Claim OwnershipRachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
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Sitting members of Congress aiding and abetting a plot to overthrow the government. Insurrectionists criminally charged with plotting to end American democracy for good. Justice Department prosecutors under crushing political pressure. Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra is the all-but-forgotten true story of good, old-fashioned American extremism getting supercharged by proximity to power. When extremist elected officials get caught plotting against America with the violent ultra right, this is the story of the lengths they will go to… to cover their tracks. Follow now and join Rachel Maddow for the first two episodes on October 10th.
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55Sitting members of Congress aiding and abetting a plot to overthrow the government. Insurrectionists criminally charged with plotting to end American democracy for good. Justice Department prosecutors under crushing political pressure. Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra is the all-but-forgotten true story of good, old-fashioned American extremism getting supercharged by proximity to power. When extremist elected officials get caught plotting against America with the violent ultra right, this is the story of the lengths they will go to… to cover their tracks. Follow now and join Rachel Maddow for the first two episodes on October 10th.
It started with a plane crash. The tragic, mysterious crash of a commercial airliner in the summer of 1940 left a scene of devastation in rural Virginia -- and a series of unanswered questions. The cause of the crash was unclear. Among the dozens of people killed was a sitting U.S. senator. His presence on the flight and the strange circumstances surrounding the crash would end up revealing threats to American democracy itself.
The most prominent media figure in America calls for the creation of a militia, armed Americans willing to use violence to get their way. What they want is to overthrow the U.S. government and to end democracy in this country – by force. Their plot raised alarming indications that the federal government is not up to the task of dealing with that kind of homegrown threat.
A devastating explosion rips through a munitions plant in a small New Jersey town. And the American public is left with the chilling fact that the federal government had been warned about such an attack almost a year prior. The tip had come from a private spy ring operating in Los Angeles that was intent on doing what law enforcement had largely failed to do. Infiltrate far-right groups plotting violence across the country, and foil their plots before it was too late.
A paid agent of Hitler's government ramps up a targeted propaganda effort aimed at weakening democracy and supporting the fascist cause in America. His base of operations... the center of American democracy itself -- the United States Congress. Sitting members of Congress, and the America First movement, take part in an elaborate scheme to subvert democracy. Laundering millions of pieces of Nazi propaganda through Congress and into the hands of the American people.
The walls begin to close in on members of Congress, and members of the America First movement, who are actively involved in a Nazi plot to spread misinformation and propaganda across the country. With a crusading newspaper reporter and a Justice Department prosecutor each peeling back the layers of the scheme, the members of Congress involved in the plot launch a desperate effort to shut down both the reporting and the federal investigation into their activities.
The most high-profile sedition trial in American history kicks off inside a Washington, DC federal courtroom. The members of Congress who attempted to quash the investigation are now faced with a super-charged indictment and a brand new Justice Department prosecutor who is battle tested and up for the challenge. What he finds as the curtain rises on the trial, though, is something that he is wholly unprepared for: pre-planned, unmitigated chaos.
The largest mass sedition trial in American history churns on. And continues descending into chaos. But the dozens of sedition defendants attempting to wreak havoc on the proceedings would soon get a high-profile assist. From serving members of Congress injecting themselves into the trial and coming to the defense of the accused seditionists standing trial. Before a verdict can be reached, one final twist calls into question whether the Justice Department will see the case to the end, or cut bait entirely.
In the wake of the sedition trial's collapse, Justice Department prosecutor John Rogge travels overseas and uncovers a bombshell. He finds evidence of a coordinated effort to subvert American democracy… as well as the names of high-profile Americans involved. Rogge then returns to America... and goes rogue. Risking his career as a prosecutor, he makes public what he's discovered about the fascist threat and the Americans who supported it. And he offers a prescient warning about an American criminal justice system that is ill-equipped to defend democracy from those who seek to destroy it.
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excellent!
So the Japanese Americans were put in concentration camps while the Nazis were out in the open.
Excellent series! Rachael, you've amazed me once again with your reporting. How approp for the current chaos in Washington and hidden deals. I've never heard the Woody Guthrie's "Lindbergh" song.
excellent work! what's that thing we say about not learning from our history?
OK, I'm hooked now after just 1 episode!
Riveting. Enlightening. Entertaining. Absolutely Brilliant. Rachel Maddow and her Crackerjack team weave a compelling storyline. I find Rachel's storytelling to be similar to the late Paul Harvey who is widely remembered for radio series "Now You Know The Rest Of The Story." I can't wait to see or hear what Rachel will produce next. Thank you Rachel.
Clearly this isn't a "Top Show" based on statistical data.
This is scary. THIS part I feel like shouldn't be made too public- it will give the current Ultra right "America First" folks too many ideas! They already act crazy like this, it wouldn't be much of a stretch for them to start doing it in courtrooms. On the other hand, this should be taught in every law school. Every judge should know about this and know how to keep order in their courtroom to prevent such horrific shenanigans. (Also, why on earth did the DOJ try all the seditionists in one trial together? Current DOJ seems to be smarter about it so far- small Seditious Conspiracy trials are getting convictions.)
Everyone needs to hear this. All the parallels today to this history Rachel brilliantly lays out for us- scare the shit out of me. My jaw dropped too many times to count. I'm scared for our future...it feels like the major leaders of the ultra right wing movement of today have studied history and they're repeating those things that worked back then. The rest of America was ill equipped then and ... I fear we are even less prepared to deal with these threats. It's sobering to think- all these people talked about in this podcast, all the Nazis, domestic terrorists, many of whom were members of freaking Congress...remained Americans. They have children and grandchildren living today, perhaps spreading the same ideals they pushed. I'm surprised there was only one current-day name drop: Glenn Beck. Absolute shame on him for bringing these ideas back up, spreading it to his listeners. I expected or hoped Rachel had traced lineages of the people she highlighted. It would be interesting to know if there are any descendents who hold any type of office now. Journalists, office holders, DOJ and other government officials- please please hold the line with your integrity, fight for democracy.
well done Rachel and all involved with bringing this to light...I am not uneducated but I had no idea of this part in American history...totally fascinating and quite scary especially as is seems history is repeating itself.
The single most important story never heard. Ultra needs to be a major motion picture by the next voting cycle. THANK YOU for educating us. I'm evangelizing this show left and right.
Another great podcast. Thank you for reminding us of our history. The educational systems seems to have forgotten to teach this even on collegiate levels! High praises 👏
Thank you very much Rachel et al. I hope Heather Cox Richardson is aware of this hidden history. She also supports the "pendulum" view of our politics, however hers is more related to economics. Here, it's between democratic vs totalitarian.
Excellent series and explains so many recent events in Europe and the US - Trump, Britain's vote to leave the EU, the invasion of Ukraine, rise of populism. Putin clearly studied the Nazi playbook.
Great story and so relevant to today. but I couldn't listen to all of it as the background music and speech caused pain.I am sensitive to sound and cannot cope with music and speech at the same time as it triggers migraines and fits. Not an uncommon condition. Please when editing don't put music and speech together. It is really difficult for those of us who have sensitive brains like stroke victims, migraines, ptsd, adhd, fibromyalgia, autism, anxiety, hard of hearng. Don't cut out a large part of your audience. I have been listening to an audio book on the same topic which is very interesting. Hopefully this will become a book or I can read the transcript to catch the parts I can't listen to as they triggered pain.
Great podcast. All I can say is "Who knew?" This makes me want to drill more into this history. Thank you.
Thank you all for putting this together to inform those of us who listened. I had no idea that our Government had done this before. I'm shocked and at the same time I'm not, given where we are today. Thank God for Rachel Meadow and all of you 💜 Again thank you all.
Rachel, This is the finest piece of journalism I have ever experienced. You are an amazing storyteller, meticulous researcher and you chose a story that could not be more relevant. Thank you!!!
Brilliantly written and researched by Maddow and the entire team. Brava!
The ACLU, needs to pay attention to these historical lessons that we know little to nothing about. This needs to be made into a movie for sure, quite an inheritance, thanks Rachel for shining a light on all this!