Episode 252: When Your Friend Is a Fraud—the Mystery of a High-Flying New York Player

This week, author Jane Boon recounts her friendship with Matthew Pietras, a dashing, handsome fixture on the New York social scene who worked for the Soros family and whose life now seems to have been an enormous grift. Then Elena Clavarino reports from Italy on how some of the country’s most cherished artworks may in fact be smuggled Mafia booty. And finally, Clint Eastwood has dominated Hollywood for longer than most anyone else, all while containing countless contradictions. Shawn Levy has written a new biography of the 95-year-old director, and he shares his insights. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It was almost a year ago that a young man named Thomas Crooks tried to assassinate Donald Trump. Yet, all this time later, he and his motives remain essentially a mystery. Our writer Rich Cohen has been looking into Crooks’s life and death and is here with a revealing report. Then, everyone knows Burt Reynolds as the wry, handsome star of such 1970s hit movies as Deliverance. But as Josh Karp writes, Reynolds also had a dream: to open a dinner theater next to a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. And finally, if you are looking to get away to Italy this summer, you might want to check into one of our favorite places, Il Pellicano, which just celebrated its 60th birthday. Marie-Louise Sciò, the C.E.O. of this magnificent property, will join us to tell us all about what makes it so magical.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Ashley Baker reports on why London is a steal if you want to live abroad. Then, James Sikura tells us how famed Hollywood producer Robert Evans was behind the making of one of the most star-studded—and least effective—anti-drug specials of all time. And finally, Linda Wells, the Editor of Air Mail Look, has what we all need to look healthy and glowing this summer. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Mitchell Prothero joins us with his report on why Jared Kushner is pursuing a multi-million-dollar development deal on an uninhabitable former Cold War air base in Albania. Then, many of you are no doubt watching Outrageous, the new series on BritBox that charts the dazzling and controversial lives of the Mitford sisters. Well, our colleague George Pendle reveals that the glamorous sisters' lives were more complicated than we knew, filled with suicides, Nazi-esque orgies, and a classic P. G. Wodehouse character with a radioactive legacy: British Fascist Oswald Mosley, the second husband of Diana Mitford. And finally, Michelle Mone, the scandal-plagued lingerie hawker known as "Baroness Bra," has become a pariah in her native United Kingdom. Now she's trying to start fresh in—where else?—Florida. Stuart Heritage will join us from England to give us the story.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It may feel like the world is going to hell, but for Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, it’s a Bonfire of the Vanities moment. In a little less than two weeks, the billionaire and his fiancée will take over Venice for the wedding that will be a three-day party, and Stuart Heritage tells us what we can expect. Then, speaking of the ultra-rich seizing control of beautiful destinations, Joseph Bullmore reports from the Cotswolds on how Stephen Schwarzman, the billionaire chairman and C.E.O. of Blackstone, has ruffled feathers among locals. And finally, there might have been no fashion designer more beloved in New York City than the late Kate Spade. The company’s co-founder, Elyce Arons, has written a book about her, and she’ll discuss how Spade went from being a broke student in Kansas to the name on every New York woman’s purse.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Oscar-winning actor Jared Leto has starred in films ranging from American Psycho to House of Gucci. Now he stands accused of impropriety and grooming by 10 women. Our writer Elena Clavarino has her report. Then our correspondent in Moscow, Katya V., joins us to discuss the mood in Russia as Putin seems strangely vulnerable. Later, George Pendle reveals how one of Africa’s richest men did the impossible—made Trump shut up. And finally, Gracie Wiener explains why the popular crafting site Etsy has become the place for people to find … a witch.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Sam Tanenhaus discusses the life of William F. Buckley Jr., the man who set the blueprint for the modern conservative movement, which has reached a new iteration in Donald Trump. Then, speaking of consequential figures, we consider a man who left an enormous impact on Hollywood: Desi Arnaz. Todd S. Purdum tells us all about Arnaz’s groundbreaking life and career. And finally, a special treat: Cazzie David joins us from Los Angeles to share her answers to 50 of life’s most pressing questions in this week’s Perfect Ending.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Carrie Monahan reports from East Hampton on a shooting range for locals that has allegedly been peppering million-dollar homes of part-time residents with bullets. Then William D. Cohan looks at the new flex for billionaires—building private golf clubs. And finally, Molly Haskell remembers filmmaker Robert Benton, who gave us Bonnie and Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer, and other masterpieces.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Jeanne Malle reveals why some Gen Z college graduates are choosing blue-collar jobs instead of working on Wall Street. Then Stuart Heritage reports on the family drama that’s riveted the U.K. No, it’s not the rift in the House of Windsor; this is the rift in the House of Beckham. And finally, Elena Clavarino has the story that’s scandalized Italy: how the son of the family that once owned one of Venice’s grand hotels now stands accused of forcing hundreds of women into making pornographic videosSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Leigh Giangreco reports on why so many foreigners—as well as American citizens living abroad—are now afraid to travel to, of all places, the United States. Then, Clara Molot has an update on a mysterious cancer surge among young alumni of Roanoke College. And finally, Carrie Monahan looks at the general store in the small Long Island town of Sagaponack and its new proprietor who, it turns out, is a billionaire. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.