Redacted News – Episode Summary

Episode Title: HIGH ALERT! TRUMP'S WAR WITH VENEZUELA IS COMING, BLACKROCK TAKES OVER ELECTRIC GRIDS
Date: October 21, 2025
Hosts: Clayton Morris & Natali Morris
Notable Guests:

• Peter St. Onge (Economist)
• James Roguski (Author of "Screw the WHO")
• John Carpay (President, Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms)

Main Theme Overview

This episode of Redacted spotlights two central stories:

1. The emerging consolidation of American power infrastructure by global asset manager BlackRock, raising antitrust and privacy concerns tied to AI development.
2. Rising US-Venezuela tensions, with accusations that the Trump administration, boosted by mainstream media and Republican neocons, is manufacturing consent for war under dubious pretenses.

Further segments include economic peril from government shutdown and US debt, the expansion of the World Health Organization's (WHO) AI-based information control, and an expose on Canadian surveillance and censorship laws.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. BlackRock: Power Grid Takeover and AI Monopoly

[05:07 – 09:17]

• BlackRock's Moves: Hosts discuss BlackRock's push to acquire critical US power grid infrastructure, including Minnesota Power, through a $6.2B deal. Warn that this facilitates monopoly power over utilities—particularly because regulated utility customers are captive (cannot switch providers).
• AI Infrastructure Motive: BlackRock cites the need for energy to support AI data centers as the core rationale ("If you're bullish on AI, then you have to be bullish on the power and utilities infrastructure").
• Comparison to Blackstone: Blackstone is also buying natural gas and utilities, suggesting a duopoly of control in America’s future energy and housing resources.
• Concerns Raised:
  • Monopoly risk: "I don't know how this isn't a monopoly. And I hope that the Trump administration... looks into this. Where's Theodore Roosevelt when you need them?" (Clayton, [09:13])
  • Incremental rate hikes feared; AI cited as scapegoat for rising prices.

2. Trump, Venezuela, and Media "Consent Manufacturing" for War

[09:36 – 16:14]

• Media & Government Push: Hosts critique mainstream outlets (Fox News, Sean Hannity) and figures like Sen. Lindsey Graham for pushing the narrative that Venezuela is the "largest purveyor of drugs" to the US, framing intervention or even annexation as a solution.
  • “They are manufacturing consent for war all across the airwaves as we speak.” (Clayton, [10:26])
• Trump's Comments: Clips of Trump surface where he boasts of ending eight wars and ominously hints at a "ninth" coming soon ([12:36]).
  • “We put out eight wars and the ninth is coming, believe it or not.” (Trump, [12:36])
• Drug Trafficking Pretext Challenged:
  • Colonel Douglas MacGregor argues the drug trade angle is a "cover"—the real aim is Venezuelan oil and gold.
  • "All they talk about is Venezuela's oil and gas, its gold mines, its emerald mines... Venezuela could be an opportunity for Washington to recover trillions in wealth squandered on failed military interventions..." (MacGregor clip, [15:09])

3. US Debt, Economic Fragility, and Government Shutdown

Guest: Peter St. Onge, Economist
[21:23 – 36:09]

• Debt Crisis:
  • US faces a “$51 trillion debt bomb,” with hidden liabilities (pensions, municipal debts). The pattern: fiscal discipline is always abandoned under political pressure and crisis.
  • "Nothing stops this train...100%, we're going to keep going to the crisis." (Peter St. Onge, [22:51])
• Government Shutdown:
  • Minimal public impact; non-essential functions ("$2 trillion or so that are, quote, unquote, non essential") are on hold, and most voters don't notice ([26:28]).
  • “Maybe we should stop doing that. And a big reason for that is that traditionally...the first dollar they’ll cut, it won’t be ... foreign aid... No, they’re gonna cut firemen, school lunches...” (Onge, [26:28])
• Political Fallout:
  • Unusually, Democrats are blamed for the shutdown—a reversal of historic trends. Odds of the shutdown persisting ~20 more days; possible mass layoffs if it reaches the 61–71 day mark ([30:11]).
• Inflation & Asset Prices:
  • Prediction that inflation settles at above 2% as new "normal," benefiting asset owners but hurting average Americans.
  • "If you own assets, here it comes." – Onge
• Hosts' Tone:
  • Empathy for working-class families missing paychecks, frustration at how partisan rallies (like 'no Kings') distract from substantive issues ([36:18]).

4. The WHO, AI, and Information Control

Guest: James Roguski, "Screw the WHO"
[41:51 – 55:48]

• WHO's AI Surveillance:
  • WHO's Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS), begun in 2017, is an AI system monitoring media and social media, ostensibly for public health.
  • Concern: AI is programmed to suppress "misinformation," which Roguski defines as truth contradicting official narratives ([44:57]).
    • “They want to use AI to lie to us. If they get information off our social media posts, they know how to tamp it down.” (Roguski, [44:10])
  • Roguski claims reporting of vaccine injury or alternative treatments was systematically suppressed rather than investigated.
• Loss of YouTube Misinformation Rules:
  • Hosts note YouTube's removal of WHO guidelines as the standard for "medical misinformation," interpreting this as a positive development ([54:48]).

5. Canada’s Looming “1984” Surveillance State

Guest: John Carpay, Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms
[59:37 – 70:11]

• Sweeping New Laws:
  • Bills C2, C8, and C9 would:
    • Ban cash transactions over $10,000
    • Permit warrantless mail opening/searches
    • Criminalize "hate speech" (poorly defined)
    • Grant government ability to cut off individual internet and phone access
    • Enable neighbor-initiated pre-crime accusations (house arrest for anticipated "hate crimes")
  • “If these three bills pass... we’re going to be close to a police state... at the mercy of the government…” (Carpay, [61:28])
• Bill C2 specifics:
  • Ostensibly a 'Strong Borders Act,' but actually allows sweeping domestic surveillance and warrantless searches ([64:44]).
• Online Harms Act (possible revival):
  • Would allow preemptive house arrest for intended speech, empower new "digital safety" commissions, and permit prosecution for offensive but legal speech.
    • “It’s like Minority Report”—punishment for predicted future offenses (Carpay, [66:16]).
• Public Response:
  • Carpay reports that a pro-freedom movement is rising in Canada post-COVID, and that government has quietly deprioritized the most draconian measures in response to pushback ([68:24]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On BlackRock Buying the Power Grid

• “Why do they have to be the ones that hold the keys to these power grids? ... I don't know how this isn't a monopoly. And I hope that the Trump administration ... looks into this.”
  — Clayton, [09:04]

On Venezuela and Manufactured Consent

• “They are manufacturing consent for war all across the airwaves as we speak, trying to convince all of us that Venezuela is the largest purveyor of drugs flowing into the United States.”
  — Clayton, [10:26]

On Economic Crisis and Shutdown

• “Nothing stops this train...100%, we're going to keep going to the crisis.”
  — Peter St. Onge, [22:51]

On the WHO & AI-Driven Censorship

• “They want to use AI to lie to us. If they get information off our social media posts, they know how to tamp it down.”
  — James Roguski, [44:10]

• “We can and should be using this type of information, these type of information resources, to identify the truth that is out there. It is getting more and more difficult.”
  — James Roguski, [47:46]

On Canadian Surveillance Bills

• “If these three bills pass ... it will be illegal to use cash ... Canada Post will have the authority to open letter mail without a warrant. The government will be able to order to kick individual Canadians off the Internet...”
  — John Carpay, [61:28]

• “If that is brought back… it’s going to be absolute tyranny up here as opposed to only partial tyranny as it is presently.”
  — John Carpay, [67:24]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 05:07-09:17 | BlackRock buying US power grid — AI justification | | 09:36-16:14 | US-Venezuela war rhetoric, manufactured consent | | 21:23-36:09 | Government shutdown and fiscal crisis, Peter St. Onge | | 41:51-55:48 | WHO AI monitoring, censorship, with James Roguski | | 59:37-70:11 | Canadian surveillance/censorship bills, John Carpay |

Tone, Language, and Atmosphere

• Redacted maintains an impassioned, populist, and skeptical tone.
• The language is direct, sometimes hyperbolic, always challenging establishment narratives.
• Regular expressions of empathy for working-class Americans, suspicions of large institutions, and a strong advocacy for free speech and civil liberties.
• Hosts blend serious warnings with irreverence and occasional family banter, keeping the mood alternately urgent and personable.

Summary Takeaways

• Systemic Risk: US economic and political institutions are at crisis points, with growing monopolistic power over infrastructure and mounting debts.
• Civil Liberties Threatened: Both in the US and Canada, new laws and AI-driven systems threaten free speech, privacy, and financial sovereignty.
• Manufactured Consent: Media and political elites are accused of orchestrating narratives to justify wars and erode liberties.
• Pushback Grows: Despite growing authoritarian trends, the episode notes rising awareness and resistance among ordinary citizens, especially in Canada post-pandemic.

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