In the 1970s, the subject of many of Ronald Reagan’s campaign speeches was a Chicago woman who bilked the government out of thousands of dollars.

While Reagan villainized Linda Taylor for defrauding the government, it turns out she committed worse crimes in her lifetime that didn’t make it in the headlines. 

Morning Shift digs into Taylor’s never-before-told story with Josh Levin, who spent the last six years researching her life. Levin’s podcast mini-series, The Queen, launched Monday and is based on his upcoming book with the same title that comes out May 21.

GUEST: Josh Levin, national editor of Slate and host of The Queen

LEARN MORE: The Queen (Slate 5/13/19)

The Welfare Queen (Slate 12/19/13)