Episode Overview
Podcast: The Michael Knowles Show
Episode: 1868 – BREAKING: Liberal Journalist Exposed in Satanic Child Abuse Ring
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles
In this episode, Michael Knowles tackles several hot-button issues, examining them through the lens of conservative thought and cultural criticism. The main themes include the explosive allegations against a left-wing Australian journalist implicated in an international satanic child abuse ring, the contradictions and dangers of extreme virtue signaling, lessons from a viral NYC subway confrontation, and sharp criticism of leftist immigration and welfare policies. Knowles also highlights the shifting stances of political elites, using pointed examples such as Joe Biden backing Trump-era drug enforcement actions and the left’s changing rhetoric on ethnic identity and assimilation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Allegations Against an Australian Journalist
[04:58 - 13:04]
- Story Summary: Michael begins by relaying with horror the news (reported by Andy Ngo) that Landon Germanata Mills, a left-wing Australian journalist & animal rights activist, has been charged with running an international ring distributing satanic-themed child and animal abuse material.
- Contradictions: Knowles underscores the irony that Mills publicly campaigned for animal rights yet, in private, allegedly distributed animal abuse content.
- Quote: "On the one hand, he marches, he demonstrates for the protection of animals. On the other hand, he gets off to torturing animals and promotes their torture through pornography. How do you make sense of that?" ([07:19])
- Moral/Intellectual Virtue Distinction: Drawing on Aristotle, Knowles explains that knowing what’s right (intellectual virtue) does not guarantee living rightly (moral virtue).
- Quote: "You can know everything about religion ... and you can also just sin all the time ... knowing is not enough. You actually have to do it." ([10:21])
2. NYC Subway Confrontation – Virtue in Action
[13:04 - 18:41]
- Viral Video Analysis: Knowles discusses a viral clip where a bystander confronts a subway harasser, lauding the bystander's courage and shrewdness in confronting bullies.
- Quote (Subway Bystander): "You pick and choose your battles. He was minding his business, not even paying you no mind. Use a user, and I hope you know that." ([13:30])
- Lessons and Social Observations:
- Picking one’s battles is a lesson, both for street safety and for effective political strategy.
- Acknowledgement of racial dynamics in public confrontations ("He only got away with it 'cause he's black.") ([16:27])
3. Leftist Rhetoric on Immigration: Accidental Admission of “Ethnic Cleansing”
[21:09 - 29:40]
- MSNBC Clip Reaction: Knowles plays and reacts to an MSNBC segment in which a guest refers to deportation policies as “ethnic cleansing,” arguing that the same logic applies to left-wing migration policies that alter national demographics.
- Quote (MSNBC Guest): "I think what's really important to contextualize this... the White House is embracing ethnic cleansing. I mean, that is what is happening here. This is make America white again." ([21:23])
- The 'Great Replacement' Theory: Knowles points out the irony that MSM now uses language that the left previously branded as a racist conspiracy theory.
- Quote: "According to their logic... whether you do it by kicking people out or bringing people in...the result...would be precisely the same." ([23:10])
- Identity Politics: Argues that the left is open about demographic engineering and no longer hides the tribal component of their ideology.
4. Assimilation and the Somali Community in Minneapolis
[30:59 - 42:38]
- Press Conference Farce: Knowles mocks the optics of a Minneapolis press conference featuring Mayor Jacob Frey and a Somali police official, whose message is incomprehensible to most.
- Quote: "You don't understand a single syllable that this guy is saying, and you have to engage in this farce." ([31:55])
- Police vs. Federal Law: Critiques the police department’s stated willingness to back the local Somali community over ICE, framing it as a real “insurrection.”
- Ilhan Omar’s Deflection: Plays Omar’s evasive explanation for the rampant fraud among Somalis in Minnesota – "That is some high quality grade A tergiversation." ([36:34])
- Critique of Mass Migration: Argues many migrants do not assimilate, contribute economically, or fit the traditional model of refugees, asserting that their importation is ultimately for political gain.
- Quote: "They are fraudsters. They do commit a ton of crime. They absolutely rape our welfare system. And they don't believe the same things that we believe. So they don't really assimilate." ([38:32])
5. Welfare, Work, and Resentment
[43:24 - 46:40]
- Food Stamps Interview: Mocks a local news segment where a foreign-born woman objects to a 20-hour-per-week work requirement for food stamp recipients.
- Quote: "I don't think it's fair that he do that." ([44:12] – Food Stamp Recipient)
- Comment: "How offensive is it to Americans when some lady walks out there... and says, yeah, I think it's just terrible to expect people to work 20 hours a week." ([45:45])
- Root of Anti-Immigrant Sentiment: Acknowledges resentment among the working class toward immigrants perceived as exploiting welfare systems, calling it entirely normal and rational.
6. Drug War Policy: Biden Agrees with Trump
[46:40 - 51:13]
- Democratic Shift: Highlights Joe Biden’s historical support for harsh anti-narcotics action, mirroring current Trump policy against Venezuelan drug boats. Uses this to demonstrate the political realignment of the left from supporting American interests to siding, in his view, with foreign bad actors.
- Quote: "We don’t oppose the President’s plan... All we want to do is strengthen it... Let’s go after the drug lords where they live." ([48:15]– Biden, 1989)
- Conclusion: "What changed? ... In those days, the Democrats, at least ostensibly, were on the side of the Americans against the foreign narco terrorists. And now the Democrats are on the side of the foreign narco terrorists. Back in the old days... they were on the side of Americans. Now they are on the side of the foreigners. And they are against Americans. That's it." ([51:13])
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the Alleged Journalist/Activist:
"It's always the ones you most expect. This is not a man bites dog story. Guy who has bizarre, freaky deviant sexual obsessions, does bizarre, freaky, deviant sexual things..." ([08:10]) -
On the NYC Subway Bystander:
"Give this guy the keys to the city I love." ([13:41])
“You pick your targets very carefully and you pick weak targets.” ([16:12]) -
On MSNBC and Demographic Change:
“It would appear that MSNBC is now embracing...not only the notion of the Great replacement theory, which we're told is a horribly racist conspiracy theory, it would appear that MSNBC is going even further and saying that the mass migration policy pushed by Democrats constitutes an ethnic cleansing of Americans.” ([22:25]) -
On Minneapolis Politics:
"There is a word for this. It's a word the Democrats used for years to refer to a horn hat guy taking selfies in the Capitol. But I think it's a little more apt here. This is an insurrection." ([34:00]) -
On Food Stamps:
"How offensive is it to Americans when some lady walks out there, lady who's not starving with a foreign accent and says, yeah, I think it's just terrible to expect people to work 20 hours a week... Can you imagine? It's outrageous." ([45:45]) -
On Political Realignment:
“The issue didn't change. The hypocrisy didn't change. It's just they picked a different side. They decided to pick a different team, a different faction.” ([51:13])
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [04:58] – Breaking: Left-wing journalist charged in satanic child abuse ring
- [09:08] – Aristotle, virtue ethics, and why knowledge isn’t enough
- [13:04] – NYC Subway confrontation: breakdown and lessons
- [16:27] – Race, justice, and the "keys to the city"
- [21:09] – MSNBC: “Ethnic cleansing” language about deportations
- [23:10] – Demographic engineering as “ethnic cleansing” logic
- [31:33] – Minneapolis press conference: assimilation farce
- [34:00] – Minneapolis Somali community vs. ICE labeled “insurrection”
- [36:34] – Ilhan Omar “tergiversation” on Somali fraud
- [43:24] – Food stamp debate and foreign recipient interview
- [48:15] – Joe Biden’s 1989 endorsement of forceful action against narco-terrorists
- [51:13] – Summarizing political realignment: Americans vs. foreigners
Tone & Language
Knowles maintains his signature sardonic, polemical tone, blending dark humor with sharp critique. He employs repeated use of sarcasm, rhetorical questions, classical references (notably Aristotle), and pop culture analogies (Star Wars, Monty Python). There’s a blend of policy discussion, philosophical rumination, and culture war invective. He is consistently combative, derisive toward his ideological rivals, and openly partial.
Summary for New Listeners
In this episode, Michael Knowles unpacks controversial news stories and cultural battles—starting with the arrest of a left-wing journalist for allegedly running a satanic child abuse ring, and examining the broader phenomenon of public virtue signaling masking private vice. He uses real-world examples to illustrate lessons about virtue (with a viral subway hero), accuses political opponents of hypocrisy and double standards (especially on immigration and welfare), and exposes what he sees as the dangers of modern leftist identity politics. Whether or not you agree with his politics, Knowles delivers a snappy, provocative, and deeply opinionated rundown of issues dominating the contemporary culture war.