A financial investigator for Federal law enforcement, David Asher is an expert in the financial side of organized criminal activities. He has been working for decades 'finding the money' to help build cases against some of the most notorious criminal organizations, (including the Gambino crime family) terrorists, and China. In this episode, David lays out the link between China and Mexican drug cartels to promote drug trafficking into the U.S., especially of deadly fentanyl. He also discusses heading the Federal investigation into the origins of the COVID.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Shetland, Scotland native and independent journalist Jen Stout was in Russia in late February 2022 when the war with Ukraine broke out and quickly left for a border post in southern Romania to cover the great flood of refugees who were fleeing the fighting. Weeks later she entered Ukraine to report first-hand from the front lines and cities across the country. A writer with a great sense of empathy, Jen’s main interest was not military strategy or international politics, but the Ukrainian people – their indomitable spirit, their poetic sensibilities their hopes and fears. Her perspective is from the ground and her stories are filed from night trains, birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers. Her very moving book is entitled: “Night Train to Odessa: Covering the Human Cost of the Russia’s War.”

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Former SAS medical officer and current war surgeon, Richard Villar, volunteered to provide medical support in Gaza during the 2024 invasion following the October 7 Hamas attack. He found himself working in a 200-bed hospital overrun with 700 patients, many of whom were women and children The hospital was under constant threat from drones, missiles and naval shells. Despite the constant danger, he and his fellow medics performed complex surgeries on bombing victims. His moving account of his experience, captured in his book, Gaza Medic, transcends the politics of war and focuses on the raw, brutal realities faced by medical professionals in conflict zones.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com