Whale Hunting
by Brazen
Latest episode
The Man Stealing Billions of Dollars from the US Economy…
The Man Stealing Billions of Dollars from the US Economy…
About this podcast
This is WHALE HUNTING, a weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the hidden worlds of money and power, hosted by investigative journalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. Previously long-time reporters for the Wall Street Journal, Tom and Bradley now run Project Brazen, a journalism studio that’s published stories on everything from US Navy corruption to spycraft in Silicon Valley and embezzlement at the heart of Spain’s royal family.
Now, on the Whale Hunting podcast, you can join them as they share what’s got them talking this week, from the headlines to underworld gossip. Each episode will offer something different, but you can expect obscene tales of corruption, insights on the bizarre habits of billionaires, and conversations with reporters, spies, hostage negotiators, cops, authors, and the occasional criminal. Think of it as dropping in on the watercooler chat at Project Brazen’s office.
So join us. Subscribe to Whale Hunting, and find out how the world really works.
For more, or to sign up to our newsletter, visit whalehunting.projectbrazen.com.
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
Episodes
The newest 20 of 54 episodes
- The Man Stealing Billions of Dollars from the US Economy, Mauerberger's Spiderweb · 56 minThis episode of Whale Hunting explores the intricate web of illicit activities surrounding Benjamin Mauerberger, a South African involved in high-stakes financial crimes across…
- From A Curious Worldview: How did MBS rise to power? · 1 h 23 min · Season 3 Episode 16Thanks for listening to season three of Whale Hunting. We've heard from the biographer of the world’s most secretive billionaire, the man running a TV network under the Taliban…
- How did federal agents infiltrate the world’s dirtiest bank? · 42 min · Season 3 Episode 15A rare opportunity arises when global financial institutions implode: a brief window into how the world really works. There’s an opportunity to learn how money is laundered and…
- Why does Elon Musk need private spies? · 40 min · Season 3 Episode 14For the right price, a billionaire can buy almost anything in the private intelligence industry. Investigators will covertly dig through bins, pose as friendly faces to…
- What does Iran achieve by outsourcing assassination attempts in the West? · 25 min · Season 3 Episode 13Iran’s war with Israel and the U.S. has been waged through numerous proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen — but more recently, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps…
- Do Hezbollah's booby-trapped pagers herald a new era of warfare? · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 12Conventional warfare no longer exists. Drones, offensive hacking techniques and even sonic weaponry is upending how conflict is waged — and the recent Israeli intelligence…
- Why was the FBI fascinated by the artist Mark Lombardi? · 16 min · Season 3 Episode 11Mark Lombardi was on the cusp of international success with his provocative artwork. So why was the 48-year-old found dead, and his death ruled a suicide? And why did the FBI ask…
- How did the FSB infiltrate one of Sweden’s biggest banks? · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 10Honeypot operations are one of the oldest tricks in the espionage playbook — get access to sensitive information through a wily femme fatale. Scandinavian banking giant Swedbank…
- How did Credit Suisse become the most scandal-ridden bank of all time? · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 9Swiss banking has long been synonymous with secrecy, a harbinger of two things in the financial world: opportunity and risk. And Credit Suisse struggled to handle this balancing…
- How do you stop Putin’s war machine? · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 8When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western economies scrambled to coordinate an offensive of their own: sanctions. They weaponized economic tools in the hope of…
- Is Masayoshi Son the richest man you’ve never heard of? · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 7For a few days in the early 2000s, Masayoshi Son — nicknamed Masa — was the richest man in the world. A few days later, it all came tumbling down. The founder and CEO of the…
- Are hidden jurisdictions rewriting the rules of power? · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 6Imagine a world where there are two maps. The regular one that everyone sees — one divided by land borders and nation states. The other, a hidden globe, made up of jurisdictions…
- How does a secretive Catholic sect influence global finance? · 33 min · Season 3 Episode 5When journalist Gareth Gore began investigating the collapse of Spain’s Banco Popular in 2017, he expected a predictable tale of bad investments and toxic loans. Instead, it led…
- How has Popular Front changed war reporting? · 38 min · Season 3 Episode 4For the last five years, Popular Front has been shaking up the way many of us view reporting from conflict zones. It gives its followers an up-close-and-personal view, going…
- What’s it like to run a TV network under the Taliban? · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 3When the Taliban were first toppled in 2001, there was hope among some Afghans that it could mark the start of a new Afghanistan. President Bush promised the US would help…
- How did 1MDB cash end up in Kim Kardashian’s pockets? · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 2On Monday, Malaysia’s High Court heard how a staggering $2.4 million made its way from the coffers of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, into the bank accounts of Kim…
- Is the art market a haven for dirty money? · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 1You’ve probably heard of blood diamonds, but what about blood antiquities? Today, most trappings of wealth – like cash, diamonds or gold – are subject to stringent regulation…
- From The Lever: Who Broke The Economy? · 49 min · Season 2 Episode 16Thanks for listening to season two of Whale Hunting! The podcast will be back very soon with brand new episodes on everything from cultural racketeering to grassroots war…
- Why is London the libel capital of the world? · 41 min · Season 2 Episode 15A furious letter from a smartly-named law firm is almost par for the course for journalists on the crime and corruption beat. From oligarchs and dictators to badly behaved…
- Who is Li Fangwei, the Chinese phantom? · 36 min · Season 2 Episode 14In recent years, Philipp Grüll has spent almost all his time reporting on arms deals. He’s considered something of a specialist, so when his colleague Frederik Obermaier…
