Why did the CIA try to kill an African political leader with poisoned toothpaste? How did a sturdy couch save a leader from being killed during an elaborate plot involving a self-sinking boat and a collapsing ceiling? Was a recent attempt to blow up Venezuela's dictator with a small consumer drone a genuine attack, or just a pretext to crack down on his political opponents? Is democracy more likely to emerge when dictators are assassinated, or does it just make the situation worse? And which US president got shot in the chest by a would-be assassin but continued speaking for 90 minutes, even as he was bleeding before the crowd?

 

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Power Corrupts is written and narrated by Brian Klaas. The executive producer and sound editor is George McDonagh.