No Agenda Show #1825 - "MUK-Ultra"
Date: December 14, 2025
Hosts: Adam Curry & John C. Dvorak
Episode Overview
In this lively and irreverent episode, Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak take their signature deep-dive approach to the week’s media landscape, bringing the No Agenda brand of “media assassination” to a wide array of topics. The main themes revolve around media manipulation, the manufactured outrage culture online (“Muk Ultra”), digital ID introductions under the guise of child protection, global geopolitics (Core 5 and NATO developments), alternative media’s infighting, and ongoing U.S. entanglements in global conflicts. Seasoned with personal asides, targeted rants, and their trademark banter, the hosts pull back the curtain on news narratives rarely questioned in mainstream forums.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Shooting in Australia, Gun Control Narratives, and Media Hypocrisy
- Adam and John open with news about a shooting in Australia, discussing the contradiction of gun laws and crime.
- They compare U.S. cities with strict gun laws (e.g., Chicago) and media silence about violence there.
- Quote [01:10, Adam]: “Australia has such a bad rap... They took your guns away, and now look what happened...[refers to other places]...We live in a broken world, people.”
2. Outrage Culture and 'MUK-Ultra'
- The episode introduces the concept of "Muk Ultra," a pun on MK Ultra, referring to the trend of online denouncements and manufactured mass outrage.
- Adam details how influencers and figures in the alternative media space denounce one another for clout.
- Quote [03:15, Adam]: “This Muk Ultra business is out of control. That’s what it is… everybody’s denouncing everybody.”
3. The Spectacle of 'Micro' Fame and Media Obsession
- Adam reflects on his own experience with “super, super, super fame” in the Netherlands, relating it to the current phenomenon of minor online celebrities and constant audience-driven drama.
- The podcasting landscape's obsession with “outrage” as a form of entertainment, particularly among women, is compared with the boom in true crime podcasts.
- Platforming and re-platforming as tools used by bigger players (e.g., Tucker Carlson) to stoke online drama.
- Quote [08:31, Adam]: “The number one category by far in podcasting is true crime… and that’s essentially what Candace [Owens] has become.”
4. Rise of '764' – Child Harm, Media Panic, and Digital ID Push
- The hosts break down media coverage around the so-called '764' network—an online group allegedly exploiting and coercing children into violent or sexual acts.
- They dissect the uniformity and sensationalism of news reporting, noting coordinated editing and imagery (e.g., a “pug dog with a knife”).
- Adam asserts that this is a manufactured moral panic—a “psyop” meant to usher in policies around digital identification and surveillance (“digital ID”).
- Multiple legislative acts are introduced, all requiring more personal verification and paving the way for digital IDs.
- Quote [14:51, Adam]: “They’re calling it the number one digital threat right now… this is about the most disturbing story I’ve seen… But it’s also in Canada.”
- Quote [24:51, Adam]: “It all points to one thing. Why don’t we just make it easy, everybody, and give everyone a digital ID…”
5. Core 5 (C5): Potential New Global Power Bloc
- Adam introduces the leaked National Security Strategy’s “Core 5” concept: a proposed new alliance between America, Russia, China, India, and Japan—sidestepping Europe and the G7. Each country would “manage” regions in a post-Western order.
- Discussion on realignment of global trade and culture, and the nervousness in European media about being sidelined.
- Quote [30:49, Adam]: “There was a longer version of the National Security Strategy document… realignment… and the creation of a new power bloc… Core 5 or C5: America, Russia, China, India, and Japan.”
6. NATO, Militarization, and European Angst
- Adam plays clips from NATO figures warning of impending Russian aggression and demanding increased military spending.
- The hosts lampoon the hawkish tone and rhetoric, theorizing on the military-industrial complex’s influence and profit motives—especially in light of the emerging Core 5 realignment.
- Quote [34:21, NATO Secretary]: “This is not the time for self congratulation… too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now.”
7. Mainstream vs. Alternative Media: Fearmongering and Self-Obsession
- Comparison of MSM coverage (with NBC rundown recaps) versus the “denounce and drama” cycle of alternative media. Both are accused of emotional manipulation but for different ends.
- The difference between what actually affects people and what both sides (mainstream and alt) focus on.
- Quote [53:20, Adam]: “If you listen to these reports… all it is is things that could happen to you. That’s what they’re going for… what will get your nervous system.”
8. Venezuela, Oil Seizures, U.S. Policy, and Global Power Plays
- Extensive, nuanced discussion on U.S. seizure of Venezuelan oil tankers and the symbolism of regime change efforts.
- Playful analysis of media coverage surrounding Venezuela, including musical protests ("Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Maduro) and discussion with exiled Venezuelan leader Maria Corina Machado.
- The region’s geopolitics are tied to wider shifts: U.S. interests, older doctrines like the Monroe Doctrine, and the aforementioned Core 5 model.
- Quote [95:43, Maria Corina Machado]: “We are facing not a conventional dictatorship. This is a very complex criminal structure… starting with Russia, Iran, Cuba, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Colombian guerrilla, the drug cartels…”
9. NGO Industrial Complex and Western Aid
- The U.S. is shifting away from routing foreign aid through large NGOs, instead preferring direct engagement with countries—aimed at dismantling decades-old, inefficient “NGO industrial complex.”
- Quote [102:28, Senator Rubio]: “We are not going to spend billions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex…”
10. Global Youth Protests and Gen Z Politics
- Quick mention of Bulgarian government’s fall after massive youth protests, to illustrate how undercurrents of change may be spreading transnationally.
11. Alternative Media Infighting and British Influence
- Satirical but persistent suggestion that British elites and operatives are intentionally destabilizing U.S. influencers, referencing Turning Point UK and figures like Milo Yiannopoulos and Candace Owens’ husband, George Farmer.
- The hosts tie the “Muk Ultra” trend of denouncements and platform drama to broader psychological and geopolitical operations.
12. AI/Podcasting, Tech Hype, and State vs. Federal Regulation
- Satirical reading of a viral post about deploying Microsoft Copilot for corporate AI compliance and ROI theater.
- Discussion of Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” being assigned to “AI Architects”; skepticism about whether AI-generated podcasts can truly capture audience engagement.
- Public policy is scrutinized: Should states be able to regulate AI, or does this thwart innovation?
- Quote [161:09, Adam—paraphrasing viral post]: “‘We’re AI enabled now. I don’t know what that means, but it’s in our investor deck.’”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- [03:15] Adam: “It is this Muk Ultra business is out of control. Because that's what it is. Muk Ultra. That's.”
- [14:51] Adam: “Nihilistic extremism arrests… that's new.”
- [19:06] Adam: “They’re calling it the number one digital threat right now against number one pushed into sexual and violent behavior. This is about the most disturbing story I've seen.”
- [24:51] Adam: “It all points to one thing. Why don’t we just make it easy, everybody, and give everyone a digital ID…”
- [30:49] Adam: “There was a longer version of the National Security Strategy document… realignment… and the creation of a new power bloc… Core 5 or C5: America, Russia, China, India, and Japan.”
- [34:21] NATO Secretary: “This is not the time for self congratulation… too many believe that time is on our side. It is not.”
- [53:20] Adam: “If you listen to these reports… all it is is things that could happen to you. That’s what they’re going for… what will get your nervous system.”
- [95:43] Maria Corina Machado: “We are facing not a conventional dictatorship. This is a very complex criminal structure… starting with Russia, Iran, Cuba, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Colombian guerrilla, the drug cartels…”
- [102:28] Senator Rubio: “We are not going to spend billions of dollars funding the NGO industrial complex…”
Important Timestamps & Segments
- 00:24 – 02:28: Opening banter, Australia gun debate, media hypocrisy
- 03:06 – 08:24: The “denounce” culture, ‘Muk Ultra’ concept defined
- 08:24 – 12:21: Microfame, outrage in podcasting and media’s recursive cycle
- 12:21 – 14:51: Algorithmic social media, TikTok, split media realities
- 14:51 – 25:56: The 764 “network,” media panic, path to digital ID (lots of news audio)
- 28:08 – 32:58: “Core 5”/C5 global realignment, defense documents
- 32:58 – 38:42: NATO hawkishness, European unease, military-industrial complex
- 49:03 – 56:42: Mainstream news rundown, media framing (“what bad could happen to you”), lack of substantive reporting
- 71:40 – 101:47: Venezuela crisis, U.S. seizures, Machado interview
- 102:02 – 104:53: U.S. foreign aid and the NGO Industrial Complex
- 106:13 – 106:52: Bulgarian Gen Z protest, resignation of government before adoption of euro
- 109:33 – 114:49: British elite “ops” in alternative media, Candace Owens, Milo, platforming
- 157:25 – 163:07: Time Person(s) of the Year, AI hype and corporate compliance
- 165:16 – 167:25: TTS (text-to-speech) podcasts discussion and spam dilemma for open indexes
- 168:29 – 169:49: Grocery price dynamic pricing and anti-competitive tech practices
Show Highlights
- Adam’s Dutch microfame anecdote: A peek behind the curtain at the media’s lifecycle in making and breaking celebrities (05:28–08:24).
- Deep deconstruction of 764 coverage: Laughing at media’s copy-paste panic storytelling and making explicit the intended policy outcome (14:51–25:56).
- Core 5 geopolitics: A significant but under-covered global power realignment is broken down, connecting dots to EU fragmentation fears (28:08–32:58).
- Mocking MSM’s 'fear of the day' formula: Adam and John parody network news rundowns, highlighting the performativity and strategic repetition (49:03–56:42).
- Venezuela regime change narrative: Instead of focusing on soundbites, Adam and John unpack the complexity, connecting resource competition with U.S. policy and media justification (71:40–101:47).
Tone & Style
- Irreverent and satirical: The hosts frequently break from “serious” news breakdown to lampoon both the stories themselves and the figures involved.
- Conversational: The long-form, discursive style includes plenty of side talk (about wine, grappa, social media algorithms) that, while digressive, illuminates the hosts’ perspectives and adds levity.
- Deeply skeptical: Both Adam and John maintain a posture of radical skepticism, seeking hidden motives and greater patterns of influence in all media and political actions.
For New Listeners
This episode is a tour de force of media deconstruction, filled with in-jokes, insider references, and world-weary humor. It’s as much about how the stories are told as the facts themselves, exposing manipulation in both mainstream and alternative media, and tracking big-picture trends you’re unlikely to hear elsewhere. If you’re looking for deep dives behind the news, a heady mix of jokes and geopolitics, and the feeling of hearing what’s not being said, No Agenda delivers—minus the ads and with all the denouncements you can handle.
For complete show notes, producer credits, donation links, artwork, and a trove of No Agenda resources, visit noagendashow.net
End of Episode Quote
“They know what they’re doing.”
— (Anonymous Movie Clip, used as an outro ISO, [183:00])