Introducing Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis

Introducing Fiasco: The AIDS Crisis

Author: Pushkin Industries June 9, 2023 Duration: 1:47

From the co-creators of Slow BurnFiasco is a narrative podcast that transports listeners into the day-to-day reality of America’s most pivotal historical events. 


Using original interviews with dozens of key players, host Leon Neyfakh brings to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present day. The new season of Fiasco goes deep on the AIDS epidemic in America, with a special focus on the early years of the crisis, when a diagnosis was tantamount to a death sentence. The eight-part series looks at the mystery and missteps around identifying and treating a new, contagious disease, and what it took to get the public - and the government - to care.


If you like this series, mark your calendars: a new season of Fiasco is coming July 27, 2023, exclusively on Audible. Fiasco: Vigilante tells the story of a shooting that took place in 1984 on the New York City subway, leaving four Bronx teenagers gravely wounded and turning a man named Bernie Goetz into a national folk hero. Fiasco: Vigilante offers a panoramic but intimate view of how this era-defining story unfolded, giving voice for the first time to key players, and immersing listeners in the gritty, paranoid world of ’80s New York City. Listen to the trailer now at adbl.co/vigilante, only on Audible.



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In Fiasco, a production of Pushkin Industries, host Leon Neyfakh doesn't just recount history-he reconstructs it, placing you inside the tense rooms and critical moments where things went wrong. Each season of this podcast meticulously examines a different political or governmental disaster, moving beyond the headlines to reveal the human decisions, bureaucratic failures, and unforeseen consequences that defined these events. The result is a gripping narrative that feels both immediate and deeply researched. You'll hear how the 2012 attack in Benghazi, which killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, ignited a political firestorm that reshaped American diplomacy and partisan combat. Neyfakh's storytelling illuminates how these crises are born and how their echoes shape our present. For anyone fascinated by the messy intersection of power, history, and human error, this is an essential listen. The podcast turns complex history into compelling audio, revealing the often-overlooked details that explain why we live with the aftermath of these fiascos today.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 41

Fiasco
Podcast Episodes
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - Lawfare [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:17
Attorneys David Boies and Ted Olsen, who represented the Gore and Bush sides, respectively, talk about the unique challenges that came with representing their clients before the Supreme Court.See omnystudio.com/listener…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - What If… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:22
An interview with Ralph Nader on his role as a “spoiler” in the 2000 election, and historian Mary Frances Berry, who led the 2001 commission looking into the impact that ballot box irregularities involving Black voters m…
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - Information Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:56
A conversation with Craig Waters, spokesman for the Florida Supreme Court, about becoming the face of an embattled, apolitical institution during a partisan battle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bush v. Gore: Bonus - A Mile In Their Shoes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:54
An interview with Brian Noyes, who worked on the Bush 2000 presidential campaign, and what it was like to feel like an election is being stolen. Noyes oversaw an oral history project with recount alums from the Bush camp…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 6 – No Precedent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:07
In the season finale: How the 2000 presidential election was distilled and decided in a case called Bush v. Gore. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 5 – Contingencies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:25
Democrats and Republicans hope for the best and plan for the worst. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bush v. Gore: Episode 4 – Spin-Off [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:20
How public relations battles yielded big legal wins for the Bush team. For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Bush v. Gore: Episode 3 – Ballot With Butterfly Wings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:45
What happened in Palm Beach County when a bitterly-contested national election came to town–and who paid the price? For a full list of sources, check out the Fiasco website.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa…
Bush v. Gore: Episode 2 – Real Numbers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:31
On election night 2000 an ad hoc network of statisticians, news producers, TV anchors, and political operatives tried to figure out what the hell was going on in Florida–and failed spectacularly. For a full list of sourc…