Long Shadow

Long Lead & PRX & The Trace & Campside Media

The April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School hurtled the United States into an era of mass shootings. Now, a quarter century later, the horrors of that day have become an almost regular facet of American life, and gun violence a record-smashing epidemic. Clad in both camouflage and Kevlar, 21st-century America is a bastion of freedom where workplaces require active shooter protocols, schools run lockdown drills, and the Second Amendment has become a religion unto itself.

Guns are a uniquely American problem, but the U.S. wasn’t always like this. LONG SHADOW: IN GUNS WE TRUST explores the story of the people — some names you'll know, some you won't — who changed the way America relates to guns, for better or worse. This season, host Garrett Graff, in collaboration with The Trace, chronicles how firearms moved from being an ordinary part of the background of rural life to a menacing element of modern American life.

Crackling with rich archival tape and riveting eyewitness and expert interviews, this narrative podcast examines threads of history that are vitally relevant to our current political climate. In LONG SHADOW’s first season, Graff, a Pulitzer-finalist and a best-selling author and historian, examined the lingering questions of 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Season two chronicled how bloody tragedies at the hands of federal agents led to the rise of American far-right extremism and ultimately the January 6 insurrection. Season three will help listeners understand how simply carrying firearms has become its own act of defiance, and how a very specific, carefully manufactured fear has driven explosive demand for guns across America. How did we get here? Subscribe and listen to LONG SHADOW to find out.

LONG SHADOW: IN GUNS WE TRUST is produced by Long Lead and Campside Media in collaboration with The Trace, and is distributed by PRX.

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Our Editor's Take

The lingering horrors of US tragedies still haunt many. Raids, bombings, attacks, and more have formed part of the nation's history. But some of the biggest questions surrounding these incidents remain unanswered. Long Shadow is a podcast that hopes to provide explanations. The show uncovers more about big events, including 9/11 and the US Capitol riots. Host Garrett Graf tries to work out how America got the far right so wrong.

Making sense of any large-scale tragedy is difficult. Decades on, there are still many mysteries. It raises the question-will there be some things people will never know? Although that's possible, Long Shadow attempts to provide as much information as possible.

The first season of the show focuses on the events of 9/11. But the show touches on other events like the Ruby Ridge raid, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the Waco siege. The commonality is that they're all standout moments in US history. Graf as he presents details and information on each.

Long Shadow contains sound snippets, music, and archival interviews. These add to the storytelling nature of the episodes and transports listeners into the moment. Plus, Graf's reporting background means he presents information in an engaging way. He discusses challenging topics with utmost reverence.

While these factors make him an incredible host, it's his persistence for answers that make him exceptional. Graf continues searching, even when it might be risky or confronting. This aspect means listeners get insights that they're unlikely to find elsewhere. It also makes the podcast an excellent source of information. For this reason, Long Shadow makes learning about America's history more accessible.

This podcast is for people who refuse to accept the status quo. It contains content on events that aren't available in mainstream media. Listeners won't find these theories in their morning news or on their TVs. Long Shadow details why these events happened, who initiated them, and their impact. It asks questions others might never have thought to raise. But better than that, it attempts to answer them, too.

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HistoryHistory

Play Trailer

Trailer: Long Shadow: 9/11's Lingering Questions

Trailer: Long Shadow: 9/11's Lingering Questions

Many of us watched the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 unfold right before our eyes. In the years since, law enforcement, congressional inquiries and the press have successfully uncovered more about what happened that day. But now on the 20th Anniversary of the attacks, many mysteries remain. Hosted by bestselling author and reporter Garrett Graff, Long Shadow answers those lingering questions and explores other enduring mysteries that still surround 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Premiering this August, produced by Long Lead and Goat Rodeo.

Season 3

Trailer: In Guns We Trust

Trailer: In Guns We Trust

This season host Garrett Graff, in collaboration with The Trace, recounts how a very specific, carefully manufactured fear has driven explosive demand for guns across the U.S. It’s the history of how firearms went from being an ordinary part of rural American life to a menacing element in modern society — and the epidemic of gun violence that’s come with it. How did we get here — how did America get so divided over guns — and can we we find a way forward? Find out, this season on LONG SHADOW.LONG SHADOW: IN GUNS WE TRUST is produced by Long Lead and Campside Media in collaboration with The Trace, and is distributed by PRX.

A Uniquely American Problem

A Uniquely American Problem

Mass shootings have plagued the U.S. for generations. But in 1999, when shots rang out in a suburban Denver school, it was different. What changed? Everything.

Shall Not Be Infringed

Shall Not Be Infringed

The Second Amendment may have begun as a Constitutional afterthought, but a late 20th-century ideological shift caused some to view it as a sacred right in the name of self defense.

In the 1980s, a pair of intimidating NRA leaders recast the organization in their own imposing images as the group went on an all-out offensive against gun regulations.

Season 2

Trailer: Long Shadow: Rise of the American Far Right

Trailer: Long Shadow: Rise of the American Far Right

The Ruby Ridge raid, the Waco siege at the Branch Davidian compound, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Jan. 6 insurrection… they are all explosive moments in recent U.S. history. But connect the dots between these—and other—seemingly disparate, violent events, and you’ll answer some of the most existential questions facing the U.S. today: How did America get the far right so wrong? What will it take now to get it right? In LONG SHADOW’s first season, host Garrett Graff examined the lingering questions of 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Season two, LONG SHADOW: RISE OF THE AMERICAN FAR RIGHT, explores how the modern domestic extremist movement grew from a fatal shootout on a mountain top in Idaho, was fanned by a fiery fiasco on the plains of Texas, and ultimately led to a riot on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.Crackling with rich archival tape and riveting eyewitness and expert interviews, this seven-episode narrative podcast examines a thread of history that’s vitally relevant to our current political climate. It will help listeners understand why the fringe is overrunning the mainstream, conspiracy theorists have captured offices in Congress, and peaceful protests are turning into riots. How did we get here? Find out by following and listening to LONG SHADOW: RISE OF THE AMERICAN FAR RIGHT. Co-produced by Long Lead and Campside Media

Waco: The Spark

Waco: The Spark

Out of the flames of a tragic government mishap—the 1993 siege at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas—the modern far-right movement is born.

Ruby Ridge: The Revolution Begins

Ruby Ridge: The Revolution Begins

The government lays siege to Ruby Ridge, Idaho, where Randy Weaver and his family are hiding out in the shadow of a growing white supremacist movement, a year before Waco.

Oklahoma City: Sic Semper Tyrannis

Oklahoma City: Sic Semper Tyrannis

Experts claimed 1995’s Oklahoma City bombing was a lone-wolf event, but Timothy McVeigh’s act of retribution for the Waco siege, shows how domestic extremism has evolved.

Info War: From the Fringe to Fox News

Info War: From the Fringe to Fox News

Using conspiracy theories and anger to amass enormous audiences in the 1990s, Rush Limbaugh and Bill Cooper pave the way for Fox News to mainstream far-right outrage.

The Bundys: A Call to Arms

The Bundys: A Call to Arms

When the government seizes Cliven Bundy’s cattle over unpaid grazing fees, militias like the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers—which are later at 1/6—aid a standoff on his ranch.

MAGA: American Carnage

MAGA: American Carnage

After Trump’s election, far-right extremism explodes, and internet racism boils over into the real world. From Charleston to Charlottesville to Christchurch, experts warn of a race war.

January 6: Day of the Rope

January 6: Day of the Rope

Emboldened by COVID lockdown protests and fighting Black Lives Matter demonstrators, far-right extremists and white power groups prepare to overthrow the government on Jan. 6… or a later date.

Season 1

Trailer: Long Shadow: 9/11's Lingering Questions

Trailer: Long Shadow: 9/11's Lingering Questions

Many of us watched the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 unfold right before our eyes. In the years since, law enforcement, congressional inquiries and the press have successfully uncovered more about what happened that day. But now on the 20th Anniversary of the attacks, many mysteries remain. Hosted by bestselling author and reporter Garrett Graff, Long Shadow answers those lingering questions and explores other enduring mysteries that still surround 9/11, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Premiering this August, produced by Long Lead and Goat Rodeo.

Why weren’t more people rescued from the Twin Towers?

Why weren’t more people rescued from the Twin Towers?

After both towers of the World Trade Center were hit on September 11, 2001, first responders coordinated the largest emergency response in New York City’s history. But their heroism at Ground Zero was hampered by institutional bureaucracy and ultimately undone by decisions made decades earlier, when the Twin Towers were built.So why did these iconic structures and architectural marvels fall so fast? Could more people have been rescued from the towers? And could some of those deaths have been avoided?

What was the target of United Airlines Flight 93?

What was the target of United Airlines Flight 93?

Every defense mechanism the U.S. government had on 9/11 failed except for one: the passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93. They were on the final plane to be hijacked that day and heard reports of the attacks from loved ones on the ground. Then they rallied to stop the terrorist plot.But where was the plane headed before it crashed? What was the intended target of the Flight 93 hijackers?

Who issued the order to shoot down Flight 93?

Who issued the order to shoot down Flight 93?

With the Capitol under attack, the President on Air Force One, and the Defense Secretary missing, Vice President Dick Cheney was the most powerful man in the country on the morning of 9/11. From a bunker beneath the White House, he gave fighter pilots flying above the Capitol permission to shoot down hijacked commercial planes.But did Cheney actually have the authority to issue this order? Did he and President Bush connect before or after Cheney ordered the fighters into battle? And was the U.S. even ready to shoot down any hijacked flights?

Was there a “fifth plane” on 9/11?

Was there a “fifth plane” on 9/11?

After the first two hijackings, the nation’s air traffic controllers quickly and efficiently grounded thousands of planes flying to and over the continental United States. Their quick thinking is said to have potentially saved countless lives.But what if another plane was meant to be hijacked that day, and never made it off the ground? What if there was a fifth plane on 9/11?

Could 9/11 have been stopped before it happened?

Could 9/11 have been stopped before it happened?

Before 9/11, FBI Special Agent John O’Neill kept setting off alarms about the emerging terrorist organization al-Qaeda and their mysterious leader Osama Bin Laden. As a result of his warnings the FBI knew terrorists were planning a big attack and the CIA even had eyes on two of the eventual hijackers prior to the attacks.So what went wrong? Why didn’t they capture the hijackers? What more could law enforcement have done to stop the attacks? And could they have been prevented?

Who was the 20th hijacker?

Who was the 20th hijacker?

Immediately after 9/11, investigators began piecing together the plot. In the flight manifests, they discovered a pattern: A team of five terrorists hijacked every plane that day, except for one. United Airlines Flight 93 had only four hijackers. Investigators believed one person was missing from that group.Who was the 20th hijacker — if there even was one? And is there a 9/11 hijacker still on the loose?

What was the Saudi connection to 9/11?

What was the Saudi connection to 9/11?

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia, which was also the home of al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama Bin Laden. In the days after September 11, dozens of his friends, family members and business associates left the U.S. on secret flights bound for The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. That has led to questions that four presidents have avoided answering:What role did the Saudi government play in the attacks? What did it know?Even worse, did it help?