Dubious

Four indigenous children survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon and spent 40 days alone in the jungle. Wilson, the hero dog who found them, is now missing. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. The children’s ages range from 11 months old to 12 years old. After their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle, causing the instant death of the pilot and of another passenger, the siblings tried to save their mother who was still alive. She passed away after four days. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. 1 The eldest child, Lesly, is credited with keeping her siblings alive through her knowledge of the jungle. The children survived for 40 days in the Amazon by eating fruit and using large leaves to protect themselves from the rain. 2 The children were discovered in a forest clearing by rescuers, who were guided to their location by Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd and four-legged hero. The military released drawings made by the children, depicting Wilson in the jungle, highlighting his role in their survival. After the rescue of the children, the search for Wilson began as he was separated from the kids, had a “weird reaction” when seeing his handler, and then disappeared. There are reports of a drug-fueled search and rescue operation, suggesting that the military and various groups – including the dog handlers - had been using ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea, as a ritual to help them locate the children. Wilson, the 6-year-old hero dog, is still missing in the jungle. 1. By Ed Cumming and Mathew Charles, A hero dog, a drug-fuelled hunt, The Telegraph, June 2023. ⇤ 2. By John Otis, How Indigenous kids survived 40 days in Colombia's jungle after a plane crash, NPR, June 2023. ⇤

Mary Bell was only 10 years old when she killed two toddlers in Newcastle, England, in 1968. Her first victim was 4-year-old Martin Brown. Mary and her friend Norma then murdered and mutilated the body and genitalia of 3-year-old Brian Howe. In this episode we discuss the disturbing story of Mary Flora Bell, who tried to kill several children and eventually succeeded in killing two young boys by strangulation. Her friend Norma bell – no relation, just a name coincidence – helped Mary murder her second victim. 1 2 Mary Bell was sentenced to be imprisoned “at Her Majesty’s pleasure,” a British legal term that denotes an indeterminate sentence. After 12 years, in 1980, she was released on license (probation) and now lioves a quiet, anonymous life with her daughter. 3 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. 1. Leah Silverman The Chilling Story Of Mary Bell, The 10-Year-Old Murderer Who Strangled Two Boys All That's Intersting, September 2023 ⇤ 2. Linda Caroll A Judge Called Mary Bell A Monster When She Was Just 10 Years Old Independent, September 2022 ⇤ 3. MICHAEL SEAMARK & PAUL SIMS Child killer Mary Bell becomes a grandmother at 51: But all I have left is grief, says victim's mother Daily Mail, July 2023 ⇤

A 25 year old Alabama nursing student disappeared after calling 911 and claiming she was stopping to help a toddler in diapers who was walking alone on Interstate 459. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Carlee Russel returned home two days later and claimed she had been kidnapped and had barely managed to escape. She said the toddler was used as bait. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Carlee described how a man with “orange hair” emerged from the woods and picked her up and forced her into a vehicle. No, it wasn’t Donald Trump. 1 She said the man then put her into the trailer of a tractor and drove her to an unknown location where he forced her to undress and took photos of her. Carlee also mentioned that the man had a female accomplice who fed her cheese crackers. 2 Police soon realized her story didn’t add up. Carlee admitted she faked her own abduction. Her motives are unclear, but we suspect she was “inspired” by the kidnapping social media craze, a new “Satanic Panic” type of phenomenon which has been spreading like wildfire online, especially on Tik Tok. 3 This new trend, started by right-wing evangelicals, aims to terrify women, and convince them they can be abducted at any moment and sex trafficked. The scope is to distract from real social issues like overturning Roe v Wade, the gun violence epidemic, voting rights etc. Statistically, a woman in the US is more likely to get hit by lightning than get kidnapped and sex trafficked. 1. Ariana Baio & Andrea Blanco Carlee Russell smiles in mug shot as she’s charged with false police report in kidnap hoax Independent, July 2023 ⇤ 2. Tiffanie Drayton ‘We will not be dismayed’: What Carlee Russell’s lie means for other missing Black women Daily Dot, July 2023 ⇤ 3. UNODC UNODC report on human trafficking exposes modern form of slavery UNODC, February 2009 ⇤

Anneliese Michel started exhibiting “strange symptoms” like eating spiders and coal when she was 16. Her devout family believed she’s possessed by Lucifer and Hitler. Anneliese died after she underwent 67 exorcisms at the hands of two Catholic priests. In this episode we discuss the infuriating murder of Anneliese Michel by her parents and two catholic priests, in Bavaria, Germany, in 1976. Anneliese was suffering from Grand Mal Epilepsy and Psychosis. Her story inspired the 2005 film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose". 1 This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Anneliese underwent 67 exorcisms over a period of about 10 months between 1975 and 1976. She eventually died from starvation and dehydration during the process. Her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide. Her parents do not regret what they’ve done, claiming “god told us to do it”. 2 At the time of her death, she only weighed 68 pounds. We also discuss the exorcism of 23-years-old nun Maricica Irina Cornici, who died during an exorcism at the Tanacu Monastery in Romania. 3 1. Michael Getle Cries of a Woman Possessed The Washington Post, April 1978 ⇤ 2. Elizabeth Day 'God told us to exorcise my daughter's demons. I don't regret her death' The Telegraph, November 2005 ⇤ 3. Alison Mutler Nun Dies After Convent Exorcism CBS News, June 2005 ⇤

A respected Russian professor dug up and mummified deceased children – only girls and young women - made them into “living dolls” and posed them in his apartment. The bodies of 29 girls between the ages of 3 and 25 were found in his home. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Anatoly Moskvin is a former Russian university professor, cemetery expert / self-proclaimed “necropolyst”, researcher and necromancer. He was held in very high esteem in academic circles in his native city of Nizhny Novgorod. He taught himself 13 languages and is well-traveled. He also had a disturbing unhealthy obsession with death and dead bodies. He dug up deceased girls and young women only, all aged between 3 and 25, and turned them into "living doll”. He then posed them in his apartment. 1 Despite living with him, his parents claim they never suspected a thing. What caused this macabre behavior and his love of cemeteries? Are his parents lying? We discuss it all in this episode of Dubious. 2 1. William DeLon Anatoly Moskvin, The Genius Russian Historian Who Collected Dead Girls Like Dolls All That's Interesting, March 2023 ⇤ 2. Anna Nemtsova Russian Historian Anatoly Moskvin Collected Dead Girls at Home Daily Beast, July 2017 ⇤

Bridget Ziegler is embroiled in a sex scandal that exposes the hypocrisy of the “don’t say gay” extremist education movement she co-founded: she was caught on tape having sex with another woman during a threesome encounter with her husband. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Moms for Liberty is a Florida-based organization, with more than 300 chapters in 48 states. It claims to advocate for “parental rights at all levels of government.” 1 In reality, they push for banning children’s books and literature, fight against diversity, inclusivity, LGBTQ children, and rail against sex education and the teaching of Black history. The Moms for Liberty cult-like following believes there’s a widespread conspiracy in American schools to expose children to “woke “concepts about sexual orientation and gender identity that don’t conform to their idea of traditional family values. Of course, they joined the Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t say gay” campaign. 2 But as it turned out, Moms for Liberty is right-wing education movement with a huge hypocrisy problem. Co-founder Bridget Ziegler, who’s also a member of the Sarasota County School Board in Florida, and her husband Christian Ziegler have been caught in a sex scandal that threatens to end the organization. Moreover, Christian Ziegler who is also the chair of the Republican Party of Florida and a big Trump fan, was accused of rape. 3 1. Mary Ellen Klas Moms for Liberty Flunks Its Own Morality Test Bloomberg, December 2023 ⇤ 2. Chris Baynes Most Americans say ‘Arabic numerals’ should not be taught in school, finds survey Independent, May 2019 ⇤ 3. Will Carless, Chris Ullery, & Alia Wong What's behind the national surge in book bans? A low-tech website tied to Moms for Liberty USA Today, October 2023 ⇤

Musk embodies the perfect hero turned villain story. We discuss his 180° political flip-flopping over time, how X will affect the 2024 presidential election, the simulation theory he adheres to, Cybertruck, and much more. Brace yourselves for big drama! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. We discuss the FCC’s denial of $900 M subsidies for Starlink, Maye Musk’s “furious” reaction on X (Twitter) to the FCC’s ruling and why Elon’s mother, Maye Musk, had to get involved in her son’s feud with the government. 1 Elon Musk’s affinity for right-wing extremist figures like Alex Jones, Andrew Tate, Tucker Carlson, Jack Psobiec, Laura Loomer and Vivek Ramaswamy has been a worrying trend. Moreover, his erratic behavior at the New York DealBook conference where he told his advertisers to “go f*ck themselves” and indicated that he won’t vote for Joe Biden but voting for Trump is “a hard choice” left many wondering if Musk is only acting based on profit optimization goals or he thinks of himself as a player character, while the rest of us are non-player characters - NPCs. 2 3 We also take a look at Musk’s involvement on the geopolitical scene, especially his ties with Saudi Arabia: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the richest Middle East players, is the second-largest investor in X (Twitter) after Musk’s takeover of the social media platform. Elon also suggested that Ukraine should cede Crimea and parts of its territory to Putin, and that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over some control of Taiwan to Beijing. In Nov 2022, President Biden was asked by journalists whether Musk was a threat to national security. Biden responded: “I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at. Whether he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting they’re worth being looked at.” 4 1. MIRANDA NAZZARO Elon Musk’s mom ‘furious’ at Biden after FCC denies Starlink subsidy The Hill, December 2023 ⇤ 2. Charlie Warzel Elon Musk Is a Far-Right Activist The Atlantic, December 2022 ⇤ 3. FOUAD KHAN Confirmed! We Live in a Simulation Scientific American, April 2021 ⇤ 4. Staff and agencies Elon Musk’s mom ‘furious’ at Biden after FCC denies Starlink subsidy The Guardian, November 2022 ⇤

François Duvalier claimed to be immortal, the reincarnation of a dark spirit: Baron Samedi. He built a torture room in the Presidential Palace, talked to the decapitated heads of his enemies, and used the Tonton Macoute to terrorize Haiti. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Papa Doc Duvalier was one of the most ruthless dictators in history, ruling Haiti with an iron fist from 1957 to 1971. He was a medical doctor educated in Michigan, in the United States who then used voudou and his own Wagner type militia called the Tonton Macoute to spread terror and unimaginable violence to consolidate power.1 But he had a secret: he had diabetes. After a diabetic coma, he woke up even more ruthless than before. He changed the Constitution twice, won rigged elections with the help of voodoo priests and the lwas, and had absolute power. Papa Doc killed more than 60,000 Haitians. Haiti was France’s richest colony in the 18th century, one of the most prosperous nations in the Caribbean. It was so fertile that it was was known as “the pearl of the Antilles.” Revolting against the French masters, Haiti became the first slave colony to overthrow its oppressors, the first free black republic in the world in 1803. Then the French asked for monetary reparations which Haitians had to pay to avoid invasion, and the U.S. occupied and robbed Haiti of its riches. Events like the Bay of Pigs, Fidel Castro’s rise to power in Cuba and the assassination of John F. Kennedy played a role in Haiti’s history as well. After Papa Doc Duvalier’s death, his “fat playboy” son, Jean-Claude Duvalier aka Baby Doc, came to power and managed to continue his father's kleptocracy for 15 more years before finally being overthrown. Now, Port-au-Prince as well as the rest of the country are in complete chaos, ruled by gangs and with virtually no government, no state officials left: Haiti is a failed state. Evolution Of Evil E01: Papa Doc Duvalier | Full Documentary 1. Albin Krebs Papa Doc, a Ruthless Dictator, Kept the Haitians in Illiteracy and Dire Poverty The New York Times, April 1971 ⇤

A harrowing firsthand account of daily life in a dictatorship from our host Sandra, tragic family stories, and the many shocking but clear similarities between Ceausescu’s tyrannical regime and Donald Trump’s ambitions for a second presidency. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Orange Jesus is a term coined not by democrats, but by Republicans themselves. In her new book entitled “Oath and Honor”, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) describes a scene in which a fellow House member called former President Trump “Orange Jesus.” Cheney says that while in the GOP cloakroom in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, members were encouraged to sign onto electoral vote objection sheets: “Among them was Republican Congressman Mark Green of Tennessee. As he moved down the line, signing his name to the pieces of paper, Green said sheepishly to no one in particular, ‘The things we do for the Orange Jesus.’” 1 “Trump is not only a danger to the United States and our democracy, but also a danger to the world. And because I was born in Romania and lived part of my life under a dictatorship, I think the best way to go about this subject is to tell some personal stories, things that happened to my family under Ceausescu’s regime in Socialist/Communist Romania, make some analogies and point out some striking similarities between what Nicolae Ceausescu did in my native country, the aftermath of his policies, what some other dictators did too, and what Trump has done and plans to do here in the United States. The 2024 Presidential Elections have the potential, if Trump wins, to impact and reshape the geopolitical order.” – Sandra, Dubious Creator and Co-Host. Identified similarities: Refusal to relinquish power; Disdain for the free press; Censorship, propaganda and disinformation; Isolationism; Abortion bans; Criminalizing homosexuality and eroding LGBTQIA rights; Dehumanizing rhetoric like “vermin” (usually leads to genocide); Rampant corruption; Using religion to manipulate and radicalize people; Limited freedom of movement for certain demographics; The cult of personality; A love for grandiose military parades; Political repression; Turning truth on its head: Trump recently said that Joe Biden is a danger to democracy. Trump says he never swore an oath to support the constitution. His lawyers, in their appeal against the Colorado lawsuit, reiterated that the wording of Section Three of the 14th amendment does not apply to people running for president and that Trump technically did not swear an oath to "support" the Constitution. Trump: “I’ll be a dictator, but only on day one.” 23 Donald Trump is the biggest danger to the world in 2024. A second Trump presidency would be more dangerous than the first to the United States and globally by orders of magnitude. 4 1. BESS LEVIN The Most Damning Details From Liz Cheney’s Book on the GOP, January 6, and “Orange Jesus” Vanity Fair, November 2023 ⇤ 2. Ewan Palmer Donald Trump Says He Never Swore Oath 'to Support the Constitution' Newsweek, November 2023 ⇤ 3. David Jackson Donald Trump says he will be a 'dictator' only on 'day one.' Then he'll focus on drilling. USA Today, November 2023 ⇤ 4. The Economist Donald Trump poses the biggest danger to the world in 2024 The Economist, November 2023 ⇤

The day before he was fired, Sam Altman said “Is this a tool we built, or a creature?” We discuss the Q* mysterious letter that warned the OpenAI board of a powerful AI discovery that could threaten humanity. Did OpenAI achieve AGI? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. We discuss the five days of chaos and drama at OpenAI: an industry poster-child CEO double-crossed by his chief scientist, a cloak and dagger board coup, fears of killer AI, and a dead-of-the-night staff revolution that changed the balance of global tech power. Also: while Sam Altman is a billionaire, his younger sister Annie has supported herself doing sex work, “both in person and virtually”, on OnlyFans. OpenAI has a very unusual structure: it is a for-profit company overseen by a nonprofit board with a corporate culture somewhere in between. This recent coup seems to have ousted the non-profit faction of OpenAI, the people who were concerned with artificial intelligence tech safety and ethics. Money won. We analyze how this shift might impact AI tech globally. We also discuss Q* (pronounced Q-Star) and if Open AI has gotten close to or even achieved AGI – Artificial General Intelligence, which is the step before Artificial Superintelligence ASI. Before OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s firing, several staff researchers – including Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist - wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that could threaten humanity. The day before he got fired, Sam Altman said “Is this a tool we have built or a creature we have built?” "Four times now in the history of OpenAI, the most recent time was just in the last couple weeks, I've gotten to be in the room, when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward, and getting to do that is the professional honor of a lifetime," he said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. 1 2 We also talk about Sam Altman’s history and his achievements: Y Combinator (Stripe, Airbnb), Worldcoin (which uses a silver orb to scan people's eyeballs in exchange for crypto tokens and might be a useful to discern humans from AI online in the future), and of course, his personal life - specifically his relationship with his sister Annie Altman. While Sam Altman is a billionaire, his younger sister Annie has supported herself doing sex work, “both in person and virtually”, on OnlyFans. 3 The recent changes at OpenAI will impact all of us, so it’s important to understand the implications of these recent developments within the hottest company in tech right now. It is essential to put things into context and look at the global picture: US and China are in a race for AI supremacy. 4 5 1. Charlie Warzel The Money Always Wins The Atlantic, November 2023 ⇤ 2. Anna Tong, Jeffrey Dastin and Krystal Hu OpenAI researchers warned board of AI breakthrough ahead of CEO ouster, sources say Reuters, November 2023 ⇤ 3. Elizabeth Weil Sam Altman Is the Oppenheimer of Our Age OpenAI’s CEO thinks he knows our future. What do we know about him? INTELLIGENCER, September 2023 ⇤ 4. David Brooks The Fight for the Soul of AI The New York Times, November 2023 ⇤ 5. Dave Lawler How the U.S. is trying to stay ahead of China in the AI race Axios, June 2023 ⇤

Armed with a waterproof bible and fish, a young American missionary and beef jerky marketer decided to bring Jesus to the reclusive tribe of North Sentinel Island. His body has never been recovered. But who was behind this kamikaze mission, really? This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. North Sentinel Island is a small island around seven kilometers by seven kilometers in size, roughly 23 square miles, located in the Bay of Bengal. It’s a unique place, as it's forbidden to visit. The Indian government made it illegal for anyone to get within three miles of the island and its reclusive inhabitants.If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. The Sentinelese are an indigenous tribe of hunter gatherers, living life in a not too dissimilar way to how our ancestors would've lived about 60,000 years ago. 1 The island made headlines in 2018, after John Allen Chau, a 26-year-old American evangelical missionary, blogger and beef jerky marketer set sail to the island in hoping to convert the reclusive tribe and welcome its members to Christianity. In 2017 he had been accepted to a boot camp run by All Nations, a Kansas City organization that works to see Jesus “worshipped by every tongue, tribe and nation”. All Nations urges Christians to live by a “wartime mentality” and “make strategic decisions in the battle we’re waging against a real enemy”, waging a war against Satan. 2 John Chau was killed by the Sentinelese and his body was never recovered from the island, despite attempts made by authorities. In the last century, many anthropologists and scientists have tried to make contact with the Sentinelese. This usually never went well; many people were killed by the islanders and many islanders were killed by diseases brought by visitors. The only remotely successful people were Madhumala Chattopadhyay and Triloknath Pandit, two famous Indian anthropologists. The Sentinelese have no immunity to diseases carried by outsiders, and they learned over time that contact with others brings only death. Understandably, they do not welcome visitors. 1. J Oliver Conroy The life and death of John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers The Guardian, February 2019 ⇤ 2. Leah McDonald Father of American missionary who was killed while trying to convert isolated Indian Ocean tribe blames evangelicals' 'extreme Christianity' for the death of his 'innocent child' Daily Mail, February 2019 ⇤

What do cute panda bears, US - China relations and Taiwan’s microchip fabs have in common? The race for Artificial Intelligence supremacy. China recalled its furry diplomats a week before the Joe Biden - Xi Jinping APEC summit meeting in San Francisco. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. In this episode we discuss China’s panda diplomacy, and how recalling the pandas is connected to US foreign policy, Taiwan’s microchip fabs and AI supremacy. On Wednesday Nov 8, 2023, the two adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their 3-year-old cub, Xiao Qi Ji, were guided into metal crates and transported by truck to the airport. They took off in a FedEx Boeing 777 called the Panda Express. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2000 under a 10-year agreement that has been renewed three times since 2010. Xiao Qi Ji, whose name means “little miracle,” was born in 2020 as a result of artificial insemination – and the little male cub is indeed a miracle, as his mom was considered too old to be able to get the pregnancy to term. Efforts to renew the zoo’s current panda agreement, which ends on Dec. 7, have been unsuccessful. Not only did China refuse to renew the contract, but they’re also taking the pandas back even earlier than previously agreed. 1 The timing of the panda recall is dubious, given that the Biden-Xi bilateral takes place a week later during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which the US is hosting in San Francisco from 11 to 17 November. The encounter on 15 November is their second face-to-face meeting during the Biden presidency. It will be wide-ranging, US officials said, with the Israel-Hamas war, Taiwan, war in Ukraine and election interference to be discussed. 2 China’s posturing in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, the brushes with Philippine ships, and flying its planes dangerously close to American ones - all of this, is pretty much about Taiwan and who will control Taiwan, the world’s largest producer of semiconductors. Chips are what powers AI: 60% of all microchips are produced on the island; 92% of logic semiconductors with components smaller than 10 nanometers, capable of fitting more processing capacity onto a minuscule area while also being faster and more energy-efficient, are made in Taiwan. A single strand of human hair is 90,000 nanometers thick. In 1971, an average transistor was already just 10,000 nanometers thick. Today, the most advanced chips are manufactured at 2 nanometers, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) already working on creating a 1 nanometer chip. Microchips mean economic power, and more importantly, military power: and military power means geopolitical power. Microchips also mean control of emerging and disruptive technologies, like Artificial Intelligence and synthetic biology. Countries that have the capability to successfully harness AI innovation will be strategically positioned for both improved national security and economic growth. 1. Larissa Gao and Megan Lebowitz With return of three pandas to China, U.S. could soon have none NBC News, November 2023 ⇤ 2. PHELIM KINE Biden to press Xi on Iran in APEC meeting next week Politico, November 2023 ⇤

Nurse Lucy Letby violently attacked and killed 7 newborns and attempted to murder 6 more. She is Britain’s most prolific child serial killer. Why did she do it? Apparently, for “love”. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. Lucy Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven newborn babies and attempting to kill six more at the Countess of Chester hospital in north-west England. Aged 33, the nurse attacked the babies between June 2015 and June 2016 at the neonatal unit where she worked. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. In this episode we discuss how the Countess of Chester hospital management dropped the ball and their series of failures and attempts to cover-up the severity of the situation that led to this tragic outcome. 1 During trial, Lucy Letby blamed the neonatal unit doctors for being out to get her - “the Gang of Four” she called them: John Gibbs, Stephen Breaery, Ravi Jayram and another pediatrician. In reality, these doctors were the ones who fought the hospital management in order to get police involved and stop the horrific murders. 2 Nurse Letby injected air into the newborn’s tummies and veins (air embolus), poisoned them with insulin, overfed them milk, even hit them hard causing organ damage and showed metal objects down their throats causing them to bleed uncontrollably and go into cardiac arrest. Some of the babies that survived are left with permanent brain injuries from the lack of oxygen they endured before being resuscitated. An inquiry is ongoing as to why hospital management were so slow to act, but this is not a public inquiry which obliges witnesses to give statements under oath. In this episode we also discuss other medical professionals who killed their patients: nurse Beverley Allitt – known as the “angel of death”, doctor Harold Shipman and nurse Charles Cullen. We also look at an egregious case of malpraxis in which an Atlanta, GA doctor named Tracey St Julian decapitated a baby during childbirth. 1. Judith Moritz, Jonathan Coffey & Michael Buchanan Hospital bosses ignored months of doctors' warnings about Lucy Letby BBC, August 2023 ⇤ 2. Josh Halliday, Garry Blight, Harry Fischer and Ashley Kirk Timeline of Lucy Letby’s attacks on babies and when alarm was raised The Guardian, August 2023 ⇤

We discuss Israel’s use of white phosphorus incendiary bombs in Gaza and how Hamas planned the attack in plain sight, posting a training video in which they broke through a full-scale replica of the Israeli border wall just 2 weeks before Oct 7. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. First, we look at the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the communications blackout and Israel’s use of white phosphorus, violating international humanitarian law. Human Rights Watch verified videos “taken in Lebanon and Gaza on October 10 and 11, 2023, respectively, showing multiple airbursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over the Gaza City port and two rural locations along the Israel-Lebanon border, and interviewed people who described an attack in Gaza. (…) Upon contact, white phosphorus can burn people, thermally and chemically, down to the bone as it is highly soluble in fat and therefore in human flesh. White phosphorus fragments can exacerbate wounds even after treatment, entering the bloodstream and causing multiple organ failure. Already dressed wounds can reignite when dressings are removed, and the wounds are re-exposed to oxygen. Even relatively minor burns are often fatal.” 1 Then we address the multiple and catastrophic security failures by Israel’s intelligence community and military. We look at SIGINT, HUMINT and IMINT failures. How did Shin Bet, the Mossad and the IDF miss this attack? Here are the main points: Intelligence officers failed to monitor certain communication channels used by Palestinian attackers. Military personnel and intelligence officers over relied on border surveillance equipment that was easily shut down by attackers. The commanders were all in one place, clustered in a single border base, that was overrun in the initial phase of the incursion, preventing communication with the rest of the armed forces. Intelligence officers accepted at face value assertions by Hamas military leaders, made on private channels, that they were not preparing for battle. The officers were aware that Hamas knew these phone calls were being monitored by Israel. 2 Another issue we address is Israeli reservists’ criticism for Yair Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu’s son, who remains in Miami rather than joining the fight against Hamas. The 32-year-old is currently living in Florida, where he moved in April 2023, after he was sued for defamation in Israel over social media posts against a political activist. 3 We also discuss Israel’s ground invasion (land incursion) in Gaza and the regional ripple effects: as Israel pushes ahead, regional players are preparing their next moves. Hezbollah might attack from the north, and Iran has hinted at getting involved directly. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey might play crucial roles in the coming weeks. While Qatar is trying to negotiate with Hamas, Saudi Arabia is staying out of the mix. Also included: the Gaza tunnels, the hostages, similarities to 9/11 from an intelligence perspective, Benjamin Netanyahu’s stance on a two-state solution and his policies which ensured Hamas is not eradicated, and what might come next. 1. Human Rights Watch Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon Human Rights Watch, October 2023 ⇤ 2. Ronen Bergman and Patrick Kingsley How Israel’s Feared Security Services Failed to Stop Hamas’s Attack The New York Times, October 2023 ⇤ 3. Graeme Massie Israeli reservists question absence of Netanyahu’s son who remains in Miami Independent, October 2023 ⇤

The Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel coincided with Putin’s 71st birthday. Russia has been supporting the terrorist group since 2006, with Hamas reportedly laundering illicit funds through a Moscow-based crypto exchange and the Wagner group training Hamas This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. In this episode we discuss the Israel – Palestine war, we look at the history of the region and how the Middle East conflict initially started, and we analyze the close diplomatic relations between Russia and Hamas. Moscow’s massive propaganda and foreign influence operation was turned into a pro-Hamas, anti-Western disinformation machine. Even before the war started, Russian media was promoting the idea that U.S. weapons for Ukraine have somehow ended up in the hands of terrorists plotting to strike Israel. 1 If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. We also discuss the geopolitical implications of the Gaza-Israel war, how it helps Putin and China, how Iran’s support for Hamas might destabilize the region and turn this whole thing into a proxy war between the world’s biggest powers, how the U.S. responded, how the United Nations reacted, the numbers of innocent victims on either side, and most importantly – what we need to retain from all of this: innocents were killed on each side, and Palestinians in Gaza need urgent humanitarian aid, more aid. 2 Hamas are a terrorist organization, but they do not represent the Palestinian people who have a right to exist, be safe and raise their children. Hamas does NOT stand for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. The international community must do more to protect civilians in Gaza, make sure more humanitarian aid trucks pass through the Rafah crossing, and that Israel’s airstrikes and imminent land invasion will not result in senseless killings of tens of thousands of innocents. 34 Other points of conversation: freeing international and American hostages with the help of allies in the region (Qatar), How Russia, Iran (Hezbollah too) and China stand to win from this conflict, why Mossad and Shin Bet did not see this attack coming, the deadly explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, and how Elon Musk’s X helped amplify disinformation about the war and help the interests of Russia / Iran / Hamas. Links: 1. Josh Rogin Putin is helping Hamas to hurt the west The Washington Post, October 2023 ⇤ 2. BBC Israel Gaza war: History of the conflict explained BBC, October 2023 ⇤ 3. Niall McCarthy The Human Cost Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Statista, May 2021 ⇤ 4. Amnesty International Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza Amnesty International, October 2023 ⇤

Gilberto Valle, A New York City police officer, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to kidnap, torture, and eat women. In this dark story, the legal system grappled with the boundaries between fantasy and reality. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. In the "Cannibal Cop" case, Gilberto Valle was accused of using online forums to discuss disturbing cannibalistic ideation with other users: Moody Blues, Christopher Ashe, Michael Van Hise, and Richard Meltz – also a former policeman. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. The prosecution argued that Valle's online conversations were not just fantasies but actual plans to commit crimes. However, Valle's defense team claimed that his discussions were merely fantasy role-play, and he had no intention of carrying out any real harm. Ultimately, in 2013, Valle was found guilty of conspiracy charges, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in 2014, with the court ruling that his actions did not constitute a true conspiracy.1 In the United States v. Valle case, the legal system grappled with the boundaries between fantasy and intent to commit a crime. The case raised complex questions regarding online communication, freedom of speech, and the interpretation of criminal conspiracy. While the prosecution argued that Valle's online discussions were evidence of a genuine plan to harm others, the defense asserted that they were simply dark fantasies that should be protected under the First Amendment. The legal proceedings shed light on the challenges of distinguishing between genuine criminal intent and disturbing but ultimately harmless expressions, particularly in the context of online interactions.2 1. James Nye It isn't quite like pork, but very meaty anyway': Cannibal cop's online pal boasts of eating 'a black woman and white child' in vile computer chats Daily Mail, January 2013 ⇤ 2. Cathy Free ‘Cannibal Cop’ defendant gets 7 years in prison New York Post, July 2018 ⇤

After a Lyft driver nabbed Tux the cat in Austin, TX, her human turned to social media for help. Palash Pandey’s posts went viral, a massive search ensued, and Lyft CEO David Risher hired private investigators to locate the feline. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. The unprecedented chain of events began on September 30, 2023, when Palash Pandey ordered a Lyft to take his cat, Tux, to the vet at Banfield Pet Hospital in Austin, Texas. As he made his way around the vehicle to grab Tux, who was located on the passenger side, the driver sped off. Desperate, Palash tried to contact the driver, even offered him money to bring Tux back, but to no avail. 1 Palash then turned to Reddit and Twitter X. His posts went viral, galvanizing the online community and putting pressure on Lyft who was facing a PR cat-astrophe. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. After 36 hours, private investigators hired by Lyft CEO David Risher found Tux 1.2 miles away from the vet’s office, where she had been kidnapped from. She was dehydrated, covered in fleas and terrified, but otherwise unharmed. The driver has been deactivated on the Lyft platform on October 2, and the Austin Police Department are investigating the case. 2 In this episode we also discuss the legal aspect related to pets being considered property instead of sentient beings, and we look at safe alternatives to ridesharing involving human drivers: Robotaxis such as Waymo made by Alphabet and Cruise made by General Motors are looking promising. 1. palashpandey9 Need help!! Lyft driver drove off with my pet cat Reddit, October 2023 ⇤ 2. Cathy Free Lyft passenger says driver took of with his cat. A Huge search ensued. The Washington Post, October 2023 ⇤

In 2018, Lady Gaga’s producer RedOne introduced MMA fighter and former convict Abu Azaitar to the royal entourage of Morocco. Since then, king Mohammed VI has disappeared from public life and the three Azaitar brothers became all-powerful. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. In this episode we discuss King Mohammed’s childhood and relationship with his father Hassan II, his marriage to Princess Lalla Salma the computer engineer, and his fascination with the cage fighters. If you like our content, please become a patron to get all our episodes ad-free. Abu, Ottman and Omar Azaitar are three German brothers who grew to be very influential in Rabat, Morocco’s capital. It is rumored that King Mohammed VI is entirely under their “spell”. Their parents were born in Morocco. The brothers have a background in mixed martial arts, fought and won in the UFC, and they were good fighters: two of the brothers have been dubbed as “the brutal twins.” 1 Abu Azaitar has an impressive rap sheet: his German criminal record lists: “Theft, extortion, fraud, physical violence, criminal conspiracy, robberies and recidivism, computer fraud, driving without a license, bodily harm causing permanent disability, assault and battery, drug trafficking, forgery and resistance to law enforcement.” He once doused a man in gasoline and stole his Ferrari. While at a Christmas market, he also punched an ex-girlfriend and punctured her eardrum. Since 2018, the Azaitars have monopolized the king at a moment in history when after the 2001 Arab spring, the pandemic and the Panama Papers scandal, Moroccan society is boiling and the makhzien (government and security apparatus) led by Hammouchi are not happy with the MMA fighters’ influence over their king. 1. Nicolas Pelham The mystery of Morocco’s missing king The Economist April 2023 ⇤

Four indigenous children survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon and spent 40 days alone in the jungle. Wilson, the hero dog who found them, is now missing. This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy. The children’s ages range from 11 months old to 12 years old. After their plane crashed in the Colombian jungle, causing the instant death of the pilot and of another passenger, the siblings tried to save their mother who was still alive. She passed away after four days. 1 The eldest child, Lesly, is credited with keeping her siblings alive through her knowledge of the jungle. The children survived for 40 days in the Amazon by eating fruit and using large leaves to protect themselves from the rain. 2 The children were discovered in a forest clearing by rescuers, who were guided to their location by Wilson, a Belgian Shepherd and four-legged hero. The military released drawings made by the children, depicting Wilson in the jungle, highlighting his role in their survival. After the rescue of the children, the search for Wilson began as he was separated from the kids, had a “weird reaction” when seeing his handler, and then disappeared. There are reports of a drug-fueled search and rescue operation, suggesting that the military and various groups – including the dog handlers - had been using ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea, as a ritual to help them locate the children. Wilson, the 6-year-old hero dog, is still missing in the jungle. 1. By Ed Cumming and Mathew Charles, A hero dog, a drug-fuelled hunt, The Telegraph, June 2023. ⇤ 2. By John Otis, How Indigenous kids survived 40 days in Colombia's jungle after a plane crash, NPR, June 2023. ⇤

Dubifriends, we’ll be back on October 4th with a big surprise! Until then, we’ll be working behind the scenes to bring you even better content. Enjoy the summer and stay dubious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/DUBIOUS today to get 10% off your first month of therapy.