Episode 543: The Execution of Hamida Djandoubi (with Special Guests Alvin & Fran From Affirmative Murder Podcast)

Even though we’re all human, most of us don’t understand what drives people (including ourselves) to feel and behave the way we do. In The Laws of Human Nature, author Robert Greene looks at several laws that explain, among other things, why we self-sabotage, behave differently in groups, and want the wrong things.

Armed with the knowledge of these fundamentals of human nature, you can manage toxic people, become more empathetic, make people like you, and control your own nature.

Over a half-century after the civil rights movement sought justice for African Americans, prominent movements such as Black Lives Matter continue fighting to expose and resist injustice. In this social landscape, Bryan Stevenson’s message is timely: The US justice system consistently denies justice to society’s most vulnerable members.

In his 2014 book, Just Mercy, Stevenson examines the justice system’s pervasive failures toward marginalized populations, especially Black Americans. To illustrate these failures, Stevenson discusses numerous criminal cases, most prominently the 1989 case of Walter McMillian, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Alabama.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Stevenson’s analysis of the McMillian case and his evidence of extreme punishments doled out more broadly by the justice system. Moreover, we’ll consider Stevenson’s diagnosis of the root problems with the American conception of justice and his suggestions for repairing it. We’ll also examine arguments from other sources about how to improve the justice system and provide further context for the cases that Stevenson cites.

Adolf Eichmann—the Nazi official who arranged the transportation of Jews to their systematic deaths in concentration camps—is often considered a sadistic mastermind. But according to German-American historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt, Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem reveals otherwise. In Eichmann in Jerusalem, Arendt argues that Eichmann was an unremarkable evildoer whose atrocities reveal the banality of evil—evil driven not by sadism, but by mundane motives and aims.

In this guide, we’ll begin by discussing the historical context of Eichmann’s case, highlighting his specific role in the Holocaust. Next, we’ll focus on Eichmann himself, examining his unremarkable upbringing, his alleged “expertise” regarding the Jewish people, and his mundane motivations for committing atrocities throughout the Holocaust. Finally, we’ll assess the trial against Eichmann and explore Arendt’s reasons for thinking that, although Eichmann was clearly guilty, the trial lacked legitimacy. Throughout this guide, we’ll add further historical context for the trial and the Holocaust itself.

Over a half-century after the civil rights movement sought justice for African Americans, prominent movements such as Black Lives Matter continue fighting to expose and resist injustice. In this social landscape, Bryan Stevenson’s message is timely: The US justice system consistently denies justice to society’s most vulnerable members.

In his 2014 book, Just Mercy, Stevenson examines the justice system’s pervasive failures toward marginalized populations, especially Black Americans. To illustrate these failures, Stevenson discusses numerous criminal cases, most prominently the 1989 case of Walter McMillian, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death in Alabama.

In this guide, we’ll discuss Stevenson’s analysis of the McMillian case and his evidence of extreme punishments doled out more broadly by the justice system. Moreover, we’ll consider Stevenson’s diagnosis of the root problems with the American conception of justice and his suggestions for repairing it. We’ll also examine arguments from other sources about how to improve the justice system and provide further context for the cases that Stevenson cites.

After entering a Saudi consulate for paperwork, Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the current Crown Prince’s regime, vanished. Intelligence later revealed that he was murdered by Saudi officials who tried to cover up the assassination.

Dive into the chilling deception and eventual brutality of Jean-Claude Romand's life with Bailey Sarian in the "Murder, Mystery & Makeup" podcast. Explore the haunting narrative set in a tranquil French town, where a destructive fire at Romand's home reveals a far grimmer reality. Get drawn into the shocking revelation that Romand's reputable scientifist persona was founded on lies, and that his family's tragic demise by fire was actually a violent murder orchestrated by Romand himself.

The podcast delves further into Romand's treacherous life of manipulation, revealing his intricate web of lies and deceit. Join Sarian as she navigates Romand's fraudulent exploits, from defrauding his parents' savings to conniving friends into non-existent investment opportunities. As truth encroaches, witness the chilling shift in Romand's actions as they descend into horrific violence. The episode closes on a controversial note with Romand's parole, a testament to the lengths one man went to protect his fabricated life.