No Agenda Show – Episode 1822 "Kohanna"

Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Date: December 4, 2025
Podcast Theme: Deconstructing Media with No Agenda

Episode Summary

Main Theme:
This episode delivers classic No Agenda fare: deep dives into major news cycles, heavy dissection of MSM narratives, inside baseball on political developments (including the latest on the Epstein files, government corruption, drug war theatrics), and keen analysis of media trickery and policy machinations. The hosts, Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, bring their signature irreverence, skepticism, and humor, spanning everything from U.S. and world politics, tech industry critiques, and audience engagement, all while highlighting issues glossed over or distorted in mainstream coverage.

Major Discussion Segments

1. BET Mad Bomber News & Mainstream Media Incompetence

[00:33–02:21]

• The recent capture of the "BET mad bomber" dominates the open, with Adam and John mocking premature reporting and media flubs (e.g., Glenn Beck's forensic analyst wrongly insisting the perpetrator was a woman).
• The official narrative is ridiculed, especially the bombastic self-congratulation at law enforcement press conferences and endemic government "inaction."
• Quote:

  "Every cliché from every movie you've ever seen." – Adam Curry [02:16]

2. Epstein Files Release Media Cycle

[02:24–16:18]

• House Democrats released more than 150 images plus videos from Epstein’s Caribbean estate, awaiting the mandated full file release under the new “Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
• The focus turns to peculiar details in the photos: e.g., a room with a dental chair and masks, abundance of surveillance cameras, lack of people in shots, and rooms full of videotapes—yet media won’t address the tape hoard.
• Much time is spent mocking the fevered media speculation about sinister meanings behind household items (especially the dental chair).
• Discussion includes Congressman Ro Khanna’s media appearance, calling on DOJ for full disclosure, and pointedly noting resistance or delays.
• Adam & John use the dentist chair to lampoon performative outrage, quick Google research (the chair belonged to Epstein’s final girlfriend, a dentist), and the tendency of both media and politicians to jump to lurid conclusions.
• Memorable Exchanges:
  • "Can nobody do Google searches anymore?" – John C. Dvorak [09:09]
  • “You make a joke about it, but I mean, really rich people have weird things in their homes.” – John C. Dvorak [11:30]
• The hosts eviscerate the performative nature of congressional and media interest, suggesting the photo dump is more political theater than a genuine fact-finding effort. They question motivations for timed media drops close to elections.
• [Highlights:]
  • New law requires all Epstein files (including interviews, photos, and videos) to be released within 16 days from Trump's bill's signing.
  • Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie leading the congressional push; strong bipartisan skepticism about whether the release will be comprehensive or heavily redacted.
  • Media’s fixation on the “creepy” aesthetics (masks, tapes, empty hotel rooms) and the endless cycle of “wealth porn.”

3. Drug Boat Strikes, War Crimes, and Money Laundering

[17:55–29:42]

• Adam and John examine recent U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, and the media’s shifting outrage about “war crimes.”
• The connection to the global financial system is explored—the hosts argue that drug money is crucial to global liquidity (citing its role in the 2008 Great Recession), and ask if “destroying” drug shipments could risk financial instability.
• A "boots on the ground" report from the Dutch Caribbean confirms that U.S./Dutch military interdiction of drug boats is nothing new—escalation for political optics is hypothesized.
• They discuss U.S. presidential pardons, focusing first on the former Honduran President (charged with massive cocaine trafficking, yet pardoned by Trump), and soon after, Rep. Cuellar and his wife (pardoned for alleged bribery), highlighting both the political and financial dimensions of these cases.
• The hypocrisy and murkiness of prosecuting only certain figures involved in international drug trafficking; speculation that key players are being spared for their insider knowledge on money flows.
• Notable Quote:

  "First of all, his brother Tony was the drug dealer ... This guy was an innocent, basically ... the Trump people already knew that he was not a guilty guy." – Adam Curry [26:59]

4. Epic Three-by-Three: Mainstream Media Coverage Dissected

[33:38–46:46]

• Classic “three-by-three” segment in which Adam and John compare ABC, CBS, and NBC reporting on U.S. military strikes and associated political fallout.
• They call out how news organizations construct associative narratives—linking “drug boat bombing” stories with immigration crackdowns and alleged “anti-immigrant” comments from Trump.
• Frequent focus on “fog of war” excuses by military officials, and the media's intentional conflation of border wars, drug wars, and racial politics for midterm electoral advantage.
• Adam and John point to how major networks seamlessly blend stories of ICE raids, Somali immigrant fraud, and naval strikes to creatively villainize the administration.

5. Ukraine, Peace Talks, and EU Money Schemes

[79:17–113:46]

• Adam and John dissect the media silence on Ukraine's stalled funding and peace talks. Major themes:
  • Europe is facing pressure to bankroll Ukraine directly, as U.S. weapons (now only available via European purchase) dry up.
  • The EU is weighing extremely controversial proposals: borrowing hundreds of billions of euros, or outright confiscation of Russian state assets from European banks (potentially destroying global trust in European finance).
  • Clip reviews include Ursula von der Leyen's “sales pitch” for using frozen Russian money, and McGregor's blunt assessments that peace talks and funding games are all about optics and buying time.
• German politics: Speculation that as the right-wing AFD grows and Germany’s energy crisis deepens, a geopolitical realignment toward Russia and rebuffing NATO/EU policies may be inevitable.
• Media soundbites from France 24 and the BBC highlight how the official line about Ukraine “peace” is full of misleading wordplay and inconsistent details.
• Notable Quote:

  “If you go to Monaco, there’s Rolls Royces, Ferraris ... all with Ukrainian license plates.” – John C. Dvorak [111:36]

6. Culture War, Meetups, and Tech Criticism

[124:45–143:13]

• As always, a chunk of the show is dedicated to shoutouts, value-for-value donation drives, and celebrating the No Agenda community’s self-sufficiency and independence from platforms like YouTube, Patreon, and Spotify.
• The hosts lambaste centralized tech and ad-based models, reminding listeners of the constant threat of deplatforming, data suppression, and payment system capture.
• Notable contributor pitches include custom candy businesses, resume services, and discussions of U.S. lamb vs. Australian lamb.
• Tech talk includes a detailed conversation about the economics (and impracticality) of current AI infrastructure, referencing direct comments from IBM's CEO and Nvidia insiders who confide there's no major productivity boost from LLMs yet.
• Podcasting 2.0, email delivery woes, RSS independence, and why No Agenda shows are "uncancelable."

7. Notable Offbeat and Humorous Sections

• Dentist Chair Gags
  The repeated running joke about the Epstein “dental chair,” with one-liners about elite eccentricities and Adam teasing John for loving the dentist (and aspiring to midlife dentistry).
  • “Help me become a dentist. Can I make the switch?” – John C. Dvorak [14:36]
• Redefining “Leeriness”
  A time-stretched debate on whether “leeriness” is a real word, resolved via chatGPT/AI, followed by classic mockery.
  • “Our overlord AI is never wrong.” – Adam Curry [15:29]
• On Champagne Codes
  John delivers a tip-of-the-day about reading bottle codes to distinguish grower champagne (RM) from mass-market labels (NM).
• Mocking Big Food Litigation
  The show lampoons San Francisco’s lawsuit against “Big Food” for using “tobacco science” to addict children, linking it back to decades-old industry consolidation.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Every cliché from every movie you’ve ever seen.” – Adam Curry [02:16]

• “Can nobody do Google searches anymore?” – John C. Dvorak [09:09]

• “A picture’s worth a thousand words.” – Adam Curry, satirically puncturing “wealth porn” cycle [16:59]

• “I love seeing Judge Jeanine speak in that official role. There’s something wrong about it.” – John C. Dvorak [01:24]

• On wealth porn:
  “Drop cliches on us ... I’m dumping this.” – Adam Curry [16:54]

• On AI companies’ impossible ROI:
  “Eight trillion of capex ... There’s no way you’re going to get a return on that.” – IBM CEO Arvin Krishna (via John) [161:07]

• On media blending narratives:
  “It’s almost like a mind trick ... boats, borders, stuff.” – John C. Dvorak [42:01]

• On EU plans to seize Russian assets:
  “This is so dumb … Maybe she’s a Manchurian candidate.” – John C. Dvorak on Ursula von der Leyen [102:03]

• Classic No Agenda:
  “We just call what we see.” – Adam Curry [54:49]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• BET Mad Bomber discussion: [00:33–02:21]
• Epstein Files release & dentist chair saga: [02:24–16:18]
• Drug boat strikes/war crimes/money discussion: [17:55–29:42]
• Network news “three-by-three”/media critique: [33:38–46:46]
• Ukraine war, peace plans, and EU money shuffle: [79:17–113:46]
• Donations, meetups, and independence: [124:45–143:13]
• Champagne tip-of-the-day: [187:03–192:39]

Tone & Style

The episode is trademark No Agenda—irreverent, cynical, densely referential, and darkly comic. They relentlessly skewer media, politicians, and even a few sacred cows among their own listeners. The show’s power comes in connecting dots between money, media, and policy that mainstream commentary either misses or purposely obscures.

Final Thoughts

• This episode is a masterclass in "media assassination." It rewards listeners who are skeptical of official narratives, appreciate offbeat humor, and value independence from all institutional platforms—whether government, media, or Big Tech.
• As always, Adam and John encourage direct audience engagement: meetups, donations, and contributing real-world tips and stories to future episodes.

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