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FBI raids Tampa church, indicts leaders for forced labor: So why not Scientology?

[It even looks a little like the Flag building. (Fox13 Tampa)]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The FBI raided a church in Tampa yesterday over forced labor allegations — and it had nothing to do with Scientology. Former Scientologists have []

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Scientology success: ‘I became at peace with being controlled by a man’

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: A new #success story has a mother of four gushing about learning to be ‘controlled by a man’ regarding processes we first learned about because Tom Cruise had gone through it himself. And meanwhile, []

When a Scientology spy becomes a double agent — and then gets burned

[New Republic illustration by Jovana Mugoša]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: She had done Scientology’s dirty work for years, following people the church considered its enemies, and even stealing their trash. But then she had a moment of clarity and []

Take the survey: How can Scientology lure you to its cruise ship for Christmas?

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: The holidays are still months away, but Scientology is already thinking about how it can get you to spend the big bucks and come to the cruise ship Freewinds for pricey services in the []

Scientology critic obtains documents of church plot against him

[Alex answers Scientology’s ‘Fair Game’]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Character assassination is how Scientology reacts to questions about its abuses, and for Alex Barnes-Ross it’s coming at him from all sides. He let us into the details of just []

GOLD RUSH: Another Scientology youngster asks thousands for online course

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Australian Scientologist Luke Ayers has a slick website where he’s asking 3 grand for photography lessons. Is that a fair price? We don’t know. But we were thrilled to see Ayers again as an []

Fed up with Scientology’s court delays, Leah Remini puts her foot down

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’ve pointed out numerous times that Scientology has slowed lawsuits by filing appeals of preliminary matters, and asking for filing extensions. Well, this week Leah Remini apparently decided that she’d had enough of her []

Expert: Why the state’s response is likely to kill Danny Masterson’s criminal appeal

[Masterson and his current digs]

 TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Last week we brought you the California AG’s 42K-word response to Danny Masterson’s criminal appeal. Masterson is serving 30 years-to-life and he’s trying to walk out of prison with his []

Ron and Leni: The project that was just too much for Hitler’s favorite filmmaker

[Hubbard and Riefenstahl (Illustration by The Daily Beast)]

TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: 4 years ago for The Daily Beast we dove into a little-known 1960 collaboration in London between L. Ron Hubbard and Leni Riefenstahl. Later that year, Ron []

What it was like to run a Scientology drug rehab in Narconon’s heyday

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