This episode of This American Life explores the mythic dimensions of ambition, ego, and institutional power through three modern parables: a journalist’s quixotic quest to become Washington’s official portrait painter, a whistleblower’s account of a government plot to weaponize death re
Sign up to read the full summary
Free AI-powered recaps of every episode, delivered to your inbox.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Mentions
Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.
People
Companies
Topics
Listen to This Episode
More from This American Life
890: Maximal Americanness
889: There’s Something About Hail Mary
892: Trapped on a Bus
881: I Want What I Want
676: Here’s Looking at You, Kid
128: Four Corners
Related episodes
From other shows on similar topics.
Reacting To The De'Von Achane Extension + Tony Takes A Shot At Dwyane Wade | Local Hour
The Dan Le Batard Show
Englands Winning The World Cup & Surviving Temu Ayahuasca
Flagrant
Chew Like You Have A Secret: Thursday, July 16th, 2026
The Toast
U.S. soccer legend Landon Donovan joins! Plus, predictions for an epic Spain-Argentina final.
Apple News Today
FBI Wire on Newsom, Empire State Proposal & Mamdani's War on AC | PBD Podcast #827
PBD Podcast
NPR News: 06-22-2026 10PM EDT
NPR News Now
Get summaries like this every morning.
Free AI-powered recaps of This American Life and your other favorite podcasts, delivered to your inbox.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.