The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’
The Daily9 Jul 2023

The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’

The wave of scandals that would engulf Spain began with a police raid on a wooded property outside Madrid. It was Nov. 3, 2017, and the target was José Manuel Villarejo Pérez, a former government spy. Villarejo’s name had been circulating in the Spanish press for years. He was rumored to have had powerful friends and to have kept dirt on them all. The impressive variety of allegations against him — forgery, bribery, extortion, influence peddling — had earned him the nickname “king of the sewers.”

For many decades, Villarejo’s face had been known to almost no one. He was, after all, a spy — and not just any spy, but one who had started his career in the secret police of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. In those years, he would dress in overalls from Telefónica, the national telephone company, as he conducted surveillance operations in the mountains, and on several occasions he even wore a priest’s collar in order to infiltrate the Basque separatist group ETA. More recently, Villarejo had taken to simply introducing himself as a lawyer who ran a private-investigation firm, offering those he met to dig up compromising material on their enemies. His formal connection to the government was increasingly ambiguous. Of all of the identities he assumed over the years, this was perhaps the most powerful one. It made him rich through the hefty fees he charged, and it opened a door into the worlds of business tycoons, government ministers, aristocrats, judges, newspaper editors and arms traffickers — all of whose trust he gained, all of whose private words he taped.

Villarejo was handcuffed and taken to Madrid. But as he sat in jail awaiting trial, the question left hanging over Spain was this: What happens to a country’s secrets when they have all been recorded by one man? And what happens when that man finds himself suddenly backed into a corner?

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episoder(2695)

'The Interview': Robert Reich Thinks the Baby Boomers Blew It

'The Interview': Robert Reich Thinks the Baby Boomers Blew It

The former U.S. Labor Secretary on how complacency and corporate ties created a “bully in chief.” Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

26 Jul 43min

100 Years of ‘The Great Gatsby’

100 Years of ‘The Great Gatsby’

This year, “The Great Gatsby” turns 100.A.O. Scott, a critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, tells the story of how an overlooked book by a 28-year-old author eventually became the great American novel, and explores why all of these decades later, we still see ourselves in its pages.Guest: A.O. Scott, a critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, writing about literature and ideas.Background reading: What the hero in “The Great Gatsby” tell us about how we see ourselves.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Abigail Cole/University of South Carolina Libraries Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

25 Jul 41min

How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly

How Seeking Food in Gaza Has Become So Deadly

The suffering in Gaza has reached new depths, and now finding food, which was already scarce, has become a deadly endeavor.Israeli forces have opened fire on crowds of desperate and hungry people who were trying to reach aid sites established by a new and controversial humanitarian group. Hundreds of people have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.Aaron Boxerman, who covers Gaza for The Times, explains who is behind the distribution system and why it has been so deadly.Guest: Aaron Boxerman, a reporter for The New York Times covering Israel and Gaza.Background reading: Dozens were killed in shootings that took place after thousands of Palestinians gathered in the hope of getting humanitarian aid from U.N. trucks entering the Gaza Strip.Israel-backed aid sites in Gaza pose a lethal risk for Palestinians.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

24 Jul 32min

A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

A D.O.J. Whistleblower Speaks Out

Warning: This episode contains strong language.An explosive whistle-blower report claims that the Justice Department is asking government lawyers to lie to the courts, and that this has forced career officials to chose between upholding the Constitution and pledging loyalty to the president.Rachel Abrams speaks to the whistle-blower about his career in the Justice Department and his complaint saying he was fired for telling the truth.Guest: Erez Reuveni, who filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Department of Justice.Background reading: Mr. Reuveni has warned of an assault on the law by the Trump administration.At the Justice Department, Emil Bove III suggested violating court orders, according to the complaint.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Kent Nishimura for The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

23 Jul 34min

Why Trump Just Gave China the Keys to A.I.’s Future

Why Trump Just Gave China the Keys to A.I.’s Future

In the global fight to dominate A.I., China is quickly catching up to the United States — which is why President Trump barred the tech giant Nvidia from selling its superpowered computer chips to Chinese companies.Then, a few days ago, Mr. Trump abruptly changed course.Tripp Mickle, who covers Silicon Valley for The New York Times, explains how Nvidia’s C.E.O. persuaded the president that the best way to beat China at A.I. is to help them compete.Guest: Tripp Mickle, who reports about Silicon Valley for The New York Times.Background reading: Nvidia said that the U.S. had lifted restrictions on A.I. chip sales to China.How Nvidia’s Jensen Huang persuaded Mr. Trump to sell A.I. chips to China.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Pete Marovich for The New York Times Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

22 Jul 31min

How Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Narrative

How Trump Lost Control of the Epstein Narrative

For the past two weeks, President Trump has been trying and failing to get his supporters to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein.David Enrich, a deputy investigations editor for The New York Times, and Shawn McCreesh, a Times White House correspondent, explain why MAGA won’t let go of this scandal, how the president misread his own base — and what all this shows about the limits of Mr. Trump’s power. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

21 Jul 28min

‘Modern Love’: How to Keep Love Alive, With Rob Delaney of ‘Dying for Sex’

‘Modern Love’: How to Keep Love Alive, With Rob Delaney of ‘Dying for Sex’

When we meet Rob Delaney’s character, “Neighbor Guy,” in FX’s limited series “Dying for Sex,” he’s scarfing down a burrito in an elevator, dripping food on his face and the floor. But Delaney’s performance reveals that under Neighbor Guy’s messy exterior is a man capable of deep vulnerability and empathy.“Dying for Sex” follows a woman named Molly, played by Michelle Williams, who is dying of cancer and desperate to experience sexual pleasure before it’s too late. At first, Molly thinks Neighbor Guy is disgusting, but the two soon discover they make sense together, sexually and emotionally. Williams and Delaney received Emmy nominations for their roles.On this episode of Modern Love, Delaney tells host Anna Martin why exposing the messy and painful parts of ourselves to other people can be rewarding and hilarious. He talks about tending his own relationship and reads a Modern Love essay about a couple who decides to try some role play to avoid getting too comfortable with each other.For more Modern Love, search for the show wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

20 Jul 37min

'The Interview': Sandra Oh Knows What's Great About Middle Age

'The Interview': Sandra Oh Knows What's Great About Middle Age

The actress discusses discrimination in Hollywood, what she’s learned about herself in her 50s and her iconic role on "Grey's Anatomy.” Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

19 Jul 41min

Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
forklart
popradet
stopp-verden
det-store-bildet
dine-penger-pengeradet
nokon-ma-ga
fotballpodden-2
e24-podden
frokostshowet-pa-p5
aftenbla-bla
rss-gukild-johaug
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-ness
bt-dokumentar-2
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
kommentarer-fra-aftenposten
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene