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July 21, 2025 79 mins

For decades, we've been told to fear the wrong people.

In this explosive, five-part deep dive, we uncover the origins of the “groomer” smear — a lie born in bigotry, repackaged through fear, and weaponized by both church leaders and Republican politicians to silence victims and protect abusers.

We expose the real statistics around child sexual abuse. We break down how religious institutions like the Catholic Church and Southern Baptist Convention systemically covered up decades of crimes. We shine a light on missionaries who assaulted children abroad with impunity. And we draw a clear line from the Church’s tactics of denial and deflection… straight to Donald Trump and the GOP’s response to abuse scandals, including Trump’s disturbing ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

This episode is not about scandal. It’s about survivors, systems, and truth. And it’s about ending the lie — once and for all.

Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, religious trauma, and survivor testimony. Listener discretion is advised.

Here is a full list of news articles, reports, and statistics cited throughout the episode:

📚 Sources & References🔹 General Statistics & Abuse Data🔹 Catholic Church & Spotlight Reporting🔹 Southern Baptist Convention Abuse Cover-Up🔹 Missionary Abuse Cases🔹 Trump, Epstein, and GOP Projection🔹 Survivor Testimonies

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