In The Dark

Donald Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense caught the attention of the In the Dark team. Hegseth, formerly a weekend co-host of “Fox & Friends,” is a longtime supporter of accused American war criminals, and has called Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL who was tried for murder and other crimes, a “war hero.” The reporters Madeleine Baran and Parker Yesko discuss what Hegseth’s appointment could mean for war-crimes prosecutions under the Trump Administration. 

In the Dark presents the first episode of “Sold a Story,” an award-winning investigative podcast that is changing how children are taught to read. In this episode, “The Problem,” a mother watches her son's first-grade lessons during Zoom school and discovers with dismay that he can’t read. Her son isn’t the only one: more than a third of fourth graders in the United States can’t read on even a basic level. In “Sold a Story,” the host, Emily Hanford, exposes how educators came to believe in a method of teaching reading that doesn’t work, and are now reckoning with the consequences. 

“Sold a Story” is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Learn more at soldastory.org. 

Was it scary to knock on all those Marines’ doors? What was it like to report in Iraq? Is it still possible for any Marines to face consequences for what happened in Haditha? The In the Dark team sits down to answer your questions. 

To view the online-only features of Season 3—the photographs, war-crimes database, and interactive documentary—visit newyorker.com/season3. 

Have a story idea for the In the Dark team? E-mail us at inthedark@newyorker.com. 

For the past year, the Interactives Department at The New Yorker has been working alongside In the Dark on a remarkable visual exploration of what happened that day in Haditha. Sam Wolson, who co-directed the project, joins the podcast to talk about “Cleared by Fire.” 

Find the interactive documentary at newyorker.com/season3. 

Got questions for the In the Dark team? E-mail them to us at inthedark@newyorker.com. 

For years, we’d thought what everyone thought: that there were twenty-four civilians killed by Marines in Haditha on November 19, 2005. But maybe everyone was wrong. 

To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3.

The case against the squad leader, Frank Wuterich, finally goes to trial. 

To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark. 

The audio of Frank Wuterich in this episode comes from the podcast “Murder in House Two,” by Michael Epstein.

The conflicting narratives about what happened in Haditha make their way through the opaque inner workings of the military justice system, until they reach a top commander who decides which story to believe. 

To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark. 

Startling new information emerges from deep within the investigation files. Then the In the Dark team gets a big break. 

To find online-only features, visit newyorker.com/season3. And to get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark. 

Was it a face-off with insurgents or the murder of four innocent brothers? We investigate what happened in the final house the Marines entered that day. 

To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.

Two conflicting stories about what happened that day emerge—one from the Marines involved in the killings, and another from a very different perspective. 
 
To get episodes early and ad-free, visit newyorker.com/dark.