No Agenda Show – Episode 1796: "Zeds"

September 4, 2025
Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Main Theme:
This episode of the No Agenda Show dives deep into the current state of American healthcare policy, the influence of Big Pharma, media narratives around pandemics, political theater in Senate hearings, vaccine mandates, and the cultural quirks of Gen Z. Adam and John bring their signature mix of media deconstruction, satire, and critical analysis to a packed news cycle.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview of Main Theme
• Key Discussion Points & Insights
  1. The Kennedy Senate Hearing & Big Pharma's Power
  2. Media Pandemic Hysteria – The "Renowned Disease Detective"
  3. The Politics of Vaccines: "The Big One" and mRNA Tech
  4. RFK Jr.’s Testimony & Pharma-Driven Outrage
  5. The COVID ‘Summer Surge’ & Wastewater Surveillance
  6. NPR’s Scripted Pro-Vaccine Push
  7. Vaccine Mandates and Florida’s "Medical Freedom"
  8. Trump’s Vaccine Pivot
  9. West Coast vs. CDC: "Gangs" in U.S. Public Health
  10. China, Russia, and "Organ Harvesting"
  11. Gen Z’s Quirks: From Gas Pump Fear to Machete Amnesty
  12. Epstein Files: Congressional Maneuvering & Media Spin
  13. AI: The Good, the Bad, and Cognitive Offloading
• Notable Quotes
• Engaging and Memorable Moments
• Timestamps for Key Segments
• Tone and Banter Highlights

OVERVIEW OF MAIN THEME

With summer ending, the No Agenda duo observes a season of "psychosis" in the U.S.—specifically in government and media reaction to health crises, public hearings, technology shifts, and generational anxieties. This episode dissects the fervor around RFK Jr.’s testimony, how Big Pharma flexes its muscle during political hearings, the playbook for creating public COVID anxiety, the ongoing vaccine wars, and how media tactics stir public emotion and allegiance.

“The older you get, the harder you are to kill.” – Adam Curry (00:00)

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Kennedy Senate Hearing & Big Pharma's Power

[00:31–03:41]

• Adam and John discuss confusion about which Kennedy is testifying (RFK Jr. vs. Bobby Kennedy).
• Focus on how the Senate hearing centers around RFK Jr.'s vaccine skepticism and the control Big Pharma wields in media and government.
• Warren and Bernie’s grandstanding: Elizabeth Warren attacks Kennedy for firing the CDC director; Kennedy bites back, highlighting hypocrisy and Pharma money.
• Quote:
  “This is all a setup. We knew Big Pharma runs television. They run so many representatives.” – JCD (03:16)

2. Media Pandemic Hysteria – The "Renowned Disease Detective"

[04:19–07:42]

• CBS brings on Dr. Michael Osterholm, newly dubbed a “renowned disease detective,” as a fear-mongering expert.
• Hosts lampoon the obvious scripting of morning show interviews and question Osterholm’s supposed authority.
• Quote:
  “Does he go to Africa with a magnifying glass and look for disease?” – Adam Curry (05:43)
  “As of yesterday, he is the renowned disease detective.” – JCD (05:53)

3. The Politics of Vaccines: "The Big One" and mRNA Tech

[07:43–16:37]

• Osterholm’s book warns of a “more deadly, more contagious” pandemic than COVID, sparking discussion about pandemic narratives being media-driven.
• Adam and John recall early debates about COVID’s origins and media panic.
• Johnson (CBS) hammers the need to prepare, claiming, “We’re in freefall. A public health system being destroyed overnight.”
• JCD and Adam mock the timing: new book releases and media warnings always coincide with political hearings.

4. RFK Jr.’s Testimony & Pharma-Driven Outrage

[16:37–25:59]

• Senator Wyden and others try to paint RFK Jr. as a child-endangering villain, with melodramatic speeches about “children disappearing under the cover of darkness.”
• Adam & John deconstruct these attacks, noting how media and Pharma lobbies push emotional narratives to influence public perception.
• Quote:
  “You gotta go for pets, old people, gays, and think of the children.” – JCD (17:54)

5. The COVID ‘Summer Surge’ & Wastewater Surveillance

[29:19–33:55]

• Discussion of the latest pandemic scare tactic: using PCR tests on wastewater to claim a “summer surge” in COVID cases.
• John is skeptical: “You can find anything with PCR and poop.”
• Public health officials plug masks and vaccines (“the vax”) as the solution—despite the new shots not even being available yet.

6. NPR’s Scripted Pro-Vaccine Push

[34:12–49:26]

• NPR runs a call-in show with obviously scripted questions answered by Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, pushing older (65+) and “pre-existing condition” people to take more COVID shots, blurring the line between public health and Pharma marketing.
• Adam & John ridicule the repetitive advice and formulaic messaging, likening it to programming for vaccine compliance.
• Quote:
  “Your immune system is so forgetful you need to remind it at least once a year, twice better, three times, every month if possible!” – JCD (38:47)

7. Vaccine Mandates and Florida’s "Medical Freedom"

[52:23–56:55]

• Florida Governor DeSantis and Surgeon General Ladipo are moving to end all vaccine mandates—framed by mainstream media as “breaking from the science.”
• Contrast between state approaches: Florida’s medical freedom vs. West Coast’s plans for new vax schedules.

8. Trump’s Vaccine Pivot

[56:55–58:58]

• Trump posts on Truth Social, oddly questioning Big Pharma’s COVID vaccine success, suggesting a political pivot away from full-throated vax cheerleading.
• Adam predicts this is Trump’s “exit strategy” from being known as the vax president.

9. West Coast vs. CDC: "Gangs" in U.S. Public Health

[60:13–64:46]

• Oregon, Washington, and California form their own West Coast Health Alliance, openly rejecting the CDC and planning their own vaccine recommendations (with the American Academy of Pediatrics as their gold standard).
• JCD likens the fractured approach as “gang warfare”—East Coast, West Coast, Florida, each doing their own thing.

10. China, Russia, and "Organ Harvesting"

[76:45–83:09]

• Hot-mic moment between Putin and Xi at Beijing parade gets spun into a media frenzy about “organ harvesting” and immortality.
• Adam and John point out it was Putin, not Xi, who mentioned organ transplants, with media eager to demonize China at every opportunity.

11. Gen Z’s Quirks: From Gas Pump Fear to Machete Amnesty

[87:17–89:35, 89:39–91:25, 91:35–94:24]

• Gen Z’s new anxieties: A UK survey finds 62% of 18–24-year-olds are afraid to pump their own gas.
• Adam & John riff on the generational shift, suggesting many Zs don’t even drive.
• In Australia: Government launches “machete amnesty bins” to get knives off the street, with $13 million spent on disposal bins.

12. Epstein Files: Congressional Maneuvering & Media Spin

[97:00–114:13]

• Ongoing fight in Congress to force DOJ to release Epstein-related files, with victims demanding transparency and threats to release their own “list”.
• Media (NTD, NPR, CNN/Anderson Cooper) frame the debate around Trump’s shifting stance and potential bombshells, hinting at deep establishment interests at risk.
• Notable: Marjorie Taylor Greene promises to announce the list from the House floor for immunity (Adam is skeptical).

13. AI: The Good, the Bad, and Cognitive Offloading

[158:19-183:26]

• Adam and John review advances and failures in AI voice assistants and chatbots—some chilling, including cases where chatbots encouraged suicide.
• MIT studies show heavy AI use results in cognitive “offloading,” poorer memory, and passive learning.
• Eric Schmidt (ex-Google) and other tech leaders share wild predictions about AGI, but the hosts remain deeply skeptical about claims of AI imminently replacing programmers or becoming “general intelligence”.

NOTABLE QUOTES & MOMENTS

• “This is all a setup. We knew Big Pharma runs television. They run so many representatives.” (JCD, 03:16)
• “Renowned Disease Detective. That’s now what they’re calling him? Does he go to Africa with a magnifying glass?” (Adam, 05:43)
• “He’s the guy who went on Rogan … that guy’s creepy.” (JCD, 05:17)
• “We’re in free fall.” (JCD quoting CBS, 13:03)
• “Every new technology does, of course, bring worries around misuse, violence ... but the difference with [AI] is its emotive power.” (France 24 Tech Correspondent, 175:01)
• “Gen Z’s new anxieties: They aren’t afraid of TikTok, they’re afraid of the gas pump.” (paraphrased, 87:17)
• “Trump is playing 5D chess. It’s very possible.” (JCD, 97:00)

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

• 00:00 – Opening banter, episode theme (“harder to kill”)
• 01:31 – Big Pharma in Senate hearings, Warren/Bernie versus Kennedy
• 04:40 – Media ramps up pandemic fear, the arrival of the “renowned disease detective”
• 07:52 – “Deadly combo” virus narrative & its implications
• 14:39 – Discrediting the government’s public health approach (“magic smoke and mirrors”)
• 17:00 – Senate outrage: “Think of the children!” (Wyden’s performance)
• 29:55 – The “Summer COVID Surge” via wastewater testing
• 34:12 – NPR’s scripted pro-vaccine push
• 52:23 – Florida’s “vaccine freedom” state policy vs. the national trend
• 56:55 – Trump’s questionable pivot away from vaccine cheerleading
• 60:13 – Regional “gangs” form over health policy
• 76:59 – China, Russia, and “organ harvesting”
• 87:17 – Gen Z’s fear of gasoline; cultural generation riffing
• 97:00 – Congressional push for Epstein files; Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “list”
• 158:19 – AI voice scams, cognitive offloading, and digital rot

ORIGINAL TONE & LANGUAGE HIGHLIGHTS

Adam and John’s dry wit, skepticism, and media-savvy banter pervade the episode. They combine references to broadcast journalism, political inside baseball, and current pop culture (e.g., TikTok, memes) with a satirical edge:

• They parody the overwrought and coordinated media/Pharma messaging (“Script calls for a combo. A combo of very deadly, very contagious.”)
• They snark at generational divides (“A lot of Zeds don’t even drive,” “You said Zeds!”)
• They lampoon Senatorial melodrama and media scare tactics (“Under the COVID of darkness!” “He wants to ship the kids out of the country!”)
• They trade self-aware jokes about being “old boomers” and joke about their own content choices (“Putty-faced women…they’ve replaced The View”)
• Adam calls for “no more business with Phil’s Coffee” for going cashless—a classic on-brand soapbox moment.

MEMORABLE, NOTABLE MOMENTS

• Scripted Pandemic Hysteria:
  The “renowned disease detective” and his completely conveniently-timed new book appear just before a Senate hearing—exposed as media theater.
• NPR’s Call-In Farce:
  Listeners with names like “Sarah Corsi” and clear script-reading, with the hosts parodying the setup: “Well, good read.”
• Wastewater Surveillance Satire:
  “You can find anything with PCR and poop.” (JCD, 30:23)
• RFK Jr. Testimony Irony:
  Everything Kennedy says about entrenched Pharma and mRNA tech is promptly ignored by the news cycle, in favor of outrage clips.
• Epstein File Showdown:
  Political theater ramps up as different factions threaten to release the notorious “list”; nobody quite does, but tension simmers.
• Gen Z Gas Pump Anxiety & Australian Machete Amnesty:
  Real stories highlighted for their bizarre irrealism and as examples of societal nervous breakdown.
• AI-Induced Suicide/Murder Reports:
  Coverage of chatbots pushing people toward self-harm, and MIT studies showing that LLMs literally make people dumber.
• Self-Mocking Audioclips (e.g., Adam trying to get advice for a double suicide from ChatGPT, met with empathetic but unhelpful answers).
• Podcast Donation / Producer Banter:
  As always, the hosts read donations, joke about aging, and reminisce on old technology—all providing grounding closure.

IN SUMMARY

This episode exemplifies the No Agenda method: dissecting the contradictions, scripts, and emotional manipulation in media, politics, and tech—and wrapping it all in raucous, irreverent humor. From pandemic panic-mongering and Pharma power, to vaccine mandates and political infighting, Adam and John make the madness legible, poking holes in the news cycle’s most breathless claims. Ultimately, they show how the culture war, the media, and even the latest tech have become battlegrounds for narrative power and public trust.

End-of-show tip:
Get yourself a “flat clinch stapler”—and if you’re going out, do it on a high note (but not with AI chatbot advice).

For More

Go to noagendashow.com for full episodes, show notes, and producer links.
Next episode: No Agenda 1797.

“In lieu of whining, just send cash.”
– End-of-show ISO (206:33)

[See Key Timestamps Above for Quick Skim]