Rephonic
Artwork for Ball of Thread

Ball of Thread

Marcy Wheeler
Donald Trump
Russia
Stephen Miller
FBI
Hillary Clinton
ICE
Fascism
Ukraine
Supreme Court
Impeachment
Pam Bondi
Department Of Justice
William Barr
January 6 Insurrection
Election Interference
Trump Administration
January 6th
Mueller Investigation
Jim Comey
Grievance Politics

Independent journalist Marcy Wheeler unwinds the true story of the attack on democracy that is bringing the United States to the brink of fascism.

PublishesMonthlyEpisodes59Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
GovernmentTrue Crime

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Ball of Thread

Latest Episodes

Why Andrew Boutros' invocation of Trump v. US in an attempt to dodge sanctions in the Broadview 6 case is terrifying. Support these episodes by backing LOLGOP Studios on Patreon: www.patreon.com/c/LOLGOPStudios

DOJ rolled out a conspiracy indictment against 15 people in Minnesota that risks criminalizing opposition to Trump more generally. Watch: youtu.be/tviFq9EkpvY?si=gqkgx5IUA6qrHHEG

Read more: emptywheel.net/2026/06/26/the-stories-todd... more

Donald Trump has rolled out a Fraud Task Force, under JD Vance and Scott Brady (the guy who set up a way to criminally frame Joe and Hunter Biden). It itself is pretty fraudulent: an effort to shift attention and investigative focus away from the kin... more

To find a resolution with Iran, Trump will need to budge on one or another of his most fundamental psychological rules: He can't oppose Vladimir Putin and he cannot admit that Obama was a better President than Trump.

Produced by LOLGOP Studios. / ... more

Key Facts

Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Serious Trouble
Serious TroubleJosh Barro and Ken White
The DSR Network
The DSR NetworkThe DSR Network
Talking Feds
Talking FedsHarry Litman
UnJustified
UnJustifiedMSW Media

Recent Guests

Kat Abu Ghazale
High-profile congressional candidate in the 9th district, protester at Broadview ICE Center
Unnamed/broadcasting context in episode
Episode: DOJ is invoking Trump v. US in an attempt to dodge accountability for the Broadview 6 case
Mike Davis
Guest brought into discussion about Todd Blanch and DOJ actions
MAGA-aligned political commentary context
Episode: DOJ is invoking Trump v. US in an attempt to dodge accountability for the Broadview 6 case
Bruce Nestor
Past president of the National Lawyers Guild and a criminal defense and immigration attorney
National Lawyers Guild
Episode: DOJ Invents Conspiracies Out of Some Dents in a Car
Sidney Powell
Former lawyer for Donald Trump, discussed in relation to election overturn efforts
Trump legal team
Episode: Donald Trump's Swamp Creature
Lara Trump
Host of My View
My View
Episode: Think of the Iran War as Global War
Yanis Varoufakis
Former finance minister of Greece
University of Athens (professor)
Episode: Think of the Iran War as Global War
Vanessa Diaz
Associate professor at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Episode: Marco Rubio Tries to Tell Europe He's Not the Grandson of an "Illegal" Immigrant
Jean Guerrero
Contributing opinion writer for The New York Times
The New York Times
Episode: UPDATE: Murder on Ice and Water
Kate Starbird
Leading academic and public voice on misinformation and disinformation
Episode: Feed the MAGAt Conspiracism

Host

Marcy Wheeler
Independent journalist known for in-depth investigations and analysis across political and legal topics.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 220 ratings
  • Fantastic analysis

    Her thinking is quick and ties many threads - I sometimes listen to an episode multiple times to get it all in.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    BreakfastToys
    United States7 months ago
  • Informative

    ... is an understatement. Marcy is the best, and check her appearances on "Emptywheel" Fridays on the Nicole Sandler show!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Hutch in CT
    United States9 months ago
  • How did we get here?

    Fantastic (tho painfully real) plumbing through the depths of depravity that, turns out, is now our horrorstory U.S. government. Head-spinning alone how much archival material is blended in to make for a rich audio experience. Thank you for putting this series together as a record of our nightmare.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    sharpkmcm
    United States2 years ago
  • Ball of Threads is excellent!

    The last 2 episodes really bring the series together. The story of Trump/Russia is very dense and complicated, with huge chunks still unknown, and it is, frighteningly, an ongoing problem, as we learn by the day. Thank you, Marcy Wheeler

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Askin’LA
    United States2 years ago
  • One for the History books

    Marcy Wheeler is probably (aside perhaps from Jack Smith) the person with the most in-depth and encyclopedic knowledge of Trump’s crimes since 2016 and is one of the few humans smart enough and dedicated enough to document, put together, and narrate all the threads to show how deliberate and elaborate was the planning and execution of Trump’s successful assault on American democracy, with the help of white supremacists, foreign adversaries and corrupt lawyers and judges. Regardless of what happe... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SL_~
    Canada2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are high-caliber experts, offering rigorous context and useful takeaways for listeners and potential guests.
Thoughtful, data-driven analysis that knits together threads from law, politics, and media.
Marcy Wheeler's deep-dive storytelling connects complex episodes with archival material.
Audio quality and pacing can be uneven, but the substance is strong and compelling.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#18
Denmark/Government
Apple Podcasts
#139
Norway/Government
Apple Podcasts
#143
India/Government
Apple Podcasts
#176
Finland/Government
Apple Podcasts
#184
Ireland/Government
Apple Podcasts
#203
New Zealand/Government

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

4| Devin Nunes' "Collusion"
Q: What do you think the biggest takeaway from this memo is in your eyes?
I'm sad that we had to get to this point.
Bonus Episode: Endangering Trump
Q: What was the most alarming thing that you came across during your review of internal Twitter documents?
There was a regular stream of organized communication between the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the largest tech companies in the country.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Ball of Thread

What is Ball of Thread about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This program tends to center deep-dive analyses at the intersection of politics, law, and media narratives, with a strong emphasis on how power and policy shape civil liberties and democratic processes. Episodes commonly feature expert guests who unpack complex legal and geopolitical topics, weaving archival material with contextual commentary to explain how narratives around crime, immigration, and national security are constructed. A notable pattern is long-form, evidence-based storytelling that connects domestic policy to international implications, often challenging mainstream portrayals and highlighting accountability and misinformation concerns.

Where can I find podcast stats for Ball of Thread?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Ball of Thread. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Ball of Thread and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Ball of Thread get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Ball of Thread, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Ball of Thread?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Ball of Thread, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Ball of Thread have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Ball of Thread has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Ball of Thread?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Ball of Thread:

1. The Nicole Sandler Show
2. Serious Trouble
3. The DSR Network
4. Talking Feds
5. UnJustified

How many episodes of Ball of Thread are there?

Ball of Thread launched 2 years ago and published 59 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Ball of Thread?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Ball of Thread?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Ball of Thread from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Ball of Thread?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Ball of Thread. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Ball of Thread?

Recent guests on Ball of Thread include:

1. Kat Abu Ghazale
2. Mike Davis
3. Bruce Nestor
4. Sidney Powell
5. Lara Trump
6. Yanis Varoufakis
7. Vanessa Diaz
8. Jean Guerrero

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days