Podcast Summary: Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton

Episode 27 – The Christmas Truce of 1914

Date: December 21, 2025
Hosts: Scott Horton & Darryl Cooper

Overview

In this episode, Scott Horton and Darryl Cooper dissect how ordinary people are drawn into cycles of violence, focusing much of their discussion on US foreign policy, the manipulation of public opinion, and cycles of propaganda—anchored by a modern and historical lens. While billed as an exploration of the Christmas Truce of 1914, most of the episode is spent addressing controversies related to the Israel/Palestine conflict, US political dynamics, media manipulation, Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson, and the deliberate attack on the USS Liberty during the 1967 Six-Day War. Only a teaser for the Christmas Truce is provided, with the promise of more in the following episode.

Key Discussion Points

1. Manipulation and Rumors in US Policy (00:51–13:35)

• Scott Horton’s Mea Culpa: Scott recalls his recent alarmist tweets about a rumored escalation by Trump against Venezuela based on multiple hearsay sources. He details how fast-spreading rumors and information operations are used by political actors to influence Congressional votes, especially on issues like the War Powers Resolution.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 04:23):
    “They were whipping votes against the War Powers Resolution. That was the purpose of the rumors they were spreading in the morning.”
• Role of Public Pressure: Both hosts emphasize the marginal but important influence of widespread public outreach to Congress and the White House, noting historical examples like opposition to the Syria intervention in 2013.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 13:35):
    “Does it make a difference if the phone is ringing? Well, it definitely doesn’t if it’s not.”

Timestamps:

• Scott’s background on the rumor and his Twitter response (00:51–06:24)
• Darryl on information bubbles surrounding Trump (06:24–13:35)

2. Media Bubbles, Trump, and A/B Testing the Public (06:42–15:12)

• Media and Access to Power:
  Cooper explains the isolation of Trump from dissenting perspectives due to gatekeepers like Susie Wiles, with JD Vance as a rare conduit for outside input.
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 07:27):
    “Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, she controls who speaks to Trump and who doesn’t, period.”
• Moral Responsibility for Alarmism:
  Cooper defends sounding the alarm about potential US wars, citing the lack of public debate and the need to act on rumors in the new era of war-by-executive fiat.
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 11:45):
    “No mea culpa is necessary when something like that doesn’t happen. You know, we can all cross ourselves and thank God that it didn’t, but that’s it.”
• Relative Power of Margins:
  Horton reiterates the importance of even marginal acts of protest and calls to Congress, noting that while not transformative, they sometimes tip the scales.

Timestamps:

• Cooper’s view on always reacting ("chimping out") to war rumors (06:42–09:45)
• How information is filtered to Trump (09:45–12:13)
• Scott on marginal gains in public pressure (12:13–13:35)

3. Public Opinion as a Brake on Policy (15:12–20:02)

• RAND Study Reference:
  Horton brings up a 2019 RAND Corporation study about overextending Russia, which repeatedly references the constraints of US and European public opinion—noting that policymakers are always calibrating how much the public will tolerate.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 15:47):
    “At no point do they say, ‘Screw the American people. What are they going to do about it?’ They go, ‘Well, public opinion, of course, is very iffy on this proposition…’”
• Coalition and Bipartisan Action:
  Discussion on historical moments where popular outcry influenced foreign policy, e.g., the prevention of direct US intervention in Syria in 2013.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 19:11):
    “It’s wrong that just because we’re powerless, we’re completely powerless... It’s at least something.”

Timestamp:

RAND/public opinion and coalition-building—(15:12–20:02)

4. Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and Control of the Conservative Movement (20:06–50:04)

• Media Purges and Narratives:
  Horton and Cooper analyze Ben Shapiro’s public attacks on Tucker Carlson, noting the tactic of deplatforming dissidents within right-wing media, especially those who deviate on issues like Israel/Palestine.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 20:11):
    “It’s obvious that that’s what they have against him... he brings common decency to anti-Zionism in a way that is quite contrary to the narrative.”
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 21:40):
    “Ben Shapiro was never invited to a TPUSA event when Charlie was alive. He spent all his time trashing... it was really grotesque.”
• USS Liberty Controversy:
  Both hosts detail the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, referencing survivor testimony, subsequent cover-ups, and sustained efforts to marginalize or silence the incident’s discussion in US public life.
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 27:56):
    “The important thing for people to understand… the crew members, ever since they started speaking out decades ago, they’ve been absolutely consistent about what happened that day.”
• Media Control Eroding:
  Cooper observes that the collapse of monolithic media control has enabled the truth about these controversies to finally surface.
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 47:31):
    “The only good news... is that... they had a complete and total media monopoly... and now that they don’t have it, they’re never going to get it back.”

Timestamps:

• Ben Shapiro's Turn and the USS Liberty (20:06–38:16)
• Survivors' experiences and evidence (38:16–44:41)
• Attempts at silencing and manipulation (44:41–50:04)

5. The Power and Limitations of Alternative Media; Christmas Truce Teaser (50:05–62:18)

• Alternative Platforms and Information:
  Both hosts discuss the proliferation of new media platforms, their own projects, and push back against censorship and the legacy gatekeepers, referencing their educational series and encouraging critical, coalition-based activism.
• Kittens & Donuts Metaphor:
  Horton humorously exposes how some online personas serve as “Trojan horses” to smuggle in pro-Israel propaganda under unrelated activist branding.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 61:15):
    “Ben Shapiro, Bari Weiss, ‘Gays Against Groomers’... they’re just kittens and donuts, man. It’s not about the kittens, it’s not about the donuts. It’s about making you think... and securing your support...”
• Ben Shapiro’s Audience Has Distilled:
  Cooper notes Shapiro is increasingly left with only the most fervent single-issue (Zionist) audience, reducing his broader influence.
  • Quote (Darryl Cooper, 62:18):
    “It’s distilled their audience down to that... and so it’s great.”

Timestamps:

• Alternative media and audience fragmentation (50:05–62:18)

6. The Christmas Truce of 1914 – Preview (58:02–58:49)

• Horton shares a teaser and directs listeners to archival articles on the spontaneous 1914 Christmas Truce during WWI, promising the full discussion for the next episode.
  • Quote (Scott Horton, 58:02):
    “Here, real quick, before we go... This is the Christmas Truce of World War I by Will Grigg... we republished at the Institute in his archive... antiwar.com, we publish... articles about the Christmas truce from all different people and including diary entries...”

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Darryl Cooper on the need for public outrage:
  • “You have to go crazy whenever any of these things happen, partly because sometimes they just float stuff out there... and they want to see how people respond.” (07:10)
• Scott Horton reflecting on mass action:
  • “We don’t have wealth and power, we just got lots of numbers. But that is something, right?” (12:17)
• On USS Liberty survivors’ perseverance:
  • “They were threatened, quote, with jail or worse by John McCain’s father... And then to go out and just see them brazenly lie about what happened to your dead friends...” (44:49)

Tone and Style

The tone is irreverent, blunt, and driven by a shared skepticism toward government, media, and establishment narratives—laced with dark humor and exasperation. Scott Horton is discursive and self-effacing, while Darryl Cooper offers structured, analytical responses rooted in history and insider knowledge. Both hosts champion direct action, coalition-building, and intellectual independence.

Episode Flow & Structure

1. Personal Updates, Media Critique: Quick exchange about personal news and the media landscape.
2. Rumor Mill & Foreign Policy: Horton's explanation of his Venezuela tweet, government manipulation, role of public pressure.
3. Media Gatekeeping: Cooper’s analysis of how Trump is isolated from dissenting voices.
4. Public Opinion & Policy: RAND study, US war powers, effectiveness of calls to Congress.
5. The Shapiro-Carlson Rift & USS Liberty: Deep dive into attacks on dissenters within the conservative movement and the USS Liberty incident, including media erasure and survivor intimidation.
6. Media Monopoly Breaking Down: Rise of alternative platforms, exposure of manufactured narratives.
7. Preview of Next Week: Teaser for the Christmas Truce story, with resources for those interested.

Final Thoughts

Although headlined as an episode about the Christmas Truce of 1914, this installment of Provoked circles through the mechanisms by which establishment power, media, and inner-party politics keep populations complicit in violence—and how the cracks in that system are growing more evident. A robust, polemical conversation for anyone seeking a critical (and at times combative) perspective on war, politics, and truth in the age of disinformation.