The Gist

Democracy Dies in Dark Money

How Montana—and America—got warped by anonymous campaign funds and baseless attack ads.

Filmmakers Kimberly Reed and John S. Adams discuss Dark Money on July 11 in New York.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

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On The Gist, about those outlandish celebrity baby names.

When the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision made unlimited campaign contributions legal, one state put up a fight. In Dark Money, documentary filmmaker Kim Reed and journalist John Adams exposed the influence of anonymous campaign contributions on Montana’s state government even before the Supreme Court rubber-stamped the problem.

In the Spiel, would the high road be so easy to take if Papa John’s pizza were delicious?

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Podcast production by Pierre Bienaimé and Daniel Schroeder.