Episodes

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross lead a week of high-stakes federal maneuvers as the Trump administration unveils a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. While Chao faces scrutiny for her confusing remarks regarding foreign investment in American roads, Ross announced a massive $1.19 billion penalty against the Chinese telecommunications giant ZTE Corporation for violating trade sanctions with Iran. The hosts contrast this aggressive prosecution of a foreign entity with the historical lack of criminal charges against domestic bankers. The intelligence community is reeling from the WikiLeaks Vault 7 release, which exposes CIA cyber-intelligence tools capable of hijacking smartphones and smart TVs. Documents reveal the U.S. consulate in Frankfurt serves as a secret surveillance hub, prompting German officials to demand investigations into breaches of diplomatic protocol. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta defended the agency's use of zero-day exploits on PBS, while former analyst Larry Johnson suggests that Stingray devices were likely used to monitor communications at Trump Tower, corroborating claims made by Admiral Rogers. Cultural tensions flare as actress Jane Kaczmarek dismisses her own family as a basket of deplorables and Barbra Streisand blames her weight gain on the daily news cycle. The program features a formal knighthood ceremony for Dame Anonymous Goddess and Sir David of the Show Me State, alongside a linguistic preservation segment dedicated to saving phrases like the wreck of the Hesperus and skivvies. Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak provide the definitive analysis of the media's growing Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Political operative Dick Morris alleges that former President Barack Obama is coordinating a war room in Washington D.C. to orchestrate a coup against Donald Trump. The theory suggests the FBI and NSA utilized FISA warrants to monitor Trump Tower and trap appointees like Michael Flynn and Jeff Sessions during their confirmation hearings. This narrative of political surveillance is bolstered by reports that NSA Director Mike Rogers visited the transition team in November without informing James Clapper. Attorney General Jeff Sessions faces intense scrutiny over meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, while former Attorney General Michael Mukasey defends the legality of such diplomatic contacts against claims of treason. In the media, ABC News and anchor David Muir are criticized for using high-paced urgency to frame standard political shifts, such as the GOP platform change regarding Ukraine, as evidence of a Kremlin conspiracy. Meanwhile, the FBI arrest of disgraced journalist Juan Thompson for making bomb threats to Jewish centers reveals a cyberstalking scheme that was initially blamed on Trump supporters. Actor Patrick Stewart announces his quest for U.S. citizenship to fight the administration, a move labeled by listeners as peak virtue signaling. The program also explores the financial collapse of iHeartMedia under $20 billion in debt and the predatory nature of the Snapchat IPO on the Robinhood app. Sir Ali Buchen of Aberdeen joins the peerage as the value-for-value model continues to challenge traditional corporate media structures.

The 2017 Academy Awards ended in historic chaos as Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced La La Land as the Best Picture winner due to a PricewaterhouseCoopers envelope error. While Jimmy Kimmel and Emma Stone offered conflicting accounts of the backstage blunder, the Chinese government moved to tighten its grip on Hollywood by implementing new socialist value regulations. These laws require Western films to prioritize patriotism and integrity, forcing major studios to choose between narrative independence and access to the lucrative Chinese market. President Donald Trump delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress, drawing polarized reactions from media figures like Van Jones and Chris Matthews. While Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham pushed for higher defense spending, CBS News fact-checked the President's claims regarding the 94 million Americans currently outside the labor force. In Europe, the European Parliament voted to strip Marine Le Pen of her immunity over ISIS-related tweets, and François Fillon resisted calls to resign following the Penelope Gate financial scandal. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the UK will trigger Article 50 by late March while simultaneously proposing a nationwide ban on plastic microbeads in cosmetics. Former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear provided a viral moment during the Democratic response by accidentally identifying himself as a Republican while sitting in a Lexington diner. The episode also features a formal knighting ceremony for Dame Jennifer of Northern Mexico and Sir Bob of the Dude's Name Ben. Observations of Edward Snowden reveal a persistent mystery regarding his missing glasses nose pad, while a Yelp review of Berkeley Bowl West highlights the emotional fragility of the modern millennial shopper.

Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, and Nigel Farage took the stage at CPAC 2017 to solidify a populist, worker-centric shift for the Republican Party. Bannon labeled the media as corporatist globalists while Trump doubled down on his enemy of the people rhetoric, specifically targeting outlets that rely on anonymous sources. The administration also rescinded federal guidance on transgender bathroom use, framing the issue as a matter of states rights rather than federal oversight. Press Secretary Sean Spicer excluded CNN and The New York Times from an informal gaggle briefing, sparking a solidarity boycott by the Associated Press and Time Magazine. Meanwhile, a CBS News fact-check on immigration inadvertently revealed that the Obama administration deported more individuals in January 2016 than the Trump administration did in January 2017. In the intelligence sphere, Glenn Greenwald warned of a soft coup by the CIA, while Der Spiegel reported that the German BND has been spying on international journalists at the BBC and other outlets since 1999. Sir Peter of Sydney’s North Shore and Sir Dogbert of the SoCal Underverse received official knighthoods following significant contributions to the value-for-value model. Adam Curry detailed a plumbing disaster in his Airstream involving a shattered water filter and a Play-Doh factory of carbon goop. The episode concludes with a historical investigation into the origins of syphilis involving South American llamas and European explorers.

Sun Sara Taylor of RefuseFascism.org appeared on Fox News to claim the Trump-Pence administration is following Hitler's playbook, calling for mass political protests to prevent the mass incineration of human beings. This fascist emergency narrative coincides with Milo Yiannopoulos resigning from Breitbart after The Reagan Battalion surfaced controversial comments regarding minors, leading to the loss of his Simon & Schuster book deal. Meanwhile, the ACLU has invoked the historic Skokie case to defend Yiannopoulos’s First Amendment rights against government censorship. Former CIA operative Brian Dean Wright warned of a shadow war being conducted by intelligence agencies against the White House, while Congresswoman Maxine Waters labeled administration officials scumbags over ExxonMobil ties. In the UK, the British Parliament debated a petition signed by 2 million citizens to downgrade Donald Trump’s state visit to avoid embarrassing the Queen. Simultaneously, French candidate Marine Le Pen characterized the Euro as a weapon of the EU, and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis predicted a Grexit orchestrated by Wolfgang Schäuble. In the US, the FBI arrested a Missouri man in a sting operation at Walmart, and the Anne Frank Center demanded the firing of Steve Bannon. Angelina Jolie’s video eating tarantulas in Cambodia sparked a discussion on the normalization of insect consumption, while Lindsay Lohan claimed racial profiling at an airport over a headscarf. The hosts analyze Mika Brzezinski’s admission that the media’s job is to control what people think and identify the influence of No Agenda catchphrases on former Obama speechwriters. The episode concludes with a technical test of the Electro-Voice RE320 microphone and a medley of Barack Obama’s boots on the ground promises.

General David Petraeus and Vice Admiral Robert Harward have both declined offers to serve as National Security Advisor for the Trump administration. The rejections follow reports that the candidates were denied the authority to select their own staff for the National Security Council. This leadership vacuum coincides with a 77-minute solo press conference that has polarized media critics and fueled debates over the President's mental health. FBI Director James Comey recently briefed the Senate Intelligence Committee on systemic Russian cyber attacks, while former NSA officer Malcolm Nance claims surveillance intercepts of Michael Flynn prove deeper administration ties to Moscow. In Europe, Dutch politician Geert Wilders launched a campaign targeting Moroccan immigrants, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło to discuss the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Meanwhile, Russian pranksters successfully targeted Senator John McCain and Representative Maxine Waters, tricking the latter into believing Vladimir Putin hacked a fictional election in Limpopo. Senator John McCain used the Munich Security Conference to warn that suppressing the free press is the hallmark of a dictatorship, even as he fell victim to a prank call about brainwashing. On the lighter side, the Manhattan Eruv provides a technical workaround for the Sabbath, and Tiffany Trump found an unlikely ally in Whoopi Goldberg after a New York Fashion Week snub. The episode concludes with a knighting ceremony for Sir C4 of the Cryptosphere.

The resignation of National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has triggered a massive confrontation between the White House and a coordinated Deep State apparatus. Intelligence figures like Andrew Napolitano and Dennis Kucinich describe a military-industrial-intel axis utilizing illegal leaks and surveillance to sabotage the Trump administration's foreign policy. This internal power struggle mirrors historical tensions between the CIA and past presidents like JFK and Nixon. In the wake of the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, Adele’s tribute to Beyoncé and Busta Rhymes’s labeling of the President as Agent Orange highlight a deepening cultural divide. Meanwhile, Yvette Felarca of BAMN defends the violent shutdown of Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley, while legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar explores how the Ninth Amendment protects unenumerated rights. Internationally, Geert Wilders leads Dutch polls as Austria tightens border controls at the Spielfeld crossing, threatening the future of the Schengen zone. The Pentagon also admitted to using 5,000 rounds of depleted uranium in Syria, reversing previous denials regarding the long-term health impacts of these munitions. From the aggressive Tom turkeys of the Bay Area to Al Sharpton’s teleprompter struggles with the phrase resist we much, the human element of the week remains chaotic. Baron Bill of the Verde Valley joins the producer ranks after fleeing California’s taxes, while the hosts perform a rain stick ceremony to combat New Zealand bushfires. The program concludes with a look at the global sand mining industry and the cybersecurity risks of autonomous vehicles as potential tools for terrorism.

The mainstream media is currently pushing a coordinated narrative of chaos within the Trump White House, with David Brooks and The New York Times claiming staffers cannot find light switches. This episode deconstructs these reports alongside the escalating Michael Flynn surveillance scandal involving the CIA and FBI. Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak analyze how intelligence leaks are being weaponized against the National Security Advisor while the press ignores significant security breaches on Capitol Hill. Evidence of massive digital advertising fraud has surfaced as Alexa.com data reveals that up to 58% of traffic for The New York Times and The Washington Post originated from China in December. Despite these outlets being banned in China, the traffic persists, suggesting a bot-driven arbitrage model to inflate ad rates. Meanwhile, the Awan brothers—IT staffers for Debbie Wasserman Schultz—face scrutiny for unauthorized access to House computer networks, a story largely suppressed by major networks like CNN and MSNBC. The program also examines the European Union's deal to finance migrant camps in Libya and the historical rhetoric of Barack Obama regarding illegal immigration. In a bizarre turn, a contestant on The Bachelor claimed she was forced to eat lipstick due to poverty in Russia, a segment the hosts mock as low-level propaganda. The broadcast features a formal knighting ceremony for the Baron of Mexico and a classic John C. Dvorak rant about the proper way to eat nuts on an airplane. The show concludes with a look at the 'war on cash' following the sentencing of Turkish hacker Ercan Findikoglu for a $40 million ATM looting scheme.

Donald Trump dominates the cultural landscape following a New England Patriots Super Bowl victory that Robert Kraft and the administration frame as a win against the elites. While Lady Gaga navigated the halftime show with a drone-led rendition of God Bless America, media critics like Larry Haggett expressed frustration over the lack of overt political protest. Meanwhile, Melissa McCarthy’s portrayal of Sean Spicer on Saturday Night Live has reportedly forced a shift in the White House Press Secretary’s briefing room demeanor. Secondary stories highlight a deepening divide in institutional trust as Scott Pelly of CBS News challenges White House claims regarding a media cover-up of 78 terrorist incidents. Whistleblower John Bates alleges that NOAA manipulated climate data to influence the Paris Climate Summit, while Australian geologist Ian Plimer argues that solar cycles, not CO2, dictate planetary temperature shifts. In the legislative sphere, Representative Dana Rohrabacher introduced the Respect State Marijuana Laws Act to protect local cannabis markets from federal interference, even as Steep Hill Labs warns of hydrogen cyanide contamination in California medical crops. International tensions flare as Paris erupts in riots following police brutality allegations and the Mayor of Ankara suggests man-made earthquakes are being used as economic weapons. Linguistic shifts take center stage as the rise of T-glottalization in the speech of Kellyanne Conway and news anchors draws scrutiny. Comedian Bill Burr offers a blunt post-mortem on the 2016 election during a Conan appearance, while the fisting method of airplane snack consumption is identified as the ultimate cabin etiquette violation. The segment concludes with the mystery of Tom Brady’s stolen $500,000 jersey and a compilation of the president’s repetitive vocalizations.

Federal Judge James Robart issued a nationwide temporary restraining order against the Trump administration's travel ban, leading to an immediate halt of the policy at major airports like JFK and LAX. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson successfully utilized the Parens Patriae doctrine to establish standing, arguing the state must protect its citizens and institutions from federal overreach. The legal challenge hinges on claims of religious animus, bolstered by television interviews where Rudy Giuliani discussed finding a legal path for a Muslim ban. University of California President Janet Napolitano faces a national origin discrimination lawsuit for allegedly replacing 97 IT employees with lower-paid H-1B visa holders from India. Meanwhile, Professor Robert Reich claimed on CNN that violent riots at UC Berkeley were a right-wing paramilitary conspiracy, despite Congresswoman Val Demings describing the protests as a beautiful sight. In the media landscape, NBC faces criticism from the National Association of Black Journalists for replacing Tamron Hall with Megyn Kelly, while a Texas judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit filed by Ahmed Mohamed, the student known as Clock Boy. Musician John Legend defended Hollywood's liberal bias to NPR, while veteran journalist Tom Brokaw warned activists that rage is not a policy. The etymology of vetting is traced back to 19th-century horse racing, and a viral video of a screaming professor was revealed to be a performance art piece by Rebecca Goyette. The episode concludes with a look at the Hater dating app and a geopolitical analysis of Super Bowl LI owners Robert Kraft and Arthur Blank.

President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13769, sparking massive protests at JFK and Dulles airports as travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations faced immediate detention. The ACLU secured a nationwide federal stay to halt deportations, while the Council on American-Islamic Relations labeled the policy a Muslim ban. Iraqi national Hameed Khalid Darwish became a central figure in the legal standoff after his detention despite years of service to the U.S. government. Senator Rand Paul introduced the Obamacare Replacement Act, S.222, to the Senate floor, prioritizing Health Savings Account expansion and the restoration of HIPAA protections for the group market. Meanwhile, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to two and a half minutes to midnight, citing nuclear rhetoric and climate change skepticism. In the intelligence community, former CIA analyst George Beebe and case officer Robert David Steele raised red flags regarding the Christopher Steele dossier and the lack of direct FBI access to DNC servers. Matteo, a nineteen-year-old visiting Austin from Italy, observed that his home country remains more obsessed with soccer than the migrant economy or Chinese acquisitions of football clubs like AC Milan. Vice President Mike Pence made history as the first sitting VP to address the March for Life, while Hollywood comedians at an NRDC fundraiser struggled to find punchlines following the 2016 election results. The show recognizes Sir Red Beard for his knighthood under the Value for Value model.

The Trump administration and the intelligence community are locked in a high-stakes standoff as National Security Advisor Michael Flynn faces scrutiny over his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. While critics allege potential Logan Act violations, journalist Glenn Greenwald warns that intelligence agencies are actively signaling their power to undermine the President. Meanwhile, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern publicly confronted Congressman Adam Schiff on C-SPAN, challenging the lack of definitive evidence linking Russian hacking to WikiLeaks. In the wake of Kellyanne Conway’s "alternative facts" defense, sales of George Orwell’s 1984 have surged to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. The debate over inauguration crowd sizes continues to fuel a media-driven psychological warfare campaign, as mainstream outlets publish comparison photos lacking verifiable EXIF metadata. Beyond the headlines, the Democratic National Committee faces internal identity struggles after a leadership candidate suggested white members should step back, while Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard returns from a fact-finding mission in Syria with reports that U.S.-backed rebels are indistinguishable from terrorist groups. Adam Curry recounts a disastrous Home Shopping Network audition involving an off-color joke about a shaving brush that likely ended his career in televised retail. The technical deconstruction reveals how PBS and major networks have formed a "chain of lies" by recycling each other's reporting without original verification. Between viral coffee shop rants and Bruce Springsteen’s political declarations in Australia, the cultural divide has reached a meta-fractal state where reality itself appears to have split into competing wavelengths.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer launched a blistering offensive against the media following the inauguration of Donald Trump, specifically targeting The New York Times and Time Magazine for reporting on crowd sizes and the alleged removal of a Martin Luther King Jr. bust. The administration’s aggressive stance at the podium signaled a shift toward active press-shaming, while the President’s visit to CIA headquarters at Langley drew sharp rebukes from pundits like Gloria Borger who labeled the appearance a desecration of hallowed ground. In Washington, the Women’s March drew massive crowds and sparked controversy as Madonna spoke of blowing up the White House and Ashley Judd performed the Nasty Woman poem. Financial ties between billionaire George Soros and over 50 march partners surfaced via reports from Asra Nomani, while pro-life feminist groups were stripped of their partnership status. Meanwhile, in Koblenz, Marine Le Pen and European populist leaders gathered to challenge the globalist status quo, and the World Economic Forum in Davos faced ridicule for hosting a refugee simulation for the billionaire elite. From the high-wind warnings at Bergstrom Airport to the seasonal cedar fever gripping Austin, the local atmosphere mirrors the national turbulence. Keith Olbermann has officially rebranded his opposition as The Resistance, a move that puts him in direct branding competition with Alex Jones. Between the digital latency of modern cable boxes and the European Parliament’s draft report on the legal personhood of robots, the intersection of technology and control remains a primary concern.

Representative John Lewis and Maxine Waters lead a Democratic charge to delegitimize the incoming Trump administration, citing alleged Russian collusion as grounds for impeachment. While Lewis refuses to attend the inauguration, former Black Panther Mason Weaver and comedian Steve Harvey appear at Trump Tower to discuss urban revitalization. This political rift deepens as CNN contributor Mark Lamont Hill labels black figures meeting with the President-elect as mediocre, sparking a debate over representation and policy expertise. Bikers for Trump spokesperson Chris Cox announces a wall of meat to protect attendees from protesters in Washington D.C., where Al Sharpton and organizers of the Women's March prepare for large-scale resistance. Meanwhile, the White House press corps resists a proposed relocation to the Executive Office Building, a move Keith Olbermann compares to the media environment of Vladimir Putin. Amidst these domestic tensions, President Obama commutes the sentence of Chelsea Manning, drawing sharp rebukes from Paul Ryan and Republican leadership who view the move as a threat to national security. Bob Woodward breaks from the intelligence community to label the Steele dossier a garbage document that warrants an apology to the President-elect. In Davos, Jack Ma of Alibaba critiques American economic strategy, arguing that trillions spent on foreign wars should have been invested in domestic infrastructure. The episode concludes with a look at the death of German journalist Udo Ulf Kotte and the rise of social credit systems like Alibaba’s Sesame Credit.

Adam Curry faces a travel crisis after being denied boarding on a Delta flight from Austin to Amsterdam due to strict Schengen Area passport regulations. The incident, involving high-level inquiries with the Royal Dutch Marines and the Department of Homeland Security, highlights a sudden shift in European Union border enforcement. This technocratic crackdown serves as a backdrop for a broader analysis of global power shifts as the Trump administration prepares for inauguration. General James Mattis and Mike Pompeo faced intense Senate confirmation hearings this week, signaling a return to military lethality and traditional intelligence gathering. Meanwhile, the Logan Act of 1799 has emerged as a central tool in the investigation into General Michael Flynn and his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. In Europe, the EU StratCom task force is under fire for blacklisting journalists, while Viktor Orban claims mass immigration is a calculated political strategy to undermine Christian Democratic parties. Additional reports examine the debunked Washington Post story regarding the DC National Guard and the deployment of 4,000 US troops to Poland. John C. Dvorak details the meticulous 14-hour process of cooking ten pounds of pulled pork in Silicon Valley while Adam Curry navigates the logistical hurdles of the upcoming Make Australia Great Again tour. The duo deconstructs ABC News' use of pornographic background music in segments about the Christopher Steele dossier and mocks Senator Lindsey Graham for his theatrical rhetoric regarding Russia. Sir Matt Eskridge is knighted following a generous contribution to the show's value-for-value model.

Donald Trump denounced the publication of a salacious intelligence dossier by BuzzFeed and CNN, comparing the leak to tactics used in Nazi Germany during a volatile press conference at Trump Tower. The document, compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele of Orbis Business Intelligence, contains unverified allegations regarding Trump’s conduct at the Ritz Carlton in Moscow. Trump dismissed the claims as a fabrication, citing his known germaphobia and the certainty of KGB surveillance in Russian hotels. In Washington, the Senate Intelligence Committee heard testimony from James Clapper and James Comey regarding Russian active measures and interference in the 2016 election. Senator Mark Warner detailed the planting of false information on dissidents' computers, while Senator Lindsey Graham faced mockery from Trump for his proposed sanctions. Simultaneously, the Northern Ireland power-sharing government collapsed following the Ash for Cash scandal, a renewable heat incentive program that allowed participants to earn more in subsidies than the cost of wood pellet fuel. Personal moments include a transition to wearing eyeglasses on a neck chain and a look back at a 1999 David Bowie interview where the artist described the internet as an alien life form. The show recognizes John Hall and Shannon Brame for their significant contributions to the value-for-value model, while the University of London faces student demands to remove Plato and Descartes from the curriculum to decolonize philosophy.

The intelligence community faces intense scrutiny following the release of a declassified report alleging Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign to aid Donald Trump. While the CIA and FBI maintain high confidence in these findings, the NSA offers only moderate confidence, prompting skeptics like Glenn Greenwald and Michael Hayden to clash over the lack of technical evidence. The narrative has sparked a political firestorm, with Senator Chuck Schumer warning the President-elect that the intelligence community has ways of getting back at its detractors. Beyond the Beltway, climatologist Judith Curry resigned from Georgia Tech, labeling the academic pressure to support human-caused climate change narratives a scam. In Florida, the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport became a crime scene after Esteban Santiago killed five people in a baggage claim shooting, raising questions about FBI oversight after Santiago previously reported mind-control concerns to authorities. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department prepares for Steven Mnuchin, whose Hollywood production credits include Mad Max: Fury Road and The Accountant. Distinctive moments include a deep dive into Pornhub’s 2016 search data, where Overwatch characters and virtual reality emerged as dominant trends. The segment on intersectionality at the Women's March on Washington highlights the shifting vocabulary of modern activism. Producers also explore the 7117 palindrome meme and the curious case of a real estate lockbox code that perfectly matched the show's internal jargon.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before Congress this week, defending a joint assessment that labels Russia an aggressive cyber threat to the United States. While Clapper pointed to RT and Sputnik as primary engines of a multifaceted influence campaign, technical experts have identified significant discrepancies in the data. The report relies on outdated IP addresses and commercially available Ukrainian software rather than definitive proof of state-sponsored hacking. Secondary reports indicate the FBI never performed independent forensic analysis on the DNC servers, opting instead to trust data from CrowdStrike. Former CIA Director James Woolsey cautioned that China or Iran could also be involved, comparing the situation to multiple jackals at a single carcass. Meanwhile, research from George Webb and others has raised questions regarding the whereabouts of former Clinton Foundation CEO Eric Braverman and his alleged connections to KKR and international arms deals. In California, SB 1322 has officially gone into effect, preventing the arrest of minors for sex work, while the DMV has issued over 800,000 licenses to undocumented residents. Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak open the session with a Yamaha Alto recorder performance and a critique of the latest media memes like "fact-free" and "modified uptalk." The hosts also sample chocolate-flavored farm ants sent by a listener and explore a conspiracy theory involving British spies and the California Gold Rush. Sir Hoopin Socker joins the knighthood as the show analyzes the transition of Megyn Kelly to NBC and the rise of Tucker Carlson at Fox News.

The Washington Post issued a major correction after falsely reporting that Russian hackers penetrated the United States electric grid via a Vermont utility. This retraction highlights a broader media trend of attributing standard spear-phishing campaigns, like the DHS and FBI Grizzly Steppe report, to state-sponsored attacks without concrete technical proof. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump continues to express skepticism regarding intelligence agency claims, citing the historical failure of Iraq WMD assessments. International tensions escalated as the Obama administration expelled 35 Russian diplomats and seized luxury estates in Maryland and New York, despite claims from journalists like Matt Taibbi that the narrative mirrors pre-war propaganda. In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Theresa May faces criticism for a Brexit strategy that potentially maintains single market ties, while Nigel Farage gains recognition as a pivotal figure in the movement. In the tech sector, Amazon patented an aerial fulfillment center involving high-altitude blimps, and the herbicide Atrazine faced renewed scrutiny for its role as an endocrine disruptor that causes sex reversal in frogs. CNN co-host Don Lemon provided a viral moment by getting his ear pierced live while visibly intoxicated during New Year's Eve coverage. Mariah Carey also made headlines for a significant technical malfunction in Times Square that left her vocal track running while she stopped singing. Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak open the year by knighters new donors and exploring the literal meanings of Dutch insults like mierenneuker.

Adam Curry exposes a Dutch media experiment where he successfully tricked mainstream outlets into reporting a fake third marriage using a photo of magnetic loop antennas. The incident highlights the collapse of verification standards as news organizations prioritized social media rumors over direct confirmation. Meanwhile, the Mother Jones report by David Corn regarding Russian cultivation of Donald Trump faces scrutiny as a potential intelligence plant designed to delegitimize the incoming administration. International tensions escalate as Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham demand aggressive sanctions following the expulsion of 35 Russian operatives by the Obama administration. In Germany, the government proposes a Ministry of Truth to levy 500,000-euro fines against social media platforms for disinformation. These geopolitical maneuvers coincide with a ceasefire in Syria linked to a massive gas field deal between Eni and Rosneft, suggesting the conflict remains a proxy war over European energy pipelines. Cultural shifts take center stage as Camille Paglia critiques the rise of transgenderism as a symptom of late-stage societal unraveling. John Dvorak recounts a logistical nightmare at a capacity-crowd Disneyland and reviews the CGI resurrection of actors in Rogue One. The program concludes with a look at the Internet of Things, where a Bentonville murder case reveals how smart water meters and Amazon Echo devices are becoming the primary witnesses in modern criminal investigations.