No Agenda Show – Episode 1797: "Death Buses"

Date: September 7, 2025
Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak

Overview

In episode 1797 of the No Agenda Show, Adam and John embark on a sprawling, characteristically irreverent deconstruction of current media narratives, political theater, neighborhood drama, and the latest in technological, legal, and cultural absurdities. From the drama of Powerball wins in Texas and neighborhood squabbles to the deeper dives into COVID vaccine propaganda, international immigration raids, and global geopolitical posturing, the hosts maintain their signature style of skeptical inquiry and dark humor.

Key Discussion Points

1. Powerball Mania & Neighborhood Lore

[03:01 – 14:44]

• The Texas town of Fredericksburg celebrated a $1.8 billion Powerball win; Adam and John fantasize about how they'd quit podcasting (or not) if they won.
• Adam recounts a visit with a “former Hollywood executive” now living in Austin, who’s still in turmoil over the city's new $1.1 million logo—mocked as resembling a homeless tent.
• The hosts lampoon local “first world problems” like “concrete cancer”: rich residents' COVID-era swimming pools are now cracking due to bad concrete.
• Colorful neighborhood anecdotes—like the saga of “Dilbert,” the retired FBI agent ready to shoot a neighbor’s aggressive dog—highlight the microcosmic dysfunctions on Adam’s street.
• The demise and rebirth of a defunct HOA, prohibitions on chickens, and Dallas transplants building oversized mansions with inappropriately bright lights showcase the ongoing suburban soap opera.
  Quote:

"Next time your dog comes running, I'm gonna shoot it in the face." — Adam (as Dilbert), [13:13]

2. Austin’s New Logo: Public Money, Private Jokes

[05:34 – 07:15]

• Adam describes local outcry over the city of Austin spending over a million dollars and two years on a new branding logo, mockingly dubbed a “Canva Premium” knockoff.
• Most locals think it looks like a tent, a nod to the city’s visible homeless crisis.
• The broader theme: misallocation of city priorities amid bigger issues.

3. Media Critique: Ads, Trolls, and Pink Salt

[00:43 – 02:28; 39:18 – 40:04]

• Adam vents about scammy YouTube ads for “pink salt belly fat cures,” connecting them to wider media manipulation tactics targeting boomers.
• John's ad-free YouTube experience and Rumble’s rampant ad interruptions prompt a discussion about internet ad blockers and “boomer traps.”
• The hosts revel in the absurdity and futility of detox trends and clickbait.

4. The Immigration Shell Game & “Death Buses”

[16:02 – 34:05]

• Adam plays a clip about ICE deporting a criminal immigrant to Eswatini after lawyers cited persecution risks in 22 countries—including Uganda, which, ironically, lists English as an official language.
• The convoluted legal tango is criticized as bureaucratic theater.
• Discussion of the U.S. government’s immigration clampdown at Hyundai’s Georgia plant (coined "Death Buses"):
  • Nearly 500 “illegal” South Korean workers detained.
  • Connection made to previous Chinese and Japanese “death buses,” where foreign companies would clean house and import their own management teams.
  • Adam questions why similar raids on Asians don’t prompt protests, theorizing:

“It’s only about Mexicans or brown people, not the yellow people. Yellow people don’t count for these protesters.” — Adam, [30:24] - The conversation circles the hypocrisy and selectivity of public outrage.

5. "PsyOps" & COVID Vaccine Narrative Manufacturing

[39:18 – 48:48; 55:54 – 57:18]

• Adam and John eviscerate mainstream media vaccine coverage, focusing on a Good Morning America segment featuring Dr. Tara Narula.
• The segment attempts to reignite COVID anxiety, referencing (debunked) freezer trucks filled with bodies, touting “the most important thing you can do is get a booster.”
• Dr. Narula is chided for conflating classic vaccines (polio, measles) with the controversial mRNA ones.
• The hosts highlight the endless shifting of public health “science,” mocking claims that “the science never changes”—

“Yeah, tell it to Copernicus.” — John, [48:57]

• Adam bemoans family members’ blind faith in repeated boosters, despite continual bouts of COVID.

6. Double/Newspeak & Rebranding the War Machine

[19:41 – 22:33]

• Discussion of President Trump’s rebrand of the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” harkening to Orwellian doublespeak.
• The hosts reflect on propaganda through language manipulation ("Patriot Act," "reproductive health care"), underscoring the dangers of linguistic dishonesty.
• Cite William Lutz's “Doublespeak” as a primer on the topic.

7. Chicago’s Car-Filled River and Urban Crime

[24:54 – 26:10]

• 97 vehicles pulled from the Chicago River—John quips it’s worse than Amsterdam’s infamous bicycle-hauling.
• Expands into a critique of the ongoing “war” framing in Chicago and other cities.

8. U.S.–Korea Relations and Geopolitical Gaming

[26:10 – 37:10]

• Coverage of tense responses to the immigration raid at Hyundai—including South Korean diplomatic pushback and the broader implications of foreign investment intertwining with labor abuses.
• Re-examination of how corporate globalism and U.S. immigration, economics, and race relations intertwine.

9. Pharma, Podcast Advertising, & Deplatforming RFK Jr.

[38:22 – 41:23; 58:12 – 69:56]

• Adam highlights the media effort to discredit RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary, suspecting collusion with pharma to protect the vaccine ad gravy train.
• John references behind-the-scenes memos urging media execs to silence Kennedy, fearing cuts to profitable pharma TV advertising.
• They note pharmaceutical ads moving from TV to social and podcast networks targeting younger, less ad-weary consumers.

10. "Patchwork" Vaccination Policy & State Alliances

[45:01 – 61:16]

• The increasing state-level divergence in vaccine mandates is examined, with states forming "alliances" to resist or bypass federal recommendations.
• Hawaii’s governor and others voice alarm over RFK Jr.’s leadership, accusing him of dismantling public health and pushing for “database” (evidence-based) science.

11. Tech, Legal Updates & the AI Copyright Dilemma

[84:10 – 87:55]

• Discussion of Anthropic’s $1.5 billion AI copyright settlement for ingesting pirated books, the scramble for non-public datasets, and Apple’s parallel lawsuits.
• John laments missed royalties as an author:

“Where’s my $3,000 a book? I know they scanned those books!” — John, [85:14]

12. Neighborhood Rumors, HOA Drama & Local Power

[10:06 – 14:44]

• Ongoing complaints about noisy, inconsiderate neighbors running businesses from home, shooting fireworks, and letting aggressive dogs loose.
• Tales of mailboxes destroyed by teens and the questionable legal authority of local HOAs in the Texas countryside.

13. Climate Change Report Skepticism

[72:25 – 74:16]

• Adam and John mock the Department of Ecology’s pushback on a new DOE report that downplays climate change impacts.
• Noted: 2025 may be declared "the hottest year ever," despite evidence of cooler, rainier conditions in Texas.

14. Big Media, Old Brands, and Boomer TV

[75:07 – 83:51]

• Paramount/Skydance’s $8 billion acquisition brings musings about reviving MTV’s old video format ("Boomer TV") and the purchase of Bari Weiss’s Free Press.
• Adam jokes about reliving his MTV glory days; John doubts the cable TV revival strategy’s viability.
• Commentary on how old media brands desperately pursue relevance by hiring controversial voices and recycling nostalgia.

15. NATO, Ukraine, and the "Coalition of the Willing"

[94:08 – 117:13]

• Analysis of European/NATO posturing toward Russia, plans for “guaranteed security” via troop deployments in Ukraine after a notional ceasefire, and Putin’s pledge to treat all foreign troops as legitimate targets.
• Canadian expert Andrew Rasulis assesses that Russia is winning the war, that sanctions are the only Western play left, and that Ukrainians have been made “cannon fodder.”
• Adam and John connect these developments to a repeat of pre-WWI “pissing contest” dynamics.

16. Miscellaneous Noteworthy Segments

• Filler Words ("Um"): NPR’s mini-doc on the value of "um" and "uh" in conversation—both hosts enjoy but critique the concept. [90:01 – 93:34]
• Weaponization of Language: The prevalence of doublespeak/newspeak for rebranding and manipulating public perception.
• Google & Big Tech Fines: Fines for privacy/cookie infractions are ridiculed as “scary sums,” minuscule compared to Big Tech’s profits. Calls for breaking up giants like Google and YouTube are discussed but dismissed as unlikely. [120:02 – 123:37]
• Audience Engagement/Meetups: Review of audience support, meetup reports, donor recognition, and humor over boomer-leaning podcast art and audience size. [127:18 – 134:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pink Salt Scams:
  “This is some sort of psyop... It's a boomer trap, but doesn't trap me because I see it coming a mile away.” — Adam, [01:24]

• Neighborhood Threats:
  “Next time your dog comes running, I'm gonna shoot it in the face.” — Adam (as Dilbert), [13:13]

• COVID Media Critique:
  “The most important thing you can do is get a booster.” — Parodied TV ad, [00:00], discussed throughout.

• On Mainstream Vaccine Advocacy:
  “The science never changes, people. It never changes... Yeah, tell it to Copernicus.” — John, [48:48 – 48:57]

• On Immigration Raids:
  “Death buses... when a Japanese company bought an American company... Buses loaded with Japanese executives who take over the company. So this is—you might be right; you've generalized, but I think you nailed it.” — John, [28:15]

• Climate Skepticism:
  “Dozens of climate scientists have weighed in... one saying the report ‘makes a mockery of science.’” — Discussed [72:16]

• Language Manipulation:
  “Department of Defense is a form of double speak that should be abolished.” — Adam, [21:26]

• MTV Nostalgia:
  “Hey, it's Boomer TV, everybody. Let's play some old David Bowie videos!” — Adam, [76:50]

• Vaccine Policy Patchwork:
  “That's the right word, I think. A patchwork, and it's a fractured approach that we really have. Haven't seen right now in this country before.” — Dr. Tara, [46:07]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Powerball and Neighborhood Stories: [03:01 – 14:44]
• Austin Logo Debacle: [05:34 – 07:15]
• Deconstructing Scam Ads & “Pink Salt”: [00:43 – 02:28]
• Hyundai Immigration Raid & Death Buses: [26:10 – 34:05]
• COVID Vaccine Media PsyOps: [39:18 – 48:48]
• RFK Jr. Smear Campaign: [58:12 – 69:56]
• Climate Change Report Critique: [72:25 – 74:16]
• MTV/Paramount Acquisition & Boomer TV: [75:07 – 83:51]
• Ukraine/NATO & "Coalition of the Willing": [94:08 – 117:13]

Noteworthy Segments with Quotes

• On COVID Boosters (Parody Ad):
  “The most important thing you can do is get a booster.” [00:00]
• On Outrage Over Austin’s Logo:
  “Most people think it looks like a tent, which makes sense for the homeless tents in Austin.” — John, [06:16]
• On “Database Science”:
  “We need evidence. We need data based science. This is good. This is a neut term...” — Adam, [59:59]
• On Media Industry Desperation:
  “They're literally talking about bringing back old MTV segments and interviews. I'll be famous again. I got to grow my hair so people recognize me on the street.” — Adam, [77:07]
• On China’s “Moon Threat”:
  “We are in a new space race with China, and if we fail, there will be a bad moon on the rise.” — Congressional clip, lampooned [153:36]

Tone & Style

The episode is a blend of sharp, satirical media analysis, surreal neighborhood tales, and jaded-but-witty skepticism of official narratives. Adam and John’s interplay, frequent inside jokes, and willingness to mock both themselves and the world around them marks the show’s anti-mainstream, anti-authoritarian tone.

Takeaways

• Media and government narratives are deconstructed with biting humor and skepticism, exposing contradictions, doublespeak, and manipulation.
• Immigration, public health, and climate policy are shown to be as much about branding and fear-mongering as real solutions.
• The lines between local drama and world events blur; whether it’s HOA disputes or NATO saber-rattling, dysfunction and self-interest reign.
• Big Tech, Pharma, and media conglomerates are lampooned for their cynical pursuit of profit amid cultural collapse and nostalgia cycles.
• The only place for real community and sanity? According to the hosts: listener-powered podcasts and meetups, not mainstream media.

If you’re looking for authentic deconstruction, irreverence toward power, and a good dose of dark humor, “Death Buses” delivers—just don’t expect it to be succinct, safe for work, or reverent toward anyone in charge.