Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton

Episode 24 – Terror Strikes the Homeland (Thanksgiving Special)
Date: November 30, 2025
Co-hosts: Scott Horton (A), Keith Knight (B) [filling in for Darryl Cooper]

Overview

This special Thanksgiving episode dives into the psychological and political fallout of a terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., perpetrated by a former Afghan CIA-backed operative. With Darryl Cooper absent due to a blizzard, Scott Horton is joined by Keith Knight of the Libertarian Institute. Together, they dissect the tangled roots of America’s wars, the blowback in the homeland, mass migration, the philosophy of borders and welfare states, and contrarian historical perspectives, particularly on World War II. The show weaves contemporary events into a broader libertarian critique of state power, empire, and the cycle of violence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening & Introduction

• Scott Horton welcomes Keith Knight, introducing him as the pinch-hitter for the snowbound Darryl Cooper.
• Keith’s background: Managing Editor at the Libertarian Institute and host of "Don't Tread on Anyone" podcast, author/editor of books critiquing statism and progressivism.
  [02:34] B: "The Voluntarist Handbook ... persuasively made the case against the state or the concept of socialism ... the 50 things that ... took me from being a Republican to being a libertarian."

2. The DC Terrorist Attack by an Afghan CIA-Linked Operative

• Horton explains the tragedy and irony of recent events: a CIA-trained Afghan was resettled in the US and committed a deadly attack on National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC.
  [04:00] A: "It's your typical green on blue attack ... this happened over and over again in Afghanistan ... Our own sock puppets that are killing our guys."

• Discussion of "insider attacks" (Afghan “green on blue”), the CIA’s involvement, and how US policy creates blowback.

• Critique of bringing trained agents to the US post-war:
  [07:00] A: "Bringing them to the United States of America to be the American people's problem is just insane."

3. Presidential Reaction and the Hard Right Turn on Immigration

• Reaction to the President’s (implied Trump) sweeping proclamation: end third-world immigration, remove benefits for non-citizens, and deport “non-compatible with Western civilization” migrants.
  [09:22] A: "I have to say, man, this is one issue where I really have moved to the right ... this mass migration is not the same thing as immigration ... people just coming for the benefits ... it’s just too much."

• Self-reflection: Scott admits change in his own stance on migration from open/neutral to skeptical, drawing a distinction between traditional immigration and unassimilable mass migration.
  [11:39] A: "People... can only assimilate so many people, and especially when the American people have abandoned all our traditions anyway. How are we supposed to inculcate people on just basic principles of... civics?"

4. Welfare State & Immigration

• Keith Knight’s analysis: welfare incentives distort the potential benefits of immigration.
  [13:19] B: "If you have a welfare state in a society and immigrants come over who have access to this, this means ... each additional person is a potential liability ... This is why welfare is so divisive, it creates a two tiered society..."

• Analogy to Zionist immigration to Palestine and the danger of imported competing allegiances.
  [16:04] B: "This oppressed group became an oppressor group once they had enough power to establish themselves in large enough numbers in a geographical area... Something we should account for today when determining whether or not mass immigration is something we should justify."

5. Blowback, War, and Migration

• How US wars fuel crises that precipitate mass migrations:
  [19:22] A: "Why are all the Somalis in Minnesota? ... a big part of it is that George W. Bush's war since 2001 has helped to destroy that country..."

• European immigration crisis similarly linked to wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iraq.

• Connection to domestic exhaustion with immigration:
  [22:43] A: "I think the American people have had it. The fact that Donald Trump has won, really, three times, I think, in a row, based on what they said was completely unreasonable ... build a wall ... He had essentially unanimous consent for that on the right anyway."

6. Personal Experiences & Arguments Against Open Borders

• Scott’s DMV anecdote: resenting new immigrants in government jobs making decisions about locals’ lives.
  [24:43] A: "He has a government job, and his government job is to ride around shotgun in my truck in the neighborhood that I grew up in and tell me whether I'm allowed to have a driver's license or not..."

• Both hosts weigh the philosophical libertarian position (open borders) against practical concerns of mass migration and state power.

• Keith’s reservations and reluctant support for immigration controls: [26:33] B: "I reluctantly advocate the use of the state to stop people from mass immigrating only because there is ... access to a welfare state ... once they're here in large numbers, they'll be able to oppress the domestic population. It is a really reluctant position that I have come to recently."

7. Critique of State Power & Left-Right Dynamics

• Horton and Knight discuss the slippery nature of state power:
  [28:46] A: "Harry Brown, why government doesn't work. It doesn't matter what you want. They never do what you want..."
• The left's frustration: building up state power only to see it used for war or oppression once the political winds shift:
  [29:15] B: "After 10 years of advocating that, they're now accusing the federal government of being complicit in a genocide in Gaza ... once you give them all that power, they don't really have much of an incentive to listen to you anymore."

8. Thanksgiving Segment – Gratitude & Announcements (Skip to next for deep content)

• Thanks for Tom Woods’ help, Scott Horton Academy, and Libertarian Institute projects.
• Personal gratitude from both hosts for their work, relationships, and the opportunity to challenge orthodoxy.

9. Revisionism & World War II Debate

• Keith Knight previews his work and course on WWII, highlights overlooked or misconstrued aspects of the war’s history.

• Both discuss the sacred narrative of WWII in American civic religion and challenges in critiquing it.
  [42:12] A: "[World War II] is the more kind of sacred civic myth... probably this is true for myself and certainly I've seen this in other libertarians ... they get around to revising their understanding of World War II last..."

• Keith shares experience with debating mainstream historian James Holland, emphasizing neglected topics like conscription and the unintended fruits of war:
  [45:18] B: "I was obsessively listening to the official World War II historians... and it was so shocking to me how seldom if ever they could talk for hours... without ever mentioning the concept of conscription..."

• Scott praises Keith’s performance:
  [47:34] A: "You come in making a merciless case in the Keith Knight style ... And then he goes, well, you know, I don't know ... he would not at all say, wow, all right, you're at least trying to bring some heat here..."

• Keith’s aim as a revisionist is "to say true things that are important" and spotlight what mainstream historians ignore.
  [52:28] B: "My whole thing with this is, I want to say true things that are important. The sun is hot is something true, but that's not important. Everyone knows that."

10. Ukraine War, Negotiations, and US/European Sabotage

• Scott covers Dan McAdams’s recent article on missed opportunities for ending the Ukraine war.
  [53:06] A: "The original proposal was imperfect, but it was something ... and then the Europeans objected and Rubio went in there and helped them take out the parts like ... never bring Ukraine into NATO..."

• Critique of US/European intransigence, cost in Ukrainian blood, and the perpetuation of futile war:
  [58:44] B: "How can you consider yourself pro Ukraine if the policies you advocate result in mass Ukrainian death? Just completely psychotic."

11. Closing Thoughts & Superchats

• Closing Q&A: Keith explains his "Don't Tread on Anyone" podcast and reflects on how making accessible, high-value information is his mission.
• Final goodbyes—wishes for a good Thanksgiving weekend.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Scott Horton [04:00]: "It's your typical green on blue attack... our own sock puppets that are killing our guys."
• Scott Horton [07:00]: "Bringing them to the United States...to be the American people's problem is just insane."
• Keith Knight [13:19]: "This is why welfare is so divisive, it creates a two tiered society and makes people more hostile towards each other than they otherwise would."
• Scott Horton [19:22]: "Why are all the Somalis in Minnesota? I mean, a big part of it is that George W. Bush's war since 2001 has helped to destroy that country..."
• Keith Knight [26:33]: "My current position... is I'm open to being wrong. This is somewhat of a lifeboat scenario. I reluctantly advocate the use of the state to stop people from mass immigrating only because there is ... access to a welfare state."
• Scott Horton [42:12]: "...World War II, come on. I mean, even if you blame Woodrow Wilson, still you got to do what you got to do, right? ... It's the more kind of sacred civic myth."
• Keith Knight [45:18]: "...it was so shocking to me how seldom if ever they could talk for hours ... without ever mentioning the concept of conscription."
• Scott Horton [53:06]: "The original proposal was imperfect, but it was something. And then the Europeans objected and Rubio went in there and helped them take out the parts like ... neutrality ... They know what they're doing. It's sabotage, it's criminal. I hate it."
• Keith Knight [58:44]: "How can you consider yourself pro Ukraine if the policies you advocate result in mass Ukrainian death? Just completely psychotic."

Important Timestamps by Segment

• [02:34] – Keith Knight's introduction and background
• [04:00] – Breakdown of the DC attack and “green on blue” phenomenon
• [09:22] – President’s sweeping anti-immigration pronouncement and Scott’s reflections
• [13:19] – Welfare’s damaging role in the immigration debate (Keith Knight)
• [19:22] – Wars as root causes of modern refugee influxes
• [24:43] – Scott's DMV anecdote & philosophical limits of open borders
• [26:33] – Keith’s reluctant support for state migration controls
• [29:15] – Reflections on state power from the left
• [41:09] – World War II revisionist debate reflection and cultural taboos
• [45:18] – Neglected WWII history: conscription, forced labor, British/Polish sacrifices
• [53:06] – Ukraine war negotiations and American obstruction
• [58:44] – "Pro-Ukraine" policies and their deadly consequences
• [60:45] – Outro and Keith's "Don't Tread on Anyone" podcast

Tone:
Direct, humorous, and sometimes biting; both hosts blend skepticism & candor, eschewing euphemisms for explicit critiques of policy and ideology.

For listeners:
This episode is a crash course in the libertarian-right's critique of interventionism, mass immigration, the perils and paradoxes of state power, and how official narratives about history and current events obfuscate state culpability and hamstring real reform. If you want to understand the philosophical and practical consequences of endless war, welfare-driven migration, and the mythology underpinning American foreign policy, this episode pulls no punches.