The voicemail message says someone from your past needs your help. Would you respond, if it meant getting involved in a murder trial?

From Russia With Love Two women, a tiny boat, the wide open ocean...and kismet. Elena has written a book about their adventure, called Talking to the Moon. You can read the story on the couple’s website, http://www.cadenza.ca/index.php/en/talking-to-the-moon-en/ You can learn more about Elena and Meg’s journey at their other website, anticruise ...…

A computer hacker tries to make his way home through two countries, a dense jungle and a seemingly endless string of technical challenges.

It was both a tragedy and a punchline. The story behind a cult that changed the world. Snap Presents "Heaven's Gate".

When a man is falsely accused of kidnapping a police officer, he tells a lie to set himself free. But that lie comes at an enormous cost.

There was a legend in central Maine, about a hermit who had lived in the woods, unseen, for 30 years. Then, in 2013, the police arrested a man named Christopher Knight. To learn more about Chris Knight’s story, be sure to check out journalist’s Mike Finkel’s book, The Stranger In The Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit. Produ ...…

Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. On the next all-NEW Snap… “This Is Not A Drill”. A very special presentation of the day the world almost ended.

Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. On the next all-NEW Snap… “This Is Not A Drill”. A very special presentation of the day the world almost ended.

A young man has the chance to work on a very secret, very powerful weapon that could put an end to world war II. The project involves no toxins, no chemicals, no shrapnel and no bullets. Instead, the project involves lots and lots of flying mammals. Lots. Content Advisory: This story details a war situation involving both people and animals, Li ...…

When you feel the walls coming closer and closer, where do you go? Where do you hide?

On the next Snap...a special presentation: "The Look Back 2018 Special." Coming to terms… with events that have happened, but that you don’t want to believe. Featuring some favorite Snap stories from the vault.

Snap Judgment spotlights the amazing podcast Ear Hustle: The Big No No, stories from San Quentin State Prison.

Kassem Eid had spent two years living in a city under siege. After he and his neighbors took part in the protests during the Arab Spring in 2011, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad began to punish towns like Kassem’s. His forces bombed them, surrounded them, and starved them. That’s when Kassem decided to fight back.…

The story of a young man sent out alone on a dark and deadly mission to save the world.

STORIES THE BEST LITTLE SWIMMER Terry Galloway is ten years old and absolutely hot for summer camp. The only problem is, her family can’t afford it. But after she fails a hearing test at school, Terry learns that she is deaf -- and also eligible to attend The Lions Camp for Crippled Children, a summer camp that is free to kids with disabilities ...…

"Bad Hair Cut" - When the man in charge of a small, insular northern Ohio town wreaks havoc on his followers, a young Amish boy with a passion for good hair tries to clean up the mess.

What do you do when you are trying to give birth... in the middle of a wildfire? Nicole Veum is interviewed live by producer April Demobosky for "The Fire Tapes" The Fire Tapes is a collaboration between KQED's "The Bay" and Snap Judgment for the Coal + Ice Festival in San Francisco. Producers: Sukey Lewis, Mark Ristich and Jeremy Siegel.…

Counted: An Oakland Story is the story of the people lost to Oakland’s violence. During 2017, a team of Snap Judgment producers, learned about Oakland’s homicide victims, their families and communities. Visit oaklandstory.org for more interviews, photos and illustrations.

Glynn Washington - Friday Night Lockdown Glynn's father has a strict rule for Friday nights...the Second Coming.Performed live by Glynn Washington at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Jen Kober - Girl Scout Cookies As a littler girl, Jen Kober discovered the allure of being a brownie scout: the Girl Scout Cookie. Holding out for Girl Scout Cookie r ...…

The Birds: As a little boy in Richmond Virginia, raising pigeons, Ray Christian made a friend with the same hobby. But there was something mysterious about Ray’s new pal. The Taxidermist: When Tracey started doing taxidermy, she assumed all her subjects would be dead. Until she met a squirrel who didn't seem quite right. The Visage: A man is hi ...…

Get 13 all-new episodes of Spooked Season 2 at Spookedpodcast.org. THE IRON GATE When Dallas Sanchez was stationed in Iraq, he saw danger every single day. But one night on patrol, when his small kill team took over a house in Baghdad, an unseen force had a message for them: Get. Out.

Pro rock climbers Jason Smith and Tommy Caldwell know a thing or two about dangerous even life threatening adventures, but when they go on an expedition to the famous Yellow Wall in Kyrgyzstan, their lives were threatened in a whole new way.

What if you had two choices. Either risk death, or start over in a completely new life. Now imagine you had to make that decision for your child.

When Mansoor Adayfi was 19 years old, he was shipped to Guantanamo Bay detention center. He had no idea where he was or why he was there. But he was held there for 14 years. During that time, Mansoor attended informal marriage classes held by a fellow inmate and began writing love letters despite never having been in love. Mansoor is currently ...…

In the mid-70s, Conan was hired to direct and produce a nature documentary. But he wanted to do something more ambitious. The film he made "Faces of Death" became one of the most infamous movies ever, but his success came with deadly consequences.

Sometimes the only word you hear is "No." But what if you always said "Yes"? Snap Judgment proudly presents "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy". Stories Forbidden Fruit An aspiring priest decides to experience all that the world has to offer. The Faith Healer Imagine putting your hands on someone, and curing whatever ails them. Charles Monroe K ...…

What if you could be you without all of the responsibility, the guilt, and the self-loathing? Too good to be true? ...Maybe not. Stories Marwencol - When Mark Hogancamp woke up in the hospital he had no idea who he was or where he was. He was beat up so badly that he couldn’t walk, talk or speak. His therapy? Marwencol. Friday Night Lights - Yo ...…

When you’re a safari guide on the Zambezi River, you always know that things could go horribly wrong. You can find Paul Templer’s memoir here. Producer: Erika Lantz Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Featuring a new story from the "Real Black Klansman" Detective Ron Stallworth. On the next Snap...we're going face to face with "The Klan." Includes a bonus Snap Classic story from boogie-woogie pianist Daryl Davis, author of “Klan-Destine Relationships.”

Stories: "Mirror Touch" - Neurologist Joel Salinas on mirror-touch synaesthesia. "What Accent?" - Ellen Spencer with Foreign Accent Syndrome. "The Bat Boy and the Pine Tar Game" - Merrit Riley and his hero George Brett.

After a salesman at Oakland’s Lake Merritt disappears, journalist Tammerlin Drummond investigates what happened to him. Video used in story provided by user ritchhazel on YouTube.

Spooked Season II is now available at SpookedPodcast.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's coming. It's bigger and badder and all new... Spooked Season II. From Snap Judgment and WNYC Studios, host Glynn Washington pushes back the veil to bring you stories from real people battling the forces of the night. Subscribe now at SpookedPodcast.org to get a new Spooked episode every week leading up to Halloween.…

Dylan Evans had hit a wall. Life was becoming too routine, too mundane. So he did something very few of us would do to change that. For more check out Dylan Evan’s book: The Utopia Experiment Producer:Nancy Lopez Sound Design: Pat Mesiti-Miller

In the 1970s, thousands of Vietnamese refugees were left on the remote Anambas Islands in Indonesia. They were stranded without food, water, and shelter, forced to survive off the land. Now, almost 40 years later, one woman wants to go back to those distant islands, one last time. This story would not have been possible without their generous s ...…

In 2009, Jane Gillooly came across an item on Ebay that piqued her imagination. The picture was of a suitcase filled with old audiotapes. The listing’s title was “Suitcase of Love and Shame.” You can purchase Jane’s feature-length documentary film, Suitcase of Love and Shame, on iTunes and learn more about it at Cinemaguild.…

The story of The Mirage, the famous undercover Chicago Sun bar, as told by two reporters posing as bartenders. Pam Zekman currently works as an investigative reporter for CBS 2 Chicago. You can find Zay Smith’s book about The Mirage, his humor column and a his novel, at zaysmith.com.

An all new season of Spooked, the podcast, is dropping early August. In this episode, we’re featuring some of our favorite stories from Spooked, season one.

The first rule about fight club is you do not talk about fight club. Ray Christian breaks that rule. You can hear more of Ray on his podcast What's Ray Saying. Producer: Mark Ristich Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

Snap Judgment joins the podcast Ear Hustle for a look at parenting from inside San Quentin State Prison. In this episode incarcerated fathers share their stories of striving to be present in their children's lives. One inmate reconnects with his son after 20 years. Another stays very involved through letters and visits. And a third gets the opp ...…

In 2006, a wolf was born in Yellowstone who would become a legend in her own time. For more about the 06 Female and the debate surrounding wolves in Yellowstone, be sure to check out Jeff Hull's article in Outside Magazine and Nate Rott's special report for NPR. Producer: Joe Rosenberg

What do you do when someone tells you something you know to be false, and yet...you can just tell they're telling the truth? On the next all-NEW Snap..."Beyond Belief." STORIES Chaotic Good Malaclypse was part of a dangerous anarchist group. They stole, they killed, they escaped, until one day when Malaclypse could run no further... Modern Love ...…

What if you don't have a heart? STORIES If I Only Had A Heart The sum of the parts cannot equal the hole in your heart. The Scientist And The Psychopath Neuroanatomist Dr. James Fallon studies the most dangerous kind of person: the psychopath. His job is to get up close and personal with the mind of the psychopath so that we can better understa ...…

When the fight is over we still have to deal with the pieces of the battle that remain inside. Featuring The Warrior Box and Soul of a Soldier.

When Avi Steinberg became a prison librarian, he thought his job would be to keep track of the books. Then he started reading between the lines. Producer: Joe Rosenberg

STORIES "The Choice" from the Lucky Podcast Nada Rothbart thought she’d have plenty of time to get her family out of Sarajevo. Suddenly, it was too late. This story originally aired on Lucky podcast, listen to part two of Nada’s story "The Choice" here. "Live At The Morgue" from The Nocturnists Podcast What do you do when the morgue has a total ...…

On the next Snap Classic, we bring you one of our most beloved stories of all time. In the desert of northern South Africa you come across a little puddle. If you dive down into that puddle, at the bottom there is a slot. This is the entrance to third largest freshwater cave in the world. This is where the adventure begins. Producer: Julia DeWitt…

At the height of the Cold War, Ulrike Poppe just might have been the most surveilled woman in the world. But it was only after the wall fell that things got really interesting. Producer: Luisa Beck with Production Assistance By Joe Rosenberg Original Score: Renzo Gorrio

For two years, ISIS fought to take over the city of Mosul, killing 40,000 civilians. This is a story about a group of men and women from around the world who packed up their bags, flew into Iraq, and made their way to Mosul to try their hand at fighting ISIS back. Check out more from the Free Burma Rangers at http://www.freeburmarangers.org/ Al ...…

When a rising high school track star in Eritrea, East Africa, is arrested under the military dictatorship, he realizes he might have a way out....run.