Long Shadow

About Long Shadow

Through a series of riveting, complex narratives, LONG SHADOW makes sense of what people know — and what they thought they knew — about the most pivotal moments in U.S. history, including Waco, Columbine, Y2K, 9/11, COVID-19, January 6, and beyond. Hosted by Pulitzer-finalist historian, author, and journalist Garrett Graff, this Peabody-nominated podcast has been called “rigorous, authoritative, and an electrifying listen” by the Financial Times and honored as one of the year's best podcasts by The Atlantic, Audible, Mashable, Rolling Stone, and The Week. A winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award and the RFK Human Rights Journalism Award, it has also been honored with eight Signal Awards, including for Best History, Best Documentary, Best Technology, and Best Activism, Public Service, & Social Impact Podcast. The second season of LONG SHADOW has been added to the history program at the University of Houston and the third season has been integrated into Harvard Law School's curriculum on the Second Amendment. OUT September 2026: “'Never again' / What is the legacy of 9/11?" a new episode of LONG SHADOW: 9/11's LINGERING QUESTIONS, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. EPISODE DESCRIPTION: In the wake of the September 11 attacks, a promise echoed through the halls of the U.S. government: "Never again." Fueled by post-9/11 fear, the country’s leadership embarked on the largest bureaucratic overhaul in half a century, consolidating 22 federal agencies under the banner of the Department of Homeland Security. The new bureau’s mission was simple: Keep the nation safe and stop the next attack at all costs. But over the years, the obligation to safeguard the homeland slowly laid the groundwork for a different kind of terror — one we’re seeing on America’s streets today. In this special episode of LONG SHADOW, released 5 years after 9/11's LINGERING QUESTIONS premiered and became the #1 history podcast on Apple Podcasts, Garrett Graff traces how the government’s response to the events of September 11 led to the buildup of a massive federal police force, an apparatus that was overtaken by a wave of corruption and criminality amounting to one of the most destructive scandals U.S. law enforcement has ever faced. "In the wake of 9/11," Graff says in the episode, "we couldn't see what was being created." What was constructed, he says, is a “national secret police force stronger and larger than our country could have imagined in August of 2001.” Listen today, and find out how we got here. LONG SHADOW is produced by the award-winning journalism studio Long Lead (https://longlead.com/) and distributed by PRX (https://www.prx.org/). For more visit www.longlead.com (https://www.longlead.com/) and www.longshadowpodcast.com (https://www.longshadowpodcast.com/).

Publisher

Long Lead & PRX

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

21 Jul 2021

Latest episode

1 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

20 of 40 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   1 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   “Never again” / What is the legacy of 9/11?

   Host Alex Wagner explores the enduring and terrifying legacy of the post-9/11 apparatus created by the U.S. government.

2. 

   26 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Trailer: Long Shadow: “Never again” / What is the legacy of 9/11?

   Bestselling author and journalist Garrett Graff explores the enduring legacy of 9/11 and the question of "never again" in this commemorative episode.

3. 

   25 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Question Everything: "I Believed Sandy Hook Was a Hoax" (Bonus)

   Host Brian Reed interviews Kate, a former conspiracy believer, about her realization that Sandy Hook was not a hoax, exploring the implications for Section 230 reform.

Inside a recent episode

“Never again” / What is the legacy of 9/11?

Published 1 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Bush signed the Homeland Security Act into law in November of 2002. We're showing the resolve of this great nation to defend our freedom, our security and our way of life. The Department of Homeland Security consolidated 22 federal agencies under one cabinet level banner. It would prevent future terror attacks, secure the borders, manage immigration and coordinate disaster response. The bill replaced the Immigration and Naturalization Service, or INS, which had been seen as ineffective even before 9-11. Contrary to political rhetoric at the time and since, all 19 9-11 hijackers had come to the US legally, arriving at US airports on commercial flights from overseas. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

143,923

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

2,098 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

594 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 62 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

51

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

99

Contact Long Shadow

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Long Shadow