Sweet Daddy Grace now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Big Brother Fans! Take a listen to the trailer for Sad Oligarch - an investigative podcast series that looks into the many Russian oligarch deaths of 2022. About the show: Since January 2022, more than a dozen of Russia's wealthiest businessmen have been found dead. One was poisoned with frog venom. One was found hanged on a handrail with his wife and children killed with an axe. Several fell out of high windows. Most of the deaths are suspicious. Russia says most of them were coincidental suicides resulting from depression. We have a theory though that something much darker is afoot. Sad Oligarch is a modern true crime style investigative podcast series that looks into the many Russian oligarch deaths of 2022, unravelling a dark tale of Kremlin corruption and Russian political influence across the world. Listen here and subscribe to Sad Oligarch on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! See omny.fm/listener for privacy information.

Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers explores the post-presidential legacy of America’s sixth president: John Quincy Adams. Though often only seen as a failed one-term president and the son of a Founding Father, Adams spent his final decades in Congress fighting the slavocracy and forming a bridge between the founding of America and the era of Lincoln. Founding Son features Patrick Warburton as the voice of John Quincy Adams, Nick Offerman as the voice of Andrew Jackson, and Grey DeLisle as the voice of Louisa Adams. Listen to Founding Son: John Quincy Adams on the iHeartRadio App or wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-founding-son-john-quincys-111619900/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi, Big Brother fans! The biggest black market you’ve never heard of might be blooming right under your nose. Bad Seeds explores a variety of cases involving illegal plant poaching and the larger environmental impact of plant smuggling. Listen to Bad Seeds now on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts! About Bad Seeds: “Bad Seeds” explores a variety of cases involving illegal plant poaching - from the US Fish and Wildlife catching obsessives stealing cacti to the Gibson Guitar lawsuit when the company purchased illegally harvested wood from Madagascar. Along with telling these stories, the show also focuses on the larger environmental impact of plant smuggling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would you do if a secret cabal of the nation’s most powerful people asked you to overthrow the President? Weirdly enough – it’s not a hypothetical. It almost happened to FDR in the 1930s, were it not for a very intense, very problematic Marine named Major General Smedley Butler. Join Ben Bowlin, Alex French, and a cast of historical characters brought to life by Joe Kinosian for a darkly comedic – and terrifying –​ retelling of one of the weirdest forgotten schemes in American...

Hi, Big Brother fans! The podcast, Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, follows the stories behind the little-known history of the Industrial School for Negro Children at Mt. Meig’s, a horrific penal institution for children who were accused of infractions as minor as truancy. About Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children: In 1968, five Black girls ran away from a reform school in Mount Meigs, Alabama and revealed that...

After struggling in Hollywood, Dean is a surprise hit in South America-even more popular there than Elvis. But he experiences a political awakening that brings him and his new wife Patti unwelcome attention. Red Elvis is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans and is part of the Curiosity Audio Network. It's based on the Curiosity Stream documentary Red Elvis: The Cold War Cowboy. Check out the doc at https://curiositystream.com Got tips, questions or comments? Email...

Decades after singer Dean Reed's mysterious death, his daughter Ramona digs through a treasure trove of documents left behind by her mother to learn more about the man she called Papa...and to figure out what really happened to him. Red Elvis is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans and is part of the Curiosity Audio Network. It's based on the Curiosity Stream documentary Red Elvis: The Cold War Cowboy. Check out the doc at https://curiositystream.com Got tips, questions...

Hi, Big Brother fans! We're excited to introduce you to the Click Here podcast with an episode we think you'll love. Take a listen to this special episode about North Korea, crypto, and the brewing plots to score big. About the show: The Click Here podcast tells stories about the people and ideas shaping our digital world. For years, North Korea was known for making such a perfect counterfeit hundred-dollar note, the Treasury Department had to change how it printed them. Now, North Korea is...

Hi, Big Brother fans! We're excited to share the latest iHeart Original podcast, Stealing Superman. Since you love our show, we think you'll be intrigued by this story about priceless comics stolen from Nicolas Cage (yes, that Nicolas Cage!). Check out the trailer and decide if Stealing Superman is your next podcast obsession! About Stealing Superman: It was the most unlikely art heist of all time. Join the country’s only art detective and a vigilante comic book dealer as they investigate...

Hi, Big Brother fans! The newest iHeart Original podcast is called Autism’s First Child, an informative series tracing the history of the first person diagnosed with Autism. An eye-opening story about creating a better world for those who are different, but don't just take our word for it. Check out the trailer to decide for yourself! About Autism's First Child: Donald Triplett was the first person diagnosed with autism. Now 88, "Case 1, Donald T" has lived a full and happy life in Forest,...

North Korean spies recruit two unwitting women to kill Kim Jong-nam, going through elaborate means to avoid detection. But the ensuing calamity triggers a daring rescue — one that could, someday, change the face of North Korea. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kim Jong-nam meets a mysterious American, were his brother's henchmen hiding in the shadows? How North Korea’s poisonous relationship with the United States contributed to Kim Jong-nam’s death — in more ways than one. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plunge into the murky underworld of North Korea's dirty financial dealings, and you'll realize: Kim Jong-nam was not in exile. Inside the prince's secret get-rich scheme—and the mob-like motivations that made him ... a target. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a spontaneous encounter, the scoop of a lifetime falls into the lap of a Japanese journalist. The surprising friendship that follows reveals much more than just Kim Jong-nam's thoughts on succession. But did his big mouth get him in big trouble? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a regime where image means everything, Kim Jong-nam's trip to Disneyland was a PR disaster. But is that why he was skipped over as successor? A deep dive into the country's history suggests that Kim Jong-nam and his family might have actually been punished for doing ... the unthinkable. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.