9 episodes
Homegrown: OKC USG Audio
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- True Crime
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4.4 • 143 Ratings
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Dive into a case of domestic terrorism from the past that’s really a warning about the future.
Back in 1995, there was a disaster that should have prepared us for January 6th and the political violence that we’re seeing today: the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Journalist Jeffrey Toobin reveals the story behind Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City Bombing, and right-wing extremism in America - how a decorated army veteran became consumed with rage, how he somehow went underground and built a bomb that damaged fifty blocks in a modern city, and how everything that led to the horror of April 19th, 1995 is still very present in America.
Homegrown: OKC is a USG Audio podcast produced by Western Sound and Esmail Corp. Based on the book “Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Rightwing Extremism” by Jeffrey Toobin.
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Episode 1: The Blueprint
The Oklahoma City Bombing seemed to come out of nowhere. Initially, America assumed that the attack was committed by Islamic terrorists. But just days later, America found out the truth. The perpetrator was Timothy McVeigh: a white man, a decorated Army veteran, a right wing extremist. Investigators search Timothy McVeigh’s car and find a highlighted excerpt from a racist novel. That book was the blueprint for the bombing, and it connects McVeigh to a movement that still thrives today.
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Episode 2: Mr. Spotless
McVeigh enlists in the Army and quickly gains a reputation as an “exemplary soldier.” For his service in the First Gulf War, McVeigh is awarded medals and commendations. He seems destined for a successful career as a focused member of the military. But soon after McVeigh returns to the United States, he suffers a devastating defeat. And McVeigh blames his failures on the supposed special treatment granted to minorities.
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Episode 3: First Blood
Stuck in a dead-end job, living at home with his dad, and fuming about a football team that can’t seem to win a championship, McVeigh decides to hit the road. He drives to Michigan to stay at the farm of his old Army buddy, Terry Nichols. McVeigh is introduced to a steady stream of outrage from the far right. But it was a siege at a cult compound in Texas that whipped McVeigh into an uncontrollable frenzy.
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Episode 4: Go For It
McVeigh and Nichols go underground, devoting themselves to an attack on a federal building. The plot takes months of secret, detailed preparation. There were so many moments where it could have all fallen apart. But finally, McVeigh drives towards Oklahoma City in a truck loaded with twelve barrels filled with fertilizer and fuel. But despite all the careful planning, McVeigh left behind a trail of clues.
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Episode 5: The Oklahoma Standard
April 19th, 1995. The explosion in downtown Oklahoma City can be felt 55 miles away. 168 people, including 19 children, are killed. Immediately, a heroic rescue effort begins in the ruins of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building. Meanwhile, Timothy McVeigh is speeding up a highway, getting away. Investigators work around the clock to find him. A lot of hard work (and a fair amount of luck) pays off.
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Episode 6: Clutter
Inside the White House, President Clinton immediately suspects that the bombing was a domestic attack on the federal government. That hunch proves to be correct, and the President tries to warn the American public about the threat from the far right. But the investigation is soon handed to a then-obscure lawyer inside the Justice Department named Merrick Garland. Garland narrows his focus down to a single case to try and to win.
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Customer Reviews
Halfway through the first episode
And I had to pause, because the revelation that McVeigh was an incel was jaw-dropping. The use of the word “Patriot” hides that core truth, especially as someone who came of age during this event. The assertion of this series is correct: OKC and Jan 6th and other such incidents are not stand-alone events; they are all related and this is a very old problem. Mr. Toobin’s work is excellent.
Irresponsible journalism
Although there are some similarities between the militia movement and the MAGA movement, it’s dangerous and irresponsible to suggest that they are one in the same. Not to mention, it’s cynical to use this atrocious act of violence as a quasi rallying call for electoral politics. I would say this is the all time low point for this man’s career, but then there was that zoom call…
Renouncing responsibility
I’m not taking a political stance either way but very interested in your response. In episode six you state that Republican party should take responsibility for encouraging extremists and these type of activities. I’m curious if you will hold the Democratic Party responsible for parties and individuals who tried to take over Seattle, those who riot and destroy property while pushing to defund the police and the student insurrections we are seeing supporting Hamas. All of these are individuals on the far left.