The Alarmist

New Guest Expert! On this week’s Aftermath, Rebecca Speaks with Emmy Award winning writer and director Nicole Rittenmeyer. Director of the documentary Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, Nicole shares fascinating new insights about the Inner Circle of Jonestown and its day to day operations up to the very end. After, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early stop by to revisit the...

Who’s to blame for the Jonestown Cult Massacre? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes friend and filmmaker Lance Edmands to help decide who’s to blame for the Jonestown Massacre. Jim Jones is definitely on the board. But, was his excessive doomsday paranoia to blame? Or were the tumultuous 1960’s & 70’s too much to handle? Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early...

Producers Meeting! This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) hosts an extra special Mailbag episode with Producers Clayton Early and Alex Paul. With a robust round of mini-alarms, new reviews, and a listener submission to join the Fact Checking team, this mailbag is stuffed to the gills! Tune in and hear what The Alarmy has to say. And if you haven’t already, share your rating and review for...

Who’s to blame for The Karluk Disaster? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) keeps it all in the family with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith to discuss the disastrous Karluk Voyage. Could Geographical Fantasy be a contributing factor? What’s a Curiosity Tax and could it be the blame? Is poor planning the culprit? One thing is certain, the wrong tool for the wrong job...

Here’s a special preview of the new season of Cautionary Tales from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that teach us important lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about the 1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel collapse, a shocking design failure that resulted in 114 deaths an...

New Guest Expert! On today’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with urban planner and theme park expert Sam Gennawey. Author of “The Disneyland Story: An Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney’s Dream,” Gennawey guides us through Walt Disney’s plans for an amusement park unlike any other, and the truncated construction timeline that led to Disneyland’s disastrous opening day. What happens when t...

Who’s to blame for the Disastrous Opening of Disneyland? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back the OG Alarmist Producer and former Disney Princess herself, Amanda Lund! Together, along with Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith, they discuss the problematic 1955 opening of Disneyland. Were counterfeit tickets to the invite-only opening day to blame? Perhaps th...

Mail Call! This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) catches up on some Alarmy emails in an all new Mailbag. There’s an update from The Alarmist Jail. Producer Clayton Early shares some listener reviews. And Fact Checker Chris Smith workshops some new sound effects for the show. Tune in and find out what’s been alarming The Alarmy these days!   We have merch! Join our Discord! Tell...

Who’s to blame for the death of Joan of Arc? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes writer and comedian Sonia Denis to decide who’s to blame for the death of Joan of Arc in 1431. What would you do if a teenage girl claimed God instructed her to lead an army to defend France? Burn her at the stake for wearing pants? They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Alex Paul...

New Aftermath! On today’s episode, Rebecca speaks with the founder and former Director of Harvard Law School’s Child Advocacy Program, Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Barthlolet. Specializing in child welfare, Bartholet shares some fascinating realities about the current homeschooling system and offers some fundamental guidelines for what a more wholesome approach might look like. After, Rebecca refl...

Who’s to blame for the Turpin Family House of Horrors? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes fellow podcaster Caroline Moss to decide who’s to blame for the horrific occurrences inside the Turpin family home. Could this prolonged abuse have been prevented by more robust regulation of homeschooling? Or was the system simply set up to fail? They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smi...

New Guest Expert! On today’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with National Security Archivist of the Chile Documentation Projects, Peter Kornbluh. Author of the bestselling book “The Pinochet File: A Declassified Dossier on Atrocity and Accountability,” Kornbluh walks us through the C.I.A.'s involvement in the Chilean coup d’état of 1973, while thoughtfully drawing parallels to Russia’s current invasion...

Who’s to Blame for the Chilean Coup D’état of 1973? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with comedian, actor and writer Beth Lapides about who’s to blame for the Chilean coup d’état of 1973. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Why were Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon and The CIA involved? And what is it about change that brings up...

New Guest Expert! On today’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence Dr. Lori Marino. President of the Whale Sanctuary Project, Dr. Marino reflects on the intelligence and robust culture of the orca community. Are wisdom and power simply too irresistible to humans? Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early stop by to discuss. We have m...

Who’s to blame for the Tilikum Murders at SeaWorld? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with fellow podcaster Jackie Johnson about the capture of Tilikum the Orca and the tragic murders that occurred while he was in captivity. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Should we really be training wild animals we call Killer Whales? And aren’t there b...

Deepwater Horizon Aftermath! On today’s Aftermath, Rebecca speaks with Dr. Edward Overton about the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Dr. Overton is Professor Emeritus at Louisiana State University in the Department of Environmental Sciences. After enlightening Rebecca on the anatomy of oil and deepwater oil drilling, he drops a bombshell about this particular incident. Producer Clayton Early and Fact...

Who’s to Blame for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with special guest Craig Anstett about the historic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Could this be another classic case of money over maintenance? Or are we to blame for our deep global obsession with car culture? Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith join in t...

New Aftermath! This week, Rebecca welcomes Dr. Lisa Bitel to help shed some light on the Beheading of St. Valentine. Dr. Bitel is a Professor of Religion and History at USC and has focused her studies on the social, cultural and religious history of medieval Europe. After, Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early stop by to discuss. Let’s just say, you might have some new Valentine's Da...

Who’s to Blame for the Beheading of St. Valentine? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes friend and writer Alexandra Franklin to discuss the beheading of St. Valentine and how it has become the “hot and sexy” holiday we know today. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Why were Roman soldiers banned from getting married? Was Christianity that muc...

New Aftermath! This week, Rebecca speaks with Professor Emeritus of Biology at Penn State, Dr. Stam M. Zervanos. Author of over 30 research publications, Dr. Zervanos is currently working on the adaptation and evolution of hibernation in woodchucks. Will new information about the origins of Groundhog Day and their hibernation patterns change the verdict? Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chr...

This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes The Alarmist's very own Associate Producer, Researcher and Show Coordinator, Alex Paul, to discuss the untimely death of “Chuck” the Groundhog. They’re joined by Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith. It’s a family affair!  Do humans really need to be holding wild animals? And why were they referring to the groundhog Charl...

New Mailbag Episode! The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) is rounding out her Birthday Month(!) with an all new mailbag. Alarmy members old and new write in with enlightening commentary and exciting new episode suggestions. Sounds like The Alarmist will be covering some terrifying international tragedies in the near future. Listen, write in, review, enjoy and stay vigilant Alarmy! We have merch! J...

Who is to blame for the death of Owen Hart? This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) welcomes back friend of the show Rebekka Johnson to discuss the tragic death of wrestler Owen Hart. A cast member of the popular Netflix series GLOW, Rebekka shares some fascinating details about the culture of the wrestling world and the stunts involved. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Produ...

New Aftermath! Rebecca welcomes guest expert Gabrielle Bluestone to discuss the notorious Fyre Festival. Gabrielle is an Emmy-nominated producer of the Netflix documentary “Fyre” and author of "Hype: How Scammers, Grifters, and Con Artists Are Taking Over the Internet—and Why We're Following." Afterward, Producer Clayton Early and Fact Checker Chris Smith stop by to discuss all the hype. Will the...

Who’s to blame for the Fyre Festival fiasco?  This week, The Alarmist (Rebecca Delgado Smith) speaks with old school bestie Marta Kuersten Wolaver about the notorious Fyre Festival disaster. A Development Manager for the Economic Security Project, Marta has plenty of bones to pick with the people behind this nightmare. They’re joined by Fact Checker Chris Smith and Producer Clayton Early. Wil...