Behind the Bastards

Don Simpson rises to the top of Hollywood by co-opting gay culture and doing every drug imaginable. But then things take a turn on the set of a doomed Tom Cruise movie.
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In this week's harrowing episode, Robert and Soren Bowie explore the life and times of Don Simpson: the man who produced Top Gun and most of the other big hits of the 1980s while being a coked-up devil behind the scenes.
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All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file:
Hope & Dirty Tricks: How Lula Beat Flavio Bolsonaro
Election Rumors and Conspiracism
Catching up with the status of Kurdish groups in Iran
Executive Disorder: 2026 Midterms Edition
Executive Disorder: GOP Blame Game, Trump/Epstein Report, Paraguay Ousts President
You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today!
Sources/Links:
Election Rumors and Conspiracism
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/trump-reward-reporting-voter-fraud
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/harassment-public-records-requests-bombard-uw-truth-seeker-after-jan-6-hearings-cameo/
https://uwcip.substack.com/p/election-rumor-rundown-october-24
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/minnesota-charges-conservative-activist-okeefe-influencer-higby-after-voting-2026-10-29/
Catching up with the Status of Kurdish Groups in Iran
https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg
Executive Disorder: GOP Blame Game, Trump/Epstein Report, Paraguay Ousts President
https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2026/10/how-mamdani-canceled-cop-city/416903/
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/nyregion/pied-a-terre-mamdani-appeal-win-home-tax.html?smid=url-share
https://apnews.com/article/port-strikes-arms-shipments-france-greece-italy-4a8813406fd51b91b3b7d17826c1883d
https://x.com/vvanwilgenburg/status/2117641211909730538?a=ri24O90ueHp7eYgCoDc&s=20
https://x.com/war_noir/status/2117581845755773246?a=P0quWPGQ6wjaX70NPOQ&s=20
https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/26/26A624/431463/20261102111302952_California%20Application.pdf
https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/united-states-v-california-2/
https://2026.electoral.dsausa.org/
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/senate-results
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/how-trump-lost-midterms-33cf9fd4?st=EQm4gx
https://x.com/justinbaragona/status/2117780696626257981?a=Q68Ma2bBhMU2LKxTVkk&s=20
https://x.com/JDVance/status/2118004988433641835
https://x.com/kaitlancollins/status/2117614591060721973?a=A5arnEBUOHurQE3jSg8&s=20
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2117612993139585093?a=dprbLi0Afsej7Jh14ko&s=20
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/11/04/desantis-calls-midterm-bloodbath-an-extinction-level-event-for-republicans-01148705
https://x.com/politico/status/2117840712855113793?a=5vZ3flWUbvcJyTvleyU&s=2
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/11/05/congress/bernie-sanders-launches-medicare-for-all-push-01151604
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2117887743443505646?a=tif1VPo4NuwejhijsNY&s=20
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6199505-house-investigations-trump-administration/
https://x.com/atrupar/status/2118335426968616973?a=tRXmF86Rp3SEkpIuB_E&s=20
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/15/paolo-zampolli-fired-state-department-trump-01121739
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/house-democrats-call-for-special-counsel-to-investigate-trump-s-ties-to-epstein/ar-AA2g6UnX
https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/judiciary-democrats-report-details-mounting-evidence-linking-trump-to-epstein-s-criminal-activities-and-doj-s-cover-up-specific-accounts-involving-11-women-provide-more-evidence-of-potential-sex-crimes
https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/318-garment-factories-closed-amid-labour-unrest-over-7-lakh-workers-leave-workplaces
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/national-international/paraguay-president-santiago-pena-resigns-following-bank-collapse/4102079/
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In part 2, Dennis Hastert lucks his way into becoming Speaker of the House and helps Congress redefine corruption for the 21st century. And then, after his retirement, it all comes crashing down.
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Robert tells Miles Gray the tangled story of Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House, pioneer of congressional corruption, and pedophile.
Sources:
Prosecutors detail sex abuse allegations against Dennis Hastert | PBS News Weekend
Dennis Hastert Dies at 84: Timeline of Scandals, Controversies and Criminal Conviction - Newsweek
Uncovering the Dennis Hastert cover-up | Bloom Fudali
Former Speaker Dennis Hastert indicted - POLITICO
Hastert returns to his humble beginnings after historic career -- Daily Herald
Washingtonpost.com: Plain-Talking Hastert Poised to Be Speaker
House Speaker Dennis Hastert Can Win Friends, But Can He Influence People? - Page 9 - tribunedigital-chicagotribune
Biography of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert | Dickstein Shapiro
Ex-Yorkville school chief recalls no misconduct complaints against Hastert - Chicago Tribune
Payments by Hastert Linked to Report of Sexual Abuse - NYTimes.com
Dennis Hastert has a history of keeping secrets - Vox
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