No Agenda Show 1820: "Tokyo Rose" – Thanksgiving Special (November 27, 2025)

Hosted by Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak

Episode Overview

In this Thanksgiving episode, Adam and John deconstruct the latest news cycle, taking special aim at media narratives around the "Seditious Six" controversy, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia peace machinations, AI cults, and a slew of legal and political events in the U.S. Sprinkled with classic No Agenda wit, audience insights, personal stories, and gratitude for their dedicated producer base, the show delivers its signature “media assassination”—even on the holiday when other media took the day off.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Thanksgiving: The Myth, The Media, and Turkey Pardons (00:36–12:16)

• The hosts bemoan the absence of regular media workers over the holiday, declaring, "Nobody's working but us" (01:15).
• Deconstructing Thanksgiving’s History:
  • John recounts his annual tradition of exposing the true origins of Thanksgiving—traced to Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation at the urging of a magazine editor, not the Pilgrims.
    • "I'm always amused by the cock and bull story about Thanksgiving being about pilgrims, maize, turkeys, and Indians, when the holiday stems from an Abe Lincoln proclamation at the behest of a magazine editor." (03:15, John)
• Lincoln’s Proclamation:
  • Lincoln's Thanksgiving declaration occurred during the Civil War and borrowed language from the Bible. Its message is to thank God, not for turkey. (04:45–06:39)
• Presidential Turkey Pardons Explained:
  • Traces the evolution of the White House turkey-pardoning tradition: from Truman’s response to a poultry industry protest to Reagan’s quick-witted press retort, and finally, H.W. Bush’s formalization in 1989.
    • "It's just the best lobbying organization in the business. They get to present their beautiful birds... it's a lobbying exercise for the Turkey Federation." (11:28, John)

2. The “Seditious Six” Controversy (15:06–38:33)

• Setup: A group of six Democratic lawmakers, mostly with military backgrounds, record a video urging service members not to follow unlawful orders. Trump calls it “seditious”; investigations and media firestorms ensue.
• Media Deconstruction – 3x3 (ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR):
  • All networks frame the story as Trump attacking dissent and weaponizing the FBI, with little to no counterbalance.
    • "These reports were slanted very slightly... There was no balance at all whatsoever." (27:41, John)
• Balancing Clip: Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson – highly credentialed ex-military and Clinton administration aide – calls the Democrats’ action "treasonous and seditionist":
  • "They undercut the underpinnings of the military, which is good order and faith and trust in their leadership." (29:17, Buzz Patterson)
• Legal Analysis: A producer/lawyer discusses the little-known “anti-Tokyo Rose statute,” which prohibits fomenting insubordination in the military. However, prosecution is unlikely.
  • "This is the first I've heard of this... Our producer can come up with this when Barry Weiss and everyone else can't?" (34:12, John)
  • "Unless we're going for the Tokyo Rose option, he doesn't think anything that was said would support a conviction." (36:49, Adam reading Rob's analysis)
• Meta Deconstruction: Both hosts agree it’s political theater – "dimensional theater" – to soften the public, perhaps as preparation for potential impeachment attempts linked to military actions like the drug boat attacks (31:05).

3. U.S. Legal “Double Defeats” & Fallout from Trump-Era Prosecutions (38:52–41:42)

• "The cases fell apart after a federal judge ruled prosecutor Lindsey Halligan was illegally appointed, nullifying her work..." (39:17)
• The hosts clarify what “dismissed without prejudice” means, cutting through misleading headlines.

4. Dropped Trump Georgia Indictment / Election Fraud Allegations (41:51–47:01)

• Georgia’s RICO case against Trump and allies dismissed as too convoluted and impractical to prosecute.
  • "This indictment had too many defendants... I get the impression [the prosecutor] looked at it and said, what a hot mess." (47:40)
• Adam recalls older voting machine hacking claims—Diebold, Dominion, and their controversial provenance, connecting them with timely “coincidences” in geopolitics.

5. Ukraine–Russia Peace Plan Leaks & Media Spin (50:02–70:35)

• A Bloomberg-leaked transcript reveals Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, coaching Russia’s top diplomat on approaching Trump about peace negotiations.
  • The leak’s provenance is questioned (MI6, Russia, or U.S. spooks?).
  • "Do I think this could be possibly British intelligence? That's kind of where I'm leaning..." (62:05, Adam)
• Media portray Trump as potentially pro-Kremlin. France 24’s “Donald Putin’s envoy” gaffe becomes a meme.
• European outrage: Ursula von der Leyen complains that U.S.-Russia direct dealings, including possible use of Russian frozen assets for Ukraine reconstruction, marginalize Europe.

6. AI as Digital Priesthood & Cultural Cults (84:29–95:03)

• Saeed Bolson offers a scathing critique of AI as a new, society-shaping authority, likening its deference in culture and governance to the role of the medieval church.

  • "AI is not alive. ... What it has is data, and that data is ours. They're literally taking your own words, your own thoughts, your own content, and selling it back to you as their omniscient intelligence." (86:08, Saeed Bolson)
  • Warns of AI being used to deflect responsibility in future systems of oppression.
  • Both hosts agree wholeheartedly, with John noting: "It's not genuine, ingenuine, never will be sentient."

• Cultish Tech Elites: Adam/John riff on tech cults like Effective Altruism, referencing Bankman-Fried and the “Bay City Bangers”—AI true believers who see humanity as the problem.

  • "The real danger isn't in the code. It's in the class of people who control the code, who do the programming." (93:23, Bolson)

7. X (Twitter) Adds “Based In” Feature; Revealing Foreign Bots (99:08–106:06)

• New X (Twitter) feature exposes the geographic origins of accounts—often revealing that extremist or divisive “America First” profiles originate from abroad, including Pakistan, India, UK, or Bangladesh.
  • "They want America to fail... They want us to descend into infighting." (104:56, clip)
• The hosts see it as a tool of narrative manipulation, not just by foreign adversaries but, potentially, by our own.

8. Legal, Military, and Social News Shorts (169:15 onward)

• Army Sexual Abuse Scandal (169:15–179:32):

  • OB/GYN Dr. Blaine McGraw accused of mass sexual abuse/filming of female military dependents; Army bureaucracy, hotlines, and superiors ignored years of complaints.
  • "This is a pattern that happens in the Army and... all the military services." (179:09, attorney Andrew Cobos)

• Campbell’s Soup Scandal (180:45–183:12):

  • Exec rants about not eating "bioengineered 3D-printed chicken," suspects in Campbell’s, leading to denials and a Florida investigation.

• Cultural Tidbits, Personal Stories, and Gratitude:

  • “A tradition since 2005”—John’s Thanksgiving mythbusting, Adam’s personal holiday plan (112:55), stories of rock concerts, Roger McGuinn, and Grateful Dead “standing waves” (129:41–133:55).
  • “Cousin walk” and “Green Wednesday”—marijuana sales surge around Thanksgiving (108:03).

• Value-for-Value, Producer Donations & Personal Notes:

  • Show thanks for their "producers" (listeners) who donate, including heartwarming birthday requests, the story of a centenarian mother (159:58), and the annual reading of hand-written holiday notes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I'm always amused by the cock and bull story about Thanksgiving..." (03:15, John)
• "It's just the best lobbying organization in the business." (11:28, John, on the Turkey Federation)
• "They undercut the underpinnings of the military... What they did was treasonous and seditionist." (29:17, Buzz Patterson)
• "Check your bank account. Do you have $150 million for your podcast? No. That's why we have... producers." (34:41, Adam)
• "This is the first I've heard of this... Our producer can come up with this when Barry Weiss... can't?" (34:12, John)
• "It's political theater. Dimensional theater. It's ridiculous." (38:33, John)
• "AI is not alive. ... [It] is data, and that data is ours... They are going to take over everything, just like the church in Europe." (86:08, Saeed Bolson)
• "Dad gummit! They hit it out of the park again." (194:26, End-of-show ISO candidate)
• "Nobody's working but us." (01:15, John)
• "No Agenda—no B Team here." (00:10, Adam)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Topic | |:--------------:|:----------------------------------------| | 00:36–12:16 | Thanksgiving mythbusting, Turkey pardons | | 15:06–38:33 | "Seditious Six" controversy, 3x3 network analysis, legal deconstruction | | 38:52–41:42 | U.S. legal defeats, media misdirection | | 41:51–47:01 | Georgia/Trump indictment, voting machine rigging history | | 50:02–70:35 | Ukraine peace plan leaks, media response, European outrage | | 84:29–95:03 | Saeed Bolson on AI, cults, philosophical dangers | | 99:08–106:06 | Twitter's new "based in" feature, foreign bots | | 169:15–179:32 | Army sexual abuse scandal | | 180:45–183:12 | Campbell’s soup exec scandal | | 108:03 | Marijuana "cousin walk" / Green Wednesday | | 129:41–133:55 | Grateful Dead "standing waves" concert anecdote | | Throughout | Producer notes, personal stories, tips, donation reads |

Tone & Structure

• Unvarnished, humorous, conspiratorial, and skeptical; classic No Agenda.
• Heavy on anecdotes, real-time media deconstruction, and off-script digressions.
• Frequent interaction with, and gratitude for, their producer community; show is both amygdala-shrinking and a "secret advantage" for critical listeners.

Conclusion

Amidst the turkey, "cousin walks", and amped-up legal/media theater, the No Agenda Show delivers a feast of media critique, historical context, and entertaining sidetracks. With the hosts’ blend of irreverence and insight, this Thanksgiving edition confirms why devoted listeners tune in Thursday and Sunday—even when "everyone else is off."

End-of-Show ISO Highlight

"This is so good." (194:13)

(Compiled by AI based on No Agenda Show ep. 1820; all times MM:SS format; quotes attributed in context to original speakers.)