Podcast Summary: The Michael Knowles Show

Episode 1877 – "Protecting Non-Binary Assassin? Brown University Deletes Records"
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Michael Knowles (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this episode, Michael Knowles examines recent developments surrounding a campus shooting at Brown University, focusing on strange actions taken by the university, such as deleting digital records linked to a non-binary, pro-Palestine student. Knowles critiques the cultural and political response to the incident, drawing broader connections to crime, identity politics, the handling of terrorism, and public policy. The show further discusses controversial statements by public figures regarding crime statistics, political iconoclasm through statue removals, and criminal justice philosophies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brown University Shooting and Information Suppression

Timestamps: [00:00]–[11:30]

• Brown University removes digital records of a student described as "they/them, pro-Palestine, with a Muslim name," fueling Internet speculation about the individual's involvement in a campus shooting.
• Knowles’ Criticism of University Transparency:
  • Highlights how Brown was initially quick to release information when a white suspect was believed involved (“...they leaked his name, they leaked his photo, they ended up leaking the wrong white guy’s photo...” – [03:34]).
  • Contrasts this with the university's evasive and vague responses when questions are raised about the leftist, non-binary student (“...you know nothing about anything, lady...” – [05:19]).
  • Points out the inconsistency in university protocols regarding safety alarms and stonewalling over website removals.
• Brown's Official Response:
  • Rep claims ignorance about website takedowns and asserts cooperation with law enforcement ([04:56]).
• Knowles on the Narrative:
  • Argues mainstream narratives downplay leftist/Islamic radical violence in favor of the “white supremacist” trope.
  • Emphasizes overlap between radical leftist and Islamist actors (“...there’s substantial overlap between the radical leftists, the trans-tifa type guys, and the jihadis...” – [02:46]).

Notable Quote

"There’s two kinds of terrorism... radical leftist terrorism and... Muslim terrorism. They would have you believe... the real terrorism is from the white supremacists. It’s just not true… even the Atlantic magazine had to admit terrorism is a left-wing problem right now."
— Michael Knowles, [02:35]

2. Shifting Responsibility: Guns, Individuals, or Ideology?

Timestamps: [07:00]–[11:30]

• Brown President’s Remarks:
  • Attempts to diffuse focus from the perpetrator’s motives or group identity by attributing the incident solely to “gun violence” ([07:02]).
• Knowles’ Rebuttal:
  • Accuses university leadership of moral evasion and ideological bias.
  • Argues identification and naming of real causes (ideologies, perpetrators) is necessary for public safety.

Notable Quote

“It’s not a moral high ground. It’s deeply immoral. Because what you’re saying is we’re not going to solve the problem and we’re going to keep killing you, and we’re gonna let the radical Muslims and the radical leftists... keep doing it.”
— Michael Knowles, [09:26]

3. Media and Law Enforcement Bias

Timestamps: [11:30]–[15:30]

• Knowles criticizes both university and law enforcement for their apparent confusion or selective urgency based on suspect demographics ([11:54]).
• Points to repeated failures to identify suspects or release footage, and speculates this may be due to ideological narratives not aligning with facts.

Memorable Moment

“They don’t know the difference between inside and outside, or they think they know who the guy is, but he doesn’t fit [the narrative]... If the shooter really is any of the identity groups [protected by progressives]... they will do everything to suppress that.”
— Michael Knowles, [12:45]

4. Crime Statistics and Ideological Narratives

Timestamps: [15:30]–[22:30]

• Jasmine Crockett’s Claim (Resurfaced):
  • “...the people that commit 80% of the most violent crimes in this country are white supremacists.” ([15:32])
• Knowles’ Data-Driven Refutation:
  • Explains FBI crime stats: most “white” crime statistics include Hispanics; in proportional terms, violent crime rates are higher among Black Americans, but whites (including Hispanics) form a majority due to the population base ([16:07]).
  • Points out that white supremacists account for “well under 0.1%” of US violent crime ([17:54]).

Notable Quote

“According to the statistics, white supremacists account for well under 0.1% of violent crime in the United States. So, statistically, zero. So in other words, Jasmine Crockett, completely wrong about this.”
— Michael Knowles, [18:32]

5. Political Iconoclasm: Replacing Robert E. Lee

Timestamps: [22:30]–[30:30]

• Discusses the replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue with Barbara Rose Johns in the US Capitol.
• Critiques the left’s strategy of erasing longstanding historical figures in favor of largely unknown civil rights icons to reinforce modern narratives of oppression and progress.
• Reads and lampoons Glenn Youngkin’s statement that “You can’t tell the story of Virginia without telling the story of Barbara Rose Johns” ([29:39]).

Notable Quote

“We’ve done a pretty good job of it for the last 300 years. No one ever heard of this woman before yesterday… The left is trying to make her into an icon by iconoclasm.”
— Michael Knowles, [26:29]

6. Broader Reflections on Historical Revisionism

Timestamps: [30:30]–[34:00]

• Differentiates organic myth-making about national heroes from revolutionary erasure of those figures.
• Shares Eisenhower’s admiration for Lee, illustrating how modern revisionism targets not just stories but the icons themselves ([30:39]).

Memorable Moment

"General Lee was one of the greatest Americans ever to live. That was long after the Civil War... and now 70ish years after that. His statue can't even stand. He's a symbol of hatred."
— Michael Knowles, [31:14]

7. Identity, Ideology, and Terrorism: The New Year’s Eve Plot

Timestamps: [34:00]–[40:00]

• Discusses the arrest of multiple leftist/“tran-tifa” suspects behind an attempted New Year’s Eve terrorist plot in LA.
• Relays his skepticism toward conspiracy theories about such attacks, arguing consistency in the ideological profile of perpetrators (“It's always the ones you most expect.” – [37:19]).
• Connects to broader pattern: leftist, LGBTQ-identifying, or Islamic radicals as consistent assailants in recent political violence.

Notable Quote

“Part of the reason that I’ve never for one second doubted that it was a leftist, trans identifying, LGBT whatever person is because these are the people who always do the terrorism in America.”
— Michael Knowles, [37:41]

8. Criminal Justice Policies: New York’s Free Bus Experiment

Timestamps: [40:02]–[43:25]

• Zohran Mamdani’s Policy:
  • Argues that making bus rides free significantly reduced assaults on drivers ([40:11]).
  • Knowles lampoons this as an abdication of responsibility; suggests it's comparable to appeasement, not justice.
• Knowles’ Satirical Analogy:
  • “If you want to reduce murders during burglaries... make sure everyone keeps all their jewelry in the front hall...” ([41:45]).

Memorable Moment

“Two bucks at a time starts to add up. It’s like saying that we’re gonna reduce murder during rape by telling the victims not to resist.”
— Michael Knowles, [41:56]

9. Alternative Approach: Sheriff Grady Judd on Accountability

Timestamps: [43:25]–[44:39]

• Sheriff Judd advocates arresting and prosecuting youth offenders early and often to protect society and improve their future prospects.
• Highlights “false mercy” of excusing crime as ultimately detrimental to offenders.

Notable Quote

“Is it charitable to wrongdoers not to punish them? And the answer is no. It’s bad for them not to punish them because it will encourage them to continue doing bad things...”
— Michael Knowles, [44:50]

10. Housing Crisis Tied to Migration Policy

Timestamps: [46:00]–[48:45]

• References recently released HUD report showing two-thirds of rental demand growth attributed to foreign-born residents.
• Argues that mass migration is a primary driver of housing unaffordability, refuting left-wing narratives about causes.

Notable Quote

“According to this HUD report, two-thirds of rental demand growth in recent years has been on account of foreign-born people in the country. That’s why your rent is high.”
— Michael Knowles, [47:56]

11. Final Quips and Cultural Observations

Timestamps: [48:45]–[49:30]

• Mocks Rep. Jasmine Crockett's “quiet part out loud” remark about relying on illegal immigrants for labor ("we done picking cotton").
• Alludes to topic as a future talking point.

Notable Quotes & Segments

• On Leftist vs. Narrative Violence:
  – “It’s always them, it’s just always them.” – [38:38]
• On University Stonewalling:
  – “You’re not being forthright. You’re evading questions you’re not answering. You’re playing dumb. Maybe you are dumb.” – [08:38]
• On Political Statue Toppling:
  – “Stable countries... stories develop. In revolutionary countries... the heroes themselves change.” – [27:30]

Podcast Tone

Knowles' delivery is combative, satirical, and unapologetically polemical, with recurring sarcasm and rhetorical analogies. The show leverages current events for sweeping cultural criticism, consistently positioning progressive institutions and their narratives as willfully blind or subversive.

Quick Reference: Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00]–[07:00] Brown U. deletes records & refusal to answer questions
• [07:00]–[11:30] University’s agenda: blaming “gun violence,” not perpetrator or ideology
• [15:32] Jasmine Crockett’s “white supremacist crime” claim
• [16:07]–[18:32] Crime statistics explained; Knowles’ rebuttal
• [22:30]–[31:14] Lee statue, Barbara Rose Johns, historical revisionism
• [34:00]–[40:00] Leftist/“tran-tifa” terror plot discussion
• [40:02]–[43:25] NYC free bus experiment and criminal justice satire
• [43:25]–[44:39] Sheriff Judd and real accountability
• [46:00]–[48:45] Housing crisis and migration

Conclusion

This episode of The Michael Knowles Show is a dense, rapid-fire commentary on ideology, criminal justice, history, and public policy, all woven around recent events and viral headlines. Knowles challenges dominant narratives on campus shootings, crime, and American history, urging listeners to trust their instincts, question establishment explanations, and scrutinize progressive policy outcomes.