June 8, 2026

888: Not Today, Hades!

Regular people trapped inside Greek myths. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Prologue: When a mysterious, ripped-open package arrives on Pablo's doorstep, he takes it as a sign. (4 minutes)(00:04:47) Act One: Pablo flies closer to the sun. (14 minutes)(00:18:29) Act Two: In Greek mythology, a three-headed dog named Cerberus guards the gates to Hades, making sure only those who are actually dead get in. This story is about a real person who had that job in America — a 25-year veteran of the Social Security Administration who was asked, in a secret meeting with DOGE, to declare 6,000 living people dead. He said no. Then the list grew to 2.7 million. (24 minutes)(00:43:15) Act Three: A mortal gets the assignment of a lifetime — to go interview an actual god who is living on earth, traveling under the name of Lionel Messi. (11 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.

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