Real Coffee with Scott Adams

Episode 3021 CWSA 11/17/25 — November 17, 2025

Summary

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Adams dissects the latest news through his trademark "persuasion filter," offering contrarian takes on big tech (AI and self-driving cars), media credibility, political infighting, the never-ending Epstein files saga, and shifts in Republican and Democratic messaging. True to form, Adams weaves sarcasm, skepticism, and reframes of conventional narratives, encouraging listeners to question mainstream headlines and the motives of powerful players.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Self-Driving Car Wars: Waymo vs. Tesla

• Waymo's Bay Area Expansion: Adams discusses Waymo's move into the broader San Francisco Bay Area and ponders the power of being a "first mover" in the market for self-driving taxis.
  • “If you loaded one app and it worked out... would you even do another one? Or would you say, I'm a Waymo person, it does everything I need to do?” [01:37]
• The "First Loyalty" Effect: He suggests early user experience may ensure customer loyalty, putting pressure on Tesla to cement local presence.

2. Artificial Intelligence: Have We Hit the Limit?

• AI Hallucinating Knowledge: Adams relays Elon Musk's claim that AIs have exhausted human-generated training data and are now "making up" new knowledge.
  • “How does that work? Does your common sense tell you that that AI could get smarter by simply hallucinating what's true?” [02:12]
• Yann LeCun’s Departure Signal: Cites LeCun (formerly Meta’s chief AI scientist) declaring large language models a "dead end," aligning with Adams’ own skepticism about present AI’s limits.

3. Political Hypocrisy & Compilation Clips

• Newsom and “Latinx”: Adams mocks California Governor Gavin Newsom for denying use of the term “Latinx,” only to be caught in video montages using it.
  • “Not only did people in his office use it, he used it... Oh, good, compilation clip.” [04:28]
• Did Newsom Forget or Lie?: Adams muses about accidental vs. intentional political dishonesty, leaning toward forgetfulness.

4. Trump vs the "Fake News" Networks

• Trump’s "FCC Threat": Trump suggests FCC should revoke ABC/NBC broadcast licenses for being "deep state propaganda".
  • “I think he has every right to complain about it. Also has every right to try to put them out of business...” [06:26]
• A Real Problem: Adams finds Trump’s underlying complaint legitimate, but dismisses the likelihood of networks being shut down.

5. The Epstein Files – Perpetual Scandal

• Trump Flips on Releasing Files: Trump calls for the release of Epstein documents after earlier resisting the idea, leading critics to speculate (“maybe he already scrubbed anything bad about him”).
• Political Calculus: Adams posits Trump’s change is tactical—so he can claim transparency and shift skepticism to others.
  • "[Trump] has the option, if he wants to turn that bad look into a good look by just saying, hey, everybody, release those files." [13:57]
• Rep. Thomas Massie's Angle: Massie suspects high-profile officials (not Trump) are protected in the files, and expects more Republican calls for release.

6. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Public Reversal

• Accepting Criticism: Greene admits to CNN’s Dana Bash that it’s fair to criticize her for objecting to Trump’s attacks only when they’re aimed at her.
  • “Dana, I think that's a fair criticism... I'm sorry for taking part in toxic politics.” — Marjorie Taylor Greene [15:05]
• Adams’ Reaction: He’s surprised and impressed by her candidness, calling it “brave” to admit an obvious truth.

7. Fears & Doxxing in Politics

• Threats to MTG: Adams comments on the danger and threats faced by controversial politicians, particularly when they’re at odds with their own base.
  • “Man, it is tough to be a politician, I'll tell you. It's so sad that you have to risk your life, just have to be a politician and have an opinion.” [18:49]

8. Alleged DHS Spending Scandal — Kristi Noem

• ProPublica Claim: Adams highlights a report that Kristi Noem, as DHS Secretary, spent $200 million on ads.
• Counter-narrative: He argues these ads probably serve public safety goals and border deterrence rather than pure self-promotion.
  • "But when she says she's doing a good job, it's telling all the people who might want to sneak into the country it's not going to work.” [20:41]

9. Government Misspelling as Obfuscation

• Comey’s Spelling Games: Reports FBI/DOJ deliberately misspelled names (e.g., "Clinant" for Clinton) in files to thwart FOIA searches.
  • "The only misspellings were the people they were trying to hide..." [22:55]

10. Party Messaging Shifts

• Affordability as a New GOP Slogan: Adams notes Republican adoption of "affordability" (usually a Democratic theme), but questions what actual action would follow.
  • “‘We're gonna fight for you, for affordability.’ What does that mean? ... How does that make anything more affordable?” [27:24]

11. Housing, Manufacturing, and Tech News

• LA’s Affordable Housing Push: Driven by necessity, not trendiness.
• Toyota’s $10B Battery Announcement: Admires scale and potential for American jobs.
• Bezos’ New AI Venture: See’s Bezos’ Project Prometheus as a play to “own everything”—manufacturing and selling.

12. Foreign Policy

• Ukraine's Campaigns: Adams shrugs at the cycle of strikes and repairs on Russian oil infrastructure.
• Hamas’ Popularity: Calls attention to increased Hamas support among Palestinians after conflict, suggesting western policy backfired.
• Trump Open to Talks with Maduro: Praises diplomatic openness, but notes Trump prefers to negotiate from strength.

13. Scott’s Reframe on Willpower

• Reframing Vice: Suggests lack of “willpower” is more about enjoying temptations more than others, not personal weakness.
  • “The reframe is that some people get more pleasure from certain vices than you do, and that's it.” [33:10]

Memorable Quotes

• “Fake news. And I think he has every right to complain about it. Also has every right to try to put them out of business because they're trying to put him out of business.” — Scott Adams on Trump vs. the networks [06:26]
• “Dana, I think that's a fair criticism... I'm sorry for taking part in toxic politics.” — Marjorie Taylor Greene to Dana Bash, quoted by Adams [15:05]
• “The reframe is that some people get more pleasure from certain vices than you do, and that's it.” — Scott Adams [33:10]
• “If you like eating more than I do, you're probably way more. If you like drinking more than I do, you probably drink more... stop thinking that you're weak.” — Scott Adams expanding on the reframing of willpower [33:45]

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Waymo vs. Tesla; AI's Data Limits: [01:00]–[03:30]
• Newsom, Political Compilation Clips: [04:28]–[05:45]
• Trump & Fake News Outlets: [06:10]–[07:24]
• Epstein Files / Trump Switches Position: [08:00]–[13:57]
• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Acknowledgment: [15:05]–[16:55]
• Threats Against Politicians: [18:20]–[19:05]
• Kristi Noem Spending, Border Ads: [20:10]–[21:00]
• Comey and the Name Misspelling Tactic: [22:26]–[23:50]
• Affordability as GOP Branding: [27:24]–[28:21]
• Scott’s Willpower Reframe: [33:10]–[34:20]

Tone & Style Notes

Scott Adams maintains a sardonic, wry, and occasionally self-deprecating tone. His approach is skeptical of easy narratives and conventional wisdom, instead proposing psychological or rhetorical explanations behind headlines and political maneuvering. The episode mixes humor, mockery, and earnest reframing.

Conclusion & Takeaways

This episode covers a wide spectrum—from tech developments through political intrigue, with a recurring theme: narratives are manipulated, and skepticism is warranted. Adams’ alternative lens emphasizes how those in power use persuasion and the media to shape public perception, while also reminding listeners that “weakness” may simply be a function of individual motivation—not innate character.