Oof -- debt. People have it, companies have it, and a lot of countries do, too. In the US, the national debt becomes a hot-button issue every time elections roll around. But how does debt work when the country that owes the debt literally makes the rules around finance? In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel explore the dizzying (and sometimes terrifying) story of national debt.

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While democracy isn't always predictable, one thing's for sure -- no matter who wins an election, for any party, in any country, some part of the population will claim the game is rigged. That's what happened in Mexico in 1988, when Carlos Salinas de Gortari became president in a hotly-disputed election. For years rumors circulated about the illegal actions that led to this outcome, an opposition parties often accused Gortari's party of rigging the vote. And, in 2004, another person stepped forward to confirm the election was rigged. This wasn't a fringe journalist, either -- it was former President of Mexico Miguel de la Madrid, Gortari's predecessor, who had worked to ensure his chosen candidate 'won' the vote. Tune in to learn more about this strange story ... and what makes it so important today.

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Recent studies argue city raccoons are evolving along with humans. A guy steals a city bus and honestly does a pretty good job. Legislation is unprepared for technology, and Nvidia makes a lot of stuff. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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While humanity's local solar system appears huge from Earth, it's actually a pretty tiny piece of real estate in the grand scheme of things. And, in recent years, technological breakthroughs have allowed astronomers and physicists to learn more about the things traveling to us from outside our patch of space. In today's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into the story of 3I/Atlas -- along with the experts who believe this thing may not be a natural accident, but manufactured, and perhaps purposely sent, directly to us.

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Saturn asks about the Longfellow Boom. Good Ol' Russ inspires Ben and Matt to do a Yule Cat prank. Beuford prompts a deep conversation about the First Amendment versus technology. Chef Ben revolutionizes the world with the Enchiladasagna - THE FUTURE IS NOW. All this and more in this week's listener mail segment.

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We've all heard the phrase: "Satanic Panic." Not too long ago, the United States -- and, later, the world -- was gripped with fear. According to the story, powerful devil worshippers conspired to kidnap, abuse, torture and even murder innocent children all in the service of Satan. So, what actually happened here? How did Patrick Swayze get mixed up in all this? In tonight's interview segment, Ben, Matt and Noel welcome Sarah Marshall, the creator of the new hit podcast The Devil You Know, to learn more about the Satanic Panic.

Listen to The Devil You Know here.

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Ben here, with a Classic episode. Fellow Conspiracy Realists, way back in 2019 I asked Matt and Noel what we really know about the US Civil Rights movement. Our exploration remains relevant today: The US Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s sparked nationwide protests, marches and action, resulting in fundamental changes for a nation that had long touted democracy and equality abroad while oppressing vast swathes of its own citizens at home. It remains one of the most significant times in recent history, but there's another twist to the story -- half a world away, the USSR joined the movement... though its intentions for dong so were anything but altruistic.

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Congress finally cosigns the release of a bunch of emails from Jeffrey Epstein, which confirm earlier conversation. Europe aims to feed astronauts through a pretty fascinating process using human urine (yes, it is as weird as it sounds). Over in China, Uncle Xi demands all online influencers speaking about finance, law or medicine verify that they do, in fact, have some sort of expertise in their purported fields, prompting Ben, Matt and Noel to examine the nature of free speech. All this and more in this week's strange news segment.

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