Podcast Summary: Redacted News

Episode: "We must prepare for war with Russia!" NATO and Europe preparing for all out war | Redacted

Date: December 12, 2025
Hosts: Clayton Morris & Natali Morris
Key Guests: Captain Matthew Hoh (former Marine and State Department Official), Pastor Jay Chase Davis

Episode Overview

This episode of Redacted News dives into escalating tensions between NATO, Europe, and Russia, and the growing likelihood of all-out war. The hosts challenge mainstream media narratives, scrutinize massive military spending bills, and dissect how AI, propaganda, and censorship are shaping public perception and military operations. Special attention is given to U.S. foreign policy entanglements, including paradoxical funding of the Taliban, and the controversy over American pastors’ political allegiances to Israel. Throughout, the tone is skeptical, critical, and urgent, with warnings about propaganda, threats to democracy, and the erosion of public oversight.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NATO's Mobilization and Congressional War Powers

• NATO's posture: The episode opens with analysis of comments from NATO head Mark Rutte, warning Europe to "prepare for war with Russia" (07:58).

• U.S. Congress blocks withdrawal: Legislation now prohibits any administration from withdrawing U.S. troops from Europe and South Korea, effectively locking the U.S. into a forward military presence and further entangling it in European defense (06:40).

• Critique of war momentum: Hosts and guest Matthew Hoh highlight how U.S. war policy has become self-perpetuating, driven by both cultural inertia and the military-industrial complex.

  “Congress is using their power to prevent withdrawal from war. Is that not crazy?”
  — Clayton Morris (06:40)

  "It makes sense for the war state...the American empire...always in a state of war."
  — Matthew Hoh (10:24)

2. The “American Empire” and Distant Leadership

• Disconnect from public: Hoh emphasizes how D.C. is isolated from public opinion, allowing endless proxy wars (18:16).

• Historical context: Reference is made to the forsaking of the Founding Fathers’ advice, especially Washington’s warning against European entanglements (11:50, 12:29).

  “How did we get so far away from that?” — Natalie (11:50)

  "It’s intoxicating... blood and power are intoxicating." — Matthew Hoh (12:29)

3. Proxy Wars and Military AI

• Modern warfare evolution: The American approach has shifted to proxy wars, drones, and covert operations to minimize visible costs and casualties (18:16).

• AI in warfare: Discussion on the Pentagon developing military-specific AI (“murder bots”) unconstrained by civilian AI safeguards (21:23, 22:10).

  "Maybe the military needs a murder bot that will say, sure, I’ll kill that person."
  — Clayton Morris (09:20)

  “Who controls the AI?... The military needs something sealed, only one way in... it raises profound questions about narrative control and the privatization of war.”
  — Matthew Hoh (22:10)

• Israel’s AI as precedent: Hoh details sinister AI-enabled military platforms used by Israel—Lavender and Where’s Daddy—which have resulted in the intentional targeting of individuals when surrounded by family, underscoring the moral hazards of militarized AI (24:49).

  "If anybody thinks that an American AI system is somehow going to be more benevolent...I don't know what to tell you."
  — Matthew Hoh (28:03)

4. U.S. Military Failures and Lessons Unlearned

• Operational setbacks: Hoh argues the U.S. has been losing modern wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, naval confrontations) and that U.S. generals were directly outperformed by Russian counterparts in Ukraine (15:01).

  “The Russian generals defeated the American generals on the battlefields of Ukraine.”
  — Matthew Hoh (15:01)

• Lesson evasion: Despite lessons from Vietnam, Soviet Afghanistan, and beyond, the U.S. continues to repeat strategies of propping up unreliable allies, sowing future conflicts (39:01, 39:16).

5. The Taliban Funding Controversy

• $45 million/week to the Taliban: Hosts highlight bipartisan finger-pointing and lack of transparency regarding continuous U.S.-funded cash deliveries to Afghanistan.

• Structural critique: Hoh situates this in the context of the massive sums burned in the Afghan war, and the flawed logic of paying off potential adversaries and creating future threats (36:18–38:24).

  “$45 million a week is nothing compared to the $300 million a day the United States spent on the war in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021.”
  — Matthew Hoh (36:18)

6. Censorship and Public Information Manipulation

• Negative impacts of censorship: European citizens face censorship bills, surging energy costs, deindustrialization, and heavy-handed narratives that suppress real risks and failures (21:06–21:23).
• AI as narrative enforcer: Military AI is described as a future extension of narrative control, prioritizing state/contractor interests over factual objectivity (22:10).

7. U.S. Empire and War with China

• Strategic posture: The NDAA mandates further provocation toward China, through naval patrolling and strengthening regional alliances (10:24, 41:13).
• Hopeless prospects: Hoh and the hosts argue that U.S. war plans against China disregard logistical realities—the U.S. and allies are outmatched in manufacturing and operational scale (15:01).

8. Military Budget and Domestic Impact

• Hidden costs: The panel dissects the "official" $900+ billion defense budget, exposing true military-related costs as at least $1.7 trillion when including veterans’ care and debt service (47:17).

  "The Pentagon budget is $901 billion… the actual number is about $1.7 trillion."
  — Matthew Hoh (47:17)

• Opportunity cost: From decaying infrastructure to contaminated water, massive military spending is shown to eclipse social priorities (51:06).

  "Our leadership is okay with Americans at the risk of lead poisoning, but not funding Israel's genocide is something they'd never contemplate."
  — Matthew Hoh (51:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Segments

• NATO Rhetoric:

  “Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured.”
  — Mark Rutte, Head of NATO (07:58)

• AI and War Crimes:

  "Lavender...identifies targets. Where’s Daddy ensures that bombs are dropped when targets are with their families. You can’t get more demonic than that."
  — Natalie & Matthew Hoh (24:49–28:03)

• War is Never Over:

  "Political leaders’ support for war is about inertia, identity, and the military-industrial complex. These wars never really end, and the public always pays the cost."
  — Matthew Hoh (18:16)

• Funding Adversaries:

  “They will hate us for free. All they're going to do is use that money to come at us in a different area and kill Americans and kill our allies. Dadgummit.”
  — Rep. Tim Burchett (33:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• NATO Prepares for War with Russia: 07:58–09:20
• Congress Blocks Troop Withdrawal: 06:40–08:17
• Discussion with Matthew Hoh Begins: 10:24
• Why the U.S. Favors Constant War: 10:24–14:17
• U.S. Cannot Win Against China: 15:01–17:13
• American Generals’ Failures in Ukraine: 15:01–17:13
• Is NATO obsolete? Pushback Against Proxy Wars: 17:34–21:06
• Role of Censorship and AI in War: 21:06–24:49
• Explanation of Israeli AI ‘Lavender’ & Its Implications: 24:49–28:03
• War Profiteering & Budget: 47:17–51:07
• Taliban Funding/Congressional Dysfunction: 33:37–39:16

Segment: Church, Israel, and Foreign Allegiances

Christian Pastors Pledging Loyalty to Israel (52:22–74:05)

• Revelation: List of American Christian pastors who attended ambassador trips to Israel, pledging support for the Israeli state.

• Theological divide: Evangelical, Baptist, and non-denominational pastors primarily involved; Orthodox/Catholic clergy absent due to doctrinal differences (58:19).

• Biblical critique: Guests underscore the theological inconsistency and potential heresy of prioritizing political allegiances over core Christian doctrine (62:12).

  "You have to really stretch to ignore that, to say, okay, I'm gonna go and talk about the Bible and my method of teaching Christianity to my flock from a world government."
  — Clayton Morris (61:06)

• Advice to parishioners: Pastor Davis urges congregants to respectfully question their pastors’ involvement and seek biblical, historical context when their church's political entanglement causes discomfort (72:30).

Selected Memorable Exchanges

• On Congressional War Powers & NATO:

  "Now we can't pull them out. So they have no choice but to stay in Europe and fight, it would seem."
  — Philip (08:58)

• On AI’s Dystopian Logic:

  "If anybody thinks that an American AI system is going to be any more benevolent...I don't know what to tell you."
  — Matthew Hoh (28:03)

• On Military Budgets vs. Public Needs:

  "They said $30 billion is too much to spend to make sure Americans aren't going to get lead poisoning. What did it cost to enable Israel's genocide? $30 billion."
  — Matthew Hoh (51:07)

Additional Topics Covered

• Censorship bills in Canada and the suppression of dissent.
• Ukraine as a "proxy furnace": U.S. and EU leadership perpetuate conflict by sacrificing Ukrainian lives for strategic aims (18:16).
• America's inability to learn from foreign entanglements: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Balkans, and now possible provocations in Venezuela and against China.

Conclusion & Context

The episode concludes with strong calls to “wake up” and demand accountability from both political and religious leaders. Clayton and Natali stress the need for independent analysis, denounce war profiteering and narrative manipulation, and urge listeners to question mainstream narratives, foreign entanglements, and the blending of religion and geopolitics.

The overarching message:
Without critical questioning and resistance, Americans and Europeans are being “slow walked” into devastating wars and costly social tradeoffs—driven by elite interests, not grassroots will.