2. Rules of Engagement

Ruth Graham breaks down what led to a shootout on the Weaver family property on Aug. 21, 1992, that left three people dead. Get full access to Standoff: What Happened at Ruby Ridge with Slate Plus. Join to unlock the full season—plus ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Standoff show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/standoffplus for access wherever you listen. Episode Art: Former FBI Director William Sessions holds up a copy of the "rules of engagement," that were used in the 1992 incident at Ruby Ridge, Idaho during Senate hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC 22 September. Key witnesses have contradicted each other regarding the "could and should" shoot order given to snipers during the seige. AFP PHOTO. Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Luke Frazza/AFP via Getty Images.

Om Podcasten

In 1992, hundreds of armed federal agents surrounded a family of white separatists in a ramshackle mountaintop cabin. Eleven days later, three people were dead—and the story of Ruby Ridge was just beginning. Journalist Ruth Graham explores a tragedy that’s become a foundational myth for the modern right, and finds some frightening lessons about power and paranoia. Get full access to Standoff: What Happened at Ruby Ridge with Slate Plus. Join to unlock the full season—plus ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the Standoff show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/standoffplus for access wherever you listen.