No Agenda Show – Episode 1821: “Genesis”

Hosted by Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Date: November 30, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Adam and John deliver their signature media deconstruction, dissecting Thanksgiving traditions, the state of Black Friday and retail activism, a surge of “Islam ops” and color revolution narratives, Ukraine peace negotiations, economic policy, Universal Basic Income cues, digital identity, and more. The hosts pull apart the headlines with irreverence, skepticism, and their usual banter—casting light on media framing, political messaging, and underlying “ops” that shape our perception.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Thanksgiving Recap & Black Friday Craziness (00:53–02:56)

• The hosts exchange Thanksgiving war stories (smoked turkey, tips for heritage birds that “taste like pheasant”).
• Discussion of Black Friday’s evolution from TV riots to viral stunts, like the “Kraft Mac and Cheese 65-inch box.”
• [01:43] Adam: "It didn’t taste like turkey. It tastes like pheasant. That’s what good turkey tastes like.”
• [02:47] John: “People were fighting over [the Mac & cheese box] because that's the new thing, we don't fight."

Retail Protests: “We Ain’t Buying It” & the Boycotts (05:00–13:38)

• Deconstructs left-wing activist efforts to boycott Target, Home Depot, and Amazon for “colluding with Trump/ICE” and dropping DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives.
• Adam and John examine clips of activists and media framing, noting the repetition of the story as holiday tradition, questioning the efficacy of the boycott, and highlighting its partisan funding.
• [07:50] Clip: Black Voters Matter spokesperson alleges Home Depot “colludes with ICE.”
• John and Adam call out the astroturf nature of the campaign and how, despite boycotts, “U.S. shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion, up 9.1%.”
• TikTok song mocking consumerist culture played as part of the “we ain’t buying it” message:
  [12:38] Clip: “Brands want you to be a loser, but you are more than a consumer. So go outside and touch some grass...”
• [13:34] John: “Yeah. And it worked kind of.”
• [13:37] Adam: “Wow, what a song."

Technical Snafus: Airbus, A320 Solar Storms & CME Outages (14:07–22:28)

• In-depth look at Airbus A320 family jets being grounded due to suspected solar flare–induced software bug, with skepticism over whether software or “crappy shielding” is to blame.
  • Discussion of ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, shielding, possible soft errors, and software rollbacks as the real culprit.
  • [16:20] Adam: “People driving weird...like they're shorted out.”
  • [17:23] John: “If you had these modules shielded properly, you'd be good to go.”
  • Both poke fun at centralization: CME data center outage—a cooling problem brings down financial futures trading; implications of AWS, Cloudflare-type centralization.
  • Starlink Mini announced: Adam gets the doomsday “go bag” Starlink, muses about prepping for the grid going down.
• [23:55] Adam: “Screw that. Have a garment bag loaded in the gills with stuff, throw it in the car and get out of there.”

Ukraine Peace Talks & the Zelensky Scandal (25:06–46:13)

• Ongoing coverage of the Ukraine–Russia conflict and new peace proposal led by the Trump transition team (Witkoff, Rubio, Kushner), with Florida meetings (possibly Mar-a-Lago or the Shell Bay Club).
• The story details strikes in Kyiv, Ukrainian sea drone attacks near Turkey, and the complications of corruption scandals—Zelensky's chief of staff and TV show partner, Andriy Yermak resigns under a $100M graft investigation.
  • Analysis of the crumbling Ukrainian negotiating team and EU’s efforts to seize Russian assets to fund Ukraine.
  • Dissection of demands: Russia wants de facto acknowledgment of occupied territories (not de jure/“by law” ceding), while Ukraine is urged to accept a “demilitarized zone.”
  • Lively debate over whether such “peace plans” are legitimate or a “Russian wish list.”
  • [32:12] Adam: “Getting caught proves there's no corruption. What kind of logic is that?”
• Memorable Moment:
  • [34:45] John: “The studio is empty. The grips have left, all of the costumes and wardrobe gone.”
  • Hosts satirize the “theatrics” around government change.

Economic Policy: Retail, Fed Chair Prospects, and UBI Signals (46:43–103:52, 104:44–117:51)

• Discusses economic optimism: holiday retail up, Black Friday breaks records, Federal Reserve possible changes (Kevin Hassett as Trump’s rumored pick), and the Biden/Trump inflation narratives.
• [99:13] John: “Inflation is cumulative … it keeps going up. It’s always going up a little bit.”
• Supreme skepticism toward wage-vs-price growth claims.
• UBI “sub-narrative”: long analysis of a PBS segment about homelessness “crisis,” highlighting hints at Universal Basic Income pilot programs—especially with Coinbase testing programmable stablecoin payments for NYC low-income youth.
• John connects the dots to “Hands Across America,” Blackstone, BlackRock buying houses for the rental market, and Stablecoin pilots as groundwork for UBI + digital ID.

Digital ID & Social Media Regulation (117:51–122:17)

• Adam and John discuss new EU and Australian regulations for minimum age requirements on social media, requiring digital ID—a “privacy preserving” system.
• The hosts see this as the next phase of global control mechanisms, along with digital currencies.
• [121:27] Clip: “We will give you the systems to check your ID. This isn’t legislation, but it will be.”

Islam-Op & Color Revolution “Ops” (47:56–96:41)

• John and Adam dissect the reaction to the D.C. shooting involving an Afghan national:
  • Analyze the immediate partisan media pivot: Trump suspending immigration from “third world countries,” accusations of Biden's lax vetting, and Kristi Noem reading a scripted response.
  • They liken the shooting op to “six-week cycles,” false flags, and compare to prior “Blackstone kill” stories.
  • Discussion expands into right-wing (Texas-focused) panic over “sleeper cells,” mosques, and the historic color revolution/Podesta plan—highlighting the role of Alex Jones, General Flynn, and others in stoking civil conflict narratives.
  • The crew mock the breathless warnings from Laura Loomer, Laura Logan, proclamations about “Red-Green-Alliance” (Marxist-Islamist axis) and the resurrection of CIA-published terrorist magazine "Inspire."
  • Both recognize the op’s goal: link Democrats to Islamists to bolster turnout and stoke fear.
  • [94:56] Adam: "All about linking Democrats to Islamic jihadists. That's really all this is."

Tech & Ad Fatigue Rant, Value for Value Model (122:24–129:01)

• A TikTok Gen Zer complains about the internet being an endless ad machine.
  • [124:52] TikTok Clip: “Nothing feels authentic anymore because everything is an ad...we also have to pay subscription fees as well.”
• Adam and John explain why they hold to a value-for-value model—no ads, no corporate sponsors, just listener support.
  • [128:56] John: “That's one of the reasons we don't have ads on this show. We are value for value.”

Other Highlights

• “John’s Tip of the Day”: Recommends the DreamSky alarm clock instead of depending on your phone (“the cell phone is Satan’s tool” – [00:00], [184:34]).
• A new roundtable knight is created: Sir Wire Cowboy, defender of the penny jar (with mamacitas and lukewarm tequila).
• Meetup reports and plugs for ranchers, coffee, and chocolate toffee—“low tech tastes better.”
• End-of-show mixes and “man against machine” ISOs.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• [01:43] Adam: “It didn’t taste like turkey. It tastes like pheasant. That’s what good turkey tastes like.”
• [13:37] Adam (re: TikTok song): “Wow, what a song.”
• [16:20] Adam (on solar storms): “For some reason...people were driving weird. And Mimi noticed it and so did Jay. People were driving.”
• [32:12] Adam (on Ukraine corruption): “Getting caught proves there’s no corruption. What kind of logic is that?”
• [34:45] John: “The studio is empty. The grips have left, all of the costumes and wardrobe gone.”
• [39:03] EU Ambassador: “How to secure money for Ukraine, which would send an important signal not only to Ukraine, but to Russia as well…”
• [47:56] Adam: “The Islam op has taken off... happens on the heels of this shooting in D.C.”
• [52:57] Trump (to reporter): “Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?”
• [94:56] Adam: "All about linking Democrats to Islamic jihadists. That's really all this is."
• [99:13] John: “Inflation is cumulative … it keeps going up. It’s always going up a little bit.”
• [128:56] John (on no-ads model): “That's one of the reasons we don't have ads on this show … We are value for value.”
• [184:34] John: “The cell phone is Satan’s tool.”

Major Segments & Timestamps

• Thanksgiving / Black Friday Commentary: 00:53–02:56
• Retail Activism – “We Ain’t Buying It”: 05:00–13:38
• Airbus A320/Technical Issues/CME Outage: 14:07–22:28
• Ukraine: Peace Talks & Corruption: 25:06–46:13
• Islam-Op, D.C. Shooting, Vetting Debate: 47:56–62:40, 66:10–96:41
• Economic Policy – Inflation, Fed, UBI: 98:23–103:52, 104:44–117:51
• Digital ID & Social Media Age Checks: 117:51–122:17
• Gen Z Ad Fatigue / Value for Value: 122:24–129:01
• Producer Segment/Acknowledgements: 129:01–147:55
• Humorous End: Giant Genetic Pumpkin Segment: 169:23–170:23
• John's Tip of the Day: 183:30–186:03

Tone

Irreverent, skeptical, playful, conspiratorial—but always rooted in dissection of media narratives and political “ops.” The hosts mock, riff, and puncture whatever they see as manipulative spin—on both sides of the spectrum.

Summary

Episode 1821 of No Agenda deftly combines offbeat Thanksgiving stories, sharp breakdowns of activism and “retail boycotts,” technocratic worry about centralization, international geopolitics, and the hijinks of D.C. “Islam ops” and fear campaigns. Adam and John deftly trace media manipulation in stories from Black Friday to Ukraine, connect “homelessness” talking points with UBI pilots, laugh at digital ID creep, and remain steadfast in advocating a listener-supported, ad-free podcasting revolution.

Best Quotes:

• “The cell phone is Satan’s tool.” – John ([00:00], [184:34])
• “All about linking Democrats to Islamic jihadists. That’s really all this is.” – Adam ([94:56])
• “Inflation is cumulative … it keeps going up. It’s always going up a little bit.” – John ([99:13])
• “That's one of the reasons we don't have ads on this show. We are value for value.” – John ([128:56])
• “Getting caught proves there's no corruption. What kind of logic is that?” – Adam ([32:12])

For more detail, humor, and critical thinking, listen to the full show. And remember: Support media deconstruction—value for value!