{"podcast":{"title":"The Hidden Third","slug":"the-hidden-third-7538391","podcast_index_feed_id":7538391,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER9417367138","website_url":"https://marianavanzeller.me/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/dcfbbf74-9fac-11f0-8877-4fa940d82a6e/image/f5b2b20cb475ccf4247036ec84dfa83d.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Mariana van Zeller","episode_count":40,"summary":"From Emmy and Peabody Award–winning journalist Mariana van Zeller comes THE HIDDEN THIRD, a weekly dive into the underground markets that quietly power a third of the global economy. Every episode Mariana sits down with people who know these worlds firsthand - the hustlers, smugglers, scammers, kingpins, and those trying to shut them down. The series reveals how they function, why they endure, and the profound ways they impact us all. New episodes drop every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts. The Hidden Third is a co-production of Muck Media and The Roost Podcast Network.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-08T16:20:00.731987+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391"},"episode":{"title":"He Was a Violent Neo-Nazi Leader. Then He Found Out He Is Jewish.","slug":"he-was-a-violent-neo-nazi-leader-then-he-found-out-he-is-jewish","published_at":"2026-05-27T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391/he-was-a-violent-neo-nazi-leader-then-he-found-out-he-is-jewish","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/94/claritaspod.com/measure/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/pfx.vpixl.com/j0JIg/traffic.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER9150923228.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/mgln.ai/e/94/claritaspod.com/measure/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/pfx.vpixl.com/j0JIg/traffic.megaphone.fm/ROOSTER9150923228.mp3","summary":"Join The Hidden Third Patreon today! patreon.com/thehiddenthird Frank Meeink's life runs parallel in many ways to one of the most powerful films ever made about hate in America — American History X. Except his story is real. By 16 he was one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast. By 17 he had his own cable TV show preaching white supremacy. By 18 he was doing hard time in an Illinois prison for kidnapping and beating a teenager. In prison, a friendship with a Black inmate put the first cracks in his beliefs. After his release, a Jewish furniture dealer hired him — swastika tattoo and all — and treated him with more dignity than anyone ever had. Then the Oklahoma City bombing pushed him the rest of the way. He walked into the FBI and told them everything. But the biggest twist came later. A DNA test revealed he had Jewish ancestry. The man who once believed Jews were the root of all evil now keeps kosher and studies Torah. In this episode, Mariana sits down with Frank to talk about his time in the neo-Nazi movement, his deradicalization work, his memoir Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, and his life today — including his marriage to Allison Mack, the Smallville actress who served time for her role in the NXIVM sex cult. Limited Time Offer – You Need Fiber. Yes you! Boost your fiber with Huel today using my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code MARIANA at https://www.huel.com/MARIANA. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Join The Hidden Third Patreon today! patreon.com/thehiddenthird Frank Meeink's life runs parallel in many ways to one of the most powerful films ever made…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":8719,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-hidden-third-7538391/episodes/he-was-a-violent-neo-nazi-leader-then-he-found-out-he-is-jewish/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hidden-third-7538391/he-was-a-violent-neo-nazi-leader-then-he-found-out-he-is-jewish.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}